Intermediate Digital Workshop

Intermediate Digital Workshop

This Saturday’s hands-on workshop delves deeper into the technical and aesthetic aspects of your photography process, including exposure control, lens choices, composition, and the creative elements of photography.

We begin the day by examining how the camera's meter determines proper exposure by comparing the light reflected from the scene to a reference of middle gray. Through demonstrations, it will become clear when to use evaluative, center-weighted, or spot metering, when to employ exposure compensation, and how and when to use manual exposure.

Next, we explore lenses—how to select the appropriate focal length for perspective, understand and work with lens distortions and aberrations like barrel and pincushion distortion, fall-off, vignetting, and chromatic aberration. We’ll also look at how changing the aperture affects these issues.

Since lens design is all about balancing compromises, we’ll discuss how to choose the best lens for the task at hand, and why the most expensive lens might not always be the best choice. By the end of the day, you'll feel confident makinginformed lens purchase decisions.

We’ll then move on to composition—how lens choice impacts composition, and how to use compositional elements such as leading lines, repetition of forms, framing, the rule of thirds, and negative space.

Alongside composition, we’ll explore the intention behind the image. Is it a narrative story told in a journalistic style? A celebration of beauty? Or a concept conveyed visually? All approaches are valid, and participants will begin to define their personal reasons for creating images.

We’ll also cover additional equipment like tripods/monopods, cleaning lenses and camera sensors, and making creative choices to produce beautiful images. In the afternoon, we’ll shoot with professional models and wrap up the day with a live editing session in Lightroom, offering an introduction to post-processing.

This workshop is ideal for those who have completed the Beginning Digital Series or have equivalent experience working with a DSLR or mirrorless camera and are ready to take the next step in their photography journey.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Cedars Union, South Ervay Street, Dallas, TX, USA, United States