April and May Group Photography Workshops

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Current Available Group Photography Classes and Workshops in April and May 2023.

This year my group photography workshops have for some reason exploded! Every course I run is getting maxed out and it’s amazing to know I’m creating a world where people can immerse themselves in the one thing I absolutely love doing, photography.

I guess it may be because my work is becoming more popular and more people know about my workshops and photography courses now. Also I bet the word is getting around about how good they are. I’m not boasting as such and certainly not suggesting my workshops are amazing but my students do say things like that. Look, here’s my latest review:

“This was without question an amazing course, well presented, we were made to feel welcome, I just wanted to know how to set my camera up, but I got a whole lot more from it, Paul explained everything in a manner you understand, nothing is to much trouble for him, he makes time for everyone, and if you don’t get it (as I didn’t) he just explains it again, I highly recommend him if you want to get more from your camera, I definitely booking another course.
Thank you Paul”
— Mark Bennett, Bald Creations
Photography Workshop Classes Leicestershire

I’ve currently got a few workshops available with limited spaces, see below:

  • April 1st 2023 - Low Light Night Time Group Photography Workshop. This is a fantastic opportunity to be deeply creative around a beautiful fishing and boating lake at night time with expert tuition and with a group of like minded people. Only 2 places left.
    Book now ————>>>

  • Saturday 15th April - I’ve got a really cool day time / evening workshop designed to feature a variety of landscapes from an urban environment, rural fields and public woodlands during Bluebell season in Burbage Common and Woods. This is perfect for beginners and up to intermediate and includes a post production exercise back in the studio after the sun sets. Only 3 places left, book now ————>>>

  • Saturday 29th April - Beginners Group Photography Workshop, ideal for people that know almost nothing about shooting with a DSLR and especially for those DSLR owners that shoot in automatic mode. In this group photography class I will teach you how to use you your camera, how to set it up and how to understand the light, shooting in manual mode and even the basics of composition. Everyone loves this short workshop on a Saturday morning. Only 2 places available for this one though. Book here ——>>>

  • Saturday 13th May - The next group workshop available is The Urban Landscape Photographers Spring Group Workshop. This is a fantastic and very exciting workshop that gives you the opportunity to try Woodland photography, urban landscape photography and street photography all on one single course. If you’re going away on holiday this year, then I recommend this workshop to set you up ready with the knowledge of almost any environment you might come across on your jollies.
    Book here ————>>>

Above all these amazing group photography workshops I’m running and booking lots of people on to, I also take on 121 private clients that have specific needs or would prefer to have more tailored tuition. I’ve got 2 dates available for the 121 workshops as they’re more personal, I have limited availability, where you’ll need to get in touch with me directly to discuss these options, which come in half day and full day packages.

Here’s a selection of my work from an archive of well over ten thousand photographs.

“I contacted Paul regarding a photography workshop for my husbands 50th birthday and I can honestly say it’s the best present he’s ever had! With a keen interest in street photography, my husband already had a passion to take pictures but he lacked the technical knowledge and ‘tricks of the trade’, which Paul has in abundance. I booked a one to one, half-day workshop and Paul tailored the session to suit. He taught my husband so much and the difference it has made is unbelievable, his photography has come on leaps and bounds. If you want to enhance your skills or broaden your creativity then I would highly recommend Paul as an inspirational tutor.”
— Chelsea Cefai

121 and Group Photography Workshops

Learn More About Photography

Are you looking to improve your photography skills and learn new techniques in a fun and supportive group environment? Look no further! My 121 and group photography workshops are the perfect opportunity for you to take your photography to the next level. Led by myself, an experienced and professional photographer. My workshops cover a wide range of topics, from the basics of composition, exposure and lighting to advanced editing techniques. You'll have the chance to learn from me and work alongside other passionate photographers while exploring new locations and making good photographs.

Don't miss out on this unique and exciting learning experience – sign up for one of my group photography workshops today or if you’d like something more personal and tailored to you, contact me to discuss a 121 workshop.

I’ve currently got a few workshops available in my online shop or you can get more information from my photography workshop page.

What's so good about wedding photographers?

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Why would anyone want to hire a wedding photographer when they could just give their mate a nice camera?

