Classes

Digital Photography Classes

Our philosophy of teaching is to have small, interactive short classes with lots of hands on experiences and critiques on post-class photos. This format allows you to retain and use information more successfully. Most of the classes will have 4-10 students and will last two hours on the average. We do have all day Saturday options for our Beginning and Intermediate Classes.

Our goal is to have the classes inspire you with new ideas and insights, have fun learning, and be able to apply what you've learned to your photos the next time you press the shutter. Break through the confusion and master the artistic tools of your camera's technologies and the aesthetics of great photography.  Let us help you see something as simple as a fireplug differently.

Each class has follow up available by posting photos on to Flickr.Com so that your instructor and other students can offer comments, ideas and suggestions to improve your shots.  

The Basics - Registration Fee $80

Either a series of four, two hour classes or an all day Saturday course has been designed for the newcomer to digital photography. Plan to bring your own camera and manual to class. We will combine lectures with hands on exercises and demonstrations. There is lots of time for questions and individual attention as needed. Topics will include:

1. Exposure - Understanding how to use aperture and shutter speed. How does each impact your photo's quality and how do you get the optimal results.

2. Camera Settings - What do all those little knobs and menu items do? What is truly important to know to get great shots?

3. Metering Basics / White Balance - How and when do you deliberately over or underexpose a shot. When do you need to use fill flash? How are the  different metering modes on your camera used? What is "white balance" and how does it affect our photos? At least half of this class will be spent shooting and applying skills from the first two classes.  

4. File Management - Transferring images from the camera, storing, and managing images using free software. We will also introduce the basics of editing images. You are encouraged to bring a laptop to class if you have one available to you.

   Class times:

   Select Calendar for Details
   6:00 - 8:00 PM for four weeks
   OR
   Sat. One Day All Day - 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Intermediate - Registration Fee $80

For the photographer who understands the basics but wants to advance their skills to the next level. This series is focused on more technical aspects of digital photography that get in the way of outstanding photos

1. Focus - Learn the fine points of how auto focusing works and where and how to focus the camera and when to override the auto functions to get the results you want.

2. Exposure - Auto exposure works most of the time. Find out how to better control more challenging lighting scenarios such as backlight, night / low light levels scenes, sunsets and landscape.  Master the concepts of exposure bracketing and intentional under/over exposure compensation. 

3. Low Light/ Strobes - Shooting indoors, on heavily overcast days or shooting at night pose distinct problems. Learn how to make the best of a bad light situation. Using flash as an option will be discussed as well as using tripods, increased ISO, and other strategies.

4. Field Experience - Our fourth class in this series will be a field exercise. We will go to a location and setup scenarios to further refine our newly learned skills and have a chance for critique and feedback.  

Class times:
6:00 - 8:00 PM for four weeks
OR
Sat. All Day - 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

 Advanced

NOTE: At this time, Advanced courses are not scheduled. Please contact us if you are interested and we will notify you when it is scheduled. We only need three students to create a class. Get some friends together and have some fun! Because of the complexity of the topics, they are usually offered in four hour blocks on a Saturday or Sunday or two weekday evenings.   

Candid Kids - Learn the fine points of how to capture children in action on the playground, on the baseball field, or in the ballet recital. We’ll help you to find the right settings to get the SmarterPics you want for the family album or scrapbook.

Landscapes - You see that really amazing view but it just doesn't photograph well. Learn more about light, time of day, composition.

Pets - Our fur friends are incredibly cute, but challenging to photograph. Good lighting strategies, managing behavior, patience and speed all come together for those great pet shots.

Sports -  Getting great shots of the kid's game isn't always easy. There are several tricks and strategies that experienced sports shooters use. This is a one day class looking at stopping action, positioning, lenses, lighting issues and more.

JPG vs RAW Format  - Most DSLR cameras give you the option of shooting an image format referred to as RAW. This is a large, unmanipulated image that has a lot more latitude for editing, enhancing, and repairing an image. This course will focus on both the controls setup needed to maximize a RAW capture as well as computer software editing and manipulation.

Basic Image Editing - Capturing a great image in the camera is only the first step to digital photography. The real magic happens on the computer. We will be using Picasa, a free image editing software package to demonstrate the basics of enhancing and improving an image with just a few quick clicks and slider bars.

Studio

Get some hands on experience using our photo studio equipment. This will include both "hot" and "cold" light systems, low and high key systems and more.

Portrait - Learn the fundamentals of lighting and basic posing techniques for photographing an individual. Have the experience of trying different angles, power setting and light management tools.

Small Product - A quality image of a product will greatly enhance it's marketability. This course will focus on "table top" techniques using small products. Emphasis will be on lighting strategies including "tent" and "cocoon" techniques. If you sell things on E-Bay or Craig's List, this course is essential for you and the increased value of your items. 

Greenscreen Effects - Using the same techniques that Hollywood film makers use, we can take photos of subjects against a green screen background and insert them into all kinds of real and fantasy environments. Learn the subtleties of controlling posing, lighting and background setups to make this illusion amazingly convincing.

NOTE: At this time there are not any scheduled Studio Classes offered, however if we get three or more people interested, the class will be run. Put your name on our "interested" list.