Our workshop themes: what each one covers

By Jos James, A.P.E.L

Every A.P.E.L session runs around a theme, announced monthly on the studio whiteboard and by email. A different location or setup is part of the workshop itself, not just where it happens to be held. Here's what each theme actually covers.

Studio Portrait Lighting

Controlled, one-light-at-a-time fundamentals. This is where you learn to read light properly — key light, fill, background separation — in a setting where nothing is left to chance.

Creative Fashion / Editorial

Styled sessions, currently run with designer Samira Ebrahimi, whose work has shown at London Fashion Week with collections in stores across London and the Middle East. These sessions are built around her collections, giving you a genuinely styled editorial shoot rather than a generic portrait setup.

Natural-Light Outdoor

Working without strobes or reflectors — from parkland to city landmarks. These sessions can run at studios, rented houses, or out on location for street and night photography, depending on what's been arranged that month.

Motorsport-Inspired

Trackside at Silverstone Circuit and Brands Hatch. A different pace and a different set of skills — panning, fast autofocus tracking, and reading a scene that isn't going to wait for you.

Sporting Action

Fast subjects, faster shutter speeds. Built around freezing motion cleanly — the shutter-speed and tracking skills that carry over into a lot of other action photography.

Seasonal / Themed

Halloween, festive and special-concept sets through the year. Concept-led sessions where the theme shapes everything — styling, props, location and mood.

Community Storytelling

Documentary-style group projects with a quiet, narrative feel — less about a single polished shot, more about capturing a real moment as it happens.

Full dates, venues and sign-ups are announced on our notice board — get in touch and we'll tell you what's coming up next, or show your interest here.