As 2020 draws to a close, we’re once again looking for your best pictures from the year, and we’re giving away a free place on a weekender for the top shot! Don’t worry if you haven’t been able to get away anywhere exotic! We’re looking for all kinds of pictures; from lockdown still lives to portraits from Nepal.

Just send your competition entries to hello@frui.co.uk (please try to keep each file under 1mb)

The Rules

1. Up to 3 images per entrant

2. Photos must have been taken on, or inspired by, a Frui course or holiday

3. …and have been taken since November 2019

Frui is excited to announce the latest of our new destinations for the summer! The perfect location for a Frui photography and painting holiday, Portugal is packed with picturesque locations as well as a delicious local cuisine and of course, plenty of wine.

Frui’s expert yet down-to-earth painting and photography tutors will be there to guide you as you get to know the location through creativity. Portugal certainly isn’t short of subject matter. From ancient and colourful streets of Lisbon to fairytale castles hidden amongst the forest on Europe’s westernmost point, you’re sure to find inspiration for for some stunning imagery. And when the sun sets we’ll down paintbrushes and explore the nightlife of the city. After all, there’s a rich and hearty local cuisine to sample and bars that come alive with the sound of traditional Fado music.

Here’s a taste of what we’ll get up to on this seven day trip:

We’ll start in the winding and narrow streets of Lisbon. Rua da Galé, in the city’s oldest district, boasts buildings with perfect pops of colour. It’s a wonderful area to get lost and explore a typical Portuguese neighbourhood- with camera or paintbrush in hand of course!

Then there’s the amazing 19th Century Funicular railway of Elevador da Bica- we’ll paint and shoot this iconic scene by day, and come back for the area’s renowned nightlife; this is a Frui trip after all!

From the tops of the city’s hills we’ll take in stunning views over the rooftops, rivers and the rugged Atlantic coastline.

We’ll also visit Europe’s most westerley point; Sintra. The pastel-hued palaces here are a hodgepodge of architectural styles that look like they’re straight from a fairytale. It’s an inspiring place that your tutors will help you to capture in your artwork.

But it’s not just about photography and painting – let’s talk food, another favourite Frui activity! With smart new restaurants offering new-wave Portuguese dishes, old-style establishments serving classics and plenty of bars and food markets, it’s the perfect foodie destination.

As well as unforgettable sights and mouthwatering flavours, Lisbon also has a unique sound: Fado – life, struggle and passion in song! We will seek out the best bars in which to experience this wonderful Portuguese art.

Come along, it’s going to be a great trip!

21st- 27th July 2018
£2050 per person
There is already lots of interest in this holiday, so we are giving our regular Fruisters a chance to hold their place in advance and receive a £100 earlybird discount before it goes on live on our website. You can do this through the link below for a deposit of £100. If you have any other questions please email hello@frui.co.uk, we’d love to hear from you!

Frui Director James is heading down to sunny Cabris again this June, a place very close to his heart and where some of his family live.

We invite all Frusters, new and old, to join James on his Summer jolly!

Here are the details…

22-26 June 2017, Cabris, France.
Total price: £950.

Day 1 – Thursday

Arrive from London to Nice airport

AM
 Lunch and a walk around the Artist town of Mougins

Check into hotel or private villa

Walk around our Picturesque town of Cabirs (amazing views over the Mediterranean!)

Dinner at the L’atelier

Day 2 – Friday

A walk about the old port of Antibes

Lunch on the beach

A walk around the historic perfume making town of Grasse

Back to Cabirs for a relax, swim and tutorials

Dinner in the de la Chevre d’Or

Day 3 – Saturday

Morning walk around the food market in Saint Vallier

A dive down the most picturesque town of Gordon

Photographing the Gorges Du Loop, a river canyon that is often considered to be one of Europe’s most beautiful!

A look around the beautiful medieval hill-top town of Torretts

Dinner in the L’Auberge du Vieux Chateau

Day 4 – Sunday

Relaxing morning swim

Explore old town Cannes

Lunch in the market

Drawing lesson on the beach, underwater photography lesson?

Dinner in the hotel.

Day 5 – Monday

Relaxing morning breakfast

Drive down to the lakes

Lunch somewhere nice, Iʼve not work it out yet!

Transfer to airport

What’s included

4 nights en suite accommodation in your own room

Expert tutors for the duration of the trip (kind of…)

The amazing company of James

All transfers in planned itinerary (excluding flights)

What’s not included

Flights

Meals and Alcohol

Personal travel insurance

Tips (Optional)

To book, please contact us at Frui HQ on 0208 1234 559, or at hello@frui.co.uk.

Henry has a new book out! This one is an inspiring practical companion to his other bestselling ‘Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs’ titles.

Packed with fun photography prompts and inspiring images by master photographers this book will help you get creative with your camera. Create your own highly personal photobook by sticking in your pictures with the adhesive corners provided or simply dip in and out when you’re stuck for ideas. Whatever your specific interests – street, studio, still life, landscape or portrait photography – you’re free to interpret the prompts in any way you want. So pick a page, grab your camera and let your ideas and imagination rule!

Save 30% if you’re a Frui customer!

Frusters are eligible for an exclusive 30% discount. Simply buy your copy here using the discount code ‘READTHIS’. Happy snapping!

You may have already have got your hands on a copy of Henry’s great new book, but for those who haven’t here’s a little taster…

New York City 1990 ©Bruce Gilden

ASSALT YOUR SUBJECTS

Bruce Gilden’s approach to photographing people on the street stands in complete opposition to Cartier-Bresson’s. With Gilden, it’s less a case of chancing upon a scene and much more about creating it for himself.

