Street photography workshops in the UK
Immersive, challenging and great fun: do the workshop, join the community!
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This Leica street photography workshop is now fully booked. Please contact me to add your name to the waiting list for future dates
Learn tips, tricks and techniques specific to the Leica system, whether you’re an M, Q, SL or CL user, either digital or film.
The workshop will help you exploit the potential of the Leica system for street (or documentary) photography. Users of other brands are welcome on the workshop (and there is much cross-fertilisation of techniques across all brands) but you can expect to hear a lot of the “L word”!
Although Leica-specific, this is a street photography workshop. As well as mastering the zone focusing technique and some Leica-specific tips, we will cover some of the essential street shooting techniques such as:
The ideal camera set-up, including lens selection
The art of observation / noticing
Find and react to ‘the decisive moment’
Hunting vs fishing
Master zone focusing
Techniques for confident and fearless street shooting
How to work / exploit every scene
How to develop projects
(Just for clarity, this is a StreetSnappers workshop and it isn’t sponsored by Leica)
London’s West End gives us the perfect backdrop to learn and practice our street photography techniques. Depending on the weather and any local events, we may visit the South Bank, St James, Soho and Chinatown (depending on the weather and events)
This full-day street photography workshop will be challenging, informative and fun. Brian will motivate and inspire you with his knowledge and will entertain you with his experiences. You can read more about the ‘StreetSnappers difference’ here.
Shoreditch has it all for street photographers: from the vibrant Brick Lane to the quirky back streets, it provides us with a uniquely interesting backdrop. Expect street art, colourful markets and real characters!
This full-day street photography workshop will be challenging, informative and fun. Brian will motivate and inspire you with his knowledge and will entertain you with his experiences. You can read more about the ‘StreetSnappers difference’ here.
Using London’s financial district as our primary canvas, this workshop combines elements of urban landscape, architectural and street photography to offer participants a unique learning experience. We explore the old and the new, the rich and the poor, using the architecture and the light to create carefully crafted street photography images with a distinctive aesthetic. Depending on the weather conditions, we may visit the areas of Waterloo, the Barbican and the City (Square Mile).
This full-day street photography workshop will be challenging, informative and fun. Brian will motivate and inspire you with his knowledge and will entertain you with his experiences. You can read more about the ‘StreetSnappers difference’ here.
This full-day session will give you a solid grounding in how to conceive, shoot and produce a documentary project. Using London as our canvas, we’ll have a great opportunity to explore, discuss and shoot together. There will be a little pre-course thinking and research for you to do and you will be encouraged to think of a documentary project idea prior to the workshop.
These workshops run from 10am to 5pm, followed by a drink in the pub.
These workshops are timed to coincide with the launch of my latest book: ‘52 Assignments - Night Street Photography’.
With a maximum of 6 participants, this ‘Saul Leiter inspired’ night-time street photography workshop will focus on shooting in London’s West End (including Soho and Chinatown).
From 5pm to 9pm, we’ll work together on the techniques and the creative approaches for shooting the streets at night, producing stylish and distinctive images inspired by art – not random pictures of people sitting in cafes or just walking down the street.
Embracing Leiter’s simplistic approach, this workshop is more about the ‘art’ than it is about the technical aspects of street photography.
Please not: this workshop is not about ‘copying’ the work of Leiter; it’s about understanding his vision and approach and bring these influences into your own work.
Saul Leiter was one of the world’s greatest and most influential street photographers and his work has made a remarkable revival in the 21st century. In this workshop you will learn about the man, his philosophy, his approach and his style of shooting. You’ll discover how to embrace this striking aesthetic and to bring his influence into your own street photography.
The 1-day UK street photography workshop
Working with Brian Lloyd Duckett, a highly experienced course leader (a full-time professional street photographer and photojournalist) in a small group, this is a powerful and immersive learning experience.
You will build an appreciation of the aesthetics of street photography which extends beyond random pictures of strangers walking past a wall or of people sitting in a cafe.
Our street photography workshops are structured, informative and relaxed. They are sometimes provocative, usually challenging and always highly enjoyable; they will stretch your imagination, develop your skills and boost your confidence. Whilst we cover the technicalities (such as camera settings, light and composition), our main focus is on teaching you the essential skills to help you become an accomplished street photographer, conquering your fear of shooting on the streets, understanding what makes a strong image and helping your develop your own style and approach.
