from the hearth
Photography for your creative business
NEW DATE TO BE CONFIRMED
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From the Hearth is an online beginners photography course for artists, makers and creatives of all kinds, who want to take photographs that fully encapsulate the magic of what they themselves are creating and setting out into the world.
It covers the essential elements of photography, teaching you how to use your camera in manual mode, and play with light and composition, as well as guidance on how to take the specific images you need for your creative business. Yet it also delves deeper into how we can all create and interact with our work, encouraging us to share a part of ourselves through our photography.
From the Hearth is a course for the darker months. A source of warmth, inspiration and community when the days are short, the trees are bare, and our world drawn tight around us.
The course runs for five weeks.
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FROM THE HEARTH..
Our hearths are the centres of our homes.
They hold our fires. The warmth we gather around and share stories over. The passion that fuels and excites us. The sense of belonging and familiarity we take comfort from. From the fledgling sparks that catch and flame, to the smouldering embers that keep the promise of tomorrow’s fire, our hearths hold it all.
As daylight falls into dusk, we are drawn into their glow. We pull our chairs closer to the flames, turn to see the flickering faces of those we love, and forget about the dark clamour of the outside world.
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The hearth is more than just a physical space, it’s a symbol of hope, of community, and of safety. But it’s also one of spirit, passion and excitement.
And the hearth is where we take our photographs from: from the sanctuary of a steady warmth, and the thrill of a bright creative spark.
Taking photographs from the hearth is a way of embedding this feeling of belonging and purpose into our photographs, making them dance like the shadows of the flames. It’s not just about taking technically good shots, but taking photographs that have feeling, spirit, and hope within them. That connect to another’s sense of hearth and home. And like the glow of a roaring fire in a darkened room, illuminate something magical from within us.
Taking photographs from the hearth is what we do, and it’s what we’d like to help you do, too.
PHOTOGRAPHY FOR YOUR CREATIVE BUSINESS
The first introduction most people now have to your business is visual. Whether via Instagram or your website, the photographs you take and choose form an indelible imprint on people’s minds. And yet, as more and more photographs flow past our eyes, it’s becoming even harder to stand out, and honestly communicate what makes our individual businesses so unique and wonderful to the world.
As brand photographers, we recognise the value of having a professional photographer take a series of images of you and your business. Yet we also understand that there is a need for business owners to learn how to take photographs themselves.
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We also believe that photography is a way of communicating how we see the world, and what it is that nourishes, enlivens, and sustains us. As such, it can be a powerful way to connect with our communities, and show not only what we do, but why we do it. It is ourselves as creatives, that make our business unique.
We created From the Hearth to fulfil this need, yet we also wanted to create a course, much like our first one - Life in Motion, that is about far more than just the skills you learn. We wanted a course centred on community, where participants can gather around a metaphorical hearth, share their stories, listen to those of others, and take inspiration and comfort from the places these stories meet.
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From the Hearth is also not just about striking an initial match, but about kindling a fire that can burn long after the course itself is over. To us, photography isn’t just a means to an end, but an enriching creative practice that adds as much to our lives as it does to our businesses.
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Hello, I’m Sarah, a photographer and filmmaker based in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire.
I am drawn to telling people’s stories, and motivated by the idea that these stories are all entwined with each other. For me, photography is a way of pulling on the threads of our lives, and finding the places where they knot and bind. It’s these tangled ties that give us our shared sense of humanity, and what we can return to when loneliness and disconnection creep in.
I work alongside my wife Suzi, who is also a photographer and together we have built our business over the last thirteen years.
For me, photography has always been about recording moments of connection between people, or the things they love to do. It’s about capturing the look of someone totally absorbed in their craft, or glancing at the face of someone they love.
I’ve also seen how important our photography has been to the growth of our own business, and I can see how valuable the skills we have are in marketing our work and building a community. I’m really keen to share these skills with other creatives.
Read more about us here
Together we’ve been taking photographs of brands and businesses for over 13 years. While we’ve been fortunate enough to photograph a number of household name companies in this time (including The National Trust, Tesco Ireland and Canopy and Stars) our favourite shoots have always been those of individual makers, artists and creatives. We’re repeatedly drawn to photographing people who express themselves through their creativity, feel at home in their work, and make things with thought and intention.
You can see some of our work with these people here
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The elements of fire
spark|kindle|flame|glow|gatheR
My dad is a lumberjack, and from an early age I was taught how to build and master a fire. The smell of woodsmoke, and the taste of jacket potatoes roasted in cinder always return me to my childhood years. I also grew up in a house with no central heating, and the sounds of my mum riddling the grate and brushing down the hearth are what pulled me from sleep each morning.
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For me, fire is about ritual and routine. It’s grounding and soothing. It is made from humble things - wood, paper, a single match - and yet it gives so much more: Warmth, light, companionship, and comfort. It is never not a source of joy, and crumpets toasted in its flames will always taste better than those not!
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Fire hasn’t just given us the name of this course, but has inspired it from initial spark to final ember. Each week is themed on an element of fire, and as the fire builds and glows, our hope is you and your confidence in photography will too.
