Doors open on the 2nd of September

The all new Creativity Beyond The Camera Club

The basic premise of the Creativity Beyond the Camera Club is this:

Photography does not have to be hard.

Learning how to become visually eloquent as creators doesn't have to be an ongoing battle against boredom, confusion and unfathomable challenges.

There is a better way, a more holistic way of walking the path of the creative photographer and this is the journey I invite you to take with me.

I've done the hard yards during a lifetime of photography so you don't have to. Decades of practise have shown me the route to take to ensure we hold onto the joy that is the creative life.

This has been a long time coming!

Finally I'm ready to welcome new members to my community of creative photographers - The Creativity Beyond the Camera Club.

A group of diligent creators have been testing the initial content for a couple of years now, and growing their own photography along the way.

And I'm now ready to launch... almost.

I'm working doubly hard right now adding the final polish to the design of the site and creating new content geared towards helping creators like you find fulfillment, fun and freedom in photography.

Doors open in:

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

A little about my story

Even as a young lad I was fascinated by photography. I had a bad stammer and imagery soon became my voice. When I was 9 my dad bought me a box of camera gear that one of his workmates was trying to get rid of and so began the journey that would become my life.

This box of wonder contained an ancient camera and two lenses, rolls of black and white film, developing tanks and trays, an enlarger, boxes of printing paper and all the chemicals to make magic happen. I immersed in the books that came with the kit and soon taught myself the basics and cobbled together a darkroom in the corner of my bedroom. It's amazing what you can do with a thick eider down and a bedfull of sheets! They were the perfect blackout materials for my ongoing darkroom endeavours.

I speak more of my way in to creative photography in the introduction to the first course 'Initiation' but in a nutshell I eventually became a professional editorial photographer and was fortunate to count many of the UK's major publications as my clients.

I worked as a freelance for over thirty years before changing tack and shooting for myself, for fine art and to follow my Muse. In this time I've taught hundreds of photography workshops, hosted countless one to ones and have helped thousands of creative folk follow the joy of their photography.

So just what is the Creativity Beyond the Camera Club?

A couple of years ago I decided to put time into contemplating what it is that makes a photographer. Is it camera ownership? Knowing all the technical stuff? Being able to engage their viewers? Tell the stories that are awaiting a voice?

I wrote about this in my journal and mused on what it all meant. Pretty soon a pattern of learning formed, a voyage of discovery if you will, and I realised that these were the very steps that need to be taken to become a competent visual storyteller.

And the beauty of it is it doesn't matter what gear you use, whether you are interested in mastering the technical matters or how creative you currently feel.

If you want to be more visually eloquent, to be able to find and then elegantly catch the stories with your camera or smartphone, this clan of fellow Creators is right for you.

The Creativity Beyond the Camera Club is a place to learn from someone with deep experience, a source of inspiration, a supportive community and so much more.

The Foundation Courses - Creativity Beyond The Camera

Made up of over a hundred video lessons with twenty hours of content, these two Foundation Courses help you gently steer your course of learning without losing the sense of fun and fulfillment that any creative calling relies on for consistent progress.

As you make your way through the Initiation and the Immersion courses you will explore a pathway through six triangles of cornerstone content. I begin with the well known Exposure Triangle but go so much further - The Technical, Pictorial, Inspiration, Message and Storytelling Triangles are standalone frameworks that help you journey from where you are now to where you want to be.

Supported by bonuses, downloadable documents and a measured progress you can go as far as you want in your learnings. Do you want to go all in and master the nitty gritty, to understand hyperfocal distance focusing, the entwined relationships of the various camera settings, why composition works, how to find your message and more? There's a clear path for you here.

Alternatively do you want to skip the tech stuff, stay on fully auto or just use your phone? That's all fine too. If you just want to enjoy the journey, learn just what you need and create heartening, fulfilling images the Creativity Beyond the Camera Foundation courses will guide you through.

Niche Topics

It's still early days in the Club as yet however I'm committed to creating numerous short, focused courses that laser in on specific topics. These will be bite sized video courses with the usual support material created in response to member requests. Already I'm planning Mini Courses on sunrise and sunset photography, birds in flight, after dark, getting published and more.

