London Institute of Photography

What London Institute of Photography does

London Institute of Photography (LIoP) is an independent, privately-held photography school based at the Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, in Shoreditch, London. Founded by director Holger Pooten, who brings more than 20 years of industry experience, the school delivers in-person and live-online photography education to individual consumers. Course delivery is structured around small classes capped at eight students, taught by working professional photographers rather than academic instructors.

The core product is the Professional Photography Course (PPC), a 10-module, 10-week flagship programme offered in full-time, one-day-per-week, and flexible self-paced formats, with built-in portfolio and website development as career deliverables. The PPC is complemented by short photography courses covering individual genres (Complete Foundation, Beginners, Intermediate, Fashion, Food & Product, Portrait, Documentary, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop), a £345 Photography Careers Course, a Web Design Course, one-to-one tuition, and one-year gift vouchers. Live online courses extend delivery beyond the London campus.

LIoP operates a direct-to-consumer, one-time-payment business model with no subscription revenue. Distribution is primarily through the school's own website (liop.co.uk), with in-person recruitment at open days and the annual LIoP Show student exhibition at the Truman Brewery. Marketing relies on a content hub, organic social (Facebook, Instagram), a newsletter, free monthly talks featuring established photographers, and community-driven photography challenges. The school charges £200 cancellation fees on the PPC within 14-30 days of start, requires 90% attendance for certification, and offers legally binding instalment plans. Target segments are career-changers, beginners and hobbyists, intermediate/advanced photographers, and international students, with no enterprise or B2B channel and no external institutional investment.

Name

London Institute of Photography

Legal name

London Institute of Photography

Website

https://liop.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

London Institute of Photography (LIoP) is an independent, privately-held photography school in Shoreditch, London, offering in-person and live-online courses — led by working photographers — to individual consumers, including career-changers, beginners, and international students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photography Education and Training

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAJAH

Photography Colleges & Visual Imaging Schools

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Arts, Music & Design Colleges

SECONDARYEDAAAGAF

Photography & Videography

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Personal Enrichment & Hobby Learning (Arts, Crafts, Music, Cooking)

Keywords

• Photography school
• Professional photography training
• Photography short courses
• Photography education
• Online photography classes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Photography Course (PPC): The flagship 10-module, 10-week professional photography course offered in full-time, part-time (one day per week), and flexible self-paced formats. This is the primary revenue driver and the most comprehensive offering.
2. Short Photography Courses: Two- to four-day intensive workshops covering studio, portrait, street, fashion, food and product, documentary, and other specialty genres. Targeted at beginners and enthusiasts seeking targeted skill development.
3. Live Online Photography Courses: Remote delivery of photography instruction, expanding access beyond the London location to a geographically distributed audience.
4. One-to-One Tuition: Personalised individual instruction tailored to specific student needs, offered as a premium tier of learning support.
5. Course Vouchers / Gift Vouchers: Open-date gift vouchers valid for one year from purchase, available for all individual courses. These serve as both a revenue stream and a gifting/lock-in mechanism.
6. Photography Careers Course: A £345 intermediate-level 2-day weekend or 4-evening course focused on business and career aspects of professional photography, including branding, marketing, copyright, contracts, and portfolio development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

London Institute of Photography (LIoP) is an independent photography school based in Shoreditch, London, that delivers in-person and live online photography education. Its flagship offering is the Professional Photography Course (PPC), a 10-module, 10-week programme covering major commercial photography genres, complemented by short two- to four-day workshops (beginner, intermediate, fashion, food and product, portrait, documentary, Lightroom, Photoshop), one-to-one tuition, and a Photography Careers course. Courses are taught by working professional photographers with class sizes capped at eight students.

Product overview

London Institute of Photography offers a portfolio of photography education products centered around its Professional Photography Course (PPC), a comprehensive 10-module program available in full-time, one-day-a-week, and flexible formats. Supporting courses include Complete Foundation, Beginners, Intermediate, Fashion, Food & Product, Portrait, Documentary, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, and Photography Careers courses. Additional offerings include Short Courses (2-4 day workshops), Live Online Courses, One-to-One Tuition, a Course Finder quiz tool, and Gift Vouchers. The institution operates from Shoreditch, London, with small class sizes (max 8 students) taught by industry professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Photography Course (PPC)
• Short Photography Courses
• Live Online Photography Courses
• One-to-One Tuition
• Photography Careers Course
• Course Vouchers / Gift Vouchers

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.9 out of 5 stars from 150+ reviews
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Shutter HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIoP was invited by Shutter Hub to participate in their Professional Development Day event, supporting the professional development of photography community members.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LondonInstituteofPhotography
• Instagraminstagram.com/liopschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/london-institute-of-photography

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about London Institute of Photography