Chiang Mai Photography Workshops with James de la Cloche, Winner of The Luxury Travel Guide’s Photographer Of The Year 2020, Thailand.
Tailored Chiang Mai Photography Workshops and Photography Courses
If you love the photos that you see throughout this website and want to be able to take similar shots, I am here to teach you how.
Who are these Chiang Mai photography workshops for?
Whether you are a tourist with a smart phone, an amateur photographer, or a blogger looking to up your skill levels, the DLC Photo Love of Light Chiang Mai photo workshops are here to help you. No matter what level of equipment you have, you will benefit from James’ style of teaching.
As you will see, these Chiang Mai photography workshops range from Landscape and Nature Photography, Family Portrait Photography, Studio Portrait, Glamour and Boudoir Photography, Elephant Photography, Street and Travel Photography and even Drone Photography.
Whichever photography workshop suits you, James will gently help you to improve your ability.
“Understanding light and shade as well as composition are essential in order to create wonderful and eye catching images. By teaching you to really see the light and by introducing a few basic rues of composition, you will be amazed how quickly your photos will improve” James dlC
Remember, great photographs do not have to be technically over complicated!
How good do I need to be to take the workshop? (and what equipment do I need?)
All skills from absolute beginner to experienced amateur can take these courses.
James will work with you throughout the time you spend together to help you improve or to find all your photographic abilities. Even if you only want to shoot with a smart phone, you will find time spent with James invaluable.
If you do not have your own camera with you it is possible to rent one of the studio cameras and lenses. James will help you with the setup to ensure perfect exposures and focus.
Private Photography Tuition
All of the Chiang Mai based photography workshops are one-to-one with James de la Cloche, The Luxury Travel Guide’s Photographer Of The Year 2020.
Love of Light Chiang Mai Photography Workshops Menu
Elephant Camp
James will collect you from your hotel at 7:30am and during the drive out to the elephant camp. We will chat with you about your experience and what you are hoping to get from the workshop. There will be a quick stop to pickup some coffee along the way!
On arrival you will be introduced to our lovely model and you will scout the best locations with James whilst the elephant is being prepared by the mahout (elephant handler).
Generally, the first section of the shoot will take place in the jungle before moving to the river.
As with all of the workshops you will be concentrating on light, shade and composition. James will be helping you set up each scene to get the best shots possible.
Lunchtime!
You will need a break by this stage as you will have worked hard in the morning and James will take you for some wonderful local food and refreshments before the next part of your day.
On to the waterfall
Here, as well as the waterfall itself, we have some beautiful natural scenery and James will again be helping you see the best locations for your photos, encouraging you to see which composition will work with whatever light is available.
After a very full and productive day we head back to your hotel and you should be back by around 5pm.
Notes
1. Please note that we work with an ethical eco resort on these shoots. Chai Lai Orchid is a non-profit resort that funds education for around 40 ethnic minority girls through their foundation, “Daughters Rising”
2. Although it is possible to photograph the elephant from the river bank, James strongly recommends shooting from in the river itself. Therefore, please bring a change of clothes, a towel and if you have sensitive feet, a pair of water shoes as well.
3. In the rainy season, occasionally it is not possible to shoot in the river for safety reasons. In these cases a further land based location will be used.
4. Please note that late in the dry season you will be offered the choice of either shooting at the waterfall or returning to the city. There we can select some of your images and look at the editing process. James will offer some useful insights.
Whether you shoot with your phone or have the latest camera, you can learn a lot from this fun session with James!
This popular photography workshop is a great way to learn at the same time as getting some fabulous photographs of your partner or family.
This workshop can either be at your resort or on location with transport available for a maximum of 3.
James will help you to understand how to use available light and shade when composing your shots and how to spot a great background for the photo.
Part 1
James will spend time with you to teach you the basics of light and shade, composition and backgrounds. This will take around 30 minutes and does not need to involve your partner or family. We don’t want them getting bored before the shoot!
Part 2
Hands-on photography. James will work with you to put everything that you have learnt into action and will be there guiding you to set up some really great shots!
As a bonus, James will also take a beautiful portrait of you and your partner or family that you can treasure as a keepsake!
This is a great way to see some of the must see areas of the old city whilst getting expert instruction from James, your guide and mentor. Transport will be by Tuk Tuk, red Songtaew local transport and foot.
Part 1
We will have a chat over coffee. James will assess your skill level and talk to you about the basic principles that he employs in his photography. We will have a quick look at the camera settings to use as well.
