DSLR Classes
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This is the Spot for photography workshops in Dallas. Once you’ve made your selections, proceed to checkout and you will be taken to a secure PayPal site to enter your credit card information. You do not need a PayPal account. If you do have a PayPal account you can choose to pay with a credit card or log in to you PayPal account and use other funding methods.
Important: During checkout you’ll be asked to agree to the terms and conditions. Please be sure to read this carefully for information about cancellations and refunds. If you have any questions before you sign up, please use the contact page.
Q: How will I know if a workshop makes or not?
A: If a workshop doesn’t make and has to be canceled, you will receive an email the night before the scheduled date.
Q: How late can I sign up for a workshop?
A: As long as the workshop doesn’t show as “sold out”, you can register and pay up to two hours before the starting time.
Q: What’s the difference between the Full Day Workshops and the evening Short Courses?
A: The DSLR-1 and DSLR-2 classes cover some of the same material as the Beginner Full Day Workshop. The DSLR-3 class includes some of the material from the Intermediate Full Day Workshop. The workshops are smaller, more hands-on and there is time for shooting with a model. We’ve found that some people enjoy the intensity of an all day workshop while others prefer to have the material spread out over several classes.
BEGINNER DSLR PHOTOGRAPHY - FULL DAY WORKSHOP
9am to 5pm with a one hour lunch break on your own.
(There are lots of places to eat within a few minutes of the studio. A map will be provided)
Maximum number of students is 12, minimum number to make a workshop is 6
This is for those novices who have a Digital Single Lens Reflex camera and want to learn how to shoot with more confidence and creative control. This is a hands-on workshop with a small group, live shooting demonstrations and time for your questions. In this beginning workshop you will learn:
- Camera concepts: creative control of aperture and shutter speed
- f stops and controlling depth of field: the best reason to own a DSLR
- Exposure modes: PASM, when to get off P
- Metering modes: how does your camera decide on an exposure? When should you take over?
- Focusing modes: how to keep your camera locked onto your subject
- Camera menus: ISO, white balance and some other settings. . .
- Files: resolution, quality, JPG, RAW, TIFF
- Support/stability: tripods, stance, leaning & breathing
- Shooting people: working with your subject and the importance of background
- Assignment: we will divide into small groups and shoot a casual portrait assignment
- Assignment review: surprises and near-misses
INTERMEDIATE DSLR PHOTOGRAPHY - FULL DAY WORKSHOP
9am to 5pm with a one hour lunch break on your own.
(There are lots of places to eat within a few minutes of the studio. A map will be provided)
Maximum number of students is 12, minimum number to make a workshop is 6
This workshop is for you if you’ve taken the beginner workshop, the first two evening courses or have the equivalent level of experience. In this workshop we’ll dig deeper into the equipment and get further into the creative choices and challenges of consistently taking, processing and displaying great photos.
- Review: shutter speed, f-stops, DOF
- Metering & exposure control: bracketing, exposure compensation, reading a histogram
- Using your spotmeter: getting good exposures in tricky situations by changing metering patterns
- Your camera: digging deeper into menus and options
- Equipment: sometimes toys encourage creativity, sometimes they don’t!
- Dust & cleaning: when to worry about sensor dust and how to get rid of it
- Lenses: creativity vs practicality (and $ !) we’ll look at the whole range from fisheye to super telephoto. How to get the most out of your glass.
- Lighting: finding it vs. bringing it with you, working with off-camera flash, great lighting from a lightweight kit.
- Shaping the light: umbrellas, reflectors and softboxes
- Assignment: we will divide into small groups and shoot an assignment
- Assignment review: what worked, what didn’t, why?
- Software: a look at Lightroom and the basics of digital workflow, backing up your image files
- Going further: making great panoramas, getting into HDR
- Prints: some tips on getting good prints, home printing vs. using a lab
- Shooting for money: basics of liability, keeping it legal and basic business practices