LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP - HOLLAND IN SPRING
Holland in spring is a riot of flower-powered colour, the landscape ablaze with field after field of dazzling tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, all intermingling with the quaint windmills and canals that are characteristic of the Dutch landscape. Join Tom Mackie on a nine-day photography workshop from April 22-30th 2025, to capture this floral extravaganza, including Keukenhof Gardens - one of the world's most famous public display gardens. This carefully curated workshop also takes in traditional and modern Dutch architecture, the famous canals of Amsterdam, and more. Tom will guide you on how to make the most of the colour and atmosphere, with one-to-one tuition to ensure you take the photos of a lifetime.
PS Tom is running this trip back-to-back with his popular Bruges, Ghent and bluebells landscape workshop. Book both and enjoy a 100 GBP discount!
Book your place on Tom's nine-day spring landscape photography workshop, taking in the spring blooms Holland is so famous for, along with more windmills than you can point a lens at, incredible architecture both ancient and modern, and the dynamic cityscape of Amsterdam. It's an invigorating breath of fresh air after a long winter!
Key photo locations include the enchanting Keukenhof Gardens, flower fields stretching as far as the eye can see, and windmills galore at Zaanse Schans, Schermerhorn and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kinderdijk, along with Alkmaar's famous (and mouthwatering) cheese market.
You'll also be capturing more modern vistas, including Rotterdam's modernist "cube" houses and arched Markethal (Market Hall), the spectacular golden facade of the Royal Dutch Mint at Houten, and Zaandam's "stacked houses" hotel. We round off the workshop with two days in Amsterdam, exploring the narrow atmospheric lanes, canals and bridges.
All transport during the workshop is included - giving you time to enjoy the landscape and get to know your fellow photographers. With a maximum of just six people on the workshop, it's a relaxed, friendly experience, with plenty of time for individual tuition from Tom.
You'll quickly improve your photography skills with Tom's expert guidance, honed by four decades of experience as a professional landscape photographer and tutor. You'll unlock the secrets of composition for both landscapes and architectural details, how to balance light and shoot the golden hour at dawn and the magical blue hour after sunset, and how to hone your images in post-production for the best results -Â although with Tom's help you'll be getting as much right in camera as possible!
HOLLAND IN SPRING WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHTS
For the first three nights, we'll be staying in Heerhugowaard in Northern Holland. It's the perfect base for capturing sunrise over Zaanse Schans, a picturesque village whose tranquil canal banks are lined with historic windmills (some still working) alongside colourful wooden houses, farmsteads and barns. While it's a very popular tourist area in high season, early morning in April is usually pretty quiet - ideal for atmospheric, timeless images. We'll also be shooting windmills amid glorious fields of tulips, offset against endless skies, in the tiny hamlet of Schermerhorn.
Other photographic highlights in the area include the Inntel Hotel in Zaandam. With its madcap "stacked building" design, it looks for all the world like a giant has piled up a street's worth of brightly coloured, traditional Dutch houses - an excellent opportunity for some quirky architectural images! And if you're a cheese lover, you will have great fun shooting the famous outdoor cheese market at Alkmaar, with hundreds of traditional Gouda and Edam rounds on sale - possibly the best place in the world to press the shutter button and say "cheese"!
For our next two nights, we'll be staying in Kinderdijk, home of 19 windmills - some thatched and wooden, and others built from brick - that together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We'll be shooting at dawn to avoid the crowds, but the early start will be worth it. Holland is also famous for its modern architecture, and there are some great examples in the vicinity, which we'll be visiting - including Piet Blom's iconic cube houses angled at a gravity-defying 45 degrees, and the imposing arched Markthal (Market Hall), both in Rotterdam. The award-winning Dutch Vault at Houten - home of the Royal Dutch Mint - makes for splendid night-time shots, glowing gold against the dark skies.
We'll then spend one night in Lisse as a jumping-off point to visit the glorious Keukenhof Gardens. Boasting seven million flowers set among pretty pavilions, water features, streams and snaking paths, it's a blooming marvellous place to capture colourful compositions, with plenty of scope for both close-ups and sweeping shots.
No trip to Holland is complete without visiting Amsterdam, and that's where we'll be based for our last two nights. Famous for its 62 miles of canals and 1,500 bridges, it's awash with photo opportunities. You'll have ample time to enjoy the city and explore its narrow, atmospheric lanes and breathtaking architecture, including the Rijksmuseum, which is beautifully lit by night.
What's included?
- One-to-one and group tuition with Tom
- Eight nights bed & breakfast
- Private rooms (no single supplement)
- Breakfast
- Post-processing techniques
- Entrance to Keukenhof Gardens
- Transport to/from Schiphol Airport
- Transport during workshop
What's not included?
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- Lunches, evening meals, snacks and drinks
Whether you're a beginner or a semi-pro, you'll find plenty to learn and enjoy on this workshop.
You'll require either a digital camera with at least a 16GB memory card (minimum 32GB if it's high resolution) or a film camera (SLR, medium, large or wide format) - Tom has many years of experience working with both.
Additional kit - a tripod, shutter release and polarising filter will help you maximise your shooting opportunities, although they aren’t essential.
The weather in Holland in late April is starting to warm up, with typical highs of 12°C / 54°F and plenty of sunshine – although with average lows of 4°C after dark, it's worth packing clothes you can layer to keep the evening chill away. In Amsterdam especially, rain is always possible, so do bring waterproofs.
To ensure you get plenty of one-to-one tuition from Tom, this workshop is restricted to just six participants, so book early to avoid disappointment.
If you have any questions about Tom's photography workshops, please check the frequently asked questions page. Alternatively, get in touch with Tom directly and he'll be happy to help you.
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