SPIRIT OF THE NORTH: MANCHESTER, LIVERPOOL & LEEDS

The base for our workshop will be in or close to the vibrant city of Manchester. One of National Geographic’s “Best in the World” and the birthplace of the industrial revolution, Manchester offers unending photo opportunities for creative photography. Each day we will grab our gear and aim our cameras at visual gems from the modernist HOME center and Whitworth art gallery to the gothic Manchester Cathedral and the John Ryland Library to seeing what we discover as we wander the streets of Manchester’s Chinatown. The nearby cities of Salford and Trafford, which blend seamlessly into each other, offer the gleaming architecture of Salford Quays, the L.S. Lowery art collection housed in a striking steel and glass building and the Imperial War Museum North.

We will head to the other side of the Pennines — the hills that divided the white roses from the red roses — to Leeds. Sitting among the old mill towns, Leeds has transformed itself into a modern urban landscape with an fabulous city skyline. We will traverse Leeds to capture the essence of its contemporary architecture and skyline, its canal waterfronts and, hopefully, catch a water taxi for a unique perspective on the city skyline.

Close to Leeds are two special stops on our journey. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is set in 5,000 acres of parkland and dotted with a large number of art installations, including works by Henry Moore, Damien Hirst and Barbara Hepworth. The Hepworth Gallery is a mecca for for stunning architectural shots, not to mention the wonderful art inside. 

Following in the footsteps of The Beatles we will make our way to Liverpool, one of Britains largest ports. A bustling waterfront, the Museum of Liverpool with it’s modernist architecture and impressive spiral staircase and the Central Library, where old meets new, offer a plethora of photographic opportunities.

Just north of Liverpool life slows and the coastline softens to small dunes and long beaches, providing the perfect tableau for ICM and pastel seascape imagery. At Crosby beach, we can capture sculpture Anthony Gormley’s men: originally 100 life-size cast-iron figures embedded in the rocks where they stand as the tide was around them. They never look the same way twice.

Each location allows participants to practice different techniques, pursue their individual photographic styles, hone their skills and increase their creativity quotient. And, as with all of our workshops, our plan for each day will remain flexible to ensure we take advantage of the best light, the best weather and those unexpected opportunities that we wouldn’t want to miss. 

Participants will also have the opportunity to meet individually with Jonathan or Deb (or both) for a one-on-one session to review images, ask questions, talk photography or fine tune photoshop skills during the course of the workshop. The agenda for the hour is up to you.

The workshop will start at approximately 4:00 PM on the 19th for a "meet & greet" followed by dinner, and end after breakfast on the 25th. Then, four to six weeks after the workshop, there will be a Zoom meeting to share images from our time in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, ask still unanswered questions and see firsthand how Jonathan approaches post-processing.