More to Learn
It’s been a lovely summer but now
it’s time to settle into planning my teaching schedule for the fall and winter.
Even when the topic is one that I have presented before, preparing a
course requires hours of review and organization of material. In
November, I will be offering my Introduction to Digital Photography course
through Keene Community Education for the fourth time, but I am constantly
modifying the material to make it more understandable and hopefully at least a
little entertaining.
PowerPoint presentations have the
reputation of being dry and pedantic, with a succession of mind numbing lists
of information. Lazy presenters are often satisfied with merely transporting
their outlines to the screen, but photography is above all a visual topic and I
try to tell my stories with pictures and as little text as possible.
 |
Fryes Mill Falls, Wilton NH |
So far, I have had no trouble
finding people who are enthusiastic to learn about photography and editing.
Digital photography has expanded the availability high quality imaging,
and, given the immediate feedback offered on the camera’s LCD, the ease of
learning has been much improved. These days, there is a growing number of
people who want to go beyond what they can achieve with their smart phones.
They are acquiring more sophisticated cameras, including
Digital SLRs, with better control of imaging, . Many are excited to learn about what all those buttons actually
do.
Up-coming programs include a fall foliage workshop, a general introduction to digital photograph and a course covering the image management and editing capabilities in Lightroom, a miraculous program from Adobe. In October, I'll be starting with the foliage workshop. I think I enjoy the workshop format best since it allows me to share the beauty that I have discovered in our remarkable corner of New England.
Next year I plan to repeat my Spring Waterfall Workshop and I will be considering other possibilities including a course covering Photoshop for Photographers and perhaps other workshops. How about winter or night photography?
There is a lot to consider, but for now, here are the plans for the next few months. To allow for more personal attention, I like to keep my programs small, so to assure a spot, get your requests in soon .
-------------------------------------------------------
Fall Foliage Weekend
October 13-15
 |
Fortuitous Cow |
This autumn, I will again be
offering my Fall Foliage Weekend Workshop. Last year we had a great time,
and hopefully we will have similarly wonderful weather and color. I will
be following the same format that seemed to work well last year. Again, I
picked the weekend after the Columbus Day weekend craziness. It is an
opportunity to see great color without the same crowds that typically congest our
beautiful countryside. Our base of operations
will be around my dining
room table in Spofford, NH. I will host
the participants at my home on Friday evening for snacks and a discussion about
photography in general, and the specific opportunities and challenges of
foliage photography. It will also be time to plan the shooting for all
day Saturday and Sunday morning. Saturday, we will head out early to
explore as many different locations as possible. My goal. Will be to
place the group in beautiful locations and then help them get the most from the
opportunities. Last year, on Saturday morning, we focused on Vermont, including
Guilford and the magic village of Green River.
Later in the day we spent
time exploring a classic farm stand in Walpole New Hampshire and ended by
finding a spot to watch the full moon rise above Spofford Lake. There
will be no full moon on October 14th, but for any who want to stay late, we
might see a little of the Milky Way over the lake. In the evening, we will
return to the dining room table for an informal diner of pizza and some gentle
critiquing of the day’s shoot
 |
Green River Bridge, Guilford, Vermont |
 |
Grazing under Mount Monadnock |
We will head out again Sunday
morning for more of our exploration of color, and I will finally let people go
around noon. Last year everyone seemed to come away exhausted but thrilled with
the experience, and I had a great time sharing my love for photography in this
special time of year.
 |
Fall Foliage Workshop 2016 |
603-363-8338
-------------------------------------------------------
Introduction to Digital Photography
November 2, 9, 16, 30
It has become an annual tradition to
offer my Introduction to Digital Photography Course as part of Keene Community
Ed’s fall program. The course includes 4 classes and two photo shoots. I
cover a wide range of topics from understanding the difference in camera types
to, image file formats, file management and archiving. Special emphasis is
placed on exposure, composition and the use of different types of light.
All these topics are applied to the results of the photo shoots.
The course size is limited and, if
the past is any guide it tends to fill quickly. Registration begins
August 22nd can be done over the phone at 357-0088 or on-line at www.keenecommunityed.org. Please feel free to
get in touch with me for any questions.
-------------------------------------------------------
Introduction to Adobe Lightroom
I haven’t set the dates yet, but it
will be in January and/or February.
In response to frequent requests, I
developed an introductory course covering all the essential
capabilities of Lightroom. I have offered the course three times and it has been warmly received. I run the
class as a live demonstration. Students are encouraged to work along on
their own laptops, but a computer is not necessary to benefit from the
material. I’ve had a great time and the classes. Without the use of PowerPoint slides,
presentations are much more dynamic, and, as is always true of teaching a
course, I have learned a ton. I
initially thought that that four, two-hour
classes would be enough to cover the program's many features, but because of my
tendency to ramble and lots of great questions, I have added a fifth class to
cover the Slide Show, Book and Web Modules. I probably could have used more
time, but I learned that 2 hours of software complexity at a time is definitely
the limit for my mature students – and their teacher.
I again will be limiting the class
to the 8 people who can fit comfortably around my dining room table.
There will be five, two hour, evening sessions, and of course, snacks
will be provided. The course is $195. There are already people on the
waiting list from last time, so please get in touch as soon as possible.
603-363-8338
That is my list for now. I am excited how, in the last couple of
years, teaching has become such an important part of my photographic
activities. Of course, the classes and workshops have seemed a natural
extension of the teaching I have been doing for years in my weekly Getting It Right in the Digital Camera Blog. It has
been working on the blog that has expanded my knowledge to the point that feel
comfortable offering my classes. I hope to get to know many more of my readers
as I continue and expand my live programs.
Please get in touch if you have any
questions about the up-coming classes and work-shops, or if there other topics
you would like to see me cover either in a class or on the blog. Any interest in a Photoshop Class – or
classes.
Jeffrey Newcomer
partridgebrookreflections.com
603-363-8338
No comments:
Post a Comment