Portraits Without Faces

Following on from our successful ‘Through The Generations’ photo challenge, here’s another chance to experiment with your people photography and build your confidence in taking images on the street.

Working individually or in small groups, you’re encouraged to seek out images which give a sense of a portrait but without including the face.

There will be no hard or fast rules as to what lens to use, or whether the portrait should be ‘posed’ or ‘candid’. The aim of the photo challenge is to start to develop an approach to taking people photos that you feel comfortable with.

To help with this, the event will include:

• Sharing of images to help inspire you
• Discussion on ways to take non-facial ‘portraits’
• A map of places to photo with suggestions of themes
• Experimenting with ‘ice-breaking’ openers

The photo challenge lasts three hours which includes time to ask questions about your camera as well as group check-ins. The cost of the event is £10 which includes the chance to receive feedback on your photos post-event.

“Lovely to meet you all today – I had a great time and got a couple of photos that I really like. The day has definitely helped me to have more confidence approaching people to ask them to model for photos and I’ll be doing more of this in the future! Hopefully see you all again soon…” Neil

“Fantastic event. Really helped to build up my confidence when taking pictures including asking for permission.” Siddrah

“Excellent day, really worth-while. Taught me how to approach people and gave me confidence to do so & take my first real portraits!” Natalie

“Really enjoyed it and was really nice to push myself – it was good that we had to set ourselves challenges (even though I didn’t meet mine!) and the guidance and opportunity to share with others was great.” Chantal

Focus On: Night Photography

This ‘Focus On’ event is a chance to get to grips with night photography whilst photographing some amazing views across the Thames. You will need to bring a tripod.

This event is part of a series. Tonight, we will be using Hungerford Bridge as our location and on Monday 23rd we will be shooting around Westminster Bridge. Finally on Tuesday 7th Feb we will be using the area around Millennium Bridge as our location which includes St. Pauls and the Tate Modern.

Looking west we can practice creating light trails and take photos of the London Eye and County Hall which are lit up at night. After an hour we’ll warm up in the Royal Festival Hall with a drink. This is also a chance to share our images with others.

Moving back outside, we’ll take in the view eastwards. Photo opportunities include night vistas of Waterloo Bridge and looking down on the embankments. We’ll also capture movement and have fun with some night shots of people walking across the bridge.

Throughout the evening, I will recap on settings for night photography, offer 1:1 time with exercises to try, and answer any questions you have. We’ll be looking at:

• Short shutter speeds: make people become ghost like
• Long shutter speeds: motion blur of cars and the Eye
• Using M: adjusting our metering to get a correct exposure

It is an ideal practice event if you have completed the Explore Exposure, Switch to Manual or Night Photography workshops and wish to experiment with what you have learnt with hands-on professional help. It is not suitable for complete beginners.

• Dates: Tue 17 Jan, Mon 23 Jan 6:30-9pm
  
• Meeting Point: Embankment Underground Station. Take left exit. Meet at Costa.
• Price: £15 which includes 1:1 time
• Group Size: maximum 12 participants
• Prior Knowledge: familiarity with Night Photography

“It was a really good night. I learned loads of new techniques from Natalie. I am now much more confident about taking night shots.” Sandra

“Great session. I learnt so much but really need to practice more with the tips that were given to me. Let me know when the next night session is :o) ” Claudine

“Great location; great tips – thank you.” Gail

Focus On: Xmas on Southbank

This ‘Focus On’ event is a chance to get to grips with night photography whilst photographing the very Christmassy Southbank. You will need a tripod.

It is an ideal practice event if you have completed the Night Photography workshop and wish to experiment with what you have learnt with hands-on professional help.

We will photograph around the Royal Festival Hall before making our way down onto the Southbank and capturing the atmosphere of the Christmas Market and the dazzling carousel.

After an hour of photographing around the Royal Festival Hall we will move back inside to get warm and discuss our images.

During the session, we will recap on night photography techniques such as:

• Short shutter speeds: capturing motion blur of the carousel
• Long shutter speeds: experiment making people disappear
• Using M: adjusting our exposure for the right metering

For the second half, we will move to the London Eye and the ice-skating area to capture more movement, lights and atmosphere. You will need to bring a tripod.

