Lilly & Mindy were the models for this DSLR Photography Lesson at Ft. Desoto Park in Saint Petersburg
This was my first time to teach a DSLR Photography Lesson at Ft. Desoto Park, a nice change of scenery on a finally warm, true Florida day. This was my third lesson with Andrea (1st, 2nd). She was not alone during this lesson as she brought her dogs, Lilly (above left, very energetic, a good kisser) and Mindy (above right, contemplative, purposeful). During our first two lessons Andrea showed me some photos she made of her dogs, and I suggested ways to improve them, but there is nothing like actually practicing it during a lesson.
Photographing a fast running dog in harsh Florida sunlight can be a challenge. I stressed to Danielle that dialing in the right settings is important, but just as important is positioning yourself with your back to the sun as much as possible and trying to photograph your dog from a non-straight-coming-at-you angle since it is more of a challenge for any DSLR to get a focus lock on a subject coming directly into the lens. To also compensate for the strong sunlight we set our exposure compensations to -0.7.
Making a portrait with two dogs can be quite the challenge, and you never know when someone else will pop into the shot!
In the end Andrea was able to get an especially good shot of Lilly running and a nice portrait of Mindy resting in some shade. Our fourth lesson is already scheduled and we will focus on much easier subject matter - landscapes, with an eye on composition.
Andrea is absorbing a lot of photography knowledge well, all things considered, and it was real fun to have her dogs with us during the lesson!