Lacock Photography

LIFE THROUGH A LENS... FIONA TURNBULL is a wildlife photographer, photography trainer and co-founder of Lacock Photography, an independent photography training school in Lacock.

Most photography training schools are owned by large organisations, what made you think there was an opening for a small independent like Lacock Photography? When my husband Andy and I started the business in 2011, we knew it was going to be a bit of gamble, but because I loved photography so much, we believed it was a gamble worth taking. From the beginning we wanted to create a photography school that was a bit different, something special and personal. I think it’s been our small classes and focus on building relationships with students that has allowed us to carve out a space amongst much bigger companies.

Lacock Photography is coming up to 10 years in business, what did your business look like a decade ago compared to now and what’s the secret behind its longevity? So I suppose the big difference between then and now is that, originally, I was the sole person delivering workshops, whereas now we have 10 talented photography trainers offering a wide variety of interesting and diverse workshops, and have something suitable for every skill level! We hear you’re an avid wildlife photographer. What do you find the most troublesome animal to photograph? Definitely flying birds! To capture a flying bird, you need to have a good amount of technical know-how and it takes a lot of practice to get it

“We have 10 talented photography trainers offering a wide variety of interesting and diverse workshops, and have something suitable for every skill level!”

right. When you come home from a photoshoot with a beautiful image of a flying wild bird, it’s an extremely satisfying feeling!

We’ve included your favourite photograph that you’ve taken recently, could you tell us the story behind the image and explain why it’s your favourite? I’ve chosen a photo of a giraffe I took a few weeks ago during my first visit to the ‘Wild Place Project’, a wildlife conservation park run by Bristol Zoo. There are two main elements that I think have made this a particularly successful image – firstly, I created a bright, white background for the giraffe to sit against, which produces quite a dramatic yet serene feel and puts this magnificent animal on centre stage. The second thing I love about this image is the composition. I wanted to highlight both the strength and elegancy of a giraffe’s physique: its long spine leads you

Fiona has run Lacock Photography with her husband Andy for almost 10 years

from one corner of the picture to the other, finally spiralling inward to focus on the giraffe’s sharp and fawnlike eye. I’m so happy with it, I think I’ll get it printed!

And finally, what’s next for Lacock Photography? We will continue to come up with new and exciting workshops, we never stand still! Recently we’ve been thinking about developing some historic process workshops. Of course being in Lacock, the birthplace of photography, we’re in the ideal place to run some traditional photography workshops – so this is hopefully the plan for next year.

• lacockphotography.com

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