French Photographic Holidays

Pam et Paul sont just fabulous et vivent dans un endroit à la fois loin du béton de la ville et tout proche de la Venise du Périgord. Ils ont fait de leur petite maison un vrai coin de paradis... Pam a un grand souci du bien être de ses guests, sa cuisine est délicieuse et elle met du coeur, et elle parle super bien français. Paul est The Real British guy et est passionné par la photographie qu il partage avec conviction. Je viens les voir chaque année avec grand plaisir.

In July my two teenage daughters and I had the pleasure of spending a week with Paul and Pam. It was an all around great experience. Paul has an amazing breath of photographic knowledge and is great at passing it on in a low-key way according to each person’s knowledge, experience and interest. In addition to photographing in the surrounding communities, we were able to experiment with portrait photography in Paul’s studio and outside, as well as still-life and night photography. I even came home and set up my own small studio. Especially valuable was also the time spent on post-processing, which one does not typically find in other photographic holidays. We had never used Photoshop before and all came away with a good basic level of proficiency. Pam was a warm and gracious host who served us delicious meals exactly to our liking. It was such a treat to sit down to her homemade, beautifully presented meals. She also has a great eye and it was fun having her along on some of our photo shoots. Finally, in the time of Covid, we found this small-scale holiday in the countryside to be the perfect choice. We were the only guests and we spent time in small villages, mainly outside.

If you like your photography like I do, then don’t look any further as French Photographic Holiday is the best experience you will ever have! I previously had a few private lessons here in the UK, but I didn’t really learn a great deal unfortunately and you just don’t get a great deal for the money. Then I decided to try something different and booked this Fantastic Holiday in beautiful rural Dordogne, France. Paul is a very professional and very talented photographer who will identify your weaknesses, encourages and educates you and gets your photography to the highest possible level by really accelerating your learning. I was a beginner when I came to France but I am feeling much confident now and ready to enter some Photography competitions. From day 1 Paul & Pam make feel so welcomed and as a solo traveller I never felt lonely, I must admit Pam is a wonderful hostess & exceptional cook so you will never leave the table unsatisfied. I truly enjoyed my photography holiday with Paul & Pam and look forward to coming back in September! À Bientôt :)

French Photo Fulfilment We have just returned from France having had a wonderful week . Paul Edmunds holds courses based at his converted 17 C house in the hamlet of Les Ages consisting of six or seven houses. This photographic holiday was the best we have experienced because there was a good balance between (1) Photographic opportunities, (2) Tuition in composition and processing the images -- using Raw files rather than JPEG, ---he will provide a hand out of 10 steps in processing (3) Appraisals with suggestions for improving the image and (4) Relaxation after lunch. The studio has 4 Apple Mac computers with calibrated monitors and the latest software of Photoshop CC and Light room. Your hosts Paul & Pam Edmunds are a really nice couple with a genuine warm welcome and we were made to feel at home. They have a docile and friendly dog called Freddie. Paul has recently gained ARPS with a panel. Previously they both lived in the Lake District and he was a master printer. The maximum number of people on the workshop is limited to 4 so the interaction is mostly one-to-one. Paul will establish the day you arrive what sort of genre of photography interests you,and will try to tailor his itinerary to this end. He will also be interested in one's level of expertise and is quite prepared to help with camera settings and Photoshop for the less experienced. A bonus is that at the end of the holiday he will print 4 A 3 of your best chosen images to take home . We visited Brantome several times, which is a delight, Perigueux, and Bourdeilles. We were also offered as an extra, a portrait shoot in a derelict house in Les Ages. Pam is a talented cook and the five evening meals she prepared were beautifully presented and would have done credit to many a restaurant. Wine and drinks are all included. Twice Paul will take you out for lunch in a restaurant probably in Brantome and Perigueux, again all included in the price of the holiday. It is true that really you don't need to spend any money but he does appreciate being treated to a coffee! Accommodation is in two bedrooms with en suite toilet and shower, one with a double and single bed, the other room has a double bed. Tea or coffee making facilities in your room. We were picked up from the airport and taken back at the end of our week for €50 a trip, so it is unnecessary to have a hire car, unless one wants to explore the locality in the afternoons in the time set aside for relaxation or processing the picture. Paul has many repeat guests and we will be one of them . Drs Chris and Ruth Nicholls

