But the most valuable aspect of this and indeed all your courses is your generosity, willingly sharing your unparalleled expertise with us, and then encouraging us to take impressionist photography and express ourselves, each in our own unique way. David

The creative workshop has been a fabulous experience for me. I truly feel liberated from the constraints of traditional photography. Now, my constraints are only my imagination or lack there of.
Words can’t express how happy I am that I took this workshop with you and finally got to meet you.
I am anxiously looking forward to the advanced class. Please let me know when you have the dates so I can plug into my calendar.   Anita

I am so pleased to have done your Creative Photography course. Your preparation has been so well done. You have shared your expertise so generously and patiently. Your  help in the one to one was always level and positive . I will continue to work at the techniques before moving on with you in May.  Chris

“In 2019 I had an excellent 121 day with Doug, which introduced me to the principles and basics of ICM and Multiple Exposure. I am a reasonably experienced photographer, but the 121 opened my eyes to the possibilities of what was possible, and how to achieve it technically.  I enrolled on the 2020 Advanced Course mainly because having now ‘practised’ what Doug had shown me, I wanted to understand in greater detail how Valda achieved the truly amazing images she creates, and how to overcome some of the challenges I was now facing.

I literally had no idea that the course I had signed up to would turn out the way it did. I do not say this lightly but it was  a ‘game changer’ for me as an individual and my photography. I will never look at the world in the same way again. I am like the cat who has stolen the cream!   

The power of the course was not only in the incredible support and encouragement you get from not just one, but two incredibly talented world class creatives (who interestingly individually ‘add value’ in a totally different ways)  it was the value I gained from the Group itself. I cannot wait to start the rest of my life with the skills and insight I now have”   

Richard Lock, UK, June 2020

Thank you and to Valda for a super course that’s re-energised my love for photographic art. I have never felt so motivated and engaged with creating art inspired by my surroundings  as I do now. I wake up excited to create each day despite what other stuff may be going on.  Can’t wait to start the next course with you and Valda.   Malcolm.

This class has been amazing!! The Bailey Chinnery duo is the crème de la crème of the ME/ICM art world and beyond! My brain is full, and so is my artistic heart! Thank you!   Laura

Thank you so much - it has been an inspirational month and feel I have learnt so much from you both. I hope I manage to keep putting it all into practise - this morning was quite eye-opening actually so I won’t be too disheartened!  Lizzie

I absolutely loved the course!  Although I had been playing with both icm and multiple exposure for quite a while, I learned so many more tools with which to experiment.  I was impressed with the details and presentation of each lesson and with the use of modern technology to give us videos of each class.  The one-on-one sessions were invaluable to see how ‘the masters’ would process our photos and to talk about our work.  Seeing the other participants’ work in the group sessions was mind-blowing and sparked lots of new ideas with which to experiment. Linda

This has truly been the most inspirational course I've taken to date, in person or on line. I'm looking forward to July. Barb

It was great to be part of your First Steps online workshop.  I have stumbled around with some of the techniques but failed miserably in the past.  The combination of the group sessions, projects and 1:1’s have made this a fantastic way to become more familiar and confident in the techniques following the breadth of content you covered.  It was fun and inspirational and it is great to be able to take those techniques into the field. I only shoot black and white which is no limitation to the techniques.  After all, photography is about light and tonal values, isn’t it?  Kate

You and Valda have turned this lockdown into something very positive. Thank you. Jane

 I thoroughly enjoyed the course and found the supporting videos and notes very useful.  I was able to proceed at my own pace             whilst benefitting from the one to one feedback sessions each week. A supportive online environment was developed to maximise personal creative exploration. Denise

Thank you and Doug for a superb introduction to "proper creative" photography.  I am very pleased to have been able to attain a place on this course in the new format as it has enabled me to learn new techniques in a structured and focused manner.   I loved  the projects, the tutorials and the 121  time which was so positive.  You and Doug work so well together. Jane

Thank you very much for the course  -  I have learnt so much  -  sometimes it feels like too much  - I now need time to go back to all the tasks and spend a lot more time on all of them. Joy

Thanks for the wonderful workshop!  You and Doug are a pleasure to learn from! Liz

It has been an absolute pleasure working with you both. I cannot thank you enough.

I am totally focussed, and incredibly excited, about the limitless possibilities of a subject that for the last 27 years was all around me, staring me in the face, but until our 121 last year I could not see, and did not realise was actually there. I have been travelling around the world for years trying to find subjects that inspired me, and it was actually under my nose all of the time. I was looking but could not see!!! Richard

Thank you for your fabulous instruction these last 4 weeks. I truly learned so many valuable gems - first one, being patient with yourself and take the time to slow down. Now off to make mountains out of molehills! Ryn

Thanks so much to both of you for the wonderful class! I'm so happy with all that I've learned from you both. It has really made a difference in the work that I'm making and I'm very excited to continue the journey. Candy

You are both so generous and inspirational  in sharing your experience and technique.

