Curtis Hixon Park

Canon T2i 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson at Curtis Hixon Park Tampa Florida with Marquita

in

Among the fountains in Curtis Hixon Park Tampa Florida Markita learns how to shoot in manual mode with her Canon T2i during our 1-on-1 DSLR photography lessonMarquita has a party planning business (website) and wanted to be able to make her own high quality photographs for marketing and promotional purposes.  She met me one morning in Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa with her Canon T2i and I began showing her how to shoot in manual mode and really take control over the results of her photographs with regard to exposure, depth of field and composition.  Marquita was a fast learner and soon was able to change all five of the necessary settings for shooting in manual mode.  

The last thing we practiced during our 1-on-1 DSLR photography lesson was a little motion blur shooting.  Marquita really liked this effect achieved by using a slow shutter speed and moving the camera while pressing the shutter to freeze the subject but blur the background to imply motion.  

Marquita has already sent practice shots of her party supplies and is applying what she learned during the photography lesson to her event party business and is thus on her way to having her new photography skills make money for her.  I look forward to meeting her again soon at her studio in St. Petersburg to learn product photography more specifically using lights and photography backgrounds, etc.

1-on-1 Canon T3i DSLR Photography Lesson in Curtis Hixon Park Tampa Florida with Sara

in

Sara lines up a shot with her Canon T3i in Curtis Hixon Park during our 1-on-1 photography lesson in Tampa FloridaI met Sara on a bright sunny Tampa morning in Curtis Hixon Park for a 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson with her newly acquired Canon T3i.  She has always taken a lot of photos with a point & shoot camera and her iPhone, and now wanted to build on her photography resume with learning how to shoot with a DSLR.  She was enthusiastic about learning my 5-step process for making a well exposed and sharp photograph in any shooting situation.  Despite not having any photography term knowledge previously, she was able to remember the 5-steps from memory by the end of our 2-hour lesson.  Well done!

Curtis Hixon Park provided us a very good variety of spots all within a small area that had plenty of subject matter to practice on from controling the background DoF, photographing moving subjects to making portraits in the shade.  It was my first time to have a lesson at that park and probably will not be the last for students wanting lessons in Tampa.  

I may be meeting Sara again before she heads off to college at the end of the summer.  I look forward to continuing to help her improve her photography knowledge and skills.

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park Panorama Tampa Florida

in

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park 3-shot panorama - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/500thAn oasis of grass and community in downtown Tampa, that is how I would describe Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park.  I made this 3-shot panorama image of the park while waiting for a potrait client to arrive.  On a sunny Thursday afternoon two days after Christmas, the park was full of people enjoying a crisp afternoon by the Tampa waterfront.  I thought I would try a handheld panorama shooting into the sun to see how it would come out.  

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park Children Kids Portraits with Rivera Family

in

Family Portrait in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Tampa Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power in 43" brolly to frame leftI received e-mail from Carlos, a returning client about having a portrait session with his expanding family at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Tampa Florida. I knew the park and liked it a lot, but had not had any chances to shoot there yet so I was excited for the opportunity, and was also looking forward to see his family again.  I first photographed his family back in November of 2009 for his daughter's birthday party.

Two sisters and their brother in Curtis Hixon Park Tampa Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power in 43" brolly to frame rightNow he has another daughter, a Christmas baby no less!  The sun was strong at the time of the shoot, but using my 43" brolly I was able to manage some strobist shots into the sun.  The biggest challenge, really, was keeping all three kids in the frame and kind of looking in my direction!

Brother & Sister jumping in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park Tampa Florida portraits - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power in 43" brollyHere you can see the difference in jumping ability between sister and brother!  In the background are some of the downtown Tampa skyscrapers.  I used a single speedlight for this shoot as two speedlights would have been too much to manage in the busy & windy park without an assistant.

Baby girl running in Curtis Hixon Park Tampa Florida kids portraits - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power to frame rightChristmas baby Juliet on a scamper across the riverwalk area of Curtis Hixon Park.  I got low for this shot to offer a different view of the baby than most adults see of her from their much taller perspectives.  

Siblings in Curtis Hixon Park Tampa Florida kids portraits - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/400th - Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power in 43" brolly next to cameraThe University of Tampa is engulfed by the sun in the background of this portrait of sister and brother from one of the unusual platforms in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park.  I chose black & white processing as the sun was washing out much of the color in the shot anyway.

I really liked the park as a shooting location and was glad to have a chance to make more photographs of Carlos and his family!