Who Takes Our Courses, Anyway??

After nearly a year of helping camera owners demystify their digital cameras, we still get a lot of questions and inquiries about our Clicks Gone Wild courses. (And we don't mind, we love talking about photography!!)  Where to begin?  I need a really expensive camera to take awesome photos, right?  What class should I take??

Gemma & Rhonda have taught a wide variety of skill levels in the past 12 months - right from true beginners who need to learn the very basics of the basics on a compact camera, through to people who are ready to control all of the settings on their dSLR in Manual Mode.  All three of our courses will certainly assist you in taking your images to a new creative level!!  So if you're hesitant to join in on the fun for any reason, send us an e-mail and ask for advice on which course would best suit you.

What we know is unique about our courses is the environment created in each of our classes and the camaraderie between us as teachers and the the small group of wonderful people.  Whether it's a public course in a library or a gathering in someone's home, we teach you face-to-face, in real time, and provide picture examples.


You can ask questions.  There are no silly questions.  You can laugh.  You can be inspired.  You are with other photography-loving people at your own skill level. Sit back, relax, meet someone new, learn a lot, keep in touch, and come back for more if you wish.  Let us teach and entertain you.

Together, we share our skills and knowledge and make it just as enjoyable as it is informative for you.

Which course should I take?

Do you just know the very basics of your camera and typically keep your camera dialed in on Auto Mode, a.k.a. "the green box"?  Rest assured that we have taught many people like you. We recommend you check out Mastering the Basics, Part 1 where we cover the basics and so much more.  Learn what all the preset modes are for and what they do to your images.  Also learn about how to focus properly to be guaranteed a few non-blurry photos.  We introduce you to the basics of composition and give ample tips on how to capture better everyday moments.

If you have a firm understanding of the basics and know how to get good focus in your images, you may want to take an intermediate course.  Learn all about proper colour, organizing your picture files, zoom, proper printing, metering modes, and more in Mastering the Basics, Part 2.

Both of our Mastering the Basics series have been designed to use with any camera - the concepts are applicable to a basic point and shoot camera to a dSLR.

Bring it all together in our most advanced course, The Magic of Manual Mode. This course is designed for dSLR owners and includes an extended in-person session and online follow-up private forum for questions and assignments.

And if you're not quite sure where you fit in, send us an e-mail or inquire about our private tutoring sessions.

For a list of courses and what they each cover, see here.

Whatever stage of the game you're at, we look forward to teaching you!

Happy Almost Anniversary to Clicks Gone Wild!! Enter to Win Gift Certificates!

Happy Almost-Anniversary to us!   On January 29th of last year, Clicks Gone Wild courses were launched with 2 sessions of Mastering the Basics, Part 1.  Since then, we have taught many people how to capture better everyday photos.  And we love it!  Thanks so much for your continued support and for spreading the word so we continue to fill courses and increase people's confidence with their digital cameras!

In true anniversary fashion, the next public course for Mastering the Basics, Part 1 will be held on Sunday, January 29 at 12:30 pm in Braeside.  Please send us an e-mail for registration information.  As always, registering for our courses requires advance payment.  We would love to see you there!

Mastering the Basics, Part 2, which was scheduled for last night, has been re-scheduled due to the snow storm.  We will be teaching Part 2 less than a week from today on Tuesday, January 24.  There are 3 spaces available in this class, so if you have been waiting for Part 2, now is the perfect chance to get in on the action and take control of the colour in your images, metering, file organization, and your prints!

We're celebrating our anniversary over on our Facebook business page and invite you to come celebrate with us and enter to win one of two prizes - a $25 gift certificate and a $50 gift certificate (that's a free Part 1 or 2, or a nice discount for The Magic of Manual Mode).  Here is the link to our Facebook page:   Clicks Gone Wild on FACEBOOK 

There are 3 ways to win, so be sure to take advantage of all possibilities to increase your number of entries into the draws!

1.  "Like" our facebook business page.  (Liking the page is different from liking the status updates, but we love it when you like a whole bunch of things!).  When we reach 200 likes, we will draw for the $25 gift certificate.  :)

2.  Share our status update about the anniversary draws on YOUR facebook page to be entered in the $50 draw.  The deadline to enter this draw is midnight on Jan. 28 and your odds are fantastic!  Thanks to everyone who has shared so far.  Anyone can do this, whether you have gotten around to taking one of our courses or not.

3.  And as a special thank you to those people who have taken classes, if you leave a comment about one of our classes on OUR business page wall, you will earn an additional entry into the $50 draw.  Thank you!

So pop on over to Facebook to enter.  Even if you have taken all of courses and want someone else to win, we would love for you to share the update and your experience with others.  You all are really the reason why we get to keep doing this, as word-of-mouth is our best advertisement.  Thank you!


