Wuthering Heights | Carolyn Mendelsohn Photography

The Residential – How come?

admin — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 19:22:16 +0000

What is it?

Call it an event, a retreat, a happening, a course or as I do – a residential – I think I have found my special place by creating something that combines all my previous skills (I used to make large site specific art and theatre work) and bringing people/artists/photographers together to go on an especially liberating, challenging and inspiring creative journey.

The History

The October Residential in 2014 was a new venture, it worked and had all the ingredients to make an outstanding experience. I wanted to build upon it, nurture and grow it, so in March I invited Kate T Parker to be the guest artist, knowing that we had very different approaches to our work which would be interesting for photographers.

The Philosophy

I believe that there isn’t just one way to create wonderful imagery, there are many. I have my methods and ways of seeing the world, and I am very open in that I want to share them with you, this I do during the process. But my aim is for you (within the parameters of the course) to discover and bring to life your own vision, and to leave the residential with the confidence that you can create work with heart and soul, that is totally yours.

Guest Artists

I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it was to have Kate T Parker with us on this adventure, and (shhhh) we will be working together again sometime in the future.
And now,
Now!
We are about to have the wonderful Sarah Cornish of My Four Hens on the next residential. 14th September to the 17th September 2015.
Phenomenal! Sarah is such a generous photographer/artist/person.
A friend for about the past six years, I am very excited that we will be able to work together, and cannot wait to see what she brings just by being here.

STOP PRESS !
unfortunately for health reasons Sarah is unable to make the journey to the uk on this occasion. However the absolutely phenomenal artist Jessica Drossin is. I am beyond excited as this will be a unique opportunity for all of us. Thank you Jessica . You will be perfect.

Group Size

The group size for these residentials is intentionally small, because I want to make sure that every individual no matter what their starting point is, has the opportunity to have time to grow, learn and to experiment and has the space to be creative.

The Venue and Hosts

The Venue Ponden Hall – is special.
Really special.
Steeped in atmosphere and history; on the edge of the moors; the right side of bleak ;with a unique beauty and the amazing Bronte connections that fit in so well with the nature of creating compelling Imagery.

The hosts Julie and Steve are really something else, as is the hospitality.

The Recipe

So we have the Artists,
We have the venue,
We have the hospitality,
We have the group.
The group is small, the group is special.

All of this adds together to create a unique , and for some people life changing experience.

There is something magical that happens here x

Photography by Melissa Stissi

Some of the feedback

“ My faith in training has been restored!! It didn’t feel like a bun fight for a shot. I didn’t feel like I had to do exactly as the trainer said, and there weren’t too many people. If anyone asked me to recommend training, this would be the first thing I would point the towards”

“ The whole delivery of the course was outstanding. The workshops were amazing and really helped the shoots each day”

“Today was phenomenal – I do feel like I have grown in confidence and loved being in control and planning the shots and looking for inspiration. I love that Carolyn gave us advice but let us take control of each shoot and that everyone shot differently”

“ Kate was fantastic, watching how she works and edits, the amount of information shared was far beyond any expectations”

“It was so awesome to see Kate shoot, and her approach to her edits”

“It was great to see another photographer’s (Kate T Parker) perspective and ways of shooting. Jam packed with information – again above and beyond”

“Carolyn, you have been so so generous with your time and experience, and in helping to build my confidence and for your patience in answering my silly questions and really making me feel like I can do it!”

“ I have had an amazing week. I really don’t want it to end. There is nothing I would change it’s been perfect. I now really know what images I want to produce for people. I can thank you enough. I am ready to give it all a proper go!”

“Loved the small size of the group and truly felt like a magical experience. I love the way the info was delivered and then taking the info and having a lot of opportunities to shoot and asked questions. S0 much information to take in – I feel a renewed sense of confidence on my journey.”

“Such a unique experience and I wish I could join in all the future ones”

Accommodation and Hospitality

“Amazing! Above and beyond what I imagined. Felt like I was in a story book”

“So generous and warm and felt like I was part of a loving home”
Steve and Julie went totally above and beyond and were so welcoming and giving and wonderful to share their home. The location is stunning and the food amazing”

“Julie and Steve are amazing, very caring, incredibly welcoming. The location was perfect. Far enough away from the everyday to enable you to be in the moment”

Booking for the September residential with myself and Sarah Cornish, opens on Wednesday 28th of April,

Do get in touch if you want to know more.

Love Carolyn x

Models: Hannah Muirhead, Joshua Brand and Rachel Hayton
Stylist: Caroline Brown
MUA and Hair: Lauren Rippin

Photography by Liz Godfey

Photography by Louise Raynor

Photography by Annie Armitage

The post The Residential – How come? first appeared on Carolyn Mendelsohn Photography.

