I am a great believer in lifelong learning, although the main thing I’ve learned is that belief and application are two very distinct things!

It’s been 15 years since I took up photography. There have been years when I taught myself a huge amount, through books, online guides and plenty of shooting practice. Other years, I’ve been less disciplined. Some years, despite my best efforts, other personal and professional demands on my time have totally dominated, at the expense of my passion.

So, this year, I decided to re-prioritise my personal photographic development. I booked a few one-to-one training sessions with Andrew Mason at 36exp. I knew I wanted to focus on male portraiture, as it is not something I’ve done much of previously.

Andrew arranged three sessions, with three different models. Each session involved using light in a different way: studio lighting, natural lighting and off-camera flash.

These photos are from the natural light session. I love the look of natural light portraits but there are many variables to take into account (more than I had realised). Andrew taught me some great techniques to use the existing light to my advantage and I came away from the session feeling really inspired.

I really enjoyed working with Andrew. If you are in London and want to learn some new photographic skills, I would highly recommend 36exp. The group workshops are a really cost-effective way to try out different genres (and also a great way to meet other photographers). The one-to-one training is perfect if you want to dedicate some time to improve specific areas of your craft.