For the winter term, starting early-January, I am again offering two courses in Digital Photography: “Digital Photography and Photoshop” and “Photography with a Digital SLR Camera”.
“Digital Photography and Photoshop” (aka, the Photoshop Course) will meet 8 Wednesday evenings from 6-9 pm starting January 8. In this, my most popular course, we will touch on many aspects of digital photography including obtaining, managing, improving, and printing your images. This course will help you learn how to use any version of Photoshop (including Elements).
“Photography with a Digital SLR Camera” (“Photo SLR”) will meet 7 Thursday evenings from 6-9 pm starting January 9 and have one Saturday or Sunday half-day field trip. This course is all about taking photos and is for photographers using a digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) or other interchangeable lens digital camera.
Each class will be held in my Etna home studio. There will be only 5 to 7 students in each course so that you can get lots of personal help if you wish it. The cost for either course is $300.
If you would like to register for one of these courses, please send me an email. More information on these courses follows. If you would like additional information or have questions, please just ask. The spots in these courses are filled based on emails received and followed by a timely deposit (see below).
Course Descriptions
“Digital Photography and Photoshop” is designed for those who are beginning to explore the world of digital photography or who have some experience and want to learn how to manage and edit their images in a way that maximizes quality. A digital camera is not required, but you must have any CS version of Photoshop or any version of Photoshop Elements. I will be using both CS6 and a recent version of Elements during class, but for the purposes of this class all these programs are very similar. (Photoshop Elements can be purchased for less than $100.) You do not have to be a computer expert to take this course but you should be familiar with basic operations like moving and opening files. This course requires that you spend considerable time on your own mastering the skills that I will explain and demonstrate during the classes. We will meet 8 Wednesday evenings beginning January 8. The cost for this course is $300.
In this course I will introduce and survey current tools and techniques. We will cover: digital cameras (selecting and using), computer systems, scanning, image editing, printing, and numerous other related topics. I will concentrate on conveying a basic understanding of what is going on when you use a digital camera or manipulate an image in Photoshop and what things can and should be done rather than specific cookbook formulas. This should allow you to go well beyond what is covered in this course and apply what you learn to new challenges. The main emphasis of the course is perfecting a “workflow” from image capture, through editing, to printing to produce the best possible result. Extensive “handouts” will be provided by email. This is more a “Photoshop course” than a “how to take photos course”. I’ve given this course 41 times.
“Photography with a Digital SLR Camera” is a course for those who want to learn how to better use their camera to produce pleasing images. It will be about taking photos as opposed to image editing. This course can be taken before or after “Digital Photography and Photoshop”. A digital camera with interchangeable lenses is required for this course (though you do not need to have more than one lens). We will have one half-day Saturday or Sunday group shooting session at a nearby location.
I will cover the unique features of digital cameras and how best to use them. Your instruction manual tells you how to make the multitude of settings available. I will tell you which settings you want to make, which features you want to use (and which to avoid), and why. I will be available before class to help you figure out how to make the settings if you have a problem understanding your camera manual, but you will be required to read your instruction book.
The critical aspects of photography will be covered: using depth-of-field, shutter speed, exposure, composition, light, design of photos. We will address composition and techniques for capturing images you should be proud of. During the first class I will cover the mechanics of using a digital camera and transferring and preserving the captured image. In subsequent classes we will spend considerable time reviewing and discussing your images from weekly shooting assignments as well as exploring the advanced features of digital cameras.
We will meet 7 Thursday evenings from 6-9 pm starting January 9 and have one Saturday or Sunday half-day field trip. The cost for this course is $300.
Registration
Send me an email and if the course is not yet full I will ask for a $150 deposit to hold your place. Deposits are fully refundable if you have to cancel and I can fill your spot. I fill these courses on a first-come basis based on when emails are received and followed up with a timely deposit.
Fragrance-free Environment
Participants in these classes are required to come to class fragrance-free. This means no hairspray or perfumed products should be used on the day of the class and clothes should not be contaminated by fragranced detergents or fabric softeners. If this requirement is a problem, please do not sign up for a class.
eMail List
If you have friends who might want to be on this email list, please have them send me an email. If you would like to be removed from the list, please just ask.