Digital Photograhy Class Week 1

About a month ago I purchased my first real sophisticated camera. I know nothing about cameras and did pretty well with my little Nikon Coolpix L20. I have always loved to take photos of all my adventures in life, and I was always conscious of getting the right artistic compositions. I guess my extensive art training lent me a good eye for photography, but I lacked any knowledge or technical skills to operate anything more than my little point and shoot.

With all art mediums there is a stage you reach when you need to push the bounds of your craft and take it in a new direction. That happened to me when I was snapping pictures of a pair of Cardinals eating at my bird feeder in the snow. I was liking the effect of the snow and the photos came out pretty good. But something was amiss.


Cardinal in the Snow 2011

The photo was dark, grainy and lack any depth. The only think I could say was I got a photo of a cardinal. There was no WOW! factor for me! I started going online to look at good photographs of birds and that's when that feeling overwhelms me and I just have to do that! I was especially inspired by Jim Fenton     His photos are sharp, bright and extraordinary! He happens to live in the same area so it made sense to admire hie awesome shots of local birds!

So the quest begins! In order to get such shots, I would need a more sophisticated camera and learn how use F Stop, Aperture openings, ISO and focusing abilities to get better photos. So I went and obtained the best camera I could afford at the time which was a Nikon Coolpix P500. It was amazing. I shot lots of pictures and tried to learn about all these settings myself by reading the manual ( dry) and looking for info online. It helped. I did take better photos, but I was frustrated. First off, my backyard birds provided a steady stream of posers, but anything else would require a "bigger" lens. I was already defeated before I began it seemed. But I decided to use this camera to learn all the techniques and technical settings before moving one. Here are some photos I have taken this winter with the new camera.

My Winter Bird Shots!

And, having taken many art classes here, I saw this being offered and decided to take it and see where this creative adventure may lead me! 



Sanctuary Arts

The digital age has put a camera within everyone’s reach, but moving the settings off ‘Auto’ is still daunting to many, leaving them with lackluster results from their investment. This class will put the creative control in your hands as we demystify your settings and introduce you to what all your camera functions are, how to get the best results, and how to manage your digital files once you have them. We will set up a few ‘shoots’ in order to practice what we learn. Bring your digital camera, DSLR (detachable lense) or point-and-shoot along with your camera’s manual and a laptop. On the final day we will reserve time for one-on-one instructions.

Who should attend – Beginning and Casual Photographers