Intensive Beginners Photography Course

First of all – thank you for booking a photography beginners class with us!

If you booked a group course you will shortly receive a confirmation email with the course outline, meeting place and all the joining instructions.

Also, one week before this course will be due, we will send you a quick email reminder.

If you booked One-to-One or online tuition, we will email you soon to arrange this training for you.

Paying for the course is straightforward, secure and only takes a second. After completing the registration process you will be taken to the Order Summary page where you can choose to pay with PayPal using any credit or debit card.

You can also pay by bank money transfer – please email us for details: [email protected].

If you have a gift voucher and would like to use it as part or full payment for the course, please get in touch with your gift voucher number and we will make a reservation for you.

For the photography for beginners course, all you need to bring is your digital camera, a lens, fully charged battery, and have some space on the memory card.

But generally, you are welcome to bring as much or as little gear as you like.

Yes, we offer a free camera and lenses hire for the duration of the beginners class.

It is a popular option as you can learn about all the different camera functions before buying one.

For the beginners photography course, we have Nikon and Canon cameras available.

Please let us know before making a booking.

We are based at the Wimbledon Art Studios and that’s where we run most of our photography courses.

Our full address is:

DSLR Photography Courses Ltd
Studio 131, Wimbledon Art Studios
10 Riverside Road
London SW17 0BB

Wimbledon Art Studios can be easily reached by bus, train, tube and car.

We are approximately 10 minutes walk from Earlsfield train station or 25 minutes walk from Tooting Broadway underground station via Garratt Lane.

For map and directions please visit our Contact and Location page.

We start classes promptly and keep to stated hours. Please try to arrive 10 minutes earlier to prepare your camera and all the gear that you have.

If you are running late or can not find us, please let us know so that we can help you and provide directions.

If you find out that you can not make it on the day, we would appreciate it if you notify us as soon as possible. We can try to make some alternative arrangements for you.

If you would like to cancel your attendance and give us enough notice, we can offer you a full or partial refund. Please scroll down to a relevant question about refunds and cancellation policy.

If you find that you can’t make it on the day of the course but you give us at least 14 days notice, you will be given the choice of a full refund or a credit for another course.

If you can’t make it on the day but you give us at least 7 days notice, you will be given the choice of a full refund only if we manage to re-sell it or fill this place from the standby list, otherwise, we will refund 50% of the total paid for the course.

If you notify us less then 7 days in advance and if we manage to re-sell your place or fill that place from the standby list you will receive a full refund or a course credit. Otherwise, unfortunately, we will not provide a refund.

If we are only notified on the day itself, or if you fail to present yourself at the course then we regret that there will be no refund.

If you’re starting in photography, there is no need to spend a lot of money upfront. The most critical element of your gear will be your camera and a lens. I would recommend getting a decent quality camera body and spending a bit more money on a versatile lens, like 18-135mm.

Yes, there are a few essential photography gear pieces that you might want to have right away. But things like expensive prime lenses, flash, triggers and extra lighting gear, can probably wait a bit.

Once you’ve built up your photography skills, you can upgrade your camera, change lenses, or invest in more photography equipment.

What essential photography equipment you might need as a beginner photographer?

Fast SD Memory Cards – if you think of shooting action, sports or wildlife, fast cards will process data quicker, resulting in more shots in burst mode/continuous drive mode. I typically buy Sandisk Ultra 64GD cards.

SD Card Reader – this very small gadget is just super useful. Every time I come home after a shoot, I grab the card reader, put the card in, plug it into my MacBook and transfer the photos fast!

Camera Cleaning Kit – the moment you start changing lenses, you should buy one of these. If dust gets inside the camera chamber, it can get stuck on the sensor and show up on your pictures. You don’t want that! Professional sensor cleaning is an expensive venture unless you know how to do it yourself. K&F Concept Camera Lens Cleaning Kit is a good starter.

