The Paul Hands Academy of Photography
Adult Photography Workshops & Tuition in Hinckley, Leicestershire
Learn to see like a photographer and use your camera to create the images you imagine.
You'll take full control of your camera, understand light, and create photographs you're proud of, with clear, plain-English teaching at every step.
Every session is in person, practical, supportive, and shaped around you: your camera, your pace, your goals.
Prefer to learn at home? Digital downloadable resources are available too.
Want to learn photography, this is why you need to get booked in with me…
Who These Workshops Are For
Beginners ready to move beyond Auto and make creative choices on purpose.
Hobbyists who want to shoot with confidence and a clear reason behind every photograph.
Couples and friends who want to learn together (2:1 sessions available).
Returning photographers picking the camera up again after a break, ready to rebuild their skills and their eye.
Business owners who want to create strong visual content for their own brand, on their own terms.
Whatever camera you own and whatever your experience, you'll be taught in clear, plain English, at your pace, in a relaxed and encouraging setting. The aim is a photographic style that is yours, and the confidence to use it.
Gallery of photography created by my students while attending one of my workshops…
How You'll Learn
Every session is hands-on, with your camera in your hands and real subjects in front of you.
Choose your format
1:1 personalised tuition: your camera, your pace, your goals.
2:1 shared sessions: ideal for couples or friends learning together.
Small group courses: learn alongside other photographers.
Secret location day trips: you find out where we're heading as we set off. Accommodation can be included.
Choose your setting
On location: we head somewhere inspiring and shoot.
Near you: sessions in your local area.
Brought to you: I travel to you anywhere in the UK, and internationally by arrangement.
Weekday and weekend sessions available.
What You'll Learn
Every session is shaped around your experience, your interests and your goals. You choose the direction, and I help you build on what you already know in a relaxed, easy way.
Popular starting points
Camera confidence: manual mode, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and reading light
Creative vision: composition, colour, and finding strong photographs in ordinary scenes
Shooting on location: landscape, street, night and low-light photography
Editing and workflow: Adobe Lightroom, organising your library, preparing images for sharing or print
Not sure where to begin? Tell me what you'd like to achieve and I'll suggest a starting point.
Who These Workshops Are For
New photographers ready to move beyond Auto and make creative choices on purpose.
Keen hobbyists who want every photograph to have a clear reason behind it.
Retired or nearly retired with the time to finally learn your camera properly.
Couples and friends learning together (2:1 sessions available).
Returning photographers picking the camera up again, ready to rebuild their skills and their eye.
Travellers who want their holiday photographs to match what they saw.
Grandparents who want to photograph family moments beautifully.
Business owners who want to create strong visual content for their own brand, on their own terms.
Any camera, any level of experience. You'll learn in a relaxed, encouraging setting with plenty of practice, building towards a photographic style that is yours.
Photography Course Guide
Every session is private, just you and Paul, in Hinckley, Leicestershire or anywhere in the UK or worldwide (travel expenses covered by the client). Sessions run weekdays and weekends, for all levels.
Bring a friend or partner to most sessions for £100 and you both enjoy a fully tailored experience. A Full Day Intensive for two works out at £275 each.
Not sure where to begin? Get in touch and tell me what you'd like from your photography. I'll suggest the best place to start.
The Taster Session
Your camera, finally making sense.
In one session you'll discover why your images look the way they do and how to change them. We work through your own camera together, then shoot so you feel the difference immediately. You leave the same day with visible improvement and a clear understanding of the foundations.
This is where the journey begins.
Private 1:1 or 2:1 · Approximately 3.5 hours · £275
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The Full Day Intensive
One day. Real locations. A new relationship with your camera.
We move through different environments, working with available light, finding compositions that excite you and building a creative process you can repeat. The day finishes in Adobe Lightroom, where your best images become finished work you're proud of.
You leave with photographs on your camera, edited work to show for the day, and a workflow to use from then on.
Private 1:1, 2:1, or a social group of 3+ by enquiry · Includes on-location shooting and post production · £450
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The Photography Kickstart
For photographers who've been here before and are ready to go further this time.
You've had your camera a while and probably done a course or two. Now is the moment to make those skills stay with you. The Kickstart takes two sessions:
A focused half-day working through your camera together, finding exactly where your gaps are and rebuilding your technical foundations so they last.
A full day of creative shooting built around the subjects and moods you love, finishing in Lightroom with finished work that shows what you're capable of.
Every minute is 1:1, so every decision is about you and your photography.
Private 1:1 or 2:1 · Two sessions · Includes on-location shooting and post production · £695
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The Photography Immersion
A Discovery Session, three full days and four weeks of focused progress.
The most in-depth 1:1 programme available, for the photographer who wants to go deep and see results quickly. It begins with a Discovery Session (worth £275, included) that sets your foundations and maps the route. Then three full shooting days, each building on the last:
Day one: your foundations in real environments, with live feedback.
Day two: your chosen genres, such as landscape, portraiture, street or wildlife.
Day three: your style, refined into a way of working you can rely on.
You shoot independently between days, and we review your work together at the start of each one.
Included: a professional 18x12" canvas print of your best image (worth £150) and a personalised shooting guide.
