Learn tips and techniques part 1

So you've just bought a wonderful super specified SLR and want to do more than just take "happy snaps"?

Maybe you want to explore what your new camera is capable of?

What do all those settings on the command dial mean? What do they do exactly?

If you register for one of my classes, I will show you in simple terms exactly how to get the most out of your new (or even old) equipment.

 Learn simple but effective ways to alter flash images

What else can you do? The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Even the simplest of cameras can produce jaw dropping images. As long as you have some  control over your camera settings, whether its a compact or a high end DSLR, the end results can be rewarding.

Learn how to control speed & movemenrt

 As well as group sessions, I also offer one to one coaching for people who lack the time to attend regular classes. Give me a call today and find out how to take your photography to a new level.

Contact me today for more information.

Thanks for reading.

Photography tutorials, classes and walks

The interest in photography classes has been great. Lots of folks it seems now have great quality cameras but are dissatisfied with the results they are getting.

 

 

I've now given two portrait classes and a three part series on beginners photography. There has been good feedback for the course members as well who liked my laid back approach to teaching (i.e less on the theory and more showing and explaining).

 I mixed classroom basic theory with practical "in the field" shooting.

 

 

 

On the last day, we spent two hours out and about before coming back to the classroom and discussing the results

There will hopefully be more classes, walks and groups in the near future but if you would like to learn more about a specific area of photography then please don't hesitate to contact me.

Thanks for reading.

Photographer and now educator!

Sorry if the title sounds a bit pretentious but this last weekend, I gave my first ever portrait photography workshop entirely in German!

I stressed a little about it in the week before because I wasn't sure if my standard of German was good enough. I explained to the participants that German wasn't my mother tongue (as if they didn't already know within fifteen seconds of my starting), and that if they had any difficulties understanding me, then they should simply ask.

There were four pupils which for me was ideal because that meant that I could take a more personalised approach.

We started with a brief introduction of ourselves and I told them a little about me and my experience as a photographer.

There were four areas that we covered. These were:

• Equipment
• Camera settings. Optical and technical considerations.
• Posing
• Software, black and white, lighting, image analysis, and developing a style.

 Away from the purely photographic accessories that I bring to a portrait shoot, I told them that one piece of equipment that is always near to hand is a simple stool or step to stand on and give myself some height when my subject is a little (or a lot) taller than me.

 add height . . .

We spent some of the afternoon putting the theory into practice in one of the fitness rooms in the learning centre. this was ideal as it was bright and airy, had mirrors and more importantly stands for when the ladies came to photograph the gentlemen!

Here are some snaps from the day.

 

 

 

All in all I think that we all learnt something but above all, we had fun whilst doing so.

Thanks for reading.

Tom

 

Photo workshops

As alluded to in my last post, I will be leading photo workshops in the new year.

I've done them before in the UK and Germany, where I gave classes to the families of US service personnel. For a while I even did some for Canon when they bought out the the beautiful T90. I would go to hotels etc and teach new owners about the camera and what it could do.

This time however will be a bit different as they will be given in German!

Luckily I was able to prepare myself for this by giving a private portrait photography workshop last weekend. Two ladies who had attended beginners photography courses wanted to expand their knowledge and learn more about portraiture with emphasis on how to create mood, how to work fast and simply and how to make use of depth of field.

The day went amazingly well. I first showed them a Powerpoint about the techniques we would be learning then I took them to the local railway station where we practised fill-in-flash and depth of field.

Then it was back home to try some portraiture using natural light, flash and diffusers.

Six hours later we finished off and I can honestly say that we had a great time. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm for photography. They had earlier learned the basics of photography but thanks to the extra tuition, had been able to see what they could actually achieve!

Two satisfied pupils! Beatrice and Sonja

To prepare my Powerpoint, I enlisted the aid of my favourite twin models (who just happen to live nearby and love using my camera themselves), Jeniya and Lera whom you may remember from this earlier post. The picture below shows me taking a shot of Lera with my 24mm lens. I did the same portraits at different focal lengths to show how the face can get distorted.

24mm for a portrait is not recommended

Since then, I've had several queries to give other workshops and I'll be starting that in earnest in the new year. First I have to work out dates and subjects to be covered. If you want to expand your photographic knowledge with a like minded group or on a one to one basis, then please contact me.

Of course the girls simply HAD to take photos of each other. They always produce some great work.

 Keeping track of the shoot.

 Jeniya shoots Lera

 Instant proofing!

 My final pictures. Too good an opportunity to miss.

If you are interested in attending a workshop or having a one on one session with me then please drop me an email.

Thanks for reading

 

Diversification

Technology is moving at breakneck speed. Print media is no longer king. If you don't get on-board social media you are doomed to be left behind. That is not an understatement. 

I was somewhat saddened and amused at the ignorance of a man I spoke to at a large Swiss company a year or so back. I asked him ( in his new role as head of the advertising department ), what plans he had to implement social media.

His reply? "I have no plans whatsoever to use socia media channels. They don't bring anything to the table".

Out of curiosity I Googled this gentleman (don't we all?) and found that he actually has a Twitter account, into which he has posted precisely (at the time of this post) FOUR tweets since joining in 2009. One of the Tweets concerned one of the firm's new products.

It's quite inconceivable to me to see how he is going spread the word for his company if he refuses to join the revolution. I see that none of his sixteen followers re-tweeted the product launch news from him. He seems to think that the company's website and paper based print media is the way forward.

At a recent trade fair where he was hosting a stand, I noticed that nearly every other company had a dedicated Facebook page and Twitter account. I was able to follow their activities and get details on the newest product releases etc but from his company there was nothing.

I do notice to his credit however, that he had had videos commissioned to show off the company's products but without the social media aspect to spark interest, there have been very few views.

In October 2011, I began to get interested in social media and online marketing. Statistics fascinate me and with these facts in mind, I started an anonymous blog to test out my theories. I decided from the start to make it anonymous so that the visitor count wouldn't be influenced by any of my acquaintances visiting it. I launched it without any fanfare whatsoever and studied the statistics. Using only keywords, hashtags and a few other search engine optimisation techniques I see that it has now had 61,000 hits!

 Statistics as of November 2013

So what exactly does this have to do with photography I hear you ask?
 
On my own personal website, I again played with the S.E.O. management and elevated it to number two on the Google Switzerland search results when people type in "fotografie aller art" (all types of photography) into the search field. All this without paying for Adwords or anything.

Well as the title of this post suggests, diversification is the key to surviving nowadays. Apart from photography, I am now offering website optimisation and building to several clients. I'll be helping them get a foothold in the world of social media. Also in the pipeline will be photography workshops in the new year. I'll be writing more about that in my next post.

So to reiterate. Content is king and the best way to get that content out there is to jump onboard the social media bandwagon. You'd better hurry though because it isn't slowing down!

Thanks for reading.