8 Courses in Edinburgh

This course is about learning to use your digital SLR camera with confidence and skill. Explore aperture, shutter speed and megapixels through to white balance, ISO ratings, histograms and much more! With a blend of technical tuition, demonstration, practical assignments and group discussion, you will discover how to unlock your camera’s full potential and take better pictures. If you don’t have a digital SLR we can often provide one for you – please select from dropdown at time of booking. You can also use your interchangeable or fixed lens system, mirrorless or rangefinder camera on this course. Bridge cameras without interchangeable lenses can be used too, but please note that they may not allow the full range of camera controls. Computer experience is beneficial. Day 1: Features of your Digital SLR camera. Areas covered include aperture, shutter speed and megapixels through to white balance, ISO ratings, histograms and all the rest. There will be time to ask questions and demonstrate the advantages of each feature, getting to grips with the “how’s” and “why’s” We will put into practise all the features that have been discussed and demonstrated in session one on a walk around town with your cameras. We will come back to the gallery, learn a little about methods of downloading and viewing photographs, and explore some basic Photoshop tools. Day 2: Exercises, Assignments and Review Question time. There will be a few formal exercises set up to practise on and time to discuss the elements learned in day one. We will also discuss in more detail the more compositional aspects of photography, and prepare for the afternoons’ assignment. You will carry out your assignments outside the gallery and be given a time to return with your completed assignments. Assignment presentations, troubleshooting and review. The last half will involve editing and viewing the photographs, open discussions and asking any final questions.   Courses are subject to minimum enrolment. Please register early, within five days of the start date, to reduce the likelihood of course cancellation. Please read our cancellation policy before booking. Students, anyone over the age of 65, and those in receipt of any form of benefits can claim the concessionary price, offering a 10% discount on the full course price. Valid proof of eligibility must be produced on the first day of the course. Please use the code CONCESSION when prompted at checkout.

Our business photography courses are created to help individuals learn how to take professional-quality photographs for use in a business setting. By taking these courses, individuals and businesses can gain the skills and knowledge they need to create visually appealing content that can help their business stand out in a crowded marketplace. About the course Courses are focussed on the client’s requirements and are bespoke to their needs. We cater from one-to-one courses for small businesses to whole marketing departments for multinationals. So whether you’re a dog walker who wants more views or a design company that needs more collateral, we can help improve your stock imagery. These classes cover a range of topics, including learning your camera settings, lighting, composition, and editing techniques. Clients will learn how to use their cameras to capture high-quality images that can be used for marketing materials, social media posts and other promotional materials. They will also learn how to edit their photos using professional software packages like Adobe Lightroom and Apple Photos to give their images that extra pop. The important stuff These courses are all bespoke in nature so pricing will vary but we start at £350 for a three-hour course. We will discuss your specific needs before the course and make sure we cover them during the course. We will travel to your place of work so you get the relevant experience in the right environment.

Master the camera and post processing skills required to produce an end result that matches your creative vision and expectations. This practical and fun course enables participants to fully explore the essential camera and Photoshop skills you need to produce stunning digital photographs. Experienced tutor Kat Gollock helps you harness your creative potential in four engaging and empowering sessions. De-mystify the technical jargon and unlock your DSLR camera’s full potential. Learn Photoshop from a photographer’s perspective and the essential skills you need to really make your images shine. If you don’t have a digital SLR we can often provide one for you – please let us know at time of booking to confirm. You can also use your interchangeable or fixed lens system, mirrorless or rangefinder camera on this course. Bridge cameras without interchangeable lenses can be used too, but please note that they may not allow the full range of camera controls. Computer experience is beneficial. Week 1: Camera You will be guided through the manual settings of your Digital SLR camera, fully exploring how to capture light and time in a single image. Learn how to generate accurate exposures through aperture, shutter speed and ISO control and how/when to apply them creatively. We’ll explore some of the other digital settings that are key to understanding and building your confidence with your own camera. Week 2: Creating Put into practice all the camera features discussed and demonstrated in Week 1 on a walk around town. You will then return to the gallery for discussion and troubleshooting session to help further iron out any kinks. Week 3: Composition Will introduce you to photographic composition, history and appreciation and will be accompanied by more time to shoot so as to put these new skills into practice Week 4: Critique This week the full digital workflow will be explored with focus on image selection and post production techniques. An introduction to Adobe programs Bridge and Photoshop will be a key part of this process. On completion, we will have an informal and supportive discussion and feedback session provided by the tutor and peers.   Courses are subject to minimum enrolment. Please register early, within five days of the start date, to reduce the likelihood of course cancellation. Please read our cancellation policy before booking. Students, anyone over the age of 65, and those in receipt of any form of benefits can claim the concessionary price, offering a 10% discount on the full course price. Valid proof of eligibility must be produced on the first day of the course. Please use the code CONCESSION when prompted at checkout.

