International photographer, Sean Conboy hosts a unique Photographic Session at the 124-year-old Grand Theatre, Blackpool. Stephanie Evans attended his one day seminar and gives you a snapshot into the session…

In 2000, Kodak announced that consumers around the world had taken 80 billion photos, an all-time record. The subsequent explosion of digital photography has rendered such statistics almost quaint. The average person has around 700 photos on their phone, 95 million photos are shared on Instagram every day, and since its founding, 250 billion photos have been uploaded to Facebook.

Since the first photograph was taken in 1838, cameras have become faster, cheaper, and  easier to use. With such a heavy emphasis on visual culture and sharing more intimate moments, it would seem a shame to not make the most of taking the best photos possible!

In January, I went along to the gloriously opulent Grand Theatre to attend Photographic Session – The Basics with internationally-renowned photographer, Sean Conboy. Sean’s reputation takes him all over the world, and he has also worked with one of the most prestigious camera manufacturers in the world, Hasselblad.

Sean’s area of expertise is architectural photography. For many years, he has been capturing the awesome and iconic structure of Blackpool’s most famous and beloved sites. His work is used in international advertising campaigns, and more close to home, is featured annually on the cover of our Blackpool Destination Guide.

Sean’s workshops last around five hours, and aim to teach you how to use your camera’s features to create beautiful shots. I was initially hoping that we’d be taught to identify great angles and which objects to focus on, but Sean encourages you to discover your own style, which meant fellow attendees were lying on the floor and climbing right up into the rafters to capture unique shots.

The day begins with an introductory presentation, with Sean sharing thirty years of technical experience to support your own practice. Sean covers how to use light to get the best shots, how to create rich images in indoor environments and how different weather conditions and times of the day can alter your results.

A lot of what you are taught is quite technical, as Sean’s ethos is all about adjusting your camera settings to take the perfect shot, rather than relying on automatic pre-sets. This could very quickly become confusing, but Sean supplies plenty of resources and is happy to sit with you and your camera for a more hands-on approach.

I then had the opportunity to take pictures of The Grand’s Grade II* listed interior to employ Sean’s advice. This is an unrushed process, and Sean is on hand to advise and adjust so that you feel satisfied that you’re learning to work with your personal kit and that you can take away shots to be proud of.

I feel that I need to head out and practice before taking the next step in learning more technical aspects of the craft, but it’s great to know that Sean also offers advanced sessions with smaller groups, where you can learn about using different focal lengths of a lens, to even having a practical demo of an interior shoot.

Written by: Stephanie Evans

To book onto one of our Photographic Sessions click here, or call our Box Office on 01253 290190.

Photographic Sessions – Basics: Monday 4 & Tuesday 5 June, Tuesday 11 September

Photographic Sessions – Advanced: Friday 21 September

Watch our trailer here and get a visual snapshot into what happens on the day: