A community for beginner photographers
Emma Davies created A Year With My Camera to help beginner photographers build their skills. What began around her first photography workbook grew into a global learning community spanning beginners, experienced photographers, and people with specialist interests. The community supports the teaching itself: members do not only receive lessons, they ask questions, share photographs, and learn from other people developing the same craft, while courses, workshops, and subscriptions give Emma a way to sustain the work.
Lost in the feed
Emma first built the community on Facebook and Instagram. The platforms gave her somewhere to publish, but not a reliable way to reach the people who had chosen to follow her work—posts were lost in advert-led feeds, and only around 10% of the audience engaged with her content each week. The community and its data also remained exposed to decisions Emma did not control, from algorithm changes to moderation and account access. "I don't need to rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to get my posts seen," she says. "I'm in control of the platform and don't need to worry about being hacked, banned or trolled." She wanted an independent home where learning content, member discussion, and paid products could sit together.
Galleries, groups, and courses in one place
Disciple's flexibility let A Year With My Camera combine galleries and libraries with forums, groups, subscriptions, and workshops in one branded app. The app organises photography teaching into a clear learning library and gives members several ways to take part: beginners can use the main forum for broad questions, while members with more specific interests can join focused groups, share work, and discuss the details with people who understand them. Emma can publish directly to the community, host workshops, and sell courses and subscriptions without a third party taking commission—bringing the course and the conversations around it into the same space.
Higher engagement, full ownership
Weekly engagement rose from around 10% on Facebook to more than 50% in the app, closing the reach problem that prompted the move, and Emma gained control of her content and community data. Courses, workshops, subscriptions, and in-app sales provide additional revenue, and more than 70,000 students have now taken part in A Year With My Camera. One member captures the experience: "I had no idea that an online course can be so interactive with a family-like atmosphere."
