The Art of Seeing: 1st July - 26th August 2025

Additional information

Photography is so much more than an image. To me, photography is an expression of your relationship with the world around you – your complete experience of a moment, in all of its wonderful richness. Many photographers consider photography as the culmination of subject and technical skill – but I passionately believe that photography becomes truly exciting when used to explore and develop your own beautiful art of seeing.

Join me this summer for a deep exploration of creativity as we create a sketchbook of inspiration. We’ll be engaging all of our senses, incorporating sound as well as sight and emotion, building a layered, nuanced and personal interpretation of the world around us. You’ll create photographs, of course, which are one part of creative expression as you deepen your awareness and discover how your inspiration fuels your photography.

Recording thoughts and inspirations is not a new concept; many great photographers used them in the form of day books, recording everything from their technical data to the thoughts and musings about life and what was affecting them, making sketches, collages of inspiring images and also making notes using series of  images.

I’ll encourage you to explore the idea that photography is never ‘finished’ – instead, it’s a process of stepping stones on a journey of creative expression which is forever gently evolving, shaped by your encounters, experiences and influences.

As summer draws to a close, you’ll have created a sketchbook bursting with your personal experience of life during this magical season, which I hope you will feel inspired to continue beyond the workshop’s end.

Open to photographers of all levels, I will encourage you, challenge you and guide you as you work alongside a brilliantly supportive community of fellow creatives to move forwards together.

There is no right or wrong; no marks will be given and no critical judgement passed – simply an invitation to immerse yourself in a period of creativity and deep exploration into your own space, at your own pace. It’s your opportunity to come together with other likeminded photographers to explore, inspire and learn - being fearless and imaginative.

Starting on 1st July with a face to face zoom session I want to help you grow creatively throughout the summer until 26th August

Highlights

• Six meetings on zoom on Tuesday evenings at 1830 (UK Time)

• All meetings recorded and sent out by emai

• Safe, supportive non judgmental workshop

• Supportive community

How it works

The live zoom sessions will take place each Tuesday at 1830 BST throughout the workshop, and last approximately 1 hour - each recorded and emailed to all participants. All assignments and any notes will also be emailed to everyone.

The initial session will give out our assignment and something to inspire you to think deeply about it. The following sessions will be building on the project I will offer a new technique that you can use to explore the concepts further.

What does the workshop cost?

I want to make this accessible for as many people as possible. The cost of the course is £180.

What will I learn?

You will be encouraged to let go of preconceptions about your work, to move in to experimentation and fun. Letting go of perfection is hugely important for all creatives, creativity is harmed by perfection, I will push you to let go of this trait so that you can freely express yourself. I will show you ways of incorporating your daily experiences into your creative practice and to make creativity a daily practice.

I’ve taken one of your courses before – will I learn anything new?

For those who have done online workshops with me before this will build on the previous ones, it will push you a bit harder to immerse yourself in a project.

I’m away on holiday during the workshop – will I miss out?

If you are travelling you can do this project anywhere in the world, you can and possibly  will use any sort of camera, smartphone.

What equipment will I need?

Each technique will require minimal equipment apart from notebook, paper, pencils, scissors, camera or smart phone - you will need access to a printer but it can be a very basic desktop machine or a more sophisticated photo printer.

I will be using a A5 Concertina sketchbook from Seawhite in Brighton UK, however any blank sketchbook will suffice either A5 or A4 sized - ideally you want it to be easily portable.

As part of the workshop we will be working with is sound and incorporating spectrogram images as part of the sessions. For this, you will need to download the Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab phone app. It’s completely free and quite wonderful.

What do you need to do?

Simply sign up online, and delve into the process as deeply as you choose to. You will receive an equipment list about a week before the course begins. All equipment can be found in the home or at a local hobby craft or art store.

Terms of booking

Cancellation Policy

Still by Paul Sanders has a very strict and transparent cancellation policy. The cancellation policy applies regardless of circumstance so it's essential you understand these terms before you book.

Exceptional Circumstances

We cannot be held liable for situations beyond our control, including (but not limited to) acts of war, acts of God, threats or acts of terrorism, civil unrest or unforeseen personal circumstances. We also can’t offer refunds for illness, flight delays or any other circumstances. Please, please, please make sure you have adequate insurance in place to cover for this.

Cancellation On Our Part

In the event of a teacher cancellation, every effort will be made to deliver the same content by another accomplished teacher. If we need to cancel the retreat, we will refund the money you have paid so far. We cannot be held responsible for other costs – such as flights or any other incidentals and strongly recommend you have insurance in place to cover this.

Copyright Contents and Course Materials

All course material, workshop content and marketing literature is protected copyright. What that means in simple terms is that you may not copy it.

About Paul Sanders

These days, I see myself less as  purely a photographer but more as someone who mentors and champions creativity in others. It’d be easy for me to teach you to take photographs in the same way that I do; to take you to stunning venues, tell you where to stand, which lens to use to capture the money shot – but it’s far more exciting to discover how you see the world.

With my workshops I want to create a safe place that’s free of judgement for photographers of all abilities – whether they’ve a bag full of kit or a smartphone in their pocket – to really explore their creativity and what creative expression means for them. I encourage people to explore their own space at their own pace, with their own eyes, giving them the absolute freedom to develop their creativity uniquely.

It’s all about finding yourself creatively and finding your style on your own terms – its not about validation, winning photography competitions or gaining approval through social media, but finding the courage to express yourself in your own way. To find your creative voice, and to photograph the world in the way you see it.