Join us on our inspiring weekender in and around the stunning town of Bruton, Somerset! Photograph or paint imposing architecture, rolling hills and the beautiful landscaped gardens of Stourhead. All this and a visit to the new Hauser & Wirth gallery with its contemporary artworks and stylish restaurant makes this an unmissable photography weekender!
Click here for more information, and to book.
Take a break from the rat race and join photography guru Pete Sherrard and Lake District lassie Kirsty Johnston for a weekend of landscape, lagers and learning!
On this weekender, we’ll be exploring the very best photography locations, from Britain’s most sublime views to quintessential villages. This is a weekend of early rises to catch the best light and late nights in the local pub. But it’s all going to be nice and relaxing, as we’ll be snapping against the sound of sheep bleating and chickens clucking.
Gurnal Dubs, Staveley
Photography: This weekender will be focused primarily on landscape, animal and location photography. You’ll gain invaluable skills that can be used to build your portfolio or progress your general photography skill-set.
Dates: Friday 24th April – Sunday 26th April
Itinerary:
Over the course of the weekend, we’ll…
· Shoot landscapes around Lake Windermere
· Try our hand at animal portraiture
· Take shots of St James’ Church, Staveley
· Practice our architectural shots at Kendal Castle
· Take panorama’s around Potters Tarn
· Capture shots of snowy Kentmere Valley
Travel: Please contact Frui for recommended train times.
Cost:
3* accommodation package: £390
4* accommodation package: £440
Potters Tarn, Staveley
What’s included:
2 nights accommodation
All photography tuition
Locally sourced, mouth-watering breakfasts each morning
Travel around the Lake District
Transfers to and from the Train Station
Tour of Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley
Stunning landscapes and locations
What’s not included:
Lunch, dinner and beverages
Please note: There will be plenty of walking involved over the weekend, so please make sure you’re fit and healthy enough to take on some of the hills.
Monty & Buggles in Staveley
About Pete: With over twenty years of photography experience, Pete has gained recognition in the industry as a highly skilled creative with an eye for detail. As a Frui Photography Tutor, Pete’s regularly teaches our photography courses in both London and Bristol and taught on our 2014 Marrakech and Ireland holiday’s.
About Kirsty: A Staveley local, Kirsty knows the area like the back of her hand. You’ll be guided to the best places to eat, the best places to view the ‘LD’ at it’s best, and she’s chosen the best places to lay your head after a long day of tuition.
Contact Kirsty for more information.
14 destinations, over 100 holidays, almost 1000 guests and we’ve lost count of the number of bottles of wine!
Over the past three years we’ve seen you guys take some cracking shots on our holidays, so we’re hosting an awards evening to honour your talents and say thank you for your loyal custom. On the night you’ll have the chance to reunite with Frui faces from your holidays while enjoying a few glasses of vino and, who knows, perhaps even a boogie!
So, if you’ve joined us on holiday since 2012 then it’s time to pick your best photos and email them to us for a chance to win! We’ll be showing off your photographs throughout the evening and announcing the winners on the night!
Jewel Bar, Covent Garden, 23rd January 2015 from 7pm (winners announced at 8pm)
People in their environment
Details that tell a story
Bags of personality
Country in a nutshell
Mega landscapes
The winner of each category will win a print of their photograph, a £100 Frui holiday voucher and a steamy smooch from James. One of the lucky category winners will also win a £400 Frui Holiday voucher!
You can enter JUST ONE image per category by emailing hello@frui.co.uk. Images must be emailed one at a time with the category in the subject line. Images must be no larger than 5MGB and no smaller than 2MGB. Any images smaller or larger will be discounted. All photos must have been taken on a 2012, 2013 or 2014 Frui holiday. Deadline for entries is 15th January 2015.
All entries will be judged by Frui co-founder and best-selling author of Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs, Henry Carroll. Frui’s head of photography and travel photographer, Filip Gierlinski. Frui tutor and travel photographer, Simon Tupper.
Even if you haven’t been away with us over the past three years we’d love you to join us on the night! Please reserve your spot by emailing hello@frui.co.uk. Good luck everyone and we look forward to seeing you and your pics on the night!