I have just returned from another amazing week with Paul and Pam Edmunds, with their company French Photographic Holidays. Paul took me and the two other guests to some superb places where I took images of a wide range of subjects including, landscapes, architecture, street photography, night-time photography, dawn shots, macro and even model photography......Paul is a superbly talented photographer with oodles of patience and enthusiasm. He is really positive and encouraging and quickly identifies what you can do to improve your photography. Pam is an amazing cook who serves up the most delicious meals which are always presented beautifully. She is attentive to her guests, great company and a fantastic singer (ask her to share some of her songs that she writes and performs from the heart.) There are a number of things that make this photography holiday unique....one is the very small group size - no more than four people which means that Paul can provide individual and bespoke photography tuition that fully meets your needs. Secondly, Paul provides daily digital post-processing opportunities and you are allocated your own dedicated Mac to work on your images as often as you like, so by the end of the week each participant is competent in the use of Bridge, Photoshop and Photoshop RAW. Thirdly, you go home with four beautiful prints of your best images that capture the week's work. Fourthly, Pam is a superb cook (I know I have already said this, but it is worth mentioning again)...a really talented cook..she uses fresh ingredients, some home-grown produce and her own creative recipes to produce beautifully presented meals each day. Lastly, the uniqueness of this photographic holiday is the warm welcome and wonderful hospitality of Paul and Pam. They are a delight to be around. I fully recommend this photographic holiday to all beginners, enthusiasts and those wanting to take their photography to another level. You will not be disappointed! I learnt so much during my week, I made new friends, developed my photographic and post-processing skills further and had a relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable time exploring the French countryside. If you book up, you won't be disappointed.

I have just returned from my fourth French Photographic Holiday with Pam and Paul. If I could give more than 5 stars, it would be 5+++++. I agree with all the positive comments in the previous reviews and highly recommend Paul’s professional and caring approach to photography tuition together with Pam’s wonderful culinary skills. Regardless of your level of skill as a photography you are guaranteed a great week.

Absolutely superb holiday and I should know because this is my 4th visit! Lovely accommodation in a small hamlet with the perfect hosts. Food is amazing and Pam goes out of her way to ensure that local produce is cooked to everyone's taste. Nothing is too much trouble. Studio equipped with Mini Macs that are available 24/7 for you to edit your photos. Studio set up also allows for Macro and Portrait work. Great trips out to local attractions and events with photographic tuition to help you get fantastic shots. Being driven around to all the best places leads to a stress free time. Paul is a patient teacher, with a great sense of humour, who quickly realises the amount of help required, encouraging you to use your camera in different modes, advising on settings and showing how to edit using Photoshop. Since my first trip I know how much my photography and editing have improved and each time I have visited I have learnt new things.

Just back from a great break with Paul and Pam at Les Ages. Mike was engrossed with the photographic workshop that Paul designed, and I was delighted to soak up some sun, the forested French countryside, interesting trips out, meeting the dog, cat and hens (Henrietta should be renamed Houdini, I think, for her ability to escape her hen-run), and playing with watercolours for a relaxing week. The attention to detail both Pam and Paul offer is pretty amazing. Whether it is the technical development of skills with the whole photographic process (from scanning to pick out likely subjects and interesting angles for image taking, to working on the image back at individual workstations, and producing high quality results), to offering fabulous hospitality with health-focused gourmet food, drinks and sociable evenings, both of them made sure our experience was tailored to our needs, and made us feel very comfortable in their beautiful 300-year old (but utterly up-to-date) setting in the hamlet. Visits to local markets and villages were only topped by the amazing visit to a Citroen garage for truly special photographic opportunities. Many thanks to them both. We will both look at the resulting A3 photographs (once framed) with pleasure, as they will bring back great memories of a special time. (Photos attached: Henrietta the hen: the front of the property: and a view of nearby Brantome).