Film and Media Production Arts students recently had professional photographer Tom Ham visit to deliver a workshop which explored how he does a shoot including camera settings and how he guides subjects.
Tom’s job is Tour Photography. He tours with bands and artists to document their tour life. He covers the live shows as well as going backstage capturing photography and video. This content can be used for archive, promos, or social media. Touring is great for Tom because he gets to visit multiple cities, travel the world, and see many different places.
Tom has worked with the internationally famous band Idles! Some highlights of his time working with them include touring in Japan with them recently and Glastonbury in 2024 working with them while they performed on The Other Stage. Tom described this as an incredible experience.
Tom’s advice for someone who is 18 and wants to follow in his footsteps would be this: “If you’re into bands and you want to try and photograph them, you need to be going to gigs and photographing as many bands and artists as you can” to build a portfolio. He added that people should check who is playing at the venues in their area and sync with them to arrange gig shoots or portraits of the bands outside the venue. Making relationships with the bands and their managers can also help.
This guest speaker workshop forms part of the Art, Film, Game and Graphic Design Careers Excellence Hub. At University Centre Weston our approach goes beyond the traditional classroom setting. Through industry speakers, workshops, employer projects, and more, we equip our learners with the real-world experiences and insights that set them apart in the competitive job market. It’s not just about getting a job; it’s about standing out from the crowd when they embark on their job searches.
Serena, a student attending the lecture said that it was useful to understand how Tom works with artists in the studio environment, how to get the shot and frame things correctly. Serena described the experience as “really valuable”. Serena also said that it would help her prepare for working out in the real world to do photography work.
The band, Session Connection, who were being photographed said that the session was very helpful as well. Since they are just starting out as a band, being able to have promotional photography this early on was helpful for them. It was a good experience for them as a band, with sessions like these being an experience that they may end up doing more in the future. The band said that they enjoyed the photoshoot and that it went really well. They got to see what goes on behind the scenes of what goes on during a typical photoshoot.
Tom enjoyed the day, mentioning that the students had interesting questions about copyright and the creative process and that it had made Tom appreciate the scale of his job. A huge thanks to Tom for coming in and hosting this exciting guest lecture. To find out more about Film and Media Production Arts at UCW, click here!
@ucweston 📸 Band photographer Tom Ham delivered a workshop for our Film and Media Arts Production students, capturing shots of our Professional Music Performance and Production students! 🎤🎶
♬ original sound – UCWeston
If you are passionate about education and are looking for an opportunity to join the staff team at a leading college, then look at the latest job vacancies available in the Weston College Group here. You can find all the latest job opportunities that Weston College Group has to offer, with a commitment to providing quality education for learners and a focus on continuous professional development for staff, Weston College Group is an excellent place to work and grow in your career.
