July 2025 Fully Mentored Four Week Photobook Course With Stewart Wall

Course Introduction

Thank you for signing up for this fully mentored four-week photobook workshop. I’ve designed this course to guide you through the exciting and rewarding process of creating an engaging, well-crafted photobook, using Affinity Publisher. Over the last few years, the world of self-published photobooks has grown significantly—becoming a vibrant and expressive activity for photographers of all backgrounds. It’s a great way of sharing our photography with others.

In 2020, I was invited by the Royal Photographic Society to develop the criteria for their new Photobook Distinction. I had the honour of chairing the assessments for the first two years and saw some truly remarkable and diverse submissions. If your goal is to create a photobook for RPS Distinctions, I’m more than happy to support you in that process. But what excites me most about photobooks is their enduring value. A photobook isn’t just a way of presenting images—it’s a lasting memory, a time capsule, and a personal or cultural record. Whether your book is shared with the world, with family, exhibited in galleries, or quietly archived on a bookshelf, it becomes something meaningful that can outlive trends and technology.

I think of photobooks as a way of creating future heritage: the act of telling stories about the way we live our lives today in a thoughtful, tangible way as a legacy for generations to come. I am pleased to be working with you.

📚 Course Content Overview

This fully mentored four-week photobook course is designed to provide you with the structure, support, and resources needed to take your photobook project from concept to completion. You are very welcome to ask questions about anything concerning photography and photobooks. Here’s what to expect:

🖥️ Weekly Zoom Meetings

The course begins and ends with live Zoom sessions, although I would hope we all stay in touch after the course ends. These weekly meetings are held every Sunday at 6:00 PM (London Time) and each session runs for approximately 90 minutes. They are an opportunity to explore that week’s focus, ask questions, and share progress. The zoom meetings are only open to course attendees and use the same zoom link (which was emailed to you) each week. You can also find the zoom link in the first lesson module.

Zoom Meeting Schedule:

• Week 1 – Sunday, July 6th
• Week 2 – Sunday, July 13th
• Week 3 – Sunday, July 20th
• Week 4 – Sunday, July 27th
• Final Session – Sunday, August 31st

📹 All sessions will be recorded, so don’t worry if you’re unable to attend live—you can catch up at your own pace.

🧑‍💻 Basecamp Group

Attendess have access to a dedicated Basecamp project space, where you can:

• Ask questions
• Share feedback
• Connect with both Stewart and fellow participants throughout the course

This is your virtual studio space—open 24/7 for collaborative discussion and support.

💬 Mentoring Support

Stewart is available throughout the course to provide one-to-one guidance, usually via email. Whether you need feedback on your sequence, layout suggestions, or support preparing your file for print, mentoring is there to help you stay on track.

🎥 Online Modules and Video Lessons

Throughout the course, you will have access to a series of online learning modules to guide you through the process of designing a great photobook. Each weekly sections go live on the Sunday. If you get stuck with any of them please email Stewart who will guide you through.

You can also download the above information via the file download below

Weekly Agenda

Week 1: The Foundations of a Great Photobook

Theme: Creating the Assets (Photography, Text, Concept) & Understanding Photobooks

We begin the course by laying strong foundations. While it’s tempting to jump straight into design with Affinity Publisher, the most successful photobooks are built on carefully prepared content and a clear concept.

This week is all about understanding what makes a photobook great, developing your own idea, and preparing your materials for design.

By the end of Week 1, you should have:
1. A clear understanding of what a successful photobook looks and feels like
2. A strong concept and a clear sense of the experience you want to create for your audience
3. An organised folder of assets, including your images, text, and other key elements
4. A set of images for your photobook
5. A Sequence for your images
6. Text and a title for your photobook

Your group of folders and sub-folders with all your images and text in ready for week 2, the start of the Affinity Publisher design phrase. You’ll be fully prepared to move into the design phase in Week 2.

Week 2: Affinity Publisher – Design Basics

With your assets and concept ready, we begin working in Affinity Publisher 2 to create your initial photobook layout. This week focuses on the fundamentals of designing your photobook using the tools and techniques within the software.

By the end of Week 2, you should have:

1. A solid understanding of Affinity Publisher’s layout tools and features
2. An initial design draft, including image/text sequencing and pairings
3. A vision for how to refine and strengthen your photobook moving forward

Week 3: Design Refinement

Now that you have a working draft, it’s time to review, rethink, and refine. This week is about elevating your book—enhancing the visual flow, strengthening your concept, and fine-tuning your sequencing.

Iterating is a normal part of the process—many photobook designers create multiple drafts before settling on a final version.

By the end of Week 3, you should have:

1. A refined, print-ready photobook design
2. A concept that feels resolved and powerful
3. First-hand insight into what transforms a book of photos into a truly great photobook

Week 4: Final Edits, Printing, and Finding an Audience

In our final week, the focus shifts to production and promotion. You’ll be preparing your file for printing and exploring how to share your photobook with the world.

Photobooks offer a powerful way to communicate your vision and connect with new audiences—whether through exhibitions, photobook fairs, online platforms, or personal networks.

By the end of Week 4, you should have:

1. Your photobook file sent to the printer
2. A plan for what comes next—how you’ll present, promote, or distribute your work

🎥 Final Zoom Meeting – Sunday, August 31st at 6:00 PM

This wrap-up session gives us all time to receive our printed photobooks, reflect on the process, and share outcomes. It’s also a space to talk about your next steps, future projects, and how to stay engaged with the photobook community.

You can also download the above information via the file download below

Let’s enjoy this exciting journey together and create some great photobooks

Course Instructor

stewart wall Author

Stewart Wall is an experienced photographer and educator with over four decades in the industry. He started his career in 1978 when he was offered a job as a press photographer whilst still at school doing A Levels. He went on to work in many different fields of photography before returning to school in 2015 to complete a degree in Photography and Graphic Design, an MA in Photography and Visual Communication, and a Level 7 PGCE teaching qualification. He has taught in colleges and for the Royal Photographic Society and in 2020 was a recipient of the RPS Fenton Medal and made a life-long member for his contributions. It was the same year he wrote the criteria for the RPS Photobook Distinction and chaired the assessments for both that and the Licentiate award. Stewart is dedicated to teaching photographic technique, photobook creation, and visual storytelling, and continues to produce photography and photobooks as potential futureheritage.