DSLR Photography Workshop ~ THIS SATURDAY

Email us for a seat: craigphotography@mac.com

We have had a landslide of requests for another Beginner’s DSLR Photography Workshop.

Photo walk coming mid May...stay tuned

Workshop Season

My workshop season came to a close yesterday.  Another season in the bag.  Thanks to all who came out to my classes this year. Keep a watch on this blog for the up coming "Photo-Walk" that will be held either late April or early May.

For those who were not able to get a seat, fear not, there is next year.  Keep the Sunday after the super bowl weekend free......that date is already on the books.

Peace ~ John

Pittsburgh Photo Walk | Beginner DSLR Instruction

Pittsburgh Photo Walk | Beginner DSLR Instruction

Topic: General Walk: Overview of your DSLR 
Date: 4/29/12
Who: Anyone that owns a DSLR
Time: 10am
Where: Gate “A” Heinz Stadium Pittsburgh, PA
What to bring: camera, tripod (if you have one), passion to learn and a friend.

P.S. If you attended any of our workshops this year...this walk is a great follow up.

Pittsburgh Photo Walk | Beginner DSLR Instruction

Topic: General Walk: Overview of your DSLR 
Date: 4/29/12
Who: Anyone that owns a DSLR
Time: 10am
Where: Gate “A” Heinz Stadium Pittsburgh, PA
What to bring: camera, tripod (if you have one), passion to learn and a friend.

P.S. If you attended any of our workshops this year...this walk is a great follow up.

Beginner’s DSLR Workshop

2 Seats left

It Just Feels So Damn Good ~

I like the moment of conceiving a new idea because it gets you into the zone of the act of doing, the feeling of being spent, excited, thrilled when the work is done...the anticipation of sharing the world...it just feels so damn good.

Throughout all my workshops I keep repeating the phrase “You can not purchase your way to good composition.” You have to do the work, you have to click the shutter, you have to take lots of photos, you have to, you have to, you have to enjoy the process.

This is the separation point of where the birth of an artist begins or the impulse of a phase burns out.

There is only sound
There is only light
There is only words
There is no formula...only creating.


Who are you? A buyer of what people create or are you a creator of what people buy?

Beginner’s DSLR Photography Workshop

2012 Pittsburgh Photography Workshop | Beginner’s DSLR Workshop

Just a little reminder about our upcoming March 31, 2012 workshop! Click HERE to register.

Weekend After The Super Bowl Photography Workshop

This past Saturday was either my 4th or 5th year of holding my “Weekend After The Super Bowl Photography Workshop”. I have not been good at keeping track.

I never planed out my marketing approach to holding this workshop; I have always picked the weekend after the Super Bowl because, hey, no football on TV. What else is there to do in Pittsburgh on the weekends? 

It appears to be the perfect weekend for holding this workshop so starting next year it will become the…

“Inaugural 6yrs Running 1st Annual Weekend After The Super Bowl Photography Workshop”. 
Catchy isn’t it...

One of the strangest things that I do in this workshop is take the class outside to practice taking photos.  Taking people outside to take photos, not that strange. But taking them out in February, now that's maddeningly insane. Now, for you non-northern people reading this, February in Pittsburgh is cold, crazy Arctic, feel your nose hair, cold. For some stroke of dumb-luck every previous year the workshop has fallen on an unseasonably mild February day. 

This year I made the assumption that my luck would continue.  On account of winter in Pittsburgh this year being non-existent, all I can think of is all the good things that come before the apocalypse of global warming. Do assumptions ever work out for anybody?

I awoke to 3 inches of snow blanketing the roads outside my home. This is not going to be good, I think to myself. To my happiness my good luck continued. C’mon this is Pittsburgh. The class is filled with Pittsburghers. Snow is not a  problem for these people. The class was filled and at 10:15am sharp and we started.

This class was the best ever. Seriously, the best ever.  We have all been in classes or meetings and there is always, and I do mean always, that one person who asks so many dumb questions that is slows the class for everyone else. Well, this class did not have that person, thank God. This class was filled with passionate, motivated, extremely good looking (wink, wink) people interested in discovering the joys of creating a photo.

