Masters of Light Workshop

Last weekend we hosted the first ‘Masters of Light Workshop’ in Leamington Spa along with my good friends Kevin Wilson & Martin Grahame-Dunn. This event was a sell out with 40 photographers turning up for 2 days of intense training. First day was practical shooting and pretty much everything was hands-on.

We finished the day at around 7.30pm and then after dinner we met up at our hotel for networking & drinks. Well, after a long & hard day, I retired to bed at around 1.00am but my wife Farzana and along with another 7 guys & girls stayed till quite late until around 2.30am! Work hard & play hard I guess !!

Day 2 was in the seminar room and was all about editing, workflow, business etc. Had a fantastic 2 days and thoroughly enjoyed the company of like minded photographers and friends. Thank you to everyone who attended and specially to Kevin & Martin.

Here is a little video from the event.

If you like to read more about this event, click here

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-generate leads
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- deliver the job

plus, you’ll learn how to:

- send targeted emails to your prospects & customers
- book keeping the easy way which will save you money on your accountant bills
- how to keep track of all your equipment, cameras, computers, software
- how not to be under-insured
- and much much more…

Watch the recorded webinar

 

The ‘Masters of Light’ 2-day Workshop

Are you fed up of paying eye-watering prices for sub-standard photography training? Are you looking to start a profitable home-based portrait photography business with minimal overheads & running costs or wish to take your existing business to the next level? A workshop unlike others where you will get great content & tuition at great value for your money. Being tutored by not one, not two, but three top photography trainers. This is a workshop you cannot afford to miss out on!
Photography: Uzair Kharawala

This is a 2-day practical photography workshop presented by Martin Grahame-Dunn, Kevin Wilson & Uzair Kharawala. You will get some of the best photography training over 2 days on subjects like posing, composition, lighting, off-camera flash, work flow, editing, simple post-processing, business marketing and much much more….

PHOTOGRAPHY
This practical workshop includes everything you need to learn about photographing portraits on-location.
The workshop will cover topics such as:
- shooting with ambient light
- shooting with window light
- using reflectors & diffusers
- how to use off-camera flash with minimal equipment
- elements of composition
- posing
- simple and lightning fast editing work flow
- how to create stunning portraits on-location
- ‘getting it right’ in-camera
- metering
- and much much more… 

 

 

 

Shot by Uzair Kharawala

 

BUSINESS
Not only will you learn about photography, you’ll also learn how to manage your business, including:
- how to price your products
- products which your clients will love
- how to set up promotions with local businesses
- how to create ‘Gift Vouchers’

- getting free PR with local newspapers
- how to get in front of thousands of people for free!!
- online marketing / blogs / website
- and much much more…

 

COURSE CONTENT

DAY 1
This is a practical day with lots of opportunities to shoot and take pictures. We will start at 1.00pm and finish late around 7.30pm to capture the late evening light. Delegates will be divided into groups and you will have a session with each of the trainers. Martin will teach composition & posing, Kevin will tutor shooting with available ambient light and Uzair will cover off-camera flash.
You will shoot indoors & outdoors throughout the afternoon & evening with a break in the middle. You are advised to bring along your camera gear. This is a very intensive hands-on training day where you will be pushed to your limits to create images like you’ve never taken before. 

 

 

 

DAY 2
We start early at 9.00am and you will be in a seminar room all day. Presentations will be made by Martin, Kevin & Uzair to show you their own unique but simple way of post-processing the images shot on Day 1. Plus each one will discuss on how they market their business locally, what products they sell and how they set their price lists. You will also learn some incredible online tricks on how to promote your website and drive free & targeted traffic to your site. We’ll finish the day with a Q&A session at around 5.00pm

Price
£150.00 + VAT
What is included:
- Models on Day 1
- Tea / Coffee throughout
- Lunch on Day 2

 

Photography on Day 1
You will photograph 3 different models which you can use for building for portfolio.
- Model 1 : Retro Portraits
- Model 2: Lifestyle Portraits
- Model 3: Elegance Portraits

Places are extremely limited. You are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

 

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE

When & Where

26 & 27 March 2011
Leamington Spa, Warks

 

Hotels
There are a variety of good quality & low-cost hotels around Leamington. Please contact us if you need any help in locating a nearby hotel.

 

About the Presenters

Martin Grahame-Dunn

Martin Grahame-Dunn

Martin has been in the industry for over 30 years covering many aspects of Professional Photography including Industrial, Commercial, Automotive, Advertising, Fashion, Editorial, Wedding photography & Portraiture.

Over almost the entire period of his professional career he has been actively engaged in the training of photographers from the four corners of the world covering every major discipline. A highly respected trainer and judge with so many Professional Organisations, the Fuji Professional School of Photography, the Kodak European Gold Circle and many of the worlds leading representative bodies.

