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Monday 9am - 4pm Tuesday 9am - 4pm Wednesday 9am - 4pm Thursday 9am - 4pm Friday 9am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

The Photo Coach

Name: The Photo Coach
Address: Bridgend, CF313BT, GB
Telephone: +447852255766
Price range: ££

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The Photo Coach

Photography, Made Simple. Clear, beginner-friendly lessons that help you shoot with confidence and take photos you’ll love.

Sarah creates emotive and authentic family photography with just a little hint of magic. Based in Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, Sarah works throughout Wales and the rest of the UK. Sarah has been a premier, specialist child and family photographer since 2007. Sarah also hosts regular camera training events and has taught hundreds of beginners how to get started in photography. With private a

nd commercial clients throughout the UK, Sarah has worked with a number of high profile and celebrity clients and has also been published in a variety of national magazines.

22/06/2026

After 20 years as a professional photographer, I can tell you it's rarely because someone owns a better camera.

In fact, some of my favourite photos have been taken with the simplest setups and the most basic of cameras.

The biggest difference is often what happens before the shutter button is pressed.
Most people see something they want to photograph and immediately take the picture.

Instead, try pausing for a few seconds and ask yourself:
📸 What is this photo actually about?
☀️ Where is the light coming from?
🎨 Are there any colours helping the image, or distracting from it?
👀 What do I want people to notice first?

Those four questions can completely change the way your photos look.

Some of the most beautiful images aren't created in studios or exotic locations. They're taken at the kitchen table, by a window, during an ordinary moment that somebody took the time to notice.

Photography isn't about finding more interesting things to photograph.
It's about learning to see what's already there.

Next time you pick up your camera, try this. Take a quick photo first. Then spend a minute thinking through the questions above and take it again.

Compare the two.

You might be surprised by the difference.

If you'd like help building confidence with your camera and learning photography in a simple, step by step way, comment "KICKSTART" and I'll send you the details.

19/06/2026

It's time for the Weekend Photo Project! 📷

This week's theme: Leading Lines.

Roads. Fences. Rivers. Staircases. Railway tracks. Nature is full of lines that draw your eye through a photograph and once you start looking for them, you'll find them absolutely everywhere.

This one is so satisfying when it works. There's something almost magical about a path that disappears into the distance, or a row of trees that pulls you right into the heart of an image.

I've included one of my own shots to get you started. See how your eye just follows the line naturally to what I want you to look at? That's exactly what you're looking for.

Camera, phone, whatever you've got to hand. Get out there this weekend, find your lines, and share them in the comments below. I'd love to see what you discover. 😊

Same time next week, new theme. Who's in? 👇

17/06/2026

I want to ask you something.

When did you last stop and really look at something?

Not glance at it.
Not scroll past it.
Actually stop, look at it properly, and think, “That's beautiful!”

In a world that moves incredibly fast, picking up a camera forces you to pause. To notice the light. To see the ordinary things around you differently. The way the sun hits a puddle. The expression on someone's face in an unguarded moment. The textures and colours that are just quietly there, every single day, waiting to be noticed.

That's what photography gives me. And honestly? It's what I want to give you too.

Because I don't think learning photography is just about cameras and settings and technical knowledge. Not at the heart of it, anyway.

It's about slowing down. Seeing more. And capturing the moments and the beauty that matter to you, before they're gone.

Most people I teach have a story behind why they want to learn photography. Each is different. Each is perfectly valid.

What made you pick up a camera? I'd love to know your story.

15/06/2026

Want to instantly improve your photos? Get closer. 📷

Seriously. That's it. That's the tip.

One of the most common mistakes I see beginners make is staying too far back. There's this instinct to get everything in — the whole scene, all the context, all the background.

But often, all that space is just noise.

Look at these images. Same location. Same person. Same light. Same camera.

The only difference? Moving closer.

Notice how your eye knows exactly where to look in the final image. There's no distraction, no wondering where the subject is. Just a person, beautifully lit, filling the frame.

You don't need a better camera. You don't necessarily need a zoom lens. You just need to take a few steps forward.

Next time you're about to take a shot, ask yourself, "What happens if I get a little closer?".

Don't be scared. Fill the frame! You might surprise yourself.

Have you tried this? Share your results in the comments below. 👇

13/06/2026

Have you ever noticed that it's difficult to worry about your to do list while you're concentrating on a photograph?

When we're looking for pictures, our attention shifts to what's in front of us.

The light through the trees.

The colours in a garden.

A reflection in a puddle.

The details of everyday life.

Photography has a wonderful way of pulling us into the present moment.

Not because we're trying to clear our minds.

Simply because we're too busy noticing.

