If you want to take better photos - whether with your camera, your phone or in Lightroom - you’re in the right place.
This blog is full of simple, practical tips to help you feel more confident, understand your settings and start creating photos you really love. You’ll also find plenty of food photography ideas and creative inspiration to try at home.
I’ve been teaching photography for over 17 years, and my aim is always the same: to help you feel less overwhelmed, more confident, and excited to pick up your camera.
Have a browse, learn something new, and start taking photos you love.
Photography Competition Results
Photography Competition ResultsWe are delighted to announce the results of the photography competition that took place in Spring 2025. Participants had the opportunity to showcase their talent across multiple categories. Each category winner will receive a £25 gift voucher to redeem in store at Share Your Story, an exciting new retail store and training hub opening soon in...
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A New Creative Hub is Coming to Altrincham – And It’s All About Sharing Your Story
Share Your StoryGot a story to tell? Whether it’s through photos, videos, writing, or even the spoken word, a brand-new creative hub is opening in Altrincham that’s designed to help you bring your ideas to life. Share Your Story is more than just a shop — it’s a place where creativity meets community, where memories...
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Why your food photos look flat (and how to fix them with simple styling and composition)
Food created by @Kitchen_MaverickWhy Your Food Photos Look Flat (Food Photography Tips That Work)You’ve styled a beautiful plate of food, chosen your favourite props, clicked the shutter and the photo still looks a bit “meh.” You can read endless food photography tips, but the real game-changer is understanding the importance of food styling and composition.The...
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Four must-read photography books
If you're looking for books on camera settings and equipment, don't buy these. I've had stacks of books over the years that explained exposure, metering, focusing, editing and, to be honest, they weren't very helpful. Not because they weren't good books but because I learn technical stuff by doing it rather than reading about it. And...
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Festive food photography
This article first appeared in Cheshire Life magazine December 2023.Festive Food Photography with a PhoneWaiter: “Is there something wrong with your food, madam?”Customer: “No, it’s delicious. Why do you ask?”Waiter: “Well, it’s just that you haven’t photographed it.”Before social media was a thing, food photography was the realm of the professional photographer, shooting for restaurants...
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Freeze the moment: how to take stunning winter photographs
This article first appeared in Cheshire Life magazine November 2023.How to take beautiful winter photographs“Wow! That’s a great photograph, you must have a really good phone” A seemingly innocuous comment and well-intentioned but consider this instead: “That’s a delicious cake, you must have a really good oven”. I know this isn’t exactly a like for...
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How to do Long Exposure Photography on iPhone or Camera
Taken with an iPhoneSony ZV-E10, f22, 30 seconds, ISO 100Long exposure photography on an iPhone or cameraLong exposure photography is one of the easiest ways to create dramatic, professional-looking images - especially of moving water, light trails or clouds.The good news? You can create beautiful long exposure photos using either your iPhone or a camera...
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A great tripod for beginners
Joby asked me to select a tripod from their range and to give it a whirl and write about it. I chose, what I hoped would be the ideal tripod for beginners, that was capable of holding a small to medium sized camera or a phone (even the big ones). I selected the Joby RangePod...
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Do you need the golden spiral in food photography? (probably not)
The golden spiral is a great composition rule to use for food photography... or is it?I'm a self-taught food photographer and have relied on resources like food photography books and good old Google to pick up tricks and techniques. I, like many people I now teach, found composition one of the most daunting areas. I understood...
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