1-2-1 photography lessons in
St Albans & Hertfordshire
Learn your camera properly, in two hours, with a local pro.
The Camera Confidence Session,
photography tuition with Mike Dick
Intro
There’s a camera in your house right now that’s smarter than you’re letting it be.
Maybe it came out for a birthday party and went straight back on Auto. Maybe it’s been to three holidays and a hundred school plays, and every shot looks... fine. Not bad. Just not the photo. The one you actually wanted.
Here’s the thing nobody tells you when you buy a good camera: owning one doesn’t teach you how to use it. YouTube tutorials get you halfway, then lose you in jargon. Manuals are written by engineers, not photographers. So the camera goes back on Auto, and you go back to wondering why your holiday photos never look like the ones in your head.
That’s what this is for.
Two hours. One camera – yours. No jargon, no flash, no fluff. Just you, me, and your camera, working through exactly what’s stopping you from getting the shot you actually want. Whatever’s in your bag – Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic, OM System – it all works the same way once someone explains it properly. By the end, you won’t just know your settings – you’ll know why you’re using them, which is the difference between a lucky photo and a photo you meant to take.
Whether that’s your kids running down a beach, the light hitting the hills on a walk, or finally getting a family photo where nobody’s a blur – this is where it starts. I’ve spent years building a career as a working photographer around St Albans, and this is me handing that experience straight to you – if you want the longer version, here’s my background.
Who’s this for
This isn’t a photography degree. It’s for real people who want real results:
Parents who want their family photos to actually look like the moment felt
Anyone who’s bought a “proper” camera for travel and holidays and still shoots on Auto
Walkers, hikers and weekend explorers who want their landscape shots to do the view justice
Retirees and hobbyists finally making time to learn the camera properly
Anyone who’s been given (or given themselves) a camera as a gift and wants to actually use it
No experience needed for the Beginner session. No jargon, ever.
Based in St Albans, I also run sessions across Hertfordshire, including Harpenden, Hatfield, Radlett, Wheathampstead, London and the surrounding areas – so wherever you’re based locally, this is doable.
The two sessions
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Off Auto – Beginner Session
For:
Anyone who owns a camera and has never left auto mode.
Time:
2 hours, one-to-one, in person around St Albans/Herts (your home, a local park, or the town centre) or over Zoom if you’d rather learn from your sofa.
What we cover:
Getting to know your camera properly – the buttons and menus you’ve never touched
The exposure triangle – aperture, shutter speed and ISO, explained without the physics lecture
Depth of field –how to blur a background on purpose, not by accident
Getting sharp, well-exposed photos reliably, every time
Composition basics that instantly make a photo look intentional
Shooting in Aperture Priority (and a first go at full Manual)
A real shoot, on location, with feedback as you go
What you’ll walk away with:
The confidence to take your camera off Auto and keep it there. A camera settings cheat sheet built for your exact camera. And photos from our two hours together that already look different.
Price: £169
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Take Control – Intermediate Session
For: anyone who knows the basics but still isn’t fully confident in Manual, or wants to go from “nice snap” to “photo I’m proud of.”
For:
anyone who knows the basics but still isn’t fully confident in Manual, or wants to go from “nice snap” to “photo I’m proud of.”
Time:
2.5 hours, one-to-one, in person or via Zoom.
What we cover:
Full Manual mode – shooting without the camera making decisions for you
Reading light and using exposure compensation and histograms in tricky conditions
Composition, levelled up – negative space, layering, framing within a frame, telling a story with a still image
Creative techniques that don’t need flash – motion blur, panning, long exposure
RAW vs JPEG, and a light-touch intro to editing your own photos
A genre focus of your choosing – portraits, landscapes, street, family or pets
Honest, practical feedback on your own photos – what’s working, what to change
What you’ll walk away with:
Full command of your camera in Manual mode, a sharper eye for composition, and a session built around the kind of photography you actually want to take.
Price: £219
Perfect for family, holiday and landscape photography
If you’ve ever come back from a trip and thought “I wish these were better,” this is exactly what these sessions fix. Whether it’s capturing your kids properly instead of a blur running past, finally doing justice to the view on a St Albans walk, or getting photos from a family holiday you’ll actually want to print – both sessions are built around real photography, not studio setups you’ll never use again.
Also a brilliant gift
Struggling to buy for the person who has everything, or just bought themselves a new camera? Gift vouchers are available for both sessions – a genuinely useful, memorable present for a birthday, Christmas, retirement, or “congrats on the new camera.”
FAQ
Do I need a fancy camera? No. Any DSLR, mirrorless, or advanced compact camera works – Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic, OM System, whatever’s in your bag. If you’re not sure yours qualifies, just ask before booking.
I’m a complete beginner – will I feel silly? No question is too basic. That’s genuinely the point of the Beginner session – it’s built for people who’ve never left Auto mode.
Where do sessions take place? In person around St Albans – your home, a local park, or the town centre – plus Harpenden, Hatfield, Radlett, Wheathampstead, London and the surrounding Hertfordshire area. Zoom is also available if that suits you better.
Do you cover flash or studio lighting? No – both sessions focus entirely on camera settings and composition. If you want flash and studio lighting down the line, that's a different session.
Can I bring someone with me? These are 1-2-1 sessions, so it’s just you and me. Get in touch if you and a partner or friend both want to learn – it can sometimes be arranged.
What if the weather’s bad? We’ll work around it – indoor locations, rescheduling, or a Zoom session are all options.
Which session is right for me? If you’re still on Auto or unsure what aperture even does, start with Off Auto. If you already understand the basics but want full control and sharper composition, go straight to Take Control.
How do I buy a gift voucher? Get in touch directly and I’ll sort a voucher with a set validity period, ready to give as a present.
Can I book a follow-up session later? Yes – many people come back a few weeks or months later to go deeper on a specific topic. Just get in touch.
Ready to stop shooting on Auto?
Two hours, your camera, and a St Albans photographer who’ll actually explain what all those buttons do.