Tanzeena and Bilal married in 2020

Wedding photography is a special and unique art form that requires a great deal of skill, creativity, and experience. A wedding photographer is responsible for capturing all the special moments of a couple's big day, from the preparations and the ceremony, to the reception and the dance. The photographs that a wedding photographer creates will be treasured for a lifetime and will tell the story of the couple's special day for years to come.

One of the most important aspects of wedding photography is the ability to create beautiful and timeless images that will be cherished for a lifetime. This requires a great deal of creativity, as well as an understanding of lighting, composition, and post-processing techniques. Wedding photographers should also be able to work well under pressure and be able to think on their feet to capture the perfect shot.

Des and Naomi married 2021

Another important aspect of wedding photography is the ability to connect with the couple and create a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. This is particularly important during the preparations and the ceremony, when the couple may be feeling anxious or nervous. A good wedding photographer will be able to put the couple at ease and create a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, which will help to produce better photographs.

Finally, a good wedding photographer should be professional, reliable and have excellent communication skills. They should be able to work well with other vendors, such as the wedding planner, and be able to manage their time effectively to ensure that all important moments are captured. They should also be able to communicate effectively with the couple and provide them with a detailed timeline and plan for the day.

Wayne and Charran married 2021

Overall, wedding photography is a challenging and rewarding profession that requires a great deal of skill, creativity, and experience. A good wedding photographer will be able to create beautiful and timeless images, connect with the couple, and create a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere to capture the special moments of their big day.

Alan and his best man an hour before their wedding in 2014

Hinckley, Burbage & Bosworth Photographed 2012 - 2022 All time greatest hits!

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A decade of documenting the landscape and the community of the Hinckley & Bosworth District of Leicestershire, England.

I’ve created a ten minute film exhibiting my favourite photographs from the past ten years of working on this personal and self funded project.

Hinckley, Burbage & Bosworth Photographed 2012 - 2022 All time greatest hits!

This is my gift and a message of thanks to everyone that has supported me and followed this project since 2012.
I’m progressing my art form now to ensure I can thrive as an artist in to the future, making sure I can create a more stable income. That begins with an expansion with my documentary wedding photography and filmmaking business as well as branching further in to the field of supporting other entrepreneurs with their marketing needs.

So thank you for subscribing to my emails and my blog.

Have a happy new year and manifest the best life for yourselves.

121 and Group Photography Workshops

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121 and Group Photography Workshops for 2023

Learn more about photography for beginners and intermediate practitioners.

Come and join me and a group of likeminded people to learn more about photography.

I’ve got three group workshops currently available and spaces for 121 coaching.

On my workshops, I’ll get you using manual mode and will hand over complete creative control to you, teaching you how to set up your camera and use it in a simplified way that places the image as the challenge.
I’ll even teach you the basics of composition, exposure and post production.

Street Photography

Urban Landscape Photography

Rural Landscape Photography

I can teach you street photography and Landscapes - Urban and Rural with a documentary led style that is perfect for travel and hobbyist photography.

Check out the below workshops for more information and for booking.

Spaces are always limited to four per course.

These are the available 3 courses for now.

For more workshops, please subscribe to my emails for news of new courses as they’re released.

Hinckley Burbage and Bosworth Photographed Calendar 2023

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Hinckley, Burbage & Bosworth Photographed Calendar 2023

Is now available to buy in my online shop.

Front Cover - Ducks Corner, Stoke Golding, Ashby Canal

On the run up to deciding which photographs would make the final production for next years calendar, I spoke to my audience and asked what they would most like to see and it was an overwhelming voice telling me they prefer more rural images that offer the beauty of our area.

So I’ve mostly followed that idea with the exception of a few more urban photographs but only those that really hold special locations within the Hinckley, Burbage and Bosworth district. I also put the shortlist out to the voters for them to pick their favourites.

This is the final selection and now the calendar is ready…

I’m very excited about this calendar and feel that it’s one of, if not the best one I’ve ever produced. The photographs work so well for each month. I do only have a limited amount of copies available though and currently only have about 40 left. So if you would like to buy one, you can collect directly from me at my studio in Burbage, have it delivered anywhere in the world via the postal system or if local to the area, I will deliver them personally. Please choose the best option for you at the checkout.

If you need to consider gifts for the photographers in your lives, then please browse my online shop or have a look through some of these links at the bottom of the page for suppliers that I”m affiliated with.

