COMMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Thanks Jan for yesterday, it was very inspirational and such a lot of worthwhile technical info and so much incidental 'stuff'. Hope that the rest of your courses go as well as Hardwick and Malc and I are both looking forward to meeting up with you again and are already spreading the word!

Hi Keith. I just wanted to say thank you for today’s course. It was one of the most enjoyable and rewarding courses I have been on. I started the course very apprehensive about changing settings on my camera and left confident in being able change settings to get a better picture, as well as having a much better understanding of its capabilities and functions. I would be grateful if you would let me know when there are future courses planned for Nostell Priory as I intend to be there!!! Once again many thanks for your help and advice, I look forward to attending the next instalment!

Many thanks for another informative day. I have certainly learnt a lot in the last month now I need to put it into practice. You certainly gave me plenty to think about. Please could you keep me informed of any courses that you think may be of interest.

Many thanks a brilliant day I can now use my camera to its full after a little practice.

Hi Jean, just thought I'd drop you a quick email to thank you for a great day at Longshaw on Saturday. The way you organised the weather window was extraordinary! In all seriousness both Ian and myself found the whole day incredibly informative without being too technical and the format seems to work very well. I went out on Sunday to a place I've photographed many many times before but, this time, I spent more time thinking about my subject and framing it and the difference in the photographs was very noticeable. (even the wife thought a couple were good, high praise indeed!). I'm sure we'll both be meeting you again in the near future.

Thank you very much for the excellent course on 8th March. It set me on the path to knowing my camera and I am really enjoying taking photos now.

Just a message of thanks to yourself and John for a very informative and enjoyable day on Saturday. It has really encouraged me to believe that I can produce something of worth with my camera. I shall no doubt be back in the future to learn more.

Just wanted to thank you for an enjoyable day yesterday. I'm really glad I came along! I'd definitely recommend your workshops to anyone!

Firstly may I say how much I enjoyed the Composition course yesterday. I left the course feeling that I had learnt a great deal in the course of the day and that I was excited about trying to put it into practice.

Thank you for a great day last Tuesday at Clumber park. I learnt such a lot about my camera and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Thanks for all the advice at the workshop at Hardwick on the 22nd with you and John – I learned a lot and really enjoyed the day. My pictures have definitely improved as a result. It’s amazing what a difference a bit of expert help can make.

I would like to thank you for an excellent course on Saturday. I learnt much more than I had anticipated and I am very keen to progress.

Thanks again for the course today. It was very beneficial, well constructed and delivered. I will endeavour to go to a local National Trust park and give it another go!

First of all many thanks once again to you and John for a first class day at Hardwick Hall on Saturday. The weather couldn’t have been better and I always leave your workshops thinking “that was money well spent”.

A quick note to say thank-you for the Hamerton Zoo workshop on Thursday... I found it a great insight into wildlife photography. The fill-in flash techniques and background control techniques were really inspiring, and the white tiger illustrated well the need to take care when photographing wildlife!

Just wanted to say thanks again for the course yesterday. It was the first photography course of any type I have been on so I wasn't sure what to expect. I really enjoyed the day though, and although there were a lot of pictures which didn't quite come out right, I am really happy with a few of them. One of the main things was learning to use the histogram when trying to work out the exposure compensation as previously it has been a bit of guess work (not really understanding what the graph meant too). It was very good to get the access we had to such beautiful animals and the staff at the zoo were brilliant too.

Just wanted to send you an email to say that I absolutely loved the workshop yesterday at Hamerton. Please can you pass on my thanks and comments to John who was a great help too!! Got some amazing photos!!!

I just wanted to say thank you for the brilliant workshop at Hardwick Hall on Wednesday. I really learnt a lot and look forward to putting it all into practice in the future. Hopefully I will see you at some more workshops next year.

Many thanks for a fantastic day – I really enjoyed it and learnt a lot about how to use my camera – when I have practiced a bit more I will definitely do another one.

