Photography Fundamentals

This course, with instructor Adam Donnelly, will cover the fundamentals of photography and teach beginners the skills they need to move beyond the auto setting on their cameras. We’ll start out by learning how a camera and lens work together to collect light before moving on to the complexities of image capture, which include exposure, light and composition. We’ll also learn some basic post-production skills that we can use to enhance our photographs after image capture. It is recommended that students have a DSLR camera to get the most out of this class.

Week 1

• How Does a Camera Work? Manual controls such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, metering and focus will be covered
• Assignment: Practice using the manual controls on your camera, utilizing what you’ve learned about shutter speeds and apertures

Week 2

• Elements of Composition: Focal length, framing, the rule of thirds and other elements of composition will be covered
• Assignment: Experiment with composition and framing

Week 3

• Light: Color temperature, white balance, advanced metering, dynamic range and natural light will be covered
• Assignment: Experiment with light

Week 4

• How to be prepared and apply what you’ve learned in the field. We’ll discuss having the right equipment for your shoot, how to troubleshoot problems, and how to develop your ideas depending on the types of photos you wish to capture
• Assignment: Free shoot. Photograph whatever interests you. Have fun, be open, and experiment with your camera

Week 5 & 6

• Post Production: Different types of editing software options will be discussed. We’ll also experience a basic Lightroom Demo in order to learn the basics of editing and file size