We have all been thrown into a restrictive lifestyle due to the global pandemic becoming a part of our lives for a year now. 
Mental health is of the upmost importance. You, or somebody you care for may suffer in silence. You, or your loved ones may be fighting battles that are overwhelmingly difficult to conquer. 

Photography has helped both of us at Sassenach Photography with our mental health. One of us was taken ill, and battled through both physical and mental battles. The other, the effects of having the social interactions restricted played havoc on the mind. 
Photography improves mental wellbeing drastically because it focuses the mind on something new, something that has to happen quickly...but also intricately. 

This workshop is built around focusing the mind, enhancing self confidence, improving mental wellbeing and learning a new skill.

An immersive day learning basic Photography
Any location tells a story, whether that be a lone tree on a hill or a mountain with a dramatic sky over it's peak. 
The challenge is capturing that story for you to tell others. We will be teaching you the basics of photography to allow you to adapt techniques to your own photographs and make them something you will be proud of. 

• We will meet at Cocklawburn Beach, an absolutely stunning beach located outside of Berwick-Upon-Tweed at 5am to catch the sunrise. On the occasion that the weather isn't on our side, we will adapt to create something different.
• You will be given tips on how to create a composition based on the subject.
• We will discuss how to control lighting, depending on what weather is available on the day.
• You will be introduced to basic camera settings such as ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture.

We have chosen this location for a few reasons. 

• The natural beauty of this beach is a photographer's heaven with the potential to create long exposures of the rocky limestone, or quick snapshots of the sun dancing on the tips of the sand dunes. 
• If you're a keen birdwatcher, there is plenty of bird activity on this beach with sightings of Black Scoters, Red-necked Grebes and Black-throated Divers. 
• The beach and the sea have many benefits with helping mental health. The sea air calms the mind, allowing time to breathe and escape from the constraints of every day life.

You should join this workshop if:

• You want to learn a new skill or
• Enhance photography skills 
• Achieve a goal
• Reduce stress, anxiety and depression 
• Gain self confidence
• Improve mental health and wellbeing 
• Reduce loneliness and social isolation 
• Become part of a community that offer support and guidance with anything
• Become a photographer

This is a chilled, relaxed workshop. We will only be introducing the basics of photography so it doesn't become a stressful situation but rather, an engaging and rewarding experience. 
We will however set you a challenge to try after the workshop has finished. This will involve creating a photograph using the information we have provided during the workshop, and applying that to a criteria we will give you. This is voluntary, and just for fun. You will have the option to share your photo on our Facebook group for others to leave feedback on. 

If you don't have access to a camera, you can bring your smartphone and we can introduce you to the pro camera settings so you can still create something you will be proud of. 

Due to covid-19 restrictions, we will be adhering to social distancing rules. We will wear masks if we need to show you something up close on your camera/smartphone. As it is an outdoor workshop, it is not a requirement for you to wear a mask but you are welcome to wear one if you would like to. If you can, please bring hand sanitizer so we can reduce the amount of potential transmission.