I almost didn’t go through with the photography course I did last week. I’ve used up rather a lot of annual leave, I was a bit short on cash, and part of me wondered if it was really worth sacrificing even more. In the end, I weighed up the pros (it would help me understand my camera a lot better, I would probably have to wait another year for the same opportunity, and it was a perfect time of year to be out in the sun taking photos) and they came out on top.

So in the end I went through with the booking, and to be honest it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I learned so much more than I ever have by reading books and watching videos, and even though there’s a lot to remember all at once, I definitely understand my camera and its settings a lot more. It’s just a case of building on the foundations and getting out there and practising.

Probably the most useful part for me was having a professional analysing my photos – I love photography, but I’m still learning what makes a good photo and the aspects of a picture that make it ‘not quite right’, like focus drop-off.

I also loved the fact that it was such a small group (four of us plus the tutor). I feel most comfortable in small groups and it meant we each got a lot of attention and more resources (which was important on the last day when we made prints of our photos). The tutor, Paul, turned out to be a schoolfriend of one of my work friends (thank you Facebook), and he was fantastic. Really funny, and the right combination of laid back but stepping in for important things.

The first few days followed a similar format of theory in the morning and a shoot in the afternoon. Day one involved lying down in a graveyard, which is a great thing to do with strangers on a sunny day. Honestly. And if you smile and wave at the police, they just smile and wave back.

The great thing was is that it absorbed my mind completely from 10am till 4pm every day. I didn’t have to think about other people, or about what I needed to get done, or be bored of the normal surroundings. And even though I thought I’d end up with a lot more free time each day (no chance, thanks to homework!), it was exactly what I needed. Holidays away are great but with all the stress of packing and travelling, it was actually a lot more freeing to engage my brain in new places with new things and new people. And it was a hell of a lot of fun.

It was a bit weird to be away from the web for so long; even though I was on Flickr and shared various images on Facebook and Twitter, I felt very detached from it all generally. I didn’t really pay that much attention to what was going on online, and I spent rather a lot of time with people whose lives don’t revolve around it. I don’t think I realised just how much it affects my everyday life.

I did intend to blog, but I just never got the chance. It must be the first week since my student days that I didn’t do any kind of blogging at all. Sometimes I’ll write five or six posts (1000 words+ each) for various sites in the space of 72 hours. It was even slightly strange to be out and about in the sun during the working week rather than sitting at a desk. Although that might be just because there was sun. In England.

It’s also inspired me to do another course somewhere, like jQuery or Ruby – but I’m probably taking on too much right now as it is. I think I’ll just settle for working on the whole photography thing – I’ve ditched my trashy magazines in favour of photography ones and I’ve picked up Scott Kelby’s books again (I’m working my way through volume 2 at the moment).

The slight downside is that I’ve realised how much more photography gear I want (need?) to buy. I could probably go on spending forever, especially as I could do with a new house which has space for a proper photography studio ;)

On the last day I made cupcakes and we did a photoshoot. Studio photography was insanely more complicated than I ever thought possible, but it was a lot of fun and everyone printed an A2 cupcake picture of their own to take home, which made me feel proud.

Experiences are great in and of themselves, but creating something you can look back on at the end is the real reward for me. I still have a hell of a long way to go when it comes to photography, but I hope I can give it the attention it deserves since I get so much enjoyment out it.

And, as always, if you want more photos, they’re on Flickr.