With Fashion & Music Artist Photographer Andy Teo

Tog-Talk Episode 29
With this week's guest David Emery

In the first Tog-Talk podcast to be shot in video (Watch it on YouTube or Vimeo), Kevin Ahronson interviews David Emery, a photographer he has known for four years. 

David shares his journey into photography, which began with inspiration from his grandfather who had a cine camera and a 35mm camera. David got his first SLR, a Praktica, on his 14th birthday and started with film photography before transitioning into digital photography. Over the years, he used various cameras, including Canon's 350D DSLR and later the Canon 80D. He eventually adopted the mirrorless trend with the Canon EOS R.

David is a generalist photographer, not bound to a specific niche. He enjoys capturing moments and candid shots.

His technical knowledge on cameras has grown significantly over time, and he credits Kevin's masterclass for enhancing his understanding of the process of taking a photo.


Test Your Knowledge
Test your photography knowledge with the free Photography Assessment Tool

Improving your photography
I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to this broadcast and I hope that you have found it interesting as well as entertaining.   If you're looking to improve your photography and you live close enough to our training centre in Fleet, Hampshire, you could attend one of our workshops (or our longer courses) in both photography and photo editing.

If you're at the beginning of your photography journey you might find this one-day introduction, just what you're looking for:

• Introduction To Photography (1-day Workshop)

Run four times a year, this one-day photography workshop will equip you with the knowledge you need to move from simply being a camera-owner… to becoming a real photographer!  Whether you're photographing your kids, snapping your holidays or you're hoping to progress your photography to a more creative level, you'll still need a solid grasp of the basics.

Want something more?
Alternatively, If you want a course that raises the bar, something to immerse yourself in for a whole year, you'll want to join our Photography Masterclass.  Run twice a year, with intakes during Spring and Autumn, it is our core workshop.

• The Photography Masterclass (one-year course)

Students on the Photography Masterclass will build a solid foundation of technical and creative skills.  They will learn not only how their cameras work and how to shoot with a creative eye, but there are modules on photographing people, working with flash, shooting landscapes, macro photography, as well as two modules on editing.

This is a ten-module photography course with photo-assignments between sessions.  Each session lasts three hours and will include time to examine assignment images and take part in practicals (where appropriate).

Kevin Ahronson is founder of Hampshire School of Photography: www.hampshirephotoschool.com

More teaching and video tutorials are available at the Photography Teacher

Email:

Kevin Ahronson is founder of Hampshire School of Photography: www.hampshirephotoschool.com
More teaching and video tutorials are available at the Photography Teacher

Email: info@hampshirephotoschool.com

What would you compare your photography journey to?   

Has your growth and experience behind the camera been like a rocket or has it been more like a snail?  Are you completely committed to following your creative journey - or is it a bit spasmodic? 

Good days and bad days?

In this week's Tog-Talk, I am joined by hobbyist-photographer Sandy Borrowdale who describes her photography as sometimes being a bit like her going to the gym.

Originally recorded two months ago, back in May

Click above to listen, or visit my dedicated podcast website tog-talk.com for more details and background information.


Test Your Knowledge
Test your photography knowledge with the free Photography Assessment Tool

Improving your photography
I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to this broadcast and I hope that you have found it interesting as well as entertaining.   If you're looking to improve your photography and you live close enough to our training centre in Fleet, Hampshire, you could attend one of our workshops (or our longer courses) in both photography and photo editing.

If you're at the beginning of your photography journey you might find this one-day introduction, just what you're looking for:

• Introduction To Photography (1-day Workshop)

Run four times a year, this one-day photography workshop will equip you with the knowledge you need to move from simply being a camera-owner… to becoming a real photographer!  Whether you're photographing your kids, snapping your holidays or you're hoping to progress your photography to a more creative level, you'll still need a solid grasp of the basics.

Want something more?
Alternatively, If you want a course that raises the bar, something to immerse yourself in for a whole year, you'll want to join our Photography Masterclass.  Run twice a year, with intakes during Spring and Autumn, it is our core workshop.

• The Photography Masterclass (one-year course)

Students on the Photography Masterclass will build a solid foundation of technical and creative skills.  They will learn not only how their cameras work and how to shoot with a creative eye, but there are modules on photographing people, working with flash, shooting landscapes, macro photography, as well as two modules on editing.

This is a ten-module photography course with photo-assignments between sessions.  Each session lasts three hours and will include time to examine assignment images and take part in practicals (where appropriate).

