Zurich Weekend Workshop

2-Day Photo Workshop in Switzerland

10 places only

This workshop is not scheduled. Please see my other workshops

If you would like me to run it for a private group please contact us.


Day 1 is at a beautiful lake (Pfäffikersee) in Pfäffikon (ZH) with a classroom discussion, practical exercises and feedback. There are boats, wooden docks and distant snow capped mountains as your raw materials. You'll get to know the location well and be able to choose different vantage points for a sunset shoot in the evening.

Day 2 is an all day photo-walk and mentoring session in Zurich itself which coincides with the Sechseläuten Children's parade, making it a great opportunity for street / people photography.

Who's it for?

The Zurich, Switzerland Photo Weekend is about creative thinking as a photographer and is for all levels of experience. You'll learn about finding interesting angles and perspectives, how to make creative choices about light, composition and choice of camera settings and lenses to get the very best from an image.

For a beginner this is the perfect opportunity to practise and have me on hand to help you. The only thing you need is a very basic knowledge of your camera and where to find the controls before the workshop. You don't have to be an expert or shoot full manual, you just need to be familiar with your camera. Here are a few hand picked free video tutorials to bring you up to speed.

More advanced photographers will find the creative exercises challenging, group discussions enlightening and the locations interesting to shoot. And I'll help you develop new creative ideas and ways of thinking.

Getting there

Zurich has a major international airport and excellent road and rail links from all over Europe. If travelling from outside the EU you may need a visa so please check.

Pfäffikon (ZH) is twenty minutes by train from Zurich main station (Hauptbahnhof) or Stadelhofen. Day one classroom and lake are less than ten minutes walk from Pfäffikon station. Details will be in the itinerary I send you on booking.


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Accommodation

Accommodation is not included because everyone will have their own needs so it's better for you to choose whatever works best for you. Some bring their family for a holiday whist they do photography with me. If that's you, maybe an apartment would suit your needs. You may prefer a nice hotel, others just want somewhere clean to shower and sleep.

Here's a list of Places to Stay in both Pfäffikon and Zurich. If you are flying out on Sunday evening, I recommend staying in Zurich which has easy access to the airport by train.

Locations / shots include (but are not limited to...)

Lake Pfäffikersee

The weather can change fast and be misty in the morning with opportunities to photograph boatmen gliding over the water with hints of the far shore as a backdrop, an hour later it could be clear and calm with reflections of snow capped mountains and blue skies beyond. Old wooden docks make great foreground when we shoot sunset and low light on Saturday evening.

See more in the gallery below...

Zurich

The architecture and backstreets are rich in photo opportunities and I'll be helping you 'see' and execute images. Street performers are often on the wide pedestrian Rathausbrücke bridge over the river Limmat prior to the afternoon parade. 

The afternoon Sechseläuten Children's parade is an opportunity for colour, characters and shooting pan-blur movement shots.

What will I learn?

Gain insights into light, composition, and the photographer's mindset—finding beauty everywhere. Develop your landscape photography skills by the serene lakeside completing exercises and shooting the scenery. And you'll learn the difference between good vs bad photos, unearthing hidden gems even in unexpected places.

Develop your street and city photography as you re-imagine locations, refine composition, and watch your confidence soar.

Planning and learning the thought process of photography is vital for any genre of photography. I call it the 7 Building Blocks of Photography and they are common to all cameras and photographic situations. You may have heard of this course and we'll be using techniques and processes from it throughout the weekend.

Price includes

  • Photography training and coaching
  • Secure classroom (day 1)

Price does NOT include

  • Travel
  • Accommodation, food and beverages

Zurich images

Yellow boats on calm lake with misty sky and mountains beyondHazy clouds over lake with mist on shoreline blurring church spire and treesWooden docks and ripples on lake Pfäffikersee Switzerlandsmall boat on lake Pfäffikersee with red sky and distant mountainsTrees and wooden dock at lake Pfäffikersee SwitzerlandGreen boat tied to a dock at lake Pfäffikersee SwitzerlandTwo ducks agains a blurred backgroundGroup of photographers at lake Pfäffikersee Switzerland5 people photographing sunset at lake PfäffikerseeSilhouette of woman photographer against storm clouds at sunsetTwo people sitting on a dock at Pfäffikersee watching sunsetWooden dock and dramatic skyGrossmünster and bridge in ZurichRushing woman holding iphone in busy station glancing at giant timetable display at hauptbahnhof zürichPeople on escalator at hauptbahnhof zürichReflection on a wet road of of three people at a pedestrian crossingYoung woman and man party goers raising a bottle in ZurichWoman with umbrella and shoulder bag walking past graffiti in ZurichWoman and man wearing hats kissing in street in ZurichMan in clown costume on Rathausbrücke makes giant bubbles for children in the sunshineOlder woman wearing cool glasses smoking cigarette outside a cafe in ZurichGroup of photographers on the Rathausbrücke bridge in Zurichpale flowers against an abstract backgroundWoman with umbrella walking out from under a bridge in ZurichSmiling street food seller with a beard in ZurichWoman in a hat leading Sechseläuten children\'s parade in the rainFemale child waving at camera during Sechseläuten paradeWoman in blue dress\'s legs framed by onlookers at Sechseläuten paradeMan riding vintage penny farthing bicycle agains cloudy skyLaughing children wearing plastic coats in the rain at Sechseläuten paradeTwo people playing bagpipes and a grim faced man in the rain at Sechseläuten paradeColourful Indian women and children at Sechseläuten parade

 

 

Your tutor at a glance

I'm Mike and am flattered to have been called the UK's friendliest Photography Expert (Thanks 500px!).  


I'm proud to have made hundreds of videos and spent thousands of hours teaching people like you to see more beauty in the world every day (and to capture that beauty), by thinking like a photographer. 

My YouTube channel has served more than 26 Million views and has more than 260,000 subscribers.

I've appeared on TV shows and been asked to speak at some of the best photography events on earth, such as:

  • Xposure International Photography Festival, Sharjah, UAE
  • The Photography Show, Birmingham, UK

I've enjoyed a wonderful career as a photographer, presenter and teacher. I even trained as a teacher so that I could reach my full potential and enable others to reach theirs.

As a photographer, I'm proud to have won multiple awards: 

  • Petapixel TopTen Youtube Trainers list
  • x3 Xposure International Photography Festival Awards
  • Fuji Commercial Photography
  • x2 Fuji Wedding Photography
  • Kodak Gold Award
  • x14 Master Photographers Association Awards

And I've been lucky to have had exhibitions at prestigious venues such as:

  • The Master Photographers Association
  • Royal Photographic Society
  • Romanian Embassy (London)
  • Xposure Photography Festival - others...

When not teaching photography I also speak at events for photographers and businesses alike and have written for publications such as:

  • Ephotozine
  • DSLR User magazine
  • Professional Photographer
  • Photography Monthly - others...

Trumping all of this, my proudest achievement to date is the huge number of wonderful 5* reviews on Trustpilot and Google - written by people like you after completing my courses. It's one of the best feelings in the world to know you've helped someone have what I call a 'lightbulb moment'.

The other is exploring this beautiful world in which we live along sunny backroads on a motorcycle. 

Man wearing motorcycle jacket pointing at a camera

Photographer, speaker and motorcyclist

Mike Browne CDTP Lite Photoshow 600

Speaking at The Photo Show Birmingham UK

Xposure International Photography Festival - Sharjah, UAE

Group of photographers on a wooden dock at a lake in Switzerland

Switzerland Photo Workshop Group