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Monday 9am - 5:30pm Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm Thursday 9am - 5:30pm Friday 9am - 5:30pm

Photography Academy of Ireland

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Photography Academy of Ireland

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The Photography Academy of Ireland, established in 2004, offers fully accredited home study and part

Whether you want to gain a foundation in the basics of Photography, launch a career in this dynamic area or start your own business we have the course for you. Our courses, when paired with the feedback and guidance you will receive from your personal tutor, will give you everything you need to build a successful career in Photography.

25/09/2026

"The quickest way to understand manual settings is to change one variable deliberately and study the result. Once you can predict what a setting will do, operating the camera begins to feel intuitive rather than technical."
- Ana Vieira de Castro, Photography Tutor

Just one variable, one change and one experiment to learn from at a time.

✔️ Pick a subject in consistent light - near a window, or outdoors.
✔️ Change one thing - aperture first. Shoot at f/2.8, then f/8, then f/16. Watch what happens to the background.
✔️ Then try a fixed aperture and shoot something moving at a few different shutter speeds. Watch where motion turns crisp, and where it blurs.
✔️ Then finally - same scene, rising ISO and watch where the grain creeps in.

Knowledge you gain from testing becomes instinct. And it’s fun!

Explore our Photography courses and turn guessing into knowing.

18/09/2026

Aperture, shutter speed, ISO - knowing what they do isn't the same as knowing what to do with them.

Aperture controls depth of field, shutter speed controls motion, ISO controls brightness in low light...

What next?

"Manual mode becomes much less intimidating when you stop thinking of it as a collection of technical settings... These settings allow you to control exposure while making deliberate creative decisions about how you want the photograph to look and communicate."
- Ana Vieira de Castro, Photography Tutor

These three settings are a system known as The Exposure Triangle.

"There is no single 'correct' shutter speed for a moving subject... The better choice is the one that supports the intended story."
- Ana Vieira de Castro, Photography Tutor

This is the part that separates a technical checklist from actual creative judgement . The instinct comes from structured practice, feedback, and repetition.

"The quickest way to understand manual settings is to change one variable deliberately and study the result. Once you can predict what a setting will do, operating the camera begins to feel intuitive rather than technical." - Ana Vieira de Castro, Photography Tutor

Manual settings were never the obstacle. They're the vocabulary and learning to use that vocabulary with confidence and intention is the skill worth building properly.

Check out our Photography courses and gain confidence behind the camera.

11/09/2026

Shooting in manual mode is a valuable and fascinating skill of Photography, but there’s a lot more to taking great images.

"Learning manual settings does not mean you must use Manual mode for every photograph. These modes are not shortcuts that prevent learning. They are practical tools used by photographers according to the subject, conditions and degree of control required."
- Ana Vieira de Castro, Photography Tutor

Learning how to use a camera can be a little overwhelming but rather than get bogged down on one set of skills, try to remember there are numerous aspects of photography that come together.

Priority modes are tools professionals use deliberately.

✔️ Aperture Priority lets you control depth of field while the camera handles shutter speed.

✔️ Shutter Priority flips for controlling motion while the camera adjusts aperture - ideal when freezing or embracing movement is the priority.

So you can get serious about photography while still building toward full control.

"Once you can predict what a setting will do, operating the camera begins to feel intuitive rather than technical."

If the fear of "not being ready for Manual" has kept your camera in the bag - let it go. Every professional walked this path. You're just on the first step.

Explore our Photography courses and get started!

04/09/2026

If your camera is on Auto, that means it has been making your creative decisions for you. Auto decides what's sharp, how motion looks, how bright the image is.

Manual mode puts you in control. Once you understand 3 settings, you’re halfway there.

"Manual mode becomes much less intimidating when you stop thinking of it as a collection of technical settings... these settings allow you to make deliberate creative decisions about how you want the photograph to look."
- Ana Vieira de Castro, Photography Tutor

✔️ Aperture = Wide (f/2.8) blurs the background. Narrow (f/11) keeps everything sharp.

✔️ Shutter = Fast freezes a moment mid-air. Slow introduces movement. Think silk waterfall or glowing light trails.

✔️ ISO = Light management. Push it up in a dim room and you gain brightness.

