The use of visual imagery and pictures is a key component of my work as a coach, as it is for my business – for blogging, workshops, promotion and development. So, I was off to fine tune my appreciation, skills and competence with photography in order to further my business prospects.

I was however not optimistic. It was cold and dreary, and I only had a compact camera – not one of the trendy all singing and dancing DSLR’s that are all the rage nowadays. Just how much of a difference would it make?

I need not have worried.

I was spending a couple of hours quality time with Eifion Williams from Welshot, the specialists in helping people – amateur and budding professional snappers alike – get the very best from their camera and equipment.

As a true professional, Eifion had done his homework by researching my camera model beforehand in order to help prepare my expectations, to marry my equipment with my photographic needs, and to pick out the features and capabilities that would most impact on my photographic performance. He had also picked an ideal location, a Slate Quarry Museum in the heart of Snowdonia, where visual opportunities and challenges abound; a place where even the dullest and wettest day provides and evokes options to impress.

It started with a coffee and a discussion about my camera (and all its seeming wizardry), with its buttons, levers, dials, and a multitude of confusing screen terms, icons, messages and options – of which I knew little. Eifion encouraged me to play around in order to find my way around the camera; and while snapping the coffee shop condiments and chairs at will, I was surprised to discover an astonishing array of options and results from only a few minor, and normally overlooked and misunderstood camera settings – like lighting colour, background illumination, zoom or wide angle, use of flash etc. I was starting to realise what good instruction was worth, and what creative photographic possibilities existed because of it.

With new found optimism we ventured into the museum and came across an authentically dark scene. With systematic steps, instruction, explanation, tweaks and care – and a tripod he had wisely brought along – Eifion took me through the options for how to reproduce the scene with very pleasing results. And on we went, looking, snapping, learning and discovering.

My compact camera was not the cheapest, and certainly not expensive, yet with Eifions help, I now appreciate its value with capability and possibility in mind – and not just pixels. I am better placed to get the best (or at least more) out of it, and though there is much to practice, I am looking forward to generating more structured, planned, useful and impressive results.

It’s amazing what you can do when you know how – and when someone takes the time to guide you – expertly. I would recommend anyone take the opportunity to get to know and use the true capability of their camera – for both personal and business benefits – in the capable hands of Eifion Williams, and the Welshot team. If you use images for business, it could be worth more than you ‘image…ine’.

Hi Everyone…

It’s Sunday afternoon and I am in the office – I know, what’s new…  We have so much going on at Welshot,  in particular the Welshot Photographic Academy, with a whole range of new developments that we can not, not be in the office.

With all the ideas and developments that we are putting in place to provide yet more benefits, services and products to the Welshot Academy Members, I have been doing a shed load of research, reading, viewing and reviewing of lots of magazines, websites and photography books and this has sparked a bit of a flame within me again…  To pick up my camera and take some images.

I think the last time I picked up a camera was in November when we went to Hong Kong with 10 delegates on a Photographic Experience Workshop, led by Will Cheung FRPS.  On which I must have taken around 10,000 images, mainly of doors, windows and buildings I may add.

So, with my flame starting to reignite, and spring just around the corner, I am feeling the urge to get back into the hills of Snowdonia in North Wales and along with my camera take some pictures to fill up yet another hard drive….

Ok, so those who know me, know that I am not a great processor of images, but what I am finding pretty amazing is that with all the research I have been doing I am liking a particular style of processing at the moment, so, with this in mind, I have set myself a little mini challenge…

I am going to do some “Personal” Photographic development – just for me – just for fun – and lets see what I can come up with…  I have some ideas for a couple of photography projects (never tried before by me) and I am rather looking forward to it.

No doubt there will be a few…..  ” Eif!!!  Help me please” moments, but guess what, YOU never lose the Passion for Photography – it is in your blood and you always return to it, no matter how busy, complicated, hectic, stressful your life is because Photography is the one thing that I find helps restore normality…..

We are not talking about what they get up to at our Photography Workshops or Academy Evenings but more about what they do, with the skills they have learnt, when they are going about their normal daily lives….

Often, they have come to Welshot thinking they don’t know a lot about their camera but what they do have is the passion and the determination to get to grips with everything mega-pixel.  Then, with a bit of TLC, lots of practise and their passion even stronger they are producing photography works worthy of exhibition level…. or using it in their everyday jobs.

