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Thunderbird Show Park hosts digital photography workshop with Peter Llewellyn

June 12, 2008: Langley, BC : – In recent years, photography has witnessed an upsurge in interest thanks to the arrival of high-quality digital cameras that no longer break the bank, and affordable computer systems that cater to the instant-gratification hobbyists. Click-and-view has replaced the days or weeks of waiting for a disappointing packet of prints to drop through the snail-mail box. Digital libraries of sparkling images have replaced dusty albums filled with a family’s photographic disasters! Or have they?

Peter Llewellyn, a full-time professional photographer for over 25 years can answer that question. “Many of today’s cameras are digital dynamite and, in theory, everyone should be able to produce great images. However, ask someone what all the buttons do and you’ll usually get a blank look.” He continued by saying, “People often have little concept of how a camera actually works and, therefore, no idea how to manipulate light or avoid the simplest mistakes.”

Teaching an awareness of prevailing conditions, resolving movement problems, and staging images some of the issues addressed in Peter Llewellyn’s hugely popular digital photography workshops. An official photographer at some of the world’s major sporting events, including Olympic Games, and founder of one of the world’s largest equestrian stock photo agencies, Llewellyn has over the past decade – coinciding with his move from Europe to Canada – also become an award-winning wildlife and nature photographer. “The camera in your hand becomes an extension of your eyes,” he says, “But everyone’s sense of perspective is different, so photography is a life-long learning experience.”

A BC resident for several years, although he’s been commuting for assignment work in Florida since last October, Llewellyn joined the team at Thunderbird Show Park this year as official tournament photographer, partnered with a former student, Darren Reeves from Victoria. “Darren epitomizes what someone with a passion for photography can accomplish if they learn from the grassroots. There’s no cutting corners if you want to achieve the best results from your camera.”

For anyone who has tried to capture the multi-dimensional action of equestrian sport, Peter Llewellyn will once again be delivering a photography workshop hosted by Thunderbird Show park, on Tuesday, August 21, between their Summer Classic and Summer Festival tournaments.

Each workshop begins with a slide show – illustrating the diversity of equestrian disciplines and how sports photography has changed since its earliest days. It’s an opportunity to view some historically unique material as the earliest action shot dates from 1882, “And is remarkably high quality given the cameras of the day,” Llewellyn added.

The slide show provides an opportunity to critique the best and worst points of each photo, the equipment used, prevailing lighting conditions, the photographer’s position in relation to the subject, and the camera settings used to capture the image. This classroom session concludes with hands-on advice for optimizing the capabilities of modern digital cameras and exploring techniques to ensure the highest quality image output.

Progressing to practical photography, participants will learn how to shoot a good portrait, including subject preparation, handling, lighting, background and positioning. A wealth of staged “action” opportunities will be provided on-site, and the day will conclude with an appraisal of participants’ downloaded images as well as reviewing the day’s lessons during a Q&A period.

Thunderbird workshop places are limited so it’s recommended that you make a reservation as quickly as possible in order to avoid disappointment: www.peterllewellyn.com/workshops.htm. The workshop is relevant to everyone, whether you are using a high-end digital SLR or prefer a point-and-shoot camera. 

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