THE WUTHERING HEIGHTS RESIDENTIAL – The Whole Story

admin — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 12:38:57 +0000

This article has already appeared on the Turning Pro Website, but I thought I would share it here.

Carolyn Mendelsohn – How it came about.

The idea came in a flash fully-formed as I was sitting down having a coffee with old friends, talking about photography.

I had been planning on running a residential; I knew I wanted to create a workshop where people would really be able to challenge themselves, and I would be there to facilitate the development of their photographic portraiture skills. Sitting with Julie and Steve, I suddenly saw it very clearly. Ponden Hall as the base; the moors; Emily Bronte (She used the library here !) and the stories of the people who have lived and still live here.

This site specific residential, was to be very much about the art of portraiture (from my perspective), using the location , stories and literature associated with it, at the heart of it all, as a wonderfully creative starting point. It would have location shoots, lifestyle and fashion shoots as well as inspiringly creative skill building workshops .

Julie Akhurst and Steve Brown (the owners) were amazing ! They loved the idea, even though it came tumbling out of my mouth unplanned but fully formed with enthusiasm. They didn’t stop to think , they said ‘Yes” instantly.

That is part of the magic of it all, and why we all forged ahead to create an experience that people would be unlikely to forget.

The Prep

Eight short weeks came and passed, we were ready and prepared to start . I had spent time having prepped the amazing hosts, the MUA, the stylist, my assistant and models . My participants were involved as soon as they signed on, with an active Pinterest and Facebook page. Every shoot organized, locations scouted, multi media presentations done, film screening rehearsed, and residential planned to the smallest detail. Everybody was set, everybody was excited. I felt a mixture of fear and excitement, the right kind of adrenalin to make things happen.

There was something special and magical about the whole experience. Even the weather on the last day was suitably ‘wuthering’ for the fashion shoot, that in itself sets it’s own challenges but also creates the right visual atmosphere .

The Stylist’s Story
Caroline Brown – Vintage Specialist and Stylist.

With squelching feet and a constant dripping of wet hair onto my face, halfway up the mist-enfolded moors; arms laden with a copper lantern, a 1920’s cape and a bag full of pegs and safety pins, this was my first outdoor location photo shoot as a Stylist. And I felt a greater euphoric creative buzz than any that I had known in a long time. Ten of us, each with our own role, were shrouded in mist and doused by drizzle, but there was a palpable spirit of teamwork and a focused determination to create something beautiful and emotive to convey the powerful drama of Wuthering Heights.

In my discussions with Carolyn about the brief it became clear that the clothing should be more about the mood and drama of the characters, rather than a literal interpretation of the era. So I devised seven outfits which spoke to me of Cathy’s personality – at times ethereal and fey, and at other times wilful, charismatic and egotistical, giving the outfits an almost gothic twist and a contemporary edge too, with strong lines and shapes.

The photographers responded with incredibly startling and mood-laden shots, creating different strands of narratives and transforming our models, Hannah Muirhead and Aisling Serrant, with the expertise of Make Up Artist Lauren Rippin into the different sides of Cathy, and capturing the bleak but breathtaking mood of the moors.

The shoot moved to the interior of Ponden Hall, and my vision of the models wearing alternative textures, strong or flowing shapes and rich colours, to offset the hard stone of the building was beautifully rewarded by the photographers and models, as they captured both the melancholy and the whimsical sides of Wuthering Heights’ lead character.

I would repeat the experience at the drop of a top, or bowler or deerstalker hat (and next time I would remember to wear my own the weather demanded it).

The Photographer’s Story – Jo Worthington

From the moment I saw a blog post about Carolyn Mendelsohn’s Creative Residential based on Wuthering Heights my heart started pounding. Carolyn’s images are so breathtaking and compelling I just had to become part of this creative adventure. So with thoughts of blustering winds and misty moors, I headed off to stay at the characterful Ponden Hall, seeped in history and used as the Wuthering house in Emily Brontë’s novel. Owned by the most wonderful family, I had a most warm welcoming. On meeting the lovely Carolyn and other photographers we discussed how the two days would unfold.

At first light we ventured down to the reservoir. While all of us were wrapped up warm, Kizzy braved the cold water dressed in a vintage wedding dress, this shoot was reminiscent of lingering mournful days, with the cold wind blowing through her hair and dress.

The afternoon was completely different we went on a dinosaur adventure with a giggly 2 year old and his mum.

That evening after a lovely meal we collapsed on the comfy sofa, drank hot chocolate by the roaring fire and watched the 1939 Wuthering Heights. Just as well this was the light and fluffy version, as I may not have slept very well thinking of Cathy at the window! ‘Let me in—let me in!

