Bryson City Lodging - Special Packages

May 4 thru 8
A Four-day Folkestone Workshop
Getting the Most from Your Digital SLR Camera

What are all those settings on your digital SLR camera? When would you use aperture mode over shutter mode? This four-day workshop is designed for beginning and intermediate photographers who want to grow their technical skills using their digital SLR and apply them to nature photography.

Each day will begin with instruction at the Inn and then move outdoors to the Great Smoky Mountains to practice techniques. In the field the instructor will give you feedback and suggestions that you can use immediately. After a delicious lunch at the Inn, you'll review your photos on a computer and discuss techniques and composition with other students. The afternoon ends with more shooting and a snack at the Inn. Topics include depth of field, motion, shutter speed, natural light, and composition. On the last day, you will select one of your imagse to be custom printed and sent to you later as a memento.

The May DSLR workshop requires a five-day reservation and includes 4 days of instruction, lunch, afternoon snacks, and a choice of one of the photos to be custom printed. The price is $350/person in addition to the regular cost of the room. The cost for a second participant sharing a room is $250. The workshop will be held May 5-9 with check-in on Sunday, May 4.

Instructor Larry Hunsucker has taught photography classes at the John C. Campbell Folk School and enjoys sharing his many years of experience with others. His web site is www.IntentImages.com. When you register for this class, Larry will contact you to gather information about your equipment and skills so that he can tailor the class appropriately.

Digital SLR (4 day) Photography Class Topics

The amount of time devoted to each topic will depend on the experience / knowledge of the students as well as its complexity. Larry will use illustrations or example photos to demonstrate some of the concepts.

1.            Understanding your system's capabilities
1.1.            Exposure modes
1.1.1.            Program mode
1.1.2.            Aperture priority mode
1.1.3.            Shutter priority mode
1.2.            ISO range
1.3.            ISO image quality test
1.4.            Exposure
1.4.1.            How meters work
1.4.1.1.            18% gray card
1.4.1.2.            Why exposure compensation is needed
1.4.2.            Histograms
1.4.2.1.            Reading
1.4.2.2.            Expose To The Right (if you are printing)
2.            What happens when you squeeze the shutter release
2.1.            Why the delay?
2.2.            Shooting stages
2.2.1.            Autofocus
2.2.2.            Exposure determination
2.2.2.1.            Measure the light level
2.2.2.2.            Determine the aperture (if variable)
2.2.2.3.            Determine the shutter speed
2.2.3.            Make the exposure
2.2.3.1.            Mirror goes up
2.2.3.2.            Close down the aperture
2.2.3.3.            Release the shutter
2.2.3.4.            Allow light to reach the chip
2.2.4.            In-camera post-processing
2.2.4.1.            Capture the output image from the chip in memory
2.2.4.2.            Apply exposure & contrast corrections
2.2.4.3.            Apply color balance correction
2.2.4.4.            Apply sharpness corrections
2.2.4.5.            Convert the image to a jpg or other format
2.2.4.6.            Store it on the memory chip
3.            Depth of field
3.1.1.            Definition
3.1.2.            Effect on images
3.1.3.            Effect on backgrounds
3.1.4.            Examples (on my laptop)
3.1.5.            Techniques for control
3.1.5.1.            Wider lenses = greater apparent DOF
3.1.5.2.            Longer focus distance = greater DOF
3.1.5.3.            Smaller aperture = greater DOF
3.1.6.            Using tripod with aperture mode
4.            Sharpness (or lack thereof)
4.1.            Cleanliness
4.1.1.            Clean lens
4.1.2.            Clean chip
4.2.            Motion
4.2.1.            Subject motion
4.2.2.            Camera motion
4.2.3.            Apparent motion
4.2.4.            Methods for control
4.2.4.1.            Shutter speed
5.            Creative Use of Shutter Speed
5.1.            Seeing the unseen by freezing motion
5.2.            Creating abstraction by blurring motion
6.            Lighting
6.1.            Characteristics
6.1.1.            Intensity - brilliance of highlights & depth of shadows
6.1.2.            Diffusion - degree of light ray scatter
6.1.3.            Color
6.1.4.            Direction - determines size & shape of shadows (if any),
                                   hence the three-dimensionality of the image
7.            Seeing nature photographs
7.1.            Subjects
7.1.1.            Traditional
7.1.1.1.            Landscapes
7.1.1.2.            Flowers
7.1.1.3.            Water
7.1.1.4.            Etc.
7.1.2.            Other
7.1.2.1.            Textures
7.1.2.2.            Abstract shapes
7.2.            Techniques for discovery
7.2.1.            Prowling
7.2.2.            Contemplation
7.3.            Visualization
7.3.1.            How does the camera see it?
7.3.2.            How will the printer see it?
8.            Composition
8.1.1.            Characteristics of visual elements
8.1.1.1.            Shape
8.1.1.2.            Size
8.1.1.3.            Texture
8.1.1.4.            Curvature (of a shape and as a combination of elements)
8.1.1.5.            Pattern - recurrence of shapes, textures, etc.
8.1.1.6.            Color
8.1.1.6.1.            Warm colors advance
8.1.1.6.2.            Cool colors recede
8.1.1.7.            Tone - shades of same colors
8.1.2.            Importance of framing
8.1.2.1.            Inclusion
8.1.2.2.            Exclusion
8.1.3.            Importance of background
8.1.3.1.            Harmonize
8.1.3.2.            Distract
8.1.4.            Placing visual elements
8.1.4.1.            Relationships of primary elements
8.1.4.2.            Relationship of primary elements to background
8.1.5.            "Rules"
8.1.5.1.            Simplicity
8.1.5.2.            Balance
8.1.5.3.            Flow
8.1.5.4.            Contrast
8.1.5.5.            Rule of thirds
8.1.5.6.            Diagonals
8.1.5.7.            Make it beautiful!
8.1.5.8.            Please yourself!!!
9.            Completing the photographic process
9.1.            Capture into a digital file is only the start
9.2.            Importance of RAW files
9.3.            Usage of Photoshop to control the process (Barest intro only)
9.3.1.            Color balance correction
9.3.2.            Exposure correction
9.3.3.            Sharpening
9.3.4.            Preparation for printing
9.3.5.            Printing

The Folkestone Inn offers superb dining for special occasions for 8 or more people