Beginners Photography Course

After three years at university I’ve learnt more in 7 hours on Glen’s course than I did at university... It’s been a big help learning the tips and tricks of photography and I would highly recommend this course to anyone. Matt Letts

Brilliant Course! Initial tuition on understanding the camera made a complex subject very simple. I now understand my camera rather than being frustrated by it. Thank you. Andrew Burgess.

After four years of owning a digital camera I’ve learned more in one day than I had in the previous four years put together. At last I understand what I’m doing and I look forward to taking much better photographs.

Excellent Course & well worth the trip up from London. Dr Nick Cheese.

Get your camera off of Full Auto and learn how to take stunning photographs in just one day on our inspiring Beginners Photography Course in rural Leicestershire.

Many photographers tend to use their expensive Digital SLR or Bridge camera on the Fully Auto Setting and are disappointed by the average results this achieves. Our jargon free Beginners Photography Course will show you how to take stunning pictures in the shortest possible time and with the least amount of fuss and effort. The course also includes a free cheat sheet to help you remember the techniques easily.

After the course you can join our exclusive Facebook Group and attend any of our other 20 plus level two courses covering a huge range of skills.

Our courses have a maximum of 6 students and take place between 9.30am-5pm in the picturesque village of Smeeton Westerby in rural South Leicestershire. We are 10 miles from Leicester and 6 miles from Mkt Harborough. 

This course is suitable for Digital SLR, Mirrorless EVF and Bridge or Compact type cameras with the PASM or Av and Tv dial. If you are not sure which camera you have see here

Next group Beginners Courses

  • Sat 11th May – Full
  • Sat 15th June – Full
  • Sat 6th July – Full
  • Sat 20th July 2024 – Full
  • Sat 10th August – Full
  • Sat 31st August 2024 – Full
  • Thur 12th September – Full
  • Sat 5th October 2024 – Full
  • Sat 26th October 2024 – Full
  • Sat 9th November 2024 – Spaces
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  • Need a course sooner – Click for 121 or 221 Private Tuition

Please note that the minimum age for a group course is 16 with parental consent. Please see our FAQ page for details.
These are active courses with the practical sessions taking part outdoors so they may not be suitable for wheelchair or users with mobility issues.
Please see our FAQ page for details.

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Beginners Course With Camera Hire

The aim of these courses is to teach you how to use your own Digital SLR, Mirrorless or Bridge camera. We appreciate that some students may not have a Digital SLR, or want to upgrade from a bridge camera, so we can loan you a Nikon with 18-270mm zoom lens for the course. This combination costs about £600 so there is a small charge of £25 to hire it for the course.

We only keep one spare camera and lens so please contact us first to ensure it’s available then choose the £175 Course & Camera Hire option at checkout.

Is this better than an 8 week college photography course?

Easily-Yes!  Ask yourself “How many good pictures are you going to take in a classroom at night in the dark on a college course?”

“A wonderful photography course with excellent one to one tuition to help me pursue my personnel aims of moving subjects and focusing on difficult objects like flowers and getting the background blurry. 
I feel much more confident using a wide variety of settings on my camera and I’m very pleased with my pictures. Thank you!” K.C

Testimonials

I’m delighted to have attended this course which met all my objectives and even added some things I had never considered. I thoroughly recommend this as both accessible and enjoyable.

This course was excellent and I learnt an enormous amount. I now feel really confident and cannot wait to go out with my camera and really enjoy it. No more auto settings for me. Jonathan Clarke.

I love the way Glen gives clear, easily understood guidelines. I feel ready to go out equipped with more knowledge on how to use the camera more effectively plus I will never use Full Auto ever again. Jan Knox.

Glen made the subject easy to understand and I started to feel more confident with the camera immediately. Now to start taking good photos. Dave Bason

Excellent introduction and clearly explained. Good balance of theory and practical. The sensible sized group allowed for individual attention for all the participants questions in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Very Good. Gordon Warren.

Fantastic day. Lots of useful information presented in an easily understood way. Not only did I learn how to use my camera but also take great pictures. Lesya Sturman.

Glen’s beginners course was absolutely at the right pace, extremely informative, very clear and made simple for the novice. I feel so much more confident and comfortable experimenting with my camera and look forward to the next course. Wendy Robbins

Glen’s informal and simple way of explaining things was very refreshing. I really did learn a lot and this course has improved my photography already. Highly recommended. Neil Mascall.

Made to feel welcome and comfortable. Very informative at a good speed to learn and retain the information. I will definitely be back for more courses. Thank you.  Carrie Short

Excellent course. Nothing is too much trouble for Glen to explain. Lesley Tailby

Fantastic course. Glen was extremely knowledgeable and delivered everything amazingly well. Very friendly atmosphere and setting. Dean Kendall.

Very good and I now understand how I was using my lenses incorrectly. Nick Ford.

After four years of owning a digital camera I’ve learned more in one day than I had in the previous four years put together. At last I understand what I’m doing and I look forward to taking much better photographs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best photography course for beginners?

The best photographer course for a beginner would be our Beginners Photography Course. This course would suit for someone who wants to get their camera off the full auto settings or intermediate photographers who want to learn how to take better pictures in just one day.

What’s the difference between a DSLR and Bridge Camera?

A Digital SLR (DSLR) uses a mirror and a prism to show an optical image in the viewfinder. Imagine a periscope. Lenses can be changed to suit different subjects like macro, portraits or landscape photography. A bridge camera, sometimes called a hybrid camera, does not have a mirror or prism so the image in the viewfinder is not an optical image. Like an Electronic Viewfinder camera the image in the viewfinder is displayed on a mini TV screen or on the back LCD display. Bridge cameras do not have interchangeable lessons and they usually have smaller sensors than DSLRs or Mirrorless EVF cameras.

What’s the difference between a DSLR and Mirrorless EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) Camera?

Unlike Digital SLRs (DSLR) Electronic Viewfinder cameras do not have a mirror to reflect the light up to a prism and then viewfinder. The light through the lens hits the sensor and this is shown on a mini TV screen in the viewfinder or display on the back of the camera. Like a DSLR lenses can usually by changed to suit different subjects.

Which is the best camera for a Beginners Photography Course?

You can attend a Beginners Photography Course with a Digital SLR, A Mirrorless EVF or Bridge or high end compact camera providing it has the P,A,S,M or P, Av,Tv,M exposure mode dial.  Learning to use different cameras is like driving various makes of a car. The controls may be in various places but once you get used to one you can normally drive a different car with a little practice.