Heather Angel, the internationally renowned wildlife photographer, has been the recipient of a large number of awards and prizes from all over the world for her widely acclaimed lectures, writing and workshops. In addition she is a regular contributor to the worldwide photographic press and the distinguished author of over 50 books.


Heather Angel is an enthusiastic tutor of wildlife and nature photography, and these hugely popular one-day workshops on Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th July 2010 at Saint Hill Manor are perfect for both the newcomer and experienced photographer alike. The schedule for each day includes lectures, demonstrations and the chance to handle and use a large range of new Nikon camera equipment and the range of Think Tank camera bags. Her workshops regularly attract visitors from all over the U.K., Europe and throughout the world.

Schedule for the day

09.15 - Registration with coffee and tea served on the terrace of the Manor

10.00 -11.15 - Heather Angel - What makes a memorable image?

Pictures of the natural world which transcend language barriers and create an instant rapport are rare. It may be high-speed action, amazing behaviour, dramatic lighting or an intriguing design that arrests the eye. If you rely on coming across them by chance, the odds of achieving many in a year will be slim. But by conceiving the essential ingredients, you can reduce the odds of being successful. Drawing both on images taken over time as well as recent unseen ones, Heather will show some thought-provoking images which she hopes will stimulate a lively discussion.

Copies of Heather's books - including Wild Kew, which is the basis of the 2010 summer exhibition at Kew Gardens - will be available this weekend.

11.15 - Break for mid-morning refreshment: tea, coffee, mineral water on the Terrace.

11.45-12.45 - Nikon Total Imaging System - John Clements

Regardless of your choice of Nikon camera, it is important to know how to achieve the best from your equipment using Nikon optics, Nikon Speedlights and software, and in this session the Nikon Total Imaging System will be fully explained. In a live-shoot environment, using flash illumination indoors, John Clements will demonstrate how to create images to cover various genre of natural history photography, explaining every step of the procedure from the point of taking the initial image to the end result. As images are shot, they will appear on screen. John will then explain the procedure in detail as he fine-tunes and improves upon the images in camera. Each vital camera feature - focusing, exposure and much more - will be thoroughly examined and exact settings discussed during the shoot.

Jpegs - working within a limited time frame, Jpegs allow a speedy way to go straight to print.

NEF Raw files - using Nikon Capture NX2 and his broad experience of post-capture techniques, John will demonstrate how to generate imagery to professional imaging standards.

During the event John will use the Nikon WT4 Wi-Fi system, the Creative Lighting System and components of the Nikon software system

13.00 - Lunch: an elegant lunch overlooking the beautiful gardens of Saint Hill Manor and a wooded lake

14.00 - onwards there will be a choice of four sessions. You may attend them all or be selective. The sessions are outlined here with details of each below.

• 14.00 - 16.15 Practical Macro session with Heather Angel inside and in the garden
• 14.00 - 16.15 Outside Practical session with John Clements
• 14.00 - 16.30 Photoshop Techniques with Giles Angel
• Outside Practical session with Flying Falcons and Julian Ford - time to be announced

* Please note that Giles Angel's Photoshop session will be aimed at different levels as the afternoon progresses

14.00 - 16.15 Practical Macro session with Heather Angel inside and in the garden
This is an opportunity for you to get to grips with macro photography as guided by Heather who will demonstrate how to take still life subjects indoors, selecting the lighting which is most appropriate for the subject - whether it be window light, flash, a light box, a light tent or fibre optics. Nikon cameras and lenses will be available for you to use and flowers, fruits, shells and fossils will be provided for this still-life session. This is a marvellous opportunity for you to gain instant feedback on composition and lighting from Heather. She will also show you how to modify natural lighting to get the best results for macro work outside using reflectors, diffusers, and fill-in flash

Although a few Micro-Nikkor lenses will be available to borrow from the Nikon stand, if you would like to attend this session, please bring a Macro Lens, Tripod and Flash.

Outside Practical session with Flying Falcons and Julian Ford - time to be announced

By popular request, the birds of prey are back - ideal subjects to achieve stunning action images - both as stills and HD video with the latest DSLR Nikon cameras!

14.00 - 16.15 Outside Practical session with John Clements
ollowing on from his morning presentation, John with continue to explain how to get the best out of the Nikon Total Imaging System; this time (weather permitting) using available light outdoors.

14.00 - 16.30 Photoshop Techniques with Giles Angel
Giles Angel is a professional photographer and digital retoucher. The start of this session will be pitched at the beginner and will move onto more advanced and specific techniques as the afternoon progresses.

• Introduction to a colour managed workflow
• Editing your images using Adobe Bridge
• Workflow in Bridge (editing, renaming, applying raw corrections)
• RAW v JPEG
• RAW conversion tips & techniques
• Simple colour correction / variations
• Introduction to adjustment layers
• Levels - adjusting colour balance
• Preparing images for print and the web
• Precise colour correction with adjustment layers
• Replace colour
• Black and white from colour
• Masking
• Solarisation / colour effects
• Content aware scaling
• Panoramic stitching and panoramic head gear. Photo Merge (to create panoramics) in CS3 / CS4
• Dodging and burning selective areas (CS4 comparison)
• Shadow and highlights tool
• Combining different raw conversion exposures using masks
• Editing masks using paint brushes and gradients to make selective exposure and tonal adjustments
• Working with mask and adjustment levels with reference to levels and curves
• Selectively correcting areas using masks
• Pseudo HDR (High Dynamic Range). Working with multiple adjusted raw files (Single) image and using masks to selectively
• Introduction to HDR

16.15 - Afternoon Tea and Coffee or cool drinks served on the Terrace.

16.45 - Practical Session with Heather Angel outside

Heather will demonstrate various gadgets for aiding outdoor photography and demonstrate how she works in the rain.

17.00 - Workshop closes

18.30 - Dinner at the Manor. A special complimentary thank-you dinner to all those attending our workshop has been organised by Grays of Westminster and the staff of Saint Hill Manor. This must be arranged in advance.

Please note that Nikon cameras and lenses will be available for you to try out during the day; in fact these workshops are an excellent opportunity to handle and try out Nikon equipment before making a purchase. However, please bring your own kit - macro lens, long lens, flash and tripod - to get the best from the practical sessions.

Booking details:

The ticket for either day includes refreshments, lunch and the evening meal, and costs £245.00 (£185.00 for Nikon Owner subscribers) per person for the day.

The workshops start at 9.15 a.m. and run until 5.00 p.m., followed by dinner. Make your choice of day, Saturday 24th or Sunday 25th July and Book online here! or call Gillian Greenwood, Events and Training Coordinator between 2.00 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. on or 0207 828 8971 Monday to Friday if you are not a current Nikon Owner subscriber to find out how you can receive the £60 discount.