Photography: The Academy

Prepare Yourself for Success....

The Academy is an exciting 12-month training programme, designed
to help you build a truly successful business from wedding and portrait
photography. The Academy is taught in both a classroom setting and by one-to-one time with a personal mentor. Over the year a closeknit group of just eight students will be expertly trained in three key disciplines :

• Contemporary photographic skills
• Digital post-production
• Business skills; sales & marketing

The training team for The Academy comprises some of the industry's finest talents, and each student will receive dedicated one-toone phone support from their personal mentor, alongside regular structured 2-day classes with the group at the training studios.

Students will also benefit from a full one-to-one day to work on an area they want to develop or improve in, making this programme truly bespoke.

Highlights:

• 6 x two-day training modules at the studios
• 1 hour of one-to-one phone support every month with your mentor
• A one-to-one training day, with an agenda of your choice
• Shoot every stage of a wedding, and a complete portrait session
• Learn the secrets of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
• Create and shape your business with support from your teachers and peers

Our Commitment to You

We will work on a personal level with each student, focusing on individual strengths and weaknesses along the way, and to provide an attractive return on investment. We will provide an extremely enjoyable and informative learning experience, designed to :

• Improve your photographic ability
• Create an efficient and creative post-production workflow
• Develop a strong brand
• Increase your profits, via the above methods and a strong sales process
• You will leave the programme with improved ability and in-depth knowledge, and the confidence, enthusiasm and support network to continue your development.

Course Content

Module 1 - Building Your Business

An important theory module to begin with, as it will set the tone for the year to come.

Learn about the importance of photographic style, and how to create your own. Understand your potential client, and create your brand and product set with them in mind. Learn all about equipment and shooting methodology, and how to always shoot with the client in mind.

Module 2 - The Wedding

Shoot all stages of a wedding, discussing the theory behind the shoot as we go.

Discover the value of a pre-wedding shoot, and how to shoot one practically. We will then photograph the getting ready stages of the wedding, and discuss the timings and preparation aspects of the day. Day two is virtually all hands-on, shooting the service, the bride and groom, groups, and working in low-light. This will be an incredible development in your approach to a wedding and your own personal photographic style.

Module 3 - Lifestyle Portraits & Post-Production

Learn to how to shoot and sell the modern Lifestyle Portrait, and begin to understand the secrets of the Digital Darkroom.

You will learn how to find clients and how to prepare for and organise a portrait session. After our hands-on shoot, we will look at the products to sell, their profit margins, and how to structure your sales session. Day two is all about post-production, and we will show how to streamline your workflow, perform basic enhancements, retouching and creative processing. (We standardise on Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photohop)

One-to-One Day

Your One-to-One day will be scheduled at your convenience between modules 3 and 4. You set the agenda, so that you have the chance to address anything that you feel needs further development. This can relate to your business setup, shooting skills, post-production, or perhaps a mixture of all of these.

Module 4 - Sales & Marketing

A vital module, when everything will start to click into place.

Learn how to find work, and dramatically increase profits!
We will cover how and where to find clients and how to produce your marketing material to attract business. We help you produce your individual pricing strategy, and how to structure your sales sessions to achieve maximum profit, via theory and roleplay. Finally, we look at the concept of Return On Investment, and how to create more effective advertising.

Module 5 - Running Your Business

How to stay on top, and manage your business upwards.

This is an extremely practical lesson in how to manage your cashflow, and how to build and control a photographic supply chain. We also cover the ever-important issues of cost control, and the legal side of running your business such as contracts, copyright and insurance. Day two is all about the importance of serving your clients well, ideas on how to go that extra mile, managing problems and complaints, and will include some interesting client roleplay activity!

Module 6 - Opening Your Eyes

Exploring other opportunities in photography, and presenting your plans for the future.

Day one of the final module, will show how using all your new skills you can widen your portfolio of services to open up new revenue streams. We will discuss and shoot a model portfolio, a typical corporate assignment and discuss shooting for fun and selling your work. The final day of the programme will be your time to present your business to your new group of colleagues and friends, with your future vision! An extremely valuable exercise to help you really think and plan for the year ahead, and to be able to share great ideas with your peers.

FAQ's
The Academy is an exciting year-long course designed to help you to develop a successful photography business.
However, the programme is not for everyone and we have developed the following answers to questions we are commonly asked, to help you make an informed decision about whether it's for you.

