Our first three class program is for amateur or hobbyist photographers who want to learn how to manage their manual settings, compose great shots, work with natural and artificial lighting, and basic retouch & edits. Clinical terminology will be kept to a minimum and the focus (no pun intended) will be on explaining real world application of basic photography knowledge and building your skill set. It's a starting point, not a destination, but our goal is to get you comfortable with the range of different camera capabilities and ready to take better, more dialed in pictures.
After reviewing the Class information, click here to contact us regarding any or all of the classes.
Classes:
Class 1 – Get it right in the camera. In addition to a workbook, this is a hands on class and you will be practicing what you learn with your camera as we go.
This Class will be held on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 - is limited to the first five people to respond. Additional dates will be added as demand requires.
Requirements: DSLR Camera and at least one compatible lens
Get off your auto settings. – learn your camera functions, manual and semi-manual settings. Learn how aperture, ISO and shutter speed work together and how/when to adjust them to get the best results. Small group benefit, tailored instruction to fit what the students want to learn to do ie. Sports, candids, landscapes, portraits, fine art, macro etc. Get sharper sports images. How to work with low light situations. When to use or not use flash.
Lens Basics and Depth of Field – How to read your lens specs. What kind of lenses work best for what application? What is DOF, and when do you want it to be shallow or deep? How to achieve each.
Learn the basics of composition. Perspective, background choices, rule of thirds, shooting angles etc. Don’t shoot like a tourist!
.JPG vs RAW. What are the differences and why does it matter which to use?
Watch out for GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) - DSLR’s are expensive machines and lenses are too. What off-brands can you trust? Which is the best place to spend your money – camera bodies vs lenses? What lenses do what? Nikon vs Canon etc.
Class 2 – Set up your shot. In addition to a workbook, this is a hands on class and you will be practicing what you learn with your camera as we go.
Requirements: DSLR Camera and at least one Lens
Subject presentation – posing portrait clients, shooting sports, how to shoot candid subjects (party pics, street photography etc).
Basics of lighting - Learn basic lighting philosophies: Natural light, camera mounted flash, bounce flash, off camera flash, reflectors, golden hour light, backlighting, edge lighting, Single light portraits, cloudy day vs sunny day – and what camera settings work best with flash photography. Lighting a dark subject against a bright background etc. Studio workshop.
How to pick locations – So you know what you want to shoot, but where? Avoid overused places, but know why they are popular. Some places you need permission, others you don’t. Location vs Studio.
Class 3 - Manage your Images: workflow, basic editing and how to protect them. In addition to a workbook, this is a hands on class and you will edit images as you learn.
Requirements: Laptop or computer with Lightroom and Photoshop installed.
NOTE: Adobe Creative Cloud – LR and PS for $10 per month. Highly recommended. Gold standard of graphics programs and all I use. Instruction here is assumed that you have a licensed subscription and updated versions of these programs.
Workflow – How to manage your photo files, and use LR to cull your choices down to a manageable number.
Intro to Lightroom. Basic adjustments, localized adjustments, advanced adjustments, batch edits, export options.
Editing in Photoshop. Basic photo manipulation and retouching blemishes.
Backing up – How to protect those images from a computer or hard disc failure.
Post-Program Follow up:
We encourage you after the program to continue your self-education. Classes are a great way to get started, but the internet is full of free high quality video instruction on lighting, shooting, posing, editing etc. Some instruction is great. Some is a waste of your time. Who to trust and how to find them? Facebook groups are a great place for constructive criticism and inspiration. We will start our own facebook group to encourage our students and offer ongoing constructive feedback in a private and supportive environment. All students gain access to this group as part of their participation in our programs.
This group will also present ongoing source recommendations, instructional graphics, cheat-sheets, links, blog updates etc. And follow up questions are welcome from all students. We are working photographers / designers and these classes are a supplemental outreach program. We are personally interested in your development and our students are not viewed as numbers. Our classes are intentionally small so that we may get to know everyone personally and do our very best to adapt our instruction to each and every student’s level of experience and individual interests.