Yv
TPer Emerita
- Messages
- 25,725
- Name
- Yvonne, pronounced Eve...
- Edit My Images
- Yes
As a few of you will already know, I am in the process of moving my photography on from the 'paid occassionally' to 'a genuine income source' over the next year. Now I have been round here a while and read all the usual pro versus amateur arguments, seen the berating the 'run before you can walk' crowd get and so on, so I am not trying to do it all at once and i am trying to do it sensibly by using the knowledge and experience of those that have gone before. I have laid down a path that I think is right for me, will take me where I want to be and has a degree of flexibility and allows adaptation where needed.
So, to that end, I have booked some training courses and organised some 'work experience'
The first training was this weekend, 2 days at Dovecote Training in the beautiful grounds of Knowsley Hall on Merseyside. The trainer is Zoe [Zozo round these parts] and you will find all the stuff about the courses on her blog, so go have a read!
Day one was all about 'Controlling the Wedding' and covered everything from initial contact with the couple all the way to delivering the product.
Day two was The Business of Photography - which is pretty much self-explanatory - we can all point the camera and take a picture, but a huge part of the job is running a business, so thats what this course was about.
Both days were excellent, full of useful information and tips, stuff you would never have thought of and practical advice. Zoe's delivery is quite relaxed and open, so everyone felt very comfortable immediately. She answered loads of questions, and leaves you asking loads more - of yourself! At no point across the two days did I feel I was being made to work hard, yet I thought and looked at my choices in more depth than I have ever done before and came away with a million thoughts, ideas and steps I need to take spinning in my brain. I am still reeling from it all, but in a good way, my list of 'to do's is enormous and I now realise it has to be. Oh yes, if you don't do laughter and sweeties whilst learning, it might not be for you
Seriously, I know Zoe runs several workshops aimed at different people with differing purposes and of course I cannot comment on them all but I chose these two because they suited exactly what I was looking for and I was not disappointed. The studio is beautiful, set in stunning countryside but with nice modern technology, I can highly recommend these courses to anyone considering turning their hobby into something more lucrative - it will certainly make you ask yourself all the right questions and equip you with the knowledge and understanding of how to do it without some of the pain of learning from your own mistakes.
So, to that end, I have booked some training courses and organised some 'work experience'
The first training was this weekend, 2 days at Dovecote Training in the beautiful grounds of Knowsley Hall on Merseyside. The trainer is Zoe [Zozo round these parts] and you will find all the stuff about the courses on her blog, so go have a read!
Day one was all about 'Controlling the Wedding' and covered everything from initial contact with the couple all the way to delivering the product.
Day two was The Business of Photography - which is pretty much self-explanatory - we can all point the camera and take a picture, but a huge part of the job is running a business, so thats what this course was about.
Both days were excellent, full of useful information and tips, stuff you would never have thought of and practical advice. Zoe's delivery is quite relaxed and open, so everyone felt very comfortable immediately. She answered loads of questions, and leaves you asking loads more - of yourself! At no point across the two days did I feel I was being made to work hard, yet I thought and looked at my choices in more depth than I have ever done before and came away with a million thoughts, ideas and steps I need to take spinning in my brain. I am still reeling from it all, but in a good way, my list of 'to do's is enormous and I now realise it has to be. Oh yes, if you don't do laughter and sweeties whilst learning, it might not be for you
Seriously, I know Zoe runs several workshops aimed at different people with differing purposes and of course I cannot comment on them all but I chose these two because they suited exactly what I was looking for and I was not disappointed. The studio is beautiful, set in stunning countryside but with nice modern technology, I can highly recommend these courses to anyone considering turning their hobby into something more lucrative - it will certainly make you ask yourself all the right questions and equip you with the knowledge and understanding of how to do it without some of the pain of learning from your own mistakes.
