 How's it? How's it? It is awesome to see you. There is a real problem in photography these days certain so as far as I'm concerned that Something is missing There is a big Community-shaped hole in my life and that is something that I've not felt Since photo school really being in an environment that you are living Eating, sleeping photography Now all of our specific goals were somewhat different. We all found our own paths towards those goals But we all pulled in the same direction and that is what is Something I've been trying to recreate here through the photographic eye is this this sense of community where we share ideas Where where I act not as a lecturer, but maybe is like a third year student who gives you prompts who says have you considered this have you considered that and I Want to bring that to as many of you as possible and obviously I can do this through These videos and these videos have been wildly successful in a way that I I'm still amazed by and And it just has fueled my passion to share some of my experiences with you I'm going to recreate this photo school experience that each week for six weeks. We're going to have a Live session just myself and 30 students Talking about photography being given a Prompt for that week giving an assignment and that assignment can be fulfilled in any way that the photographer Wants to this is not about churning out portrait photographers or landscape photographers. This is about creating Photographers who can see the world and express in their own unique Way my first faltering steps into that world was as a fresh faced slightly long-haired out of high school walking into the interview there at the Petroleum Tech Photo School and Looking around being slightly overawed Turning around they're behind me and walking along the corridor with this giant guy was long Jet black hair and you know the biker Jack and I thought oh, Alex You are so out of your depth here, right? If this is what art school is about then you whoa this trouble, right? I didn't know at the time that he was a second year So he was coming from elsewhere So I was sat there in that interview with Harry and flip and Bertie and they asked me questions And I kind of fluffed my way through them and all that kind of stuff And then they accept they said look come along and that was that was my entree to this world That I didn't know it at the time, but it was going to shape so much of my life To walk into a photo school to be taught yes the basics the apertures f stops all that kind of stuff But also being shown that there were other ways of taking photographs That the world of photography was much much much wider than I had any idea of and I am in debt to those Lecturers who would say oh, you know Alex This is something but have you considered looking at this photograph? Have you looked at the that photographer? those students who were next to me who would on one hand They would Then we take the pee out of my work, but we all did you know what students are like We all send everything else is rubbish about some things that we do So on one hand you want to you want to impress and you want to go Do you know I'm gonna fight I'm gonna make it better if you think it's rubbish I'm gonna make it better so they challenged each other to really push on but at the same token Those people were so supportive That we shared a common passion for photography and we fed off each other's enthusiasm for it The first time I was introduced to Sebastio Salgado was when taste brought in I think it was workers put this book on the table and it was just like Wow, look at these epic looking photographs. They're just insane I'd never heard of him I probably wouldn't have heard of him for ages because this was sort of pre-internet days If I've not gone to photo school and because I want to help you Find your own specific goal your path towards being a great photographer That I thought, you know, what can I do to replicate that environment at photo school? And one of the things that then she came out because courses are all you know courses You do a course and you're doing it kind of by yourself. You pay some money. You download some videos and there you go But now Technology has moved on and we're able to have cohort based learning Which is a word that I don't know about you But I hadn't heard up until about like six years ago and now it seems to be everywhere But that's the beauty of the thing. We can put together cohort learning courses And that's what I've done being part of a of a live cohort means that I can help directly More of you at one time the one-to-one mentorships obviously are are fantastic and people get a lot of value from them But my time is limited so I can't unfortunately do those So this I think is a great way to take The basics of what you have Of your amazing photography that is inside you If only you knew how to get it out And take those rough edges polish them off And help you become the photographer that you know That you can be to take the photographs that will Stop people in their tracks and they will just go like wow. How did you see it the best? best piece of Praise I ever got was from A friend of mine who we went driving around South Africa on a road trip I stopped the car once and I jumped out with my little castle black 500c because you know Took a photograph Moved on when she saw the image. She was like oh my god. Like how did you see that? I was standing right next to you and I didn't I didn't see that photograph That to me melts so much that is one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my photography Better than awards and and making four figure sales and stuff like that that Recognition that somebody whose opinion I respect goes Do you know what Alex? You're seeing things that I don't see And I thought that's amazing. That's what we I want to engender in you that this this way of seeing the world as a Photographer sees it, you know, we don't have much time to spend on our photography So it seems foolish to just go and you know waste days months Years on Books and courses and things that are telling you how to do Something in that person's specific way to go to a workshop and just stand there with 50 other people All watching one photographer take some pictures This is about interaction. This is about that crucible That I had at photo school that experience of being In a room with people who want to be there who have committed to being there to making an effort To all share the common knowledge I know an awful lot about photography, but I don't know everything I want you to bring your own unique perspectives your favorite photographers your way of approaching problems and ideas To the table so that everybody gets to enjoy this huge Banquet of experience The cohort Is going to start on the 12th of february with the first lesson Being on the 19th now it was limited as I mentioned to 30 spaces, right? That's I think a good number that we can also keep it Into I think my first year class was about 30 students To find out more about the cohort click on the link below and thankful every single day For the ability that I had to meet People my fellow students who encouraged me who were there to knock me down When my ego got too big and they built me up When I was feeling really rubbish about my work about the lecturers who were so generous With their time and their expertise and their knowledge Even when they were confronted with no little art students because you know what art students are like And I I would desperately love to have Your company On this journey as I see what you are capable in your photography of what type of photographer you can become Thank you ever so much for your time. It's been a pleasure to talk to you and I will see you again soon