Winter Photography Adventures

With a very cold winter and a studio that is not insulated, it was a real challenge to warm it up enough for comfortable studies for our Saturday morning classes.  But with all of the heaters blasting, we did manage a comfortable 70 degrees.

We concluded our Winter Adventures in Photography series yesterday.  Our three students were very focused (pun intended) on learning about the art and science of photographing with a digital camera.  

One of our activities was a still life image, to practice using a tripod or monopod, and to exercise the skills in white balance and depth of field.

Here's a shot from our still life activities.  This stuff looks good enough to eat!

We also had a young lady contact us to express an interest in modeling.  Her desire for a starter portfolio and our students' need for a willing subject worked out just fine for everyone!

Here's a sample image of Kristina against a high-key white background.

Thanks again to my students, and best of luck!  I hope to see you in other Adventures classes soon!

Great Tutorials on Photography

I have been collecting great web sites for basic photography skills for my students, especially sites that deal well with the exposure triangle, depth of field, white balance and other basic concepts.

Here's a list of some sites I think you should visit and subscribe to, in the order of my value estimate (though they are all good or they would not be on my list):

Cambridge in Colour - wonderful - clearly described and illustrated tutorials.  You can sign up for this one and get nice notifications.

Photo Tuts+ - Great tutorials.  Including this one on the Exposure Triangle!

   and this one on 100 tutorials! 

Digital Photography School - Great tutorials, nice design, and good forums as well.  Especially this article!

Canon Digital Photography Forums - oriented to the Canon user, but also has great forums on portable and studio lighting.

Stephen Eastwood Photography - A guy with great images who teaches and will show you how they are made.

ShutterMom - Interesting high-energy, lots of links and tools.

There.  You have a lot of exploring, bookmarking, reading and signing-up to do!  Get to it!

Last Call: Winter Photography Classes

This Saturday 1/8/11, we begin "Adventures in Photography: Winter Series".  This set of classes is oriented to the beginning digital photographer, and covers camera skills, lighting, editing and more.

If you or someone you know wants to learn more about photography, this is a great time of year and great setting for learning.  We have wonderful daylight and lots of photographic resources.

Seminars will be on Saturdays: January 8, 15 and 22 from 10AM until 2PM.  Lunch is included.  All you need is your dSLR and lenses and we will explore the world of photography!

Classes will be held at our studio - 2617 Peach Street in Erie, PA.  To reserve your place, contact us through the web or call 814-881-2840.

Cost is $99 for the entire series.   More information is at http://jhphotomusic.com/PhotoClasses.pdf

It's a great way to start the year and spice up your camera skills!