About me

I didn’t start out as a photographer

My introduction to photography was rather unusual. In 1988, I got a job working aboard trawlers in the Arctic. Another lad on the ship needed some money, so I bought his complete Mamiya SLR camera kit.

I’d never really done any photography before. I didn’t know much about cameras, lenses, exposure or any of the technical stuff. I worked out how to use the zoom lens, left the camera on automatic and started taking photographs.

There was certainly plenty to photograph. Ships in the distance, enormous fjords, glaciers and icebergs. Lots and lots of icebergs.

Of course, this was film photography. You couldn’t look at a screen to see whether you’d got the shot. I had to wait until I got home and had the films developed.

Most of the photographs were rubbish.

But occasionally I’d get something I liked, and that was enough to keep me interested. It was very much a case of trial and error, followed by a long wait to discover what I’d done wrong.

Learning the hard way

Eventually, I bought my own darkroom equipment and started developing and printing photographs myself.

That opened up a completely different side of photography. I could experiment with exposure, contrast and printing techniques, although I probably wasted more photographic paper and chemicals than I care to remember.

I had no formal training at that point. I learnt by trying things, making mistakes, reading what I could and having another go.

Over the years, cameras changed, and so did my equipment. I moved through different types of camera, including bridge cameras, DSLRs and mirrorless systems. Each brought something new to learn.

Concerts, magazines and the occasional surprise

One of the more exciting periods came when I started photographing and reviewing concerts for Millennium Magazine.

I photographed performers including Robbie Williams, UB40, Pulp and Louise. Concert photography was quite a change from photographing icebergs. Instead of enormous subjects that stayed more or less where they were, I had musicians moving around under constantly changing stage lighting.

You had to work quickly, understand your camera and make decisions without much time to think about them.

I also photographed a WWF wrestling house show from ringside, which was another experience altogether.

Unfortunately, I no longer have the original films from much of that period.

Years later, I was in Blades, the bar at Hull Arena, and recognised some of my concert photographs hanging on the walls. There was no credit, but I knew they were mine. It’s a strange feeling to come across your own work unexpectedly.

My photography studio

As my experience grew, I became increasingly interested in portrait and studio photography.

I opened my own photography studio and spent a great deal of time learning how to work with lighting, backgrounds, poses and, most importantly, people.

I worked with amateur models and members of the LGBTQ community, producing portraits and creative studio photographs. It was a fascinating area of photography because every person brought something different to a session.

Studio photography taught me things that landscapes and concerts never could. Small changes in the position of a light, the angle of someone’s face or the way a subject was standing could completely alter a photograph.

Some of my work was published in Trans Living Magazine. Having photographs selected for publication was particularly satisfying, especially considering how I’d started with that second-hand camera on a trawler.

Commercial and product photography

I also developed an interest in product photography, where the challenge is often to make something quite ordinary look its best.

Unlike photographing a concert, you generally have control over the subject, camera and lighting. That doesn’t necessarily make it easier. A reflection in the wrong place, an awkward shadow or a slightly incorrect angle can spoil the result.

My product photography included work used by brands such as Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Mercedes-Benz.

I’ve also photographed Steampunks and Hull Pirates, among other subjects. I’ve always enjoyed trying different areas of photography rather than concentrating on just one.

Every type of photography teaches you something that can be useful elsewhere.

Camera clubs and learning from other photographers

Camera clubs have played an important part in my photography.

I originally joined as somebody who wanted to learn. Being around other photographers, looking at their work, discussing techniques and hearing different opinions helped me understand things that I might never have discovered on my own.

Later, as my experience developed, I found myself able to share some of that knowledge with other members.

I’ve experienced camera clubs both as a learner and as an experienced photographer, and I still value what they offer.

One of the things I’ve learnt is that nobody knows everything about photography. Even after decades of experience, somebody else can show you a different way of doing something.

Taking photography into higher education

Eventually, I decided to take my interest in photography further through formal education.

I earned a degree in Photography and the Moving Image at Hull College.

By then, I’d already spent years taking photographs in all sorts of situations, but academic study encouraged me to think more deeply about the work itself.

It wasn’t simply about knowing how to operate a camera. It involved considering why an image works, what it communicates, how photographs are presented and the decisions that go into making them.

Having both practical experience and academic study gave me a much broader understanding of photography.

Achieving my LRPS

Another important achievement was gaining my Licentiate distinction from the Royal Photographic Society, which is why you’ll see LRPS after my name.

The distinction involves submitting a panel of photographs for assessment against the Society’s requirements.

My submission drew on shopping and product-related photography.

For me, the achievement was particularly meaningful. I’d started out knowing almost nothing about photography, taking pictures of icebergs and hoping for the best. Now my work was being formally assessed against an established photographic standard.

It was a satisfying recognition of everything I’d learnt along the way.

Why I’ve created this website

I’d still be actively photographing today if my health allowed it.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t, and I can’t get out and do the photography I once enjoyed. But that doesn’t mean all those years of experience have to go to waste.

That’s one of the reasons I’ve created this website.

I’ve learnt photography in just about every way possible. By making mistakes, experimenting, working professionally, learning from camera clubs, studying at college and having my work assessed.

I also remember what it was like to pick up a camera for the first time and have absolutely no idea what most of the buttons did.

That’s the approach I want to bring to these lessons.

I don’t want to assume you already understand the terminology or know where to find a particular setting. I’d rather explain things properly, show you what they do and give you something practical to try.

Everything here is free. I’m not looking for photography bookings, selling courses or trying to persuade you to buy expensive equipment.

I simply want to pass on what I’ve learnt.

And if it helps somebody avoid a few of the mistakes I made along the way, then it’s worth doing.

Carl Cooper LRPS