Q. Can anyone join The Academy?

A. In short, the answer to this one is no. The best way to come to a conclusion about this is to ask yourself the following questions :

• Will you be able to attend the modules? (The onsite modules are held on Mondays & Tuesdays)
• Are you prepared to put plenty of effort into your business between the modules?
• Do you take criticism personally? (even if it is meant positively and for your own benefit?)
• Are you a ‘people person'?
• Are you determined and driven to succeed?
• Are you decisive?
• Are you prepared to implement ideas and concepts that may be new to you?

We are firm believers that success in this business has much to do with personality, charisma and drive. It has a lot to do with being able to get the
best out of people whether they are our clients, suppliers, or employees. Finally, it has much to do with being able to develop a photographic style
and to be able to ‘see’ a fantastic photograph. So, this course will not be for you if :

• You think you already know all the answers
• Believe that equipment or software alone will deliver all the results
• You tend to struggle to make a decision and then live with the consequences
• You expect success to happen by next week
• You expect your mentor to do all the work for you

Q. Who is teaching the course?
A. The programme will be taught in the main by Mike Garrard and David Morgan. There will also be several other tutors, experts in their field, who will
be teaching certain niche topics.

Q. Who will my mentor be?
A. Your mentor will be assigned to you on starting the course, and will remain with you througout the whole year for continuity. You will form a close
relationship with your mentor, and they will get to know your business intimately, and work with you closely to ensure it’s development. You will be
assigned either Mike Garrard or David Morgan as your personal mentor.

Q. How will 1:2:1 time be organised?

A. The programme coordinator is Karen Hansford, based here at the studios, and she will be your first point of call for all the administration
surrounding the course. Each student will receive 1 hour of telephone support each month with their mentor, to help them make decisions or provide feedback or answers on current issues. This time is bookable in three 20 minute slots each month. (There will be no rollover if support time is not required in a month).

Additionally, every delegate will receive a full 1:2:1 day with their mentor at the studio, approximately halfway through the year. This day is designed
to be your time to work on anything you see as important to you personally. We might spend some time looking at your digital workflow, or
working on your website plans. Perhaps it will be spent on your financial status or helping you build an effective marketing plan. Or, perhaps we
will head out for a shoot to help reinforce some lighting or camera skills. However you choose to spend your time it will be an invaluable day for
your continued progression.

Q. What if I have different skills and abilities to other people on the course?

A. Firstly, this is inevitable. We are all different after all, coming from varied backgrounds and expereiences. That is one of the strengths of the
course - your peers are likely to become your strongest allies. The use of this new network will be encouraged. We will manage the onsite module
so that subjects are covered fully, but the 1:2:1 and mentoring approach to this course ensures there is always time to make sure everyone is
progressing well.

Q. What equipment do I need?
A. You will need to have a certain grade of digital SLR as well as professional grade lenses. You will also need a computer and certain software packages. However, as part of the mentoring process we will help you make the right purchases (if needed) and help you to avoid any unnecessary expenditure.

Q. What if I can’t make it to one of the modules?

A. The Academy is a substantial investment, and as such you are strongly advised to attend all the modules. If circumstances prevent you from
attending a module however, we will be happy to send you any course handouts from the session and will spend time on the phone with
you after the module to help you catch-up.

Q. Will I have to do any homework?

A. Between modules there will be tasks for you to complete before the next session. Fully engaging with this process is an important step in helping
you move forward and developing yourself and your business.

Q. Will food be provided?
A. All lunches will be provided during the onsite modules.

Q. Where can I stay overnight locally?
A. There are several good quality B&B’s and hotels in the area depending, with something for all budgets. We maintain a list based on feedback
from other delegates throughout the year, and we will provide you with a copy of this on request.

Q. What about confidentiality?
A. This is a two way street! Any information we give you must be dealt with in the strictest confidence, and vice versa, we will not share your information
or business plans with other parties.

Q. But I don’t have a studio yet ...
A. This does not matter at all. There are many very successful photographers out there without a space to entertain clients. Great sales can be made in a shared space or in your client’s home with the
right know-how. But, it might be that you decide to invest in a studio during the course. Should this be the case we will be happy to help you personally
through this important business decision, as part of your 1:2:1 time.

The Academy is designed to provide an attractive return on your investment. There will be an opportunity for you to avoid many poor investment
decisions and, at the same time, accelerate your ability to charge higher prices as a reward for your enhanced photography skills.