I don’t think my photography will ever be the same again. Janie

Before the courses I took with you and Doug  I was stuck  in my “journey” with photographic art and you both have re inspired me with a new set of skills and mindset.  One I know will serve me well into the future.  I hope to take advantage of your services in the near future and look forward to meeting you both face to face when circumstances allow. Malcolm

Blooming brilliant.  Very challenging, hard work but really got me thinking and having a go at new ways of doing things.  I need loads more practice but will do it my way (Feel a bit of Frank coming on).

Thanks for organising it all so well- great to have things like acknowledgements so quickly and professionally and you have obviously got the whole thing down to a T. Prue

I enjoyed it very much andI I believe I learned a million things and will ponder on them and see where they take me.  Ann

Your pedagogy is first class and I am only aware of a few photographers doing something similar but still not at the level you are delivering......Thanks again for a wonderful, illuminating experience that has set me on a new  re-energised path in my artistic endeavours. Malcolm

We have come to the end of a very special experience of learning and enrichment. Yesterday's sharing of the work from everyone in the group was testament to the quality of the four weeks. The standard of work was so high, so personal. Quite incredible. Chris

One of the better courses I have taken.  It completely changed what I shoot and how I process (needless to say, for the better, much better).  Worth every minute and every penny.” Peggy

Both of you have been very generous with your knowledge and advice, and especially in suggesting ways I can build on work I have already done, and new ways to develop the themes and subjects that are meaningful to me. Florence

I think you and Doug are excellent teachers and you inspire so many people. The instructions are clear and precise and your style is very motivational in an understated way. Penny

What can I say, the course surpassed my highest expectations. Really inspirational and transformational. Howard, July 2020

I just wanted to say again how helpful the whole experience has been.  You are so right, it is accelerated learning.  The 1-1s gave me the courage and inspiration to try out new ideas, knowing that when my creative thoughts outstripped my technical knowledge you were there to offer support,  when I had difficulty seeing the wood for the trees you helped me find my way out of it. Lyn, July 2020

I've been lucky enough to enjoy some amazing workshops with you but this format has not only been a godsend in lockdown but has allowed for both a sense of community yet also targeted concentrated teaching.

The tasks along the way were very stimulating and  perfectly designed to take its all on the journey to the final project. I have learned so much, both in terms of techniques but also about myself and how to approach working in projects, critiquing and augmenting images with other media. Howard

I was so happy to finally be able to get into one of your classes (actually two now).  Your Zoom workshops are very professional and packed so full of information for participants to learn from.  Your PDFs and the fact that you record the class sessions and the one-to-one sessions are invaluable!  Lizzie, July 2020

I hope I am on a more satisfying photographic route but without the guidance from Doug Chinnery and Valda Bailey I would have still been lost in the never ending search for that perfect sunset shot .... so a big thank you.  Denise, July 2020

Having just completed the online course, “Cultivating Creativity” with Valda and Doug, I wanted to express my huge thanks to you both for this truly unique learning opportunity. The content of the course with its combined structure of weekly group sessions, extensive PDF notes, one-to-one sessions and accompanying recorded videos ensured a deep learning experience. It was just so worthwhile and the chance to work with each of you in the one-to-one sessions was a real highlight. Equally, the opportunity to work on a project across the four weeks allowed for a concentration of my photographic efforts and the chance to work deliberately with greater rigour, intensity and diligence.

Your willingness to share your inspirational artistic approaches, your deep commitment to teaching with quality and integrity, the thoroughness of your presentations, both visual and written, and your ongoing encouragement of us all will ensure that we become better able to create work of which we can feel proud. I do indeed feel that I have participated in an experience where my imagination was nurtured and my creativity was encouraged to soar.

Fiona Huddleston

It has been an amazing few months working with you both and without overstating the obvious, I have completely loved it!  Your support, advice and encouragement has been fantastic and I really feel these truly inspirational workshops are pivoting me in a new creative direction which is really exciting. It will be interesting to see where my work goes over the next year as the changes are pretty fundamental! I really cannot thank you both enough, you are both complete stars. I don’t think I have ever felt sad at the end of a course before, and yet excited for the future.  Finally, a massive thank you for all your incredible hard work and commitment to helping us.  Kate, August 2020

The inspiration from both of you plus the amazing work done by all the group opened my eyes to new ideas and ways of thinking.  The variety produced for the final project blew me away with just how much can be done with photography as a medium and starting point.  I would love to participate in your next offering to see what I can uncover with more inspiration, ideas and work/play.  Lee, August 2020

You have inspired me a lot and the 121 meetings have helped me a lot. Nice to be able to ask you your personal questions. Thank you for all those wonderful lessons and contact with you. Nel, November 2020

Wow - what an amazing 5 weeks - thank you so much.  There was just silence as we finished last night and I think everyone was just so blown away by all that we had seen. This is such a brilliant course - all the trips abroad are wonderful but there is so much to see whereas this online course, with lockdown, has forced us all to work differently and making something of what is around us and learning within these boundaries has been awesome. Alison, November 2020

Goodness - today’s final session was amazing. I knew that everybody’s work was going to be impressive but I hadn’t quite anticipated how inspirational, varied, emotional and talented the presentations were going to be.  I felt quite exhausted by the end, but in a good way! 

