Training Classes for
Dallas Camera Club Members
A combination of live classes will be available to members of that club before each club's meetings. Plus, online classes will be available to members of Dallas Camera Club and Plano Photography Club over Zoom.
DCC Members access codes HERE. You must be a member and logged on to see this page.
Start times:
PPC/DCC online classes start at 7:00 pm
DCC in-person classes start at 6:15 pm
Online Class Schedule
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Thursday
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7:00 PM
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Nov 30
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Online DCC/PPC
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New Lightroom and Photoshop Tools - Craig Rowen
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In-Person Class Schedule
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Date
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Location: Aaron Youth Center (AYC)
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Location: Room 11
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Location: Main Room
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Nov 14
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Expanding the Camera’s Capabilities – 3
Frank Richards
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New Member Orientation –
Jerry Martin
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Nov 28
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None – Thanksgiving
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Dec 12
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None – Instructor Break
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Dec 26
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None – Christmas
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Current and Upcoming Class Descriptions
New in 2023
MOTION, A PHOTO HISTORY - Nancy Mack
September 14th
When the first camera recorded an image, the street was sharp, but people were rendered as ghosts. MOTION has been the bane and the hero of photography ever since. We will look at this journey and suggest ways to render acceptable creative blur through panning, intentional camera movement (ICM), multiple exposure (ME), and long exposure.
Beginners Hands-on and Assignments.
Class will meet: May 23rd, June 13th, June 27th, and July 11th.
Each session will provide instruction and mentoring on fundamental principles and techniques of photography.
The goal of this opportunity is to increase the proficiency and enjoyment of any photographer, especially new photographers.
Each session will meet in Pidgeon Theater and move outside if possible to explore topics such as:
· achieving desired depth of field
· selecting appropriate shutter speeds
· controlling light with ISO
· understanding and using the histogram
· focal length choice
An experienced photographer will lead the discussions and demonstrations. Topics will be tailored to the needs and interests of those attending. Access to handouts on the Club website will be provided.
NOTE: Participants should come to class with their cameras (and camera manuals, if possible), know how to set the camera to aperture-priority mode, and be able to adjust the aperture.
Participants will practice new skills at home and submit an image weekly via email for evaluation.
If you are interested in participating, please respond to Alan Whiteside as soon as possible at j.alan.whiteside@gmail.com.
Techniques to Expand the Capability of Your Camera - Frank Richards
Today’s cameras are marvelous instruments with capabilities unimaginable just a few years ago. However, there are some things that are currently beyond our camera’s capabilities. We can capture multiple images and combine them in post processing to overcome some of these limitations. Frank will explore in three situations where multiple images can be combined to create a new image that exceeds
The exposure dynamic range of your camera’s sensor,
The viewing angle of your lens'
Or the depth-of-field of your lenses.
These three techniques – HDR (High Dynamic Range), Panoramas, and Focus Stacking – will each be addressed in a separate session.
Themes and Projects - Nancy Mack
This is a 5-part, multi-month, in-person class ending with a final personal project created by participants.
March 28th: Introduction to photographic themes and how to pull these together in a cohesive manner. The assignment will be to look for themes in your current collection of photos OR designate a theme and create a new body of work.
April 25th: Introduction to a variety of possible project layouts, either online or printed. These will include website, slide show, portfolio, book, zine and other formats. The assignment will be to decide how best to showcase your theme; select a format; and outline a brief proposal for your personal project.
May 23rd: Participants will share their proposed project with others for discussion and suggestions.
July 11th: Participants will share progress to date on their project for discussion and suggestions.
October 10th: Participants will share the final project with the group. Applause!
Refining Your Image - Alan Whiteside
This course consists of four sessions: May 9th, June 13th, June 27th, and July 25th.
We find a scene that prompts us to open the camera bag; we photograph it with high hopes for a successful image; but it doesn’t yield that stunning result we expected. This class is about taking an ordinary image and making it exceptional. What will result is an image that shows you’ve thought about your vision and honed it to enhance the viewer’s experience. Specifically, we will address a two-pronged strategy for refining images: eliminating the negatives and accentuating the positives. We will see examples of various types of distractions and how to avoid, eliminate, or minimize them. Then we will see how the power of transitions can be used to engage the viewer and accentuate the positive elements of the image. Example photos will be used to describe various methods—both simple and advanced—of making selective adjustments and other enhancements that enable the viewer to see what enticed you to stop and make the photo.
