Beginners and Studio Photography courses in 2016

A quick update that there are two new dates for your diary;

– Digital Photography for beginners – starts Monday 23rd January 2017
– Digital Photography in the studio introduction – over two Thursdays; 9th & 16th February 2016
For more information on these or any of my courses please click here.

If you’d like to book a place please use;
– Telephone; 01946-506416
– Email; Click to email
– Website; Click to visit

Facebook and their right to use your pictures

At 13th August 2016
By Dave Wilson
In Editorial/Freelance Photography / General / Personal Work

I recently had a discussion about posting links to Facebook groups (ie. via Flickr) instead of posting directly to Facebook. Some Facebook group owners don’t like links being posted, maybe because links are traps for unsuspecting users to have their hard drive wiped, their bank accounts emptied and their children sold to slavery?

What’s actually wrong with posting a link to (for example) a Flickr.com page where a large thumbnail of the picture appears in the Facebook post anyway?

Did you know that by uploading/posting photos and videos to Facebook gives Facebook a license to use your content in any way it sees fit? And the license goes beyond that – it can transfer or sub-license its rights over a user’s content to another company or organisation if needed. More on, Facebook’s license does not end upon the deactivation or deletion of a user’s account.

As a professional photographer I’ve had images stolen and used without my permission so I tend to put watermarks on my pictures where possible (not that it’ll stop people determined to steal your image). And usually instead of uploading them directly to Facebook I link them to an external photo sharing website which is free to use and more importantly is also safe to use.

If the owners of these groups insist that pictures have to be uploaded directly then surely they must also ensure to warn their users about Facebook using your pictures as it sees fit?

A boost from new equipment!

At 13th August 2016
By Dave Wilson
In Editorial/Freelance Photography / General / Photo Gear

I invested in some new top of the line equipment a little while ago now and I’m very pleased with the results I’ve been getting from the Canon 1DX mk2, 600EX II-RT flash and ST-E3-RT transmitter.

The new kit gives me greater flexibility in difficult conditions where others might struggle. This really is the best photography equipment on the market at the moment and I’m proud to be able to be using this in my work.

Beginners photography course to start

Monday September 19th is the date we’ll start the next beginners photography course.

Its your opportunity to find out how to improve your photos, discover common mistakes to avoid, pick up loads of tips and generally get more from your camera.

The course is delivered in a friendly and informal environment and is a great way to help you enjoy your photography. The group will be small and there’s no need to worry if you’re an absolute beginner because others will be too.

If you’d like to come along please call 01947-595476 (leave a message with your contact details if you need to) or email your details to jbarrett@whitehavenacademy.org.uk

More detail including prices can be found by clicking here.

Hensingham awards 2016

At 4th July 2016
By Dave Wilson
In Editorial/Freelance Photography / General

Hensingham Primary School held their annual Awards Evening which recognised pupils’ work and social skills at the school. The awards were presented by Jolan Gidney-Craigen (The Voice finalist) and Luke Reeson, a winner of four medals at the recent Invictus Games.

Evie Pilkington won an award for outstanding contribution to the school (in memory of Carol Brown) and Year 6 pupil Ethan Musgrave won the friendship award in memory of Joan Greggain.

I have put a YouTube video up of Jolan singing “Wishing Well” – please click here for the video.

Spring 2016 course dates

At 13th February 2016
By Dave Wilson
In General / Personal Work / Photography Courses

Great news for photography lovers – new dates have been announced for my courses!

– Digital Photography for beginners – starts Monday 11th April 2016
– Digital Photography for the serious amateur – starts Monday 6th June 2016
– Digital Photography in the studio introduction – starts Saturday 14th May 2016

If you’d like to find out more please click this link, you can also contact me to get more info.

Date announced for Serious Amateur photography course

Wednesday 3rd June is the date set to start the Serious Amateur photography course.
To book please telephone; 01946-595476 or email; Click to email

Digital Photography for Serious Amateurs is aimed towards those who may know a little about their D-SLR camera already and we show you some greater possibilities; we go deeper into some more advanced techniques including HDR, off-camera flash and multiplicity with more use of software such as use of layers in Photoshop and Photomatix.
– A total of 11 sessions over 6 weeks (6 classroom based and 5 field trips)
– Runs on Mondays 6-9pm, the field trips are usually at weekends.
– Full price; £100. Concessions available for over 60’s and other benefits.

Helping to re-brand a local school

At 25th April 2015
By Dave Wilson
In Editorial/Freelance Photography / General

Aspatria’s Beacon Hill school are rebranding their material across the range, from their website to brochures to signage and they chose me to help them do it. It was a great opportunity to help a really nice school who have an emphasis on supporting the relationships between teachers and pupils. It was a privilege to be able to assist.

A wedding in Belize!

I was delighted to be given the opportunity to photograph a wedding in Belize and capture the flavour and atmosphere of the trip. I went with the families to Coco Plum Island, just off the Belizian coast.

New course dates announced

I’m really pleased to announce new dates for my courses!

The beginners course starts on Wednesday the 15th of April and runs for 5 weeks. We have field trips at weekends where we go and put into practice what we’ve learned in the classroom. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about your camera and how to take the photos that you want and not to leave everything to the camera to make the choices for you! … and no you don’t need the latest SLR with very expensive lenses! Even ‘bridge’ camera users will be able to apply the techniques we use.

Then on Saturday the 6th June the Studio introduction course starts with an introduction in the classroom, followed the Saturday after (13th June) with a live model in the studio using our lighting and backgrounds. You will learn how to work with a model and some good external lighting techniques. Even if you don’t plan to take this up it’s a really fascinating introduction to how lighting works and affects the look of your photos.

For more information on pricing and how to book click this link.

Studio Photography course a success

This was amazing, everyone was incredibly enthusiastic and got an incredible amount from the course. Thanks to Charlotte who modelled for us today, fantastic results for all!
To see the available courses please click here.

Serious Amateur course completes

We all had a great time on the Serious Amateur course, on the 5 field trips we managed to snap some fantastic images and the photos each of the group produced were fantastic!
For more on the courses available please see here.

Sleeping Beauty comes to Egremont this Christmas

At 21st October 2013
By Dave Wilson
In Editorial/Freelance Photography / General

The Whitehaven Theatre Group are running a production of Sleeping Beauty for Christmas 2013 and the promo-shoot was great fun!

Kankku trip in the Lakes

At 21st October 2013
By Dave Wilson
In Editorial/Freelance Photography / General / Personal Work

Kankku is an off-road driving experience company based in Windermere.

Fawlty Towers comes to West Cumbria

Promotional pictures for the Whitehaven Theatre Group were taken for their upcoming comedy; Fawlty Towers.

Whitehaven News link

Volunteer work for English Heritage

At 9th July 2013
By Dave Wilson
In Editorial/Freelance Photography / Personal Work

English Heritage were looking for volunteers for surveying buildings as part of in a national survey – I volunteered my skills and surveyed several buildings within the West Cumbria area.