This is as much about the art of street photography as it is about the technique and it is this combination which makes our workshops different. There is a structured, tried and tested formula designed to make you a better street photographer.
When choosing your workshop, please study the description for each of the variations listed above; apart from the geographical differences there are slight variations to the content of some - particularly the Saul Leiter and London City options.
Most street photography workshops start at 10.30am and finish around 4.45pm (Liverpool and Blackpool workshops run from 10am to 4.30pm).
Brian will help you . . .
Develop a street photographer’s eye and learn how to ‘read the streets’, spotting photo opportunities in everyday street scenes
Understand the aesthetics and the art of street photography
Nurture your own photographic style and learn how to conceive and develop projects
Understand the components of a great street image
Conquer your fear of photographing strangers, shooting your environment quietly and unobtrusively
Overcome the awkwardness of getting closer to your subjects
Learn the technical aspects of street photography: equipment, settings, composition, exposure, light and focus
Use layers to add volume and depth to your street photography images
Maximise the potential of your camera when shooting the streets
Learn how manual (zone) focusing can make you more effective as a street photographer
Find and develop your ‘voice’ as a photographer
Understand the key legal and ethical aspects of street photography
Who’s it for?
This workshop is designed to give you a thorough grounding in street photography so you’ll have the confidence and the skills to produce great images on your own. Because the groups are small (maximum of 6 participants) there’s plenty of one-to-one time so, whether you’re a beginner, an improver or an established street photographer, there’s bags of material for you to take away.
There are no strict requirements for joining the workshop but you will find it helpful if you have a basic grasp of your camera’s functions – aperture, shutter speed and ISO, for example.
And you don’t need masses of gear – just one camera and lens is fine – anything from a Lomo to a Leica!
What happens after the workshop?
Workshop follow-up
We will send you an extensive follow-up document with a recommended reading list, links to films and videos and other helpful resources. Critique is an important part of the learning process and you’ll be invited to submit images for constructive critique to help keep your development on-track. As far as we’re concerned, ‘the workshop never ends’ and Brian is always here for support and advice as your street photography journey progresses.
The StreetSnappers Collective
You’ll be invited to join the StreetSnappers Collective, a wonderfully warm and inclusive street photography community. Membership is completely free and is available only to those who have participated in Brian’s workshops. It’s a small, select and welcoming group of people with a shared passion: street photography. Benefits of Collective membership include access to a lively, active and very warm Facebook group where you can post images for critique, ask questions (about gear, techniques or locations, for example) or create debate about street photography. Members can arrange meet-ups in their areas, form critique circles and organise their own events.
What gear do you need?
It really doesn’t matter! You can become an accomplished street photographer with anything from a £50 Olympus Trip to a £7,000 Leica. People come on workshops with compact cameras, DSLRs, rangefinder cameras, smartphones - and people using film are warmly welcomed.
The ideal camera is something small and unobtrusive (rangefinder cameras are ideal for street photography) with a lens in the range of between 28mm and 50mm, with 35mm being the sweet spot. You won’t need a flash, tripod or a big bag full of accessories - just one camera, one lens and a few spare batteries is all you need. To see the gear I personally use, please click here.
Fancy something further afield? We also run street photography workshops in Lisbon, Venice and Prague!
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Join us on a weekend group workshop where we will explore the less-trodden Lisbon, the winding back alleys where sardines are being grilled on the street and the locals are selling their home-made tipple, Ginjinha. The city offers great weather, amazing light, terrific food and photo opportunities around every corner. Click HERE for full details.
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Venice is a dream location for documentary and street photographers. Join us in the winter months when we’ll take you off the beaten track and to some of the city’s most photogrenic locations - away from the tourist hordes. There’s more information HERE.
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This magical city, with its fairytale architecture, provides us with a great backdrop against which to learn and practice the art of street photography. We usually run workshops in the early autumn - please see HERE for details.
“If I saw something in my viewfinder that looked familiar to me, I would do something to shake it up”
- GARRY WINOGRAND