Las Vegas & the National Parks

This was going to be my last trip to Vegas but after having such a great time I have decided to do another in 2025. We headed out to Las Vegas and visited the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Zion and then a last night in the fabulous Venetian in Vegas. The trip was attended by Judy, Brian, Trevor and Helen with Pam having to drop out on the day of the trip due to Ill health which was a real disappointment for everyone. There were many highlights to the trip with Antelope Canyon, staying at the view in Monument Valley and a final night at the Venetian but everyday there is something different on the trip and all the hotels were top notch.

You can view the pics on Flickr here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotocourses/albums/72177720306760079

We will be putting up 2025 dates on the website soon and here are a few pics from the Flickr feed. Visit https://www.fotocourses.co.uk to see all our available courses.

Northumberland

1st trip this year to Northumberland – a few days away at the Hoggs Head Inn near Alnwick. They are part of the Inns Collection and do an amazing winter deal of £97 per night which includes room, breakfast and evening meal with a generous £26 per person evening meal allowance. Worth checking out.

I treated myself to the Fuji 50-230 lens which is not that expensive but gets excellent write ups. It’s a cracking lens. Have a look at the gallery below.

Here are some pics from our trip. If you want to come with us in September check out this link: https://www.fotocourses.co.uk/Northumberland/northumberland.html If you want to see our Flickr images check out this link: https://www.fotocourses.co.uk/Northumberland/northumberland.html

Thailand

This is a big year in terms of trips for us personally and for the business. We are starting off Helens 6 months leave from work visiting Thailand. We then have a short visit to Northumberland followed by my last trip for a while to Las Vegas and the National Parks in March. More trips to follow.

Thailand was everything we hoped for. Stunning scenery, interaction with the wildlife and stunning hotels. We flew out out from Heathrow on the 27th January with EVA Air – not an airline I was familiar with but I would certainly use again. We spent a few days in Bangkok. We had already booked a guided tour with a local – Anne who took us around the Palace and local temples. She negotiated the Tuk Tuks, River transport and sky train which was great as we were unfamiliar with the local drill. From speaking to other travellers it’s very easy to get ripped off in Bangkok so the guided introduction was welcome. After a few days in our hotel exploring just a stones throw from one of the sky train stations we headed off by internal flight to Krabi. Our hotel The Shellsea was excellent with its own private beach. After a few days of relaxation we then headed to Elephant Hills for a 4 days safari style experience. river safaris, junks, floating accommodation and getting up close to the elephants was the highlight of the trip for both of us. We slept out in luxury tents and the 4 days were inclusive of all meals. I would certainly check it out if your are thinking of visiting. Last stop was a few days in Khao Lak at the Moracea resort before flying back to Bangkok from Phuket then on to Heathrow.

Great photo opportunities and fantastic food and service at every location. Here are some pics from the trip. If you want to see the full selection from my Fuji camera check out this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotocourses/albums/72177720306107848

Christmas Gift Ideas

Its that time of year again. Check out our website www.fotocourses.co.uk for some great gift ideas for the photographer. Courses start at £60 for a Fotowalk through to 1 day courses at the reduced price of £75 and 1-2-1 days at just £150 for a full days training. We also offer motor racing photography days. All these make great gifts with open ended certificates which can be used anytime over the next 18 months.

Route 66

What a trip this year on Route 66. 2800 miles with a detour to Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon all the way from Chicago to Santa Monica. I was accompanied by Tracey, Mick, Fran, Sandra and Mike on this one and we had a fantastic time. It was unseasonably colder than normal but we had mostly clear skys all the way. You can check out all the pics following this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotocourses/albums/72177720303954579/with/52520850649/

Here are a few of my favourites below. We are taking a break on this trip so next years will be my last for a while. If you would like to book check out our web site https://www.fotocourses.co.uk/America/route66.html

New Forest 2023

Here are some shots from our latest course in the New Forest to capture the autumn colours. All pictures taken on my new Fuji Xt30 mark II which is proving to be a great camera. New dates for next years course are up on our website 30th – 1st November 2023. Book early to secure at 2022 prices: Click here

Venice 2023

After a three year absence due to covid we finally got back to doing our Venice course this year. Thanks to Sarah, Maureen, Norman, Mike, Howard and Andrew for making the course so enjoyable. We had great weather, our usual relaxed schedule with lower than normal crowds to contend with. It was nice to see the Bridge of Sighs and Rialto without the scaffolding. Here is a selection of pics from the trip. The rest can be viewed on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotocourses/albums/72177720303251059

This trip was fully booked and we already have bookings for 2023. If you are interested please check out our web site: https://www.fotocourses.co.uk/Venice/4_Day_Venice.html

Northumberland

Holy Island

Our second trip up North this year to the county of Northumberland. Stunning weather, great company and some beautiful locations. We will be running our next trip in September 2023. Check out our website for more information: https://www.fotocourses.co.uk/Northumberland/northumberland.html

Silverstone Formula 1

This years course was attended by Katie, Mick, Tim, Simon, Peter and Oliver. A great day out with changeable conditions which meant the first practice session was a bit of a wash out. However the second session made up for it with cars running for the full hour and with F2 and F3 practices and qualifying there was plenty to photograph. Our roving grandstand tickets gave us some great views over the catch fencing. We have very limited availability on our Goodwood revival course so book now if you want to reserve a space. https://www.fotocourses.co.uk/Festival_of_Speed/Revival.html

Here is link to Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotocourses/albums/72177720300257246/with/52189013246/