Camera was not harmed for this shot - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 1/200th Strobist: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight handheld commander mode
We had to reschedule Kathy's first DSLR Photography Lesson once already this week due to rain, and as thunder rolled at 5pm, I was worried we would have to postpone it until next week, but the weather could not have been better. Kathy has owned her Nikon D40 for a couple of years, but relied on auto mode and at times her Panasonic point & shoot camera. She took photography lessons at various places, but never like the one-on-one lessons that I exclusively offer.
As always, I got Kathy off auto mode immediately and onto aperture priority mode. When shooting out in daylight, once the proper settings are dialed in, there really is not much to change or adjust on the camera as long as one is continuing to photograph the same general type of subject. For her kit Nikkor 18-55mm lens, I told her the only apertures you need to worry about now are just: f/5.6 f/8 and f/11. This can help to take some of the mystery of aperture out of the equation.
Then we ended with making some fun flash portraits at Vinoy Park with The Pier in the background. All the while we talked about many other photography topics, but also sports cars, Japanese culture and Spanish culture. It was a fun lesson for me and I look forward to our next lesson when Kathy returns from various business trips.