Lesser spotted woodpecker photography workshop

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Photography Workshop

£199 per person · Four hours · Fieldcraft & bird photography on foot · Maximum five guests

 Have you always dreamt of photographing (or even seeing) Britain’s smallest, rarest and arguably cutest woodpecker? Barely larger than a house sparrow, the lesser spotted woodpecker is a beautiful but elusive bird that most have never seen. Its population has declined sharply since the 1980s, and it is now on the UK’s Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern.

Join award-winning wildlife photographer Louis Guillot for four hours exploring woodland in search of this remarkable species. Combining fieldcraft with practical photography tuition, you’ll learn how to spot birds, anticipate their movements and photograph them without a hide.

Book now and join Louis Guillot with Nature Talks UK on this lesser spotted woodpecker & woodland birds photography workshop.

Workshop Overview

• Main focus: Finding and photographing lesser spotted woodpeckers and other woodland birds
• When: March
• Duration: Four hours
• Group size: Maximum five guests, private workshops also available
• Suitable for: Beginners through to experienced photographers
• Guide: Louis Guillot, award-winning wildlife photographer and zoologist.
• Format: A walking workshop, with time spent observing and photographing birds
• Tuition: Practical bird photography techniques and fieldcraft
• Included: Expert bird photography tuition, fieldcraft, coffee/tea & biscuits

What will you learn?

Finding a bird is only part of the challenge. Louis will help you turn an encounter into a photograph, explaining how to prepare your camera and respond when opportunities arise. We’ll work on:

• Finding lesser spotted woodpeckers: Understanding what to look and listen for, and distinguishing them from other woodland birds.
• Camera settings: Choosing shutter speeds, autofocus and exposure settings for small, active subjects.
• Light and composition: Working with woodland light, finding clearer backgrounds and choosing your position.
• Anticipating behaviour: Watching how birds move and preparing for the next photographic opportunity.
• Camera settings: Choosing autofocus, shutter speed and exposure settings to suit your subject.
• Photography without a hide: Moving quietly, approaching thoughtfully and knowing when to stay still and let wildlife come to you.
• Fieldcraft: Recognising promising habitat, listening for birds and noticing movement among the branches.

With no more than five guests, there’s time to ask questions, try different approaches and receive individual feedback. Beginners are welcome, you don’t need to know all the technical terms before you arrive.

What sort of photos can I expect to capture?

Lesser spotted woodpeckers will be our main target. If we find one, we’ll work with the opportunities it gives us, whether that means photographing it on an exposed branch or including more of the woodland in the frame.

Along the way, we’ll also look for nuthatches, goldcrests, firecrests, long-tailed tits, chiffchaffs, sparrowhawks, great spotted woodpeckers and countless other birds. The birds we encounter will depend on conditions and what is present on the day.

This is an opportunity to photograph wild birds in their natural surroundings. Some encounters may be brief, while others may give us time to experiment with settings and composition.

Why join this lesser spotted woodpecker photography workshop?

Enjoy the chance to photograph an elusive bird that few UK photographers have captured. Louis knows a promising location for lesser spotted woodpeckers, and while sightings cannot be guaranteed, we’ll also look for other woodland birds along the way.

This workshop goes beyond camera settings: it teaches you the fieldcraft that helps you find birds and create distinctive photographs. Rather than photographing from a fixed hide, you’ll explore the woodland, listen for calls and learn when to move or wait.

By anticipating birds’ movements, you can choose your background and prepare a composition before a bird enters the frame. Louis will share how he recognises these opportunities, helping you become more observant, more confident with your camera and better prepared for your own outings.

Meet your Photography Guide

Louis Guillot is a wildlife photojournalist and zoologist born and raised in west London. He has been frequenting Richmond Park since he was a boy for the last 23 years so knows its habitats and photographic possibilities intimately. His work has appeared in BBC Wildlife, including a feature on London’s peregrine falcons, and received recognition in Nature Photographer of the Year and MontPhoto competitions. He is also an Emerging League Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a network of photographers using their work to support conservation. Louis enjoys making photography approachable, explaining techniques clearly and helping people develop their own ideas.

Read more about Louis.

Join Louis in March for a woodland photography adventure, searching for lesser spotted woodpeckers and developing the skills to find and photograph birds without a hide. Choose your date and book!

Have a question? Email info@naturetalks.com or call 020 3370 2947.

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