Smart Phone Photography - Larry Golden and Matthew Grivet
The February 14th session of Smart Phone Photography will be a forum format. During the session those attending will have the opportunity to share what they have learned about Smart Phone Photography and the use of Smart Phone photography apps. There will also be time for questions. Club members will be receiving an email asking them to submit any questions they have about Smart Phone Photography. Finally, there will be a time of sharing Smart Phone photos submitted by members. Members are encouraged to bring any Smart Phone equipment they have found to be helpful with their Smart Phone Photography. Last year was the first End of the Year competition that included a cell phone photography category.
Using Lightroom Collections (Online) - Alan Daniel
- Creating a collection - Why and How
- Flexibility of collections
- How to share collections with your other devices (LR mobile or LR on the Web)
- Sharing collections with others (no need for LR software)
- Creating a “Smart” collection
- How they work and how you can use them
- How I use Smart collections
- How to link/share your Lightroom images with your Flickr account
Creating a Slideshow with Lightroom and Photostage - Alan Daniel and Dennis Fritsche
- Image selection and sequence
- Title slides and text
- transitions
- adding music
- Saving as a movie file
How I Made It
The story of a photograph is less about the lens, the f-stop, and shutter speed and more about the moment the photographer decided to make a photograph. In these sessions, photographers will discuss what prompted them to make a photograph. Where were they? What feeling did they have about the location? What drew them to make that particular photograph? Why did they choose the gear and settings they used? How did they process the photograph to realize their vision? Did they choose a particular paper to print the image? Hopefully these stories can help us learn to see a scene better.
Two excellent books illustrating the power of the story are:
Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs - Ansel Adams
Light on the Landscape - William Neill
New Masking Tools in Lightroom Classic - Dennis Fritsche
Local adjustments to a photograph elevate the image in a way global adjustments alone cannot. The capability of creating complex masks in Lightroom Classic continues to improve and is now very powerful. This class is an overview of the tools and examples to show how they are applied.
Photographer Websites
A panel discussion of various hosting platforms and varying approaches to displaying your work on a website.
Getting Started in Club Competitions - Frank Richards
Prior to each DCC meeting from January 24 through March 28 and April 24.
This class is intended to provide an introduction of monthly image competitions for beginners, learn what makes a competition worthy image and think about how you might benefit from competing. More advanced photographers who have not competed and new members might also find this course useful. The primary objectives of the class are for participants to understand:
The objectives and mechanics of our monthly competitions
How images are judged and what makes a good image
How to critically evaluate images
In addition, you will be ask to provide images which we discuss in class
The aim is for you to have images ready to submit in May for the first competition of the 2023-24 competition year.
Abstract Photography - Larry Petterborg
When people look at abstract art, they often say, “I don’t get it. What’s it supposed to be?” I don’t think that is the question to ask. I suggest that a better response to an abstract piece is, “How do I feel about this?” In this two-session, in-person class, we will learn about “abstract” art in general and use that understanding for an exploration of abstract photography. The first session will be a didactic presentation of ideas and examples of abstract photography. The second session will be the presentation and discussion of abstract images produced and submitted by class participants. This class will encourage the pursuit of abstracts as a fun and rewarding way to practice and develop photographic skills applicable to any genre.
Georgia O’Keeffe - Nancy Mack (Online)
May 11 (via Zoom): Plano Photography Club members are taking a field trip to Ghost Ranch, NM in September. This presentation will give some history and background about the painter, Georgia O’Keeffe. She had two homes in the area and painted the surrounding landscape. Her views of the area will provide an interesting juxtaposition to looking at the same places from a photographic viewpoint.
Descriptions for Prior Classes HERE
Material From Prior Classes
Dallas Camera Club - 2023 Class Material
Dallas Camera Club - 2022 Class Material
Dallas Camera Club - 2021 Class Material
Dallas Camera Club - 2020 Class Material
Dallas Camera Club - Notes from Ask Me Anything Classes
Dallas Camera Club - 2019 and Earlier Class Material
Dallas Camera Club - 2019 and Earlier Video Tutorials