I have read much recently on online forums on the thorny subject of ‘Training for Photographers’ so I though I would add my own opinion to the many that are floating around just now.

I start by saying that I have been in this business since the day I left school in 1969 and joined the family business which was established by my great grandfather back in 1864 making me the 4^th generation and perhaps making the business one of very few in the UK still to be run by a direct descendant of the founder.

Now, when I started as an apprentice, the staff had to call me Mr Trevor, I was not allowed near a camera for at least a year. I had to first learn all the other areas of the business, film loading, processing, retouching, printing, mounting, spotting etc. Then finally into the studio, a studio that still had a daylight roof and wall, a studio that ran mostly on tungsten lighting, huge 2000w + bulbs, spotlights, umbrellas with an array of 10 100w bulbs bouncing light from and finally a very early Courtney flash unit that looked more like several car batteries tied together in unison. Here I learnt how to use daylight in all is variant and transient forms, how to see the true effects of tungsten lighting on your subject and finally how flash made life so much easier and more importantly cooler especially if you were in the studio all day during graduation shooting on a 5×4 studio Linhof.

And my point in mentioning all of the above? Simple really, a good grounding in all 3 lighting disciplines, daylight, tungsten and flash all of which were honed over the following years by constant practice so that whatever circumstances or challenges I was faced with I knew the solution. This came to use when, in the late 70’s I was photographing the International Gathering of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme indoors at Edinburgh University. The Duke himself was present as were delegates from all the Commonwealth countries around the world, so no pressure! The group numbered some 60 individuals and was to be lit by 2 PF100 bulbs, camera left and camera right. PF100’s were powered by a sync box powered by battery and attached to the camera via a sync cord and gave a VERY bright light! Group assembled, positions taken and adjusted, then “Your Royal Highness, gentlemen please look to the camera” one, two, three click…… nothing! Close the dark slide, recock the shutter, open the dark slide, and again ‘Your Royal Highness etc.” I tried this 4 times all with no success and by this time you could see HRH whispering to the gentlemen either side, not, I can promise you a very reassuring sight!

Now this was a once in a lifetime group, my reputation was on the line, the pressure was unbearable, this was serious stress but this is also where the training I had received kicked in to try and rescue the situation. The only lighting in this huge room in which my group were assembled was from an enormous pair of chandeliers. The answer, open the shutter up of f8, set the exposure to, I think, somewhere around 2 seconds, then address the group once again in a slightly faltering voice. “Your Royal Highness, Distinguished Guests can I ask you all to please look to camera and also to remain perfectly still”. Silence descended upon the room, you could hear my little heart pounding as I pulled the dark slide out grasped the cable release firmly and then, looking firmly at HRH, pressed the trigger… I seem to recall I did this 2 or 3 time, slightly adjusting the length of the exposure before thanking His Royal Highness as he smiled back at me in a sympathetic fashion.

I could not get the equipment packed us quickly enough; men were walking by, patting me on the back, and with some sincerity telling me, “It could have happened to anybody”.

We went straight to the lab, this was shot in colour, and had them process one sheet to see what, if anything, was on it. Well it will come as no surprise when I tell you that the very first sheet was almost perfectly exposed in every way, the lighting was even, colour rich and, most importantly, NOBODY had move! What a result. The final 15” image was delivered to the Duke’s private secretary that evening, who expressed overwhelming delight at the finish result before proceeding, and in all seriousness, to enquire if they would receive a discount because my flash had not gone off! I will leave you to debate what my answer was.

So a long story just to demonstrate that whatever style of social photography you wish to specialise in there is no substitute for a good working knowledge of all the lighting techniques. Not all clients want a ‘Lifestyle’ portrait nor may they want a classic ‘studio’ portrait. If you are a ‘Lifestyle’ photographer, that’s running around outside in natural light, and discover after making the appointment that the client has changed his/her mind and now wants a portrait indoors, or even a classically light portrait, what do you do? Do you take the high ground and say sorry that’s my style, take it or leave it, thus potentially losing a client and the resulting income, or do you simply adapt your style and slip seamlessly into another lighting mode. I know what I would do. We regularly shoot in our daylight studio with natural daylight, Bowens flash, outdoors and occasionally, if I am feeling the need to be different, I get out the red heads and warm up the studio!

So back to the original question which is on training and who is a good trainer and who is not. There are many around these day’s, some, like myself who have been around and have a wealth of experience and knowledge and those who have only recently come into the industry and are already offering training and workshops! Now I am not saying that the ‘older more experience photographer’ is a better teacher, nor am I saying ‘the newcomer’ has nothing to offer this wonderful craft/profession what I do say is that whoever the teacher is they MUST instill enthusiasm in the delegates and create an atmosphere during the workshop that is positively inspirational. Knowledge and technique are only part of the learning process creativity and inspiration is equally important and the tutor must be able to bring that to the workshop.

Our motto is simply: ‘ The Power to Create and Inspire’

I do think that small groups work best, 6-10 delegates being an ideal number but please remember all speakers do have a break even point and that is dependant on the venue chosen and the relevant costs involved in putting on a workshop, models fees, refreshments etc. Our own workshops held here at Claremont are normally limited to 4 delegates while our SHOOT IN THE CITY + BOUDOIR SCHOOL workshops are normally limited to 10.

Our philosophy is very neatly summed up by a recent delegate on his blog site:

‘ If you are thinking about going on one of Trevor and Faye’s courses I recommend it. You will learn a lot and their skill is letting you learn from yourself as much as from them. It is a fascinating way to learn and I am grateful for the experience.’