Choosing the right photography training

There’s a wealth of training providers for photography courses these days, and it’s wonderful that so many people are passionate about their photography and want to learn more.

Senior Lecturer Nina Bailey was at the forefront of this wave of popularity for photography courses. She started training amateur photographers way back in 1999, after nine successful years at Canon UK where she was responsible for training staff and running the events programme. That's two decades of experience, teaching Canon photographers.

Experience counts
That Nina and our other tutors – Brian Hall (right), Brian Worley and Ian McNeill – have each enjoyed a long career at Canon UK means that they have unrivalled experience with the Canon EOS system since its inception in 1987. Individually each tutor also has a background in training, making them unique in their skillset and experience.

And this is what stands us apart. It’s not often that someone can be highly skilled in two areas. Professional photographers, for example, have learnt their trade through many years experience of shooting, and honed their skills typically in one or two areas of photography. And their images and success demonstrate that. But how many have real experience in teaching?

Pros turning to teaching
Part of the reason that so many professional photographers have turned to training is to support their photography business. In the days of film, photography wasn’t nearly as accessible. Then along came digital. There are a number of key markers along the way which meant that photography was ever more accessible and the technology more affordable.

In 2003, Canon introduced the EOS 300D (Digital Rebel). This was the first camera to break the £1000 barrier, and came with what’s become known as a ‘kit lens’. This meant that a fully featured DSLR camera was within reach of more amateur and enthusiast photographers than ever before. Since then, all entry level EOS cameras have been sub-£1000, and in 2018 the EOS 4000D was launched, with a price tag of only £299.

Early adopters of technology also have little fear of the unknown. So someone who embraces technology and all the key advantages that automation can bring, found digital photography easier to break into than film. This potent combination of enthusiast photographers with access to affordable and competent camera technology led to the advent of the hobbyist photographer picking up the odd job in their spare time – like weekends – and able to charge less than the professional photographer as it wasn’t their main income.

Turning technical into tangible
Back to teaching. The famous adage, ‘Those who can’t do, teach’ is often seen as a negative. Yet for our tutors, the joy is in understanding the technical nature of photography, then relaying that technical information in an easy-to-understand way to our customers, so that they can use that information to improve their photography.

And what about those that can do? No doubt some of them also make excellent teachers. And if you want to learn how a particular photographer achieves outstanding results in their specialist area, then of course you should go and learn what you can from them.

We prefer a slightly different approach. You'll be taught how your camera works, how to set it up depending on what you want to capture, and how all the different features can improve your images. Too many times we've seen that a really useful feature has been turned off, because the person that taught them doesn't use it. From us you'll learn what it does, then you can make your own mind up.

For the thorough, comprehensive understanding of your Canon EOS camera, taught by experienced photography tutors, then EOS Training Academy should be your first choice.