Paul Hands Academy of Photography — Adult Workshops & Tuition
Learn to think like a photographer.
Not just how to use a camera.
Learn how to take full control of your camera, understand light properly, and create photographs you're genuinely proud of — without jargon, overwhelm, or guesswork.
Every session is practical, supportive, and tailored entirely to you. Whether you're a complete beginner stuck on Auto, a hobbyist who wants more consistency, or someone returning to photography after a break — you're in the right place.
2:1 Workshop, learning photography with your best friend.
Who These Workshops Are For
Beginners who feel stuck using Auto
Hobbyists who want consistency and confidence
Couples or friends learning together (2:1 sessions)
Creatives returning to photography after a break
Business owners wanting better visual content and to do their own photography.
No pressure. No ego. Just clear teaching that works.
Gallery of photography created by my students while attending one of my workshops…
How You’ll Learn
Workshops are available as:
1:1 personalised tuition
2:1 shared sessions (ideal for couples or friends)
Small group courses and photo walks
Special location day trips
Sessions can be held:
At my home based studio
On location
In your local area
Or brought to you (UK & international by arrangement)
Weekday and weekend availability.
What You’ll Learn (Tailored to You)…
Every workshop is tailored to your experience level, interests, and goals.
You won’t be expected to learn everything below —
This is an overview of the areas we can focus on depending on the session you choose:
Camera & Technical Foundations
Understanding your DSLR or mirrorless camera
Manual mode: shutter speed, aperture & ISO
Seeing, reading and measuring light
Creative & Visual Skills
Composition and framing
Colour theory and visual balance
Making ordinary scenes interesting
Developing your own photographic style
Shooting on Location
Landscape, street, night and low-light photography
Approaching people for street photography (ethically and safely)
Staying safe while shooting on location
Post-Production & Workflow
Organising and storing your image library
Preparing images for sharing or printing
Professional & Practical Skills (Optional)
Printing and presenting your work
Building confidence as a photographer
Getting your work seen
You can even buy a gift voucher for your loved one.
Example Gift Voucher
Why Learn With Me
With over 14 years as a working professional photographer and filmmaker, I don't just teach settings — I teach how to think photographically.
Whether your goal is to create images you're genuinely proud of, build a body of work with real creative intent, or take your first steps toward a professional career, every session is built entirely around where you want to get to.
Some of my past students now shoot professionally. Others have transformed their hobby into something they're genuinely passionate about again. What they all have in common is that they arrived wanting more from their photography — and left with the tools, the confidence and the vision to get there.
My approach delivers:
Immediate, visible improvement in your images
Complete understanding of how your camera works
Confidence shooting in manual mode from day one
Creative decision-making instead of guesswork
A clear, repeatable system you can use on every shoot
The same system taught on every Paul Hands Academy session is the foundation of PH·ART·ED — structured photography education available as self-study digital resources, including the Method PDF and Post Production Guide, at pharted.com
Photography should feel exciting, not intimidating.
Photography Course Guide
Every session below is completely private — just you and Paul. No groups, no shared agendas, no one else's pace.
Bringing a friend? All sessions are available as 2:1 for an additional £100 — meaning you both get a fully tailored private experience at a fraction of the cost of attending alone. A Full Day Intensive for two people works out at just £275 each.
Get in touch to discuss any of the sessions to learn what each one involves and how they will help you.
Sessions are available weekdays and weekends. All levels welcome.
The Shadow Experience
The most unique way to begin your photography journey.
Join Paul for an hour in the field and watch a working professional photographer at work. No classroom, no curriculum, no instruction — just you, your camera, and a front row seat to how great images actually get made.
While Paul shoots, you shoot. Watch how he reads light, makes creative decisions in real time, and finds images where others see nothing. Ask questions as they come naturally. Shoot alongside him and see immediately what a difference it makes to your own images.
It's the most honest insight into professional photography you'll find anywhere — and the most enjoyable £100 you'll spend on your creative development.
Private · Based in Hinckley, Leicestershire · Available anywhere in the UK or worldwide — travel expenses covered by the client · One hour · Investment £100
Taster Photography Session
Your first step toward taking complete creative control of your camera.
In a single focused session you'll go from uncertain to confident — understanding exactly how your camera works, why your images look the way they do, and what to change to make them look the way you want them to.
We'll work through your specific camera together, identify what's been holding your images back, and spend time shooting so you can feel the difference immediately. You'll leave the same day with visible improvement, a clear understanding of the technical foundations, and a real sense of what's possible.
This is where the journey begins.
Private 1:1 or 2:1 · Based in Hinckley, Leicestershire · Available anywhere in the UK or worldwide — travel expenses covered by the client · Approximately 3.5 hours · Investment £275
Full Day Photography Intensive
One day. Real environments. A completely different relationship with your camera.
