Hampshire School of Photography

Before I attended HSP I was a truly novice photographer. I always used the "point and shoot" modes on the camera. ie. the camera took care of all the exposure settings for me. I shot mostly landscapes and was generally disappointed with the results as they did not seem to reflect what I thought I was actually seeing. I have always had a long term wish that, one day, photography would become my primary hobby when I was no longer able to participate in my current more physical ones. So I decided that I wanted to learn more and improve. First, I joined a local photography club thinking that this would be a reasonable way to learn and progress. However, I felt so out of my depth and ignorant that I gave up on that after a few visits. I then found HSP on the internet and decided to take the Introductory one day course. I enjoyed it and found it very educational.... and it whet my appetite to learn more. I then moved on to the HSP one year Master Class course which I have just completed. I thoroughly enjoyed every classroom session, and I found the follow-up work assignments challenging and similarly enjoyable. The early sessions covering the interacting elements of the Exposure Triangle gave me an excellent grasp of how each element contributed to a correctly exposed photo. Other sessions gave a sound introduction to the different genres of photography (e.g. Landscape, portraits, groups, flash, macro, etc). Another session tried, with some success, to activate the almost non-existent artistic side of my brain. It really made me think about the composition of a photograph before pressing the button! There were also introductory sessions on the use of post-processing software (PhotoShop and Lightroom) which were unbelievably eye opening and very enjoyable! I found the teaching and learning environment at HSP to be very comfortable. The facilities are excellent and Kevin has a pleasant and effective teaching style. He encourages good student participation, questioning and discussion. Critiquing of submitted photos was constructive, encouraging and also very enjoyable. The Vu-graph presentations and other teaching aids (ie, cameras, lenses, kit in general) used, were excellent. Whilst I can't really claim to have become anything like an "expert photographer", I now feel that I am no longer a novice. I definitely have a much better understanding of what can be achieved and a knowledge of the skills and tools available to achieve continually improving results. I can also see that the quality of my own photos has indeed improved as a result of my learning. Who knows, use of my new knowledge and skills, plus more time dedicated to practice, might one day make me confident enough to rejoin a camera club!
Jul 23rd, 2022

Following my retirement in sept 21 I have literally dived headlong into photography investing heavily in courses at the Hampshire School of Photography. It started with the Masterclass, an in depth introduction to the theory and the technical aspects of photography. Assignments are appropriately set to stretch your technical skills over 10 sessions. Before finishing the Masterclass I enrolled on the Inner Circle which stretches your creativity and makes you more rounded through a series of tailored assignment and subsequent class critique sessions which is incredibly useful in gaining an understanding of what makes a great photograph. I am still on the inner circle and in parallel I have done the more in depth flash, landscape and macro courses and am currently awaiting the face workshop. Kevin Ahronson is a superb photographer with an encyclopaedic knowledge of photography. His ability to explain even the most complex aspects is first class and I am watching students growing their skills and knowledge as they progress. I am now taking photographs I could only dream of a year ago. I have progressed from happy snapper to accomplished amateur and I am getting highly positive reviews from even professional photographers. I am extremely delighted with HSP and in particular Kevins coaching and can highly recommend him with confidence. Thank you Kevin
Jul 12th, 2022

Wanted to drop a line about how much I enjoyed and benefited from the Lightroom Mastery session last weekend. It was well structured and responsive to the course members, making it an enjoyable and valuable experience. Already feeling more comfortable and creative with the facilities covered and would suggest that anyone tempted by the sessions planned for November should take the plunge. Go for it.
Jun 22nd, 2022

Excellent photographer and teacher, however Masterclass is only 10 lessons on a Sunday 11am - 2pm, which for the cost is disappointing ( class of around 8) . There is very little/no practical sessions. I would have expected at least 10 am - 4pm which could have included much more practical/field activity. This is a new venture, so I guess they will learn from their feedback.
May 6th, 2022

1 Day - Lightroom Course - Great session covering the Basics of Lightroom for Photography. The course was well structured and covered lots of points that I personally needed clarification on as I missed the Lightroom session during my masterclass course. As the student ratio was small there was plenty of time for Kevin to observe each student. He adjusted the pace of the course to suit the students and ensured they fully understood each section of the session by conducting confirmation exercises before moving on. After completing the course I felt confident enough to go away and start putting all that I had covered into practice straight away. In fact I enjoyed it so much that my camera has taken a back seat whilst I adjust some old photos! It great being able to use simple adjustments to enhance my photos. Well worth the money. Oh and not to forget Linda's cakes they were yummy and plentiful!
Jun 4th, 2022