I always use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom for the post production part of my process and couldn’t make the photographs I make without them. Click on the photograph to be taken to their subscription page where you can learn more about joining up.

My favourite shop for all photographic equipment and only in Birmingham!
Click on the photograph to visit their website.

Immerse yourself in Photography

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Drowning out the external noise of a chaotic world!

I’ve learned that I can drown out the noise of our chaotic world and global affairs by simply immersing myself in to my artform and I do this in so many different ways.

Read on to learn how I manage this…

Snowdonia National Park and Mountain Range

Snowdonia National Park, North Wales

I recently took my daughter for a weeks holiday to Shell Island in North Wales, which is on the coast and at the foot of the Snowdonia National Park. As you could probably imagine, the landscape is absolutely incredible. One day we walked up the side of the mountain range, past stunning lakes and through amazing enchanted woodlands that quite easily removed from my mind anything that is going on in the chaotic world today.

Enchanted Woodlands, Snowdonia National Park

Climbing Snowdonia to the Roman Steps

No One escapes from here

It was such a magical place that even my five year old daughter managed the steep and long climb up the side of the mountain. The walk down was just as incredible because you get views of the rolling clouds stroking the mountain tops.

Rolling clouds stroking the top of Snowdonia

Grazing mountain sheep in Snowdonia

If you wanted some ideas for immersing yourself in photography, you could start by looking at and reading around the subject more. I often read photography magazines like Amateur Photographer and not because I’m an amateur at all but more because they have some fantastic articles and I know some of the experienced photographers that write for the magazine and they always show very creative artists and their work.
I definitely recommend investing in a subscription. You can literally get a whole years worth of magazines for just £1 per issue…

Use this link to get to their website and get started… https://tidd.ly/3CdcbmD

You could also get yourself that new camera, new lens or even a tripod or something that you fancy and get yourself outdoors, making some more beautiful photography. I always shop with Wex Photographic because their range of products is massive and so extensive but also they have a shop in Birmingham and it’s fairly easily accessible for me. I can drive there and even skip around the outskirts of the city centre, avoiding the congestion charge. If you want to check out what Wex have to offer, then please use this link… https://tidd.ly/3Sqrw8t of click on the photograph above.

Snowdonia National Park North Wales Mountain Range

Snowdonia National Park, North Wales

Once you’ve created all that wonderful photography, you could collate it all together in to a cohesive project and get them all in to a nice travel photobook. I’ve got loads of these and love the creative process. For me this gives me an outlet for my photographs as well as sharing on social media. Lets face it, once you’ve made the work and shared it for others to see, what else could you do with it. Collect it together in one place to keep forever. Use this link to create a travel book with Photobook UK… https://tidd.ly/3Sv8yO6

Llanberis, Snowdonia National Park Mountain Range

Ultimately the best way for me to drown out the excess noise is to simply throw myself in to my artwork and get my thrills from being as creative with the landscape and the environment as I possibly can. If I can’t get away to these more exotic locations, then I will seek out more local rural areas or do a bit of street photography. Nothing is off the cards when it comes to distracting myself from the awful state of global affairs right now.

By the way, I’m looking at designing some more workshops in the near future, so please get commenting on any ideas you can offer to me. I’m always open to hear what others think.

Wedding Venues in Leicestershire

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Here’s a few of the wedding venues that I’ve done wedding photography and filmmaking at in Leicestershire.

I’m a documentary wedding photographer and filmmaker and try to avoid posing at all costs. My style is rather unique but also very popular.

Bosworth Hall Hotel, Wedding Venue, Market Bosworth, Leicestershire

I’ve been all over the midlands creating visual stories for couples getting married in Leicestershire and Warwickshire and in this blog I’m going to show you a selection of the images and videos that I’ve made so you can get a feel for what the venues are like and to get some ideas for choosing and how you could deal with decorating them for your wedding.

Bosworth Hall Hotel Wedding Venue

Badgers Mount Wedding Venue, Elmesthorpe

The Royal Arms, Sutton Cheney, Wedding Venue - The Loft

Holiday Inn, Wigston, Leicester, Wedding Venue

Personal Intimate Weddings at Home

Wedding Photography is changing before our eyes!

