Fundamentals of Photography

Description When many of us take photographs, we simply point our cameras and click. In reality, taking great photographs means viewing the world like a photographer and using the same fundamental techniques the experts employ. Join Joel Sartore, a National Geographic photographer with more than 30 years of experience, and learn the essential skills you need to capture great photographs every day. During class, Joel will guide you through essential camera settings including focal length and shutter speed and teach you how to make the most of a variety of types of light. Then, you’ll discover the steps to beautiful photo composition as you explore skills for framing, finding the perfect background, capturing the right perspective and more. Want to be ready to shoot in any setting? Joel will walk you through capturing a variety of situations, from landscapes to birds in your backyard to people at parties. Plus, you’ll get great tips to help with your editing workflow after shooting!

• Class Preview
• Making Great Pictures
• Camera Equipment: What You Need
• Lenses & Focal Length
• Shutter Speeds
• Aperture & Depth of Field
• Light I: Found or Ambient Light
• Light II: Color & Intensity
• Light III: Introduced Light
• Composition I: Seeing Well
• Composition II: Background & Perspective
• Composition III: Framing & Layering
• Let's Go to Work: Landscapes
• Let's Go to Work: Wildlife
• Let's Go to Work: People & Relationships
• Let's Go to Work: Mundane to Extraordinary
• Let's Go to Work: Special Occasions
• Let's Go to Work: Family Vacations
• Advanced Topics: Research & Preparation
• Advanced Topics: Macro Photography
• Advanced Topics: Low Light
• Advanced Topics: Problem Solving
• After the Snap: Workflow & Organization
• Editing: Choosing the Right Image
• Telling a Story: The Photo Essay