Courses in Photography

Jan 4th / 5th Digital Photographic Course.

Two day course, one to one, looking at using Photos Award Winning Image hop. Skin retouching, layers, masks, levels, B & White, soft focus effects and borders. There were many examples to show, from work taken on other courses, the before and afters. This is so much we can do now and it is within everyone's grasp, to be different.

Jan 6th / 7th Wedding Photography Course.

Looking a lighting, required images, cameras, studio lighting, business, pricing, Photoshop, composition, and bad weather situations.

Jan 8th Digital Course one to one.

Following on from the wedding course, working with the images taken to show how we can create some stunning images.

Jan 12th / 13th / 14th SWPP Conference London

A fantastic few days, with over 4500 people at SWPP Show tending the show. We had a stand there, and were busy from day one taking over ten bookings and with over thirty provisional. Natalie our PR manager also attended the show and ran the stand and never stopped talking! Well done Nat!

Lens talk on the "Art of Wedding Lighting" went well on Saturday morning, besides the early start! There were so many delegates that wanted to attend Len's talk, that we had to change to a larger room! A good night was had the night before, so it took around 6 cups of coffee for Len to wake up! The Alex and Nat talk was about lighting a wedding on the move, using the lighting that we already have available to us, how to see this light, and how exposure meters are never used!

The awards dinner was well attended and what a good night it was. The only down side was that the d Andrew ancing did not go on long enough! Congratulations must go to Andrew Gransden LBPPA who has attended three of our courses last year. He won Nature Photographer of the Year 2006. Andrew also won five monthly competitions throughout the year for his work, some of which was taken on some of our courses. Well done Andrew.

Next years awards dinner will be held at the same place, i.e.: the Nova West Hotel London, from the 16th to the 21st Jan 2008.

Jan 23rd / 24th Business Course.

A one to one business course today, looking at how to start your own portrait business. Clare is from London, and is looking at becoming a professional photographer. She has her own style and we looked at how she could market that style and to be able to make a success. A step by step program was put together for her to follow and she went away with the confidence to know which way to go.

Jan 27th / 28th Wedding Course

This is our most popular course, with numbers limited to just four people, there is plenty of hands on experience regarding posing and lighting. We cover all aspects of lighting on a wedding, which you can do very quickly. We show you how this can be achieve with the minimum of fuss and set up, using natural lighting to get the best results.

Feb 5th / 6th / 7th Careers Course.

A three day careers course covering business, portraiture, types of markets, running promotions, getting Digital Art started in professional photography, creating award winning images and the art of lighting.
Time was spent outside looking at how to build images and seeing beyond the picture. There was also some hands on work in our studio, where we now have a separate studio area to work in. There is now a gallery at The Old School House, where our work is on display.
"The Art of Lighting a Wedding" was also discussed and how we can work without an exposure meter on a wedding, thus speeding up the time to take images.

Feb 13th / 14th Wedding Video Course.

Looking at d Little Girl ifferent ways to Video a wedding, making it interesting and packed with ideas of capturing the day. We also went through how to market a wedding video, a difficult thing to do these days, when you need to be different. How to price your product and how to design your own web page and brochure we also discussed.

Feb 17th / 18th Digital Photography Course.

A course showing how to put an image together and the use of Photoshop. What we see is not what we get when we look through the camera lens. Looking at various examples of before and after images and then on location showing how we can change the picture. The image also has to be there in the first place and that is what we look at too.

Feb 20th / 21st Wedding Photography Course.

Another two day wedding course, covering lighting and posing. Photoshop was use to show how we work with face adjustments, soft focus, lighting and retouching.
On the second day each of the delegates managed to get some fantastic images inside our church using the lighting situations that we discuss. Some of their images were fantastic! Well done everyone!

A Video production of award winning images called "Be" by Len Bateman with music by Neil Diamond.

Most of the work in this production was taken during our photographic courses. The music is from a film called Johnathan Livingston Seagull, that gave me inspiration at a time in my life that I needed it most, after the loss of my first wife. Its about a seagull that finds out what life is all about and the need to be different.

Feb 26th / 27th Focus Birmingham.

The UK's biggest photographic exhibition, held at the NEC center in Birmingham. Lots to see this year, with Apple having a large presence there showing their laptops and Aperture software. Natalie and I spent two days there, which was needed. We picked up quite a few new ideas, and spent a bit of money.

March 6th / 7th Wedding Course.

