Winning A Patagonia Scholarship

Hello Friends,

I have been wanting to write this blog for nearly 9 months now to document  just what a amazing experience i had thanks to the amazing team of www.chamonixadventurefilmfestival.com.

Cutting a long story short, essentially i saw an advert about the Chamonix Adventure Film Festival and also saw there was a competition running for a chance to win a scholarship on the Adventure Film festival Photo Course. I entered the comp with 3 of my favourite adventure photographs and hey Presto!!

3 day's later i get a call from Zoe Hart a local mountain guide and brains behind www.chamonixadventurefilmfestival.com saying i had won the comp and would now have to pack my bags and prepare for 4 days of adventure photography with 14 other photographers and 2 of the worlds leading adventure photographers Corey Rich and Scott Wilson from Patagonaia / North Face Fame. 

From start to finish i felt like i was soaking up the good vibes of the course, the free flow on technique and inspiration, i basically felt at home. 
Many of the people on the course had come from far and wide and all had their own style and passion for photography.  Scott & Corey had a great way of explaining their experiences, describing their years in the business and expressing their passions.

Some of the advice i found over last year or so has been golden.

One of the most interesting areas of the course was in the evening when we stayed up in a refuge on the italian side of Mont Blanc. We worked closely with Corey showing us not only how to work with light but also work in low light. We all sat together as the sun came down over the Mont Blanc and we realised how lucky we were to have such a inspiring backdrop as a classroom.

My favourite space..........Outside.

Another interesting area of the course was that at the end of the all the photography we were told to submit our 5 best photographs from the 4 days and present them to the classroom.

I found this quite a challenge in the fact that it is quite embarrassing showing your work to a room full of pro photographers and industry specialists.

However it turned out to be a great way of people not only praising you but also giving some advice.

The course is based around the www.chamonixadventurefilmfestival.com and it was wonderful period in time where i felt totally submerged in photography and the kind of photography i really like which is outdoor photography.

Below are some images of some of the fun we had last summer in august.

This year the course is running from the 20th - 26th Auguest 2012. Do get involved as it has not only changed my career but also my focus HA HA! and although i specialize in many areas of imagery like interiors, weddings and events, it is all about working with light and although that sounds obvious this is what the team taught me.

So a massive thank you to Zoe Hart for putting on such a mind blowing course and adventure festival
Corey Rich for the education 
Patagonia for my scholarship
And Scott Wilson for the industry advice and support.

I would also like to say that i ended up helping out on the festival in the evening doing the lights & sound for all of the festival and got to see some awesome films.

My  favourite was this one below called the dark side of the lens a film about surfing on Islands West Coast.

Photography is about sharing your passion and following it.

That is exsactly what this course is all about

Just type in The Dark Side of The Lens on to YouTube