Superclasses
Wednesday 14th–Saturday 17th January 2026 – Hammersmith
These interactive Superclasses provide a platform for photographers to acquire new knowledge, refine skills, and explore innovative ideas.
Limited to just 15 delegates, these hands-on and educational workshops will enhance your Convention experience.
These workshops offer a dynamic and immersive learning experience. Participants actively engage in practical sessions to apply theory in real-world scenarios, gain confidence, and build their professional expertise.
Tickets:
£190 (The Society of Photographers members receive 20% off code)
Wednesday 14th
Studio-Quality Lighting with Minimal Kit: Maximize Your Gear, Maximize Your Impact – Damian McGillicuddy
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Why invest in expensive equipment when you can achieve stunning, studio-quality lighting with just the essentials? This workshop will teach you how to master the art of lighting using minimal gear—think one or two lights and simple modifiers. Whether you’re on location or working in a small space, you’ll learn how to make the most of what you’ve got to create breathtaking images that stand out. […]
Ordinary to Extraordinary: Portraits in Crappy Locations – Paul Wilkinson
2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Let’s be honest—not every shoot location is dreamy. Sometimes it’s a stairwell. Sometimes it’s a dodgy car park with one sad tree. Sometimes it’s a cluttered office foyer where you’re asked to “make magic happen.” In this energising, hands-on Superclass, Paul Wilkinson will show you how to turn even the most uninspiring locations into compelling, beautiful portraits. You’ll follow Paul through the process of assessing a space, finding usable light, identifying clean backdrops (or faking them!), and crafting strong compositions. Working with minimal kit—just a camera, a light (maybe), and your creative brain—Paul will demonstrate how to shoot with confidence […]
Thursday 16th
Build the Set: Create Hands-On Food Photography with Multiple Styled Scenes – Emma Dunham
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Roll up your sleeves and get ready to style, shoot, and build it all yourself in this hands-on food photography masterclass like no other. Working in small groups, you’ll design and create multiple food photography sets from scratch. From selecting surfaces and backdrops to lighting, styling, and composition, you’ll make the creative decisions and craft the images as you go. This session is perfect for anyone who wants to practise real-world food photography techniques in a supportive, inspiring environment—and finally put all the pieces together. You’ll learn how to: Plan and build 3–4 visually distinct food scenes with your group […]
Plan, Style, Shoot, Repeat! Fashion Portraits, My Way – Therese Asplund
2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Join photographer Therese Asplund for this four-hour Superclass and experience a fashion portrait session from concept to creation. Therese will guide you through her creative process — from finding inspiration to styling and shooting portraits that blend the worlds of fashion and fine art. Together, you’ll build two complete looks using unconventional materials that most people wouldn’t dream of turning into wearable art. Following a live shoot where Therese demonstrates her favourite lighting setups and shares insights on communication and posing, it’s your turn to create. You’ll leave this workshop full of inspiration and ready to launch your own imaginative […]
Friday 17th
City Dogs – Urban Portraiture Photowalk – Jessica McGovern
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Join International Pet Photographer of the Year (again!) Jessica McGovern for an immersive outdoor experience designed to transform the way you photograph dogs in urban environments. You’ll learn how to spot great locations in the city, understand how to position and pose canine subjects, and see exactly how Jess works to create magic straight out of the camera. This unique Superclass begins with 30 minutes of essential on-location theory, followed by 90 minutes of live demonstration as Jess takes you step-by-step through her creative process. Then it’s over to you—the next two hours are dedicated shooting time, where you’ll put […]
Can Colour LEDs Take the Place of Your Studio Strobes? – Panikos Hajistilly
2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Constant light technology—especially LED lighting—has come a long way in recent years, with advances in bi-colour and full-colour options. But can these modern LEDs truly replace traditional studio strobes in day-to-day studio work? In this Superclass, Panikos explores whether colour LED lighting can take centre stage in your studio setup. He’ll break down the different types of LED equipment available—panels, tubes, ring lights, and point-source heads—and explain how they compare with studio flash in real-world use. You’ll get practical advice on lighting modifiers, camera and lens considerations, and how to build an effective setup without breaking the bank. Expect clear […]
Saturday 18th
Creating Fine Art Stories – Hanna Neret
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
In this Superclass, Hanna will guide you through the process of shooting and editing a storytelling Fine Art portrait. Working with a model, you’ll create images that are not only visually stunning but also carry deeper meaning—following the process that has earned Hanna international awards and recognition for creativity, storytelling, and compositing. In this session, you’ll explore: Planning and preparing a concept Shooting with storytelling in mind—how it differs from standard portraiture Light compositing techniques in Photoshop Editing in Hanna’s signature style This is a hands-on session, so please bring a laptop with Photoshop installed. There will be plenty of […]
I for One Welcome Our New Robot Overlords – Kris Anderson
2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
By now, most photographers have dabbled with AI—generating images, writing blog posts, or even finding dinner recipes. Not quite the sci-fi utopia we were promised, right? In this four-hour, hands-on Superclass, Kris Anderson will take AI to the next level, showing you how it can support your photography business without replacing your creative voice. Work smarter, communicate more clearly, and solve problems faster—using the right tools, the right way. A technologist at heart (with Bachelor’s degrees in Science and Engineering—yes, he’s a proper nerd), Kris will share techniques he’s developed to get the most useful and authentic results from AI. […]
Tickets:
£190 (The Society of Photographers members receive 20% off code)
