Capture: Street Scenes of East London

Join a very sociable and practical, photography-based walk through the streets of London’s most vibrant areas: Spitalfields & Shoreditch. Cost £25.

Both beginner and improver photographers are welcome, whether you use a compact, bridge, CSC or SLR camera. If you are looking for a novel environment in which to practice your photography and make new photography buddies, this could be the event for you. Scroll down or click here to see some photos.

We’ll stroll through the heart of the old East End – encountering historic silk weavers’ houses, vibrant street murals, Banglatown shops on Brick Lane and City skylines – and you’ll capture your own portfolio of fascinating photos along the way.

During three hours, you’ll discover the colourful and diverse streetscapes whilst trying out some new approaches to taking interesting, story-telling photos.

Through a series of pre-planned group stops and 1:1 time, we’ll look at camera settings and composition techniques such as:

• Using exposure compensation to correctly expose for the scene
• Including juxtapositions to highlight change in the area
• Changing white balance to bring out the street art colours
• Applying leading lines to improve our photos visually
• Experimenting with themes to provide a focus to our stories

And to put your pictures in context, walk guide Graham Barker shares stories from the local streets, as we walk in the footsteps of weavers, writers, market traders and spray-paint artists.

Rounding off the day, we’ll end with lunch at the Rich Mix cafe and an inspiring slideshow of the group’s favourite photos from the day.

You’re welcome to join us, whatever your experience – whether you’re a beginner starting out with a new camera or you want to learn how to refine and extend your photography techniques

The event will run 10:30am-1:30pm and costs £25. The slideshow takes place after lunch and so the day is expected to formally end around 3:30pm (a few of us may stay on).

Lunch at the cafe is not included in the price (budget £5-10). As this is an outdoor event, please dress to suit the weather forecast.

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• Dates: Sat 11 Feb – 10:30-3:30pm
  
• Meeting Point: Corner of Spitalfields Market at the white goat sculpture
• Nearest Tube: Liverpoool Str or Aldgate East
• Price: £25
• Group Size: maximum 20 participants
• Prior Knowledge: how to turn your camera on!

“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.” 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

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: 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

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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.

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.

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

Weekend Photography Offer

Until noon on Wednesday 19th October, we are offering our popular improver workshops for £27 rather than the usual £45. That’s a 40% saving not to be missed. Valid this weekend only.

Read more about the Explore Exposure, Switch To Manual, Street Photography and Flash Photography workshops. Must be booked by noon on Wednesday 19th October 2011 to redeem 40% off each workshop. Not to used in conjunction with any other offer. BOOK NOW!

Day Trip To Westonbirt, National Arboretum – Update

We are going for the self-led option (£50) rather than for tuition (£165).

If you’d like to capture some stunning photos of your own, join me next Saturday for a day at Westonbirt doing our own thing as a group. We can share hints and tips on the train there as the journey is 1h30.

The cost of this is approximately £50 which is the cost of the train (£28), taxi (£12) and entrance to the arboretum (£10). No lunch provided. The more there are of us, the more we can save on the travel cost.

Photography at Westonbirt – Day’s Itinerary

* Meet at Paddington Station at 7:45am to buy tickets
* Train to Kemble arriving at 9:30am
* Taxi to Westonbirt arriving near to 10am
* Photograph from 10am-1pm
* Lunch at 1pm until 1:30pm
* Photography from 1:30-5pm
* Taxi back to Kemble with train departing at 5:48pm
* Arrival in Paddington at 7:15pm

Amateur Photography Walk – This Saturday

Join a group of beginner photographers for a leisurely photo walk around the City – the part in between Tower Hill, Monument and Liverpool Street.

The walk is a fun way to practice your composition and camera settings with like-minded people. I will guide the walk as well as helping you with your camera, encouraging you to take better photos and giving you feedback as we go along.

• Date & Time: Sat 8 Oct 10am-1pm
  
• Meeting Point: Outside Tower Hill tube

This area is almost empty of people at the weekend, so the walk is a chance to practice architecture photography as well as seeing creatively and perhaps abstractly. Photographic opportunities include:

• The war memorials around Trinity House
• The gorgeous garden ruins of St. Dunstans in the East
• The Grade II listed architecture of Leadenhall Market
• The soaring heights of the Lloyds Building and the Gherkin

The walk lasts around three hours which includes time to ask questions about your camera, as well as stops to discuss, share and review technique. It’s a good chance to practice skills learnt on the Camera Settings and Creative Composition workshops.

The cost is £10 which includes the chance to receive more feedback on your photos post-walk. It ends at Spitalfields, near Liverpool Street station, in time for Photomonth’s Photofair which I hope you will be able to stay on for.

Weekend Workshops in Photography

This weekend we start our popular photography workshops once again. For September, if you book two workshops (either for you and a friend, or both for yourself) each workshop has £5 off. We are an affordable, social and supportive school/club to join.

All our events are designed in bite-size chunks so you can manage your learning at your own pace. Drop-in on as many or as little as you like. Join other members after the workshops for social, practice events such as walks, challenges and club days out.

Beginner Photography Workshops

Ideal for complete beginners and those looking to build up confidence or refresh their knowledge, these three workshops are suitable for both compact & SLR cameras:

• Camera Settings
• Creative Composition
• Street Photography

“A good place to start a new hobby!” Therona

“Really useful and very helpful – didn’t mind me asking all my stupid questions! Thanks.” Becca

“Very nice group of people, very nice venue. I learned more then I expected to learn at a beginner’s course. I will enjoy practicing what I learned and will be back to learn some more.” Maja

Improver Photography Workshops

Ideal if you comfortable with the basics and wish to take your photography up to the next level. Suitable for SLR cameras and some compacts (just enquire if not sure):

• Explore Exposure
• Switch To Manual
• Flash Photography
• Night Photography

“Really helpful for getting to grips with my SLR. A good balance between instruction, practice and review. I really liked seeing other people’s photos and getting feedback on mine.” Mark

“Another really great workshop. I’m looking forward to using my manual controls more and finally understand the relationship between f-stops and shutter speed.” Alisha