Kevin Ahronson is founder of Hampshire School of Photography: www.hampshirephotoschool.com
More teaching and video tutorials are available at the Photography Teacher

Email: info@hampshirephotoschool.com

Having taken up photography just a few years ago on retirement, Alec completely threw himself into it and has a fascinating tale of rapid progress.

Abandoning his Sony camera for an extensive Nikon system, Alec has had a roller coaster experience - culminating in mentoring under one of the world's greatest photographers.

In this episode of Tog Talk,  Alec Grant tells us about his photographer's Journey

More to read at tog-talk.com


Test Your Knowledge
Test your photography knowledge with the free Photography Assessment Tool

Improving your photography
I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to this broadcast and I hope that you have found it interesting as well as entertaining.   If you're looking to improve your photography and you live close enough to our training centre in Fleet, Hampshire, you could attend one of our workshops (or our longer courses) in both photography and photo editing.

If you're at the beginning of your photography journey you might find this one-day introduction, just what you're looking for:

• Introduction To Photography (1-day Workshop)

Run four times a year, this one-day photography workshop will equip you with the knowledge you need to move from simply being a camera-owner… to becoming a real photographer!  Whether you're photographing your kids, snapping your holidays or you're hoping to progress your photography to a more creative level, you'll still need a solid grasp of the basics.

Want something more?
Alternatively, If you want a course that raises the bar, something to immerse yourself in for a whole year, you'll want to join our Photography Masterclass.  Run twice a year, with intakes during Spring and Autumn, it is our core workshop.

• The Photography Masterclass (one-year course)

Students on the Photography Masterclass will build a solid foundation of technical and creative skills.  They will learn not only how their cameras work and how to shoot with a creative eye, but there are modules on photographing people, working with flash, shooting landscapes, macro photography, as well as two modules on editing.

This is a ten-module photography course with photo-assignments between sessions.  Each session lasts three hours and will include time to examine assignment images and take part in practicals (where appropriate).

Kevin Ahronson is founder of Hampshire School of Photography: www.hampshirephotoschool.com
More teaching and video tutorials are available at the Photography Teacher

Email: info@hampshirephotoschool.com

For several years I've been exploring the subject of the journey we all embark on as photographers.   It really is just like a journey with a beginning and a middle, but it has no end (it goes on forever).  It has all the qualities of a great adventure with highs and lows, it has pitfalls and moments of elation.  And like real journeys, some elements take a long time to get anywhere and others are reached in the blink of an eye.

When photographers get together and start talking about their own experiences it's amazing how many similarities we share.  Who hasn't had frustrations, who hasn't had moments when they felt like giving up?    Sharing stories is a sobering exercise that puts our problems into perspective.  We realise that we're not alone and that everyone else has (at one time or another) been through exactly the same challenges. 

In this episode of Tog-Talk Dr Simon Ruffle talks about his Photographer's journey and we explore a range of side issues that examine photography from the traveller's perspective.


Mentioned in the Conversation:

Link to Topaz Labs software
This is excellent software which goes way beyond what Photoshop or Lightroom are capable of in terms of getting rid of unwanted ISO noise.  It uses AI (artificial intelligence), which has been trained on millions of images.  With this knowledge, it removes unwanted noise from your photos and sharpens all the soft, blurry bits for you.  It's a very clever piece of software.

Improving your photography
I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to this broadcast and I hope that you have found it interesting as well as entertaining.   If you're looking to improve your photography and you live close enough to our training centre in Fleet, Hampshire, you could attend one of our workshops (or our longer courses) in both photography and photo editing.

If you're at the beginning of your photography journey you might find this one-day introduction, just what you're looking for:

• Introduction To Photography (1-day Workshop)

Run four times a year, this one-day photography workshop will equip you with the knowledge you need to move from simply being a camera-owner… to becoming a real photographer!  Whether you're photographing your kids, snapping your holidays or you're hoping to progress your photography to a more creative level, you'll still need a solid grasp of the basics.

Want something more?
Alternatively, If you want a course that raises the bar, something to immerse yourself in for a whole year, you'll want to join our Photography Masterclass.  Run twice a year, with intakes during Spring and Autumn, it is our core workshop.

• The Photography Masterclass (one-year course)

Students on the Photography Masterclass will build a solid foundation of technical and creative skills.  They will learn not only how their cameras work and how to shoot with a creative eye, but there are modules on photographing people, working with flash, shooting landscapes, macro photography, as well as two modules on editing.

