Last weekend, Amateur Photographer magazine invited people to apply for places on a street photography workshop in London.  I sent in some images and was delighted on Monday to hear that I had been given a place.

The workshop, which took place on Thursday, was being led by Damien Demolder, former editor of AP magazine and an experienced street shooter who regularly runs photography workshops in London.

The day began at the Tate Modern.  There I met Damien, Phil from AP magazine and my fellow enthusiasts, Tim, Steve, Gagan, and Nic.  Over coffee, we chatted about our experience in the genre so far and what we hoped to get out of the day.  I mentioned that I would like to get closer to my subjects, not necessarily physically, but to create more of a connection between the viewer of the image and the subject.  I thought I was waffling but Damien seemed to understand what I was on about.

As the day had brought us bright light with strong contrasts, Damien set us the task of using shadows in our compositions.  He showed us how to use the transitional space between dark and light, capturing moments when the subject was lit but with darkness behind.

Several of us commented that we tended to walk about seeking images so Damien had us find a location with good light and then stay in one spot and wait for the shot. I really enjoyed this approach and will definitely be using it from now on!

Damien’s ‘can do’ attitude was so infectious that it wasn’t long before I had plucked up the courage to ask someone if I might take their photo.

Once that taboo was broken there was no stopping us! I had a super day thanks to AP magazine and Damien. This photo workshop thing is addictive so it’s a good thing I am booked on another workshop with Damien in April, this time as a birthday present from my husband.