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 Confidence To Try New Things!

One of the most rewarding parts of teaching is seeing results!  I was so happy that my friend, Cyndy, shared this image yesterday and gave permission for me to share with you.  Cyndy took both Mastering the Basics:  Parts 1 and 2 earlier this year.  She wrote about how happy she is with this image and how thankful she is that our Clicks courses have helped her become a better photographer and most importantly, boost her confidence.

I love how she used the available light here and didn't fire a flash.  It's a calm and perfect moment captured exactly how she wanted it to be remembered.  Both Gemma and I are so proud of her for taking the concepts we teach in our classes, practicing with her camera often and really running with them.  Capturing these special moments is of great importance to Cyndy, as she is an avid scrapper (in the "book" sense!) and sells Close To My Heart scrapbooking supplies to Arnprior and area.  Check out Cyndy's blog here:  http://arnpriorscrapper.blogspot.com/

The final public class of 2011 for Mastering the Basics: Part 1 is being held Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. in Braeside.  E-mail us at clicksgonewild@gmail.com for more information or to register.

~Rhonda

Give the gift of photography skills

Just in time for the holiday giving season, Rhonda and I are happy to offer Gift Certificates available for our Clicks Gone Wild courses.

These are available in any amount and are perfect for all of the photo enthusiasts in your life!

If you know anyone who has a hard time understanding manuals and wants to learn how to how to use all of the buttons on their compact camera or dSLR, as well as composition and lighting tips, we'd suggest our Mastering the Basics classes. Or if they haven't figured out their fancy dSLR and mastered the exposure triangle, Santa may want to leave a contribution towards our latest course - The Magic of Manual Mode. A complete listing of our course offerings and the cost for each class can be found here.

Contact us on how to purchase these awesome little stocking stuffers!!  :)

~Gemma

It's Going To Be a MAGICAL Week!!!

Gemma and I are on the countdown to this coming Saturday, when we launch our newest and most in-depth photography course, The Magic of Manual Mode.  WOO HOO!!!!  We have been writing, compiling, reviewing, and planning with great gusto to make this a truly fun, enlightening, and comprehensive course on the exposure triangle and shooting in Manual Mode.  And the best part is that we have a great group of keen people on board for this course - which makes our job super fun.  Great people + great info = fantastic photography.

The cost of the Magic of Manual Mode is $215.  We have a teensy little space left if you want to register and join us.  This course includes an extended in-person class with us this Saturday, Nov. 12 starting at 10 a.m. (in Braeside) and then continues for the three weeks following by e-mail and online forum.  We also are giving class notes for reference so you can spend as much time possible soaking up the inspiration and playing with your camera during the class!!  Students will have the opportunity to benefit from the optional follow-up assignments to solidify your learning and will continue to learn through personalized feedback.  As well, you'll be able to ask us any and all of the questions that will surely come up when you go home and put into practice the TON of information that will be presented this Saturday.

I'm so excited to share this experience with those of you already registered.  :)  We're really going to put those cameras to work!!  Shooting in Manual will forever change how you take and see images.

To register for this course, for more information, or to be added to our mailing list to hear about upcoming learning opportunities, e-mail us at clicksgonewild@gmail.com.

Here is a photo I recently took in Manual Mode.  You can learn how to do this too!

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!  ;)