Photography Lessons

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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    • Strobist DSLR Photography Lesson with Steve

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    Our setup for Steve's strobist off camera flash DSLR photography lesson right on the beautiful St. Petersburg waterfront

    Steve took his second DSLR Photography Lesson in as many weeks.  This time we focused entirely on off camera flash, or simply known as strobist.  This is currently my favorite thing about photography so it was really fun for me also to teach a lesson entirely on getting the flash of the camera.  

    Steve has a Canon XT and a third party flash.  We used my Yongnuo remote flash triggers and my tripod as a light stand.  I also put my HONL snoot onto his flash to help diffuse the light.  

    We had a number of laughs using ourselves as the models for the lesson.  Perhaps the biggest smile of all came when Steve began to realize how awesome, and how relatively easy, off camera flash photography is.  It is always very satisfying to share photography knowledge with such tangible results.

    I made this portrait of Steve using my Nikon D300 and his 3rd party flash (see setup above)

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    • DSLR Photography Lesson with Steve & his Canon XT

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    Steve recently stepped up from the point & shoot world to the DSLR world with his Canon XTWhen I first decided to offer DSLR photography lessons, I was thinking, "lots of people are buying DSLR cameras, but maybe realizing they are nowhere near as easy to use as their old point & shoot digital cameras.  There must be a market for people wanting to take lessons."  Steve fit exactly into that category.  He recently graduated from his point and shoot to a Canon XT with a pair of lenses and an external flash.  Like many people new to DSLRs, he was mostly using auto mode and not happy with the results.  The lessons I offer are designed to directly address that issue and get a person off auto mode forever (hopefully) after just a single 2-hour lesson.

    It is not often I meet someone who can talk about Rhode Island, but besides our photography conversation, we also talked about the Ocean State, which I welcomed.  Steve reminded me of places I had not thought of in over 20 years, like good old Rocky Point Park, which he said is no longer open.  Maybe it will turn into a haikyo?

    As is often the case, Steve was surprised and impressed with what one can do with an external flash in broad daylight.  We already have our next lesson scheduled for later this week! 

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    • DSLR Photography Lesson with Betty & her Canon T1i

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    Betty showing good camera holding technique and that it is possible to wear sunglasses at the same time!I met Betty at the usual downtown St. Petersburg spot for our first DSLR Photography Lesson together.  She has a Canon T1i, a DSLR I have gotten quite familiar with due to numerous students having that specific camera.  We went to many of the same spots I take first-time students too, but we also had a chance to do a little event photography practice as it was the day before Halloween and something was happening in the Straub Park areas.  We put both of her lenses to use throughout the lesson, including teaching good lens changing technique.

    Betty seemed to absorb all we covered during the 2-hour lesson very well and I am looking forward to seeing her improved photographs and our next lesson! 

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    • Digital Photograph Editing Lesson with Eric

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    A New England wetlands scene edited using Aperture 3 - photo by Eric used with permissionFor Eric's second DSLR photography lesson (first), he brought some photos of his recent visit to various New England areas with him on his laptop.  We found a spot at an outdoor downtown St. Petersburg cafe and starting going through his shots made using his Nikon D300s.  The one featured above was taken when Eric hopped off his bike (bicycle) because he wanted to remember the beautiful scenery he was riding through.  Upon first look at the shot, I liked the sine wave shape of the treeline, but thought the foreground was dominating the image too much and not the best feature to focus one's eye on.

    So we began by making the panoramic crop you see above, that eliminated many of the distracting foreground elements, and also made a shot that was not taken at a wide angle appear to be of a much wider landscape.  Adjusting various filters added some contrast and tones to the marsh grass.  Painting with the polarizing brush in Aperture 3 brought back some blue to the sky.  

    This is another example of why I highly suggest that one learn how to shoot well and how to edit well simultaneously.  Eric cannot easily return to that marshland to frame the shot in a different way, but with editing skills he can improve a shot and make it look more like what he initially envisioned.

    For more on learning editing and shooting simultaneously check out this blog post featuring my own photo example.

    I look forward to seeing how Eric puts these editing skills to use in future shots. 

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    • DSLR Photography Lesson with Davina and her new Pentax K-R

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    Davina and her brand new Pentax K-R with beautiful St. Petersburg Florida at twilight in the background

    Davina received a great present from her husband for their anniversary, a DSLR camera!  It was my first time to see the new Pentax K-R and was fairly impressed with the number of buttons on the body, including dedicated WB and ISO controls.  I had no trouble finding and changing any of the four basic settings (aperture, ISO, WB, focus) I start out teaching in a first DSLR photography lesson.  I cannot say this for all the DSLRs I have seen in the many lessons I have taught.  

    We had great weather for our Friday evening lesson and made our way toward the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront to start to learn how a photographer controls the background of his/her images.  There are two things that can really make a photograph stand out from others of similar subject matter:  1.)  background  2.)  light  We focused on background first by photographing the top of a fence post (imagining it was a cool 1950s Chevy hood emblem) the best way, which was to blur the background by using a large aperture and a longer focal length as well as filling the frame with the subject matter.  Basically, we did not want the background to be a distraction, so I showed Davina how to set her Pentax to isolate the subject, and therefore leave no doubt to what it was she made a photo of.  

    In between locations I enjoyed talking to Davina about the benefits of living in Florida and what it is really like in Utah (not just red rock desert!).  I look forward to our next lesson and seeing more of what the Pentax K-R can do. 

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    • DSLR Photography Lesson #2 with Craig

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    Craig is not shy about asking if he can photograph people in public with his Nikon D60Craig and I met at the same downtown St. Petersburg location as our first lesson just a little over two week ago, only this time to my surprise a large event (SPCA 3km pet walk) was going on.  This was a bonus as Craig really likes to photograph people and is not afraid at all to ask someone if he can take their photo.  I would say he photographed at least 6 different people up close!

    Me of course, I'm shy and my street photography is done with a 80-200mm f/2.8 lens.  However, what I do not need to teach Craig in boldness, I still was able to offer him some new tips and techniques for shooting in such unpredictable event lighting without a flash.  I was able to convince him that using manual exposure mode would in fact be easier, not harder, than using aperture priority mode.  That's what I especially like to do during lessons, eliminate fear and show that DSLR photography is not super mysterious.  Well, it's a little mysterious of course, but there are answers to all questions, so no need to hold onto photographer fears (for example not shooting in RAW mode -- just get Aperture 3, import the RAWs and it processing them all automatically, you will never even know you are not working with JPGs anymore).

    Actually, at the end of the lesson we did talk about some quick editing tips as Craig brought his laptop with him and showed me some family portraits I took.  I immediately gave him the sound advice someone once gave me, "I see no portrait orientation shots.  Take portrait orientation shots."  

    The whole 2-hour lesson time passed by fast again.  Maybe next time I might meet Craig more toward his neck of the woods, Lutz! 

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