Starting 2026 the Right Way

Yesterday I ran my first photography lesson of 2026 at Forty Hall, and it reminded me why I enjoy teaching as much as I do.

After fifteen years behind the camera, seven of those shooting weddings professionally - you’d think I’d be past the point of getting excited about the fundamentals. But I’m not. The fundamentals are where everything changes.

This first session was about coming off Auto.

Auto feels safe. It gives you something usable most of the time. But it doesn’t give you control, and it doesn’t give you consistency. Most beginners stay there longer than they want to because manual feels intimidating. All those numbers. All those settings. It feels like you’re about to get it wrong.

You’re not. You’re learning how the camera sees.

We worked through aperture and shutter speed in a practical way - adjusting, testing, seeing the results immediately. Not memorising theory, but understanding cause and effect. Change this, and that happens. Open this up, and the image shifts. Slow this down, and motion behaves differently.

And then it happens. The moment someone realises they’re no longer guessing. They’re choosing.

That’s the real breakthrough. Not a perfect photo — control.

Forty Hall was the perfect place for it. The grounds force you to slow down. There’s texture everywhere. Structure. Natural light that changes minute by minute. You can’t rush it. You have to observe.

One of the images I took during the session was a stained glass window, layered detail, symmetry, depth. It’s the kind of thing most people walk past without noticing. Once you understand exposure and control, you start seeing those moments everywhere.

Photography changes when you stop reacting and start deciding.

The next session this month moves into composition. Once you can control the camera, the next step is learning how to build a frame intentionally. How to guide the viewer’s eye. How to use space, lines and balance. How to stop taking photos and start constructing images.

This year I’m putting more energy into teaching because I’ve realised something simple: most beginners don’t need more information. They need clarity. They need someone to cut through the noise and say, “This is what matters. Focus on this.”

If you’ve ever looked at your photos and felt they didn’t quite match what you saw in your head, that’s not a talent issue. It’s not about owning better gear. It’s about understanding what you’re doing and why.

And that’s a skill.

A learnable one.

If 2026 is the year you stop leaving it to chance and start building real confidence with your camera, I’m here for that.

Because there’s nothing better than watching it click.