Tour start from St Giles Cathedral or your hotel and last approx 3 hours ​This photo tour usually starts in Edinb8rgh Old Town but as it is a private tour this can be adjusted to suit your needs. It starts off by instructing you how to get the best out of your camera if you require this (and skipping it if you don't) and then the emphasis is on capturing stunning photographs of Edinburgh rather than the usual tourist snaps that most people will capture. You really get to see Edinburgh in a different way and with the help and advice of Will who has worked as press photographer, covered humanitarian crises in Iraq, shot covers and content for Lonely Planet guidebooks, covered Fashion week for many years but now concentrates on teaching from his vast skill set. ​If you prefer the tour to take place in the New Town, Dean Village etc we can do that too. We want you to see the best of Edinburgh, hear some amazing stories about our city and leave with great photos regardless of your skill level before your tour or the equipment you use. We will teach you how to get the best out of your camera or smart phone, explain everything in easy to understand language and help you "see" how to get a great photo.​ * We welcome people of all levels and have catered for absolute beginners to professionals. * As well as photography, you'll learn the background to the places we visit and the stories behind Edinburgh's colourful characters past and present. * We'll recommend places to eat/drink and other things to do in town to avoid the usual tourist traps. * We don't mind if you use a smart phone, compact camera or DSLR, we'll help you get amazing photos using anything. *We keep it simple, understandable and in no time you'll be getting photos you love. *Why choose us? We have a wealth of professional experience, our photography clients include Lonely Planet, getty images and we have been exhibited globally. We take our experience and break it down to keep it simple, effective and easy for you to pick up and develop your own style on our fun and friendly tour. * We recommend bringing the camera you are most comfortable with, whether it is a DSLR or a smartphone. * For cameras with manual settings, we recommend a wide-medium range zoom (24-105mm range) as being the most useful but anything wider (16-35mm) or longer (70-200mm) as well as prime lenses (50mm fixed lens for example) will also be used on the session. * If you are using a smartphone we recommend you download the "Snapseed" app before the tour. It's free and it an amazing editing tool. * Please make sure your batteries are fully charged and have spare batteries with you. * Please make sure you have space on your memory card/device. ALL OUR PHOTO TOURS ARE PRIVATE TOURS SO WE CAN CONCENTRATE 100% on you: These tours run daily at 9.00am, 1.00pm and 5.00pm subject to availability. Our private tour is tailored to suit your needs, whether you want in depth 1-on-1 instruction with your camera, just want to see the best of the city on your own, or you are already know about your camera functions and just want find the best places off the beaten track to get the best images then this is the tour for you. Where this tour goes does depend on the light, but we can get to areas you might not otherwise get to. What we see and what we can do is decided by you. Private tours are £120 for 1 person and add £30pp thereafter

This course will introduce you to the beautiful world of colour analogue photography. Taking as a starting point the work of contemporary photographic artists working with colour, we will discuss and explore theory as well as developing core skills essential for the capture and printing of your own colour images. You will learn how to correctly expose colour negative film and learn more about the characteristics of different types of film and the effects that they can have on an image. Within Stills’ darkrooms you will learn how to process your colour film by hand and print high quality analogue C-Type prints. Day 1 Morning: Colour Theory, Inspiration and Refresher for SLR Camera Controls During the morning we will be looking at contemporary photographers and artists that have used colour to inform their practice in specific ways. We will look at the ways in which colour revolutionized the artworld and vernacular photography. We will also look at basic colour theory, exploring which colours compliment each other and why. We will also refresh basic camera controls, load cameras and head out to the streets to shoot a roll of film. Afternoon: Colour Film Processing During this session, you will learn how to hand process your colour film. We will discuss the loading of the tank and the preparation of the machine to ensure correct processing temperature. We will look at different film types, why you may want to use them and the range of effects that can be produced. Day 2 Morning: Introducing the Colour Darkroom and Contact Sheets You will be introduced to Stills colour darkooms and become familiarised with the range of equipment you will be using. You will be taught how to set up your darkroom for printing, how the colour print processor works and how to print a contact sheet for viewing your negatives. Afternoon: Printing In the afternoon you will be expected to make a series of final C-Type prints. You will be shown techniques to improve your printing skills and produce the images you desire. This last session will allow you time to print with some one-to-one attention. We will discuss some printing techniques to help you get the most from your negatives. We will also have time at the end of the day to look back on all the work produced over the course and discuss it in relation to theory we learnt at the beginning. By the end of the course you will have: Learned more about colour theory and have a knowledge of contemporary artists working with colour photography Learned to process your own colour film Experimented with a variety of specialised darkroom printing techniques Printed contact sheets and a collection of colour photographs Feel confident in a colour darkroom using specialist equipment   Courses are subject to minimum enrolment. Please register early, within five days of the start date, to reduce the likelihood of course cancellation. Please read our cancellation policy before booking. Students, anyone over the age of 65, and those in receipt of any form of benefits can claim the concessionary price, offering a 10% discount on the full course price. Valid proof of eligibility must be produced on the first day of the course. Please use the code CONCESSION when prompted at checkout.

