Capture your stay ........
Chester Walking Photo Tuition Tour.
So you love photography but would like to push the boundaries of your camera or indeed mobile from simply point and shoot.
Chester Publishing House offer fully escorted walking photo tuition tours of this great city, with our professional in-house photographer. With over 30 years experience and published in over 100 books and magazines capturing nationally published images featuring royalty, national celebrities, we show you how to take great shots with either a professional camera or mobile whilst touring this cities most interesting landmarks, its ancient walls, its river, its Roman infrastructure, its medieval buildings, streets & it's famous monuments.
Whether you have a mobile, compact or digital camera, there is something for everyone , we will show you tips & techniques to capture perfect images to show your friends & family of your day in this our beautiful city.
"I am incredibly excited to share my experience, knowledge and enthusiasm for photography in person."
Whether you choose a private 1-1 tour or are part of a group of 4 , we typically meet at 10am outside Chester Cathedral, strolling around the most photogenic locations in the City, with breaks in between, we conclude at 2pm or until we get fed up . The walk is suitable for all skill levels and typically includes, but is not limited to:
An guide below of our location visits describing the itinerary with great tips and hints, which you can take away with you.
Basic guidance to those who are new to photography or simply wish to spend a day with like minded people. Simple steps on how to set ISO, F Stop ,Timings, bracketing, exposure compensation. ....don't worry, we keep it very simple !
Advice on layouts, composition, framing , foreground, background , the do's and don'ts.
My own thought process behind an image.
Location advice.
Chester's key points of Interest, circa 30, to make the most of your visit be that long or short.
Perfecting the correct exposure. Do you go for speed or aperture priority ?
Long exposure photography. Internal shots where light may be a problem
Focus points. Near or far away.
The all important background behind the subject, where we check for distractions.
Whilst the walks is not arduous it does involve steps so do please wear adequate footwear especially in Autumn and Winter.
Please ensure you have adequate insurance cover for your equipment.
Our tours are flexible but in short and to get the most out of your visit we recommend commencing outside Chester Cathedral, and the adjoining gardens we then move on to The Abbey Gateway, Abbey Square, Abbey Street, The Roman Wall pt1, the famous Eastgate Clock Tower, before a short walk further along The Walls to the Roman Gardens, we take in the Roman Amphitheatre, The Parish Church and ruins Of St John The Baptist, Quarry Gardens, Queens Park Bridge, in and around The Groves and The Old Dee Bridge, we then board one of the river cruises for a tranquil ride up the River Dee with additional images taken from the Blue Bridge either side of the River, we move on to the Old Dee Bridge and Grosvenor Bridge, Chester Castle and briefly take in the racecourse, Taylors Boatyard and the locks, and canal barges before returning back via the Roman Wall to the medieval quarter and back to Chester Cathedral.
Full Detailed Itinerary
Walking Photo Tuition Tour Experience :
We include........
Architecture
Cityscape
Wildlife
Urban
The history of Chester dates back to nearly two millennia, (2000 years). The City of Chester was founded as a fort known as Deva by the Romans in 79 AD. The city was the scene of battles between warring Welsh and Saxon kingdoms throughout the post -Roman years until the Saxons strengthened the fort against raiding Danes. Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, Chester came under the Earl Of Chester, it became a center of the defense against Welsh raiders and a launch point for raids on Ireland. The city grew as a trading port until the power of the Port of Liverpool overtook it. However, the city did not decline and during the Georgian and Victorian periods was seen as a place of escape and refuge from the more industrial cities of Manchester and Liverpool, a status it retains to this day.
Whilst choice is down to you we recommend that your tour starts at Chester Cathedral, our first opportunity to test imagery, perspective and composition within the Cathedral then join us as we take you on a journey through the history and landscape to explore the most charming aspects of the city.
We take in the Cathedral, The Cathedral Gardens, Abbey Square, Abbey Street an area used as a film location, most recently filming featured the netflix series Outlanders.
