Two New Courses Launched
July and August are typically quieter periods for me from a tuition perspective which means it's always a good time to reflect on the range of services, content and tuition I offer, as well a good time to make any major changes to my website.
I am still, somewhat, in the middle of those changes so there will be more news to follow in due course and hopefully, you will also see some improvements to the listings pages on my site.
I have completed most of the work on the Courses and Classes and bar scheduling 2019 class dates I am pleased to announce that the Sep to Dec 2018 term is just about there with the addition of two new courses and a small change to the original 5wk Beginner's Course.

photography-courses-overview
NEW - Intermediates Photography Course - Level 2
This 4-week intermediates course is for those who wish to learn or improve on there understanding and execution of:
Week 1 - B&W Photography
Week 2 - Landscape Photography
Week 3 - Portrait Photography
Week 4 - Macro and Close-Up Photography
Different topics may be added/swapped according to the wishes of participants.
Course Format
Powerpoint
In class practicals
Weekly Assignments
Image Reviews and feedback
Lightroom Editing
NIK and Photoshop Editing
Equipment and gear tuition
Level 2 - Aimed at;
Those who have completed Level 1 Beginners Photography Course, (5wk Beginners Course) or already have a good grasp of the basics and want to enhance their knowledge further with more in-depth lessons on genres.
You will already be using Lightroom to edit and want to take your images to the next level.
Next Course Dates:
Tue 11th Sep - Tue 2nd Oct - Solihull (Bentley Heath)
Thu 25th Oct - Thu 15th Nov - Kenilworth
All classed are weekly 18:45 - 21:15
NEW - Intermediates Lightroom Photography Course - Level 2
This 4 week course is to give intermediates the opportunity to develop their productivity and creativity in Lightroom and other software.
Course Content Summary
Collections, Publishing & Organising
Advanced Editing in LR
Creative Editing - NIK
Photoshop Essentials
Level 2 - Aimed at;
Those who have completed Level 1 Beginners Lightroom (4wk Lightroom Course) or already have a good grasp of Lightroom Basics and want to enhance their knowledge and use of its functionality and tools.
Detailed Course Content
Library Module:
Creating Collections
Creating Publish Services
Organising Folders, Collections & Exports
Smart Collections and Image Management
Linking Cloud Services to Lightroom
Watermarking and Exporting Advanced
Resizing and resolution
Uploading for Web, Social Media and others
Develop Module:
Advanced Editing in LR
The Tone Selector
The HSL Selector
The Range Mask Tool
Split Toning
Quick Editing for impact
NIK Editing:
Creating Recipes
Applying Filters
Creating a personal style/look
B&W Conversion and development
Layer Mask Adjustments
Photoshop Essentials:
Round Tripping - LR & Photoshop
Transform Tools
Layers and Masks
Luminosity Masks
Text Tool
Adding Textures
Cloning and removing objects
Next Course Dates:
Mon 25th Nov - Mon 26th Nov - Solihull (Bentley Heath) or Coventry
All classed are weekly 18:45 - 21:15
Other changes to Courses and Classes
Simpler Course & Class Summary Page
The Photography Courses page now only lists the start date (enrol date) of courses and classes. Therefore, a course made up of four classes/weeks will only show once in the course listing page rather than four times. I have extended the Category and Topic Filters list to help you target your interest and those filters will show all classes that match the filter criteria.
So those who are on the Intentions or RPS course can also now see future class dates by using the filters.
Original 5wk Beginners Course Change
I used to offer the 5wk Beginners Course as a straight five weeks or as a one plus four extended courses. This worked well in the beginning when I launched the business and the majority of my clients came through Groupon/Wowcher onto the initial "Introductory Class" and then signed up for an additional four weeks.
I'm glad to say that five years on most of my clients come directly from Google Searches and referrals and the Daily Deal Sites do not provide any volume at all. To make things simpler, I have removed the 4wk Extended option. Now you can sign up to the "Introductory - Get off Auto" class as a one-off and then book the four-week Beginners Course - Level 1 if you decide to continue. In reality, the course format and content hasn't changed but how you complete five weeks is hopefully easier to understand. The pre-requisite for the four-week Beginners Course is to attend the "Get off Auto" class first or have an equivalent understanding of Exposure.
Anyone who has already booked the five-week beginners course before this change will not have to do anything as you will attend the Get off Auto class first and then do the four-week Beginners Course Level 1.
Schedule and Registering Interest
Scheduling and re-scheduling classes and courses are, unfortunately, a reality when running a business that is based on consumer demand and take-up. Naturally, everyone, including me are disappointed when an event doesn't proceed as planned.
I am currently developing and will soon implement a "Register Interest" button on the events pages. The button will pop up a form and ask for your name, number and event you're interested in. I can then arrange a phone call at a mutually convenient time to answer any questions but also, importantly, keep a list of those who have indicated an interest in an event to help me schedule based on interested demand. Please make use of this feature when it appears.
One more way to view courses and workshop events is a "calendar view" - at this moment in time it is not a combined Workshop and Course Calendar but will enable you to scroll through the months for either workshops or courses to view and click on events listed.
More updates to follow shortly, hope you are enjoying the summer sunshine.