I recently joined the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and received an electronic news letter, which advertised Andy’s photography workshops. The prospect of visiting Skomer Island during the seal pupping season and of simultaneously improving my photography skills was too tempting, and when my friend showed a similar enthusiasm for the idea, we found ourselves committing to a mid week day trip to the island from Cardiff.

We had a fabulous time, despite an early rise and a brief rain shower shortly after arriving on the island. Andy went through some of the camera basics including how to hold the camera and how it works. He also helped us to set the functions on our individual cameras for optimal use. Key aspects of picture composition were highlighted and I learnt how to use the automatic white balance (AWB) and histogram features to aid exposure settings. I now also have a greater awareness of depth of field.

At the start of the day Andy asked us what our main interests were with respect to photography, for example: wildlife, landscapes, close-ups etc. I was very keen to see and photograph the seals and he knew where best to see them. Throughout the day, Andy was extremely patient and helpful, constantly reviewing our shots and advising on how to improve them. As expected for this time of year, most of the birds had gone, and there were few visitors, so we had the island more or less to ourselves. We had great views of seals, beautiful landscape and colourful lichens.

After catching the last boat back to the mainland, we headed back to Andy’s house for tea, biscuits and the opportunity to review our photos on the computer. Andy went through each photo and we discussed what was good and if the photograph hadn’t quite worked, how it might have been improved.

From my very first contact with Andy, he demonstrated a friendly nature with a great passion and knowledge for his work. I found the day most rewarding and would not hesitate to recommend spending some time on one of his workshops.