"I saw a panoramic photograph taken by Ian Nicholson at an exhibition and thought that I would like to be able take photographs like that. I spent a day with Ian learning to do just that and it was worth every penny! I found that it was more than just taking a few photographs and stitching them together, (isn't that always the case?). Ian cut out all the complications, either that or just made it seem such a smooth thing to do, and made it such an enjoyable process. He seemed to be just as enthusiastic to show me how to do it as I was to learn. He even showed me some of his favourite locations to take photographs, not many professionals would do that! I'm so glad I went to that exhibition. Steve"

"Hi Ian, Thank you for the fantastic day learning about landscape photography and much more on Friday 26th June 2015. Spent the morning looking at a Powerpoint presentation and a number of Ian's own photographs looking at composition,focal points,lead in lines and discussing the advantages of manual focus.
then in the afternoon we were off outside to do some practical stuff. Starting with practising manual focus, Ian made it so easy to get right, then moving on to looking for opportunities to frame a picture and finally a landscape using foreground interest composing it correctly using both landscape and portrait format. Back at the office a bit of picture editing technique to enhance already excellent pictures. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable day, busy but not pressured and presented by a knowledgable, professional teacher

Thank you once again
Margaret Woolley"

"I asked Ian to help me with Adobe Lightroom software and the workflow process - from camera to the finished product. Everything was delivered to my total satisfaction and in addition Ian solved a complex little Windows filing problem on my pc. I was delighted with my day's tuition and would certainly use Ian again, and I am pleased to recommend him"

"Hello Ian,
Thank you for a fabulous photography day last Thursday. I was thrilled when Mary asked me to join her on your course.
You are a fine, patient teacher, with loads of experience that shines through, along with that wonderful personal passion you have for your art. I loved that you were flexible in taking us to two different places for 'the shoot' . encompassing the beautiful bluebells in the old wood, and then the Elan Valley reservoir with its perfect reflection. I also loved that you gave us two beautiful prints of the photos we took as a keepsake of a magical day.
You have made me appreciate that you don't need sophisticated equipment to take a good picture rather some applied knowledge of composition and light; that has been most helpful.

With appreciation , kind regards,

Pat

P.S. I looked up the birds we saw with their quivering tails in flight - they are Redstarts, courting. Weren't they a treat?"

"I am a writer and took some awkward problem photographs that I needed to illustrate a piece to Ian. Rather than blinding me with science he approached the problems without telling me how difficult they were. His 'can do' approach was based on the fact that he CAN DO. A serious professional photographer who really knows what he is doing is a gem. And he's not an expensive gem either. He really knows what he is doing."

"Hi Ian I hope you might remember Martyn and I from last summer when we spent two days in your company photographing in Hafod and water breaks its neck falls. Well today was our photo club annual exhibition awards and amazingly I was the novice winner for projected images (cavern cascade in mono) and novice winner for prints ( photo of the waterfall above cavern cascade with fern to right of photo) and I won best panel for my four prints you did of my photos.
So without your valuable training and printing I doubt I would have won! I also won our intermediate league for novices with the distinction of coming 4 th overall in the club for projected images over the last year.
Those were a wide variety of photos. I have really taken on board your training and stick to manual for almost every shot I take. You gave us confidence and enthusiasm. We hope you are well and keeping busy. Hopefully we will be back for more training.

Best wishes and thank you Claire"

"Made to feel very comfortable, Really good fun. Ian even organised the weather, time was no object. The importance was that I was constantly learning. Im not affraid of turning my Camera to fully manual now! Would recomend the courses to anyone.

Claire

Hereford"

"I could not have spent money in any better way. The 2 days were full and intense, but taken at my pace, and not rushed in anyway. Ian must have the patience of a Saint – to stand with the pouring rain running down the backs of our necks for me to get the right shots. After years of using only automatic settings, to finally START exploring the full potential of my camera is fantastic. As for the editing and use of photoshop – the knowledge shared was extensive and invaluable my photography will be changed forever.

Many thanks for everything, and you never know I may well be back for another course??
Laura"

"A great fun two days – lots of really good tips and a plethora of patience! He explains everything succinctly and calmly, nothing is too much trouble. I was a complete Photoshop novice, Ian inspired me to get stuck in and I have not looked back.
As soon as I have the time I will definitely be booking another course.

Thank you Ian!"

"Just like to say that I was very pleased with the photography course
of yours and would like to thank you for all the trouble you went to.I learned a lot and hope to be able to show you the proof of that in the near future,would recommend the course to anyone.I am now happy with
most of the pics I take.
Regards
Wes M"

"Hi Ian
I would just like to thank you for your considerable help during my recent course. It was stimulating to be taught by someone with such a mastery of the camera and it's accessories who also had the patience to explain the computer editing side in such detail. I think there has already been a big improvement in my standard of photography as you may see from Flickr. Many thanks for your help."

