The photography retreat with John Arnison
We carry around cameras in our pockets but how much time do we allow ourselves extended blocks of time to concentrate on taking photographs? This was the beauty of the photography retreat in May 2026 led by British photographer John Arnison. We weren't distracted by other responsibilities and all the delicious meals were catered for us. Some of us brought high end digital cameras and others just our phones (but were able to try out the cameras). We began by photographing the 19th century Quaker burial ground behind the house and over 5 days we expanded out to the village of Congénies; the surrounding vineyards; a Roman quarry and ancient stone windmills a few kilometres away; the town of Sommières and on the last day we took a short train ride to Montpellier to see a photography exhibition and tour the beautiful city on foot. During the afternoons we experimented with cyanography printing. Many of John's portraits are part of the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London; he devoted an afternoon to portraiture, first having us practice on each other before photographing the doyenne of the Quaker community in Congénies. We explored night photography in the Maison Quaker garden as well as in the quarry on a return visit. And the landscape of the Vaunage is at the height of its beauty in May, with swathes of poppies in the meadows. We celebrated the end of a delightful week at the micro-brewery in the village.
John returns to Maison Quaker for another photography retreat in autumn 2027. To receive the Maison Quaker newsletter with information on upcoming events, write to