This is a ten-module photography course with photo-assignments between sessions.  Each session lasts three hours and will include time to examine assignment images and take part in practicals (wher

Kevin Ahronson is founder of Hampshire School of Photography: www.hampshirephotoschool.com
More teaching and video tutorials are available at the Photography Teacher

Email: info@hampshirephotoschool.com

Five of my top tips for photographing people

I've been photographing people for a long time.  I started doing it almost as soon as I bought my first 35mm film camera.  In my home town of Brighton (on the south coast of England) I cut my teeth on capturing ordinary people going about their daily lives down on the beach and on Brighton's busy, bohemian streets. 

In later years I moved into the studio and I had several years shooting weddings, families and corporate headshots.  You pick up some tricks when you shoot as much as I did,  and on today's Tog-Talk I'm going to share my thoughts on five really helpful things to either avoid... or things that are essential if you want to take good images.

There is great advice here for newbies with cameras, but I'm also sure there will be things to learn for photographers who have been shooting for a while.

Need more..?
If you want to know a bit more, check out my Tog-Talk website which usually has photos and additional words of guidance: www.tog-talk.com


Improving your photography
I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to this broadcast and I hope that you have found it interesting as well as entertaining.   If you're looking to imporove your photography and you live close enough to our training centre in Fleet, Hampshire, you could attend one of our workshops (or our longer courses) in both photography and photo-editing.

If you're at the beginning of your photography journey you might find this one-day introduction, just what you're looking for:

• Introduction To Photography (1-day Workshop)

Run four times a year, this one-day photography workshop will equip you with the knowledge you need to move from simply being a camera-owner… to becoming a real photographer!  Whether you're photographing your kids, snapping your holidays or you're hoping to progress your photography to a more creative level, you'll still need a solid grasp of the basics.

Want something more?
Alternatively, If you want a course that raises the bar, something to immerse yourself in for a whole year, you'll want to join our Photography Masterclass.  Run twice a year, with intakes during Spring and Autumn, it is our core workshop.

• The Photography Masterclass (one year course)

Students on the Photography Masterclass will build a solid foundation of technical and creative skills .  They will learn not only how their cameras work and how to shoot with a creative eye, but there are modules on photographing people, working with flash, shooting landscapes, macro photography, as well as two modules on editing.

This is a ten-module photography course with photo-assignments between sessions.  Each session lasts three hours and will include time to examine assignment images and take part in practicals (where appropriate).

Test Your Knowledge

Or you could simply test your photography knowledge and have a go at our free Photography Assessment Tool

Kevin Ahronson is founder of Hampshire School of Photography: www.hampshirephotoschool.com
More teaching and video tutorials are available at the Photography Teacher

Email: info@hampshirephotoschool.com

Episode 10 of the 10-part series looking at Photography Basics.

In this final episode I take a look at the editing options for your photography.  Editing is an interesting subject and people often have strong views on its pros & cons.

For most of us, editing allows us to produce images which are more eye-catching.  We remove unwanted objects, we balance shadows and highlights, tweak colours and adjust the final shape of the image with cropping. 

If you would like to know more about editing your own photos, you will find this edition of Tog-Talk very interesting.


Links to editing software mentioned in this edition of Tog-Talk.

Used mainly professionals and advanced amateurs 

• Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom Plan
• Capture One 

Beginners Editing Software

• Photoshop Elements
• Affinity
• Luminar
• Gimp (free)

This isn't the entire range of editors on the market, but they are perhaps the most well-known / capable. 


Improving your photography
I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to this broadcast and I hope that you have found it interesting as well as entertaining.   If you're looking to imporove your photography and you live close enough to our training centre in Fleet, Hampshire, you could attend one of our workshops (or our longer courses) in both photography and photo-editing.

If you're at the beginning of your photography journey you might find this one-day introduction, just what you're looking for:

• Introduction To Photography (1-day Workshop)

Run four times a year, this one-day photography workshop will equip you with the knowledge you need to move from simply being a camera-owner… to becoming a real photographer!  Whether you're photographing your kids, snapping your holidays or you're hoping to progress your photography to a more creative level, you'll still need a solid grasp of the basics.

Want something more?
Alternatively, If you want a course that raises the bar, something to immerse yourself in for a whole year, you'll want to join our Photography Masterclass.  Run twice a year, with intakes during Spring and Autumn, it is our core workshop.

• The Photography Masterclass (one year course)

Students on the Photography Masterclass will build a solid foundation of technical and creative skills .  They will learn not only how their cameras work and how to shoot with a creative eye, but there are modules on photographing people, working with flash, shooting landscapes, macro photography, as well as two modules on editing.

This is a ten-module photography course with photo-assignments between sessions.  Each session lasts three hours and will include time to examine assignment images and take part in practicals (where appropriate).