 I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the course.  Again …it was even more wonderful than I thought it was going to be. You were both incredibly generous with your expertise and I feel so lucky to have been taught by you both.

I felt that you had put tremendous thought into the course content, it was hugely informative; the presentations and the rationale behind the homework were spot on. Juliette, November 2020

So grateful to have been able to participate and for your generous sharing of knowledge, experience and inspiration. Astrid, November 2020

I wasn’t prepared for the emotional impact of seeing everyone’s projects. Absolutely amazing. In just 5 weeks to produce such insightful, complex work. I was so impressed. We were all new to this kind of approach and the two of you helped us to develop cohesive projects with wonderful images, incredible text, personal viewpoints and individual takes on the themes. 

You two deserve such a hug for developing this wonderful course. To think of it as a photography course is like thinking of a university English course as spending an hour reading a comic book. Absolutely brilliant concept, impeccably organized and planned and superb teaching, both in group class time and one to ones. 
I loved every minute and loved the challenge and the work of putting my project together. I learned so much!  Barbara, November 2020

Thank you very much for being such good instructors. I really enjoyed the course even though it was very difficult for me. It introduced me to a new way of thinking and taught me a lot about the concept of working with a project, and the hard work that comes with it. Hopefully I will continue trying working in this way in the future, even though it right now feels a bit tough.  Gunnel, November 2020

The First Steps course has been incredible value for money and definitely the best workshop I’ve done (and there have been a few over the years!).  Your teaching methods are perfect and I’d say that both the Zoom meetings and the 1-2-1s  made the whole learning procedure so much easier. You left no stone unturned when it came to divulging your workflow.  Alison, November 2020.

I have to admit when I heard about this course I was unsure that I would be capable of doing it. The notion of 'depicting an emotion' in images stumped me somewhat, and I thought about it for a while before plunging in.  However, once I started the course I was entranced by the creative possibilities.

Doug and Valda were both so helpful, and so encouraging that at the end of the sessions and having completed my project I felt almost bereft, having no one to ones booked in with them!

So Covid has brought a blessing in the form of online learning in the most thoughtful and effective style.  Thank you, Kate.

The First Steps Course has been a fun and enlightening experience. I felt you had structured it so well including the exercises in-between sessions and then the one-to-ones about processing images. I was so amazed to see what can be done with an image in Photoshop and Lightroom. You and Doug are so generous in sharing your knowledge and techniques. And it is great to have all the video recordings of our sessions, together with all your many videos and PDFs about the techniques for permanent reference.  Thank you, Philippa

I have so enjoyed the 2 courses I have done with you. I have been somewhat challenged but rather than waste lockdown I really feel I have discovered a latent side of my brain!! I’d love to improve so will soldier on! Today was humbling! Many many thanks to you both for your teaching, patience and inspiration. Jane

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for the wonderful experience of Cultivating Creativity over these past few weeks. It has been an enlightening, inspiring, transformative experience for me, and I am thrilled to have been able to study with you. The course was the very best combination of content-rich group classes, challenging assignments, and highly personalized individual instruction. I am bursting with fresh energy and new ideas in the afterglow of the course. Terri

Thank you for an enlightening month of classes and tutorials.  You have masterfully designed a course that provides small group learnings coupled with individual tutoring sessions. Combine this with your kindness, sense of humor,  unmatched knowledge and generosity it is a one of a kind opportunity. Nadine

Thank you for a wonderfully creative class.  You both pour your heart and souls into this and I am so grateful to get to know each of you.  I respect you, admire you, and I absolutely love your work.  Thank you for this opportunity to learn from you.   It has been my favourite photography course ever. Leanne

Thank you both so very much for all your wonderful help, support, patience and inspiration over the last weeks.  It’s been a very powerful experience to work with you on cultivating creativity. You’ve constantly encouraged us out of our comfort zone and helped us push our boundaries, supporting and teaching for sure, but also enabling us to find our own way and to have confidence in what we find out there. This combination of approaches – the group and individual sessions, together with videos and supporting materials, and tasks to complete as we build towards the project outcome – certainly works brilliantly well. I’ve loved every minute – thank you!  Suzy