 

Kevin Wilson

Kevin Wilson

Kevin Wilson honed his photographic skills to encompass the current trends demanded by buyers of wedding and portrait photography today. The foundation of good photography is based on lighting and composition, this coupled with available light and the use of various reflectors and diffusers is where Kevin has developed his own style and brand of classical work with a contemporary twist.

Kevin, is the only photographer to achieve multiple fellowships, in portrait and wedding, all with natural light, both with the Master Photographers Association and the British Institute of Professional Photography. In total he has 7, plus PPOA Mcr.

 

Uzair Kharawala

Uzair Kharawala

A relative new comer and the new kid on the block! Uzair has established himself as a skilled photographer and an astute businessman. He is the creator of the award-winning software Foto SF, the founder of this blog, various DVDs on off-camera flash which have been sold in over 27 countries to date.

He is currently one of Nikon UK’s ‘Evangelist’ and is a regular ‘Guest Speaker’ at major photography conventions, trade shows & fairs in the UK. He regularly presents seminars & workshops for Calumet, at Apple’s flagship store in Regent Street London, Focus on Imaging, PhotoVision Roadshows and has previously presented for all major photographic bodies including the BIPP, MPA & the SWPP.

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE

Top 10 Tips to Organise Your Photography Business

Every business in the world needs paperwork to organise a business. Even in professional photography one needs to create invoices, quotations, bills etc. However, day to day running of a photography business can leave you with almost no time for the organization of your paperwork. This can leave you in quite a mess at your workplace which, quite frankly, doesn’t look nice especially if your clients visit often.

Organizing your workplace is indeed a tiresome job. Nobody wants to be stuck handling paperwork, not if you could be spending this valuable time with your family or behind the camera. Organizing your business can not only save you time, but can provide you with a true and fair view of where your business actually stands and where it is headed in both near and far future.

Here are the top 10 tips that can help you organize your studio in a fashion which looks better and is more convenient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use file cabinets or hanging / suspension folders.
Even in this modern era of “soft copies” there are tons of things that a photographer needs in hard copies. Correspondence, portfolios, equipment manuals etc these are all hard copies and can create a mess unless you use a file cabinet or hanging folders.

Always use separate files
You should always use separate files to keep specific documents and reference to them as it looks better than one bulky file. You also save a lot of time and reach your desired document with more ease as compared to searching through one file.

Clear out assorted folders or miscellaneous folders
Everyone has at least one folder labeled “Misc”. This is the folder where you put everything you don’t know where to put. There is a good chance that you could do with clearing out the whole folder. If you haven’t required something from the folder in one whole year, it is highly unlikely it is of any value.

Go digital
If you are a digital photographer, you are likely to have your images on a computer. However if you are a non-digital photographer (which is highly unlikely), you could always use a scanner to transfer your prints onto a PC. As we all know, hard drives take less space than albums and catalogues.

Reference your work
You are likely to have a lot of images on your computer and it can be a tedious job going through them to find a specific shot you are looking for. It is always a good idea to make a referencing index of your work which allows you to see where specific files are. Such a list can be very useful for saving time when you search for files.

Use spreadsheets and database management software
Spreadsheets and data management software (www.fotosf.com) are an amazing way to organize your contacts, equipment lists, things to do, sales, purchases, jobs,  etc. Such software can easily be used to fit your business needs and can help you save time over trivial jobs.

Keep a diary to track your appointments
A diary is the best way to make sure you fulfill any appointments that you have made. Diaries or journals also help to ensure you meet your deadlines. You can also program your diaries with reminders and alarms to keep you on your toes. Syncing your diary to your smart phone helps photographers who are out and about on-location quite a lot.

Maintain proper accounts
Proper maintenance of accounts enables you to properly allocate expenses to specific jobs. That way you can work out a more accurate cost of a project and also exercise better cost control.

Maintain short-term and long term budgets
Maintaining proper budgets can help your forecast your state of affairs and later compare the actual figure with budgets to properly assess your performance. It is a good method for self assessment and provides information for you to make proper decisions.

Label your equipment and designate a proper place for everything
Write serial numbers for your equipment & software and designate a proper place for everything. Make a file of this information. This file can be used as a reference to find out where a specific piece of equipment is. You must know each and every piece of camera, lens, computer, software & accessories to help insure your equipment for the right amount year on year. Never guess and insure for your business assets.


These tips can increase your efficiency, effectiveness and profitability. You can either do this manually or automate the whole process by using a dedicated photography studio software like Foto SF Lite which costs only £60 / $90 (approx.).

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The 30-minute Lifestyle Portrait Session

I’m often asked as to how long a portrait session should last ? 1 hour / 2 hours + ? Well, there is no right answer to this question, as long as your clients don’t get bored in front of the camera and you get the images you’re after, you can take as long as you like or you can be as quick as 30 minutes and finish the session in that time.

Lifestyle Portrait Photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

To read the full story and see the video, visit SF Photo School by clicking here.

Oz