Photography Lessons

Canon T3 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg with Ken

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Ken focuses his Canon T3 during our 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in downtown St. Petersburg FloridaMy 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson with Ken was a long time in the making.  He first contacted me in November of last year, and at last his schedule freed up so we could meet in downtown St. Petersburg.  Ken had some familiarity with photography terms and he did read his Canon DSLR manual.  We began the lesson by going over in detail how to change the necessary settings on his specific Canon T3 camera body for shooting in manul mode.  Up until then, Ken had been shooting in auto-mode.  My introductory 2-hour lessons are designed so that the person never has to use auto mode again and can shoot in manual mode just like the pros do, and really how a DSLR wants to be used.

After having that in-depth tour of his DSLR, we practiced how to control DoF and make the background disappear and create a subject surrounded by bokeh (photography term for out of focus background).  We also covered a few shooting tips including favoring shooting flowers in shade rather than the harsh midday sunlight of Florida, and as much as possible when shooting in direct sunlight, to get your back to the sun.

I look forward to seeing Ken's progress when we meet for our next photography lesson soon.

Nikon D7100 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg Florida with Joe

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Joe with his Nikon D7100 during our 1-on-1 photography lesson in St. Petersburg FloridaJoe was visiting Florida from out of state for a series of photography excursions with Rick Sammon.  Those were largely about having the chance to photograph unique subject matter like dirtbikes jumping in the air and running horses.  Still, I guess I should feel flattered to follow up photography instruction by Rick with my own 1-on-1 style lesson!  

What Rick wanted to learn from me was my (patented?) 5-step process for making a well exposed and sharp photo in any given shooting situation.  He was already shooting in manual mode, but wanted to get better at it.  I told him there is a very exact and repeatable process for shooting still subjects in manual mode.  Photography really is science and math, at least as far as getting exposure right.  There is no mystery to it.  The process I teach tells you exactly if this, then do that in a very specific order.  Now composition and making a final image that delights people, that is another matter for practice!

Joe and I plan to stay in contact once his Florida vacation is over for receiving feedback on his photographs he makes as he learns my 5-step process better.  

Nikon D3100 DSLR Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg Florida with Pat & Jon

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Pat & Jon showing good form with their Nikon DSLRs during our photography lesson in St. Petersburg FloridaIt is very rare for me to teach anything but a 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson but in seven day's time when I met Pat and Jon it was my third that week!  Pat had experience with film SLRs, but found their Nikon D3100 DSLR to be a more complex camera body than she was used to.  Jon had been doing a lot of reading up on digital photography, so with their combined photography knowledge, they already had a good base to start from.  During our photography lesson I taught them my very specific and exact process for making a well exposed and sharp image in any shooting conditions.  Knowing what aperture is, and shutter speed, etc, is one thing, applying that knowledge is another and is the biggest reason why my on location, in the field shooting, photography lessons help get people actually shooting in manual mode as quickly as possible, and in a way they can repeat even after the lesson.

Pat & Jon have a business related to air shows, so being able to get shots of plans flying by is something they wanted to learn about.  Really for photographing any moving subject the technique is the same, it's just the size and speed of the subject may make things a little more tricky.  It's all a matter of using the minimum shutter speed necessary (1/500th) and the correct focus mode (AF-C; Ai-servo).  After that your technique as a photographer and skill to track the subject takes over.  

I look forward to seeing their future plane and jet photos using the skills we practiced during our photography lesson on a pleasant Saturday morning in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.

Nikon D7000 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg Florida with Bart

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Bart aims his Nikon D7000 for a more creative composition style in St. Petersburg FloridaI first met Bart earlier this year when he took my photography class at the Morean Art Center.  Since then he has been out shooting a lot keeping in practice and adding some new items to his camera bag as well.  He contacted me recently for a 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson to give him some advice on the large body of work he has made in the past year and offer suggestions for further improving his shooting.

We met at the usual spot in downtown St. Petersburg and had a small Q&A session to start out with.  From looking at some of his photo galleries I offered my thoughts that his shots could use a little bit more focus, and that even landscapes could have more distinct central subjects which could be made by anchoring a foreground subject.  Along with a few other tips and practicing them in the field during the lesson, I showed Bart a few new features of his DSLR body, like the AEL lock button.  I will be looking forward to seeing how he applies these new tips and techniques in his next few months of shooting!

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.

Nikon D600 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson St. Petersburg Florida with Heather

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Heather with her new Nikon D600 during our 1-on-1 DSLR photography lesson in St. Petersburg FloridaOn a way too hot for December Florida afternoon I met Heather with her new Nikon D600 for a 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in downtown St. Petersburg.  This was not her first DSLR, she had a Canon for several years, but only had been using it in auto-mode.  Even with the new Nikon D600, it was more auto-mode so in order to be able to make better photos of her two young children, she decided to take a photo lesson.  

Even though we were shooting outdoors the entire time, I advised her on settings she would need to be able to make photographs of her kids indoors.  The technique for both indoor and outdoor or really any kind of photograph is the same.  There are five things you ever need to set.  There is just better starting points for settings indoors or outdoors.  For example, no need to use the lowest ISO on your DSLR when shooting indoors, 95% of the time you need to use at least ISO 800.  

After the 2-hour lesson and with the help of the 140+ photo tips on my site, Heather has the resources to start getting the most out of her DSLR and make photos of her children that will only increase in value as years go by.

1-on-1 Canon 5D Mark III DSLR Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg Florida with Dan 2

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Dan learning how to shoot in natural light with his Canon 5D Mark III during our St. Petersburg Florida photography lessonIt has been five weeks since I met Dan for our first 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in downtown St. Petersburg and he has decided to turn that single lesson into a 4-pack of lessons.  He told me he also basically forgot everything from the lesson and we changed our plans of him photographing his dog to having a refresher on the process needed to shoot in manual mode with his Canon 5D Mark III.  

We began by him showing me some photographs he took at a chalk festival to see where in the 5-step process of getting a well exposed and sharp photograph he went astray.  While he was getting the meter to show neutral before pressing the shutter on some shots, it was not the ideal way of doing so, i.e. with a high ISO and super fast shutter speed rather than a minimum ISO and slower shutter speed.  

After getting things sorted out with the workflow for when to increase aperture, shutter speed and ISO, we then walked around the downtown area putting it into practice making a few natural light portraits and starting to introduce some composition tips too.  I look forward to seeing Dan's improved results next time we meet!