We arose early again to photograph Kizzy in the mist, up on the moors by the stone wall. Late morning was spent with Carolyn giving us a ‘real’ fashion lifestyle photo shoot brief. After discussing how the make up artist and stylist work, meeting the models, I had a vision of how I wanted to photograph this shoot. I sketched out some ideas of locations and poses, so I would be more prepared.

Inspired and prepared we ventured up to the moors. With a thick mist passing over, lashing rain, the environment was synonymous with the novel. My lens even misted up like a visionless cloak!

Carolyn’s insight and vision for this residential has provided me with more inspiration and a renewed passion for my photography. Thanks Carolyn and everyone involved, I am still buzzing from my experience.

The Photographer’s story 2 – Anneleen Lindsay

I will never forget my immersive experience . I first heard about the workshop on ProPhoto’s twitter feed and was instantly intrigued. The literary theme of the course and the prospect of shooting on the Yorkshire moors hooked me instantly! I first read Wuthering Heights when I was 15 and went on to study English Literature for my first degree. I spent my teenage holidays roaming the North Yorkshire moors but now live in Edinburgh – just the idea of shooting fashion on the moors set my heart beating faster!

When I arrived at Ponden Hall, the incredible B&B that hosted the residential, I was blown away when I was shown to my bedroom – ‘The Earnshaw Room’ – with its Wuthering Heights style box bed, log fire and library of antique Bronte books.

We were taken on a tour of Haworth by Bronte expert and Ponden Hall owner Julie, followed by a delicious afternoon tea with freshly baked scones and cake that she’d rustled up earlier. We did a quick location scout of the nearby moors and woodland and began to plan and pre-visualise our shoots in our first session with Carolyn.

The next morning we were up at daybreak to do a first light portrait shoot. We took it in turns to direct our model, using different backdrops around the reservoir next to the house. I had never done a sunrise shoot before (I’m not really a morning person!) but the light was so beautiful, we decided to do another one the next morning as well!

Carolyn was great at letting us get on with setting up our own photographs, giving us occasional tips and things to consider whilst allowing us to take turns in directing each shoot. She gave us suggestions but didn’t impose a ‘certain way of doing things’, instead encouraging us to celebrate and develop our own personal style. The fact that numbers would be limited to a small group was a huge selling point to me when thinking about doing the course. I don’t think I would ever go on a workshop where 10 or more photographers are all participating in one shoot. Because of the size of the group, it was possible for us to have a lot of ownership over the shoots and to create distinct photographs out of each one. It also meant that there was time for individual portfolio reviews and one to one mentoring.

On day three we took to the moors for an epic fashion shoot, loosely themed around Wuthering Heights. The weather was suitably blustery and ‘wuthering’ – a heavy mist descended on the moors the day of the shoot and we all got rained on, but this added a special sense of atmosphere to the photographs which could not have been manufactured! We then dried off and did a further shoot in Ponden Hall – a fantastic location in itself, dating back to the 1500s and decorated in sympathy with its heritage.

I had high hopes for this photography residential and the reality not only met them but exceeded them on every level! Carolyn’s expertise as a facilitator, the wonderfully warm hospitality from all at Ponden Hall, the stunning location, the professionalism and talent of the stylist, MUA and models all contributed to an amazing few days I will never forget. I am so happy with my images from the shoots and could not have made them without any of the above contributions from such a lovely group of people.

Links

http://www.carolynmendelsohnphoto.com

http://www.anneleenphotography.com

http://joworthingtonphoto.co.uk

http://www.ponden-hall.co.uk/

www.roseandbrownvintage.co.uk

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WUTHERING HEIGHTS THE RESIDENTIAL STORY

admin — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 22:52:29 +0000

We did it. We ran the residential and it was , well I can’t put it into words in a succinct way – so instead I am going to post a series of blogs from the different partners and participants.

Today Julie Akhurst who owns Ponden Hall writes about her experience….

Julie’s Story

We live here at Ponden Hall, and we’ve been here for 16 years. Although we fell in love with the house the moment we set foot over the threshold to stand in the long, L-shaped hallway sloping down into the house a little like a hobbit’s burrow, we’ve grown shamingly used to the place over the years.

We see the astonishing landscape of Ponden Reservoir, hills beyond, mist floating above, herons swooping, oystercatchers perching, every time we do the washing up. The ‘wily, windy moor’ is just minutes away up the hill past our neighbours’ tractor graveyard. The window that inspired Emily Bronte to write of Cathy’s ghost frantically smashing and scratching to get in to her lost love Heathcliff is just one of several in a room that until recently was simply the place we went to sleep in every night and got up in every morning.

