Mastering Travel Photography with Louis A. W. Sheridan
✸
Mastering Travel Photography with Louis A. W. Sheridan ✸
Mastering Travel Photography: a course with Louis A. W. Sheridan
Starting on January 26 – Running for 7 weeks – Online
Island-hopping in Greece, scaling summits in the Himalayas, swilling champagne in Saint-Tropez – all of these life-affirming experiences can be tackled with a camera in hand if you can gently urge the stars to align and snag the right job. In an age of back-pocket cameras and an endless scroll of stunning scenery it isn’t hard to see how Travel Photographer became such a realistic role. But where in this overwhelming era of bursting camera rolls, lazy presets and copycat creativity does one actually begin on the journey?
This course has been designed to cut through the overwhelming world of photography and focus on exactly what it takes to build a life around travel photography. No bullshit, no nonsense. The course runs for seven weeks and is a combination of videos, written guides and 1–1 calls that will equip you with the skills and insights required to better understand exactly how the industry functions, what your role within it can be, and how to harness your unique perspective to travel the world with a camera in hand.
What’s included
-
✸
1–1 conversations with honest insights on the creative industry and the peaks and pitfalls of pursuing a career as a photographer.
-
✸
Develop a personal style that goes far beyond a preset. Build a consistent, unique vision that that reflects your world-view.
-
✸
Unique insights, direct quotes, and insider tips straight from the travel industry. From Magazine Editors and Hoteliers to Producers and PRs.
-
✸
Create or reinvigorate your portfolio with exercises and guidance focused on helping you create a book that clients will respond to.
-
✸
Join a global community of likeminded creatives and build a network for life with group discussions and opportunities to collaborate.
-
✸
Brush up on your business skills with a guide to the often overlooked elements of photography: invoicing, licensing, contracts and comms.
Who’s Louis?
Louis has been working as a photographer for over 10 years, his photography has taken him all over the world, from the wilds of Patagonia and jungles of Southern India, to palazzos in Puglia and private galleries in the Swiss Alps.
He has shot covers, editorials and campaigns for the world’s leading travel brands and publications, including Conde Nast Traveller, British Airways, Aman, British Vogue, Bulgari, Harper’s Bazaar, Porsche and Mandarin Oriental.
Alongside his work as a photographer he founded a creative agency—D&E—that regularly briefed and commissioned leading photographers for campaigns and editorials all over the world. Separately, he also oversaw Mr & Mrs Smith’s brand evolution, pushing the luxury company into a world of original imagery and artistic collaboration as their Creative Director.
With this unique opportunity to learn from both sides of the creative industry, Louis has a rare perspective on what brands and publications are looking for, whilst also understanding the power of a personal brand when it comes to photography.
Louis originally studied photography at university, he was left frustrated by the emphasis on theory and so little focus on what takes photography from a passion to a career. The realisation that most creatives are never taught how to make an invoice, never mind how to form a personal style and pitch brands, editors, and collaborators, helped inform his approach to work, and ultimately went on to form the basis of this course. It’s designed to be exactly what he needed at the start of his career.
Course Overview
✸
Course Overview ✸
Course Overview
Broken down into seven parts and split across as many weeks, the course is as useful for an established photographer looking to brush up on business skills, as it is for a newcomer keen to establish a recognisable personal style.
Through a combination of personal video calls, practical exercises, written guides and video recordings, Louis will work with you to develop your approach to travel photography and form your understanding of how you want this vocation to shape your life.
Each lesson will be uploaded weekly and can be completed in your own time and at your own speed.
Week 1: Introduction
An introduction to travel photography as a calling and career. An honest view on the industry and how we can all find a place in it. This is where we ask the existential questions, the what and the why. And to keep the theme of W’s, we’ll go with the who. Who am I, what does my career look like, and how did I end up here.
I’ll schedule a 1 hour video call with each participant during this first week so that I can better understand where you’re coming from and where you want to go.
Week 2: Research
This week will focus on refining your taste and getting crystal clear on what your vision is. I feel a bit like a frustrating karate teacher in a movie saying, but we can’t fight until we’ve mastered a few basics.
There will be some mood boarding tasks focussed on discovering what you’re drawn to, and how that can influence your own path and style.
Week 3: Methodology
Okay we’re now we’re in the deep end. This is where we start to focus on exactly what it means to be a photographer. In this section we’ll start to answer questions like, “how important is equipment?” and “does technique matter?”. I’ll share my approach to shooting, and give an overview of how that works in reality, and how it can affect your style and path. There will also be a task centred around archiving.
Week 4: Practical
Practice makes…closer to perfect. This week will be about building consistency in your work. Finding your personal style is key to your growth as a photographer, in this section we’ll discuss the nuances between what you want to shoot, what you think you should shoot, and what you’re able to shoot.
There will be a series of exercises that you can apply to your practice to make sure you’re not only getting the best out of your equipment, but also out of yourself.
Week 5: Portfolio
This week is all about best practice for building a winning portfolio. Shooting is only a fraction of the story when it comes to being a photographer, and an up-to-date portfolio that reflects your style and ethos is arguably more important than any camera you could clutch. You’ll learn how to review our own work honestly and the best practices for showcasing your work.
I’ll schedule a 30 minute video call with each participant during this week so that we can catch up and go through your existing portfolio, or discuss starting your first.
Week 6: Commercial & Editorial
For this section we’ll dig deeper into the business of travel photography. This means getting to grips with the necessary admin.
It also means understanding how to work with a team, how and who to pitch your ideas to, and how to turn a commission into a trip.
There will be a practical exercise on shoot production and real-life examples of how a campaign is built.
Week 7: Conclusion
For our final week we’ll go through our learnings and apply them to a next steps plan. This wasn’t all for nothing, it will be time to start pitching, trip planning and perfecting your portfolio in real-time.
As part of the final week I will schedule a 30 minute video call with each participant to review your progress and answer any questions that the course has prompted. All of the lessons and materials will be available for life, simply login whenever you need to revisit anything.
-
The course is designed to be completed in your own time, whenever you can carve out the space. The lessons and exercises will be waiting for you. The only time-sensitive parts will be the 1–1 calls but they will be scheduled around your calendar.
-
We’ll go into equipment in more detail during the course but in short, the answer is no, not really. If you don’t already have a camera that you’re attached to, then your phone camera will suffice for the lessons.
-
The course is designed for a truly global audience. My experiences are shaped working with primarily British and American brands and publications, but the same principles and approach will very much apply globally.
✸ Frequently asked questions ✸
-
The lessons featured in this course are designed to apply to far more than just travel photography. Understanding what drives you, building a personal style and perfecting your pitching – whether your next steps revolve around photography, digital marketing, content creation or beyond, you will find inspiration and insight here.
-
This course is online only but after it’s complete there will be a series of events and meet-ups globally so that we can make the most of this new community.
-
The course has been designed for all abilities – as much as that sounds rather whimsical, it’s true. The lessons have been designed to spark inspiration and insight whether you’re a hardened professional looking for some fresh perspective on the industry, or a total newbie with only a vague understanding of photography. You’re in the right place.
This online course has been designed to cut through the overwhelming world of photography and focus on exactly what it takes to build a life and career centred around travel. No bullshit, no nonsense. It runs for seven weeks and is a combination of videos, written guides and 1–1 calls that will equip you with the skills and knowledge required to understand exactly how the industry functions, what your role within it can be, and how to create a recognisable style.