Syros, Greece 2010
Saturday 8th May - Sunday 16th May
Learn photography in the Mediterranean sun
Get away to the beautiful Mediterranean Greek islands and join us on a unique opportunity to
develop your landscape and environmental photography with an option of looking at reportage
in the context of the islands social and working life.
There is also the option of gaining a UK nationally recognised qualification in Photography
(BTEC single unit - Specialist Location Techniques).
Set on the Greek island of Syros, this course will be a full and busy week with tuition
starting on Sunday 9th May running right
through to the following Saturday.
Each day, there will be lecture based sessions together with practical work and tutorials.
Several trips will be arranged for you during the early part of the course, with the
second part free for you to continue your own project work.
A full day trip (by sea if weather is good) including a picnic will be arranged for the end of the course.
You should bring your own photography equipment - however a medium format camera, meter,
tripod and Nikon fit pinhole will be available for students' use under tutor supervision.
Tuition will cover:
- Issues relating to Landscape and Environmental Photography
- Looking at Reportage in the context of the island's social and working life.
A feature of the course is the large amount of individual sessions and tutorial support given during the week compared to other short courses. This enables you to really progress in your chosen area and accounts for the fact that of the 82 students who have been on the course over the last 7 years, 22 (more than 20%), have gone on to degree and above photographic studies and/or full time freelance work, with the remainder also earning from their pictures. Indeed, personal support is such that even if you are currently at a level below this course, individual help can bring you up to speed.
Technical Topics cover:
- Medium Format
- Panoramic Format
- Pinhole Photography
- Advanced Metering - including flash
- Working on location
- Choice of Film and/or Digital formats
- Storage and Printing.
Structure of the course:
- Pre-trip Project (which you bring with you)
- General Pilot Project
- Individual projects set by the tutor
- A major, self set project which you can complete on the island
- Prepare back home ready for final evaluation if you
opt to submit your work for the BTEC qualification
Location:
Syros is a small island in the Cyclades and is the administrative centre for the area.
Much less well known outside Greece than its near neighbour, Mykinos,
Syros could not be more different. It is not a tourist island, although many tourists visit,
but has some industry as well as farming.
The main town Hermoupolis is built on two hills
and has a busy centre with many interesting buildings, tiny back street shops and a
lively food market. There is a spectacular town square piazza which looks more Italian than
Greek, close by are run down streets and quiet squares. many of which lead towards the
churches on the hilltops.
The course is based in Kini, a small fishing village about
five miles from Hermoupolis, where there is a good beach, a few tavernas serving Greek
specialities and a couple of small shops. Kini has not been greatly developed for
tourism and still offers an insight into traditional Greek life.
The village is surrounded by farmland growing citrus and soft fruits, olives and vegetables. The landscape is
mostly rocky, but inspring, wild flowers carpet the hillsides and the coast paths are scented
by the wild herbs growing on the cliffs. Facing west, Kini offers the best sunsets on the island,
with the sun dipping down across the sea and bathing the nearby islands in light.
Hermoupolis has a few mini-labs able to process C41 film, or print from memory cards,
and you will be advised which ones are safe to use!
The Tutors:
Bruce Tanner
is an environmental and editorial photographer with ten books in print.
He has extensive experience in location work in the UK and abroad and is an accomplished
traditional black and white printer now printing digitally .With a recent 18 month assignment
for The Countryside Agency (part of the UK Government) he has dealt extensively with
both traditional landscape and environmental work.
He designed this course using extensive
local knowledge combined with experience of developing BTEC programmes for
Kensington and Chelsea College,
where he also teaches.
Elspeth Ross was awarded 1st prize by the Salon of British
Contemporary Photography (1998), judged by the late photographer Fay Godwin. Her work includes
commissions from a variety of editorial and design companies including: Random House Publishing,
Granta Books, Penguin UK, Hyperion Records, EMI Classics, Pentagram Design, Head Design,
Alexander Fest Verlag, and Aromatherapy Magazine. She also teaches on the BTEC programmes for
Kensington and Chelsea College.
