Photoion Photography School

Outstanding 2-day Beginners' Photography course in a very convenient Central London location by Waterloo Station, in a very stylish and comfortable studio but which doesn't cost Central London pricesIon is a born teacher, and simplifies all the jargon (a camera is just a box, and an aperture is just a hole), finding different ways to explain things so that everyone can understand - including me, and I'm severely dyslexic! He is extremely generous with his wealth of knowledge, and very positive and constructive in all his comments, so that confidence builds steadily through the experience. Above all, he makes students practice, practice, and practice until the movements and calculations become second nature.Another thing I really like about Ion is that he encourages a continuing relationship, sharing of images, and continues to give feed-back even after the course has ended.Worth every penny, this is a totally stimulating and inspiring course!

Totally hooked on this Photography School; you gotta love the guy who has such passion about teaching photography and interest in seeing his students develop.After the advanced 2 day course in October 17 I thought right don't stop there :) and recently went to Montenegro on one of their photography holidays where we had the most amazing time doing landscapes, lowlight, portraits and capturing the night sky all under his crazy enthusiasm for never missing a photographic opportunity and pushing you to get better and better.new motto :) Chasing light.....would never have captured those images 6 months ago. Keep it simple and enjoy the experience.Cant wait for Speed light course next month.

Very good day learning studio lighting. Good facilities, lots of places to eat nearby, knowledgeable and patient trainer, class size of 8 was enough to get practice and share ideas.

I have done a few photography courses before Photoion, but since doing these I have actually seen a huge improvement in the photos I am taking! Ion is a great teacher, and not only teaches the theory of how the camera works and the technicals of taking the photo, but he also gets you thinking about what you need to consider before you even pick up the camera.In the early stages I relied heavily on my Lightroom and post-production ability.. now I find my photos straight out of the camera are stronger than the edited version! I've done the beginner and portrait workshops, and will do the advanced one shortly.As I'm taking photos now, I no longer point and shoot and hope I have the settings right.. I can hear myself asking the questions, what am I trying to capture, what do I need to do first... Couldn't recommend Photoion enough.Small classes, lots of active feedback and a great learning environment, plus the opportunity to post photos for feedback on the Facebook group so you keep learning.

I attended the two day Beginner’s Photography Course with Ion a couple of weeks ago. Ion is a really great teacher and explained everything in a really simple and easy to understand way, including how to use change the camera settings to achieve different photo effects and how to use the different camera modes. It was great to be able to practice the techniques used and take the camera I had borrowed home overnight between two days. It was also very convenient to be able to do the course at the weekend. Ion also offers feedback on photos after the course has finished, which is a really great extra bonus! Thank you Ion and Photoion!

I was thoroughly impressed with this course. I have been practicing and experimenting photography for a while, but I have found that despite my creativity - my technical ability needed some work. Originally I signed up for the advanced lighting course as I wanted to fully understand technically what kind of equipment created certain styles of lighting. Afterwards I signed up for the Advanced Photography Course, to get a fully rounded understanding of how to take my photography to the next level.The shots that we generated over the advanced lighting course were so professional I use them now in my portfolio. We covered a lot of ground and explored a variety of creative lighting scenarios - and commercial setups. The model that Ion had found was very professional as well, and it was incredibly useful to get some extra advice on how to collaborate effectively with subjects. Likewise in the Advanced Photography Course we covered an amazing amount of ground, and I really felt that coming out of both the workshops that I had so many of my questions answered. I noticed over the next couple of shoots that my technical ability and understanding had improved exponentially.All in all, I found Ion to be an incredibly personable and enthusiastic teacher, and I was impressed with the passion that he taught us with. I would thoroughly recommend The Photoion Photography School to anyone who is looking to really understand photography, or in the same position that I was in. The workshops themselves are fun, and the School itself is in a nice, convenient area in London.All I can say is - Thank you Ion!

It was a great experience learning photography with James. He is a very engaging teacher. I gained the understanding and confidence to use the camera in manual mode. I think it is a great course for anyone who is a beginner with DSLR or mirrorless camera.

I took the 2 day beginners course during the week and it was so enlightening.I was an absolute beginner in photography, always using the auto function on my camera. Since i only owned a compact Ion let me borrow one of his DSLRs for the course.Ion is a natural teacher, fun, caring and offers great feedback on your photos.He made all the technical skills easy to understand and provided us with loads of opportunities to practice what we learnt.The course consists of 1 day in the studio, learning all the information you need to get started and then the next day out along the Southbank taking photos and practising the art. In between he asked us to go home and try out what we learnt at home and the next day, before going out, we went through what we took and he gave us feedback.Overall it was a fantastic couple of days. I went in to just learn more about photography and to be more comfortable with the camera. But learning so much and having such a good time while doing it, I definitely see this as something I will want to grow. Will be returning for an advanced course for sure.

finally committed to doing the beginners introduction course over 2 days, after having it on my to do list for some time. The location of the studio is near Waterloo station and next to the great great Graffiti tunnel at Leake street which we used for our second day session, shooting with a tripod (one for each student). I decided to enrol at Photoion Photography because first of the really positive experiences and reviews from previous attendees but also because they well the loan a camera during the two days.The studio followed covid procedures , reduced capacity because of social distancing and wearing of masks throughout the day. Great also to have access to coffee at the studio.I really enjoyed the course. I borrowed a canon camera , as I was a complete novice and only used my iphone to take photos. Ion who was the facilitator and also continues to work as a professional photographer was very patient , encouraging and also supportive all attendees. I did initially struggle ,but please don't be put off by this , as this is the apart of the process of learning something new and I was able to seek information and guidance from Ion. He also lent the camera for me to take home on the first day to practice and share our shots the next day. I felt more confident one the second day and we where loaned a tripod each during the last session of our second day to practice outside. I have a new respect for people that use a tripod because it can support you to do some many things.Plus as attendees we can join his Facebook group where Ion can continue to give us support and guidance and also share our photos. After the course he supported and sent information on which sites to get cameras , lens, bags and tripods, rather than us making mistakes and I buying overpriced equipment or purchasing cameras that do not meet our needs.The course covered the basics over the two days to understand the manual settings , composition , lighting etc. The Photoion Photography studio offers further courses and I will certainly be exploring these, once I have mastered my camera which I have ordered with guidance from Ion.