Since the pandemic has relaxed and become no more dangerous than the flu, many people are changing the way they get married. Firstly we’re experiencing a wedding book where people that have had to wait to get married are feeling safe enough to get things organised but the way they’re doing it is changing. There are trends appearing and some are going for more micro weddings with only 15-30 people to cut down on costs and just inviting those that truly mean more to them than the usual bigger crowds.

Some people are also now getting married during the week for a cheaper option as venues and other service providers can fill days when they wouldn’t normally be working and can discount their services easier.

I even shot a private wedding with just the family at a registry office in Birmingham, then on to a nice restaurant and the groom’s sisters house in Leicester. There was something quite magical and intimate about that wedding and was such a huge privilege to be the only non family member there.

I’m not discounting the big grand weddings because they’re still going on and ai did one the other week at a huge priory in Derbyshire.

The Norcups at Bosworth Hall Hotel, Wedding Venue in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire.

This is just a short selection of venues in Leicestershire for now as I can’t put all of them on my blog!

If you’d like to learn more about my wedding photography and filmmaking, then please head to my wedding page and see for yourself but also you can complete an easy form online to get a quote within 24 hours.

Documentary Wedding Photography and Film Presentation

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So how do you want to remember your wedding?

This is an age old question I have to ask all of my clients because I’m a very creative soul and can show your wedding to you in so many different ways.

My most popular service is when couples book me for their wedding is to commission me to create a hybrid documentary wedding film, which is designed using a perfect blend of both photography and video.

It’s a bit like having a slideshow that comes to life with video as well.

You know what, I made a showcase hybrid film to show you what it means…

Hybrid documentary wedding film with both photography and video.

I use a variety of effects on the occasional bit of footage as you’ll notice when watching the film. This is always used sparingly and only done for special effects to enhance a particular part of the story. I have a real knack for choosing the right music to lead the films and usually spend pretty much an entire day searching for just music when working on one. I thought it would be worth me adding that in there because my clients only ever really see me at the wedding. Then I settle down in my studio to spend the next week working on your wedding. YES, I spend about a week on each wedding. So maybe you can appreciate why weddings are expensive. I don’t just turn up and then your artwork magically appears! Sometimes I wish it would but if the truth be known, I actually love the entire process and it gives me such a buzz when I see the reaction from my couples.

If you like the look of my hybrid wedding films, then hit this button to go to the main wedding page on my website and fill out a form to get a quote.

Documentary Funeral Photography Service

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Documentary Funeral Photography

Friends and family usually gather together for a funeral and is usually viewed as a celebration of one’s life.

I’ve now designed a new service to offer a visual story of your loved ones final day on Earth.

Horse drawn funeral carriage

Who wants to remember a funeral?

When it’s your dear loved one’s final day on Earth, why wouldn’t you want to remember it? All thoughts about them passing will be sad but if you can flip your emotions to one of happiness and celebration for knowing them, you’ll be able to appreciate the coming togetherness and the warm feelings of love and solidarity.

The love that’s left behind to continue growing is as important. The big groups of friends and family that never get opportunities to be together like they do at a funeral or a wedding.

What does funeral photography look like?

It’s very similar to wedding photography except there’s more tears and sadness but also with the glimmer of a smile and some laughter at the good days gone by. When I make photographs at a funeral, my camera is silent, I’m silent and I stand back without being intrusive. The photographs I get are always quite thought provoking and powerful with emotion and I tend to mix the styles between colour and black and white, depending on the level of emotion and style of picture. I create documentary style photography, so there’s no posing or standing around looking at the camera.

I make the work telling real stories of how the funeral went.

What’s the point of funeral photography?

Family and friends might travel great distances to say their final goodbyes. The deceased could have a very large group of friends and be very popular. Perhaps the deceased was a vibrant human being and their final day is going to be one heck of a party! Whatever the reason, it’s your choice on whether you’d like to hire me to document the final day for your loved one.

Summary:

Funeral photography is a taboo subject that many have just never considered as an option. It wasn’t until I was approached by a loving Mother that wanted to record her Son’s final day that I ever thought about doing it. At first I felt a bit strange but my style actually really suits a funeral because I make natural candid photographs and tell stories with my camera, so it’s become a natural transition. I managed to create a wonderful collection of photographs for the Mother and family, so I’m happy to now be offering my skills as a funeral photographer.

If you’d like to make an enquiry for funeral photography, then please visit my website.