Yorkshire Coast Workshop Review

They say it’s grim up north, but our experience of running workshops in the Yorkshire Dales has proved that it’s anything but. It’s been a popular location with our clients over the last couple of years, so a Yorkshire Coast workshop seemed a logical next step, and D2D tutor and Yorkshire native Mark Banks was more than happy to share his local knowledge and expertise and help us put together a trip to this stunning part of the country. And in March this year, he co-led the workshop with Mark Bauer.

The two Marks, together with 8 seasoned Dawn 2 Duskers, were based at the Angel Hotel in Whitby, perfectly located for easy access to key locations such as Whitby Pier and the famous 199 (or is 200? No one seems quite sure) steps. Rooms were spacious and comfortable and there was the bonus of a generous Weatherspoon’s breakfast in the mornings!

Our first shoot was within walking distance in Whitby itself, where we shot the iconic piers from both sea level and more elevated viewpoints. The northerly wind was bitterly cold and there were heavy showers, broken up with periods of sunshine, which lead to some wonderfully photogenic conditions at times. This proved to be the theme for the workshop; if we were prepared to get cold and wet and even battered by the occasional hail storm, we would be rewarded with moments of dramatic light.

The Yorkshire coast has more than its fair share of iconic locations. As well as Whitby, there’s Saltwick Bay, with the distinctive rock formations of Saltwick Nab and Black Nab, as well as the slowly decaying wreck of the Admiral von Tromp; Saltburn has its famous pier and the view from the top of the funicular; the view of Staithes, with houses lining the banks of the Beck as it winds its way to the sea is on most landscape photographers’ 'must-shoot' lists; and Scarborough has a wonderful atmosphere of fading Victorian glory, combined with far-reaching views over the north sea. For contrast, we also visited the raw, industrial-looking pier at Skinningrove and the impressive Falling Foss waterfall in the woodlands of Littlebeck.

At each spot, we were greeted by perfect conditions as showers swept past to reveal stormy light and even rainbows. After a couple of frustrating moments when we arrived on site just as the colours were fading from the sky, we nailed it on the final shoot of the workshop as a spectacular rainbow arched across the sky just as the setting sun lit up the clouds over the sea. Of course, rainbows mean there’s rain in the air, but after such a beautiful sight, no one seemed to mind the soaking we received as the incoming squall hit land. We returned to our cars, dried off and drove back to base, more than ready to celebrate with a pint or two.

We’ll be running this workshop again next year, so keep an eye on the website and sign up to our newsletter for early-bird announcements. We hope to see you there but don't forget to wrap up warm and bring your waterproofs!