Nick Gleitzman photographs: workshops for beginners

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Discovery Bay, January & February 2012

workshops | beginners | intermediate | advanced | registration form

ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS

If you have a ‘point & shoot’ compact digital camera, shoot on automatic, and find yourself wondering why your photos just don’t look like the scene you shot, this workshop is for you. Keeping it simple, Nick will guide you through basic theory, shooting in the real world, and post-processing techniques to get the best from your shots. In just one or two days you’ll be taking better photos than ever before.

What you’ll need

A digital camera of any kind (not a phone!) – shooting modes other than fully automatic are a plus
Your camera manual
A notepad & pen
A few samples of your best photos (either as prints or on a disc or memory card)
Suitable clothing to spend the afternoon outside
A laptop and card reader/transfer cable (for Day 2)
Photo editing software

A NOTE ON SOFTWARE: Nick will review the various programs available for image editing during the workshop, but given that you'll need software to process your images on Day Two, here’s some quick tips.

As a beginner, it’s perfectly OK to use programs like Picasa or iPhoto to improve your images and manage your image library. However, the aim of this workshop is to teach you a much greater level of control, creativity and repeatability over your image processing. If you’re serious about making images, you need the right tools.

If you’re using a point & shoot camera, it’s possible that the full version of Photoshop costs significantly more than your camera did. You don’t need it. Photoshop Elements costs a fraction of the price of its big brother, and will do all you need, and more. If you’re really on a budget, the curiously-named Gimp is absolutely free – but you'll need to be reasonably techy to install it.

Program

Day 1: SHOOTING THE IMAGE

Morning session

Basic photographic theory: How a camera works. Lenses; aperture; shutter speed; exposure; focus; depth of field.
Understanding your camera: Camera types; lenses; flash; tripods.
Mastering additional controls: Metering modes; ISO; white balance.
Seeing the light: Quantity; quality; colour; contrast. Controlling backlighting.
Decisions, decisions: Composition; timing; adapting to the conditions.

Afternoon session

Putting it into practice
You’ll spend the rest of the day in the field, shooting a range of assigned subjects. Nick will be on hand to answer questions and provide guidance as you work. During the following week, you'll do a preliminary edit of what you've shot in preparation for Day Two.

Day 2: PROCESSING THE IMAGE

Morning session

Hardware overview: Your PC: processor; RAM; storage; graphics card. Monitors and printers.
Your image files: File types; resolution; controlling colour with calibration.
Software: Introduction to workflow. Programs for image management and editing that don't cost the earth.
Technique: Finishing your images; getting creative; retouching; optimising files for printing.

Afternoon session

Putting it into practice
During the afternoon, you'll finish your final selection of images from Day 1’s shooting assignment. You'll leave at the end of the day with an A3-sized professional quality print of your favourite image from the weekend.

SPEND THE WEEKEND WITH NICK – AND WIN!

Nick will judge the images produced during the weekend and will award a prize for the most improved photographer.
If that’s you, you’ll receive professional framing for the A3 print of your winning image – a retail value of $750!

Note: To be eligible for the prize, you must attend both Day 1 and Day 2 of the workshop.

All workshops will be staged in small groups for the maximum impact of Nick’s tuition, so PLACES ARE LIMITED. Details of dates and prices can be found on the Registration Form. BOOK NOW!