An Introduction to Digital Photography 8 week course (Thetford)

This course is usually a lot of fun and incorporates a good mixture of practical (hands on) as well as the necessary theory of photography.

By the end of the 8 week course you will understand how your camera works and what settings to use for any given situation. The course will give you an understanding of photography which will teach you the basics of photography, from camera controls and exposures to composition and lighting.

You will learn the basic elements of photography, such as the relationship between ISO, aperture and shutter speeds, (how much light is allowed to enter the camera to create the picture). This will help you to understand which setting to use on your camera. It will also give you the ability to know how your photo will turn out rather than hoping for the best! You will cover topics such as manual settings, composition of a photograph and focusing to make sure you focus correctly where you want to.

We will look at how to take shots of people, landscapes, close-ups, abstract artistic work etc. The course will be fun and practical covering a wide range of photographic aspects. Students will be encouraged to experiment and try new areas of photography.

Throughout the course there will be assignments to produce photos which will be shown at the last session.

You will look at how to get the best out of your camera and the technical side, to find out what all the buttons on your camera actually do.

Finding out about composition - what makes a good photograph?

Take a look at studio lighting and how to use it to create very different effects.

We will take a look at the basics of photo editing using Adobe Photoshop where we look at editing your photo's to enhance them.

The last week is all about showcasing your work and analysing photos.

Over the course you will produce homework photos which we show on this final week. We then become judges and appraise fellow students work…in a nice way!

This course is for beginners who would like to learn how to use their cameras to get the best out of it.

What to bring

• You will need to bring a camera - compact, bridge, DSLR or Mirrorless. Your camera must have manual exposure settings (where you can control the shutter speed, aperture etc) to get the most out of the course.
• Students are asked to bring 6 photos to the first lesson, 3 they are pleased with and 3 they are not so pleased with.

Course Duration

The course is 8 weeks in duration however breaks for 1 week during the school half term.

2026-27 Course Dates

Thursdays 10am – 12pm

• 17-Sep-2026

Thursdays 6.30pm – 8.30pm

• 17-Sep-2026