And sometimes that's exactly what we need.

12/06/2026

It's time for the Weekend Photo Project! 📷

This week's theme: Light and shadow.

This one links beautifully to what we talked about on Monday, because once you start understanding how light works, you start seeing it everywhere.

The way it falls across your kitchen table in the morning. The shadows it makes through a window. The golden stripe it leaves across a wall at the end of the day.

You don't need to go anywhere special. You don't need any special equipment. Camera, phone, whatever you've got to hand. Just look for the light and the shadows it leaves behind.

Share your shot in the comments below, I'd love to see what you find. 😊

Same time next week, new theme. Who's in?

10/06/2026

The mistake almost every beginner makes (and how to avoid it) 📷

In all my years of teaching, this is the main reason people struggle to grow as a photographer.

People sit down with their camera, open a tutorial, and within ten minutes they're drowning. Exposure. White balance. Metering modes. Focus points. ISO. It's relentless. And the more they try to take in, the less they actually understand.
So the camera goes back in the bag.

And then comes the guilt.

Sound familiar?

Here's what I know after teaching photography since 2008. You don't need to understand everything to take a beautiful photo. You just need to understand one thing at a time.

Pick one setting. Learn what it does. Go out and play with it. Then move on to the next one.

That's it. That's the whole secret.

Photography isn't a subject you can cram. It's a skill you build slowly, one small win at a time. And every single person who has ever picked up a camera has felt exactly the way you're feeling right now.

You're not behind. You're just getting started. 😊

What's the one thing that's been confusing you most? Tell me in the comments, I might just make it my next post. 👇

07/06/2026

You've probably heard the word "aperture" but what does it actually mean? 🤷‍♀️

Aperture is one of those words that sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is. So let me explain it the way I wish someone had explained it to me.

Aperture is simply the size of the hole in your lens.

That's it.

Think of it like the pupil in your eye. In the dark, your pupil gets bigger to let in more light. In bright sunshine, it gets smaller. Your camera lens does exactly the same thing.

A wide aperture (big hole) lets in more light, which is great for darker conditions. It also gives you that lovely blurry background effect you see in portrait photography (that's not a filter, that's aperture doing its thing).

A narrow aperture (small hole) lets in less light but keeps more of your scene in focus. Great for landscapes where you want everything sharp from front to back.

That's it. That's aperture and it's super cool.

It's just your camera doing what your eye does naturally, every single day. Simple.

Any questions? Drop them below, there's no such thing as a silly one. 👇

05/06/2026

It's time for the Weekend Photo Project! 📷

This week's theme: Something that makes you smile.

For me, it's this. There is nothing that makes me smile more than being up in the mountains with my camera. This is my happy place.

It doesn't matter what you're shooting with: camera, phone, whatever you've got to hand. Full disclosure, this picture was taken with my phone. No judgement here! They say, the best camera is the one you have with you.

It doesn't matter if you're a complete beginner. All that matters is that you get out there and shoot something that brings you a little joy. We all need that sometimes, don't we?

A cup of tea. Your garden. Your dog doing something ridiculous.

Whatever it is, point your camera at it and share it in the comments below. I'd love to see what makes you smile. 😊

Same time next week, new theme. Who's in? 👇

03/06/2026

Why I started The Photo Coach 📷

I want to let you in on a little secret.

I wasn't always confident behind a camera. In fact, for a long time I was the person who handed the camera to someone else at family gatherings because I didn't trust myself to get it right.

I know. As a professional photographer of 20 years, that's a bit hard to believe, but it's true.

Back in the early days I had a camera I didn't fully understand, a manual I couldn't face reading, and a nagging feeling that photography was probably just for people who were naturally talented.

Or really technical.

Or had a really expensive camera (because they take better pictures, right?)

Or all of the above.

And then I started learning. Slowly, one thing at a time. And I wondered why nobody had ever just explained it in plain English.

I just needed to know "here's what this does and here's why it matters."

Because do you know what?

Big scary cameras aren't actually that big and scary when someone explains them properly. And learning photography doesn't have to be complicated, expensive, or out of reach.
It should be accessible to everyone.

That's what I do. That's what I've been doing since 2008.

Because I know there are people out there, like I was. With a camera sitting in a bag, gathering dust, who just need someone to explain it properly.

Without making them feel silly for asking.

Without overwhelming them with technical waffle.

That's exactly what I'm here for.

If that sounds like you, hello! You're in the right place. 👋

What made you pick up a camera in the first place? I'd love to know. Drop it in the comments below. 👇

Address

Bridgend
CF313BT

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4pm
Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm
Friday	9am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+447852255766

Website

https://www.thephotocoach.co.uk/start-here

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