A Sunny Sunday Shutterbug Moment...

While making my morning coffee today, I glanced over at our dining room table to notice the gorgeous morning light streaming in on the small bouquet of flowers sitting there.  It was creating a natural spotlight on the beautiful pink gerbera daisy in the centre.  The light in these types of scenes always stops me in my tracks!! 

I also couldn’t help but think of how so many of the principals of our Step It Up, Shutterbug! course come into play for this one scene – White Balance, Metering Modes, Adjusting Aperture, Colour in Photography and Exposure Compensation.  Immediately I ran over to my desk and grabbed my camera to share the beauty of the moment with you all and let you know that you can learn about all of these topics this week!!  J

With my fancy-dancy dSLR, here’s how my camera interpreted the scene in Automatic Mode (“the green box”):

Automatic Mode

Can I just be honest here, my photo-loving people??  These are not the beautiful flowers I saw in that kiss of sunlight.  L  This is way too dark and this camera (or any camera, for that matter) can do so much better when I take control of a few of the settings and use my equipment to its fullest capabilities. 

So knowing what to do in this scenario, I turned the dial over to one of the semi-manual modes and adjusted a few settings that would account for that brighter area over the daisy and the window in the background, fix the slight bluish colour, and my focal area (because I wanted the attention on the centre of the flower, not the front edge of the petals).



Aperture Priority Mode

Ahh, that's much better exposure-wise.  But I used a small aperture here and you can see so much detail in the background (hello top of the electrical plug); my initial vision was that I was going for something a little more soft.

Yes!  That's it!

All I did was dial in a different aperture setting and voila!! It’s exactly what I was intending to achieve with my camera in this situation.  Creating a blurry background brings the viewer's attention in to the centre of the pretty bloom – what an improvement compared to the first two shots, isn’t it?? 

Okay, I hear you... this may all sound a little tricky to figure out on your own, but it’s not hard to achieve these results yourself with your dSLR.  Active kids, landscapes… you name it, we’ll help you get there with a combination of our illustrative examples and hands-on learning.  As we tell our students all of the time, it just takes a little practice and the desire to take better photographs.

Rhonda and I can’t wait to share this exciting information with the fine shutterbuggin’ folks already enrolled for this Wednesday evening’s class.  And don’t fret – there are still a few seats left!!  E-mail us at clicksgonewild@gmail.com for more information and registration details.

Wishing everyone a Fantastic Family Day Weekend,
~Gemma 

** If you are ready to take the your dSLR skills to the next level, a comprehensive half-day course on using Manual Mode is set for March.  We cover a lot of the same content as Shutterbug, plus more, and discuss composition and editing. **

Going with the flow - 2013 Clicks Public Course Schedule

Photographers go with the flow; they are adaptable - to different lighting situations, the weather, people and their personalities, creative energy - really, eveything.  And now it's time to go with the flow with Clicks!

The past two years have been ones of amazing growth for Clicks Gone Wild.  We went from one beginner course to four concise and amazing courses leveled by skill.  We were able to grow due to demand by our students.  We have traveled all over and taught hundreds of people how to use their digital cameras and take better everyday photographs, and loved every minute of it!

Up until now, we have taught in three ways - public courses, Clicks In Your Home (home gatherings with friends) and private tutoring sessions.  Throughout 2012, we noted that the majority of our students were those who were part of an enthusiastic group at a Clicks In Your Home workshop or those who wanted one-on-one instruction with their camera.  It became clear that most people wanted to schedule courses at times that worked seamlessly with their already-busy schedules, which is completely understandable.

Meanwhile, the demand for private tutoring, both day and evening skyrocketed, as did requests from groups of people who wanted to learn together.  That is why, for the remainder of 2013, we have decided to focus our instructing energies soley on Clicks In Your Home and private tutoring, while we both juggle the demands of our custom photography businesses, other work, and of course, our families.  We are listening to you and going with the flow!

There is one last round of public courses for 2013, and they begin next week.  If you have been thinking about joining a group of other photography-enthusiasts in a public setting (either as a new student or as alumni who wants a refresher of our beginner and intermediate courses), this will be your last chance this year to register for public courses.  All of our courses require pre-registration, and we would be happy to help you.  Just send us a note here.

We look forward to another amazing year of learning with you!!

2013 Public Course Dates

(The following courses all begin at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Richard John Meeting Room in Arnprior.)

Focus on the Features - January 23

Focus on the Frame - February 7

Step it Up, Shutterbug - February 20

The Magic of Manual Mode - March 3 @ 12:30 p.m.

