Film Photography Course

Welcome to Enchanting Analogue

EMBARK ON A NEW CREATIVE ADVENTURE FOR 2020

Learn how to shoot captivating images on film, liberate yourself from your smartphone and see the world in magical new ways.

Imagine an antidote to digital overwhelm that plagues our modern lives. Imagine a world where you take fewer but better photographs, where your smartphone camera roll remains empty as your precious memories become stronger.

Imagine creating images that look like perfect little worlds, photographs that delight you and make you squeal with excitement, images so full of depth they make you want to climb right inside them.

Perhaps you are looking for ways to spend less time in the online world and are craving more time to enjoy your adventures in real life. Perhaps you want to slow down and take more pleasure from the world around you. Perhaps you are looking for a new, creative adventure for 2020.

This is why we have created Enchanting Analogue.

What is Enchanting Analogue?

Enchanting Analogue is unique e-course designed to teach you how to create enchanting images on film. Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced photographer, you’ll discover how simple shooting on manual can be and how easy it is to create incredible photographs when you leave the digital world behind.

As well as reigniting your love for photography, you will learn how film photography can help free you from the clutches of your smartphone. You’ll become more present in all of your adventures and will see the world around you in wonderful new ways.

Enchanting Analogue is a collaboration between myself and inspirational film photographer and photography teacher Lauren Keim.

ENROL NOW: £249

Enchanting Analogue is currently closed. Please sign up to my email newsletter (below) to be notified when enrolment opens again.

From the first clunk of the shutter of Annabel’s Pentax I knew I was hooked. This simple sound transported me straight back to childhood, learning to hold the camera and take a photo on my dad’s old Pentax. It felt like home.

Luckily my Dad still had that old Pentax, bought in 1977, and now it’s mine. It works perfectly. And with Lauren’s guidance and inspiration I’m exploring, learning and discovering so much.

I’m hopelessly in love with the photos it takes, including the mistakes.

Janet Hitchen

London

What you will gain

Shooting film has the power to enhance your life and inspire you to spend more time exploring the beauty of the world. In Enchanting Analogue you’ll gain:

The confidence and skills to move on from your smartphone camera. You’ll learn to shoot a simple film camera on manual settings in an easy to understand way, and learn all about getting your rolls developed in a lab.
More intention in your photography. You’ll be released from the overwhelm of taking multiple photos of the same thing on your smartphone. You’ll take fewer images, and the ones you do take will mean far more to you.
The confidence to let go of the pressure to share your adventures in real time, online. You’ll learn to create images for yourself, not for an audience, and to share images when you are moved to do so, giving you back precious time to spend in the real world.
A deepened love for your images. With bonus lessons on composition, capturing light and developing your own personal style, your images will improve exponentially and become more meaningful and personal to you.

The enthusiasm and joy with which Lauren and Annabel talk about film photography persuaded me to give it another go. It was over ten years since I had last used a film camera. I was not disappointed – the depth and atmosphere that film brings to your pictures is phenomenal and I’d highly recommend it. It has really made me fall back in love with photography. Thank you so much Annabel and Lauren for all of your help, encouragement and inspiration!

Helen Shearan

London

The Experience

You will receive all the content for Enchanting Analogue as soon as you enrol. This way you can work your way through the modules at your own pace, with no stress and no pressure to keep up. Each lesson includes an optional assignment, designed to help you practice your new skills as you progress through the course. The course also comes with a private forum where you can ask as many questions of Lauren and me as you wish.

Lauren and I have ensured Enchanting Analogue contains all the technical information you need to get going on your analogue journey, including what kit you need and how to use it. For both Lauren and I, shooting film is about so much more than cameras and film, it’s a compelling creative journey, and it’s for this reason we have put creativity and joy at the very heart of Enchanting Analogue.

