Ollietaylorphotography Reviews 

This review relates to the same workshop in Iceland that Paul Gibson reviewed below much more eloquently than I could. I agree with everything that Paul wrote.

In Iceland the weather varies greatly over small distances and from day to day. Ollie puts a lot of effort into responding to conditions and moving everyone around if necessary. Hard work for him, but it gives you the best chance of catching the aurora in a great landscape.

That’s why Ollie gets a lot of repeat business and why I’ve booked on two trips with him next year.

Schon seit einigen Jahren gehe ich mit verschiedenen Fotografen auf Tour, und dieses Jahr sollte es mit Ollie nach Island gehen. Geplant hatten wir diverse Spots im Süden und Südwesten von Island zu besuchen, aber manchmal kommt es anders...

Ollie sagt, er versucht für seine Gruppen das Maximum rauszuholen und das kann ich absolut bestätigen!
Die Wettervorhersagen für Süd-Island waren derart schlecht, dass Ollie buchstäblich in letzter Minute neu geplant hat und so waren wir letztendlich im Norden von Island unterwegs. Respekt! Das hat ihm sicher ein paar graue Haare gebracht 😉

Wir haben viele lohnende Orte besucht, teilweise am Tag und in der Nacht. Immer auf der Suche nach klarem Himmel und gutem Wetter und dennoch ohne Hektik. Letzten Endes sind wir ohne Regen durch die Woche gekommen und haben einige wirklich unglaubliche Polarlicht-Shows erleben dürfen.

Vielen Dank an Olli für eine tolle Woche und an Elly, die uns sicher durch die Nacht gefahren hat.

I can’t say enough good things about Ollie or this workshop; it was one of the best adventures of my life!
I did my research before selecting this workshop, and among the reasons I chose Ollie Taylor Photography were that he is an accomplished and experienced astrophotographer, that he had conducted multiple workshops previously in Iceland and obviously knows the country, and that he conveys a commitment to not only providing quality workshops, but also to teaching astrophotography skills – including in this case, skills in aurora photography. I’m delighted to report that my decision-making was sound, because this workshop met – or exceeded – the hopes and expectations behind all of those reasons!
The weather in the south of Iceland (where Ollie had planned to conduct the workshop) was not cooperative, and the forecast looked true for clouds and rain every night of the workshop. Ollie adeptly switched gears and shifted the workshop to the north and northeast of Iceland – which I know is a tactical feat that required great organizational and logistical skills, but also excellent knowledge of weather, geography, and aurora monitoring.
He had stated in the workshop materials that we could end up chasing the aurora, and that is exactly what happened. Along the way we saw and photographed some superb scenery in the Highlands of Iceland, and we had two extraordinary nights of incredible auroras!
The group size was small, and we avoided crowds of tourists at all spots except one. I genuinely enjoyed the company of every other photographer on this workshop as well as Ollie and Elly. We all got along really well and shared some remarkable hours under spectacular auroras. I captured scores of great aurora photos as well as great daytime landscape photos from fabulous locations in the North and Highlands of Iceland. This was one of the best and most memorable vacations I’ve ever experienced. Five stars for all aspects of this fantastic workshop. Yes, absolutely I will book future workshops with Ollie!

This was my first photography workshop and wow what an experience! I was so surprised at how much work Ollie put into the detailed planning of the workshop and having backup plans ready for any weather changes. The amount of anticipation and foresight he took, to drive us to the right location for the right weather was amazing. On top of that the amount of astro and landscape photography knowledge he shared was beyond what I imagined. From simple tips and tricks on field to detailed workflow while editing. In our group we had very experienced photographs as well as beginners/intermediates like me, and he had something for all of us when helping with our shots. The accommodations he planned were amazing as well. Highly recommend.

I have just concluded attending a Photography workshop in Madeira Islands, Portugal and what a workshop it was. I had great time in it It was not only taking amazing photos but also meeting amazing people with amble passion to photography. The workshop was led by Ollie Taylor whom I was pleased to join some of his offered workshop earlier . The distinctive thing about Ollie, other than being a professional photographer with an amazing disposition of professional work, is that he always ensure that no matter what is your level of knowledge in photography that all of your questions will be answered. In field should you need any assistance, he will attend to that. Also he is very generous in sharing his knowledge which I recognize as sign of a confident photographer and true educator.
I would confidently recommend to anyone attending any of Ollie’s workshops because the learning curve is noticeable throughout the time you are attending the workshop.
Looking forward to joining Ollied in another photography expedition,

I have been using Ollie Taylor Photography for a number of years now, from Santorini, through Slovenia, Madeira, Scotland and Iceland.

