Slovenia: First PTR Workshop

By Claire Carter

Image by Kaz (Lake Bled)

PTR held its first workshop in October 2008 and here I present some of the images taken by (and of) participants.

The workshop was a huge success. The accommodation turned out to be even better than expected, the apartments gave everyone a bedroom to themselves, two nice lounges where we could meet and free internet access.

We had cooking facilities but the added bonus was home cooked food that had been reared and grown on the farm where we stayed.

Initially we had some confusion due to the clocks going back in Slovenia and people arriving from 4 different countries. For a day we couldn't decide what the time really was and we had one early start waiting the sunrise, which turned up an hour later than expected! The added bonus to this was we arrived on the top of the mountains in the pitch dark and the stars were out, I can't remember seeing stars like this before - magical. The clear sky that followed sunrise was a challenge but the mist in the valley was breathtaking.

Photo by Claire

The first two days proved to be the best weather wise and everyone got some good shots. This always lifts the mood, as you know you won't be going back home disappointed.

Photo by Kaz

Image by Herman

Image by Bill

Slovenia in autumn was a delight. We had previously visited the location in May and had chosen the area around Lake Bled as "base camp" due to its proximity to water, forests and mountains. We had our fingers crossed that the autumn colours would hold on and we were not disappointed.

Photo by Kaz

Photo by Herman

The weather at this time of year is unpredictable, we could have had deep snow in the mountains but initially we were stripping off layers rather than adding them.

Photo by Claire

By mid-week the weather had changed and we sought some height to meet the snow. It was time to use all the cold weather gear we'd brought.

Photo by Roy

The last few days were wet. This found us still out and about and there were some brief moments of light worth catching...

Photo by Kaz

Photo by Bill

Image by Herman

There were villages to explore.........

Photo by Bill

And the leaves took on even better colour after a wash........

Photo by Claire

Photo by Herman

Bill also found some wildlife and demonstrated what a Canon G10 can do in capable hands.

Photo by Bill

We hope to repeat the Autumn trip in 2009 and if you want advance notification I can add you to a mailing list. As an added bonus we may add a day trip to Venice.

Image by Claire

A big thanks to those who have provided images for this article.

Claire