DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES – NATCHEZ, MS

Basics of Digital Photography 101

Finally, a way to take creative control of your image-making by learning how to get off Auto Mode and into Manual Mode is available to you in Natchez!

Moreover, this fundamentals course is very comprehensive in scope, because there is so much to know when getting started with a digital camera. Be that as it may, don’t let that stop you! For this reason, this course is geared to present the information to you in an easy to understand way, and at a pace that makes it easy to digest. Furthermore, I’m right there to answer your questions.

MAIN GOALS FOR THIS COURSE:

1. Get you comfortable with your own camera, its settings, menu options and operating it quickly and efficiently. 

2. Provide you with a solid understanding of all of the CORE FUNDAMENTALS of digital photography so you can capture amazing photographs more consistently.

3. Get you shooting in MANUAL MODE so you can truly begin to take creative control of your camera to get the kinds of images that Auto Mode will never be able to get.

CLASS STRUCTURE & COST:

By and large, most every class I hold operates around six to eight hours of instruction. As a consequence, the times a particular class is held vary from class to class in order to accommodate different peoples’ schedules. Presently, the most typical time structure is to hold four 1 &1/2-hour modules, held one evening a week for four consecutive weeks. Occasionally, classes are held in one day (on a Saturday) so that folks from out of town can drive in. Moreover, individual one-on-one tutoring is also available at $50 per session for an hour and a half instruction.

Print handouts are given in each class for you to follow along with the instruction. Moreover, demonstrations using the equipment and slides or illustrations are also part of the teaching. Finally, class times for the four-week structure are normally from 6pm to 7:30pm or so. The Saturday one-day course time is 9am – 6pm with a break for lunch. Cost is $135 per person. This must be paid up front and there are no refunds for missed classes. Email me or contact me on social media if you want on a class’s contact list.  

COURSE TOPICS:

What is Digital photography? How are DSLR and DSLM cameras different?

How the camera works, its major parts, and why it matters to know  

The “Exposure Triangle” (ISO, Shutter Speed & Aperture)

The “Creative Triangle” -(Grain/Noise, Depth of Field & Freezing the Action) 

What a “Stop” is

White Balance; Focus Mode, and Focus Point

Various shooting “modes” 

Camera menus, dials, knobs

File Types and SD/CF Cards (including shooting in .jpeg & RAW) 

Proper camera holding and posture and how it affects the quality of your shot

The 3 Important Stages of Image Making 

Compositional basics 

Intro to Genres (such as portraiture, landscape, event, fashion, etc.)

Retouching software options

Workflow and how to set-up an effective and thorough process 

Lens Basics

Equipment such as tripods, cases, hoods and straps

Photography terms and industry lingo that’s useful to know

and more…

201 & 301 LEVEL COURSES

INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED COURSES (INCLUDING ADOBE LIGHTROOM CC):

Once the fundamentals are grasped it’s time to get more in-depth! At this point it’s time to drill down into all three phases of making an image: pre-production, production and post-production. Accordingly, in intermediate and advanced level classes I cover techniques targeted to a particular skill set. Presently these include classes such as using filters, applied light, HDR, time-lapse, panoramas, bracketing, astrophotography, and so forth.

Similarly, some of the course offerings focus upon post-production editing and retouching. These include using Adobe apps such as Lightroom CC, Photoshop CC, and Premiere Pro CC, with sections on the Wacom Intuos tablet. Finally, 301 Level Classes on more advanced editing techniques such as focus-stacking, frequency separation, luminosity masks, and alpha channels are available as desired.

201 Courses:

Applied Lighting Course (Speed Lights, Studio Strobes & Reflectors)

Portraiture 

HDR & Panoramas

Astrophotography

Filters (Polarizing, Neutral Density and Graduated Neutral Density) 

Time-Lapse  

Adobe Lightroom CC (Library & Develop Modules)

Adobe Photoshop CC (Intro & Basics)

INDIVIDUALIZED TUTORING:

Presently I also offer individualized one-on-one tutoring sessions. These sessions are by appointment according to your schedule and mine. No doubt I’ve found that many people prefer a “hands-on” approach to learning. In addition, they want someone right there beside them to helps them get past frustrating roadblocks. In fact, it’s very common to experience frustrating situations in learning to use a digital camera. Therefore, if this is something you are interested in, contact me and let’s get you on the path to smooth operation of your camera or learning a new skill set. On the other hand, if you prefer taking a Course with others, I can put you on a Course’s contact list to give you a heads up when it becomes scheduled.