We move on at a gentle pace to the arch holding Eastgate clock, the arch was built in Georgian times, but the clock was added in the reign of Queen Victoria to celebrate her diamond jubilee, from the top of the arch we can take in a grand view of the medieval quarter. Where possible our tours aim to take advantage of the sun cascading across the medieval timbers which surround the city taking us to the famous Roman Gardens before moving down to the equally famous amphitheatre, adjacent to this famous gladiatorial stadium is the site of The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, built in circa 1881, here we challenge our ability to take internal shots in low light, we can provide use of a tripod plate and tripod for those visitors with a DLSR camera. This was the original site of Chester Cathedral, and the original ruins lie just round the corner bordering Grosvenor Gardens. These ruins reputedly date back to 975 AD, looking closely you will note the coffin in the ruins with the inscription, “Duff To Duff", (Dust to Dust) various tales surround this somewhat macabre inclusion in 9th century masonry, some say a monk was laid to rest here after the supposed gruesome murder of another monk but the truth suggests a more mundane perspective, it was simply put there at some stage to shore up part of the building, they ran out of bricks but a coffin just happened to be lying around..... Opposite St johns is Grosvenor Park where we briefly explore Quarry Gardens, a hidden gem within the park. At this point, I suspect we all need a break and where better than Snugburys Coffee House under The Blue Bridge and overlooking the River Dee where we can indulge in small talk about photography over a tea or coffee.
Fully refreshed and our creative juices recharged , our tour takes in a walk over Chester's famous Blue Bridge and images either side from said bridge of the River Dee and its surrounding infrastructure known as The Groves, further along the river join we join the Chester Boat Trips for a 30 minute tranquil sightseeing trip along the River Dee. We take you upstream , back under the suspension bridge, past Grosvenor Park, and the Earls Eye, then we follow the sweep of the Meadows to the city limts before returning to The Groves. The cruise offers a new view of Chester and takes in some beautiful and interesting riverside properties. Look out for Swans, Herons, Cormorants, and Kingfishers.
Moving downstream we now walk along the bank to include the weir adjacent to The Old Dee Bridge, one of Chester's most famous landmarks , the weir is a big pull for nature lovers where Herons and Cormorants can be seen hunting and basking in the choppy waters, so do bring along a long lens if you have one , our tour moves on to cross the Bridge to capture an image from the south side of the river, the bridge is particularly photogenic so here we will walk across the bridge and shoot images from either side of the bank, before returning to capture the Bridge Gate Arch.
We now follow the river to Chester Castle and another of Chester's famous bridges The Grosvenor Bridge. Crossing over the road offers the opportunity to take in the perimeter of the racecourse re-joining the City Wall for a brisk 10 minute walk to Taylors Boatyard, the canal barges and locks offer more opportunities for some great pictures. We rejoin the walls for the 3rd time walking along to King Charles Tower, King Charles I, was reputed to have stood here 24th Sep 1645 as he oversaw his soldiers slain at the Battle Of Rowton Moor, there is little doubt King Charles was in the area although there is a suggestion he may have actually been atop Chester Cathedral. We move on back to the Eastgate Clock where we descend to street level, we will walk along to Chester Cross and explore the various Chester Rows which overlook the main streets. We now escort you back to Chester Cathedral with you tour complete.
……..We sincerely hope you have had an amazing experience, created amazing memories and of course some fabulous images to share and cherish.
You can either book below on a secure platform or contact us via email should you wish to pay on the day.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/capture-beautiful-images-with-our-walking-photo-experience-day-chester-uk-tickets-484295058557
Chester Cathedral
Eastgate Clock
Parish Church Of St John The Baptist.
Artefacts at St Johns
South Eastern Chapel 973 AD
The Blue Bridge
The Groves And River Dee
The Old Dee Bridge
A Heron stalks its prey by the weir on the River Dee