Photography, …. yeah, piece of cake.

Maybe after a lifetime of using a camera that may well be true, but even 20 years on I’m still learning.  For those who’ve just got over the hurdle of a compact camera and have just bought their first D-SLR, all those new controls are quite daunting. I’ve been there I know.

Although I’ve helped out a number of serious amateur photographers informally in the past,  I’ve now decided to do something a little more structured  that really gets amatuer photographers over that initial phase of ownership, struggling with all those controls, and results that can be a quite disheartening. I’ve just created a course in conjunction with Comberton Village College that will run from September 2010. This is an evening class, just one evening per week where I run through a wide range of common problems and their solutions, what all those controls do, and most of all how to get better images and gve you more confidence in using your new D-SLR. Some of the subjects covered are below.

At the end of the course students will have an understanding of:

• Aperture priority mode
• Shutter priority mode
• The dreaded manual mode
• The relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO
• Using flash on and off camera
• The differences between lenses and what to look for when buying a lens
• The rule of thirds
• Composition and why images look good
• The common photography mistakes and how to solve them
• Shooting portraits, the key elements
• Black and white photography
• RAW, jpg and image sizes and formatting

The course has sufficient flexibility to cover areas of photography beyond those listed and where students require help.

This course does come with the caveat that it really needs people to sign up in the right numbers for it to run, sadly a part of the business of education.

So if you think the topics are of interest, and you’re willing to share your images and experiences with your fellow students, go ahead, give it a go.

The contact Details for Comberton Village College are:

UPDATE:

Since this entry was posted I’ve had quite a bit of interest from people who are unable to make the college course and may consider a smaller group or one-to-one session on similar subjects. As yet I don’t have anything definitive planned, but if you’re interested please drop me an e-mail. If there’s enough interest I will do my best to find an alternative for you.

UPDATE 2:

I’m now getting a lot of hits from photographers who’d like to know more about courses, training and photo gear, please use the contact form, to let me know you have an interest in this or other courses.