Test Your Knowledge

Kevin Ahronson is founder of Hampshire School of Photography: www.hampshirephotoschool.com
More teaching and video tutorials are available at the Photography Teacher

Email: info@hampshirephotoschool.com

At some point in your photography, your enthusiasm will sadly decline.  It's inevitable.   It happens to most photographers, so don't feel guilty. 

It has happened to me a number of times over the years, and through those experiences, I believe I have found some of the best solutions to keep me constantly motivated.

This is episode nine of a 10-part series looking at Photography Basics.  In  this episode I look at what to do when your photography-mojo leaves you, when inspiration and motivation feel beyond reach.   

If you've ever found yourself in the wilderness, dry, lacking creative inspiration, you were not alone and hopefully the experiences I share with you today will be genuinely helpful the next time it happens.

Improving your photography
I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to this broadcast and I hope that you have found it interesting as well as entertaining.   If you're looking to imporove your photography and you live close enough to our training centre in Fleet, Hampshire, you could attend one of our workshops (or our longer courses) in both photography and photo-editing.

If you're at the beginning of your photography journey you might find this one-day introduction, just what you're looking for:

• Introduction To Photography (1-day Workshop)

Run four times a year, this one-day photography workshop will equip you with the knowledge you need to move from simply being a camera-owner… to becoming a real photographer!  Whether you're photographing your kids, snapping your holidays or you're hoping to progress your photography to a more creative level, you'll still need a solid grasp of the basics.

Want something more?
Alternatively, If you want a course that raises the bar, something to immerse yourself in for a whole year, you'll want to join our Photography Masterclass.  Run twice a year, with intakes during Spring and Autumn, it is our core workshop.

• The Photography Masterclass (one year course)

Students on the Photography Masterclass will build a solid foundation of technical and creative skills .  They will learn not only how their cameras work and how to shoot with a creative eye, but there are modules on photographing people, working with flash, shooting landscapes, macro photography, as well as two modules on editing.

This is a ten-module photography course with photo-assignments between sessions.  Each session lasts three hours and will include time to examine assignment images and take part in practicals (where appropriate).

Or...

Or you could simple have a go at our Photography Assessment Tool

Kevin Ahronson is founder of Hampshire School of Photography: www.hampshirephotoschool.com
More teaching and video tutorials are available at the Photography Teacher

Email: info@hampshirephotoschool.com

Episode 8 of the 10-part Photography Basics series and we are asking the question that I am asked all the time...

"Which Lens Should You Buy Next?"

Having got the kit lens that came with your new camera, you're now looking to take your photography to the next level.  You realise that this lens is perhaps not the best lens to help you.   Kit lenses are usually (there are some exceptions) very low quality and to get the kind of photos you're hoping for, you really need to get something else.

This week's Tog-Talk unpacks some of the mystery surrounding lenses and I give you my recommendations for the next lens to buy...


Improving your photography
I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to this broadcast and I hope that you have found it interesting as well as entertaining.   If you're looking to imporove your photography and you live close enough to our training centre in Fleet, Hampshire, you could attend one of our workshops (or our longer courses) in both photography and photo-editing.

If you're at the beginning of your photography journey you might find this one-day introduction, just what you're looking for:

• Introduction To Photography (1-day Workshop)

Run four times a year, this one-day photography workshop will equip you with the knowledge you need to move from simply being a camera-owner… to becoming a real photographer!  Whether you're photographing your kids, snapping your holidays or you're hoping to progress your photography to a more creative level, you'll still need a solid grasp of the basics.

Want something more?
Alternatively, If you want a course that raises the bar, something to immerse yourself in for a whole year, you'll want to join our Photography Masterclass.  Run twice a year, with intakes during Spring and Autumn, it is our core workshop.

• The Photography Masterclass (one year course)

Students on the Photography Masterclass will build a solid foundation of technical and creative skills .  They will learn not only how their cameras work and how to shoot with a creative eye, but there are modules on photographing people, working with flash, shooting landscapes, macro photography, as well as two modules on editing.

This is a ten-module photography course with photo-assignments between sessions.  Each session lasts three hours and will include time to examine assignment images and take part in practicals (where appropriate).

Or...

Or you could simple have a go at our Photography Assessment Tool

Kevin Ahronson is founder of Hampshire School of Photography: www.hampshirephotoschool.com
More teaching and video tutorials are available at the Photography Teacher

Email: info@hampshirephotoschool.com

Why do some photos come out dark?

This is such a common question among new photographers. 

