Day one of the Britain’s Best Photography Course at Chatsworth House started for me with a Sunday afternoon drive up to Derbyshire, about 130 miles up the M1 which for a change was a incident free. Arrived at the Premier Inn just after 5:30, this would be my base for the next 5 days. Event organiser Elaine Sanderson had arranged a meet in the bar and a meal for the people who arrive early, on entering the bar a ordered a pint of cider and had a look around, there where a few groups of people at the bar so I had a walk around and eavesdropped on some conversations. After a while the words “are you a photographer?” came out of one of the groups and that was it I had found some of the people on the course, this phrase triggered even more people to join the growing group of photographers. Like moths to a flame more and more photographers join the group, we all seemed to eat, drink and breath photography, this was going to be a good week.

As time went by more and more photographers joined the group, as even new person entered to restaurant the group checked them out to see if they where a possible photographer, and then someone I recognised “Crash” I shouted across the bar, the man the other side of the bar waved and came round to join us, yes it was Crash Taylor
one on are tutors for the next 4 days. After a while we sat down to eat, we had about 19 of the 24 people who where on the course all around the table hanging on crashes ever word. I wasn’t all plain sailing as with most groups of newly formed people we had the occasion period of embarrassing quietness. After the meal we had more drinks then as with ever group people started to drift away to bed. Elaine didn’t make the meal as she had to pick up Gordon McGowan and Louise Sumner from the airport, a few of us did meet the just before midnight for a drink in the bar, even after a short time I could see that Gordon was a great character and I was look forward to his part of the course. As its now tomorrow it’s time for bed, looking forward to my first day at Chatsworth House.