‘A Bridge Between Two Worlds’ | A LANDSCAPE Photography Workshop & Creative Retreat in Eryri/ Snowdonia, North Wales
With Brad Carr
Thursday 23rd - Monday 27th October 2025
In this four night, five day landscape & nature photography workshop come creative retreat in Snowdonia National Park, north Wales, we will focus primarily on the art of photography as a means to deepen our connection to Nature and rebuild out connection to the Self. We will be practicing the art in many of the national parks most spectacular woodland locations and open and diverse landscapes, as well as allowing time and space for deeper thought and reflection upon the photographs that we have created through conversation and the writing practice, which, from my experience, is a vital part of the creative process as we can gain deeper insights into ourselves as human beings and artists through writing to better articulate our thoughts. Many of my own photographs have represented stories and emotions from my own life so far, and I have learnt to communicate what they mean through the written half of my practice, which has greatly helped to deepen my self-understanding and expand my own conscious awareness.
Photography can be so much more than the documentation of place or time, and the camera can act as a vehicle to carry us on our journey towards self-understanding. It is my belief, that, by deepening our own connection with Mother Nature, we allow for greater empathy and understanding within our relationship with ourselves, and, therefore, each other. Photography is a wonderful form of expression and gives us an opportunity to express from a place that is deep within ourselves, bringing catharsis and deep healing to the human spirit.
I will spend the evenings facilitating some conversations around the creative process, providing some insights into my own mind, whilst helping you to go deeper into your own. It is my hope that, by opening these avenues in conversation, you may gain some further insights into your own process and practice, which may help you along the way of your own creative path, catapult you on your own journey of self-discovery (or self-creation, perhaps), and equip you with some of the necessary skills to express the deeper parts of yourselves along the way. We will also spend part of some evenings exploring post-processing work within editing software, and I will pass on some of my own knowledge around how to build a workflow of your own that will help to bring your images to life and further your own creative expression.
‘A Bridge Between Two Worlds’
To further explain the concept of ‘A Bridge Between Two Worlds’, here is an excerpt from a recent essay with the same name:
‘‘The camera is the bridge that connects these two worlds. Not only does it capture what it sees in the external world that is so familiar to us all, but it reflects, at the same time, the inner world of the artist; one that is completely unique and so often unknown and unseen, even by the artists’ eyes at times.
The eyes are a window to the soul, and for many of us, that soul has been abandoned and forgotten throughout our years here on earth. Just one look at the news headlines on any given day is a stark reminder that many of our bridges have been built so long that it is difficult for us to remember where we came from, and what we were when we entered this familiar world.
Another world exists inside of me, as it does inside of you, too, and it is in the safety of this inner sanctuary that our souls reside, buried somewhere beneath the wreckage and debris of our personal and collective pain and suffering, where they are left clinging onto and protecting our fragile innocence.
These worlds are our own original creative masterpieces; and many of us, myself included, have been so desperate to tear down the walls that have guarded these inner worlds from the demons that patrol the outer one for an eternity.’’
To read more, click here.
DEEPEN SELF-AWARENESS & Expand Consciousness
ENGAGE IN DEEP, THOUGHT-PROVOKING CONVERSATION
CONNECT WITH the spirit of NATURE
Use PHOTOGRAPHY AS Therapy & healing tool
receive TECHNICAL CAMERA GUIDANCE
DEVELOP YOUR ARTISTIC VOICE & VISION
‘See’ Nature, ‘See’ yourself, ‘see’ another
EXPRESS DEEP EMOTIONS | UNBURDEN YOUR load
Learn to Navigate Your Inner Landscape
‘‘I found myself looking towards the trees and woodland, seeking sanctuary and healing; places for refuge and stability in my life. Many of the trees became ever-present characters in my life; most of them male to my imagination, and all of them, extremely patient, consistent, and wise. The consistency that these figures showed was something that I had never experienced in my early life, and I began building trust with a world that I found to be rather fragmented as I grew up and moved around the country between different homes. I am grateful to have connected with the trees on a much deeper and spiritual level throughout 2021, and I began to see them and photograph them in more than their physical form.’’
- Brad Carr
The main emphasis for the workshop will be centred around exploring the more intimate parts of the landscape. I have built up extensive knowledge of some of Eryri’s hidden locations which are well off the beaten track and away from the busy crowds. My approach focuses on creating unique and interesting images from the national park, and exploring photographs that best represent me as a human being and artist. The turbulence of my youth has played a huge role in shaping who I am as a person and led to me seeking out the quieter and more intimate parts of the country to communicate and express who I am to this world. I wanted to create a workshop that reflects my own philosophies and approach, which is why we will be steering clear of the more popular, ‘honeypot’ locations.