Private 1:1 · Discovery Session plus three full days over four weeks · Includes on-location shooting and post production · £1,495
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The 6-Week Foundation Programme
The complete system for adults who want real, lasting photography skill.
Seven private sessions across six weeks, each building on the last. You shoot independently in between, so you return each week with new images and new questions. We cover camera confidence, exposure, light, composition, multiple genres, Lightroom and portfolio building as one connected system. By the end, you think like a photographer.
The programme finishes with a portfolio design session, where we select, sequence and design a professionally printed Blurb book of your best work. It's a lasting record of how far you've come.
Included: your Blurb portfolio book, a personalised shooting guide, and a 30-minute progress review call one month after completion.
Private 1:1 or 2:1 · Seven half-day sessions over six weeks · Includes on-location shooting and post production · £1,995
Looking for something more tailored?
Bespoke programmes are available on request. Tell me what you'd like to achieve and we'll design one around you.
Before anything else — start here.
Want to self-study before your first session? The PH-ART-ED Method is the same system taught on every Paul Hands Academy workshop — introduction available as a free guide or a full PDF at pharted.com
Ready to go deeper before you commit to a workshop?
The PH·ART·ED Method PDF gives you the complete system in twelve focused pages — the same method taught on every Paul Hands Academy of Photography workshop. Work through it in your own time, at your own pace, and arrive at your first workshop already fluent in the foundations.
At £19.99 it's the lowest-commitment way to start building complete creative control over your camera.
Ready To Master Post Production?
The PHARTED Post Production Guide takes you through the complete editing workflow — the same process used on every professional shoot. Ten chapters covering everything from import to final export, with nothing held back.
If you're ready to take the same creative control in post that the PH·ART·ED Method gives you in camera, this is the natural next step.
At £37 it's the most comprehensive editing guide you'll find at any price.
Not Sure Which Session Is Right for You?
Start with a Photography Skill Audit — a personalised assessment that identifies exactly where you are now, reviews 3–5 of your recent images, and recommends the right path forward.
It's the smartest way to begin.
→ Take the Photography Skill Audit — £19.99
Or if you'd prefer to just have a conversation first:
Ready to transform your photography skills?
Book your personalised session today!
Limited 1:1 sessions available each month — book early to secure your spot.
“I booked a 1:1 session with Paul specifically to look at improving my understanding of camera lighting. I also wanted to improve my creative style and technical knowledge when using my camera.
I’m so glad I booked Paul, he was attentive, knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble.
I found Paul’s teaching style to be relaxed, friendly and very supportive, not only advising me on lighting tips but also inspiring my creative side by pointing out unusual framing ideas for images that really changed the dynamic.
I had a thoroughly smashing evening, I’d highly recommend Paul to anyone looking for a calm, patient and passionate photographer with a creative eye and a great teaching style.
Thank you Paul, you’ve reignited my passion for photography in one evening! 🙏”
1:1 Photography Workshop with Danielle Watson
Reviews
“This was without question an amazing course, well presented, we were made to feel welcome, I just wanted to know how to set my camera up, but I got a whole lot more from it, Paul explained everything in a manner you understand, nothing is to much trouble for him, he makes time for everone, and if you don’t get it (as I didn’t) he just explains it again, I highly recommend him if you want to get more from your camera, I definitely booking another course.
Thank you Paul”
“I spent a great night out learning how to take incredible night-shoot photography. It has re-inspired me to pick up my camera and start having fun again. Loads of insight & experiences shared across the group, well worth attending for all levels.”
“I attended a workshop with Paul on the 4th February. He was so incredibly patient and thorough going through the technical side and editing afterwards.
Highly recommended and I’ll be looking to book onto another one in the near future”
“Went on one of Paul’s. Workshops.. Had an excellent time and managed to learn a lot about my camera...will definitely going on more workshops with him .. explained everything in a easy to learn terms ... come away with a bit more artistic eye for a picture...I would highly recommend one of his workshops...its also a way of meeting like minded people .... great bloke and a good instructor....”
“A really enjoyable workshop! Paul was so patient with a group of beginners and really took time to make sure that we all understood the basics of photography before taking us out in the big wide world to have a play with our new found knowledge. So approachable and passionate about passing on his expertise.”
“I have been on two workshops with Paul now, the first a half day group and the second a one to one full day. Taking up photography and understanding your camera can be daunting, it is so easy to use Auto all the time. But Paul teaches you in a relaxed and friendly manner how to get the best of your camera by understanding shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Paul is very easy to get on with and his knowledge of photography makes him a great teacher.
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“Wonderful morning with Paul on our 2-1 course. Wanted a refresher and start up course to better understand the Camera,off Automatic settings.
Paul was so easy to understand,explained everything at my level,nothing too technical. Helped to get to know my new lens a little better, new interesting techniques that will enhance my camera experience. Learnt more about post production as well.
A great course,would recommend Paul highly,hoping to perhaps do another course in the future
Thank you Paul for your time and patience.”
Looking for junior photography workshops for your child?
Enhanced DBS, Qualified Photographer and Filmmaker with 14 years freelance professional experience.