Experience the Balkans
Wednesday 16th October - Wednesday 23rd October 2024
An authentic photographic, styling & culinary retreat led by Tim Clinch and Joanna Maclennan
We will be spend 3 nights at the Hotel Gurko in Veliko Turnovo, 2 nights in the lovely Terra House Guest house in Mindya village (run by Tim’s friend Viara, who is not only a great hostess but also a brilliant cook) and 2 nights at a hotel in Plovdiv. Every room is en-suite and there is no single person supplement. We will be working and shooting both in Tim’s home (which Joanna photographed so beautifully in her recently published book The Foraged Home) and in the surrounding region.
This workshop is limited to eight people and the all-inclusive price is €3,850. This covers everything apart from your airfare to Sofia and insurance (and if you need any help or advice in getting here, please ask), including all tuition, airport transfers, local transport, accommodation, food and wine. We can also offer payment plans.
With the stunning Balkan countryside as a backdrop you will be taught by two award-winning creative photographers. These six-day, seven-night photographic and culinary experiences are set around the beautiful and colourful village of Mindya, near Veliko Turnovo, the ancient capital of Bulgaria, where Tim has lived for the last five years.
Between us we will show you the area, introduce you to some of the wonderful local residents, discover their culinary techniques and traditions, further your photography skills and give you a creative experience you’ll never forget.
Amongst other fascinating locations, we will be shooting in Tim’s house, beautifully photographed by Joanna for her book, The Foraged Home.
You will also benefit from the wealth of props Tim has at his house.
Partnership
We will be working alongside you the whole time giving you ample opportunities to learn from our shooting techniques in all disciplines. Both of us agree that it is far better to show people how to achieve something rather than tell people what to do. You will be shooting WITH us all the way!
Styling
At Tim’s house you can benefit from a treasure trove of props, equipment and backgrounds all of which will be at your disposal… Learn some useful tips about styling and composition from Tim and Joanna and up your confidence levels in this often misunderstood discipline.
Post-processing
Tim always says ‘You can never make a bad picture good by using post-production, but you can ALWAYS make a good picture better.’ Whether you shoot on a DSLR and use Lightroom or shoot on your mobile phone we will unlock some of the secrets of post-production and give you the confidence to make more of your images.
During your stay…
We will be visiting, cooking and eating with a village local. A unique, authentic and exceptional experience.
And, of course, visiting the local markets where the freshness and quality of the ingredients is some of the best I have ever seen, the traditional yoghurts and cheeses simply delicious and the characters unforgettable…
AGENDA - subject to change
The workshop days tend to be split into two. In the mornings we visit some wonderful locations and shoot. This is followed by lunch and in the afternoons we spend time on post-production.one to one tuition.
DAY 1 (Wed) Arrive in afternoon. Transfer from Airport in Sofia to HOTEL GURKO, Veliko Turnovo where we will spend the first two nights
P.M. Welcome Dinner with Joanna & Tim at Hotel Gurko
DAY 2 (Thurs) Breakfast at HOTEL GURKO
A visit to the remarkable Preobazhenski Monastery and then onto the nearby village of Arbanassi and see the amazing 15th Century painted interiors of two churches and visit a beautifully restored merchants house
LUNCH Arbanassi
Afternoon visit in the old Town and Merchant Streets of Veliko Turnovo
DINNER at Veliko Turnovo
DAY 3 (Fri) - IT’S MARKET DAY!!! We are lucky enough to have two wonderful markets nearby in in Gorna Oryahovitsa & Veliko Turnovo…a mixture of gypsy flea market and amazing local produce these are great to shoot in (and anyone who follows Tim on Instagram will know them well!)
LUNCH at Tim’s house
DINNER at Veliko Turnovo
DAY 4 (Sat) - STILL LIFE DAY, styling, food, props…we will be shooting at Tim’s house in Mindya village and you will benefit here from the enormous range of props and backgrounds that Tim has amassed during his time in Bulgaria…Believe us, there is a LOT to choose from!
LUNCH AT TIM's
Review/post production/one to one tuition and shooting in the afternoon
DINNER at Mindya B&B
DAY 5 (Sun) - WINE tasting / shooting at Tim’s friends at Maryan Winery outside Elena.
LUNCH by a beautiful lake behind Maryan
Afternoon - We will both be available to accompany you/shoot with you/offer one to one tuition as well.
DINNER at Mindya B&B
DAY 6 (Mon) - Leave early for Plovdiv
LUNCH IN Plovdiv
Visit Plovdiv Old Town in the afternoon and photographing in and around the old town
DINNER in Plovdiv
DAY 7 (Tues) - Visiting and building a photographic story in Plovdiv
LUNCH in Plovdiv
IN THE AFTERNOON - We will have a major ‘de-brief’, looking at everyone’s work, Q&A’s, a review of the week and plenty of time to ask questions etc… (we may have a glass of wine or two as well!)
DINNER SPECIAL EVENING LAST NIGHT
DAY 8 (Wed) - BREAKFAST Plovdiv and then taxi to Airport in Sofia
DEPARTURE
(A few tears may be shed at this point!)
Terms and conditions
To secure your booking we will require a non-refundable deposit of 25% of the price in advance, a further 25% will be asked once the workshop has a minimum number of participants and the final balance payable a minimum of 30 days before your arrival. We also offer a payment plan.
For any queries or further information, please contact us at two.photographers2020@gmail.com or on mobile +33 6 13 56 96 87
If for any unavoidable reason the workshop does not go ahead due to problems at our end, your deposit will be refunded in full. However any cancellations from the side of the client less than two months prior to the start of the workshop will be the responsibility of the participant and we STRONGLY recommend that you take out travel insurance to cover this possibility.
Non-participating partners can be accommodated at a reasonable extra cost. Please ask.
