Industrial Heritage Weekend – Forbidden places, deserted plants, and mysterious mines

Capture the beauty of Germany's industrial heritage.

Explore Germany's industrial heritage like you've never seen it before.

A few decades ago, the German Ruhrgebiet was known mostly for its pollution. Nowadays, people have discovered the stern beauty of the now defunct mines and plants, and strive to preserve them. For this reason the Ruhrgebiet was made European capital of Culture in 2010.

This exciting weekend tour takes you to two locations of such beauty in Dortmund and shows you places otherwise forbidden to the public, making for a unique photo opportunity.

We start off at an old coal mine and its buildings, railroad yard, and scrap yard. After a short introduction to (shooting for) HDR and low light conditions and other practical tips, you'll be shooting for the rest of the day at this very exciting venue. You'll find a diverse mix of photographic subjects including an old railroad yard, mine buildings, mine shafts and towers, scrap yard, etc.

The next day we go to a coking plant where we will take you to places normally closed-off to the public and where the plant is just as it was when they closed it, 20 years ago. Nature is gradually taking over here, resulting in a fairy-like atmosphere. This is the highlight of the tour, allowing you to practice your low light and HDR techniques and get home with truly amazing and unique shots!

Throughout the workshop you'll receive tips and tricks helping you to improve your shots, both in-camera as well as in post processing. Old structures and buildings are a typical subject to receive that processed HDR-look so naturally you'll learn about applying that technique as well.

Program Summary

Saturday – Colliery

  • Start: 09:45
  • Morning: Introduction and Shoot – part one
  • Lunch and short presentation on (shooting for) HDR
  • Afternoon: Shoot – part two
  • Dinner

Sunday – Coking Plant

  • Start: 08:45
  • Morning: Forbidden places Tour – part one
  • Lunch
  • Afternoon: Forbidden places Tour – part two
  • End: ±18:00

Participant images and feedback

Read what our participants thought about this tour and view some of their images on our Industrial Heritage workshop forum.

Subjects

  • Improving your photography
  • German's industrial heritage: coal mines and coking plants
  • Shooting in low light
  • Shooting in high contrast/dynamic range (HDR)
  • (HDR) photography and post processing

What to Bring

Required

  • Camera
  • Standard (zoom) lens
  • Wide-angle (zoom) lens
  • Tripod
  • Fully charged battery + spares
  • Chargers
  • Memory cards
  • Torch (to help focus at very dark places, but also for e.g. “light-painting”)

Optional

  • Additional lenses (e.g., a macro lens)
  • Flash
  • Laptop
  • Image tank

Booking Information

Dates

  • Please contact us for information
  • Fee: €325
  • Deposit: €150
  • Level: Beginner to Advanced
  • Group Size: 3 – 8 participants
  • Fitness: Low to average, only short walks but sometimes on uneven terrain

Included

  • Access to the locations
  • Guides at the forbidden locations of the coking plant
  • Electronic copy of the workshop presentation
  • Direct learning from a professional photographer and instructor in an intensive hands-on environment
  • Reduced size class for personal attention, regardless of skill level

Excluded

Inform about this Workshop

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