Digital photography: Héloïse’s short course experience
- Written byCarys Thomas
- Published date 20 April 2026
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Our Digital Photography Short Course is all about helping students learn to see the world with a 'photographer’s eye'. If you’re looking to explore the creative potential of your camera, this is the course for you.
Led by professional photographer Jet Jet, who shoots commercially for editorial and design companies, the course aims to broaden your critical thinking about photography. Students have access to full-length photographic studios and a darkroom at Central Saint Martins, where they can experiment with ideas, develop their own visual style and make creative connections.
Photographer and journalist Héloïse Darcie shares her experience on the course and discusses her creative interests, freelance projects and goals. Take a look at Héloïse’s innovative work on her website or Instagram @heloisedarcie.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m Héloïse, I’m 23, and I do photography and journalism, mostly in the realms of fashion and music. For a regular income I have a part time job at a cinema which I work at for around 15-25 hours a week. The work also varies a lot, but I'd say there are 4 main things I do. I work on current freelance projects, researching, writing or interviewing for articles, or editing pictures from a shoot, and that comes with all the back and forth communication with the publication.
Then I also work on my own projects, which are nice because they may not pay but it's nice to have a creative outlet with complete freedom. I love to make a rounded project like magazines instead of always contributing to a tiny part of one with a singular article. I have a magazine called Don't Blink which I work on intermittently throughout the year - this entails planning, commissioning, conceptualising, designing, promotion, and pitching to bookshops, along with the writing and photography.
What are your interests?
As much as it’s important to have interests outside of work I would say because I love writing and photography so much, as soon as I get interested in something, I want to cover it, so my hobbies and interests are pretty aligned with my creative output. I'm fascinated with London nightlife, the up-and-coming artists and club culture, and even when I’m not shooting I love to go out with my friends.
Are you currently working on any creative projects?
Currently I’m finishing up a piece I’m writing for Dazed which will come out in a couple of weeks. And I’ve just had a good few months of freelance work, so for now I'm focusing on getting around to making a second issue of Don't Blink - which will be set at lost.
What inspired you to take our digital photography course?
My main skills are writing and photography. I had always known I had wanted to write so had always prioritised it in my education right through school, then doing a fashion journalism degree. I got into photography however in my second year of uni and while I steadily improved by myself with practice, I found my photos plateauing after a couple of years, and I realised I really craved some instruction and a second opinion. I felt like I had a knack of capturing the moment and getting good framing but had never learnt the basics - things like not really understanding what aperture and shutter speed actually meant.
How did you find the course?
I did enjoy the course, and I found it very helpful for my practice, especially taking me out of my comfort zones when we were set tasks to shoot different subjects than I had previously experimented with. I also found having a tutor who could give straight answers about camera care, camera parts etc. was helpful because I had found that whenever I looked for these things online I would get overwhelmed with hundreds of answers. Especially with photography communities there's a lot of elitism and so it was nice to have somewhere to ask my questions without worrying about whether they were stupid things to ask.
After the course I got a flash which was perfect for my camera - because I now knew exactly which specifications I would need for it to be perfectly compatible with my camera and shooting style.
Has the course helped or inspired you in any way?
I think at first I didn’t notice much of a change. Over the next few months as I experimented with some of the parts of the camera I had previously left on autopilot my photography got worse before it got better, but over time as I got to grips with these things I really did notice an improvement. It also got me to think a bit more intentionally about the shots, rather than just shooting everything in sight which I would sometimes do before.
It also helped me think of myself more as a photographer - less imposter syndrome, which let me feel more confident getting the shots I wanted and not hanging back so much.
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Image: Héloïse Darcie -
Image: Maxxing 7/11 | Héloïse Darcie -
Image: Bassvictim show 15/11 | Héloïse Darcie -
Image: Ashley Williams SS26 | Héloïse Darcie -
Image: Bassvictim show 15/11 | Héloïse Darcie
Sharpen your skills and create a portfolio that will help you stand out from the crowd with one of our photography short courses. Options include:
- The Complete Photography Short Course: 20-week intensive course to guide you from beginner techniques through to more advanced practices. Students explore a range of photographic processes from digital and 3D photogrammetry to analogue and camera-less.
- Beginners Photography Film & Darkroom Short Course: beginner-friendly course for anyone looking to discover the possibilities of film photography and the darkroom.
- The Photography Short Course: inspiring two-week course for anyone who wants to expand their photography skills with practical studio and location projects.
Have a question? Our customer service team are here to help you find the right course for you. Get in touch via our enquiry form to start planning your learning journey.
