Nikon D3000

1-on-1 Nikon D3000 DSLR Photography Lesson #2 with Georgia in St. Petersburg Florida

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Georgia showing good form with her Nikon D3000 out at The Pier during our second photography lesson in St. Petersburg, FloridaI met Georgia on a too humid for December even for Florida morning for our second of four 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lessons.  Since our first lesson last week, she had the opportunity to photograph a friend's family and their great classic Cadillac convertible.  She learned that making photographs with just a little bit of pressure is a whole different thing than just walking around shooting for yourself.  I was pleased though that in difficult conditions for the most part she used appropriate settings, especially keeping her ISO at the minimum.  

We set off for The Pier to concentrate on shooting at 200mm and see what the pelicans were up to, which unfortunately was mostly lazing about turning their throats inside out.  Still, I gave Georgia some tips on how to turn a pretty good pelican shot into one that stands out just a bit more, but that little more makes all the difference.  We also covered some landscape photography composition tips.  

1-on-1 Nikon D3000 DSLR Photography Lesson with Georgia in St. Petersburg Florida

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Georgia getting to know her Nikon D3000 during our photography lesson in St. Petersburg FloridaTaking a break from her normal Monday morning, Georgia met me in downtown St. Peterburg with her Nikon D3000 for our first of four 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lessons.  We started the lesson by going over how to use her DSLR and adjust the settings that need to be adjusted for making well exposed and sharp images in any given shooting conditions.  I believe strongly in knowing your camera well.  If you do not know how to adjust your ISO then how can you fix an underexposed image.  Of course you need to know what ISO is in the first place and exactly when you should start to increase it.  Thus, 99% of the first lessons I teach start with such explanations and camera overviews.

After giving Georgia a crash course in how to use her DSLR in general, we started to get a little more specific ending with some natural light portraits like the one I made of her (above) using a huge Christmas tree as the festive background.  Each of our next three lessons will be even more specific as we build on the general photography skills from this first lesson, which was an information packed one!

DSLR Photography Lesson with Patti & her Nikon D3000

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Patti showing good DSLR camera holding technique of her Nikon D3000, though she said it was uncomfortable . . .

I started off this week with a morning lesson with new DSLR Photography student Patti in downtown St. Petersburg.  The weather was about as ideal as you can get in Florida, just warm enough, minimal humidity, and a decent breeze all around.  As you can see in the portrait above, there was not a cloud in the sky either.  

Patti had taken a photography 101 class recently, so she knew her photography vocabulary pretty well and also her way around her Nikon D3000.  So during our first lesson I showed her how to put all those definitions and menu knowledge to practical use in a variety of common shooting situations.  We practiced good camera techniques as well, including just how to best hold a DSLR (left palm under the lens barrel, elbows firmly against one's sides) and how to set the focus and recompose using the rule of thirds.  

I also showed Patti how to really pay attention to stray objects getting into the frame because not all DSLRs have 100% viewfinders, which means just because you do not see any tree branch poking into the right of the frame in the viewfinder, does not mean the camera does not see it.  Check your review screen on the back of the DSLR carefully to see if any intruders made their way in.

Not only was it a photography lesson, but it was also a bit of a sightseeing lesson as Patti is still somewhat new to Florida and lives in Tampa.  I hope she returns to visit beautiful downtown St. Petersburg soon, perhaps for our next lesson? 

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    • DSLR Photography Lesson with Jordan & her new Nikon D3000

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    Jordan was very excited to enter the DSLR world with her Nikon D3000I sometimes get DSLR Photography Lesson inquiries before the student even owns a DLSR.  Sometimes they even call me from Best Buy asking which camera to buy and when can they take their first lesson!  Obviously I always recommend the Nikon D3s, but then it seems no one has a $5,000 budget, so then I recommend them something a bit more reasonable.  Things were alone this line before Jordan and I had our first lesson together yesterday.  She had recently bought a super zoom point and shoot, but was wondering if she should have gotten a DSLR.  Since she could still return the P&S so I recommended Nikon's entry level DSLR, the D3000.  She bought it with the 18-55mm kit lens, along with a couple of other small accessories.  

    The enthusiasm she showed in her e-mails before the first lesson carried over into the lesson itself as she was anxious to learn as much as I could teach her during the 2-hour lesson.  We covered all the things I usually do in a first lesson (using aperture priority mode, set focus mode, ISO, WB for a number of shooting situations, etc) but also how to use exposure compensation to try and stem the harsh midday lighting conditions on a summer Florida Saturday.  

    As we walked along the downtown waterfront area toward Vinoy Park we talked about photography and how she hopes to connect it to all the interesting people around her.  Even though we did get stuck in a bit of rain at the end of the lesson, we still took shelter under some trees to get in some flash portrait practice.  I look forward to our next lesson and seeing what gear Jordan buys between now and then. 

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    • First DSLR Photography Lesson with Michael and his Nikon D3000

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    Michael locks in on downtown St Petersburg during our first DSLR Photography Lesson

    Michael is heading to Boston on Thursday, so I was glad my schedule allowed us to have our first DSLR Photography Lesson together before his trip.  Boston is quite a photographic town, though I have not visited it in a decade.  Michael bought a refurbished Nikon D3000 with both kit lenses online, a very good way to save some money.  I, myself, bought my Nikon D300 used in a trusted camera shop in Tokyo.  I would be a little bit careful buying a used camera body.  However, I am much less worried about buying used lenses, and in fact the two most expensive out of my four lenses were bought used.  

    The Pier provides the backdrop for the last stop during our 2-hour DSLR Photography Lesson

    Michael had been getting familiar with the menus, buttons and dials on his D3000, so he was quickly able to change to the settings I recommended for photographing landscapes (f/11, ISO 100), or for making a photograph with lots of bokeh (blurred background).  We even had a chance to try and capture pelicans flying right past our heads, which proved no small challenge!

    I am sure Michael will be able to put to use the skills we practiced today in Boston and return with some great shots of Bean Town.  He showed himself to have a good memory for camera settings and an eagerness to master his D3000.  I look forward to seeing his shots and to our next lesson when he returns.

    Andrea's Birthday Present DSLR Photography Lesson

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    Andrea got a Nikon D3000 and my DSLR Photography Lesson as her birthday presents!

    The second lesson in a row that was given as a birthday present!  Not only was Andrea given a 2-hour DSLR Photography Lesson with me for her birthday, but even better a Nikon D3000!  Andrea loves to travel abroad, often going to Central America, but has traveled in Asia a lot too.  Part of the reason why she wanted to make the jump to a DSLR camera and to learn how to use it, was to be able to better make photographs on her travels.  This also was one of the main reasons for getting into photography for myself, I wanted to have photographic records of my international travel that I could look back on years later and relive my travel experiences and share them with others.  

    Andrea practicing the underhand lens grip that is best for getting a steady shot, but do not forget to lock that elbow in too!

    I found Andrea's Nikon D3000 to have responsive menus and fast action for zooming in and around images on the back LCD.  My first Nikon, the D80, had considerable lag making reviewing images feel like your camera is stuck in molasses.  Andrea, with my coaching, practiced switching settings on her D3000 for action shots to landscapes.  We covered a lot of settings for a first lesson and with continued practice I am sure Andrea will be able to setup a landscape shot right after shooting action in no time.  Andrea mentioned a possible trip to Ecuador this summer so I hope our lessons together can enable her to come home with some amazing photographs!  I look forward to our next lesson and further helping her toward reaching that goal.