Join Frui as we set sail on another fantastic Amazing One-Off Wonder!
This time we’ll be meeting in Greenwich for the annual Tall Ships Festival, so get your eye patch on, Polly parrot at the ready, and your camera fully charged.
You’ll have the opportunity to learn specialist photography techniques from a true professional; Simon Tupper, and spend the day surrounded by sailors and their ships. Greenwich will be abuzz with photo opportunities!
When?
Saturday 6th September 2014
Cost?
This course costs £79.00.
Course outline:
Who should book this course?
This course is designed for novice* and advanced photographers alike.
*As long as you can confidently use the manual modes on your camera.
Email Kirsty to book your place!
Sharpen up your seascape photography skills on our newest ‘Amazing One-Off Wonder’! Don your eye patch because we’re going to be getting all piratical. Based in the Hamble, the sailing capital of the UK, you’ll be invited aboard the good ship Frui to capture stunning shots of the Isle of Wight and the Solent from the water!
When: Friday 12th Sept – Sunday 14th Sept
Where: Hamble-le-Rice, Hampshire
Who’s the tutor? James Dean Diamond (that’s his real name!)
The cost: £380 per person
The cost includes:
Not included:
What you’ll learn: You will have the opportunity to improve your seascape photography skills, increase your understanding of exposure, reading light, composition and how to pull in a sheet or two! As well as:
Accommodation: B&B in Hamble (some rooms may have shared bathrooms)
Itinerary:
*Please note that this itinerary is subject to change depending on the sea state*
Day 1
Day 2
Boat: J109 a 35ft race/ curser sailing boat. The boat has cabins and a toilet.
Day 3
Boat: 300 HP 15ft rib (Todays boat will be a bit faster!)
Email Kirsty to book your place!
I guess you could say that when growing up family holidays were always a little bit eccentric. Whether it was trekking in Africa, sailing around the Galapagos Islands or staying in the Amazon rainforest, I was always made aware of the amazing places that existed in the world which made me want to explore more.
Kind of by accident really! While I was an art teacher I did a lot of travelling and on one particular Italian cooking trip I got talking with the tour organizer who told me that I should start running painting holidays in a little known region of Italy called Abruzzo. He said he would help me to sort it out and invited me back to look around Abruzzo. The rest as they say is history!
I’m always looking out for unusual destinations where people can really experience something quite different to what they’re used to. For example, our new trip to Ethiopia is a really amazing location full of epic Grand Canyon style landscapes and medieval castles. It’s been a real pleasure introducing this amazing country to people whose opinions up until now have been of a famine stricken country.
I guess for me it’s all about the ‘buzz’ moments. On every trip there are certain points when you just think, ‘Wow! How did I end up here!’ It’s those special moments, whether it is dancing with Kurdish locals in a bar in Istanbul or staring over an amazing Italian landscape at sunset, these are the moments that make it really worthwhile.
We used to do trips to Syria, before the conflict broke out. It is an amazing country and we really miss it! On one particular trip, on a very quiet afternoon, shortly before the conflict broke out the guests went off to shoot their photo projects in the old square in Aleppo. A few minutes later a pro-Assad rally erupted in the square! After making sure that everyone was safe, we let the guests continue the project. Man did we come away with some amazing documentary style shots!
Space! This April Fools Day we created a spoof photography course called ‘Frui’s Intergalactic Photography Holiday’ and advertised it on our Social Media channels. We got a lot of tongue in cheek interest, and it got me thinking! Maybe one day we’ll be approached by a gazillionaire who loves the idea and they’ll sponsor us. If not, I’ll just carry on taking pictures at home in my space suit…
Our friends at Laurence King Publishing are offering Frui subscribers a whopping discount on ALL their books (art, fashion, photography, architecture, crafts & more) until the end of May.
To claim your 40% discount simply head to their website www.laurenceking.com, pop your items in your basket and enter the code ‘FRUI40′ at checkout. (LKP offer free P&P in the UK too).
