Costa Rica Photography Workshop

April 8 - 18, 2011

Donald L. Cohen, MD - DLC Photography


Tentative Workshop Agenda

Overview:

The topics covered during the Workshops will be customized according to the specific experience level, needs and requests of the participants, based on information that will be obtained from questionnaires to be sent out in advance. Potential areas include: choices in equipment (cameras, lenses, accessories), the basics of exposure, getting the most out of your camera's light meter, flash and fill-flash photography, composition basics, how to capture the image you're looking for, understanding the basics of using a digital camera (file format options, including Raw Format, histograms, white balance, etc.), Photoshop editing (basic and advanced), Color Management, printing your images, and addressing storage, organizational and archiving issues, enabling the participants to design an overall Workflow that will meet their individual needs.

The sessions will be very interactive in nature, and using Laptops or an LCD Projector when available, we will have the ability to view and learn from images taken during our photo outings, as well as demonstrate, in real-time, Photoshop techniques and use of various software applications.

The following Outline summarizes many of the areas that will be covered:


Creating High-Quality Nature Photographs: A Practical Guide

You don't have to be an engineer or computer geek to capture beautiful images: who's behind the camera is more important than the camera itself. But a basic understanding of the fundamentals allows you to be in control of your photography and capture the images you see in your mind's eye.

1. The Basics of Exposure:

Define the basics of exposure control: Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, and the concept of "stops" and how these variables are inter-related
How your light meter works, and using EV Compensation to achieve proper exposure
How and when to change Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO, to control the nature of the image, as well as get proper exposure
Avoid "blowing out the highlights" while "exposing to the right."

2.  The Basics of Metering:

Understanding how the camera's light meter works, and how to use it to get proper exposure
Defining the different metering modes available (Evaluative/Matrix, Center-Weighted, Spot, etc.)
Defining the different exposure modes available (Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter-speed Priority, Manual, etc.)
Understanding the concept of Exposure Compensation, and how to use it to get proper exposure under different lighting situations
Study of Histograms, what they tell us, and how to use them in obtaining proper exposure

3. Use of Electronic Flash in Outdoor Photography:

How to control flash exposure through both Flash Exposure Compensation and Flash Exposure Lock
How and when to mix ambient and electronic flash in exposure
Synch speed issues
"Flash Extenders" and other methods to change Flash behavior

4. Macro Photography:

Understanding the concept of Magnification
Defining the challenges, including depth of field, subject and camera movement, lighting
Recommendations and options available in addressing these challenges
Use of Flash in Macro Photography

5. The Basics of Composition:

"Rule of Thirds"
Subject choice and placement
Lighting
Check the background!
Depth of Field

6. Digital Topics:

Storage Media
File Formats
Getting images from your camera to your computer
Working with Raw Format
Cataloguing and Organizing your images
Image Storage and Archiving Strategies
Sensor Cleaning Options
Photoshop (Curves, Levels, Shadows/Highlights, Layers, History Brush, etc.)
Color Management (including Color Profiles, Color Spaces, etc.)


For all inquiries and questions, my contact information is

dlc@dlcphoto.com

704-664-6077 - phone

704-973-7778 - fax

To make a reservation, email John Aspinall at:

jaspinall@crconnect.com

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