Part 2
The session will take you to the amazing Worarot market. You will discover beautiful flowers, a Chinese temple, characterful local traders and bicycle rickshaws. There is a labyrinth of photographic back streets as well as the iconic Silver temple and other “must see” sites around the city. There is no shortage of interesting subject matter in Chiang Mai. James will work with you to help you see the light, shade and perfect compositions to make your travel photography really stand out!
Even if shooting with the latest smart phone you will get great benefits from this popular session.
A fantastic way to get stunning photos of Wat Prathet on Doi Suthep, Wat Pha Lat and Wat Phra Sing.
James will collect you from your hotel. During the drive to the first temple James will ask you about your photography and the areas that you want to improve. He will discus camera settings etc. Even if shooting with your phone you will get fabulous photos from one of these sessions.
Wat Prathet on Doi Suthep
The most famous and beautiful temple in Chiang Mai. There are so many stunning architectural details to capture. Beside the temple are a great variety of vendor stalls as well. These and many other photographic gems will help you to add to your travel photography album!
Wat Pha Lat
After a well deserved coffee, from Doi Suthep, we drop down the mountain to the very different but extremely charming Wat Pha Lat This is a temple in the Lanna Kingdom tradition and a real contrast to the magnificence of the first temple.
Wat Phra Sing
The last temple, Wat Phra Sing, is back in the old city. It is a favourite amongst locals with a beautiful main prayer hall, several secondary but beautiful temple buildings and an incredible golden chedi at the rear.
This tour is best either early morning or from 3pm in the afternoon. It will provide you with a fantastic selection of photos for your travel album.
- Stay in a simple mountain resort
- Meet, play with and photograph beautiful elephants in the river and at the resort
- Capture a mountain sunrise
- Photograph a waterfall and landscapes of terraced rice fields
- Finish the adventure with sunset views over the mountains
Mae Sapok
Simply put, this is an absolutely incredible experience that James loves to share with his guests. James will collect you around 2pm on the first day and he will drive you to the mountain area of Mae Sapok. Here you will meet 2 lovely full grown elephants and a playful baby elephant who will be your first photographic subjects. This can be quite challenging, especially as the baby is constantly on the move, but it’s incredibly good fun and of course James will be on hand to guide you.
After some time to relax and freshen up it will be time to prepare the gear for the next morning. This will be followed by a delicious local dinner and drinks followed by an early night.
Sunrise photo shoot
We will be up before the sunrise, ready to capture the sun as it comes up from behind the mountains with the mist laying in the valleys below. What a way to start the day!
Rural landscapes
After coffee and breakfast you will be capturing some beautiful rural landscapes as well as a gorgeous local waterfall.
Mountain viewpoint
After lunch we take our time to meander through the mountain roads, eventually arriving at a spectacular view point. here you will be able to capture the sun setting over the seemingly endless layers of mountains rolling away in to the distance.
Drive back to Chiang Mai
After this incredible adventure, James will deliver you back to your hotel before 8pm that evening.
This is an amazing way to enjoy some of the finest natural scenes off the beaten track. At the same time boosting your photographic skills at the side of a veteran professional.
This studio based shoot will take away the mystery of professional studio lighting and give you fantastic images for your portfolio! We will work with a gorgeous Thai model creating 3 different looks, using single and multiple light set ups and different colored backdrops.
Not only will James share his simple to follow methods for setting up the studio but you will also see how he communicates with and directs the model, a really important aspect of any shoot.
- Moody Black – In this look our model will be wearing sexy lingerie and we will be shooting on a black background, creating fabulous, moody images that will really highlight the beauty of the subject.
- Pretty On Pink – This is an urban fashion look and we will be keeping it fast and fun.
- Mint Green Scene – Classic Thai Lanna style with a twist.
Without doubt, by the end of the session you will have enough knowledge to setup your own studio shoot and you will have an excellent selection of photos that you can use for your own purposes.
“With a sudden amount of extra time, I decided to learn about photography. After a quick online search of options, I stumbled upon dlc.photo, and saw he did photography lessons here in the Chiang Mai. I called him up, and we chatted. After meeting, we arranged our first lesson.
James has an immense amount of knowledge with photography, and loves to share his experience. One of the things he stresses is that when photographing people, your connection with the individual(s) is just as important as your ability to take photos.
Our first lesson covered some of the basics, and a lot of sites for practice. His method is not formal, and he continues throughout the lesson to shape things around what he found I needed most. I sincerely enjoyed our first lesson, and look forward to more.”
Please contact us for further information about our Chiang Mai photography workshops