As phone and tablet cameras continue to improve and App developments become more advanced, mobile photography – previously considered only suitable for quick snaps and throwaway selfies – is more and more becoming recognised as a legitimate photographic medium. And anyone with a phone or tablet can do it! This course will explore the concepts of digital camera photography (and all that it entails) but through the medium of your own mobile device. Through a mixture of discussion and practical work this course will help you to push the limits of what your phone camera can do. As well as exploring the creative side of photography, we’ll break down some of the technical elements to get a better understanding of photography in general and learn how to achieve similar results using your phone or tablet. We’ll explore useful Apps to help get the desired output from your device and spend time looking at postproduction techniques that can improve and enhance your camera photos beyond a casual snapshot. Some of the Apps we will be looking at include Slow Shutter (iOS), VSCO (iOS/Android), Snapseed (iOS/Android), Adobe Lightroom for Mobile (iOS/Android) and Manual Camera (Android). You do not need to have all these downloaded in advance and, please be aware that depending on the capabilities of your phone, some of the features of these apps may not be available to you. This course is suitable for beginners and requires very little technical knowledge – just an enthusiasm and interest in photography and how to get a little more from your device. Please bring comfy weather-appropriate clothing as there will be some time spent outside shooting. Please specify the Make and Model of your mobile device when booking, so that the tutor can provide specific information tailored to your device wherever possible   Courses are subject to minimum enrolment. Please register early, within five days of the start date, to reduce the likelihood of course cancellation. Please read our cancellation policy before booking. Students, anyone over the age of 65, and those in receipt of any form of benefits can claim the concessionary price, offering a 10% discount on the full course price. Valid proof of eligibility must be produced on the first day of the course. Please use the code CONCESSION when prompted at checkout.