I just wanted to say a tremendous thank you for the course I recently attended at Calke Abbey, "EXPLORE THE FEATURES OF YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA". It was a great day and I really enjoyed meeting the group of people that were there on the day. Unfortunately, it was that good, I went out and purchased a Canon Digital SLR camera!

Many thanks for a great day on Thursday, you gave us both a lot to think about!! We are now confirmed 'camera buffs'!

Just a note to say 'thank you' for such an interesting, informative and enjoyable day at Hamerton.

I'd like to thank you and John for a great day at Hamerton the other week. I learned a lot and now I just need to find time to put it into practice.

I've just been looking at your website and have noticed the 'Comments' section for the first time (you'd have thought photography would have made me more observant!!). So I'm taking the opportunity to add my comment .......

Having lost a degree of interest in photography over the years, the purchase of a digital SLR, on a whim, has fuelled my enthusiasm once again. I was looking for courses on which to learn the intricacies of my new camera and, luckily, stumbled across Going Digital. I have since attended several courses e.g. getting to know the camera, landscape, architecture, wild life, to name but a few and the majority at National Trust properties, which is a bonus. The teaching style of Jan Slack is excellent. In a relaxed atmosphere, she imparts her great knowledge of photography in an easy to understand manner and the practical sessions, with her guidance, are a joy. I shall definitely be signing up for some more courses in the future (you can never stop learning, can you?) and I can thoroughly recommend Jan's courses to anyone who wants to get the best out of their digital cameras.

Thank you, Jan, for the courses I've done so far. Putting it all into practice and getting out there to do it is an enjoyable challenge.

What a fantastic course. I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed the day and as soon as I got home, took the camera off round the village with my son and showed him all I'd learnt! All pics have now been down loaded onto my laptop and I'm raring to go again! Have to say, thought your style of teaching was spot on and you made something which for a long time had seemed so very confusing, much less so.

Just wanted to say thank you for the course, I really did enjoy it and felt I learnt a great deal. Hope to meet you again on another of your courses, hopefully one on Elements or PhotoShop.

I've attached a photo that I took on Monday; it's not something I would even have thought about taking before the course on Sunday. I think as much as anything the courses have helped me to look for opportunities to take pictures and use my eyes more effectively.

Just a note to thank you for your guidance at the Hardwick workshop which has re-kindled past enthusiasms and shown the way forward. The possibilities are endless - just need the time to develop the skills and overcome the fumbling. Maybe next week - I am off to northern Spain with the new photo incentives.... I hope to join another course in the future.

Many thanks for the landscape workshop at Clumber Park. I was able to pick up a number of inspirational ideas pertaining to contrast, identify your subject, know your location and differing lighting conditions can make or destroy a picture. Many thanks again. Could I please book in for two more workshops?

Just a quick note to say a huge thanks for the day on Saturday at Calke Abbey. I learnt a great deal. I will definitely be coming to Hardwick Hall.

Just a note to say a big ‘thank you’ to you and your colleagues for a most useful and enjoyable day. The course did what it said it would do – and more. I am now looking forward to finding opportunities to put it all into practice.

Thanks for the workshop at Hardwick today…I really enjoyed the day and got lots more than I anticipated.

Thank you for yesterday's workshop I found it very useful and informative and I fully intend to attend others in the near future. I now have to practice what I learnt!

Just a brief message to say how much we enjoyed the Workshop yesterday (despite the weather). Can you pass on our thanks to the others involved. We will be out this weekend in the Peak District putting some of the things we have learned about landscapes into practice.

I am still catching up from the day at Burghley and the one thing I have not done 'til now is to say a personal thank you to you. I was quite impressed by the way we kept to a schedule to pack a lot into the day. The correspondence between your participants after the event shows how well we worked together and what fun we had out of it - great fun, great value.

Just wanted to say thanks for the workshop last Saturday and to let you how much I’ve enjoyed both workshops I’ve been to at Clumber - they were really excellent and I’ve learned a lot. As well as being new to digital, my general knowledge of photography is limited so I found the way the days were structured, the teaching/practical parts and constructive review of our efforts all very helpful. I’m looking forward to hearing about next year’s dates and will certainly recommend them to others.

