Testimonials

Students

E.B. - Hungerford - Editing workshop

I can’t believe 3 hours just flew past! It was a really friendly, informal session. Not only is Bob a great tutor but he combined informative and fun so I learned a great deal without realising how hard I was working. Using my own favourite photos gave me the chance to see how much they could be improved by editing, and that made the learning process so much easier. I also now have a better understanding of composition and know why some of my photos work, and some don’t! I got such a lot from the session and am already looking forward to booking another. 

G.F. - Nr. Marlborough

What an enjoyable way to spend a morning. Bob assessed the level I was at with my iPhone camera and gave clear explanations and demonstrations of how to use all the functions I hadn’t yet discovered! A wander round the village then gave me a chance to improve the shots I was taking by concentrating on different techniques

J.D. - Lockeridge

'What a wonderful afternoon I spent in Bob's company as he imparted his photographic knowledge to me in a relaxed, enthusiastic, and informative manner. Bob's tuition is well structured and just by sitting together and looking at all the features that are on my Samsung Galaxy A7, he introduced me to several ways of improving my smartphone photography. This section of the afternoon was a perfect way to start our workshop, and naturally led us into the great outdoors, so that we could experiment with the ideas Bob had given me.  We covered Leading Lines/ Framing/ Reflections and so much more. Bob encouraged me to 'really' look around and to spot views, items and use techniques that would make and elevate an OK photograph into a great one. I would recommend Bob's teaching methods to anyone who wants to spend time learning how to improve their photography, in such an informative and relaxed way. Thanks Bob, for a great afternoon of fun and focus!'

M.S. - Sussex

Thank you so very much for the excellent workshop. I absolutely loved it and it really surpassed my expectations. You made it great fun too. I was looking at some photos of a painting holiday held in France on Instagram last night, taken by an artist I follow. He had the most brilliant lines in every shot!!

I can’t wait for the follow up workshop in due course. Many thanks for all your hard work and encouragement.

C. D. Nr. Marlborough

Your way of teaching was excellent - very relaxed, easy to understand and fun! I learnt so much, and have already tried out some of my new skills. It was interesting to learn your motto “take the photo nobody else will have taken”. I think of that when I see something I want to photograph. As with anything, no instruction manual ever produced can beat practical hands on tuition. The format of the afternoons tuition was perfectly balanced. Thanks again

S.O. Nr. Devizes

• Great advice and tips, which are easy to remember when taking your photos, even the quick snaps
• So much to learn, 3 hours just wasn't enough 
• Course full of humour, a pleasure to learn
• The follow up reminder guide was really helpful

S.J. Frome

 You explained everything clearly and made me work out how to improve each photo, guiding me when I was baffled. I had a great time, wandering around Marlborough with you and my camera and learning about composition. I particularly enjoyed photographing reflections. I was glad you spent some time going through the camera with me, and finding the magic button to adapt the lighting was so useful. 

O.R. Marlborough

I really enjoyed my 1-2-1 Phone Camera Workshop with Bob. I learned a lot and we had quite a few laughs, so it was a memorable 3 hours. I would recommend it highly to anyone who has started to think it would be good to move on from ‘point and shoot’ — a process I have followed faithfully for years. With just a little more thought one can improve things dramatically — leading the viewer in to a subject, framing, different angles…. The 2-hour ‘walk-around’ (part of the 3 hours) was a powerful way to help understand what these concepts really delivered in practice. It was balanced nicely and my brain was pleasantly full at the end.

L.A. Melbourne, Australia

I really enjoyed Bob’s 1-2-1 workshop, I had known a lot of my phone but I learnt so much more. Bob is a lovely guy and a great teacher, and made it a lot of fun to learn. Bob has the ability to break technical things down into easy english to understand and gave plenty of opportunities to put it all into practice. He was always on hand to encourage me through my photos I was taking and gave me the confidence to look beyond the normal in my photography journey. Thanks so much Bob for making me step outside my comfort zone. 

L.K. Nr. Devizes

I felt at ease with you right away; you’re good company! You explained things well for my level and I alway felt I could say when I’d had enough. I appreciated very much the trouble you went to reset the camera, probably needed because I pressed too many buttons etc. This was essential if I’m ever going to be able to use the camera properly. What little photography I had done in the past was snapping a shot just as memory, or just for ID purposes for flowers etc. One of the main things I’m
learning to do now, thanks to the lessons, is to plan the shot much more, looking at light, shade and background etc.

E.P., Nr. Devizes

When I told people I was about to do an iPhone photography course they were a bit bemused - surely you don’t need to be taught how to point and click??? However, the 3 hours went in a flash. Bob spent the first hour understanding what style of photography I was interested in and showing me all the undiscovered menus and then we headed out. It was great to put into practise not only the settings I had discovered, but also learning more about leading lines, reflections, symmetry etc to help make my photos more stylistic. Bob was a great teacher, able to articulate without being too technical. My photography has definitely improved and I no longer make the cardinal sin of pinch zooming!

