Photography Courses in Sydney, NSW

Len's School, Sydney:
Len's School is Len Metcalf’s photography courses and tours, located in Sydney, NSW. Len's School specialises in photography tours, workshops and individual tuition. Len works with each student individually or in group workshops and aims to bring you the best service and photographic education in Australia. With over 25 years experience and specialist training, Len is one of the few photography teachers with art, photography and educational qualifications. Highly regarded as a landscape photographer he is regularly invited to mentor and train vocational teachers and corporate facilitators. With this background you will find a well crafted course that has specific learning experiences designed into the program to ensure that you gain the most benefit from your attendance of the course. This is in sharp contrast to many courses which are run by expert photographers who don’t have an educational background.

Len's Workshop
Len's Workshop is about understanding how your camera works, how to control it and get the pictures out of it you desire. The workshop is currently run bi-monthly in the Blue Mountains. You will learn all about your camera in this two day workshop. Be pampered with good food, fantastic shooting locations, and develop your understanding of the creative process. Digital and film users are welcome and will benefit from the tuition. A good place to start your learning journey.

This workshop is the ideal place to start learning about your new camera. It is also a good place to refresh your photographic practice if it is a little rusty, change from film to digital, or start from scratch.

Creative Lens
The Creative Lens weekend workshop will inspire, develop and expand your creative practice. Students of all levels and experience, from professionals to beginners are welcome. The workshop aims to teach you how to think creatively. To think and create photographs like an artist. This weekend is a wonderful opportunity to explore the work and practices of other photographic artists, and your own creative process. Not only will you explore the creative process, you will get to explore the local environment in a series of photographic shoots timed around light. This workshop includes developing projects and thematic methods of producing art.

You will learn about the creative process in this two day weekend. Be spoiled with good food, fantastic shooting locations, and develop your understanding of the creative process. Digital and film users are welcome and will benefit from this workshop. This workshop will not teach you about your camera, exposure, f stops and shutter speeds. These are adequately covered in Lens Workshop and with individual tuition. You need to be reasonably competent with your camera. You should be able to understand and control your camera, not necessarily to a high level, but be able to get reasonable images from it. The workshop is currently run regularly in the Blue Mountains.

This weekend workshop is the ideal place to develop a project, expand your practice and challenge your photographic methods. Meet and socialise with other photographers. Complete the two days with a new inspiration for your photographic work.

Large Format Photography Workshop
Large format is a romantic and enticing area of photography that has a devoted following due to the stunning prints that can be produced and it unique slow methodology. Nothing compares to seeing an image glowing on the ground glass screen under a dark cloth. It is still the camera of choice for many fine art photographers. Experience using one of these unique cameras on this hands on workshop.

Large format photography is experiencing a revival with advent of digital imaging. There is so much magic in large negatives and seeing the image on a huge ground glass. Be part of the revival. Bring your own camera and learn how to utilize its full potential. This workshop is currently aimed at film photographers in black & white and/or colour.

The workshop covers types of large format cameras, features and benefits of various camera models, tripods and camera supports, loading film into darkslides & using quickloads, focusing the view camera, controlling perspective & image shape, controlling depth of field through tilts, swings and by aperture, using filters, and determining correct exposure.

The methodologies of various large format photographers will also be discussed, as will their work and working methods. You will gain an overview of photography composition. By the end of the two (2) day workshop you will have developed some of your black and white photographs to see your results.

Landscape Photography Workshop
Learn about landscape photography through a mixture of training and practice in the stunning Blue Mountains. Digital and film photographers welcome.

Spend a day or a couple of days learning about landscape photography from a master landscape photographer. The workshop examines the work and methodologies of many outstanding photographers and has time for a personal critique of your work. The course includes practical and theoretical components. Practical photographic excursions into The Blue Mountains are outlined in the timetable.

The workshop covers outdoor lighting for beautiful images, metering and exposure determination, camera supports, types of cameras for landscape photography, features and benefits of film and digital cameras, transporting/carrying photographic equipment in bush, safety in the bush, what to take on a day trip or an overnight hike. Focusing, depth of field, varying shutter speeds and apertures will be discussed, demonstrated and practiced. This workshop is suited for people with little photographic experience who have a digital or analogue (film) camera. You will be required to bring a tripod with you to the course.

Photography Mentor Program
Finding a photographic mentor you can learn from is an important step in understanding ones own work. Many great photographers list in their biographies the master photographers they have worked with, under and those who mentored them. Great photographers often have a number of mentors throughout their careers.

Who is your mentor?

Len is an experienced and highly regarded mentor. His skills are utilised where ever he has been engaged as a facilitator. This includes people learning about leadership, management, teaching, art and of course photography. Imagine having a photographic mentor who actually knows what they are doing when they are working with you. One who is celebrated and acknowledged as an outstanding facilitator. One who understands the importance of encouragement, one who can show you a way forward. One who looks at your existing work through fresh eyes. And one who can provide practical advice, coach, and teach you.

Now imagine how your work would improve over time with regular meetings with your own personal photographic mentor? It would accelerate… and might improve dramatically… it might take off in a new tangent… you might discover a new subject…. your might publish a book… have an exhibition….

Minimum mentoring session of two hours. Also available in five two hour blocks (total 10 hours) or ten two hour blocks (20 hours).

Sessions are run in the Blue Mountains at Len’s studio, or by phone or over the internet. For Len to visit your place you would have to add all transport and travel costs, and pay Len from the moment he leaves his studio. All long distance, mobile and international phone calls are to be paid for by the purchaser / student.

Len's Photograph Critique
Len's Critique is an individualised three hour session looking exclusively at your photographic work. You will get constructive feedback, advice, and encouragement. You will walk away from Len's Critique feeling refreshed, vitalised and with a new sense of direction. The session is run at Len's studio at Leura in the Blue Mountains. Alternatively, for an extra fee it can be easily conducted in Sydney or at your own place.

Len is highly experienced and well trained in helping people reach their potential. The session is about finding out where you are from an experts eyes, and getting advice on your future path. Years of practice as a corporate facilitator and working with thousands of people has fine tuned Len's ability to guide and coach you, to ensure you get a positive and rewarding experience.

Previous students who have participated in one of Len's Critiques have gone on to have notable exhibitions, win awards, and confidently take their photography onto the next level. Some have started their own photography businesses. While others have been able to refine and develop their business so that it could grow effectively.