Courses

Students letters

5 November 2006

Dear Andrew and Brian

I probably should have written and thanked you earlier but better latce than never and in some ways the delay in sending this letter will prove your courses do work.

I must say that when I started the courses I wouldn't of even dreamt of undertaking someone's wedding or trying to pose somebody for a portrait photograph. A hobby in photography is somewhat very different to charging what some would consider silly amounts for taking photographs at a wedding or portraits of somebody.

Your courses not only taught me some of the skills I now use but more importantly gave me the confidence to undertake a wedding and to my absolute horror I wasn't even nervous when I set off to cover my first wedding back in April of this year.

So, in April 2006 I started KCT Photography and since that time have completed 14 weddings with 3 booked for the remainder of this year. I already have 13 booked for next year and based on current averages over the last seven months, would expect to be handling 35 + weddings per annum within two years.

I thoroughly enjoyed my travels to Norwich and the friendliness of my fellow students (several of which I am still in regular contact with) and the friendliness of all the other staff at Barrett & Coe, in particular Julie and both Katie's.

Without the training given by Barrett & Coe I would certainly not be in this position now and for that I would like to thank you both for sharing your skills and experiences.

With many thanks. Carl Thomas

3 February 2006,

Dear Andrew and Brian,

Today is the last day of my sabbatical -1 return to the payroll of my company from Monday the 6th, and as I reflect on the past eight months I am prompted to write to you both to express my appreciation of the Barrett and Coe Courses.
I made my first serious portrait sale before the end of the portrait course and booked my first wedding before I even started the wedding course. I think this is testament to the possibilities that the course can offer - it really can be done! I honestly did not think that the possibilities to make money from photography were as accessible as you said but I have, thankfully, been proved wrong! I have also taken over £6000 in professional photography earnings in the last four months having focused my efforts full time during that period.

I really enjoyed both courses.  Courses were very well organised, Katie and Julie are very attentive and friendly to the students and Brian and yourself seem to manage the difficult task of critiquing work without demoralising students! All in all, I thought them great value for money.

Peter Evans

Andrew & Brian

It gives me great pleasure informing you, that I have recently gained an Associate of the Master Photographers Association.  Five photographs I took during the Portrait Course formed part of the panel.
The course has helped me tremendously in running my business.  It has given me the confidence and determination I could not find in other courses and seminars that I have attended over the years.  I would like to thank you both and all the staff who helped me during the course.  The patience and endurance is unbelievable of all the staff.  Keep up the good work.

Thank you

Harshad Pisavadia

Dear Brian

I felt I should write to thank you for the excellence of the tuition received during the recent Portrait course I attended.

I have left the course with the confidence to now go out and make a business from photography. Something I would not have thought possible six months ago.

You personally were an inspiration. I can only hope that some of the love you have for your art has rubbed off. The techniques you have given us are not enough on their own, it's the passion that you have that we now need to develop to take us that next, higher level.

Once again, many thanks. You've given me something I will always treasure.

Dennis Harris

Hello Brian and Andrew

I don't know if you remember me but this time last year I enrolled on your course, and graduated in July. Since then I have created my own company in Wedding photography and have 23 weddings booked for this year, which I am totally astounded at. My target was 10 , but I have marketed my self alot, got a great website (I think) and really gone for it.

This is just a quick e-mail to thank you both for your help and to say just how great I thought the course was, this time last year I could only dream of being where I am.

Once again thanks alot

David Pullum

DP Photography

Dear Andrew and Brian

Just a note to say hello. and to say I am still greatly enjoying my photography.  I now have a nice part time business doing mainly wedding and some portraits.  I am getting bookings by word of mouth.

I remain a half time doctor and half time photographer - a strange but very enjoyable mixture.

Oddly quite a few of last years brides were doctors or nurses (they didn't know me - cold callers via an advert) so maybe there is something strangely familiar to them about my sales patter!

As time passes I realise just how useful the course in Norwich was - for instance learning a foolproof way to take really nice portraitsw - this is so easy to achieve (now that I know how!) but never fails to impress people.

