I have never taken a photography class or a course in my 31 years, instead I've used the glorious world wide web to google any questions I was having. Really I've just some how 'winged' my entire photography existence through absolute luck!
You'll agree whilst this is sometimes good, you do need to actually have some practical help and that's just where I'm at the moment - I want to progress. My photography is okay but it could be better, so when I was invited to a taster session with the Jessops Photo Academy I knew this was an opportunity to good to miss. But would I learn anything I couldn't do already? If the picture above is anything to go by, (which I took during the course) it was definitely worthwhile...
The Jessops Academy is the perfect point for a range of outcomes, whether you want to brush up on the basics or develop what you know, then it really does check every possible box. The main aim of the Jessops Academy is to help you get the most out of using your camera, something only once I attended the class did I realize how much I didn't! 
We kicked off the workshop with an introduction to the camera savvy team who were taking us through the course. There was such a photography passion from the get-go! They wanted us to start with the basics and so we got a chance to try all sorts - particularly loving the moment the balloon was burst and water goes everywhere! Somehow with just making a few setting tweaks I caught the water mid spread, which is something I have never been able to do until then. We didn't just stay inside, (you'll be pleased to know) we went out into London to complete some tasks around China Town and I decided to try out some moving pictures. I love extreme sports so eventually I'd love to take some decent footage from that, so I took some pictures of the busy London street. Well! I was over the moon with the outcome - again something I've wanted to create but never been able to. 
I couldn't quite believe how much I didn't know or had considered. We practised a number of tasks and had a team walk around the room to check how we were getting on, troubleshooting on not just one brand of camera but whatever camera you had! They were so knowledgeable about each of our cameras it was crazy and the passion I mentioned before was not only for work but clearly on a personal level. 
I know my photos aren't fantastic but I'm really pleased with it as a starting point, and considering I was only taking part in level 1 I'll take that! I'm excited about maybe trying level 2 and developing my skill set further, it's truly opened my eyes into what I don't know and what I want to know. Big thanks to the Jessops team for having me I truly recommend taking a course like it. Jessops Academy Courses are bookable online and in-store, and also just to add they aren't all London based. Courses start from £119 for a full day (10am-4pm) www.jessops.com/academy. 
