You love your camera, but you always keep it on a nice, safe “Auto” or “P” and let the camera do the thinking? Or do you put it on “M” because you see the pros doing that and still your pictures come out poorly exposed? Are you are intimidated by the letters “A”, “S”, “M”, or “ASM”, or “Av” and “Tv”?
How do the pros get that kid’s face nice and sharp and the background blurred? How do they make all the moving cars and people on a street disappear? How do they get those waterfalls and streams to look like cloudy mist? This special photo safari in Washington, DC concentrates on understanding why you would want to choose “Shutter Priority” or “Aperture Priority” or even the “P” setting for your camera, whether it is an SLR or a simple point and shoot or “prosumer” camera. You learn how you – not the camera -can control the final image. We review White Balance and ISO settings. We even teach you to take the “mystery” out of the “M” setting. We conduct a special therapeutic intervention to get you off of that UGAT (Ugly Green Automatic Thing)! In short, we will make you the boss of your camera, not the other way around!
Our venue for this photography workshop in DC is the 19th century Smithsonian Castle and its adjoining Enid Haupt Gardens, one of the loveliest locations in the nation’s capital. The trees and statuary in the Gardens offer great opportunities to practice depth of field shots and informal outdoor portraiture with sharpened or blurred backgrounds. In March, there is an added treat, when the Magnolia trees are in bloom! The cars moving along Independence Avenue let us try out our cameras on varying shutter speeds that can make cars stop, blur, or disappear! And the interior of the Castle Visitors Center provides opportunities to do low-light shooting at higher ISO’s, figure out correct white balance settings, and learn the fascinating history of the Smithsonian Institution!
Masking and social distancing is required at all times; groups are limited to 6 participants.
What to Bring
- Camera
- Extra camera battery
- ALL your lenses – Do you have a #8 or #9 neutral density filter? Bring it
- Tripods are allowed
Where to Meet
Meet at the Smithsonian Castle, Enid Haupt Gardens main entrance gate at 1001 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC
Inside Pain Quotidien, 2001 P Street, NW. Free Sunday parking on nearby streets, closest METRO is Dupont Circle on Red Line, 3 blocks away.