 

Magic is in the crisp air!

And so is fall.  The colours all across the Valley are so vibrant and inspiring!

If you would love to create some of your own autumn artwork and own a dSLR, we have just the course for you! 

Our most advanced class, The Magic of Manual Mode, is running on Sunday, October 14, beginning at 12:30.  This is is going to be another information-packed afternoon of learning, hands-on instruction and a complete booklet of reference notes to take home. 

If you're tired of producing images that are only worthy of the delete button, then we want to encourage you to use your fancy camera to its fullest potential by learning how to use M on your dial to create your masterpiece.   You will spend five hours with two professional photographers who present it all with visual illustrations in and easy-to-understand manner.  We walk you through the exposure triangle, metering, metering modes, white balance and even talk about photographing in various lighting situations plus share basic editing techniques!

We have a couple of seats left in the October class and won't be offering Magic again in a public format until 2013.  If you are interested, please send us a note by e-mail or message us on our Facebook page. 

The photo magicians are standing by...

Gemma

Capture Your Everyday Moments Confidently

There were big smiles all around yesterday as I sat at my computer with my three-year-old and showed her pictures of this cat.  This is our neighbour's pet, and earlier in the day, my daughter was quite concerned that she was "stuck" in the culvert at the end of our driveway.

All of these images were taken in Manual Mode, which gives the photographer complete control over the exposure triangle.  Manual Mode allows you to take the pictures you envision in different lighting situations, with all sorts of subjects.  And we can teach you how!  Clicks Gone Wild's next course date for the Magic of Manual Mode is Sunday, May 6, from noon to 5 p.m., in Braeside.  To register, send us an e-mail at clicksgonewild@gmail.com .

Learn Manual Mode and feel the same sweet success that my daughter felt when she "rescued" this feline friend.  :)  Your every day is beautiful and meaningful. Capture it with confidence.

Rhonda

We love our work!! And you will love The Magic of Manual Mode!!

Gemma and I had a 'work day' yesterday, and together we oooohhhhed and aaaawwwwed over some images that Allyne, one of our participants in The Magic of Manual Mode (November 2011) had posted.  We loved her baby picture so much, that we asked permission to share it here with you, as a side-by-side with an image from before the course.  Isn't this fantastic?!  Images like this are a result of education and determination.  Allyne, you have both, and talent to boot.  :)

(NOTE: These were both taken with a dSLR)

Seeing people producing images like this is one of the reasons we love teaching photography!  Parents love getting fantastic pictures of their children as they grow.  (And we've taught a lot of grandparents too, who of course want brag-worthy photos of their beloved grandchildren to share!!)  When we ask participants in our courses to introduce themselves and tell what they like to take pictures of, the answer is often "the people I love."  We couldn't agree with them more!!

The Magic of Manual Mode is our advanced course, teaching how to correctly expose images by taking full control of all of your settings in Manual Mode.  This is the perfect way to learn how to use your digital SLR camera to its full potential!  What is unique about our courses is the relaxed, in-person instruction and the sheer volume of information we cover in an enjoyable and logical way.  You learn by watching comprehensive slides and trying everything you are taught.  We (Rhonda and Gemma) are both there to teach, support, and help you along the way.  The Magic of Manual Mode is a five-hour course, which includes a quick break to eat.  And time flies when you are having fun and learning about something that you are passionate about!  We provide very detailed course notes to take home with you and the opportunity to submit assignments for feedback when you return home and start to put into action your new knowledge and skills.

Today, March 1st, marks the opening of registration for our March session of The Magic of Manual Mode.  This course is being offered on Saturday, March 24th, 2012, starting at 10:30 a.m. at the Arnprior Public Library.  Registration is limited and is on a first come, first serve basis.  The cost of this course is $215.  To register, please send your registration request to clicksgonewild@gmail.com and we will send you an e-mail with details on how to pay to register.  Looking forward to seeing you there!

**Thank you to Allyne for letting us share her work.  We would also like to share her business page.  Check out Kristal Products here:  http://www.kristalproducts.com/

Spring Course Dates Posted!

Spring around the corner.

Spring in your step.

Spring into action and learn how to use that
nifty digital camera of yours!!

The new Spring course dates are now posted.  Registration is first come, first serve, so don't delay and register today.  :)  To register for any Clicks course, send your request to clicksgonewild@gmail.com and we will send you a note letting you know how to pay to secure your spot.  See you this Spring!!