This 6 week course will support you to make the most of the range of applications Adobe Premiere Pro offers in the production of video. Sample footage will be provided for you throughout the course, but you can also bring along your own video files to work on. The course is quite technical so some computer experience is required. We use Macs on the course – the Premiere interface is the same across operating systems but some shortcuts and menu items are different. Week 1- The basics This week we’ll start with some of the basics, introducing you to editing and Premiere Pro through: A short history of editing; from analogue to digital Getting to know the layout of Premiere Pro Working with ‘bins’ (folders) and creating edit Sequences Making selects from the rushes and sound files by creating in and out points Introducing clips to the timeline and making a simple edit with music Understanding rendering for smooth, full quality playback Week 2- Editing narrative sequences This week we’ll get further stuck into editing by building narrative, focus on offline editing‚ better organisation of your projects and breaking down footage through: Re-linking lost or moved footage Video ingest – importing and organising clips Organising and breaking down rushes using annotated markers and sub-clips Basics of the effects and motion settings Using our skills to create a simple narrative sequence Editing a dialogue sequence Considering the best ways of exporting your film for online Learn Adobe Media Encoder for more efficient exporting Week 3- Video settings, effects & titles This week we will focus in on what makes up video from a technical standpoint. We will then look at how we can work with and alter these parameters for different uses in our films through: Transcoding – converting the footage into an editable file and understanding codecs and meta data Adjusting scale and positioning and using motion keyframes to create movement over time Adding titles and animating them Applying transitions and various stock video effects Layering tracks and using opacity and different layer blending effects Creating masks and using motion tracking Working with green-screen footage, creating mattes, mask filters and working with multiple layers Week 4- Audio & sound This week we’ll consider the importance of sound design and music for narrative and atmosphere in film and experimental video through: Learning how to enhance your film with sound and music Introducing audio and music to the timeline, cutting and leveling Laying down music and cutting the footage to fit Building sound design around an existing edit with sync-sound and SFX Common practice and different approaches for syncing external microphone audio and video Mastering the audio and making sure that it is all levelled Learning how to create subtitles for our films and different methods to export/embed them Week 5- Colour This week we’ll start looking at colour in our videos and what role that plays. We will look at the process of colour grading and changing the mood in our films through: Using Lumetri Colour, the colour-correcting function within Premiere Pro CC Matching the colour of different cameras to create a similar look Creating different “colour grades” to create different atmospheres Stylising our footage Understand the colour limitations of video files and the importance of exposure when filming Working with tracked masks to isolate certain areas within your image to colour correct Week 6- Putting it all together In our final week we will get the opportunity to experiment with all the skills we’ve learned to create an opening sequence for a tv series. This is also a great opportunity to revisit any topics from previous weeks.   Courses are subject to minimum enrolment. Please register early, within five days of the start date, to reduce the likelihood of course cancellation. Please read our cancellation policy before booking. Students, anyone over the age of 65, and those in receipt of any form of benefits can claim the concessionary price, offering a 10% discount on the full course price. Valid proof of eligibility must be produced on the first day of the course. Please use the code CONCESSION when prompted at checkout.

In a world focused on digital media, 24-hour news channels and social channels, it’s really important to communicate with your audience – there are lots of opportunities to do this if you are interviewed by journalists. There’s the chance to deliver expert comments or take part in in-depth features or give a quote about your business or organisation. The media wants to stay relevant and engaged with its audience and you can play a part in that and talk to your audience. In our Broadcast Media Training Courses, we will teach you the best ways to share your story, how to answer those difficult questions and present yourself with confidence and style. This means you will capitalise on every opportunity. Our broadcast media and media interview training courses include: Exploiting the opportunity The world of digital media means there are lots of opportunities to appear online, on radio or on TV, as an expert or commentator and gain invaluable exposure for your business and organisation. You may meet journalists at industry events or be contacted for a comment on an issue. You may also need media training because you have to protect your business’ reputation by reacting proactively if you become involved in a news story. Media training will help you handle interviews with journalists, content creators and other media professionals. You need to communicate positively and effectively and make sure your message reaches the audience. It means speaking consistently, and with style and confidence. You’ll also need to know how to handle challenging questions and make sure you positively manage your reputation. Contemporary Media Training Our media training is interactive, engaging and importantly, carried out by experienced journalist trainers. Our team has worked at the highest levels of journalism and broadcasting and will give you an invaluable insight into how to maximise the opportunity of a media appearance. We will take you through the background of what journalists want and need, and give you a clear understanding of how to prepare and deliver your messages and ideas. We will then carry out a number of media style interviews which our technical team will record and playback so you can see and hear yourself. We will then support you with practical, inclusive and useful feedback for you to put into practice for the next interview. We provide copies of all your recordings and useful notes after the training. Locations that suit you We deliver training at our facilities in Birmingham or London or at your location, bringing our technical equipment and cameras with us. You can have a half day training session for up to 4 people or a full day training for a larger group. We also deliver training online for small groups which can be useful when teams are spread around the country. Expert Journalist Trainers We pride ourselves on two things at Coherent Comms – delivering contemporary media training and our supportive inclusive feedback. We know there are lots of media training companies out there but our clients tell us they work with us because we listen. We don’t tell you what training you need or hark back to the old days. We take on board your communication needs and deliver bespoke training. Our associates are working in digital communications, carrying out interviews for news online sites and our contacts are producing digital content for a 21st century audience. We’ll talk to you about TV and radio but we understand the wider media landscape and how to navigate it. And we’re really proud of our feedback – we want to take you from good to great and believe confidence building with tips and ideas that will work for you is the best way to develop your skills. We will help you design the course you want All our media training is bespoke and designed to exactly suit your needs. We have lots of ideas of how it might work but we want to hear from you and what you want! So get in touch with our friendly team by phone on 0754 533 4269 or fill in our contact form and we will get back to you. We’d love to hear how you hope to improve your media and communication skills.