Another full course with delegates coming from all over the country. The main part of the course was again the lighting. We had three models today, Morgan, Lizz and Kirsty. Morgan was our little bridesmaid for the day, who was waiting all week to do her bit, but on the day was feeling ill and was sick. Love her! Typical little bridesmaid!
The second day we spent mostly on location taking pictures at a local church, showing how we work out the lighting.

March 19th Portraiture Course.

A one to one courses on lighting for Portraiture, covering high and low key work. We also had Natalie as our model, and covered use of soft lighting, skin retouching and soft focus.

March 20th / 21st Advanced Wedding.

Girls what are you like!!
A two day course looking a lighting and applying that to an actual wedding. Each delegate is supplied with a list of images to take and with a set time to take them in. We start at the home in the morning and then move onto a church where we will be photographing arrivals. Inside shots of the church are taken, using available light.
The first day we had our two lovely models, Lizz and Kirsty to model for us. Lunch was at the castle in Little Haven and the girls ordered and coke but I got a felling that one of the delegates must have put vodka in their drinks, because they were on a high that afternoon! As you can see from this picture, take by John as they came out of the church! Honest they are just good friends!
The second day we ran threw a whole wedding from start to finish, giving each of the delegates a list of images to take and a limited time to take them. We started at the brides house, with some images taken of the bride and bridesmaids getting ready, then onto the church for the arrivals, inside the church as they walk down the isle, groups and then back to the house for the cake cutting. Everyone was put under pressure, just as if it were a real wedding.
The delegates had 60 mins to work with the images and come up with a presentation for the Bride and Groom to Natalie look at.

March 22nd Portraiture one to one.

Today we had Jim, who has stayed on for an extra day. Jim has travelled all the way down from Scotland, and today we are looking more at lighting.
The studio was set up for low key lighting, and we looked at available light on a more advanced level. Natalie was our model for the day, and this shot was taken in our studio using only a window light.

March 24th / 25th / 26th Wedding Course Three days.

The three day course in wedding photography has been introduced by request from delegates, as there is so much information given in the two day course, that most prefer to have the extra day.
Lighting again was the main factor, with the final day setting a list of images to take for each of the photographers and each image to be lit a certain way. Such as, fill flash, subtractive, available, flash, soft, indoor available light, window light and sunlight.

April 21st / 22nd Wedding.

Looking at the business side of wedding photography as well as the lighting. The five delegates coming from all over the country, most of which are going to start their own business in photography. There is so much to cover in this two day course that we have now extended it to three days for those who want to go into more detail and practice in the lighting.
On the right we have our three models, Lizzy, Natalie and Kirsty.

April 23rd Wedding Course One to One.

A one to one course today covering more on lighting and Photoshop.

April 24th / 25th Digital Course.

A two day course covering digital enhancement, camera techniques and some business. Out on location to obtain a few images, looking at composition and lighting, then coming back to the studio to show what we can do with the images with Photoshop

Len wins March Pictorial photographer of the month with the SWPP.

May 1st / 2nd Video Course

A two day course covering how to video a wedding, looking at sequence making, using music, and lighting. Plenty of hands on experience creating a story board to produce short sequences that are blended throughout the wedding video.

Our Natalie wins Beauty and Fashion Photographer of the month for April with a photograph she had taken on Broad Haven beach. Well done Natalie, will see you in the finals next year at London with the SWPP!
Natalie has been working hard on building up her own style of photography. She is interested in becoming a fashion photographer, and has her own fresh ideas. Natalie has been working with us for about six months as our PR manager and is the main contact for any course inquiries.

May 8th / 9th / 10th Three Day Wedding Course

The three day course covers lighting in more depth, with more opportunities to put into practice what we have covered. We have also gone into more depth the art of posing, again with plenty of demonstration and practice. Photoshop was another area that we had plenty of hands on, covering adjustments of the face.
The three day course again was no where near enough time to put into practice all that we covered. So we might well be introducing a four day course soon!

May 12th / 13th Portraiture Course.

Showing studio, location and available lighting. Looking also at types of Portraiture, styles, pricing, and previewing. The picture taken here of Nikki won the Portraiture section with the SWPP in May 07 and was taken during this course. Just another reason these courses are so popular is because of the high standard of lighting.

May 22nd / 23rd Natural History Course.

A two day course photographing wildlife in Pembrokeshire. The Old School House has its own lakes where we spent half a day photographing dragonflies and flowers. Then a visit to the nature reserve over at Neyland where we got some very good pictures of some mallards. The second day we took a trip around the Island of Skomer mallard where we saw Puffins, Gannets, Seals, Razorbills and many other types of bird life.