C.C., Wroughton

I really loved our session together! I had no idea just how much my phone camera could do. I really appreciated the first hour sitting down and going through functions of the camera- taking notes as we went along really helped me but thank you for the crib sheet as well- very useful! Going out and taking photos was so much fun, I really loved that you challenged me to find my own answer and interpretation as opposed to telling me what you thought, I feel like this really helped me to learn. 

S.B., Wroughton

I really enjoyed my 1-2-1 photo session, and cannot recommend it highly enough to anybody who wants some tuition or guidance on photography composition. Bob’s style is fun and relaxed, with an emphasis on creative use of composition and storytelling to take unique and compelling photographs. I loved the fact that the session wasn’t heavily gear centric, but rather about developing the artistic eye. Bob took the time to listen and understand what I needed help with, and provided a bespoke session to cover it. I came away very satisfied. Thank you Bob!

J.E., Swindon

I had never considered using my iPhone for any professional imagery until I saw images captured by Bob. Needless to say I was inspired and booked a 1-1 training session. Bob is very professional, organised and detailed in his approach whilst at the same time ensuring the training session is fun – he also provided me with some reflective notes. Bob adapts the session to your needs, is supportive and encourages you to tap into your own creative style. I now feel confident in my ability to use my iPhone for photography. Thank you, Bob

Mr. J.K., Nr. Marlborough - 1-2-1 workshop

In just a few hours, Bob managed to share his excellent knowledge and expertise to introduce me to the wonders of iPhone photography and ignite an interest that makes it difficult to walk down the road without composing shots! Working from the basics up to advanced techniques in an enjoyable interactive style, I’ve now got a great understanding to build on and create some interesting images using all the power available in the iPhone camera and the eye of a photographer!

Mr & Mrs M.B., Marlborough

Bob provided a comprehensive introduction to using the iPhone covering the technicalities of the menu in a logical, sequential manner. Armed with our new found knowledge we were guided to take photos with ‘our new set of photographers eyes’ before exploring the richness of editing tools. An invaluable session, that has given us a good grounding and was delivered in a flexible, personal manner, providing what we both needed. Undoubtedly the quality and style of our photos has improved immensely and we are now keenly exploring the wealth of opportunities our iPhone camera offers us.

Photography Club Talks

Pewsey U3a Local History Group - Marlborough Underground

I would like to thank you so much for the brilliant talk you gave to the u3a local history group on Thursday morning. I knew before we left that everyone had enjoyed the revelations but I have also received a number of emails from members telling me how impressed they were with your presentation.

Derby City Photographic Club

It was staggering to learn about the capabilities of the latest model and how it can rival a traditional camera in almost every way with the use of its various features. Each of the functions was described in detail, and the format of the presentation was good because the technical information was interspersed with images of different photographic genres, dispelling the idea that phone cameras are not always capable of shooting such types of photos. I am sure most members were trying things out on their own phones, and you gave plenty of tips about things they were probably not aware of. Probably most came away feeling they needed to upgrade their phones! I certainly did.

Kilkenny Photographic Society

1st Workshop

Thank you, Bob, for a very informative and enjoyable presentation on "how to take better photos with your mobile phone.”  Your step-by-step demonstration of the capabilities of our phones as a medium for taking photos, together with your beautiful images was appreciated by all the members. We are looking forward to taking our images to the next level in part 2 “how to edit your photos to make them pop.”

2nd Workshop

Just wanted to say thank you for your enlightening presentation to Kilkenny Photographic Society last night. It was amazing to see the capabilities of the Snapseed app and the ease with which it can be used. There's no excuse for bad mobile photos anymore! It's time to get snapping and editing. Best wishes, Bernie

Calne Camera Club.

Last night we had an excellent presentation on “iPhone photography”. I liked the "lets start with the basics" approach as it covered everyone's ability before it moved into functions and uses that I had not seen or thought about. Up until last night I had only thought of a smartphone camera as a happy snapper but now I can see that it is a really capable camera that will let you use and push it as far as your imagination and ability can manage. If nothing else I have gained a new respect for my smartphone and intend to see what I can achieve. I will also be looking to introduce some smartphone only competitions to the club calendar. Thank you for an inspiring evening.

Midhurst Camera Club.

Bob gave a very well presented talk on iPhoneography, consist'ing in equal parts of tips on what a phone can do and of how best to do it, with examples of his own work using this camera. The result was an evening which both instructed and inspired. Many members' eyes were opened to the capabilities of the iPhone, and all were equally impressed by the quality and variety of the images Bob used to illustrate and leaven the technical advice.  Bob made notably effective use of the 'Zoom' medium of delivering the talk, which engaged club members to ask questions, which he handled very well, giving clear, jargon free answers. He also demonstrated live from his study many of the technical practicalities of the device, by screen sharing the viewfinder view of items in the vicinity; of the controls as presented on the phone screen; and of the resulting pictures. Bob shared his enthusiasm for his subject, and his wonderment at the underlying technological wizardry extremely effectively, making an evening as enjoyable as it was instructive.