Cassiobury Park in Watford is a great spot for light painting photography. The darkness and open spaces make it ideal for capturing long exposures, and the river provides a beautiful natural backdrop. The shallow depth of the river also makes it easy to stand in, which is perfect for getting the best angle on your shots and beautiful reflections.
So if you’re looking for a dark, quiet and spacious park to do some light painting photography, Cassiobury Park is the perfect place. Why not join one of our many workshops during the year where you will be in a group.
Every other month we hold a Light Painting Workshop in Cassiobury Park. Myself and Jose, a friend of mine, run it together. It is usually at different locations in the park, but we always end up at the river and the waterfall. If you want to come, you will find the next one listed on our photography Meetup page. The photos with a model were of Chelsia.
One person who especially enjoyed coming to our Light Painting workshops is Wren. She was 10 in 2018 when she came accompanied by her mother. She was so happy with her shots and caught the bug of light painting photography. Read more below about herself in a mini-interview.
I have included some shots that she took on various workshops and shoots with us.
What made you choose photography, and how did you get into it?
I got into photography by chance; I saw an advert for one of Andrew’s light painting events in Cassiobury Park and thought the idea of hanging out in the park, late at night in the dark, taking photographs sounded fun.
It was 2018, and I was 10 years old; I wasn’t old enough to go on my own, so my mum accompanied me. I borrowed a Canon EOS 400D, DSLR, a Tamron 18-250mm lens and a tripod from my uncle. I had no idea what to do, but Andrew helped me with the settings, and I played around with long exposures and loved the results that I got.
What types of photography do you enjoy the most?
Since the first light painting workshop, I have joined Andrew on his model shoots, nature walks and a couple of astrophotography workshops.
I think taking shots of people is my favourite; a whole story can be told or imagined by capturing a split second of someone’s life.
What do you want to do as a career?
My photographic portfolio helped me get into Elstree Screen Arts for next September, and I’ll be studying photography. I’ll be happy as long as I end up doing something creative for a living, but photography is definitely high on the list.
Many thanks to Wren for coming to the workshops and answering my questions. Congratulations on getting into the Elstree Screen Arts Academy. Below are some of the amazing shots she took.
Join the Watford Photography Meetup Group, and you’ll be part of a growing community that shares their love for photography. You can also find out about upcoming shoots, workshops, or nature walks right here!
Photography by Wren Ireland
In the above photos, the ballerina was Meghan.
Thanks for reading; look out for more articles each month. Why not sign up for my newsletter for the latest events around Watford, London and the South East each month.