May 29th / 30th Wedding Course.

Looking at all the various type of lighting you would expect to come across while photographing a wedding. One of the delegates has photographed many weddings before but never understood what the lighting was or how to handle it. Exposures were also covered and how easy it is to find the exact readings without using a light meter!

June 5th / 6th Business Course.

The course was on a one to one about marketing. How to start a new business in photography from scratch. Looking at pricing, products, key works and making a plan of what to do and in the order to do each of the tasks set. Extremely valuable course for anyone interested in starting a career in photography.
We also looked at styles of work and photographed a model on the beach at Little Haven.

June 12th / 13th Careers Course

This is a two day course covering lighting as part of a five day careers course based over the next three months. On this course we will be covering social work and looking at posing, creating a fresh approach to portraiture. Our location was one of the beaches we have here with Charlotte as our model. You can see from this picture that she is just a natural!

June 16th / 17th Natural History Course.

Looking at composition, equipment and digital adjustments. A trip across to the Island of Skomer on the second day was made to photograph the birds, especially the puffins. The trip only takes around 10 minutes, as we head out of Martins Haven.
You can get so close to these wonderful birds as they make their way across the path between your own feet!

Ju Kelly ne 19th / 20th / 21st Wedding Course.

A two and three day course covering the "Art of Lighting a Wedding". You will learn more in the three day wedding course than you will learn in years. We will cover every aspect of how to photograph a wedding and make money.
With the rain coming down while we were on location, we showed how to photograph in the rain and get some fantastic results.
We have two new models that have just started to model for us, they are Nikki and Kelly. They did a great job for us especially braving the cold winds and rain that we had on the second day. Nikki Thank you girls you were both great!

The third day we looked at putting into practice the different ways of lighting a wedding, as well as taking a look at albums and presentation. We also looked at little at the business side of wedding photography, such as web page, marketing, data base and spread sheets.
How to create your own style of wedding photography was also discussed, with each delegate having a fresh approach as to which way they would like to go regarding style, giving them many new ideas.

June 26th / 27th Wedding Course.

Another course which was added as the last one was full. We limit places on these courses so that we can give one to one tuition when needed. Covering how to use the lighting that we have on a wedding, composition, presentation using DVD, web pages and prici Penthouse ng. How to obtain that £3000.00 wedding was discussed, showing you how you can get that sort of price.
Kelly was our model for the second day, and the delegates were shown how to create high key work outdoors using available light only.

July 10th / 11th Advanced Wedding Course.

Following on from our wedding course we cover more on business and marketing, as well as lighting. Tasks are set to cover each of the different lighting situations you will expect to cover during a wedding. On the second day we actually run through a complete wedding giving a list of images for each delegate to take within a certain time, just as if they had to cover an actual wedding shoot.

July 16th / 17th / 18th Careers Course.

A three day course covering business, lighting, web page, portraiture, weddings, school photography, running promotions, marketing and telephone sales. A course designed to get you started in the professional photography field. Looking at ways to be different using digital, composition and quality lighting. The course offers assessment of work later on, with a list of lighting tasks to complete.

Len won Environmental Portraiture and Fine Art Photographer of the month in June with the SWPP.

July 24th / 25th Landscape Course.

A two day course looking at what makes a good image. Step by step we show you how we build an image by using lines to create depth. Working with digital was also taught with plenty of hands on, producing some work of your own by the end of the course. There is plenty to photography along the beautiful coastline of Pembrokeshire, and the weather was perfect for it, just like it always is.

New Premises. Orion House

We will be moving to our new Penthouse Suit soon, with a purpose designed unit for the photographic courses. It will have its own computer area, a Studio and a lecture room. The views will be spectacular with views across the marina and open sea. Close by will be shops, cafes, and pubs, with local accommodation only minutes away from the center.

Aug 4th / 5th Wedding Course.

A two day course covering some business and marketing, but again we deal with lighting. We cover the use of lighting that we already have available to us on the day, avoiding the use of portable lights and flash. There is lighting all around us and we need to be able to find it at speed. The difference can only be a few feet away!

Aug 8th / 9th Portraiture Course.

The first of our courses to be run at the P Milford Marina enthouse Suit on the marina at Milford. We now have a purposely designed unit, with our own studios, computer and lecture rooms. Charlie was our model for the day. This course we covered more on lighting, types of portraiture and business. We looked at how to create your own style of work by covering Photoshop.
The picture on the right was taken from the balcony of our studios.