The retreat will be run in a relaxed manner with the aim of encouraging your own personal creativity and expression. There are some important things to consider when it comes to composition, and ‘rules’ to learn, but I believe that rules should be learnt so that we best know how to break them. I will share plenty around my own approach, and you should take from that whatever you need, so that you can then go on to build your own. There are no ‘right’s or wrong’s’ when it comes to art, so I will not be telling you what you can or can’t do, but rather raising questions to encourage deeper thought about your own work and approach. I wish to guide you towards a place where you can see for yourself, through your own eyes, rather than those of your peers, and wider society as a whole. Everyone has a unique voice, and it is my goal to help you in finding yours by embarking upon this journey with you, and asking questions to help you to further get to know yourself.
We will work with whatever the weather throws at us to understand how to make the use of light on any given day. During this time of year, Snowdonia often provides a real mix of weather conditions. I will be choose locations that maximise your photography time, with a range of sunrise, sunset, and full day ventures included. I aim to guide you to the best places, with the best light on any given day. Whilst there will be a rough itinerary to guide us, it may be subject to change quickly.
A selection of my photographs from Eryri/ Snowdonia:
Our base for the retreat will be Plas Blaenddol (www.plasblaenddol.co.uk). It is a beautiful property located in the heart of Snowdonia and will provide a very relaxing environment to spend our evenings. It’s also perfectly located in a central place and gives us great access to the entire National Park.
What’s Included:
Four nights and five days of luxury accommodation in Snowdonia.
Transport throughout the retreat.
Photography tuition and location guidance.
Plenty of time for direct one to one tuition throughout the week.
A deep education around light and composition, and how to make use of the available conditions for photography.
Technical guidance, understanding of your camera, the exposure triangle, and how to use your histogram.
Post- processing guidance in both Lightroom and Photoshop.
In depth discussions and exercises based around all forms of creativity, from photography to writing to creating a connection with yourself, the landscape and your audience.
What you’ll need to bring:
Yourself with an open, curious, and non-judgmental mind.
Food. There will be facilities for self-catering plus cafes and restaurants nearby to eat at.
Your photography equipment; camera, tripod, memory cards, filters if you have them, and spare batteries (and chargers).
Good quality and varied outdoor clothing. Bear in mind that this is Wales and the weather can be unpredictable. The weather won’t be stopping us so come prepared for heavy rain, frosts and gale force winds.
An umbrella.
A laptop if you have one. We may have time in the evening to review and discuss photographs.
Some comfortable lounge wear for the evenings.
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Using photography and writing as a means to build a deeper understanding of yourself, and develop more empathy and understanding towards yourself and the world around you.
Writing practices and open discussions about life experiences to add plenty of depth and meaning to your work.
Creating depth in your photographs by combining different elements, focal lengths and settings.
What to leave in a photograph vs what to leave out.
Advancing your compositions by scouting and intimately getting to know the area in which you are exploring.
Visualisation in photography.
Understanding light and how different lighting conditions and directions can lead to the development of your own unique style of imagery.
Photography challenges throughout the week which will see you tackling a range of problems and having to figure out ways to navigate these to get your shot.
Using balance and symmetry in your photography and creating a journey or pathway for your viewer to follow.
Using the landscape to tell deeper and more meaningful stories to your audience.
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A sense of community. We all need that at the moment, don’t we? The last couple of years have been tough. What could be better than a relaxing, meditative walk in nature with likeminded people, sharing stories and creating beautiful photographs?
Increase your knowledge of and familiarity with your camera and learn some of the basics that allow you to go out and create a photograph.
Learn to recognise the elements that make up a good photograph including; storyline, light, composition, textures, depth of field, subject isolation.
Gain knowledge about how to develop your own style in photography. Learn to build a body of work that you can be proud of.
Photography can be so much more than just a hobby. For me, it has been a form of therapy, it’s increased my level of self-awareness and helped me to connect to this planet that I call my home. I hope that it can become much the same for you too, if you would like.
Open sharing and discussion within a group that will build trust throughout the experience. Deep conversations about creativity, connection and catharsis through nature photography.
Investment - £995
I want to keep this retreat as cost friendly as possible, given that it is the first of its’ kind that I am offering. My standard price for a day of tuition is £325, so this cost for this is incredible value for a five day landscape photography retreat with an extremely high standard of accommodation. There’s is an option to pay a £250 deposit with the full balance due eight weeks before the workshop commences. Alternatively, you can pay the balance in full. Please make contact with me directly via email at brad@bradcarrphotography.co.uk or by phone on 07479 503324 to arrange a payment.
For a more in depth insight into my creative practice, please download the document below: