Add new creative depth to your photography practice

The Art of Equine Photography & Encaustics Workshop

Develop your equine photography portfolio and learn a more organic way of working with photography.

Develop your Equine Photography Portfolio with Fine art Equine Photographer Esther Towler.

Under the direction of award winning equine photographer Esther Towler you will have the opportunity to meet and photograph native equine rare breeds at liberty. Adding a beautiful collection of photographs to your portfolio.


Learn the bespoke art of photo-encaustics -

Dive into the ancient art of encaustics, where beeswax and photography collide to create beautiful, emotive artworks that add a new depth to your photography practice. This lovely, tactile, calm process can transform your artwork, giving it a beautiful, ethereal feel with texture and colour, creating a unique working method.

Add a new way of working to your photography business -

If you are a fine art photographer and have been searching for a more organic, tactile way of working rather than being stuck on the computer all day editing, then introducing photo-encaustics into your photography practice might be a lovely alternative to your regular workflow and would be a perfect addition to offer your customers something a little different.


I’m Esther, and I can’t wait to share my passion for encaustic art with you

I’ve been photographing horses for over 20 years and have been a professional fine art equine photographer for the last 10 years. My passion for horses and photography has enabled me to travel far and wide photographing wild, rare and domestic horses to create limited edition prints and commissions for horse owners, art collectors and commercial brands.

One of the ways I create my artwork is using a lovely technique called encaustics that uses beeswax and dammar resin as a medium to encapsulate fine art photography printed on different papers, adding texture, natural elements, and paint to create a one-of-a-kind emotive artwork that is full of texture and tones.

I love working with melted beeswax in the studio. As part of my fine art equine photography practice, each photo-encaustic piece's texture and refracted light have an ethereal feel. This ever-evolving creative process gives my work a deeper connection to the natural world, using nature’s gift of beeswax. My photo-encaustic artwork has been displayed in gallery exhibitions and purchased by art collectors across the UK. Horse owners also commission me to create one-of-a-kind artwork for their horses. This beautiful process has given my work a new creative, emotive depth. It has allowed me to use my photography and add a unique, expressive feel, which I wish to share with other photographers so they can experiment with and use within their photography practice  to create their own artwork inspired by horses and encaustics.

This one-day photography and encaustic workshop based in and around my studio in the Pennines, North West. It is a chance to photograph some beautiful equine native breeds and  learn all about photo-encaustics, experiment, and create using your own photographs. You will be able to experience photographing horses at liberty, expand your equine photography portfolio and develop new creative skills  and confidence in this lovely technique that uses beeswax and dammar resin as a medium to encapsulate fine art photography printed on different papers, adding texture, natural elements, and paint to create a one-of-a-kind emotive artwork that is full of texture and tones.


“I had such a great experience with Esther, before my workshop she spent lots of time getting to know me and she tailored the day to focus on the aspects of photography that I wanted to explore.

She has been an amazing coach and has given me lots of invaluable advice. I had such an amazing and exciting day where I got to experience an equine shoot, get to grips with the camera and studio and also learned how to create photo-encaustic artwork. Esther’s knowledge and work are aspirational, making me feel welcome.

I came away having had a lovely day, feeling very inspired and motivated to carry on exploring my own photography. I will keep in contact with her and hope to work with her again in the future.

Thank you so much for all of your support and for helping to increase my confidence with photography. I couldn’t recommend Esther enough she is an amazing photographer and such a lovely lady xxx”
— Maddie Roberts

The Art of Equine photography & Encaustics Workshop

What to expect

8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Morning - You will be introduced to the wonderful art practice of photo-encaustics and learn more about the history of encaustics and photography preparation before we begin to create your artwork.  We will discuss some camera techniques and best equine photography practices before heading out to photograph some beautiful native equine breeds at liberty on location. Transport is provided.

Once back in the studio, we will spend the rest of the morning selecting your favourite photographs and preparing them to get ready to transform them into encaustic artworks.

Lunch -  Enjoy a seasonal homemade lunch with tea, coffee, and a little treat. You can gather around the table with like-minded creatives, which inspires all our creativity!

Afternoon: After your morning of equine photography and preparing your photographs you will now learn the principles of photo-encaustics from types of prints to prepping boards and experimenting with different printing papers using your own photographs, trying out oil paints, charcoal and lots of other different techniques to enhance your prints as well as practising using beeswax and mark-making.

Experimenting with papers, wax, and colour, you will put everything you have learned into practice and begin to create your final artwork mounted onto a cradle board. You will learn about pouring wax, scrapping, collaging, and building your artwork with different types of colour, natural elements, and mediums.

The result: You will come away having created some beautiful equine photography under the direction of award winning equine photographer Esther Towler and one main encaustic artwork you have created mounted onto a cradleboard and smaller print pieces. Alongside this, you will receive some guides including a supply list to get you started on your new encaustic journey. 

After the workshop, you will join an artistic collective of like-minded creatives in an exclusive Facebook group.

The Art of Equine Photography & Encaustics Workshop is £249 per person and includes access to a private Facebook group for further support and guides to help you develop your photo-encaustic artwork.

I’m now taking bookings for my October workshop which will run on October 19th 2024 for Three People - SORRY FULLY BOOKED!

NOVEMBER WORKSHOP DATES RELEASED SOON.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or would like to check the availability of my next workshop and book your place hello@esthertowler.com

FAQs

  • The art of photo-encaustics workshop can be tailored to your skill level. so it’s a lovely way to creating artwork using your own photographs.

  • Yes, if you are a fine art photographer creating expressive artwork in various niches, such as landscape photography, equine photography, and wedding photography, then using photo-encaustics would be a lovely addition to your business.

  • All the workshop materials are included in the price of my workshops. However, if you wish to create photo-encaustic artwork in your own studio or at home, you will need to purchase additional equipment to get started. During the course, you will be provided with a list of photo-encaustic equipment.

  • We can cater to some dietary requirements, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan. However, if you have a severe allergy, then you are required to bring your lunch as I can not guarantee cross-contamination.