Photography Class Begins!

Beginning the week of Monday June 28, this 8 week beginning photo course will cover:

• Mechanics of your DSLR camera
  How does your camera work and why does it work that way.
• Proper exposure of a photograph
  Shutter speed, f-stops, ISO - how they all relate and how to change an image by changing the various settings
• White Balance
  Adjusting your white balance to compensate for different lighting condition and mixed light.
• Lens usage
  Creatively changing an image by using different lenses (super wide to telephoto).
• Basic image manipulation on a computer
  Once you have your images, how do you edit them and show them to family/friends. We will cover software that is both free and not.
• Assignments
  During each class you will be giving an assignment to photograph something is a specific way. During the next class we will collectively review all the photos and explain what is good, how they can be improved, and for the few, what went wrong.

Class details:

• Each class will be one hour and 30 minutes.
• Cost for the class is 120 euros.
• Requirements are a digital camera that allows you to make photographs in manual mode, change the ISO, and change the white balance. It would also be helpful to be able to change the lens.
• Class size is limited to 8 people to allow for a more intimate learning experience.
• The course is 8 weeks in length and will be taught in English.

More advanced classes are also available. These classes will cover Intermediate Photography and Beginning Studio Photography.
Contact me for more information and to sign up for the class.

Photography

Underground: In Paris and London they try to make each metro station beautiful. They don't always succeed. Here are images of the real every-day metro that everyone uses.

Highgate Cemetery: They call it the most beautiful place in the UK. It isn't. I've been to Cornwall. A cemetery can't compete with such a beautiful coastline. However, it is a beautiful place. The overgrowth and the deteriorating condition of many of the graves makes Highgate well worth a visit.

Under My Feet: Humans stand tall and look forward. At least that is what we are supposed to do. By doing so, we miss the details that we walk upon. I have begun capturing these things we see only when we look strait down. I have discovered and entire world of fantastic shapes and shadows.

Hooker: I live on the edge of the red light district in Amsterdam center. When I look out my windows and to the left, I see the windows glowing red. After walking by these people for 6 months, I got the idea to photograph some of them. Their outfits are outrageous and their attitude is a cross between funny and rude.
The Things Called Tourists: When you live in a city like Amsterdam, the massive number of tourists force you to regard them as 'things' that have to be avoided. They always get in your way. You have to avoid walking into their photographs. You have to watch where they are going because they don't pay any attention.

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Portraits

Portraits: My newest series is back to the basic portrait. Simple, elegant, and all about the individual. I don't let clutter or other stylistic objects influence the viewer.

@ Home: I have been collecting images of people in their homes. When people are at home, they often relax and show a different personality than they do when they are in public. A person's home tells a lot about a person. The items they surround themselves with and the conditions the allow themselves to live in reveal aspects of a person's personality you would never see in public. To get to know someone, you have to go home with them.

Cuba: My vision of Cuba is similar to that of a Hollywood set. The center of Havana consists of beautifully restored building. Step off the main track and you find crumbling building that are missing walls and windows. Inside these crumbling building are living families.

In Cuba the revolution is everything. References to it line the streets and fill the billboards. The revolution freed the people from the horrible repression the Spanish inflicted on them. With communism, the people gained true equality and wanted for very little (except variety when shopping). Now with the tourist trade booming in Cuba, the Cubans have again become second class citizens. The tourists are the new elite and the repression is by the Cubans against the Cubans.