A few months ago, though, we opened the house as a B&B, and Carolyn’s photographic residential was our first big workshop venture. Obviously Carolyn’s expertise was the top draw for workshopees, but ‘Come and photograph Wuthering Heights’, was next on the list. There’s no doubting the wealth of Brontë links in this historic house, but you still do wonder – does anyone really want to take pictures in my front room enough to pay for the privilege?

They did, it turned out. And they properly, deeply fell for the place. Like leafing through old wedding pics, it reminded both me and my husband Steve of why we ourselves had first fallen for this gracious, stone-flagged corner of West Yorkshire with all its attendant stories and legends.

Watching these experienced photographers honing their skills in our front garden; perched on the 18th century chest in our upstairs bedroom; ranged around the log fire or the long table in the hall – was a lesson in seeing differently, and not taking any of this beauty for granted. Our confidence grew each day, as we realised these people loved the Hall and could see aspects of it that were hidden even from us. Just as in all good photography, they had the skill to take that vision and share it, so that for a moment we saw it through their eyes.

There’s a magic about the place that draws interesting people here and infects them with the desire to return. There are the Brontë connections, certainly, but there are the legends of the family who built the house, the Heatons, some of which seem to have leached into Wuthering Heights. There are the numerous celebrities who’ve visited over the years and fallen under its spell. There are the strange coincidences, tales, juxtapositions, fascinating facts. There’s a great story about the Heatons hiding the Hall from Oliver Cromwell. Hell, trouser-splitting singing phenomenon P J Proby even lived next door for a while!

But the temptation to take it all for granted was blown away by the three days we’ve just experienced. Thank you, all of you, for your skill in helping us see again. And thank you especially, Carolyn, for the vision to see that this would work.

Julie Akhurst

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COMPELLING PORTRAITURE – A Creative Residential in Wuthering Heights

admin — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 20:48:50 +0000

A site-specific residential photography training experience

13th – 15th October 2014

A creative residential in the real Wuthering Heights aimed at those who are passionate about exploring and learning more about creating stunning Portrait Photography/Lifestyle/Dramatic Imagery and Story/Fashion based images

Led by

Carolyn Mendelsohn

Winner of Professional Photographer of the Year 2013 – Lifestyle

“I’ve dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they’ve gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind.” Emily Bronte

Location: Ponden Hall, Haworth, BD22 0HR, England

www.ponden-hall.co.uk

Arrival: 4pm Monday 13th October ending at 5pm 15th October 2014

An amazing experience for those who love their photography, love portraiture, love history and a good classic.

A two day residential in the most – and I mean the most amazing and unique place. A place frequented by Emily Bronte, who often used the library in the house, and reputed to be where she based the story of Wuthering Heights. As part of these two days the small and select group of participants will stay in this beautiful, wild and wuthering building and experience the following.

Arrival day – 4pm. Cream Tea and a tour of Ponden Hall putting the two days in context. Meeting the facilitators and finding out more about how the days will work.

Evening Free time with personal mentoring and portfolio review tailored to where you are now to be arranged.

Day One:

First light photoshoot. (optional) – Get out on those blustery moors as the sun comes up and take sublime pictures

Breakfast

Workshop on Portrait and Lifestyle photography with a practical on location Portrait and Lifestyle shoot
There will also be individual and group exercises to play creatively as well as develop your skills
A Portrait and Lifestyle shoot facilitated by Carolyn Mendelsohn
Evening screening of Wuthering Heights (hopefully outdoor projection) – with hot chocolate and snacks.

Day Two

A possible visit to Haworth with an expert setting the scene for Wuthering Heights.
A workshop on creating dramatic and compelling photographs
Meet the make up Artist and Location Stylist. Question and Answer session.
Followed by an amazing on location Wuthering Heights Fashion/Themed shoot.

Cost £600 which includes Cream Tea/Tour/Breakfast on the 14th/15th Oct/ Lunch and two nights accommodation (in an amazing location) on the 13th/14th Oct. Training and Portfolio review individual mentoring session

This very special residential open to all photographers, particularly those who are interested in learning new skills, love photography, portraiture, the arts and stories and are excited about taking part in a creative and inspiring few days.

Skills level: Anyone who has a DSLR/SLR camera and a telephoto and/or prime lens, and is wanting to learn more about portrait photography in an amazing creative environment.

Please email me to book or if you have any questions on carolynmendelsohn@mac.com

There are a very limited number of places.

20% deposit to secure place. The balance payable by 30^th September 2014

Can’t wait to hear from you.

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