Intro To Photography Class

See Below Course Outline for Class Locations and Times

Why You Should Attend

We are all born to be photographers, but we’re not born with the technical knowledge we need to make our photos look the way we want them to. Never fear, in this class you’ll learn every principle necessary to take beautiful photos that capture your artistic vision. Whether you have a point and shoot or you just got your first digital SLR, this course will stimulate your enthusiasm and encourage you to keep pushing the boundaries of your own creative potential. When you’re finished you be both informed and inspired—and ready to start your own photographic journey.

Course Outline

What you will learn. Here is a list of Topics covered & what you will learn when you attend our Intro to Photography Class.

Light: You can’t start learning Photography until you “see the light”

EXPOSURE: You must tell the camera how much light to see

ISO: A little or a lot of Sensitivity…
Shutter Speed: Fast or Slow
Aperture: Open Wide or Closed Down
Learn your stops so you can GO!

The Tradeoffs: Each lighting consideration involves compromises

ISO: Grain/Noise and Clarity
Shutter Speed: Stopping Motion and Capturing Movement
Aperture: Focus and Blur

“Seeing” Light Like a Camera: Your camera sees less light than you do

5 stops: Sliding it left or right…
Contrast: Why your photos look different than what you see
Color Temperature: Not Hot or Cold, but Blue or Orange

Composition: Placing your subject in the frame using the following principles

Rule of Thirds
Perspective
Leading Lines
Negative Space
Subject
Foreground
Background

Lenses: More than a helping hand, they pass the light along to the camera’s sensor

Focus: Blurry or Sharp
Focal Length: Wide or Telephoto
Zooms vs. Fixed/Primes
Perspective: Squash them together or move them apart
Distortion: Making Thin Into Fat

Shooting Modes: A thorough explanation of what your camera has to offer

Auto: use it once—never use it again
Aperture Priority: Lock your Depth of Field
Shutter Priority: Lock your Motion Preference
Manual: Take complete control

Lighting

Natural Light: And God said: “Let There Be Light.”
Reflectors: Bouncing light to where you need it
Move your feet: Placing the subject in the best light
Fill Flash: Backlighting’s Best Friend
Backlighting: Sometimes good, sometimes bad
On-Camera Flash: Good, but…
Off-Camera Flash: Better!

Digital Photography Fundamentals

Megapixels and Resolution: Size doesn’t always matter
JPEG/RAW: File Size vs. Flexibility
White Balance: Don’t look blue if you’re not blue
Histogram: Kind of like the Map of Life

Class Location, Date, & Time

Location: Hyatt Arlington

1325 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA 22209
P: 703-525-1234