Photography Lessons

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.

1-on-1 Nikon D40 DSLR Photography Lesson with Rhea in St. Petersburg Florida

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Rhea still able to smile even during our second info packed 1-on-1 DSLR photography lesson in downtown St. Petersburg FloridaIt was already very warm at 9:30am when I met Rhea for our second 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in downtown St. Petersburg Florida.  She brought her notebook this time as we reviewed what I taught her during our first lesson a few weeks ago.  After that refresh we started wondering around Beach Drive NE where I instructed her on having to be aware of the position of the sun when shooting during the daytime in Florida.  This means of course your back to the sun, or your shadow pointing at your subject.  This will help get the best exposure results.

We finished the lesson with some practice making portraits in full shade, rather than out in direct sunlight.  This may seem against logic, but in the harsh midday sun significant shadows form under the subject's eyes and neck.  Shooting in shade allows a diffused look to the light on the subject with no strong shadows.  Of course all this can be avoided by just shooting in good light, but that is not always possible.

Canon M & Canon 5D Mark III DSLR Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg Florida

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Lois and Isaac with their Canon cameras on a bit of a rainy photo lesson in downtown St. Petersburg FloridaOn a somewhat rainy evening last week I met Lois and Isaac for a photography lesson in downtown St. Petersburg.  They have a big international trip coming up later this year and Lois wanted to get better at using her mirrorless Canon M, a camera I had never seen before.  Isaac had the Canon 5D Mark III and knew how to use it pretty well.  So while learning the tricky Canon M's methods for shooting in manual mode with Lois, I fielded more advanced photography questions from Isaac.  

I am still not sure about micro-four-thirds and other mirrorless cameras.  Their advantage is their small size with an interchangeable lens ability.  They are not good for sports or action due to a number of reasons, but for still subjects in non-dynamic situations (i.e. where you need to often change settings) for someone who does not want to carry a lot of weight, they could be an alternative for a DSLR.  

By the end of the two hours Lois was able to use my 5-step method for getting a well exposed and sharp (still) photo with her Canon M by using its touchscreen to change the necessary settings.  This will allow her to not have to rely on the auto modes and be able to shoot in a more creative way.

1-on-1 Nikon D4 DSLR Nikkor 24-70mm Photography Lesson with Stacy in St. Petersburg Florida

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Out scouting portrait locations with Stacy & her Nikon D4 in St. Petersburg FloridaI met Stacy again this week in downtown St. Petersburg for our 13th 1-on-1 photography related lesson (some computer based lessons for editing & workflow).  Since last week she had used her Nikon SB-910 for the first time to photograph an indoor event organized by friends, so we began by reviewing those photographs and me reminding her that if the subjects appear to be too bright due to flash, either lower the power of the flash, or use a smaller aperture.  Changing the power on the SB-910 is not as straightforward as it has been on past Nikon speedlights, part of an overall over complicating of functions on their gear for no reason (see also how to change focus modes on current Nikon mid to pro bodies).  

After practicing how to use her speedlight more effectively, we actually went out scouting some locations in the downtown St. Pete urban area for portraits Stacy wants to make of her daughters later this year.  So I took her to my favorite brick wall location, tiled wall location and also a very gritty alley for as urban of a background as you can get!  Next lesson we will return indoors for more workflow related photography learning.

1-on-1 Nikon D4 DSLR Photography Lesson with Stacy in St. Petersburg Florida

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Stacy using a stable shooting position to balance the weight of her Nikon D4 during our photography lesson in St. Petersburg FloridaOver the first seven months of 2013, Stacy has become my most prolific student of all-time, starting with the group lessons she took at my Morean class, and now this was her twelfth 1-on-1 photography lesson (thanks Stacy!).  She has been learning from start to very finish how to be a modern DSLR photographer.  By that I mean she is learning what gear to get to fit her photography needs, how to use that gear in the field, then as important what to do with the RAW images once she returns home.  I have spent many hours in her home office getting her iMac setup with software and features to create the same seamless digital photography workflow I have on my own Mac based work station.  This also includes how to make regular backups of all her photos (and other computer files too) and ultimately how to share them in a secure online location with friends and family.  It is a reality that to be a complete DSLR photographer, not insignificant computer skills are also needed, that is if you wish to edit your photos (of course!) and to share your work and have it be seen (yes of course too!).  

This latest lesson though was a more traditional out in the field one, which means my usual downtown St. Petersburg location.  Stacy shoots with a Nikon D4 (yes, a D4, not a typo) and f/2.8 lenses, so gear weight and shooting ergonomics are especially concerning issues for her.  I stressed the importance of always shooting with a stable stance (legs wide apart) and shooting perpendicular to the subject so that the left arm acts as a monopod.  Then of course there is the simple matter of having the right bags for safely and conveniently carrying photo gear.  I gave Stacy advice on that based on seeing her non-camera specific bag she was using, that had to be placed on the ground each time she wanted to take a shot.

Stacy has already signed up for lessons 13-16 which will feature more practical shooting lessons as well as further refining her digital workflow.

1-on-1 Nikon D5100 DSLR Tripod Photography Lesson with Lisa in St. Petersburg Florida

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Lisa photographing a water spout during our stormy photography lesson in St. Petersburg FloridaFor our second of four 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lessons in downtown St. Petersburg I met Lisa in the evening for a tripod focused photography lesson.  With sunset around 8:30pm, our 2-hour lesson would cover sunset through twilight through night.  However, Mother Nature provided a bit of a diversion in the form of a severe thunderstorm.  It was the loudest most powerful lightning I have felt in Florida in 15 years!  Before all that happened there was a waterspout staring us down and two funnel clouds floating overhead.  We stayed safe and out of danger, but we ended up getting a bit wet once the rain came before we got to cover.  All this made for quite an exciting lesson!

There were plenty of stormy skies to photograph before sunset, then of course the waterspout too.  So instead of a photographing a gentle sunset from Vinoy Park as I planned, we actually photographed the waterspout and then tried to get some lightning shots too.  It was the most exciting photography lesson in a long time!

1-on-1 Nikon D5100 DSLR Photography Lesson with Bob in St. Petersburg Florida

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Bob using his Nikon D5100 with Nikkor 55-300mm lens during our St. Petersburg Florida photography lesson

On a sunny Friday Florida morning I met Bob in downtown St. Petersburg for a 1-on-1 DSLR Photgraphy Lesson to help him get off auto-mode on his Nikon D5100 and start taking control over his images.  Like many of my students, Bob has had a long interest in photography and owned point & shoot cameras, then decided to get more serious and got a DSLR.  Then he realized that shooting with a DSLR is a different world and that auto-mode is not producing the results he wants.  Hence, I promote my lessons as getting off auto-mode in 2 hours!

Bob had good photography knowledge already, so as I showed him how to change the necessary settings on his Nikon D5100 to make a well exposed and sharp shot in any shooting conditions, he was quicker on the uptake than average for knowing what to change to adjust final image results.  Though there are only five things you need to change, and I can describe what those five are in about 30 minutes, applying that knowledge in real shooting situations still takes a lot of practice, and I think also trust in the system I teach as well as trust in your DSLR photography gear.  

I look forward to seeing Bob's new sunset images and more now that he knows how to shoot in manual mode.