Only one mishap so far - jammed camera - but because I was a good girl and listened to Andrew I had my second camera ready and the swap was fairly smooth! ("It's not good having a second camera in the car, it needs to be with you!")

I can't thank you enough for introducing me to such a fun way to earn a living.

Best Wishes

Julia Riley - Social Course 1

Last year I furthered my training with a six month course in Social Photography at the nationally recognised Norwich School of Photography. The school is the leading training centre for Wedding and Portrait photography in the UK and the course is recognised and recommended by the Master Photographers Association

Kate Evans

Dear All at Thorpe Road,

I would like to thank you all for your help, advice and encouragement given to me during my time on the Barrett and Coe Portrait and Social Photography courses. I have achieved so much in such a relatively short period of time that I now intend to set up my own small photographic business this year. I thoroughly enjoyed the final examination in Social photography and the critiques that followed. It helped enormously to understand how people act under stress and how to avoid the pitfalls that this may lead to.

Karen La Borde

Andrew,

It was on the 22nd June last year that I tentatively attended the first seminar of the Portrait 1 course.  Earlier this week -just less that 1 year later -1 attended and passed the BIPP licentiate panel in Ware. The panel members were very kind and assured me that my submission was of a very high standard (considerably above the level required for licentiate level).

My business is going well -1 am doing a variety of work including family portraits, nursery sessions and commercial work for a group of hairdressers. My average sitting revenue this year is £600 - and I have bookings going forward the next 5 months. Not that my diary is completely full for that time ... but enough for me to see a steady revenue stream.

It seems very weak just to say "thank-you" - but, I thank you and Brian for giving me the skills and confidence to build a viable business in such a short space of time.

I hope all is well with you and Brian, and look forward to catching up with you at Focus next year - if not sooner.

kind regards

Dawn Wellbelove

Hi Andrew and Brian.

Just to let you know that I appeared before the Professional Photographic Qualifying Board U, K.  I was successful in obtaining a Licentiate Qualification with the M.PA. and B.I.P.P. and by exemption will seek one with the R.P.S.  The senior examiner Mr. Lowe commented "Whatever it is you are doing, keep doing it because it is right". He complimented me on the depth of the Panel I had submitted and stated that is well above Licentiate standard and one of the best submitted. He told me I had obvious control of the situation in particular the Group and Confetti shots and further that (as old as I was) I was able to bring out the best from all age groups. You may feel I am being rather self congratulatory in mentioning the above, but this is not the case. I mention these points because without the tireless efforts, patience and knowledge of both you and Brian none of this would have been possible.

 My sincere thanks to you both for all that have done for me.

Graham Matson

Dear Andrew & Brian

I just wanted to send you a note of thanks for helping me start my photography career and to let you know what I've been up to since I graduated from Portrait Course 1.   Thanks again for all your encouragement. Things are so exciting -1 really enjoy taking photographs and I hope that my business will grow and grow. I can so clearly remember that first session when you assured me after 6 months that I would be able to make a living as a portrait photographer and I wasn't convinced. I do now feel I have come a long way since then.

Good luck with the business and please send my best wishes to all those at the studio, who were so helpful while I was on the course.

Janet Gilmore

Dear Andrew & Brian

I bought some studio lights from Ian Gee, formerly Guild of Photographers UK and past President of the BIPP.  I took the opportunity of taking my first complete wedding album to show him and spent a good hour or so talking photography.  A number of times as he flicked over the album pages, Ian said that we would have never have believed that this was some ones first wedding.
My interest in Wedding photography was inspired by the photographer at my own wedding just over two years ago and I though "I could do that."  Things were looking a bit grim in my regular work and I was looking for an opportunity and this is when I found the Barrett & Coe web site on the internet.  I booked the course and spoke to Ann to get advice on what camera to buy and then had a good chat with Andrew to convince him that I should join the current course although it had already started three months previously.  I completed the six month course in the remaining three months and just missed a grade 1 pass by 1%.

On my return home from the Social course I put together an album from my course work, placed an advert in the local paper and promptly sold two weddings.

Thank you and regards,

Chris Painter - Social Course Option 1