Canon T4i

Canon DSLR Photography Lesson in downtown St. Petersburg Florida with Christina & Chris

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Christina practicing photographing a moving subject (Chris) during our DSLR photography lesson in downtown St. Petersburg FloridaThere was a "snowfest" and parade happening in downtown St. Petersburg Florida during a Canon DSLR Photography Lesson with Christina and Chris, but the weather could not have been warmer for a December day.  In fact, there was a woman in a bikini sunbathing right in front of the parade route and just a block over from where kids were sliding down a small hill of surely not long to last snow.  C & C had similar Canon DSLRs and were looking to learn how to make better photographs, which led to them finding me and coming up from Sarasota for the lesson.  They said they could not find anyone in the Sarasota area, and to my knowledge I am the only full-time professional photographer that offers 1-on-1 photography lessons in the field.  I have taught well over 300 lessons to date!

Chris had done a good bit of reading about photography and knew some about my 5-step process for making a sharp and well exposed photograph in any shooting conditions.  What books do not tell, or do not make that clear, is the exact process to use in the field to get the exposure you want when shooting in manual mode.  Photography is a creative art, but there exists an exact process for at the least getting the exposure correctly . . . composition, that is something else!

It was a nice change to teach two people instead of the usual 1-on-1 lesson, most of all because it means one of them could be the subject for practicing photographing action on! (see photo above)  I look forward to seeing their improved photography results now that they know how to properly shoot in manual mode and can focus more on being creative.

Canon T4i 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg Florida with Bryan

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Bryan shooting with his Canon T4i from shelter as rain fell during our 1-on-1 photography lesson in St. Petersburg FloridaIt was sunny when I met Bryan in downtown St. Petersburg for our 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson that he received as a present in the form of one of my photography gift certificates.  As I was talking to him about my 5-step system for shooting in manual mode, well, some rain started to fall.  We were sheltered just fine under the Museum of Fine Arts walkway and still were able to venture out briefly when the rain stopped.  

Bryan was actually already shooting in manual mode, but without a system that can be used repeatedly in any shooting conditions, he was not getting the consistent results he wanted.  So during the lesson I helped him shape his existing photography knowledge in a way that will let him take control over exposure and composition in a more creative way.  I feel Bryan will be able to teach himself and really improve his photography results in a short time.  To end the lesson, in the low overcast light we had the chance to do a little motion blur practice.

Canon T4i 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg with John

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John with his new Canon T4i during our 1-on-1 photography lesson in downtown St. Petersburg FloridaOn a surprisingly crisp Florida morning in May I met John in downtown St. Petersburg for a 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson.  His interest in photography has been growing leading him to purchase a Canon T4i making the transition from point-and-shoot to the DSLR world.  He had also starting reading up on photography before we met so he had familiarity with photography terms, but just needed help seeing how they all relate and also simply how to set them on his DSLR.  

After I showed him around his Canon T4i we walked around the waterfront area practicing how to use the meter to get a baseline exposure, and then how to read the histogram after making the shot to see how the results really came out.  I showed John how to control DoF with aperture and focal length and then concluded the lesson with a little shade versus direct sunlight portrait practice.  

1-on-1 Canon T4i DSLR Photography Lesson on pelicans with Nicole

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This morning I met Nicole for our second 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in downtown St. Petersburg.  The topics for our lessons continue to be based on assignments she gets for her photojournalism class.  Today's topic was wildlife, so we went out to The Pier to photograph pelicans and anything else we could find along the way.

It was a very sleeping morning out at The Pier, hardly any creatures were stirring.  The sky was mostly overcast, but the humidity was heavy, putting a general malaise on all, but this meant the pelicans were extra approachable allowing for some very closeup shots of the large birds.  There were a number of males and females in various sitting, standing and preening positions allowing Nicole to get a good range of shots to submit for her class.

We concluded by photographing a few semi-curious squirrels in North Straub Park.  Barring any of her classmates making a quick trip to Africa, I am sure Nicole will end up with the best shots once again!

1-on-1 Canon T4i DSLR Photography Lesson on dogs with Nicole

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I met Nicole this morning not at my usual downtown St. Petersburg spot, but nearby at Northshore Dog Park as she had a specific assignment from her photojournalism class to photograph dogs.  She will be taking my 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lessons to help her with that class and to be better at photography in general.  With the shots I was able to help her make this morning I am confident she will show up with the best shots in her class!

As Nicole needed to get a couple of very specific shots, and the number of dogs in the park was not a constant, for this first lesson I mostly just had her jump to the right settings for photographing dogs in motion so she could get the shots for sure, and then filled in the details as we went along.  Despite the overcast skies and puddles, we were fortunate that there were any dogs there, and even more fortunate that there were very playful ones that allowed Nicole to capture the insane faces dogs make as they wrestle with each other resulting in dynamic shots with a shallow DoF as I had Nicole shooting in Shutter Priority mode at 1/500th and ISO 400 allowing for a well exposed and sharp shot.  

I was impressed with Nicole's physical shooting skills and her ability to stay low at eye level to the dogs for extended periods of time and produce consistent results, including level horizons.  I look forward to helpin her with her next assignment!