Our Video Course also includes Final Cut Pro Training, so in one  workshop you can learn how to shoot great footage, and how to put it all together in Final Cut Pro to create outstanding video.

The Final Cut Pro Training includes:

- Importing the footage
- Creating new projects
- Basics of editing
- Transitions, effects, colour grading
- Creating filters
- Exporting the finished video

Read more about the workshop.

Image courtesy of Magdalena Bieth.

DSLRs are what you might call ‘proper’ cameras because you get easy access to all of their controls which makes them quick and easy to use. They also have the widest range of lenses and other accessories. Generally they perform better too e.g. faster autofocus (important for animals, children and sports) and longer battery life. For this reason we always tend to recommend people buy an SLR if they are getting into photography.

People can be put off by the size of an SLR, which is understandable, however Canon have the 100D which is the smallest SLR available. They also have a 40mm lenswhich is really slim so would make a good smallish combo for walking around. This could be combined with the kit zoom. The Canon 650D and Nikon D3200 are also good small starter SLRs, although bigger than the 100D.

Good non-SLRs are the Sony NEX6 and Fujifilm X-E1. Both have the same size sensor as an SLR so similar image quality, and they are smaller, but you lose out slightly in terms of performance and handling. Both have interchangeable lenses. Either would be a good choice. You have a trade off between size and performance, and in our experience the trade off in size is not worth it for the loss in performance and handling.

There are many other good options including the Canon G15 or whatever its current iteration is. It has slightly lower image quality and you can’t change the lenses. It’s smaller again than an SLR, with the same aforementioned handling and performance compromises.

So, with it’s superior handling, decent autofocus, excellent image quality, and huge range of lenses and accessories, the 100D combined with the 40mm lens could be the way to go if you want a small, proper camera!

In certain fancy restaurants you see things on the menu such as ’Organic Rare Breed Worcester Old Spot Pig Three Ways’. On the plate you’ll get that unusual pig turned into a flavoursome sausage, it’s belly served slow roasted and succulent and also as a crispy crackling.

What the chef is showing is how creative and skillful they are. She can make three vastly different dishes from basically one ingredient just by changing the way it’s prepared and served.

Why are we talking about rare breed pigs and chefs? It’s about creativity and technique.

Photographers are like chefs. We have a set of ingredients to work with, such as model and a location. We also have a set of tools - a camera, a lens, and some lighting. By applying creativity and technical know-how, these tools can be used to cook up a variety of different results from the same ingredients. One scene can be turned into a diverse array of images, each with a different look and feel.

Here’s one we prepared earlier.

Our scene (lit three ways) is a girl by some steps in a car park in Birmingham. We only hang out in the most salubrious of locations.

First - all natural light. We’re in the shade here, so everything is fairly evenly lit. Reasonably nice shot, nothing wrong with it.

Second – ambient light dropped by one stop and a single flash through a diffuser triggered remotely to add a soft light to our model’s face. The image now looks a bit more interesting. Our model’s face stands out compared to the first shot. The background is subtly darker.

Third – by dropping the ambient light by around three stops, and firing a flash through the steps and onto the wall we created interesting shapes on the wall, and a rim light. A second light on the models face completes the set up.

Like a Michelin star chef, but with a camera and a couple of flashes, rather than a ladle and a blender.

The images were taken on our Flash Photography Workshop in Birmingham.

An image here by Adrian Gallop taken on our Creative and Street Photography Workshop.

There is a lot to like about this photo.

Firstly, notice the contrast in texture, colour, vibrancy and maturity between the grey hair and bright red hat.

The composition provides lines and shapes forming a triangle in the bottom right, and the books give structure and context to the image.

Finally, the exposure adds interest and atmosphere to the shot, and it is also responsible for the shape.

So, an interesting subject and moment captured creatively gives us a really strong image.

Read more about the 36exp Creative and Street Photography Workshop.

Strobist, off camera flash, or however you refer to it, is the technique of using speedlights removed from your camera and triggered remotely. It is an established and highly effective way of  creating brilliant photos.

Last Saturday saw our our ever popular Flash Photography Workshop happen in the back streets of Southwark. This covers the basic principles of flash including metering, balancing ambient and flash, gels; and then the majority of the day is spent with the flash off camera creating some portraits.

Here are a selection of really nice shots taken on the workshop by one of our attendees, Wilfried Haubenberger.

Read more about about the workshop.