One to one training is a great way to improve your skills really quickly, as well as being extremely flexible.  It is tailored to your personal needs and physical abilities, and carried out at a time and date that is convenient for you – including evenings or weekends. It can take place at your home, or anywhere within a 15 mile radius of Chesterfield in Derbyshire (mileage charges apply for locations further afield).

I find that a 4 hour session is the ideal length, as 1 to 1 training is quite intensive, and longer than that can lead to “information overload”. It is better to have several shorter sessions – with time in between to practice what has been learned – rather than a full day’s training.

The cost for a 4 hour workshop is  only £140.00. You can book as much or as little training as you need, as further workshops can be arranged as required, at any time.

Training Via Video Link Anywhere in the UK

I can offer training via video link throughout the UK. This is particularly well suited to Lightroom training, where it can allow me to solve problems that clients are having with the software quickly. For this reason I have introduced a special video link rate for a 1 hour “problem solving” session, which costs just £40.00. The normal 4 hour sessions are also available of course.

There are 2 software platforms that I use – Skype or Google Hangouts. Both are free and work on either Mac or Windows computers, as well as tablets. Crucially, they also both offer screen-sharing facilities, which really is essential.

Learn How to Use Your Camera to Its Full Potential

If you are new to digital photography, or struggling with a new digital camera, getting help from an experienced professional photographer can save you a lot of time and frustration. Digital photography training for beginners is suitable for users of almost any sort or make of digital camera, from compact to DSLR (provided that they have manually adjustable settings). I have seen literally hundreds of different camera models, from all of the main manufacturers. My training can cover such topics as:

• how to use the different modes and settings on your digital camera
• getting correct exposure
• how to set the focus where you want it
• getting the correct colour balance in your photos
• how to understand the information and warnings your camera gives you

For more advanced users, the subjects covered can also include such things as:

• how to compose for picture impact
• creative use of different lenses, depth of field and shutter speeds
• use of filters
• shooting in RAW format
• High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography
• panoramic photography
• night photography

This is suited more to users of prosumer, mirrorless or digital SLR cameras.

Training can take place anywhere in the Chesterfield area, or a location can be chosen by me using my extensive local knowledge of  the Peak District to find the best area for the subjects that most interest you.

 

Photography Training for Nikon Digital Camera Users

Having used Nikon sir cameras (both film and digital) for over 30 years, I am well placed to show you how to get the best from your Nikon digital camera. I can show you some of its less obvious advantages – and some of its quirks as well. In a short time, you will feel more comfortable with your Nikon, and be able to concentrate more on taking photographs than on its buttons and dials.

You’ll also see how you can use the free Nikon software that came with your camera to import, view and edit your images on a computer, and how it – uniquely –  can give you information that will help you to improve your photography. Because I already have the software installed on my laptop, this training can take place anywhere – even out in the wilds of the Derbyshire Peak District!

Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop Training

While Adobe Photoshop is the best known photo editing software, it is no longer the one recommended for day-to-day photographic editing. That badge has now passed to Adobe Lightroom, which was designed specifically for the needs of digital photographers, is much easier and quicker to learn, and much cheaper than Photoshop as well!

While Lightroom is considerably more user-friendly than Photoshop, it is still a professional level application for organizing and editing images, and one that takes some time to learn – particularly if you are new to photo editing.

My one to one training allows you to learn at your own pace in a logical manner. It is well suited to training by video link, so is available anywhere in the UK. I can show you how to use Lightroom to:

• download, organize and sort your images quickly
• make corrections to density, contrast and colour to the whole, or selected parts, of an image
• convert images to black and white
• tone and split tone images both in colour and black and white
• correctly crop, straighten and resize images
• automate processes to really save time
• integrate Lightroom with an external editor such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements
• output files for print or web purposes
• create slideshows and web galleries within Lightroom

Photoshop Training

Photoshop has a much steeper learning curve than Lightroom, so is best reserved for specific tasks that Lightroom can’t handle. Depending on your needs, I can teach such topics as:

• setting up the Adobe Photoshop workspace
• preferences and colour management settings
• how to edit non-destructively using adjustment layers, masks and smart objects
• how to retouch images and remove imperfections
• using filters for sharpening, blurring and special effects
• adding text and layer styles
• choosing the correct file formats for your purposes
• outputting for print or web use

For both Lightroom and Photoshop training, you can either use your own computer, or else I can provide an Apple Mac for you to work on (both applications are cross-platform, with only minor differences between Mac and Windows versions).

Please contact me if you would like further details.

If you would prefer to learn on a course with a group of other people, rather than on a one to one basis, please click on the image on the left for details of digital photography courses in the Derbyshire Peak District and Sheffield areas that I also run.