A few Members that we are proud of right at this very moment that deserve a special mention is Sian Davies who is putting the final touches to her up-coming exhibition at the Beaumaris Leisure Centre located on the beautiful Island of Anglesey in North Wales.

The exhibition which is called “Step by Step” runs from Sunday 13th March to Friday 8th April

Another Member that gave us a bit of a buzz was Lynsey Hackett. Lynsey is Managing Director of L29 Creative and is a superb and very talented Graphic Designer, so already had that all important creative flair, but now she is widely using the medium of Photography within her work.  We had a tear in our eyes when we saw some lovely wedding invitations that she had designed and created for a client that contained images of the couple…  All Photography made by Lynsey with her own little shutter button finger The photography and obviously had a lot of thought, planning and love in it because the images just spoke “Happiness & Love”, perfect for wedding invitations.

More and more of our Academy Members are making use of their skills.  From wedding photography, commercial photography and stock photography to just feeling confident about starting their own website….

It really does give us a kick and a buzz and we here at Welshot Imaging try to encourage, help and support all our Members with whatever they choose to do with this fantastic medium and craft….  From helping them, not just with the workings of the camera and techniques but with the help and guidance to take them to that next step – if they want it….

After all, some Members just want to have fun and be with others in a safe, friendly and affordable environment, we are here for them too….

Have a nice weekend and if you are a Photographer – Happy Snapping

We work very hard behind the scenes to foster our non-competitive, fun, friendly and affordable events.  From our Photography Workshops, to our Academy Evenings (sort of like a night time Photography class but very hands on and practical with supper thrown in) to our Open Mini Module Days ( a day where you can learn lots of Photography techniques and try different genres of Photography with experts) to our Experience Days (Photography on location such as a City environment)

It is not a fluke that our members feel comfortable, at ease, un-intimidated and happy at our events, we strive very hard to make it that way without it showing.

The relaxed atmosphere that we have is planned, right down to the last detail, even how our buffet is set out and the seating arrangements.  All designed for friendly and fun interaction with no one feeling left out.

Even our Photography Membership Packages are designed to be of maximum benefit for those interested in Photography for different reasons.  The Enthusiast package is different to the Professional package, both offering very different services / products and benefits.  No use us giving you professional insurance advise if you only need to have your simple (but just as much fun) compact camera insurance….

It is not by accident that we do the things we do, the way we do them…

… All the food that is ever served as part of our photography workshops and courses has been prepared by outside caterers, ensuring that all certificates and health requirements are up to date.  Our insurance company insist upon this as a requirement for what we do here at Welshot.

Every Workshop / Course / Academy Evening and Photographic Experience Day all have Health and Safety assessments completed and our equipment is fully insured and checked for your safety…

It is no accident that we use professionals for these services, it is not just a husband, friend, or even a friend of a friend…  Everyone who is involved with Welshot Imaging Ltd and the Photographic Academy is a Professional in their field.

This is whether they are providing Welshot with a service or product direct or helping an Academy Member grow their own Photography Business.

If we don’t know something we will find the right person to do the job or advise our Academy Members the proper, legal, ethical and most efficient and effective way of doing something…  This is our promise to YOU the Academy Member.

That means a Professional Accountant to a professional Web Designer to a fully qualified Solicitor, no matter what your need or what your requirement is, Welshot Imaging Ltd through the Photographic Academy here in Y Felinheli, Anglesey, Llandundno and Chester with the soon to be opened Bath and Bristol, will always strive to make sure not only your Photography workshops and courses are fun, friendly, affordable but are also well planned and organised, safe and information is always reliable from qualified professionals.

We pride ourselves in the fact that although the Membership packages are a published list of benefits we juggle them about to suit each individual (Member) so that they are as bespoke as possible.

The 17 year old student will want and need something totally different from the Photographer just starting out on their Professional journey and that will be different to the Grandfather who just wants to take images of his grand-kids and print them for the wall and different again to the Professional and Experienced Photographer who desperately needs help with being able to stay behind the camera and not the desk doing admin work….  And let us not forget the Photographer who just wants to have fun in a safe, friendly, affordable and FUN environment with other like-minded people with a passion for photography.