Curriculum

Introduction and Welcome: An introduction to the game changing nature of film photography, and why analogue photography differs from digital.
Jumpstart: how to assemble your starter kit, and how to use your equipment. Learning to shoot on manual in an easy to understand way, and where and how to get your rolls developed.
The Fun Begins: All about cameras, all about film (including shooting black and white), all about measuring light and exposure. Bonus lessons on capturing light and workflow.
Expanding Artistically: Fun cameras and toy cameras to try, the joy of light leaks and double exposures, and shooting with expired film. Bonus lessons on compelling composition and developing your own personal style.
The Journey Onwards: Inspiration and Community, moving on.
And much more besides!

ENROL NOW: £249

Enchanting Analogue is currently closed. Please sign up to my email newsletter (below) to be notified when enrolment opens again.

I bought Enchanting Analogue as I had no idea where to start on my analogue journey or what camera to buy. Annabel and Lauren helped at every step of the way and waiting for and unboxing my first analogue camera; a Pentax K1000 was so exciting.

I’ve bought DSLR’s before but haven’t got off auto as shooting on manual settings seemed so complicated, but this course breaks everything down and makes it easy. I love how they are on hand to answer any questions, and I’m amazed by my progress with each film I get developed.

Each shot has something unexpected, and I’ve learnt to take in my surroundings and contemplate what I will capture, rather than taking hundreds of photos on my iPhone. Another bonus is that I spend more time being present and not getting distracted by my phone.

I can’t recommend Enchanting Analogue enough, thank you, Annabel and Lauren! I’m thrilled with how I’m progressing and already have some ‘printable’ images. I can hear your advice in my head every time I take a photo!

Kelly Sparkes

Hertfordshire

Why we created Enchanting Analogue

In 2018 I had fallen out of love with photography, I was finding the process frustrating and my images uninspiring. As an antidote, Lauren gave me a Pentax K1000 film camera and from the moment I picked it up I was hooked. I promptly sold my DSLR and all the accompanying equipment and have never looked back.

Shooting on film has brought so much joy into my life. It’s helped reduce the anxiety and stress I feel in the modern world from being constantly connected and switched on. It’s helped liberate me from my iPhone and taught me to see our beautiful world in a completely different way.

A few months into my journey I asked Lauren if she would collaborate on a course with me, to spread the influence of this wonderful adventure further. I was absolutely thrilled when she agreed. Film photography has changed both of our lives in so many ways, and it can do the same for you too. We hope that Enchanting Analogue will be a catalyst for you to reclaim some time for yourself and learn new ways to express your unique perspective on the world around you.

ENROL NOW: £249

Enchanting Analogue is currently closed. Please sign up to my email newsletter (below) to be notified when enrolment opens again.

About Lauren

Lauren has been involved in photography, as an artist and a teacher, since 2011. Since 2014, she has worked both internationally and in the US to help her students find their creative voice using photography as their medium.

Lauren shoots both 35mm and medium format film, often relying on just one camera and one lens to explore the relationship between her visual experience and the written word. She grew up surrounded by the mountains of eastern Tennessee and has lived near the waters of both coasts. She now lives in Maine.

About Me

I am a creativity seeker and a nature lover. I currently live between London and Kent and spend as much time outdoors as I can. I’m always looking for new creative pursuits, and I absolutely love having a new project.

With Bleak House my aim has always been to be to bring you new and exciting experiences to help you claim some time in your busy life for yourself, and to ignite your creative spirit.

Shooting on film has been one of the most thrilling adventures I’ve embarked upon in recent years and I absolutely had to share this life changing journey with you, and this is why I’ve created Enchanting Analogue with Lauren.

Is Enchanting Analogue for me?

Absolutely, if…

you want to take fewer, but better and more meaningful images
you’d like to free yourself from the stressful approach of taking many images of the same subject, hoping one will be acceptable.
your camera roll and cloud storage are clogged with thousands of uninspiring images that hide the records of your memories you really treasure.
you find taking photographs of your experiences takes up too much time and causes too much stress. You’d rather be able to just enjoy your adventures, but still have wonderful images of them.
you are looking to slow down, try a new creative pursuit and increase your enjoyment of the time you send in the real world
you’d like to learn all the technical information you need to shoot film, on manual settings, in easy, simple to understand ways.

