Welcome to the Stu Brown Photography Blog, sharing stories and photography from Saltburn-by-the-Sea, the North Yorkshire coast, and the Cleveland Way.
Here you’ll find field notes from landscape and wildlife shoots, updates from my photography workshops, and insights into working along one of the most dramatic stretches of coastline in the North East of England.
I spend most of my time outdoors — watching the tides, the weather, and the changing light across the moors and cliffs. This blog is a place to share those moments: coastal landscapes at sunrise, wildlife encounters around Saltburn and the North Yorkshire Moors, and the quiet details that make this coastline so special.
Whether you’re here to discover new locations, improve your photography, join a workshop, or simply enjoy the view — I hope these stories bring you a little closer to the landscape.
What Actually Happens on a Stu Brown Photography Workshop?
Booking a photography workshop can feel like quite a big step, particularly if you’re still learning how your camera works or you’ve never attended anything like it before. You might wonder whether everyone else will have more experience, whether your camera is good enough or whether you’ll understand everything being discussed. These are completely natural concerns, but the reality of one of my workshops is far more relaxed and friendly than many people expect.
Why a Photography Workshop Can Help You Finally Get Off Auto
Buying a better camera is often the beginning of an exciting new interest, but it can also be the point where photography suddenly starts to feel far more complicated. There are buttons, dials, menus and unfamiliar words everywhere, and the instruction manual can sometimes leave you with more questions than answers. It’s hardly surprising that many people turn the dial to Auto and leave it there.
A Brilliant Beginners Photography Workshop at RSPB Saltholme
On Sunday 6 September, I returned to the wonderful RSPB Saltholme to lead another of my Beginners Photography Workshops. I was joined by a fantastic group of students who arrived with a mixture of cameras, different levels of experience and their own reasons for wanting to understand photography properly. That variety is something I genuinely enjoy because no two workshops are ever exactly the same, and every student brings different questions and ideas to the day.
Why Most Beginners Struggle With Their Cameras — And How a Workshop Fixes It in One Day
If you’ve ever bought a “proper” camera and thought I have no idea what any of these buttons do…, you’re not alone.
In fact, almost every beginner or amateur photographer I meet on my workshops arrives feeling exactly the same:
Photos turning out too dark
Everything blurry
Confusing buttons everywhere
Videos and tutorials making it feel even more complicated
That constant feeling of “I must be doing something wrong”