Photography School FAQs

Please see below answers to the most frequent asked questions.

If there’s anything else you want to know about our courses and workshops please feel free to contact us anytime.

Our Photography Course for Beginners is suited to those who have little or no experience. However, it is also useful if you’re looking to take a refresher course in the basics of digital photography to hone your skills.

Furthermore, if you’re going on holiday and want better results out of your holiday pictures then our beginners’ course would be great!

You don’t need any experience to enrol, all you need is enthusiasm- we’ll provide the rest!

On the other hand, we recommend our Advanced Course if you already have a base understanding of your camera’s settings and commands. This course is therefore suitable once you’re comfortable with manual and semi-manual exposure modes, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and lenses.

As you’ll see from the Workshops category on our website, we also host specialised courses, open to those who have a basic command of the camera’s settings and lenses. Fancy yourself as a nature photographer? Love the aesthetic of black and white? Want to capture the vibrancy of the streets? Our Workshops are the perfect way to expand your skillset and become proficient in styles of photography which you’re particularly interested in.

If you have a specific question to which you would like an answer, get in touch and we’ll get back to you.

See more about requirements here.

Both DSLR (Digital SLR) and compact/mirrorless cameras with full manual exposure mode are suitable for our Photography Courses and Workshops. If you don’t have a DSLR camera yet but still want to attend our school, that’s no problem. You can use one of our DSLRs, including lenses, for the duration of your course. Please let us know if you wish to use one of our spare cameras.

Yes! Our tutors can give you valuable advice during all our courses and workshops on what equipment to buy. They will give recommendations tailored to your budget and preferred photography style.

DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex, meaning you can take the lens and replace it with other ones. This is what sets these DSLRs apart from other types of camera. Please see below some examples of DSLR cameras:

Canon EOS 100D, Canon EOS 200D, Canon EOS 1200D, Sony A200, Pentax K-m, Olympus E-420, Canon EOS 100D, Canon EOS 450D, Canon EOS 500D, Canon EOS 50D, Canon EOS 550D, Canon EOS 5D, Canon EOS 5D MKII, Canon EOS 5D MKIII, Canon EOS 7D, Nikon D3000, Nikon D300S, Nikon D5000 Nikon D700, Nikon D90, Nikon D90, Sony Alpha a330, etc.

A professional compact camera looks like a point-and-shoot digital camera, but has full manual exposure mode which offers you control over the ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture. Please see below some examples of Professional Compact Cameras:

Canon Powershot G10, Canon Powershot G11, Canon Powershot SX1, Leica D-LUX 3 SIGMA DP1, Nikon Coolpix P90, Olympus SP-550UZ, Fujifilm Finepix s1000FD, etc. If you are not sure about your camera please contact us to discuss this.

Our courses are all taught by professional photographers at our state of art studio in Waterloo.  To assist your learning, we use presentations projected on a large screen, physical examples, practical exercises, impromptu demonstrations, tests, assignments, home work and more. You will also go out and practice with the tutor in central London on the South Bank along the River Thames. You will receive a PDF version of the full course materials to refer to as you work on your own afterwards. On top of this, you can keep sending in your images for unlimited feedback and mentorship from our dedicated tutors.

The number of people on any one course or workshop is normally between 4 and 8. We limit the number of the attendees to 8 to ensure we can give hands-on, intensive training to every student. This gives you the opportunity to receive individual attention even when learning as part of a group.

You only need to bring your camera, lenses (at least one lens), battery and memory card. We encourage our students to be curious, keen to learn, and become involved.

If you haven’t got a camera yet but still want to attend the course, you can borrow one of our DSLRs + lenses, flashgun and tripod. If you are planning to buy a new camera, we can offer advice on what camera and lenses to buy according to your budget and your photography interests.

All of our students have access to our unlimited after course support system. You can contact our tutors at any time for help and advice, or to submit your work for constructive feedback. We invest in our students’ success and are always happy to help.

Yes, if you book your place at least 2 months in advance we will give you a 5% discount. Please choose your course here and contact us; we will provide you with a discount code via email.

Yes, you can purchase open date gift vouchers for friends or family members, click here to see vouchers. The vouchers are personalised and consists of a PDF file containing the name of the recipient and a greeting message which can be personalised. Subsequently the recipient will get in contact with us to discuss availability and decide on the dates. The voucher is valid for an unlimited period and it can be used whenever the recipient wishes to.

Yes, if you want to book the course for a large group and want to use your own venue a discount applies. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

You can pay by PayPal, bank transfer, cheque, cash or card.  If you choose to pay by Internet Bank Transfer / Cheque, Postal Order or cash, the payment details and address are provided in the confirmation email. We can also provide you with an invoice.

You will receive a booking confirmation via e-mail within the next few minutes. Nearer the time of the course, you will receive full joining instructions, maps and directions including the pre course materials via e-mail. Please note that some of our workshops do not come with pre course materials so don’t be concerned if you haven’t received these as part of your joining email.

If you wish to see all our courses and workshops please visit our courses page here and our workshops page here.

Yes, we can offer you a Certificate after completing any of our Courses or Workshops, you just need to ask the tutor during the course or please contact us.

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