No matter what it is that YOU want from YOUR Camera or Photography, Welshot can help YOU.  Welshot Imaging will find the right person for the job.  From helping you get your head around Apertures and Shutter Speeds, Helping your with your Lightroom and Photoshop workfow, to helping you when you sell your first image and you need to register with HMRC.

Part of what Welshot Imaging do is that we work hard at sourcing Expert Professional Photographers, Business Advisers, Accountants, Business Coaches, Computer Experts, Web Designers, Graphic Designers and Legal Advisers.

With the launch of the new Welshot Imaging Photographic Academy – Professional Package imminent and about to go live on the website we have been busy preparing our Continued Professional Development Workshops – These are not just Photography Workshops and Courses where you will get expert help – tuition and a chance to expand your Professional portfolio but we will be running Business Seminars on everything a Professional needs to know from Accounting with Sharon Horsley of Anglesey Accounting to Social Media Training with Jo Quinney of QmPR to helping you with all those tricky Insurance questions from Aaduki Multimedia Insurance and to give you a bit of confidence WillCanDo will sort that out for you so you will grow personally aong with your business.

Part of being a Professional Photographer is being able to show off your work, that is where Flat Ant comes into the mix by helping you with a Website with £100 off discount.  We have lots of other people we work in association with and for a more detailed list you can visit this link

Regardless of where you live, whether it be Anglesey, Chester, Bristol, Bath or elsewhere in the UK, Welshot can help YOU.  Everything has been designed so that no matter where you live you can gain from the benefits we offer.  That is the beauty of the Internet, the BT Landline and the A55 giving you quick easy and fast access to all our events on and off line.

Please, if you would like to know more, give me a call because if you have a need, then, Welshot WILL be able to find the right person for YOU.

We met John Arnold in the early part of 2009 at a Photographic event and the moment I realised that I was actually listening to an Adobe Lightroom lecture AND enjoying it (which meant I was taking it all in*) was the moment I decided I wanted to get to know this man I have now come to value and trust.  Without even talking to Eifion, I just jumped in feet first and asked him to be a part of what we were trying to build and achieve with Welshot Imaging and the Photographic Academy.

Fortunately, for us John seemed to like us as well and was willing to talk with us on the possibility of developing a relationship and as they say, the rest is histrory, with a lot of hard work, dedication and commitment thrown in to the mix.

John runs Photowalkthrough.com http://www.photowalkthrough.com/ and has been involved with Welshot since the very first Photographic Academy Open Day.  People STILL talk about his creative mini module that he took 110 people through during the day and then showed them how to use Lightroom more efficiently and effectively.  And as for the “Take 101 pictures with YOUR camera in YOUR bathroom Challenge”….  Well, you get the idea huh

Since those early beginnings John has run a multitude of Adobe Photoshop / Adobe Lightroom / Creative Photography Workshops / Academy Evening modules from everything Lightroom to learning to give constructive critique, John has proved himself not only to be knowledgeable and an expert in his field but he does it in such a way that our Academy Members feel comfortable and at ease with him, which in turns helps them lose all inhibitions in their Photography.  They become focused on seeing things in a different and creative way that makes a day special and fun that they forget they are learning and use their camera instinctively.

Over the last couple of yearsEifion and I have become great friends with John and have, over the last year, been introduced to his family, Wife Ruth , Children Catherine and David and even Johns Mum (who is a love) and we have been welcomed with open arms.  Ruth is just as supportive of Welshot and John’s involvement and this was to become apparently visible throughout yesterday.

While brainstorming, planning, filling John in on the latest Welshot developments, talking about Photowalkthrough, making plans for new Photographic Workshops, Courses and the upcoming Mini-module Photography Open Day here at Felinheli one idea lead to another, then another, then another…  Which eventually resulted in a phone call to Flat Ant to see if it was something he wanted to be a part of…. and was it do-able in a Welshot sort of way.

The upshot being that Chris Jones of Flant Ant Web Design http://www.flatant.co.uk/ is about to get a whole lot busier and we will be bringing some AMAZING new and interactive features to give to the already benefit laden Academy Membership Package for Welshot Imaging Photographic Academy Members and non Members…   And as with all Welshot ideas and the way we do things… It will be different and will provide another service to fulfill the need and passion to lean in a fun, friendly and affordable way…  To help YOU get the best from YOUR Camera…

The Thai Green Curry???  Well, this has become a “When we visit the Arnold’s in Sandbach we have a takeaway from the most amazing Thai Restaurant, with Eif treating us to Crispy Duck, make your own pancakes, Tradition… ” One we hope will go on for years to come because the ideas and inspiration from these days with the Arnold’s are priceless…

John Arnold of Photowalkthrough.com and master of Creativity in YOUR Photography

* For those who know me,   I will try my very best to avoid learning and having to do ANY sort of post processing….