Aug 10th Business Course

A one to one course on marketing and how we get started in the professional photography field. With over 40 years of experience we are able to set you on the right road to becoming successful.

Aug 14th / 15th / 16th Wedding Course.

A three day wedding course covering styles of work, pricing, albums and presentation, the required list and lighting. We had models to demonstrate posing and group arrangement

Aug 14th / 15th / 16th Wedding Course

Another three day course covering how to light a wedding, business, albums, DVD production, composition, group arrangement. Also covering the difference between craportage and reportage!

Sept 11th / 12th Portraiture Course.

This course was a continuation of our careers course, offering one to one tuition. We looked at Studio lighting at first, covering the different types and then moved onto outdoor lighting, looking at subtraction of light. We used an area outside called Picton castle, which had lovely grounds, with autumn leaves for a backdrop.
Marketing was covered as well as looking a styles and how to create your own style of work.

Sept 16th / 17th / 18th Wedding Course.

A three day wedding course, with one delegate coming all the way from Germany! She hope to get started in a career with wedding photography, and she said out of all the courses available this was the best one for her.
Most of the course was talking and demonstrating different lighting situations you will find on a wedding. Looking at house start, church, inside church and reception.
Some business was covered but again a lot of information is given in the three day and well worth the time.

Sept 25th / 26th Wedding Video Course.

This course covers how to video a wedding, from equipment to creating wonderful sequences, something a little different. We run through a wedding from start to finish looking at recording sound, blending music and tips on how to make your wedding video interesting, so there is no fast forwarding.

Sept 29th / 30th Wedding Photography Course.

A weekend course for those already workin Lizzy g mid week. We do now offer some weekend courses, the next is on the 16th / 17th October and we do have a few places left on that course.
Again for this course we looked at available lighting, as you can see the shot taken of Lizzy on the left was taken using window light only. The exposure was 1/8th sec f5.6.

Oct 2nd / 3rd Wedding Course

Another wedding course which we have included to fit in with the demand for this course. We limited numbers on each of our courses to four delegates only, to ensure maximum tuition and one to one if required.

October 3rd / 4th Wedding Course.

A two day wedding course showing delegates how to see that light that we use during a wedding. We use the light we already have available to us to create some stunning images.

October 6th / 7th Wedding Course.

Another two day course added because of demand. Our wedding course is our most popular course and is simply packed with information.

October 13th / 14th Wedding Course.

Another course added because the last was full. We only take a max of four people per course, so you need to book in advance. If the course is full we will arrange for another date to be added especially for you.

October 16th / 17th Landscape Course.

Showing you how to see into an image, looking at the end result when you look into the camera. There are pictures all around us, most of the time we dont see them. We created some wonderful images on this course, and the weather was dull and raining!

October 20th / 21st Business Course.

A two day course, which is part of a careers course. Looking at ways to create work, marketing, pricing and selling bigger.

Nov 6th / 7th / 8th Careers Course.

A three day course covering weddings, portraiture and business. Ideal for those wanting to get started in the Professional Photography field.

Nov 10th / 11th / 12th / 13th Wedding Course.

A four day wedding course, with Models some delegates doing the two day and then some doing the last two days which is the advanced course and the rest doing the four days. The course is quite flexible and because of small numbers we are able to personalize each of the courses to your specific needs.
The picture opposite is taken of some of our models during one of the many courses.

Nov 20th / 21st Advanced Portraiture Course.

Looking more into lighting and portraiture on location. We have some stunning venues in which to take models providing us with some great backdrops. On this course we also look at the business aspect of portraiture and where our markets are.

Nov 24th / 25th Landscape and Digital Course.

This weeke Courses nd we look into how we can see and create images out of nothing, simply by applying some basic rules. There are images all around us ever day and are constantly changing from one hour to the next.
We need to know the steps to take so that we can see the end result each time we look into the lens.

Nov 27th / 28th Lighting.

A one to one course especially about all the different types of lighting required both for Portraiture and for Weddings. Also looking all the types of social markets available to us and how we can get into those markets. Models supplies and both indoor and outdoor lighting demonstrated.

Dec 1st / 2nd Wedding Video Course.

A two day course looking at ways of to video a wedding, from the house to the reception.

Dec 8th / 9th Portraiture Course

A two day course covering use of digital using Photoshop. Models were supplied and some different techniques were looked at.

These are courses that we have run so far this year. To find a list of future courses please click on the link below.

For a list of further courses available for 2008