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photography | Business | ourselves
Each week of the course consists of three separate teaching strands, each with their own lessons and exercises.
PHOTOGRAPHY
The elements of photography are the foundation of this course. We cover everything you need to know and understand in order to take photographs in manual mode, as well as light, composition and storytelling.
It’s about giving you the skills to express yourself creatively through photography.
BUSINESS
As business owners there are specific things we need and want to be able to photograph.
From product shots to how to photograph yourself at work, our aim is for you to start creating a wide portfolio of images you can use to market your business, and build community once the course is finished.
OURSELVES
It’s only by bringing a part of ourselves, something vulnerable and honest, to our photography that we are able to create something truly magical.
For this part of the course I will be joined by our Creative Business Mentor, Fiona Barrows, and together we will explore the connections between ourselves and our work, and how we can use them to enliven our photography.
the fires in our hearths
Fiona and I share the belief that creative work, that being successful as a creative, is not just about selling, making money or creating on demand. We can’t create from an empty space. Our best work always come from our hearth - from the place that roots and inspires us - and one of the best things we can do for ourselves, our business, and our creativity, is to explore exactly what this is.
Fiona is a creative business mentor, brand strategist and copywriter who we have been working with for over three years now. She has helped us to craft and articulate our Feeling of Home brand, and create this very course.
Over the five weeks, together in conversations you can listen to when away from your desk, we will explore how we can define and articulate what it is that lights and warms us from within, and how this can then be crafted into a compelling brand that connects with people in a genuine and heartfelt way.
Fiona will also be available for a bonus question and answer session over Zoom in week 3.
At the end of the course, we would like you to feel:
Confident in your ability to use your camera and take the photographs you would like to take.
Not needing to wait for a professional photoshoot, and able to add seasonal elements, or photograph new products or services as you create them.
Understand yourself and your business better, and be able to communicate this through your photography and wider brand.
To have the satisfaction of having learnt and developed a new creative skill, and the excitement to continue taking photographs and building on these skills in the future.
To feel part of a community, supported and encouraged, and hopefully with a few new internet friends to follow!
photography for your creative business
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£345
(If you’d like to split this into 2 payments, please contact us and we can arrange this for you)
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this includes
Five weeks of course content across three teaching streams: Photography, Business, and Ourselves
Practical exercises in each stream every week to put into practise what you have learnt
Weekly group Zoom calls to ask questions and get feedback - these will take place in the evening but we will alternate days. All calls are recorded and are available for a week afterwards
A bonus lesson on editing
A bonus brand question and answer Zoom call with Fiona Barrows
A small and supportive community to share ideas and work with (maximum 40 participants)
All course content and community is hosted on Mighty Networks, a community-focused online platform. You can access via their app or through your browser
We really look forward to seeing your work and providing feedback during our weekly Zooms, but if you would like a deeper 1-1 to review work and move forward a few of these will be made available during the course for you to book.
“Sarah is brilliant at breaking down concepts so you can understand them in isolation before putting them altogether in manual. But what I like most about her approach is that it’s so gentle and humble. She takes care to make sure everyone is OK and listens to the answers. She has an infectious enthusiasm and so much skill and creativity - and she would never hesitate about sharing any of it. Thank you Sarah and thank you new and old friends.
Ffion Atkinson (words from our Photography For Your Creative Business in person workshop).
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What sort of camera do I need?
A: Any DSLR or mirrorless camera and you’re good to go.
Q: Can I do this course if I only have a smartphone camera?
A: Most of the Elements of Photography strand is about learning how to use a DSLR or mirrorless camera in manual mode, and you will struggle to get value from the course without one.
Q: Will you teach me how to use my specific camera?
A: All cameras are slightly different, and we just can’t cover them all! We recommend you dig out and become familiar with your camera manual before the course.
Q: What camera will you be demonstrating on?
A: We will be demonstrating on our Nikon DSLR’s and Sony mirrorless cameras.
Q: Will you teach me how to take photographs specifically for Instagram?
A: We believe photography is for life not just for Instagram! Instagram is a fantastic platform for sharing and building community, and one we really love, but it is not what we take photographs specifically for. However, good photography always does well on Instagram and learning how to take interesting photographs is useful if you wish to grow your profile.
Q: Do I get lifetime access to the course?
A: Yes you do. Although for obvious reasons, we can’t guarantee it will always be hosted on Mighty Networks, and that you will therefore always have access to the conversations that take place there. But we will make sure you will always have the core course materials.
Q: Will you teach me how to edit my photographs?
A: There will be a bonus lesson on editing your photographs, including demonstrations in Lightroom. If you do not have Lightroom then there will be other editing programmes that are similar in function but not in design so it would be up to you to learn how to use yours.
Q: Do I have to have a business to do this course?
A: No, but I think you would need to be creating something and hoping to share it with the world. Although again, we don’t think you would get full value from the course without it.
Q: If I change my mind after registration can I get a refund?
A: All payments are final, but if your personal circumstances change then please do get in touch.
Q: When will you be running this course again?
A: Our next run is tbc. Please join our mailing list to be the first to hear about it.