Manual Mode

This past weekend, Sister and I, armed with our DSLR Nikons (that have never seen a mode outside of automatic) spent our entire Sunday afternoon at the Click Workshops Intro to Photography class.

I met the brain behind the operation, Jody of Jody Lynn Photography, in a chat room back when I was pregnant with Cookie.  She was just building her portfolio at that time and STILL managed to completely take our breath away when she shot both my maternity and Cookie's newborn photographs.  Since then, I drool over each and every sneak peek she posts on her blog and Facebook.

Just after Cookie and Bird were born, Mother and Daddy-O gave us the DSLRs for our birthdays.  I was pretty content with the fact that it took clear, high res pics super duper fast, but knew there was so much more it could do.  The day Jody announced her newest endeavor, I was chomping at the bit to take one of her classes.  This girl does not stop at taking astounding pictures, but she is also a divine instructor.  Knowledgeable, funny and super cute to boot.

So... the four hour Intro to Photography class has not one, but TWO instructors.  One shoots Nikon and the other Canon.  They start in the classroom with a presentation, loads of great blown up picture examples and hands-on time aimed at familiarizing the students with the camera menus and settings.  They break the great mystery of manual photography down into three simple steps (anyone else channeling Special Agent Oso right now?) before bringing in two real life models for the class to practice shooting.  During the hands on shooting time, both instructors answer questions, offer tips and tricks and critique progress.  I can hardly believe I'm writing this, but by the time I left the class I had my camera on manual.  MANUAL!  Oh. Em. Ge.  I never thought I'd see this day.

Since Sunday, I've practiced my new found skills at home each day and am getting more comfortable by the shot.  And the instruction doesn't end after the class - Click Workshops offers a forum to continue learning from other students and to get more help from the instructors.

I just can't say enough good things about Jody and Click Workshops.  The class was absolutely worth the investment.  Do yourself a favor, gals!

xoxo

Posted in: fab finds