Thank you very much for the days I have attended. I have really enjoyed them. I would still like to do a portrait course so please organise some more early next year.

Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed the workshop at Burghley on Saturday. It was a good day and one in which I learned a great deal about composition and editing.

Following a great session a few days ago I wish to sign up for the November 25th session in Burghley House, could you kindly let me have a booking form. I now have Photoshop Elements 4 software and am off and running. Thanks very much.

I have to say once again that I had a really good day and look forward to further workshops to improve my photography, especially with the friendly and knowledgeable guidance that you have. Once again thank you and look forward to seeing you on the 12th July.

I enjoyed the day, the environment, the company and learned how to get the best from the opportunities available, with positive critique on improving the composition and histograms of photos taken and then to try again to improve the shot, with all the instruction and the falconer being able to alter the environment to improve my photographs.

We all enjoyed the day very much, and got a lot out of it. Jonathan, in particular, has become enthused and inspired by the experience. He spent most of Saturday evening and yesterday taking photos around the garden and then manipulating them on the computer.

I enjoyed learning more about my camera and its different settings and feel more confident as a result of today which has inspired me to carry on improving my photography. A friendly group and easily approachable tutors.

Thankyou for a wonderful day!!! Came home and couldn't put my camera down ....Will definitely be booking again.

Firstly, thanks to you and Pete for the workshop yesterday, both my sister and myself enjoyed it very much. As discussed, I would like to attend the "Architectural" workshop at Belton on 6th May. Would you be kind enough to reserve a place for me.

Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed last Saturdays course - it certainly helped to add to my very limited knowledge - would like to be included in the "editing" course later in the year.

Thank you very much for last Saturday. I found the day informative, interesting and enjoyable. I would like to attend the workshop on 3 June at Clumber. Do hope you still have a place.

Just a line to say thank you for the day at Belton House, I certainly learned a lot! I am looking forward to my next one at Clumber Park June 17th.

Anthea’s story – a year in the life of a Going Digital student 2006!

Jan 2006 – I had at this stage a Kodak compact camera – simply able to switch on point and shoot. No real use of the full scope of the camera except the occasional turn of the program dial in hope that it captured the image. Needless to say the delete button was used on many occasions – one of the great advantages of digital over film!

I wanted to develop my skills and was keen and enthusiastic to pursue photography but didn’t know where to start until I received the National Trust magazine at the beginning of this year and saw the day courses advertised – this was to be my first contact with Jan and Going Digital.

The first day course I attended was at Belton house in Lincolnshire – both Jan and Peter, the tutors, instantly made me feel at ease and with the limited group size there was plenty of time for hands on work and expert advice and guidance from the tutors on an individual basis. I was amazed at how much I had learnt that day and what I could achieve with my compact camera and a little more knowledge.

The day courses have been designed to allow for time to do some photography and then also to have experience of editing – they are also stand alone so that you could do one or book for several as each covers different photographic aspects of the National Trust properties and other places of interest.

June 06 - Since that first course I have been on a number of the other days both at Clumber Park and Burghley house. Each course has provided me with a positive learning experience and extended my skills and knowledge so much so that I have since had the confidence to upgrade my camera to a Kodak bridge camera to give me more scope with my photography. When I needed help and support in using my new camera I only had to look on the Going Digital web site and I found the course Getting More from Your Camera run by Jan that met my needs.

Sept 06 - My images have most definitely improved both in composition and technical detail through my attendance on the courses - in September I sent some of my images to the local paper after they asked readers to send in pictures of local scenes and two have been published. I admit that I felt a huge sense of achievement in seeing the images in print. Since they were published I have gone on to sell copies of one of the images!

November 06 – The last course of the year for me with Going Digital – Christmas photography – looking at festive still life techniques and ways to produce Christmas cards – it will end the year in a very positive note and I hope to produce an image and cards for all the family to mark my achievements over this year.

I will of course be registering for some of the courses next year as I know that Going Digital will again have a very full and interesting programme offering some unique photography opportunities.