How to enrol

Enrolment includes twelve months’ unlimited access to all content, including access to a student forum where you can ask Lauren and me any questions.

As a student of Enchanting Analogue you will also receive preferential booking on any film photography workshops, meet-ups and photowalks run by Lauren and/or me in the UK or USA.

ENROL NOW: £249

Enchanting Analogue is currently closed. Please sign up to my email newsletter (below) to be notified when enrolment opens again.

Lauren re-introduced me to analogue photography during the inspirational photography workshop she ran on the Bleak House Experience in Devon last March.

Since meeting her, I got my Dad’s old camera out and she guided me through the first steps of shooting film again, and working out what all the numbers actually mean.

Since then, I have not stopped shooting analogue for myself and even for my clients, and learning about it. It’s completely changed the way I take photographs and how I see the world.

Nat Aubry

Hertfordshire

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don’t have a film camera?

In the first part of Enchanting Analogue you’ll learn the best cameras to start out with and how to get hold of one, including where to buy one if you need to. In our experience students often either remember that they have an old camera kicking around in their house somewhere, or find a family member or friend lends them an old camera, happy to see it being used again.

What expenses are involved in shooting film?

If you need to buy a camera, you should budget between £50 and £120 for a simple 35mm camera (in the UK). You will need to buy film, and have your images developed. Costs vary between labs and the services you choose. This will be covered in the course but if you’d like an idea of cost you can see Carmencita’s prices on their website here as an example. (Carmencita is the lab that I use.) I have also used AG Photolab in the UK and you can see their prices here for comparison. You will almost certainly find that you shoot far fewer exposures than with a digital camera, and a 36 exposure roll of 35mm film becomes surprisingly hard to finish!

Will I have to submit homework?

Each lesson in the course has an optional assignment to complete. These are just for fun, for you to record your progress and try out your new skills. You do not have to complete them to continue the course.

What format are the online lessons?

The lessons are a mixture of video, slide decks with gorgeous photos, and written.

How long will I have access to the course for?

You will have unlimited, continuous access to the course and forum for twelve months.

What is the refund policy?

As all of the content and resources are released on enrolment, and because you will have continued access to the content for twelve months, the course is non-refundable. If you have any questions or feedback on the content, do email me.

Are there any “live” elements of this class?

We’ve designed the course to be stress-free and enjoyable. There are no live elements, and you do not have to be online at any specific time to access the content. Lauren and I will however give you feedback on your assignments (if you wish) and you can engage with other students in the forum and through the #enchantinganalogue hashtag on Instagram.

Can I ask questions as I progress through the course?

Yes! Enchanting Analogue has a student forum where you may ask as many questions as you wish and Lauren and/or I will answer them.

How long does the course take to complete?

You can work through the lessons and topics at your own pace, as quickly or slowly as you wish. There are no deadlines and all of the content is realised as soon as you enrol.

I’m not in the UK or the USA. Can I join?

Absolutely! Enchanting Analogue is entirely online and so you can join wherever you are the world.

Will you be hosting workshops and photo walks?

Yes! Hopefully in the Spring there will be a chance to join a film photo walk in London with me, and Lauren and I are also working on some other very special workshops and walks to build upon the course. Sign up to my email newsletter (below) to be notified when we have more information.

Join us as we enter the enchanting world of film, a captivating land made up of light and shadows, simple colours and evocative shapes. A place where mistakes become magical surprises and nothing is quite what it seems.

ENROL NOW: £249

Enchanting Analogue is currently closed. Please sign up to my email newsletter (below) to be notified when enrolment opens again.

I found this class to be extremely enjoyable, and comprehensive. Lauren is a thorough teacher with a calm cadence which is so helpful when learning something new.

I have experienced so much pleasure taking photos with film I feel like an artist, which I certainly am not, but in my little world of film I am creating my own unique signature and that is so satisfying, and fun!