Throughout the evening, the tutor will recap on settings, offer 1:1 time with exercises to try, and answer any questions you have.

• Dates: Thu 15 Dec, Thu 22 Dec 6-9pm
  
• Meeting Point: Royal Festival Hall. 6th Floor Blue Side
• Price: £15 which includes 1:1 time
• Group Size: maximum 8 participants
• Prior Knowledge: familiarity with Night Photography

“It was a really good night. I learned loads of new techniques from Natalie. I am now much more confident about taking night shots.” Sandra

“Great session. I learnt so much but really need to practice more with the tips that were given to me. Let me know when the next night session is :o) ” Claudine

“Great location; great tips – thank you.” Gail

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Make Special Photo Gifts This Christmas

There are lots of online options now to make affordable gifts with your own photos. So if you fancy making a photo book, a Christmas card, a calendar, a diary, a notebook, a portfolio or something else creative then come along to this relaxed and social photo-gift-making session!

You will need to bring:

• Your laptop
• Your photos in digital format
• An idea of what you want to make

If you want your photo gift delivered in time for Christmas, then keep the idea small, as you’ll need to upload your project by the end of the weekend ready to print.

I will start by outlining projects possible in just 2 hours. Then I will show you the gifts I have previously made to help inspire your ideas. There will be demos on how to use various software (all available for free to download or over the internet; you just need your laptop and the Southbank wifi).

Throughout the rest of the session, I will be available to help you with whatever you want help with e.g. book design, basic photo editing, IT issues whilst you are able to get on with making your project and chatting/sharing it with others.

Typically we will be looking at and using sites such as:

• Blurb – the best book making software around
• Moo – great for mini portfolios and stickers
• Photobox – excellent calendars and other gifts
• Moonpig – make customised greetings cards

Example prices of products: Photobox prints are 5p each, a Moonpig card starts at £2.00 and for a Blurb photo book at £4. Quality excellent. Post and packing extra.

The event will run 10:30-1:30 and there is a maximum of 8 people. Call me on 07773 819053 or send an email to thephotoschool @ gmail.com to book. Cost is £15. Meet at the Royal Festival Hall on Southbank.

Photographing In Tower Hamlets

I live, work and photograph in Tower Hamlets. It’s such a varied landscape and constantly changing with the Olympics coming next year. Last week I was shooting around Limehouse Marina, a pretty dock at the end of Regent’s Canal which feeds into the Thames.

My favourite photo from the shoot was capturing the DLR moving across the old viaduct. So much colour, pattern and story all in one small area. The photo shows part of the second oldest railway viaduct in the world.

It was built in 1840 to carry the London and Blackwall Railway between the City and Blackwall river ferry. To avoid fires from sparks generated by stem locomotives, the carriages were rope-hauled by stationary engines at each end of the line.

Within 9 years the line was converted to steam and provided goods and passenger services until 1962. The viaduct lay unused for 25 years until passenger services returned on the Docklands Light Railway. Words taken from the local history sign at Limehouse marina.

Photography Competition For Beginners

Each month there is a chance to win a beginner photography workshop worth £45 by uploading a photo you have taken to the Photo School’s Facebook page.

The theme this December is FESTIVITIES. To enter:

1. Become a fan of The Photo School. Click ‘Like’ at the top of the page. If you can’t see the button, it’s because you are already a fan!

2. Upload ONE photo which has FESTIVITIES as its theme before 12pm on Friday 30th December 2011. Click on the tab ‘Wall’, then ‘Photo’ and ‘Upload a Photo’. If you can’t see your photos (or others’) you may need to change the settings to be ‘The Photo School + Others’.

3. After 30th December you will be able to vote on the eight best photos which The Photo School has selected. The person whose photo has the most votes wins a free place on a workshop of their choice to be taken in January 2012.

Photography Gift Vouchers

Buy a Photography Voucher & Receive a Gift Too!

Starting today until Wednesday 14th December, if you spend £45 or more on a photography gift voucher for a friend, we’ll give you a free ‘Focus On’ practice event worth £15.

