The mighty Point & Shoot camera

The kids are all settled in the back-to-school routine and now it is time for all of you photography lovers to make time to learn what all of those little buttons and gadgets on your digital camera can do! Both Rhonda and I hear all of the time from people who want to learn how to properly use their camera, but don't have the time. They put off reading their manual and those special moments that they want to capture on their own are forever recorded as blurry, poorly composed snapshots.  If this is you - you are not alone!

I learned long ago that it didn't take a fancy expensive camera to take decent photos.  Photography is something I've been passionate about my whole life and I was determined to understand how and why my camera worked the way it did. Bottom line, I never wanted to settle for out-of-focus memories and images that didn't look as the scene appeared to me at the time.

A whole new world opened to me once I could adjust settings and tweak my camera to get the desired image on the back of that tiny LCD screen (remember when they weren't much bigger than a postage stamp??). The best part was I didn't need to spend a fortune in equipment because my little trusty point and shoot camera was doing the job for me!

Thought I'd share a few images taken with my very first digital camera (a Canon A60 - nothing fancy!) to show you exactly what I'm talking about.  These were captured long before I splurged on a dSLR:

Sharp shot of two babies!!
(Nov. 2004)

My son isn't blurry even though this was taken indoors with no flash.
(March 2005)

Love the look of sharp focused details, like flowers set against an out-of-focus background? So do I!! Macro photography is fun and really easy with any kind of camera!
(August 2004)

Capture all foreground and background details to create compelling landscapes!!
(May 2005)

Most of the information I learned from my early encounters with a digital camera is packed into our class Mastering the Basics, Part 1. And trust me, these simple tips and tricks can go a long way.  Rock the camera that you own now!  We teach you that most of the functions and menu choices are available as standard options on any camera, no matter the price you paid for it.

Invest in the education first, is my philosophy, before making another camera purchase.  You will be surprised to find out what that little camera of yours can do! Sign up for our introductory course and let us be your talking manual for a couple of hours.  You'll be entertained and educated.  We'll open your eyes to the components of a great photo and walk you through what you need to know to do it all on your own.

For more information, you can check out our Course Schedule link above, or contact us.

-Gemma

MASTERING THE BASICS | White Balance

We just received an upbeat e-mail today that read, "I just did a custom white balance off a feed sack in a barn!  And it worked!"  We share this enthusiasm and it makes our day to know that tips and tricks that people learn in our classes are working for them to get better everyday photos!

White balance, as well as posing, metering options, printing, and more  is covered in Mastering the Basics, Part 2:  Get Organized, Proper Colours, and Print.  This course is being offered on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Arnprior.  You can have any digital camera (a point and shoot or dSLR) to participate in this class. Pre-registration is required.  Contact us to register.

edited to add: White balance is now covered in Step it Up, Shutterbug!  ;)