The Focus Group Philosophy

What’s behind the Focus Group? 

Really simply, I want to help as many people as possible be more creative with their photography, and find some of the excitement, adventure and satisfaction that I’ve experienced in my career.

YouTube can teach you which end of your camera is which, auto mode will get you an OK exposure (most of the time), but only in person, and with an experienced teacher can you really get past any technical blocks, and unleash your creativity.

Let me backtrack a bit - I’ve been working as a professional photographer since the late 90s, and have done thousands of shoots for magazines and commercial clients around the UK, and all over the world. I’ve also taught at more than 30 universities and colleges, and run courses for, amongst others, Nikon, CNN, and the MOD.  Photography has been my life for a looooong time!

A few highlights from the past couple of decades.

I was very lucky to discover something that I could turn into a career at an early age - in my case the tipping point was aged 15 when I did work experience at my local paper.  In no time I’d converted my parent’s outside toilet into a darkroom*, and was racing around the place photographing my mates, local bands and businesses and generally having a whale of a time.

Shots from my first roll of film, work experience aged 15, college, and prints from the outside toilet darkroom.

What I found about photography is that it’s a very accessible way of being creative - even more so nowadays with digital - and there’s very little barrier to entry.  It’s very easy to get to a point where you have a tangible, finished result to look at, and that’s increasingly rare these days.  What’s almost as important is the experiences you’ll have in making the photographs - I’ve often felt my camera is a “passport” that allows me to go to places, and get access to people I wouldn’t otherwise have.

Just a few of the places my cameras and I have been.

Now - I want you to unlock some of this.  I’m not promising I’ll make you into a professional photographer - despite loving it to bits, it’s not exactly the most secure of jobs! But there’s still a wealth of adventures and experiences you can have with your camera, and then have something to show for it and share at the end of the day.

The courses I’m providing at The Focus Group are all grounded in developing your creativity, and getting you to see the world with fresh eyes.  I want you to experience that almost vertigo-inducing feeling you get when you see a great shot, and take it all the way through to the finished print or on screen.  I’ll be covering loads of craft and technical skills, across a wide range of ability, but always rooted in the principle of developing your ideas and nurturing your vision.

Teaching for Nikon, The Photography Show Live, and CNN

Stay tuned - I’ve got a couple of courses already available (Zero to Hero and Escape Auto), with more coming up pretty soon.  I’ll also be posting regular advice and info about photography on this blog and my social channels.  So, head over to thefocusgroup.uk for all the details. I can’t wait to start you on your own creative adventure!

*Converting an outside toilet is not essential to your success!