Zagoria & Meteora, Northern Greece : six night photography tour

The majority of our time (the first 4 nights) will be spent in the spectacular and unspoilt Zagoria region.  Thick forests, mountain scenery, rocky canyons and ravines make up the landscape, together with the stone arch bridges that link the old passes and routes together. We are staying in one of the prettiest and most characterful villages in the area, looked after by charming hosts at a fabulous little hotel.

Zagori, in Slavic, means ‘the place beyond the mountain'. It consists of 44 isolated villages scattered over the region’s mountains.  From the 16th to 19th century the region was part of the major trade routes from the East, and wealth poured in. However, since the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the destruction of villages inflicted by retreating German troops in WW2, the infighting during the Greek civil war (1944-49) and the modern trend towards urbanisation of major cities, means both wealth and population numbers have declined here.

Today it is a peaceful, tranquil destination that has largely escaped the post war development seen elsewhere in the West.  Provincial towns and villages in traditional architecture coexist with the vast swathes of forest and wild animals, including bears and wild boars.

Another highlight of the region is the Vikos gorge; listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the deepest canyon in the world in proportion to its width, and second only to the Grand Canyon in depth.

We hope to enjoy a few misty dawns and the odd atmospheric sunset, as well as learning how to get the best out of the light at all times of day. You will undoubtedly see some great vistas but we will also be concentrating on the smaller, more intimate details to be found within the landscape - looking at ways of capturing our surroundings with more abstract interpretations, helping you to get out of your comfort zone and try a few different techniques and approaches to photographing this wonderful area of Greece.

The second part of our workshop will be spent amongst the amazing clifftop monasteries of Meteora - it's a magical and unique place to visit and there's some wonderful vistas, stretches of woodland and eclectic details to photograph, as well as the monasteries.

If time, we also plan to use a little time on a digital skills session, where we will show you the fundamental techniques required to process your photographs, including exposure blending, using layers and masks and how to work efficiently in both Lightroom and Photoshop. The emphasis is on encouraging group discussion and lively debate between all participants and we also hope to use this time to look over and review some of the photographs from our outings.

Our workshops are very much informal in style - we like to work with our group to ensure we give you the best possible experience and are flexible in our approach to ensure you have a fulfilling and rewarding workshop. We also feel enjoying the food and culture of the places we visit is very important and we have been treated to some wonderful hospitality in Greece.

This is a Tripod Travels workshop - running in conjunction with good friend and super photographer / teacher, Alex Hare. Alex and I have thoroughly enjoyed working together for several years now and I’ve included a link to Alex’s website here. Also, for more information about my approach to photography workshops, please have a look at this page. If you'd like to see a few testimonials from previous clients, then please look here.