Photographer helps women improve behind the lens

Angela Nicholson said the women in the group were looking to experiment and learn new skills

Angela Nicholson A group of women smiling for the camera on a sunny day outside. They are holding cameras. They are sitting on the trunk of a big tree. — Angela Nicholson said the women in the group were looking to experiment and learn new skills

A photographer has set up a group aimed at supporting women to become confident photographers.

Angela Nicholson, from Peppard Common near Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, is helping more than 13,000 women take better pictures through her Facebook group SheClicks.

She encourages member to take pictures on their phones, on film, or using DLSR cameras.

Ms Nicholson said the group was suitable both for those who would like to make a career our of photography or just those who enjoyed it as a hobby.

Ms Nicholson bought her own camera with Christmas money from her grandmother

Angela Nicholson Angela Nicholson looking away from the camera. She is smiling. She is wearing glasses with a black frame. — Ms Nicholson bought her own camera with Christmas money from her grandmother

She said that she had considered photography "a very expensive hobby" and "didn't really indulge in it".

But she bought her own camera after receiving some money from her grandmother for Christmas.

"I just carried that camera pretty much everywhere and was constantly taking photos," she said.

Ms Nicholson said she had also taken classes at an adult education centre and studied a part-time university degree.

"You sometimes hone in on details or you see the light catching the trees or the leaves, and you just want to capture that element," she said.

"It's about conveying some emotional feeling about a place."

One of her recent images is of the Northern Lights from Temple Island near Henley

Angela Nicholson The Northern Lights from Temple Island near Henley. The sky has purple, pink and orange hues which reflect in the water. — One of her recent images is of the Northern Lights from Temple Island near Henley

Ms Nicholson said women who contacted her were looking to experiment, learn new skills and were "generally just enjoying their photography".

"There are quite a few SheClickers who are in the process of transitioning from being hobbyists to being semi-professional and professional photographers," she said.

"There are a lot of different strands of photography and it takes practice and for experimentation to find your niche... and what you really enjoy."

One of her recent images is of the Northern Lights from Temple Island near Henley, which she used as a foreground.

"That grounds the image," she explained.

"It's not just a picture of the sky. It's a picture of a scene with an amazing sky."

To Ms Nicholson, photography is about "conveying some emotional feeling about a place"

Angela Nicholson A group of women photographers pose for a picture in Liverpool, in front of a statue of The Beatles. They are holding their own cameras in the air. One of them is a wheelchair user. — To Ms Nicholson, photography is about "conveying some emotional feeling about a place"

Ms Nicholson also hosts a podcast called SheClicks Women in Photography, launched in June 2023.

It features women in the photographic industry talking about their experiences, how they got to where they are and what drives them.

She said the aim was "to raise the profile of female photographers and discuss the issues women encounter in the business".

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