A recap of the class: we took the journey of a human-centered approach to creating photos (no microwaves, no vending machines...my metaphors are magical).  Then we read our Gospel, which gave us a deeper understanding of the Trinity; it all accumulates with the immaculate reincarnation of a photograph…

In all honesty I can say the class was transfigured by a blinding radiant light from the appearance of the photographs on the back of their cameras…quite blissful if I do say so myself.

Photograph the light
Compose the subject

Just a little reminder about our upcoming March 31, 2012 workshop! Click HERE to register.

2012 Pittsburgh Photography Workshop | Beginner’s DSLR Workshop

Reminder about our upcoming March 31, 2012 workshop!

Click HERE to register.

2012 Pittsburgh Photography Workshop | Beginner’s DSLR Workshop | WORKSHOP #3!

Come join us for workshop #3! Click HERE to register.

p.s.
This will be our last workshop in 2012: book now or wait till 2013.

Camera vs. Vending Machine

Let’s talk about photography. Better yet let’s talk about taking a photo. 

Let me be radically honest with you (this may hurt), creating a photo in Auto mode is comparable to feeding yourself from a vending machine. You click a button, you view limited options, you settle for what the machine gives you. Not very satisfying!

Placing your camera in Auto mode is not taking a photo; it’s a snap shot.  You may love it, you may be excited about what you captured, you may enlarge the print and hang it on your wall as art, but it is not a photograph.

Our fist two workshops have sold out and we will be announcing a third date later in the week. This will be our last workshop in 2012: book now or wait till 2013.

I want to give a brief overview of what the workshop will be (you can see the tear sheet here for the nuts and bolts of the class). This workshop is a “Human-Centered” approach to creating photos that you want to capture.  It is not a “Machine-Supremacy” approach on how to scroll through the never-ending menu options in your camera. If you are only applying the built-in-do-it-for-you Auto functions then you are really not doing anything.

Notice in the last paragraph I use “Human-Centered” vs. “Machine-Supremacy” approach to creating a photo: also notice that I used quotes and capitals letters...I’m not messing around.

The purpose of the workshop is to enrich your interaction with the camera.  You will go from isolating limitation of Auto mode to having the courage to place your camera in Manual mode and take responsibility for what you wish to create. With responsibility comes experience, enjoyment, learning a new skill and crazy amounts of self confidence that you will be able to apply in all aspects of your life. 

At this spot I must pause to say this next sentence with full disclosure:

I am not anti-technology nor anti-digital anything. I love all the glories and splendor that digital technology has given to me. Steve Jobs I mourn you, Kodak I mourn you and this is my point: you must know where you came from to know where you want to go.

Digital technology is good, giving your creative control over to a machine is bad.

This workshop will teach you to think of your camera as an instrument of unlimited potential, not a vending machine where you press a button with limited choices. 

2012 Pittsburgh Photography Workshop | Beginner’s DSLR Workshop

Click HERE to register!

To register follow this link: http://craig-photography.com/workshop/howtophoto/

Updates

~ A couple of cool updates

We are thrilled to announce that we won: The Knot Best of Wedding for 2012 & Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice Award for 2012.

Our February 25th workshop is filling up. If you are trying to decide if you are the right type of person who should attend be sure to read Elizabeth’s blog post today (HERE).

Photo of the Week

Read the post from 1.6.12 for an understanding of the compostion of this photo...



Turns out our first Beginner’s DSLR Workshop was so popular we have had to close it out but I am happy to announce that because of the high demand we have now opened a 2nd workshop.

To register follow this link.
http://craig-photography.com/workshop/howtophoto/

Pittsburgh Photography Workshop | Beginner’s DSLR Workshop | WORKSHOP #2!

To register follow this link.(Here)

Well well well. Can’t tell ya how thrilled I am to make this announcement! Turns out our first Beginner’s DSLR Workshop was so popular we have had to close it out but I am happy to announce that because of the high demand we have now opened a 2nd workshop. Our 2nd workshop will be held on February 25. As you can see from the illustration below it is the same content, same time and same place. We hope you will join us!

2012 Pittsburgh Photograpy Workshop | Beginner’s DSLR Workshop

To register click HERE.

Come join us for some serious photography fun! As you can see we cover quite a bit and the one thing not mentioned above is that we will all take a walk across the street to the park (weather permitting) and photograph there for some hands-on instruction.

Please bring your DSLR! This workshop is not for the point-and-click crowd.

Hope to see you there!