These 3 settings work together as one system - the exposure triangle. Change one, adjust another.

"There is no single 'correct' shutter speed... the better choice is the one that supports the intended story. Once you can predict what a setting will do, operating the camera begins to feel intuitive rather than technical."
- Ana Vieira de Castro, Photography Tutor

Explore our Photography courses today.

28/08/2026

A camera cannot take a photograph with a photographer.

Once you have got to grips with manual mode - here’s what to do next:

✔️ Shoot in RAW. RAW files give room to adjust exposure, colour and contrast later.

✔️ Trust your kit. Working with one lens for months teaches you how distance, viewpoint and framing genuinely change an image.

✔️ Always carry a camera. Consistency beats equipment, every time.

✔️ And your camera becomes a way into conversations and unexpected encounters.

Opportunity and inspiration are all around, you just need to be open to recognising it.

You already have what you need to start, now is the time to enhance those skills.

21/08/2026

Photographers do not need a high-spec kit to get started.

If you think you need the newest gear before you can be taken seriously, think again. There is a lot that can be learned with the most basic equipment, and when it’s time to move on, try second hand gear or borrow from a friend.

A well-maintained DSLR, or an APS-C or Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera, will teach you everything you need to know. It’s all about light, composition and balancing the big three, ISO, shutter speed and aperture.

As long as it gives you manual control, interchangeable lenses and the ability to shoot RAW. That's it.

Simply shoot! Everything else will follow.
Your portfolio is in your hands.

14/08/2026

That moment, when a Photographer switches from Auto to Manual, will always be a seminal moment in a Photographer's career.

It's a little terrifying at first but Auto mode means the camera is making the creative decisions for you. Manual mode changes that. Once you start taking control, you stop just taking pictures and start making intentional visual decisions.

The three Manual features that change everything:

✔️ Aperture - controls how much light enters the lens, and how much of your image stays sharp.

✔️ Shutter speed - controls how long the sensor sees the light, and how motion behaves in your frame.

✔️ ISO - controls how sensitive your sensor is to light. Push it up in a dim room and you gain brightness, but you trade some of that clean, crisp detail for visible grain.

Three settings lead to endless creative choices. Learn how they work together, and you stop hoping for a good photo and start building one.

So next time you're out shooting, flip to Manual. Start building the skills that turn snapshots into intentional images.

07/08/2026

You do not need to break the bank to be a good Photographer.

The fundamentals of photography have not changed since the discovery of camera obscura. Light is still light, and a photograph is still a product of light.

So, you don’t need to rush out and buy expensive kit. Start small, learn manual settings, play with one lens. Then when you’ve done all you can, try another. Learning to work with one lens for a few months teaches you more about composition and framing than constantly chasing new equipment ever will.

Hand two different people the same camera, and you'll get two different results. It’s all about the person behind the lens.

Start building confidence, control and a creative eye. It’s not the camera, it’s you!

31/07/2026

Those heady days of Summer have a way of evoking self reflection and personal exploration.

Self-determination is the powerful drive to pursue your true self with autonomy, and purpose. And deep down, we all have that power. If your mind wanders to a different, more fulfilling career, perhaps now is the time to allow yourself to take those first steps.

Have you been looking at the world around you and mentally framing it as a photograph? It could be time to master those skills and really let yourself go. And September is the perfect time to start. It is the end of the intoxicating heat of summer and the start of a calmer, more measured pace.

Use these final weeks of summer to recharge, clarify your goals, and invest in the future version of yourself.

This September can be the time to answer your Photography calling. And let’s face it, that calling will only get louder.

30/07/2026

🚨 Today is the last day to join our September intake.

Time truly flies and only a year from now, you could be bursting at the seams with new skills and new knowledge.

Every Photographer had to start somewhere!

Study from home with total flexibility, develop practical industry skills, and take that first step towards the creative career you’ve been dreaming of.

There is no perfect time, it is simply when you decide to make the choice.

This is the final chance to secure that place.
Enrol today. Your future starts now.

Address

54 Merrion Square South
Dublin
D02CX30

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 5:30pm
Thursday	9am - 5:30pm
Friday	9am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+35316854728

Website

https://www.photographyacademy.ie/

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