Ollie's tours stand out from "the rest" because he makes flexibility, due to weather conditions, a key factor in his tours. Rather than always having a fixed itinerary, he will go to the [huge] trouble of going where the weather dictates in order to maximise photographic opportunities, booking accommodation as required, even at the last minute. This is particularly important in locations such as Iceland, where conditions are particularly unpredictable. Go with the others and you'll get your tour, regardless of weather; go with Ollie and he'll vary the tour to take account of current conditions.

Another box ticked with Ollie is this addiction to night photography (Milky Way, Aurora, Nightscapes etc) which require a very specific skill set (and long nights out) in which he is particularly adept at teaching, both in-the-field and in post-processing.

If you want the cheapest, least flexible, out-of-the-box experience, you should go elsewhere. But if you want a workshop which will take you to wonderful places, making the most of the prevailing weather conditions, whilst allowing you to extend your abilities to cover low-light photography, then Ollie is your man.

In addition to the fact that Ollie's workshops are always very well organized, offer fantastic accommodation and great photo locations/opportunities they also impart a lot of knowledge regarding astrophotography, photography in general and post production. And above all they are great fun.
Ollie is very knowledgeable, a good and patient teacher (even if you struggle with language and technical understanding like me) and able to adapt the itinerary flexibly to weather conditions and customer skills.
I highly recommend his workshops and am already looking forward to the next one.

Ollie is a fantastic tour leader who goes the literal extra mile for his clients. Having toured with him in Iceland, he chased the clear weather so we could maxamise our aurora experience. His Astro Tenerife tour was much the same, taking us to areas less frequented. Ollie has a strong loyal following, or groupies as I call us! It's highly likely you'll meet other regular on his trips. His knowledge and experience makes him one of the most sought after tour leaders with people travelling worldwide for his trips. Needless to say, I have future trips booked and look forward those experiences once again.

By far the best photography workshops I have been on, I left with so much knowledge and technical skill! Ollie is a pro and a great, patient teacher who can easily manage a mixed level group, giving individual, tailored attention to everyone. His ability to scout quiet, interesting locations is spot on and his knowledge is unrivalled. Above all else, he’s a great guy and made the whole experience fun, educational and rewarding. Thanks mate!

The workshop in Tenerife with Ollie was both enjoyable and informative. Ollie's post processing sessions were really helpful and detailed for both beginner and more advanced levels of astrophotography.
The whole trip met my expectations, transport/transfers, and accommodation was superb.
I would recommend his workshops highly to any level of night photographer.

I felt the two day course was very rushed. Half of the course is all computer work, a huge amount of post production. Ollie Wasn’t helping anyone with the technical side, because we were rushing through 10 hrs of computer work, Ollie wasn’t engaging. So if you are not intermediate or above, forget it! Two of us were told that we were on our own, as he didn’t know our cameras. Very disappointing.

I've done a few tours with Ollie, including Tenerife and Lofoten, and have two more booked to Madeira and Iceland. Each trip has been fantastic, and I have images I'm incredibly proud of. Ollie puts a lot of effort into setting up the right itinerary and has even been flexible enough to accommodate extra requests when reasonable.

The shoot locations are well-researched, and the accommodation is generally excellent. Even when weather conditions aren't ideal, Ollie does everything he can to help you get the perfect shot. I would recommend Ollie's workshops to all levels, whether you're a beginner in astrophotography or have more experience.

The tuition is tailored to your needs, whether you are an astrophotography beginner or have more experience, with valuable instruction both in the field and back at base, covering editing and process workflows. The conditions can be demanding on location, and Ollie is always honest in assessing if you should join a tour based on your circumstances, prioritising both your safety and the enjoyment of the group. Ollie is very knowledgeable and great company when travelling—I have no concerns recommending any of his workshops.

