Always wondering how other people get those awesome shots? Tired of missing shots because you don’t know what your camera is doing? Want feedback on your pictures, and on how to make them better? Then Photography 101 might be the course for you.
With this series, you will learn how to control your camera effectively, understand the basics of composition and image processing, analyze photographs from the masters, and get feedback on your work.
In addition to the weekly classroom sessions, students will have weekly assignments on various topics that will reinforce the concepts learned. Students should spend a minimum of two hours every week on shooting assignments.
The course will run every Wednesday night from 7:00 – 9:30 for eight weeks (20 hours total), starting July 3rd. The course cost will be 1800rmb for non-members, and 1700rmb for members, paid on the first day, with a course DVD with all materials and extra information handed out at the last class.
The course will be limited to 6 participants, so there will be ample time during the critique section to cover everyone. If there is enough interest, a class running on Mondays during parallel dates will be opened.
All that is needed for the class is a camera with manual exposure and focus controls. Interchangeable lenses are a bonus but not necessary. If you are unsure about equipment, or have any questions, please contact the instructor at 1world1eye (at) gmail.com
The course is broken down into 4 categories:
– Technical (6 hours): learn about your camera and how it works. Topics include:
- The photographic trinity: ISO, shutter speed and aperture
- The histogram and how it works
- Exposure Modes: From Auto to Manual
- Autofocus options
- Lens choices
– Composition (6 hours): learn some basic composition techniques and how to apply them. Topics include:
- Light-Available/Natural, Golden, Artificial
- Foreground and Background
- Rule of Thirds
- Leading Lines
- Color
– Analysis (2 hours): analyze the works of the instructor and photography masters to see how they took winning pictures, and what makes them strong images.
– Critique (6 hours): apply the techniques and topics covered in class and get feedback on them.
Each week will have a theme and overview that will integrate the above topics accordingly. Topics are subject to change depending on the participant’s wishes.
Week 1
- Camera Basics and composition
- Assignment-“Motion and Depth”
Week 2
- Camera Basics and composition part II
- Assignment- “Lines and shape”
Week 3
- Camera Basics and composition part III
- Assignment- “light and shadow”
Week 4
- Basics of workflow and post processing
- Assignment- “A bird’s/bug’s eye view”
Week 5
- Critique session I
- Photographic Genre 1 (TBD)
- Assignment- “Around my block”
Week 6
- Critique session II
- Photographic Genre 2 (TBD)
- Assignment- “Color”
Week 7
- Photographic Genre 3 (TBD)
- Assignment-“Uncomfortableness”
Week 8
- Final Critique and Q&A
Course dates are as follows: 7/3, 7/10, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31, 8/7, 8/14, 8/21
This course is designed for people just starting out with photography, but with the weekly assignments and feedback, it can be tailored to a more advanced amateur. It would also be a good refresher course for those that have taken the weekend workshops, since there is more time for shooting and learning in-depth over the course of two months.
Mitchell Masilun is a Beijing based freelance photographer and educator. He is a contributor to Getty Images and has been published in various magazines and newspapers both inside and outside of China. Before coming to China, he was a photojournalist working in the Chicagoland and Central Ohio areas, with images circulated nationwide through the Associated Press, The Chicago Tribune, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution and other newspapers. He has a degree from The Ohio State University, and one of 100 participants chosen out of thousands to be a part of the Eddie Adams Workshop. His images have also been published in four books and he is currently working on a documentary about Kashgar’s Old City and the geographical line that separates China’s East and West Territories.
