Photography Lesson in Pacific Grove – Manual Mode Training at My Studio

February 19, 2026 in Photography Lessons

When the Button You Didn’t Know Existed Changes Everything

Thomas returned for his second photography lesson, this time bringing his friend Cindy for her very first session. Cindy mentioned early on that she had owned her Sony camera for several years, but never quite liked how one part of the lens operated. I asked to see her camera as I knew the exact button to switch to address the issue! She did not even know that button existed. I was glad to be able to instantly solve the issue that had been frustrating her for years. Those are the kinds of small but powerful adjustments that can completely change someone’s relationship with their camera.

Even though this was Thomas’s second time hearing my 5-step process for shooting in manual mode, the review helped reinforce what he learned during our first one-on-one session. We wrapped up with hands-on shooting practice in the studio. I guided them through applying the 5-step process step by step, then changed the scenario and asked them to create a well-exposed, sharp image completely on their own. Watching that moment when everything clicks is always the best part.

Beginner Photography Class at Pacific Grove Art Center Sign Up Page

November 03, 2025 in Photography Lessons

Join local professional photographer Jason Collin at the Pacific Grove Art Center for a fun, hands-on photography class designed for beginners. Jason has taught hundreds of people to confidently shoot in manual mode using his original 5-step process developed while living and making photos on the streets of Tokyo, Japan.

***DSLR or Mirrorless Camera Required ***

You will learn:

Jason’s 5-step process for shooting in manual mode
How to get well exposed, sharp photos in any light
Simple composition techniques for instantly better photos

Nikon D750 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in Albuquerque New Mexico with Karen

June 13, 2018 in Photography Lessons

Karen has taken three 1-on-1 DSLR photography lessons with me at the JCP Home Studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico as she had a big family reunion coming up in Taos she wanted to be able to make great candid photos of, as well as group photos. She has a Nikon D750, the same camera I have! So it was very easy to show her all the custom settings I use myself on my own Nikon. The first 2-hour lesson was focused on teaching her my 5-step process for shooing in manual mode and getting a sharp and well exposed photo in any shooting conditions.

Nikon D3200 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson Honeymoon Island State Park Florida with Karin

January 07, 2015 in Photography Lessons

Karin framing a shot with her Nikon D3200 during our 1-on-1 DSLR photography lesson at Honeymoon Island State ParkI had not been to Honeymoon Island State Park for awhile, but on a Saturday back in November I had first a 1-on-1 DSLR Photo Lesson with Karin and her Nikon D3200, then a maternity shoot with a former photo student. I met Karin at the park's visitor center which provided a comfortable place to first discuss my 5-step process for getting a well expososed and sharp photo in any given shooting situation.

After that the grounds around the visitor's center itself provided enough variety to put into practice how I had instructed Karin, step-by-step, to shoot in manual exposure mode. The variety of shady mangroves and bright sky provided a good contrast for learning how to quickly change between shooting conditions. About 7 to 10 seconds (or faster) is the time range I set for students to get to for changing all 5 settings as need be between shooting conditions, and then even less than that for adjusting in the same conditions. Of course I do not expect such quickness during the first lesson! In time with experience and becoming more familiar with the Nikon camera body, Karin will be able to minimize the time getting settings right allowing her to maximize the time to get a shot in the first place and then compose it as desired.

Canon T3i 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson at Lettuce Lake Park Tampa Florida with Dan

October 20, 2014 in Photography Lessons

Dan sets up a shot at Lettuce Lake Park during our 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in Tampa FloridaDan recently moved to Florida and wanted to make sure he can have great photographs of the sunshine state right away with his newly acquired Canon T3i. So I met him at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, Florida for a 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson. Dan was an enthusiastic learner with some previous knowledge of photography. By the end of the 2-hour lesson he had a lot more photography knowledge!

We went out onto the boardwalk in the park where the sun was darting in and out of clouds. This would be annoying most times for photography, but it allowed us to practice getting the best exposure while standing in one spot as after almost every shot, the light would be different, and something would need to be adjusted to get the best exposure again.

I am looking forward to seeing what Dan photographed being a newcomer to Florida during our next photography lesson and helping him continue to grow with photography knowledge and skills.

Nikon D750 Real Estate Photography Lesson in Tampa Florida with Debbi

October 15, 2014 in Photography Lessons

Debbi with her brand new Nikon D750 during our 1-on-1 commercial real estate photography lesson in Tampa FloridaI often get asked by photography students, what photography gear should I buy next? My first question back to them is, what is your budget? When Debbi called me she said she needed everything starting with the camera and she wanted to be able to make shots of her listings for her real estate business. I asked what the budget was first as I always do, except this time the reply was a little bit different as she said basically any budget is ok! Well, this meant I could recommend Nikon's newest full frame DSLR, the Nikon D750 along with its tried and true Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G lens and my preferred Induro brand carbon fiber tripod. Now that is a camera bag full of gear one can grow into!

This was my first time to gets hands on with the Nikon D750 and I was totally impressed. It was hard for me to hand it back to Debbi, I wanted it to be mine! After showing Debbi how to use my 5-step process for getting a well exposed and sharp shot in any shooting conditions, without taking the time to setup her new tripod, I just tried some very high ISO handheld shots of the rooms in the listing of hers we were in. I was blown away by the shots I could make at ISO 3200 and higher of the rooms of the house with the Nikon D750 and the Nikkor 14-24mm lens just hand holding it. Like really blown away. Even shooting at the largest aperture of f/2.8 and ISO 3200 the results were startingly good in terms of lack of noise and depth of field. For the next lesson we will actually put the D750 on a tripod and I cannot wait to see ISO 100 results!

1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in commercial studio in St Petersburg Florida with Marquita

October 08, 2014 in Photography Lessons

Marquita as the model during her commercial photography lesson in her own photography studio!I met Marquita for a second 1-on-1 commercial photography lesson yesterday, this time at her photography studio in the artisitc Grand Central district of St. Petersburg. She had been practicing since we first met a few weeks ago in Curtis Hixon Park and was having some white balance issues shooting on a white background using her studio light setup. Even though she was shooting in RAW using auto white balance, the images coming out of the camera were looking warm, and thus skin tones did not look natural, etc. To solve this problem I showed her how to set a custom white balance on her Canon T2i which was thankfully not too difficult to figure out just by looking in the menus. Sure enough, once she used the new custom white balance, her photographs came out looking true to color straight from the camera, not post-processing white balance adjustments needed.

She also wanted her white background to look more white, such that it was invisible. I put one of her studio lights directly on the background to essentially blow it out, and that combined with the custom white balance made the subject appear to be on a pure white background, again no post-processing editing needed to fix.

We concluded the lesson by seeing what just one speedlight off camera with a reflector can do (see the above portrait of Marquita). Marquita will be investing in a better speedlight for her event photography work, which she can also use in her studio too.

For the next lesson we will tackle Photoshop and how to add any color background to a subject shot on her white studio background!

For party planning services, visit Marquita's website.