"I became interested in photography at the tender age of 16. I am now in my 65th year and I am as passionate as ever about my hobby. I did achieve a small amount of success when I had prints and slides exhibited at the Welsh Salon of Photography many years ago. I “converted” to digital five years ago. I graduated to a Nikon DSLR and learned to use Photoshop 7 through CS3 from magazines, books and tutorial DVDs. I thought I had reached a competent level – a couple of my pictures were printed in Amateur Photographer – until I saw a small exhibition by Ian Nicholson. His pictures were simply breathtaking. I visited his web site and discovered that he ran courses for photographers from beginners to advanced ability levels. I spent a day and a half with Ian at his workplace in Builth Wells which turned out to be extremely informative. I learned more in my time with Ian than I had since I first changed to digital! He was friendly and the day's was well structured and paced. I only wish I had seen Ian’s work much earlier. I am planning on spending more time with Mr. Nicholson in the spring on his digital landscape course."

"I had 2 great days with Ian and have left with quite a lot more idea of the ways to achieve much better images. The weather was superb so there was no limitations and I saw the area with different eyes and with such excellent guidance I could not but feel that I now know so much more about the use of complex digital cameras. This also lead to making much better use of manual facilities to give greater control on the results. I now need to put these techniques into action and make them become second nature. Highly recommended - I intend to go back for more software skills!"

"My husband and I attended Ian's course so that we could increase our confidence in using the manual settings ( and not taking the easy way out with the auto settings).
We found the format of the course suited us perfectly. Ian introduced us to some beautiful parts of the area that we would not have found on our own. He has lots of patience and really helped us look at our composition carefully. Our skills are definitely better too.
And of course the best part of the two days was reviewing our photos with Ian and having his expert help with editing them. We are looking forward to entering some of our work in our local photo club sessions.
We will definitely be back for more training."

"Thank you, Ian, for a really enjoyable day. I feel so much more confident now about using my camera and am thrilled with my results from the day. Your endless patience with an avowed technophobe was so much appreciated. Going out into the Elan Valley to practise skills was a really valuable experience as was the office based analysis and critique of my own photos. I cannot recommend this day course highly enough."

"A humourous encounter , stunning photography...
and great local dining recommendation ( the Honey Cafe @ Bronnlys :) and i didnt even buy anything , so hard to choose but Im sure I will as they really are beautiful images :)"

"I ordered the A2 print which arrived in perfect condition. I am really pleased with the quality & the depth of this impressive image which has elicited a 'wow' from all who have seen it."

"I am so pleased that I chose this 2 day course with Ian. The emphasis was on practical aspects, and tailored for my needs - on the move photography integrated into my walking, climbing and mountaineering, and how to use filters to get the best results even when I cannot afford to stand around waiting, The photoshop/Lightroom sessions were very useful as I had no experience of these. He was more than happy to go on a decently long walk too! The best thing is that I am now much more confident with manual settings and am a convert to RAW. A very good course all round."

"I had a fantastic one day landscape course with Ian. The morning was spent in the office where he explained everything from aperture, shutter speed, using the camera in manual etc. etc., and then from lunchtime we went out on site to take photos. When we returned we viewed the photos and did some editing. He was very patient and explained everything in a really professional manner. It doesn't manner if you are a beginner like me or an amateur photographer. I would certainly go back for another day. Thank you Ian "

"Ian, I just wanted to say again how valuable the two days were. I have learned so much about outdoor shooting as well as post-production. You were extremely patient and clear in your explanations and gave me so many practical tips to get better shots. I am very pleased with the images we edited. And thanks for dropping off the screen - which I have sort of worked out how to use and (most importantly) re-fold!
I'll keep in touch
Nick"

"I had a fantastic day on the one day landscape course. Packed with information, Ian spent the time to explain the benefits of using manual settings, and then helped me put it into practice. We visited some great spots to concentrate on various aspects. Really enjoyable fun day. Will be looking through my viewfinder in a whole new way from now on! Thanks."

"I had a most informative and enjoyable day learning about my camera, manual focus, filters and lots more. Ian was very patient with the very basic questions I asked him and went through all the options on my camera so that now I have a much clearer understanding of how it works and how to get the best out of it.It was good to be able to put some of the theory into practice outside in the afternoon. I would thoroughly recommend the day to anyone.
Thank you Ian"

"Hi Ian, Just wanted to say a huge thanks for your time and patience today, both Chris and I learnt a lot. I am so pleased with my picture, don't worry your business is safe, really looking forward to the next adventure with you, that's if you can put up with me! Once again, many thanks, I do appreciate your professionalism,

Dave"

"Hi Ian, Thank you again for a very informative and enjoyable couple of days: the course certainly lived up to my hopes. Not only do I now have a much better understanding of what my camera can do, but also the confidence to go out and experiment using the new skills I learnt. I would recommend Ian's courses most highly to anyone who wants to take control of their photographs instead of relying on the technology.

Best wishes,
Jenny"

"I recently attended Ian's two day landscape photography course. I wanted to learn the basics of landscape photography and the course gave me a good grounding in understanding what makes a good picture. We covered theory on the first morning, and Ian was more than willing to answer all my questions! We then went out to a beautiful location in mid-Wales to take photographs all afternoon before returning to the studio to see what I'd managed to put into practice. On the second day Ian took me to a series of wonderful waterfalls so that I could try out more photography. At the end of the two day course Ian prints out your chosen photographs. Ian is a brilliant teacher who is skilled at explaining techniques and ideas. He has an ability to give you confidence. It is obvious he has a love for the subject and that comes across in the way that he teaches. I would highly recommend the course to novices, as well as those with more experience who want to develop their practice, as the course is tailored to your needs.

Thanks Ian"