One on one photo course with Northbound Journeys

These last few weeks have been intense. I have been putting myself out of my comfort zone so many times I’ve lost count. The upside of having many nerv wrecking events packed into a short period of time is that each event doesn’t feel so big, AND you haven’t got time to worry about the next one because you’re busy with the first.

The other upside (are there any downsides, really?) of putting myself out there have been meeting a lot of new and amazing people. Like this girl here, Rania from Nortbound Journeys A photographer and outdoor enthusiast that lives in the southern part of Sweden but was born in my home town Gällivare.

She moved from Gällivare when she was little and I have never met or heard of her before she popped up in my newsfeed on Facebook through Influencers of Sweden. Ranias blog is all about simple living, eco thinking, outdoor adventures and coffee, and all these things captured in the most amazing pictures.

 

 

Rania was here last week to visit some family and I took the chance to get to spend a couple of hours with her in a course on photography. I have been taking photos with a purpose for more than 10 years, but never really got the hang of all the settings. That have led to me always getting tired of taking pictures because my pictures haven’t turned out the way I wanted them to. And now that’s all about to change. Hopefully. All because I stepped out of my comfort zone and asked her to teach me.

 

Rania and I spent 4 hours talking about photography. In between the sips of coffee (did I mention Rania likes coffee?) we talked about camera settings, camera lenses, editing, imagery, composition and much more. We also went out to test those skills in action and I got to have her as my personal trainer, but for photography. These hours might have been the best hours invested ever. Rania is not only a great photographer but also a great teacher. She kept it simple and understandable but still managed to cover so many aspects of how to take good pictures. On top of all that, she is a loving person with a big heart and fun to spend time with. If you have great photographers in your area – invest in yourself and get a one-on-one course – it’s gonna be worth every penny!

 

Below I have written down some pros and cons with getting a one on one photo course and also listed 3 things that I took with me from my day with Rania (except for the ’fact’ that coffee is holy and should be treated such..)

 

Benefits of a one on one photo course

  • You get to ask all the questions you have without anyone else getting annoyed
  • As you’re the only student – you set the bar for the day
  • You have the photographers full attention and they notice small things you do that you might never notice yourself and because of that – would never even know to ask for.
  • If you have common interests you’ll end up talking about a lot more specifik things on photography. Like how to take good pictures of a tent and the night sky while out camping..
  • If might get a new friend and adventure partner!

Cons with a one on one photo course

  • You might have to drink a lot of coffee and talk about photography all day long.. No, I’m kidding. There really are none.

 

Want to see more of Ranias work? Go check out her blog Rowantree and get inspired! 

My top three tips on photography – all from Rania

  1. Don’t be too careful with your camera, you might end up never using it
  2. Invest in a really good lens – and just use it. The quality of the picutre is not everything – taking pictures is.
  3. Find your own style – look at other pictures and notice what it is that you like about them. Then experiment and find what’s you!

 

Funny how me and Rania grew up in the same small town, not knowing each other at all. And now our paths crossed because of the world of blogging, photography and other common interests.. And also thanks to my (also new) friend Jennifer, another girl from Gällivare. More on that story later. The world is small and some how we are all connected.. So pumped to get out and take more pictures now, starting this weekend when we are going to our cabin in Norway for easter. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram as well, the best way to tag along on our adventures is on stories!

Beautiful old, wooden houses in the homestead area was our backdrop for the day.

Photo course with a PT for photography is one of the best investments ever.  

Amanda heter jag och är certifierad Coach. Jag är också mamma till två barn, matte till två hundar, fru till en musiker och född och uppvuxen i norr. Jag skriver personlig utveckling, personliga funderingar, om äventyr i naturen och livet norr om polcirkeln.

På bloggen får du läsa om högt och lågt, djupt och ytligt, forskning och personliga upplevelser – allt i en härlig blandning.