Taking Photography Classes

When I was in high school I took photography as an elective – this was back when cameras used film 😉

I loved that course – it was one of my favourites. I remember even working in the photo studio on my lunch break to develop my photos since I couldn’t wait to see how they turned out. What I didn’t know at that time was that my father loved photography too so he was really excited when I started taking classes – he decided to dust off his camera and join me in photo taking. I remember going to camera stores and shows looking for used equipment when my dad decided to build our own dark room in the basement!

Well the days of developing your own photos are gone and we’re in the age of the digital camera now. As I evolved as a blogger I realized the importance of taking good quality photos and learning to use my camera properly. So I decided to brush up on photography skills and take a course with GTA Photography Classes. My blogger friend Natalie of My Little Secrets recommended the course and when I went to look it up I realized that my friend Lauren was an instructor… small world!

I decided to take the photo 101 course since it had been YEARS since I used a camera in manual mode. I also thought it would be a great way to understand all the different settings of my camera. I realized I had forgotten about the basics of ISO, aperture and shutter speed – in my mind I had them all mixed up! Lauren was great at explaining everything and helping the class the small class (about 8 of us) to troubleshoot common issues. Many of the students in the class had only shot in automatic mode before – some had never even had a camera that could shoot in manual mode before! The class pace was excellent and I learned so much. After just the first couple of classes I was more confident using my big DSLR and was no longer intimidated.

My favourite part of the class of course was playing around and taking shots. Here are a few of my best shots.

I’m definitely getting better using my DSLR though it’s still challenging figuring out the ideal lighting and working with what you’ve got – especially when there isn’t much natural light pouring onto my subject. I’ve actually signed up for this Portraiture Lifestyle Workshop so I can further improve my skills!

If you’re looking to learn how to use your camera properly or improve on your photography skills I highly recommend taking classes with GTA Photography Classes – they have a variety of courses and workshops for the beginner to the skilled.

How are you at taking photos?