Filter Kit – there are only three filters that you are going to need. Clear UV – to protect the lens in case you scratch it or hit against something. Circular polarizer – to remove reflections. And an ND filter to block extra light. This Hoya filter kit set is a marvel, and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

Camera Strap – that’s a big one! Imagine walking for hours with a camera down your neck… Well, yes, you need something more comfortable than just a basic strap that came with the camera. Plus if a camera model is printed on that strap, you pretty much walking with a price tag. I went through a few, my most favourite is Op/Tech loop strap.

Camera Bag – for regular walks you probably don’t need anything fancy. I use a regular NorthFace backpack where I can cram a few bits of gear loosely. If I am heading for an expedition – I always take my Manfrotto Pro Light backpack where my equipment is super protected.

Camera Tripod – you will probably be tempted to buy something of a “regular size”. As a starter, I would recommend getting a mini one like the Manfrotto Pixi Evo-2 tripod or a Joby GorillaPod. So easy to carry and so versatile! If you are into photographing landscapes, architecture, long exposures, night photography, in that case, bigger/higher tripod will be a lot more useful. I use the Manfrotto Befree Advanced 2N1 Travel Tripod and I highly recommend it as a good starter.

Many people ask me – What kind of camera should a beginner photographer get? Or especially before Christmas, I get emails like – What is the best camera to buy for a beginner photographer?

There are really two factors – your budget and your interests.

Price is the major one because this will determine what you can afford.

Categories like entry-level, semi-pro or pro, can indicate for whom this camera is. But if you are a beginner and can splash £1699 on a Canon EOS 6D Mark II, why would you want to buy an entry-level Canon EOS 4000D. Yes, you would save £1299, but various features would also limit your learning. Especially the use of focus areas and the number of focus points. 6D MK II has 45 and 4000D only 9… then is the ISO and other bits.

The second factor is – whether do you want to photograph something particular, like wildlife, macro, night sky (Milky Way), products or portraits. If yes, you might need a specialised lens. And this can add considerably to the budget. If you are into sports photography, you may want to have a camera with a higher frame rate – like the burst mode of 12-20 frames per second to nail that shot! Capture that critical fraction of a second…

How do I choose a beginner camera?

Ok, so ask yourself three questions:

What is your max budget for a camera and a lens?
Do you want to take pictures of something specific?
Are you going to be ok with a second-hand camera or does it has to be brand new? (You can save 30-40-50% on second-hand gear!)

If you’ve only just begun, photography is a hobby, and budget somewhere around £500-650 mark – check the following models:

Nikon D3500 – a very friendly beginner DSLR camera
Canon EOS 2000D DSLR
Canon EOS M50 – fantastic mirrorless system
Fujifilm X-T200 mirrorless system

Hope this helps, if you have any questions about the Beginners Photography Course – feel free to contact me!

There are so many courses available now, in-person and online. Yes, it is hard to choose.

I think it depends on how much time you are willing to dedicate to learning photography and whether you are looking to get a degree. Or is it going to be just a hobby?

Intensive Beginners Photography Course is our most popular and most comprehensive course for beginners and photography enthusiasts.

It is a full-day introduction, that covers all the fundamentals of photography and some creative techniques.  Most importantly you will have plenty of practice in the studio and outdoors.

We also have a half-day version of this class called the Beginners Photography course.

I am not claiming that the Intensive Course is the best photography course for beginners in London, but I hope that our photography students’ course reviews will speak for themselves.

The cost of a photography course for beginners depends on many aspects. Course duration, qualifications, materials provided, the prestige of the lecturer, whether it is held in-person or online. The costs vary from hundreds to thousands of pounds…

The Intensive Beginners Course is our best and most comprehensive class for beginners and photography enthusiasts. A full-day, 10am-4pm, and we limit the number of participants to 6 only. The cost is only £145.

If you would like to book it as private one-to-one photography tuition, on a date and time of your choice. The price is £300 for 4 hours of tuition.

We also have a half-day version of this class called the Beginners Photography Course. This is a stripped-down version of the Intensive course. If you can not attend the full-day version, this is also a great workshop to get started. It is two hours shorter, hence the price is only £95.

Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.