Over My Shoulder

Would you like to accompany me on a full shoot, to hear my thoughts as I ponder my approach, know my plans, be walked through the shoot with my every decision shared with you as I catch my photos? More than that - would you like to watch me go through the images on my computer, decide on my post processing approach and then create the final images that align with my vision for the photos at the time of conception?

Over My Shoulder lessons will give you the opportunity to be with me virtually on a specific shoot as I share the highs and lows, the successess and the failures of my own finely honed creative processes. During my physical workshops photographers have often said that watching me work, and hearing my thought process, provides them with valuable insights and a multitude of 'ah ah' moments.

This ongoing set of video modules will give you just that opportunity for personal creative growth.

Assignments

Sometimes it's good to be set a challenge and my regular assignments will do just that. Some are quite simple, some less so and each challenge has a prize at the end that is given to a raffle selected member who has completed the assignment.

Throughout my life as a professional editorial photographer it has been the commissioned work that constantly pushed me forward. Whether working on set with the Gardener's World team, photographing researchers exploring bat populations deep in caves, catching engaging portraits of a bad tempered celebrity, shooting images for articles on island culture or just meeting hard deadlines when up against it, commissioned work taught me so much.

So I bring the positive aspects of that exercise to you with regular assignments.

The Community

We have a thriving private Facebook group waiting for you where photographers of all stripes and abilities share images, stories, experiences and problems in a supportive, caring environment. I'm in there most days too, offering my own suggestions and feedback on members work and giving guidance and constructive criticism where it's requested.

Discounts on Workshops, Advanced Online Courses and Services

Members of the Creativity Beyond the Camera Club enjoy a generous discount, and first dibs, on my physical retreats, workshops and advanced online courses included my planned mentored courses for very small groups.

Right now, deals are being struck with some service providers for discounts too. One that is confirmed is a sensor cleaning service at a discount price. Yes, it's the sensor cleaning service I choose to use.

Coaching Calls

Occasional coaching calls are run online where I cover a specific topic or have an open session where members can quiz me directly about particular issues, questions, processing quandries and more.

Free Meet Ups

Every few weeks I have a free meet up and invite members of the Creativity Beyond the Camera Club to join me for two or three hours and take a wander through a landscape, peruse a gallery or sit around a campfire to talk all things creative.

These events are necessarily restricted in number and on a first come first served basis. Plus they are held around the country so as not to exclude anyone.

Join the Wait List here

If you'd like to be amongst the first to know when the doors open, (without any commitment of course) please enter your details in the box below. Places are necessarily limited at this stage and I'm offering a generous discount to anyone who decides to join me on this journey right from the outset of this launch stage.

I'm sure you'll have more questions about the Creativity Beyond the Camera Club so I'll send you occasional emails with more information as the course refinement completes. Rest assured I'm keen to listen to what you as a creative photographer want from this and am commited to creating good content on a regular basis.

So, what will all this cost!

I've been advised not to reveal the price at this point, however that doesn't feel right to me. I find it annoying and a bit dodgy when I'm not told a price up front. So, I want to be open with you here and let you know the price per month of membership of The Creativity Beyond the Camera Club.

After launch the cost will be £19 per month for all of the above. I expect this price to rise quite quickly however please note that the price will be fixed at the point of purchase. Members will be 'grandfathered in' at the price they pay as long as they remain a member.

However, if you decide to express your interest here, by signing up to the Wait List I'm going to let you join for just £14 per month when I launch. Or if you sign up for a year it'll be just £126 (£10.50 per month equivalent)

If you choose to join that'll be the price you pay for as long as you're a member. It will never increase, I promise you that.

What's my Commitment?

Perhaps a commitment to finding fulfillment, fun and freedom in your photography?

Maybe you want to make a commitment to yourself to give yourself space to grow creatively.

I strongly suggest you commit to knowing you are worthy of this joy.

Other than that there's not a lot to say really. The more fully you commit to your creativity, to heeding the Call of Your Muse the more you will benefit from the teachings of the Creativity Beyond the Camera Club and its community.

So, what about the financial commitment? Well, in all truth there isn't one. Nothing at all. You can cancel your payments from within the membership whenever you want and your payments will cease immediately. Your access to the course materials will conclude when you reach the end of that payment cycle.

If all you want is two or three months of intensive learning then 'fill your boots'. Join me for a while and then say your goodbyes. It's all good. But I do rather hope you'll stick around for a while.