Food and Accommodation:
By Greek standards, the accommodation is of very high quality with well designed rooms and facilities
not normally available in Greek island hotels. The rooms have a fridge, kettle and small cooker,
so you can prepare your own food if you wish; there are two small mini-markets in Kini.
Otherwise, there are several tavernas in the village and eating out costs a fraction of
London prices. Taxis to Hermoupolis are cheap, as are hire mopeds and cars, and the town offers
many more good tavernas. Accommodation will be in single, twin or double rooms in two hotels in
the village of Kini. All have en-suite showers and toilets and a balcony or access to a shared
terrace where you can sit and work or rest.
Breakfast can be provided at the main hotel
(just 10 metres from the beach) where the course takes place and will be a buffet of cheese, eggs,
jams, cereal, bread, teas, juice and coffee. This will be €8 per day and is payable locally.
Getting there:
We will suggest preferred flights to fit in with the course and to minimise journey times and difficulties.
The most reliable route is to take an evening flight to Athens on Saturday 8th May,
arriving at around 3.00am.
An express bus from the airport to the port takes about 1 hour and ferries and jet foils leave from 7.30am.
The ferry takes 4hours, the jetfoil just 2 hours. The incoming boats will be met at Syros.
BA and Olympic both fly to Athens in the evening from Heathrow, with an Easyjet flight from Luton and Gatwick.
Syros has an airport, the internal flight from Athens takes just 30 minutes and is cheap if
booked with the international flight, however, it can be very unreliable and subject to
change at short notice. With one flight every two days, this can be a problem. The airport code for
Syros is JSY.
In previous years, some students took the option of travelling on to other islands
after the course had finished making a longer stay in Greece. Flights to Athens take about three hours.
The sea crossing costs between £18.00 and £30.00 each way depending on which boat you take.
Getting back:
Getting back on the Sunday is a little more difficult, because there are less boats at this time of the year. We suggest the lunchtime ferry to Tinos, early afternoon ferry to Athens, then late evening Easyjet flight to London, but will advise you of all available routes at the time of booking.
Insurance:
You should make your own insurance arrangements. We particularly recommend that you take out cancellation cover as refunds will not be possible unless the college cancels the course. You should also ensure that you have adequate cover in the unlikely event of bad weather disrupting your journey home.
Clothing and Equipment:
Greece in Spring should be dry and sunny, with long
light evenings and temperatures like an
English summer day. However, the island can be windy and there might still be the odd shower,
so we recommend that you take a light anorak and a jumper for the evenings.
The sea may be warm
enough for the braver members of the group, so you might want to take swimming gear and a beach towel.
The wind can give the impression that the sun is not so hot, do not be deceived, you will
need sun protection. The walking is often uneven over coast paths and roads; there are few
pavements, so take comfortable flat shoes, trainers or sandals that give your feet some protection.
When you sign up for the course, we will give you a list of the materials you may need.
You will need to bring your own photographic equipment and we suggest buying film and memory
cards in the UK as stocks locally can be erratic and.
How much does it cost:
The cost includes:
- all tuition (around thirty five hours during the week);
- eight nights accommodation
- transfers if you travel with the group;
- some central materials;
- a meal on the first evening
- food on the picnic trip.
The fees are:
| Sharing a room/studio with one other | £ | 495.00 |
| Single use of a room/studio | £ | 560.00 |
| Non-participating partners/friends sharing room | £ | 270.00 |
If you are interested in using this course towards a BTEC unit in Photography, there will be an
additional charge to cover examination fees and additional tuition and support back in London.
Flights, other food and travel, and personal materials are NOT included in the fee.
What to do next:
Call Zoom In on 020 7793 0000 for further information and to book your place.
If you want to complete the BTEC qualification for this course, then you will need to have
a short interview with a Course Tutor, this can be done by phone and email.
We will contact you with the latest information we have so that you can book your flight.
Please do not book your flight until we advise you to do so.
You will be sent additional info, normally by email, in the lead up to the trip
including your first project which will need to be shot before you leave.
Questions or further information from:
email: photographycourses@zoom-in.org
telephone: 020 7793 0000
