Join a private workshop customized to your preferences, scheduled around your choice of location and timing, or assemble up to a single group of 8 participants with an additional instructor assigned for each additional group of 8.
Session One: Operating Your Camera and/or Cellphone
- Understanding automatic controls, what effects they produce, and how to access each control on cameras and/or cellphones
- Learning the capabilities of manual controls to override automatic operation limitations of cameras and/or cellphones
- Exploring the principles of light
- Indoor and outdoor lighting scenarios and their applications
- How time of day influences the quality and character of your photographs
- Inexpensive and free applications for your cellphone
- Aperture control and its effects on composition
- Shutter speed control and motion management
Session Two: Composing Powerful Images, Part I
- Straightforward composition tricks to turn ordinary snapshots into powerful, memorable photographs
- Quick review of how to operate the camera and/or cell phone for taking photos
- Leading Lines
- Create images that show the viewer exactly what spot within the photo is the starting point on which to focus and which path, in and around, within the frame, the eye should follow. Showcase what is important in the image.
- Patterns and Textures
- Invite the viewer to lose themselves within the visual depth of your image.
- Rule of Thirds
- Placing the main subject off-center allows for a visually dynamic balance of important details. Adding extra detail, such as a pet, in the surrounding space helps add interesting context to the main subject.
Session Three: Composing Powerful Images, Part II
- Straightforward composition tricks to turn ordinary snapshots into powerful, memorable photographs
- Quick review of how to operate the camera and/or cell phone for taking photos
- Shadows and Silhouettes
- Add drama to your image, whether the quality is haunting, cheerful, mysterious or compelling.
- Simplicity
- Deep and thought-provoking compositions. Simple photographs can communicate complex narratives and feelings.
- Angles
- What is in front, what is in back, what is below, and what is above can distinguish an inspirational scene from a whimsical point of view. Make the ordinary extraordinary.
Session Four: Challenges of Different Lighting Conditions
- Quick review of how to operate the camera and/or cell phone for taking photos.
- Natural Light (Window Lighting, Bright Sunlight, Dim Lighting, Incandescent, Fluorescent)
- Each kind of light requires different controls on your camera or cell phone
- Strategies for waiting for ideal light
- Different lighting conditions create different moods and atmospheres
- Techniques for capturing beautiful sunsets
- Enjoying the blue light twenty minutes after sunset or twenty minutes before sunrise
Session Five: A Day in Your Life - Photographing Your Story
- Quick review of how to operate the camera and/or cell phone for taking photos
- Developing a visual sense of who, what, when, and where
- Starting at the beginning
- Finding important symbols, keepsakes, and mementos. Who are the central figures in your life?
- Capturing the atmosphere and feeling
- With your camera, you can view your life, capture blessings, and share it with friends and family in portfolios, which you will learn how to create in this session. Soon you will be able to do this in a day or across a week on your own or with a companion, developing an innate sense of which pictures best tell your story. Your instructor will explain the photojournalistic thinking so you can select which images to capture your story. Share the images with others in the group and the instructor for insightful feedback. Go out for extended periods with the instructor for in-depth, at the moment, instruction.
- You might start with a photograph of your breakfast or the beautiful view from your window.
- You realized you enjoyed your lunch and want to show someone else how appetizing it appeared.
- What about pausing to smell the roses, maybe even participating in a local garden club?
- Somewhere nearby, perhaps you have a cherished walking place that helps you rejuvenate.
- Then, of course, there are the family activities and events to document.
- Were there any special evening activities that provided an exhilarating experience?
- Finally, it is time to say goodnight and think about all you captured.
Session Six: Sharing Your Photographs with Family, Old Friends, and New Friends
Digital Photo Academy instructor reveals techniques to remain connected with friends and family via email, texting and a variety of social media outlets. You will meet periodically with the instructor and post your favorite images and accompanying captions. Your instructor will manage every step of the process, and your day-in-your-life stories can motivate loved ones, friend,s and other social media followers.
- Managing memory card image selection and/or cellphone texting with your instructor
- Posting via Facebook
- Sharing on Instagram
- Emailing and texting your photos with descriptive captions
- Building albums
- Creating photo books
Notes:
- Price per enrollment can accommodate a group of up to 8 people.
- When booking, you will pick the date of your first session. Other dates will be organized directly with the provider after booking.