Attracted to New York’s oddballs and eccentrics, Gilden pounces on passers-by, hits them with a dizzying flash and snatches their picture like a mugger. That’s why these two characters look like they’ve been captured riding a rollercoaster rather than walking down Fifth Avenue!

ALLOW YOUR PERSONALITY TO FEED INTO YOUR PORTRAITS

Some prefer to prey on their unsuspecting subjects from afar – snipers. Others get closer and like to establish some kind of connection – undercover agents. Then there are those who dart in, shoot up close and make off – assassins.

Gilden thrives on the excitement of taking people by surprise. It’s what gets him up in the morning. It’s what gives him the motivation to keep shooting. Ultimately, it’s what makes his work so individual. By understanding who you are and what makes you tick, you’ll discover your own unique way of photographing others.

From Henry Carroll’s new book, ‘Read This If You Want To take Great Photographs Of People’, published by Laurence King and available to buy here!

We’re excited to announce that the new book by Frui founder, Henry Carroll, is out now! If you enjoyed Henry’s previous bestselling book, ‘Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs’, then you’ll love his new one which is all about photographing people!

Ideal for users of any camera with a basic knowledge of a few photo-fundamentals, Henry’s book walks you through the essential techniques of photographing people, whether it’s on the street, at home or in the studio. 50 master photographers including: Richard Avedon, William Klein, Cindy Sherman, Garry Winogrand, Richard Renaldi, William Eggleston, Sebastião Salgado and Henri Cartier-Bresson.

You can find this book in most bookshops as well as on Amazon and other online bookshops.

Buy it now!

Looking for ways to improve your photography and take your skill to the next level? We asked resident Frui tutor, Simon Tupper, for his top photography tips…

1. Seasonal photography

Spring is a great time for photography, because of all the flowers and natural foliage. My top tip for photographing flowers is to shoot them in the shade or on a cloudy day. In direct sunlight the bright colours can be too much for your camera’s sensor to handle, and you end up losing the detail.

2. Respect your phone

Think of your phone camera as a serious photographic tool. Of course it can’t do everything a ‘real’ camera can do, but it’s always with you and that counts for a lot. The image quality from most new phones is enough for online use, and because of they are so connected it’s probably more likely that photos from your phone will end up being seen by others. So utilize your photo skills and put as much care into your phone pictures as you do when you’re using a proper camera.

3. Black and white

If you want to produce black and white photos, it’s best to take them in colour and convert them to black and white using software that allows you to control what shade of grey different colours will become. If your camera is set to save images as colour JPEGs, you won’t get to see them in black and white until they’re on a computer. However if you set your camera to record ‘raw’ files instead and also set it to ‘monochrome’ or ‘black and white’, the pictures will be black- and-white on the screen but still have all the colour information saved should you need it later on.

Some of Simon’s own pictures…

See more of Simon’s amazing photographic work by visiting simontupperphotography.co.uk.

Looking for ways to improve your photography and take your skill to the next level? We asked resident Frui tutor, Simon Tupper, for his top photography tips…

1. Aperture Stars

As well as controlling depth of field and the amount of light coming into your camera, the aperture can change how points of light (like the sun or streetlights) look in your picture. With a small aperture (big f- number!), point light sources will have a star effect around them caused by diffraction from the aperture blades. With the aperture wide open (smallest f-number), light sources are usually surrounded by an even haze. Out-of-focus lights in the background become attractive little circles. This is called ‘bokeh’ and photographers get very excited about it. Not many are entirely sure how it’s pronounced though.

2. Be selective

Be ruthless when selecting photos to show, wherever you’re showing them. It’s always better to have a smaller series of really strong photos than to dilute a set with a few that don’t quite cut it. Great photographers might start with 100 possible strong candidates when making a series of 5- 10.

3. Go the extra step

Be confident in your vision for your photo and don’t be afraid to do what you need to do to get the shot as you want it- move a bit closer, ask your subject to change their pose (or clothes!), lie on the floor, climb on a bin. Whatever you need to do. Having the idea for the shot was the hard bit. If it’s a good one, it’s worth putting in that little bit of extra effort to do it justice.

Some of Simon’s own pictures…

See more of Simon’s amazing photographic work by visiting simontupperphotography.co.uk.

Looking for ways to improve your photography and take your skill to the next level? We asked resident Frui tutor, Simon Tupper, for his top photography tips…

1. Running on empty

Don’t wait until your card is full or your battery is empty to change them, otherwise you might run out at the key moment. I’m talking from experience here! Make sure you’ve always got enough shots in hand for when something awesome occurs in front of you.

2. Background check

Photography compresses the 3D world into two dimensions. When you take a photograph, you bring the background and foreground to the same level. Because of this, the ‘background’ is way more significant in a photograph than it is when you look at that scene it in real life. Try not to neglect it when you compose your pictures.

3. Challenge yourself

Set yourself photography challenges. Sometimes it’s easier to focus when you have a specific goal and the creative possibilities are narrowed down a bit. In fact, instead of setting them yourself, why not take part in Frui’s ‘tutor’s challenges‘? Or come along to a photography social, where you can complete our live challenges with the help of a drink or two!

Some of Simon’s own pictures…

See more of Simon’s amazing photographic work by visiting simontupperphotography.co.uk

Our friends at the Art Fund need your help to move the entire contents of photographer Vanley Burke’s flat, including his archive, to the Ikon Gallery for a brilliant new exhibition!

Vanley Burke is a renowned photographer concerned especially with black culture in Britain; he was born in Jamaica in 1951 and has lived in Birmingham since 1965. Alongside his numerous exhibitions, Burke is also an avid collector – his archive is vast and varied, including posters, books, clothes, records, ornaments and countless other items that provide a fascinating and invaluable insight into the UK’s African Caribbean communities.

Get donating Frusters!