Surely with today's super-clever (and super-expensive) digital cameras, you'd expect the technology to guarantee that every shot is perfectly exposed, every time?  And yet it isn't.

The thing is, cameras can't read our minds.  They don't know what we're thinking.  They have no idea what creative thoughts are going through our minds when we look at a scene. 

They simply measure the light they see and react according to their programming.  It is up to us to take control of the camera to get the results we want - and in this week's episode I will show you a couple of really easy techniques that anyone can master.


Improving your photography
I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to this broadcast and I hope that you have found it interesting as well as entertaining.   If you're looking to improve your photography and you live close enough to our training centre in Fleet, Hampshire, you could attend one of our workshops (or our longer courses) in both photography and photo-editing.

If you're at the beginning of your photography journey you might find this one-day introduction, just what you're looking for:

• Introduction To Photography (1-day Workshop)

Run four times a year, this one-day photography workshop will equip you with the knowledge you need to move from simply being a camera-owner… to becoming a real photographer!  Whether you're photographing your kids, snapping your holidays or you're hoping to progress your photography to a more creative level, you'll still need a solid grasp of the basics.

Want something more?
Alternatively, If you want a course that raises the bar, something to immerse yourself in for a whole year, you'll want to join our Photography Masterclass.  Run twice a year, with intakes during Spring and Autumn, it is our core workshop.

• The Photography Masterclass (one year course)

Students on the Photography Masterclass will build a solid foundation of technical and creative skills .  They will learn not only how their cameras work and how to shoot with a creative eye, but there are modules on photographing people, working with flash, shooting landscapes, macro photography, as well as two modules on editing.

This is a ten-module photography course with photo-assignments between sessions.  Each session lasts three hours and will include time to examine assignment images and take part in practicals (where appropriate).

Or...

Or you could simple have a go at our Photography Assessment Tool

Kevin Ahronson is founder of Hampshire School of Photography: www.hampshirephotoschool.com
More teaching and video tutorials are available at the Photography Teacher

Email: info@hampshirephotoschool.com

Some of us love to photograph beautiful landscapes, others like to shoot people... maybe in the studio or maybe capture them candidly on the street.  Helen Davies does most of her photography on the kitchen table and produces stunning images.

This week's Tog-Talk takes a week off from the current series on Photography Basics to look at a very talented lady.  We will return to the 'Basics' series next week as we look at tips on getting your photos correctly exposed, especially under difficult lighting situations.

But now, it's back to Helen...

Creative Table-Top Photography
I've known Helen for a few years and I have been regularly impressed by the quality of her work and her creative imagination .  Working with liquids, lights and various items usually found in the kitchen, she has proved to me that photography is not just landscapes and people.   

In this weeks's Tog-Talk, Helen reveals her secrets for taking great table-top shots...  and along the way, we have a few giggles as well.

I've taken the step of posting additional information and examples of her work in my blog, The Photography Teacher.   There's only so much information that can be shared in a podcast.  With a visual medium like photography, sometimes there simply has to be a way to show off the images. 

Check out the The Photography Teacher to see some of Helen's work, and while you're there, feast upon all the other tutorials that are freely available on the site, including the higly popular 30 Days of Photoshop series.

Improving your photography
I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to this broadcast and I hope that you have found it interesting as well as entertaining.   If you're looking to imporove your photography and you live close enough to our training centre in Fleet, Hampshire, you could attend one of our workshops (or our longer courses) in both photography and photo-editing.

If you're at the beginning of your photography journey you might find this one-day introduction, just what you're looking for:

• Introduction To Photography (1-day Workshop)

Run four times a year, this one-day photography workshop will equip you with the knowledge you need to move from simply being a camera-owner… to becoming a real photographer!  Whether you're photographing your kids, snapping your holidays or you're hoping to progress your photography to a more creative level, you'll still need a solid grasp of the basics.

Want something more?
Alternatively, If you want a course that raises the bar, something to immerse yourself in for a whole year, you'll want to join our Photography Masterclass.  Run twice a year, with intakes during Spring and Autumn, it is our core workshop.

• The Photography Masterclass (one year course)

Students on the Photography Masterclass will build a solid foundation of technical and creative skills .  They will learn not only how their cameras work and how to shoot with a creative eye, but there are modules on photographing people, working with flash, shooting landscapes, macro photography, as well as two modules on editing.

This is a ten-module photo

Kevin Ahronson is founder of Hampshire School of Photography: www.hampshirephotoschool.com
More teaching and video tutorials are available at the Photography Teacher

Email: info@hampshirephotoschool.com