“An ex-boss in a previous career said I’d never make it as a pro – he was wrong!”, says professional photographer and educator Nick Church

‘The Histogram Myth’ is a tongue-in-cheek response to anybody who tells you the way your histogram should look.

Without knowing the scene in front of the photographer, it’s meaningless. Through examples of where this advice can be ignored – as it is by the finest artists and photographers in the world – the talk discusses when and how the histogram should be used.

There’s no bunch of settings that you can apply to any given scenario, but ‘Nail Your Exposure’ shares my process for using Manual mode that works in every handheld scenario.

It ensures sharp images, minimal image noise, and the correct depth of field. It covers where semi-automatic modes can help, where they won’,t and why I recommend Manual mode for beginners.

An amazing talk by Scott Kelby at The Photography Show in 2016 gave me a bug that I never shook off! It set the wheels in motion that established Nick Church Photography and my education business, the Nick Church Creative Academy.

I was also inspired by an ex-boss in my previous career who said, “You’ll never make a career out of doing photography – you realise that, right?” Wrong!

Be intentional about every photo you take. Asking ourselves, ‘What am I trying to communicate with each frame’? Something beautiful, a story, an emotion, mood, humour? These things made an immediate impact in my work and are a key part of the photography training I do to this day.

I get enormous satisfaction from the students I’ve mentored getting their first bookings – each one getting them closer and closer to their goals.

When they take an incredible shot, I love the idea that I’ve had a tiny input into that – once the initial mild-envy has subsided of course!

On a personal note, sharing a stage with Scott Kelby at The Photography Show in 2024, given that he inspired me initially, was humbling.

Having good equipment is key to image quality and is essential for some genres but it’s not the only important thing for many types of photography.

With a photographer’s vision and skilled use of light and moment, a great shot can be captured on any device within reason, especially for online use.

This is the difference between snapshots and skilled photography, and regardless of how advanced smartphones become, I think it will always show.

The opposite is true: someone getting the latest high-end mirrorless camera and lens will not produce good photos until they gain these photography skills.