The historic village of Bosham, pronounced 'Bozzum', is located at the northern tip of a winding coastal creek of tidal mudflats on the south coast of England within Chichester Harbour, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
It is the quality of the light and air at the coast which has given Bosham its enduring appeal to artists and this quiet, unspoilt corner of old England has been a creative haven for centuries. Today the village continues to provide a truly delightful space for photographers and offers a broad range of subject matter and year-round photographic opportunities. The Bosham Creek is ideally suited to workshops as photographers can walk around the whole channel in an hour and easily study the light from every conceivable angle.
At high tide the place is entirely transformed for it looks as though the village stands on the borders of some great lake, with the old fishermans cottages on the edge of the creek appearing to float on the water. The tide rises right up the front walls of the buildings on the waterfront, shimmering and reflecting in the sea with countless subtle patterns and colours. At low tide the whole channel dries out leaving delightful little salt water creeks with meandering curves, and boats lying about in all directions on the mudflats.
Bosham has its own rhythm and there are seemingly endless creative opportunities for photographers which vary throughout the day depending on the state of the tide. Come in the summer to photograph the classic day boat racing and Bosham’s historic buildings; the ancient church with its wooden Saxon spire forms an attractive feature in many landscape photographs, surrounded by poplars and yews, past which the little stream runs gently on it’s way towards the old mill and the Quay. In winter the village is all dreamy and quiet, and the creek is a buzz of wildlife hidden amongst rolling mist and sea fog. Every autumn the village welcome the return of the Brent geese after they complete their epic 2,500 mile migration from Siberia, returning to the same fields overlooking the water so they can feed on the seagrass at low tide.
The mudflats of Bosham provide a welcoming habitat for dozens of other species of sea birds and the whole harbour is designated a special protection area for birdlife. Birds you might see include curlews, snipes, godwits, redshanks, oystercatchers, plovers, herons, cormorants, and swans as well as geese, ducks, gulls and terns. Occasionally you see grey seals swimming up the channel from Cobnor.
Our day will begin in the Bosham Gallery where Luke will begin with an introduction to the Bosham creek, leading a discussion about landscape photography by the sea and offering creative ideas that take into consideration the state of the day’s tide. After morning coffee, our small group will set off on foot around the creek to the Gosport side to photograph back towards the historic waterfront. This is the optimum vantage point which cannot be missed and you will have the opportunity to capture the village against the beautiful backdrop of the South Downs, an area we will return to for the much hoped for late afternoon warm light. Lunch will be taken in the upstairs private dining room in the Anchor Bleu public house, a delightful setting overlooking the sea.
Throughout the day we will be walking short distances to locations along the sides of the many creeks in pursuit of creative landscape photography of this beautiful area, known affectionately by locals as God’s little pocket. We will meet at the end of the afternoon for refreshments in the Craft Centre tearooms or the Anchor Blue PH, in the centre of the village, where Luke will sum up the day and answer any questions.
Luke will meet you at the Bosham Gallery at 9am for a 9.30 start, the workshop will finish around 4.30-5pm.