Hope everyone is enjoying all that snow - and more importantly capturing lots of seasonal photos!!!  :)


Gemma & Rhonda

Capturing Those Tiny Toes

A few months ago, before the birth of her first little one, Melissa attended Mastering the Basics, Parts 1 and 2 courses back-to-back at the Arnprior Library.  Armed with her Nikon and a good eye, Melissa picked up some photography tips during our few hours together and used her new knowledge to do some additional self-directed learning.  We were so happy when she sent us these beautiful captures of her new addition.  Isn't she precious?!  We have a feeling this will be one well-photographed infant.  :)  Thanks for joining us, Melissa, and especially for letting us share!

Mastering the Basics, Parts 1 and 2 are both full of great instruction for any point-and-shoot or dSLR owner.  Even if you have never taken your camera off the green box (auto mode), Gemma and I will help you make sense of your camera.  You will learn how to take full advantage of your camera's features (take control!) and to get better everyday photos!

There is a Mastering the Basics: Part 1 tonight (Tuesday, Dec. 6) in Braeside, with a few spaces still available.  Email us at clicksgonewild@gmail.com to register.

Rhonda
 

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!  ;)

Clicks want to come to your home!

A group of friends.  A few hours together.  Learning how to use any digital camera to its full potential. 

It’s as simple as that. 

When we launched Clicks Gone Wild last winter, we had a group of our friends together in Rhonda’s home.  We shared our journey into this big world of photography.  We shared many of our favourite photo tips and tricks.  And we had a ton of fun while learning how to take control of our cameras so our friends could be on their way to taking better photos.

That was the initial vision for our CGW classes and we love how the home parties have taken on a life of their own.  And for good reason – an interest in photography connects family and friends whom continue to learn, share and encourage each other on their own photography journey.

This past weekend, we were invited to a home in Metcalfe to teach Mastering the Basics, Parts 1 and 2.  We are inspired by this group of friends who were so enthusiastic about the courses and kept their cameras clicking away after we were gone - seeing better photos immediately.  We know these friends will continue to support each other on their photographic journeys and continue their learning! 

Our public classes have the same great tips and tricks as Clicks in Your Home, along with our slideshow presentation that illustrates how changing simple settings on your camera can instantly produce better images. 

For the times when your personal schedule doesn’t fit with our public class schedule, consider taking advantage of the Clicks in Your Home program.  Our hosts enjoy a discount on their own course fee if they have five or more guests attend their Clicks party.  It’s a win-win situation for everyone!

Travel outside of the Renfrew/Arnprior is also available for any of our classes.  (We do charge a small travel fee in these circumstances.)  Last spring we taught a Mastering the Basics extravaganza in Napanee – our Part 1 class followed by Part 2 in one afternoon! 

Now there is no excuse to keep ‘pointing and praying’ for decent photos of your daughter’s birthday party, or to come home from a memorable trip with ho-hum pictures.  We want to share our secrets to those prized photos you’ve been hoping to take on your own, and you can do all of this in the comfort of your own home.

TESTIMONIAL | Jaime

We love to hear how our classes result in better everyday images for our students!!  It makes us SO happy!  So we're pleased to share this testimonial from Jaime and some of the beautiful pictures she has captured since taking Mastering the Basics, Parts 1 and 2 with Clicks.  Thank you, Jaime!

With a love of photography, and knowledge that the shots taken with my older point-and-shoot camera were “decent”, I knew that there was room for improvement.  Equipped with a brand new Nikon DSLR, and only weeks before a trip to The Golden State of California, there were memories that would need to be captured.  I wasn’t naïve in thinking that my new camera was going to be what did it for me, and so I was looking for someone’s help in giving me an insight into the world of photography.  At the most appropriate time, I stumbled upon the “Clicks Gone Wild”, Mastering the Basics workshops.  With a tight timeframe before my trip, I did both Part 1 and Part 2 on the same day!  These workshops were amazing.  More importantly, Rhonda and Gemma were wonderful.  Their up-beat personalities, professionalism and talent, combined with the jam-packed information that they provided in these two sessions were remarkable. That afternoon, I walked out the door knowing that I was equipped with the information needed to turn my “decent” shots, into “memorable” ones.  Thanks to Rhonda and Gemma, I continue to learn every day, through every shot.  Thank You, Ladies!

Jaime Christie-Stewart
Participant in Mastering the Basics – Part 1 and 2 – April, 2011

Free Photography Walkabout!!

We feel truly blessed that so many people have joined us in this new venture this year!  As a big thank you and an excuse to see you all again, we are offering a free Walkabout on Sunday, June 12 in Arnprior, for anyone who has taken both Part 1 and Part 2. 

Re-vamped Mastering the Basics

Hello shutterbugs!

Welcome to this latest adventure for us.  We had a 'test run' of our Mastering the Basics, Part 1 course in late January and the response was incredible!  We have been busy over the last month fine-tuning and are ready to launch our two-hour sessions filled with photo illustrations and tons of tricks of the trade.