We caught up with Frui founder, Henry Carroll, in Australia to ask him a few questions about what you can expect to learn on our holidays and courses. Here’s what he had to say…
No matter what you’re learning – painting, cooking or photography – it’s all made really fun. We don’t fixate on the technical aspects too much. That’s not to say we don’t cover them. We do, but it’s important not to get too bogged down in technical stuff, as that can stifle your creativity. We make sure that you learn the fundamentals and then encourage you to get creative. I suppose where we’re really different is that we make things super simple, so you ‘get it’ straight away.
Besides the obvious things like being knowledgeable about their subject area, we look for people who are instantly likeable and communicate their passion clearly and concisely with enthusiasm. A Frui tutor also needs to have lots of energy and go the extra mile to make sure everyone understands what they’re banging on about. A high tolerance to alcohol is also a must.
Yes, of course. We have our fixed worksheets, but each tutor brings their own personality to the workshop or holiday. We’re all different, but we all agree that photography, painting and cooking is an excuse to have fun and be creative!
We always tailor our worksheets to the destinations. For example, on our Istanbul photography holidays we tend to focus on architectural and street photography. We also introduce guests to the idea of capturing contrasts, as that’s an intrinsic part of understanding the city. In more rural detonations we tend to look at landscape. Depending on the destination, there might be a more traditional emphasis, such as Kerry in southern Ireland, or contemporary, such as Mexico. Everything we teach is designed to give guests a greater insight into a destination so they can respond to it creatively.
I had a baptism of fire! I taught A’level photography at a sixth form college. In a digital age the students had no patience for the darkroom, which was all the college had at the time. To hold their attention I had to come up with ways to make things quick, easy, fun and creative. When we started Frui, I used the same techniques I’d learnt in the classroom on adults. In fact, if anything, adults get even more distracted than kids, especially if there’s Prosecco being poured.
These days people are just as interested in learning about historical and contemporary photography masters as they were about learning techniques. No book existed that covered these two things. Existing books were all very techie, wordy and full of forgettable pictures. So I set about making something that was really concise, emphasised the creative aspects of photography and full of incredible images. It also draws people’s attention to the psychological aspects of picture taking, which is something that’s often overlooked.
Lots! We’ve had people who worked in IT or finance who have given it all up to pursue their creative passion. Others have become their company’s in-house photographers. Lots of people get their photographs featured in magazines and on websites which is always great to see. I also had an email the other day from someone I taught in Marrakech saying they are now doing a photography degree!
Henry Carroll is the co-founder of Frui and author of the top 10 bestselling book, ‘Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs’. Use the discount code ‘READTHIS’ and save 35% on your copy here!
Fond of taking photos, chocolate eggs and following mystical clues?
Then Team Frui have the perfect Amazing One-Off Wonder for you!
Turn Eggsplorer for the day to track down the Easter Bunny and take photographs to win mini chocolate eggs (little ones will come away with a BIG egg too!). You’ll use your creative abilities to dig out the clues and take photographs of the chosen themes/subjects to win more eggs and the coveted title of ‘Eggsplorer of the day’!
Join us at our Central London location on the Easter weekend to fill your memory cards, egg baskets, and tummy’s full of chocolaty goodness!
For only £29 per person, or £69 per family (2 adults, and 2 children) it is sure to be an Eggcellent day out!
We have a selection of dates and times available upon request so email Kirsty at Kirsty@frui.co.uk now!
We’re always on the look out for ways to encourage people to engage with the arts and get creative themselves. So what better way to spread some art love than to partner with this year’s Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park! We’ve got something really special planned for the opening night on 12 March. We can’t say too much at the moment, but if you’re lucky enough to have an invite you’ll definitely not miss us on the night!
If you can’t make it on the opening night, fear not, because the fair runs until 16 March. They’re a nice bunch at the The Affordable Art Fair and they’ve offered Frusters an exclusive discount on tickets. Buy yours here and enter the code ‘MAKEART’. This promo code can be used more than once, so do feel free to share with your friends. (Please note that a small booking fee applies, and that the offer is valid at all times excluding the Charity Private View)
