The Creative Eye

Seeing Beyond the Obvious

with Sandra Dann

You may remember Sandra Dann from her recent series with us, Seeing Beyond the Shutter, back in June. It was a really well attended series and a lot of you asked her to come straight back. She is returning with a new two-part series called The Creative Eye and this time the focus is on two things you tell me you want more of: seeing creatively, and working with colour.

Part one is about learning to see beyond the obvious. Part two is all about colour, and how it shapes mood and tells a story. Colour is the subject you ask me about more than almost any other, so I am really pleased we are giving it a proper event of its own. The two sessions run together as one series and one ticket covers both.

PART 1

Developing Your Creative Eye

When:  Monday 3 August 2026, 19:00 BST

About the talk

Most of us reach a point where we know how the camera works, and we are less sure what we want to say with it. Sandra spends this session on that question. She looks at what creativity really is, how to train yourself to observe differently, and a few simple exercises that build the habit. The focus is on creative confidence rather than technical skill, so you leave feeling a little braver about making images that are your own.

What we will look at

• What creativity really is

• Learning to observe differently

• Practical creative exercises

• Building a creative mindset

PART 2

Colour, Mood & Atmosphere

When:  Monday 31 August 2026, 19:00 BST

About the talk

This is the session a lot of you have been asking for. Colour is one of the quietest and most powerful tools we have, and most of us use it by instinct rather than by choice. Sandra starts with the basics of colour theory, in plain terms: how colours relate to each other, warm against cool, which combinations calm a picture down and which ones give it energy.

From there she shows how to put that theory to work, using colour on purpose to set a mood, to guide the viewer’s eye, and to build a look that is recognisably yours. She works through it live in Photoshop and with the Nik Collection, so you can follow the thinking, not just admire the result. By the end you will look at the colour in your own images differently.

What we will look at

• The basics of colour theory, and why they matter for your images

• The colour wheel, and warm and cool colour in practice

• How colour carries emotion and tells a story

• Creating mood and atmosphere with colour

• Colour tools in Photoshop

• Enhancing images with the Nik Collection

Who this is for

Anyone who wants to grow the creative side of their photography, whatever your genre or level. If you have ever looked at your own pictures and felt something was missing, or wanted to understand why some images just feel right, these two evenings are for you.

About Sandra

Sandra Dann is a creative artist and educator, and an Adobe Community Expert. Through SandraD Imagery she teaches Photoshop, digital art and creative storytelling, blending traditional photography with imagination, colour and texture. Her style is relaxed and down to earth, and she cares as much about building your confidence as your technique. She teaches creative communities around the world, from the Royal Photographic Society to groups across the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

See more of Sandra’s work:  sandradimagery.com  ·  YouTube @sandradimagery  ·  Instagram @sandradimagery

From Mark

Sandra first reached out to share her work with us, and I am so glad she did. Her images have a real sense of story, and she is genuinely warm about helping other people find their own. As I said, colour is the thing you ask me about most, so when Sandra offered a whole evening built around it, I did not have to think twice. I am looking forward to both nights.

Booking

One ticket covers both sessions, which are sold together as a series. The joining link will be sent out ahead of each event. Both sessions are recorded, with full access for four weeks after the final session, so you will not miss a thing if you cannot make one of the events live.