This is photography the way it should be learned — out in the world, shooting real subjects, making real creative decisions, with immediate feedback that changes how you see and shoot in real time.
We'll move through different environments across the day, working with available light, finding compositions that genuinely excite you, and building a repeatable creative process you can rely on every time you pick up your camera. No theory for the sake of it — everything is applied, practical and immediately useful.
We finish the day in post production, working through your best images from the shoot in Adobe Lightroom and turning them into finished work you're proud of. You'll leave with images on your camera, edited work to show for the day, and a workflow you can replicate from that point forward.
Private 1:1 or 2:1 · Based in Hinckley, Leicestershire · Available anywhere in the UK or worldwide — travel expenses covered by the client · Includes on-location shooting and post production · Investment £450
Photography Kickstart
For photographers who've been here before — and are ready to go further this time.
You've had a camera for a while. You've probably done a course or two. But somewhere along the way the skills didn't stick, the confidence faded, and you settled back into habits that aren't giving you the images you know you're capable of.
The Kickstart is built for exactly that situation.
We begin with a focused half-day session — working through your camera together, identifying precisely where your gaps are, and rebuilding your technical foundations so they feel solid and permanent rather than borrowed. No guesswork, no starting from scratch — just a clear, honest assessment of where you are and what needs to change.
The second session is a full day of immersive creative shooting, built entirely around your vision — the subjects that excite you, the moods you want to create, the images you've always wanted to make but haven't known how to get there. We finish in post production, working through your best images from the day in Adobe Lightroom and turning them into finished work that shows you exactly what you're capable of.
Because every minute is 1:1, every decision made across both sessions is about you and your photography. Nothing is wasted on a group agenda.
Private 1:1 or 2:1 · Based in Hinckley, Leicestershire · Available anywhere in the UK or worldwide — travel expenses covered by the client · Includes on-location shooting and post production · Two sessions · Investment £695
VIP Photography Accelerator
One Discovery Session. Three Full Days. Four Weeks. A transformation in how you see and shoot.
For the photographer who is serious about accelerating their progress and wants results fast. The VIP Accelerator is the most intensive 1:1 programme available — a Discovery Session included free of charge (worth £275), followed by three full shooting days, each one building directly on the last.
We begin with the Discovery Session to establish your camera foundations, identify exactly where your gaps are, and map out the three days ahead so every minute is focused on what matters most to you.
Day one builds on your foundations in context — shooting real subjects in real environments with live feedback. Day two takes you into your chosen genres — landscape, portraiture, street, wildlife — pushing your creative decision-making and developing your eye. Day three refines your style, builds consistency, and consolidates everything into a way of working you can rely on from that point forward.
Between sessions you shoot independently, and we review your work together at the start of each day — accelerating your progress in a way no single workshop ever could.
Every session is completely 1:1. The programme, the locations, and the pace are built entirely around you and your goals.
Included: a professional 18x12" canvas print of your best image from the programme — worth £150 — and a personalised shooting guide summarising your settings, style and next steps.
Private 1:1 · Based in Hinckley, Leicestershire · Available anywhere in the UK or worldwide — travel expenses covered by the client · Includes on-location shooting and post production · Discovery Session plus three full days over four weeks · Investment £1,495
6-Week Photography Foundation Programme
The complete system for adults who want real, lasting photography skill.
Some people want to accelerate. Others want to build something that lasts.
The Foundation Programme is for the photographer who wants to genuinely understand photography — not just pick up techniques, but develop a real creative eye, a repeatable process, and the kind of confidence that doesn't fade after a few weeks away from the camera.
Seven private sessions across six weeks, each one building directly on the last. Between sessions you shoot independently, returning each week with new images, new questions, and a growing body of work that reflects your developing vision. Nothing is rushed. Everything is retained.
We cover camera confidence, exposure, light, composition, real-world shooting across multiple genres, Lightroom editing and post production, and portfolio building — not as a checklist, but as a connected, coherent system that makes sense as a whole. By the end of the six weeks you won't just know how to use your camera. You'll think like a photographer.
The programme concludes with a dedicated portfolio design session — working together to select, sequence and design a professionally printed Blurb portfolio book of your best work from the six weeks. A permanent, beautiful record of how far you've come and what you're now capable of creating.
Every session is completely private — just you and Paul, moving at your pace, focused entirely on your photography and your goals.
Included: a professionally printed Blurb portfolio book designed together in your final session, a personalised shooting guide, and a dedicated 30-minute progress review call one month after completion.
Private 1:1 or 2:1 · Based in Hinckley, Leicestershire · Available anywhere in the UK or worldwide — travel expenses covered by the client · Includes on-location shooting and post production · Seven half-day sessions over six weeks · Investment £1,995
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.
”
“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? Visit the Paul Hands Junior Academy of Photography →
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