Read our rave reviews here and here. The ‘Focus On’ event needs to be taken in Dec, Jan or Feb.

The Photo School gift vouchers are available in any denomination and are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. They can be used as full or part payment. Four workshops are held each month with various other learning events taking place on evenings and at weekends.

November’s Photo Competition

The votes are in! Miguel Schertel wins November’s night challenge with his colourful photo of the London Eye. Congratulations Miguel on winning a free place on one of our workshops.

A few of you have been asking how he achieved the ‘spinning disk’ effect of the London Eye. It all comes down to long exposures. We’re talking 15-30 seconds so a tripod is necessary. Set your camera’s mode to S or Tv and select a shutter speed somewhere around 20 seconds.

The longer the exposure the more the wheel looks ready to take off. Also, the longer you have your shutter open for the more saturated the colours in the reflection will be too.

So put on a hat and scarf and go out and try it! Feel free to post or send me your results.

Enter December’s photo competition here.

Special Offer For November Workshops

Book any workshop in November and RECEIVE A FREE PASS WORTH £15 to the popular Focus On: Graffiti or Focus On: THCP practice events which will take place Dec, Jan and Feb.

This weekend is for those who have the grasped the basics of their cameras and would now like to take their photography up another level:

• Explore Exposure – Sat 19 – 12:15-3:15pm
• Switch To Manual – Sat 19 – 3:45-6:45pm
• Street Photography – Sun 20 – 12:15-3:15pm (LAST CHANCE until Summer 2012)
• Flash Photography – Sun 20 – 3:45-6:45pm (LAST CHANCE until Summer 2012)

And next weekend is for complete beginners looking for an intro to photography:

• Camera Settings – Sat 26 – 10am-1pm
• Creative Composition – Sat 26 – 2-5pm

Please do get in touch with any questions, Natalie

Focus On: Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

This ‘Focus On’ event is a chance to get to grips with your camera’s settings whilst photographing one of London’s Magnificent Seven Cemeteries.

It is an ideal practice event if you have completed the Camera Settings workshop and wish to experiment with what you have learnt with hands-on professional help.

Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, built in 1841 and now 33 acres of “managed” woodland across an old burial site, will provide you with some unique, unusual and atmospheric photography opportunities.

During the session, we will recap on important camera settings such as:

• Scene modes: using the macro mode for close-up photos of flora and fauna
• Exposure compensation: a chance to brighten woodland photos that look too dark
• Monochrome: we’ll look at filters within the camera to shoot in B&W to add mood

After 45 minutes of photographing we will gather in the Soanes Centre at the Park to warm up and share photos. Please note, Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is not sheltered apart from under the trees, so an umbrella could be useful. No doubt you’ll also want to bring hat, gloves and scarf!

The second half of the event allows more time for exploring and photographing the various private and public graves, some with elaborate headstones. There are also various green spaces where you might be luckily enough to photograph butterflies and other wildlife. Throughout the morning, the tutor will recap on settings, offer 1:1 time with exercises to try, and answer any questions you have.

Read more about the history of the Park over at the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park website.

• Dates: Sun 4 Dec, Sun 8 Jan, Sun 5 Feb – all 12:30-3:30pm
  
• Meeting Point: Mile End tube station
• Price: £15 which includes 1:1 time
• Group Size: maximum 8 participants
• Prior Knowledge: familiarity with your Camera Settings

“Hi! I really enjoyed the event and the personal tuition that Natalie give to us individually and to the group. It was new information regarding how to use our cameras. It was a great day to enjoy. Looking forward for the next one.” Lourdes

“It was a great chance to learn more about the camera. The weather was great for the relaxed session walking around the cemetery park.” Ross

“Clear instructions and the chance to try things out without distraction. Free time and then the chance to review with instructor. Just the right amount of time.” Laura

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

“I thoroughly enjoyed this event and Natalie’s valuable advice. Quite lucky with the weather, too – time definitely not wasted then. I can’t wait to join you guys on another event… Thank you.” Damien

“It was fun and a valuable learning experience. I can’t wait to attend another!” Barry

“I found it to be a very relaxing lesson. The content was very easy to understand. Nice bunch of people were there too.” David