I’ve been on two workshops with Ollie, Scotland and Cornwall. Both were really amazing experiences. I came into the first workshop as a portrait/landscape photographer wanting to learn about astro as it seemed enough outside of my wheelhouse I needed a mentor. I was very impressed with Ollie’s technical knowledge as well as his ability to teach post production and on-site learning/support. There is no way I would be able to learn what I did in one workshop from watching online videos or a book. He really knows his stuff and is passionate about what he does. I will continue to do workshops with Ollie in other locations. Book when you see an open spot and it fits your calendar because they fill up fast!

Ollie has unbeatable astro knowledge, location planning skills and awesome 3am driving 🤩
Super accommodation and a great group to be out under the stars with.
Thanks for another great tour Ollie.

I have been on 3 tours with Ollie (Skye, Dolomites and most recently Iceland). His excellent photographic skills and deep knowledge of the locations made each trip unforgettable. The small group sizes allowed for personalized attention and fostered a great sense of camaraderie. With workshop number 4 coming up I cannot recommend his tours highly enough.

I joined Ollie on an astrophotography workshop in Tenerife in May 2022. I would highly recommend choosing Ollie for a workshop; Ollie is very knowledgeable, experienced, and has a lot to offer in terms of teaching and guiding. I always hope to come away from a workshop having learned some new things and I definitely got that here. Primarily through new post processing tricks, planning ideas, and ways to shoot night sky subjects that I had not considered in the past.

I originally chose a workshop with Ollie due to his experience with photographing the night sky and leading workshops, and because I thought his prices were reasonable. I hope to join Ollie on another trip in the future.

I have been on several of Ollie's workshops over the years both in the UK to Dorset & Cornwall and abroad to Tenerife, Santorini & Slovenia. In every case they have been well organised and locations researched with alternatives identified in case of poor weather. It's obvious that Ollie knows the areas well and can find locations off the beaten track.

The accommodation provided is always of a good standard.

When out shooting, techniques are explained and Ollie provides as much help as each person needs whilst ensuring that the whole group captures images. Beginners and those with more experience are all equally welcomed.

During the workshops Ollie covers how to plan a shoot using software like Photopills and also the post-production workflow to get from raw images to finished product, using an image taken by someone on the workshop to step through the whole process with everyone following along using their own image.

Ollie is a good teacher and has great experience & knowledge of astro and landscape photography. I highly recommend his workshops and have already booked on 2 more.

The Night Photography Course in Tenerife that I went on with Ollie in May 2023 was excellent! Ollie is an accomplished and creative photographer who is an expert in the field of landscape astrophotography and nightscapes as well as other aspects of photography. He is extremely knowledgeable and the entire workshop that predominantly took place in Mount Teide National Park (Parque Nacional del Teide) was packed full of relevant information about the different aspects of landscape astrophotography and the step by step, process that is employed to capture nightscapes. I learnt about night sky and location planning using Photopills. I also learnt a lot in the very thorough post-production sessions using Photoshop, Lightroom and how to stack images using Starry Landscape Stacker. There were a lot of post-production beginners in our group, however Ollie was determined that all the course participants left the course with one completed image that they were happy with together with a very comprehensive set of notes.

Ollie looked after everyone extremely well and drove with care. He took us to well-chosen locations that he had previously researched and visited to maximise photographic potential. The spacious accommodation that we stayed in was great and had all the amenities that we needed as well as amazing sea views. It comes as no surprise to learn that Ollie’s photographic workshops fill up very quickly! I highly recommend going on a photography tour with Ollie! So much so, that I have secured a place on 2 workshops with him in 2024, one to Provence in July and one to Cornwall in September. I have also booked to go to Greenland with Ollie in February 2025.

I recently joined Ollie's Tenerife workshop and Ollie's experience and knowledge of both astrophotography and Tenerife are really great. The locations he has to offer provide lots of opportunities to shoot the night sky and his tour catered for a range of levels including beginners. He is constantly checking weather reports and made sure we had the best chance of getting out under clear skies which was really appreciated. The tour was really fun and I had the chance to learn a lot from his years of photography, as well meeting some amazing people too. Hopefully I'll be able to book on to another tour in the future!

I attended a Astro photography course on Tenerife. Ollie went the extra mile to make sure everyone was able to progress their technique, coupling with a range of skill levels. Great accommodation, locations and logistics. Excellent all round.