Autumn

There is a definite chill in the air on this blustery September day. Our sash windows at Signals HQ are rattling in their panes and all we want for lunch is some hot soup, a blanket to snuggle up in and a DVD of Legends of the Fall.

Having said that, this time of year is a great chance to be outdoors on those blustery autumnal days where the clouds skid across the sky, taking photos which capture all the rich colours and textures of the season. Most people have access to a digital camera nowadays and for a relatively small amount of money you can pick one up fairly cheap. Signals have two Canon 1000Ds and also the revolutionary Canon 5D Mark II which are available for hire and take great digital stills and video.

Signals are offering a great introductory course called 'Autumn Photography' for adults. The workshop will run on Tuesday 18th October, from 10am - 2pm and will be taught by experienced professional photographer, Nick Wood, of Unshaken Photography. Places cost just a mere £20 per person for four hours of practical tuition, plus you'll get to keep all your beautiful photos. Just make sure you wrap up warm and have a flask of hot chocolate on standby :)

To book a place on our fun and informal Autumn Photography course, call Lisa on 01206 560255, email lisa@signals.org.uk or book online here.

A picture paints a thousand words

Your plane has just touched down. You've still got you're shorts, shades and sandals on. But you're no longer on holiday. You're in England.

Not to worry though. The memories of the family holiday are still fresh. The tan will stick around for a week or so and then there's all those pictures you took on your digital camera...which will remain on your camera, only to be seen again just before you decide to delete it to make space for new photos on your camera, which will also never be seen again. Perhaps you might be proactive enough to upload the contents of your SD card to a folder on your computer or laptop. Some of you will share photos with 'friends' on Facebook.

But how many of you will do it the old school way and get them printed or developed?

Photo albums have taken a new form in the last few years. They have become digital, which has resulted in the magic of the memories found in frames and albums being lost. Yearlyleaf.com has tried to resolve this, allowing Facebook users to put a years worth of status updates, photos and comments into a luxury bound biographical book, giving customers a hard copy of all their social network activity. But who wants the happy moments captured on a camera spoiled with LOL's, OMG's and WTF!'s?

Left: Literally your Facebook in your hands.

We don't want people to lose memories captured on camera. The Signals Media Art Centre introduces the Family Photography workshop on September 2nd. A fun day out with great results, taking photos of each other and the surroundings. Hopefully after having discovered a new perspective on photography, you'll take pride in your work and have them in frames and albums, or even stuck on the fridge! After this workshop you'll be taking fantastic shots on your next holiday and the memories will no longer live just inside your SD card. So you can look forward to looking back in years to come.