Regardless of cost of your camera, make of your camera or skill level of your Photography

Come and Experience our Academy Evenings, Workshops, Courses, Events at The Welshot Imaing Photographic Academy with other like minded, friendly and passionate Photographers.We have Evenings once a Month in Menai Bridge Anglesey, Llandudno and Chester.We also have regular meetings in Y Felinheli near Bangor, Gwynedd.

Whatever you choose to do, wherever you choose to do it, the BUZZ will always be the same!

He has had the hard task of judging 100 + images for Blaenau Ffestiniog Camera Club. All I can say is WOW, some of the Photography that is being produced by that Photographic Club is just superb.

Crisp, clear, sharp, well composed, and vibrant colours all contributed to the, very hard to judge, Landscape Images.  The subject matter was Landscape by the way.  And those images had it all. From Snow and Mountains to Frozen Rivers and Lakes.

Those members must be a hardy bunch because there was not one image that was taken from the roadside, out of your car window, images in that lot.  No sir’ee it was up mountains and down dales for that dedicated bunch of Togs.  With most taking advantage of the recent snowy weather there were not too many summer photographs either, which is brilliant because capturing a winter landscape, when done right can be stunning.  Not to mention hard going considering the hard snow that area must have had.  They are in deep, deep Snowdonia Country up there.

I am having to await Eifion’s return from the Camera Club to find out what image actually won and got the most points because right up until the end the top 8 kept moving up and down.

But he will be a while yet, I am sure it is going to be a long night and then with a 2 hour drive back to collect me in the office it will be after midnight before we get home.

So, for me, it is back to some admin work and adding data to Filemaker….  Would rather be looking at some stunning Photographic Images with a great bunch of dedicated Photographers.  Well Done Them

Welshot Imaging Limited are pleased to announce that VERBATIM is now a new Strategic Partner (platinum) and Welshot Imaging will be know as “Storgage Partner” for Verbatim.

Verbatim is world renowned for its CD and DVD and more recently Blu-Ray discs, in fact, it is the number one optical storage brand in the world!  Whilst these are all essential products for today’s photographer, Verbatim’s product portfolio expands to high capacity flash cards, USB drives and as file sizes continue to grow with each new camera delivered, they now have a fantastic range of portable, desktop and networkable hard disks up to 2TB!

VERBATIM will be providing great Academy Member benefits and these will be passed onto you if you are an Academy Member.

VERBATIM will also be making products available for prizes on the STOCKPORT PHOTOGRAPHIC OPEN DAY ON 27th October http://www.welshotimaging.co.uk/academy/workshops.php?id=60 day and we will provide more details of these nearer the time.

For more information on VERBATIM please use this link http://www.verbatim-europe.com/home/language-selector.html and this will take you to the home page so you can see for yourself the wide range of products that Verbatim have to offer.  It also lists the technical support etc should you have questions on choosing the appropriate cards etc for your cameras.

For information on the Open Day, please do not hesitate to contact me at lee@welshotimaging.co.uk

Welshot are using this restaurant to do our catering for our photographic workshops, modules and courses and they have, in return, asked Eifion to do the Photography of their interiors and their food (all handmade and superb) so after spending a morning getting some of the shots required for their website, Eifion was told to EAT the food…

Eifion, who is a “Get it right in Camera first” sort of a guy had not done anything to the food to make it look better, it didn’t need hairspray or anything else to make it more appealing, the work itself was (until I scoffed it) a piece of art work, handcrafted and arranged perfectly on the plate.   Just some correct lighting and technical camera knowledge was all that was needed to get the shots perfect for this Restaurant.

So, I got to enjoy my Foie Gras, Smoked Mackerel Mousse and an amazing chocolate thing that I am so sure is way off my Slimming World plan but hey who cares, it is still summer and I took time to just enjoy and watch the boats drift in and out.

What a scrummy job to have   Thanks Eifion and Thanks Yr Hen Lechan it is great when local businesses can help each other