Digital SLR Field Techniques

George Schaub’s Digital SLR Field Techniques class is based on many years of teaching and reporting on digital photography. Having tested or explored virtually every digital DSLR camera made, he has learned both their intricacies and the easiest way to make great images with them. He believes strongly that light, exposure and composition work hand in hand, and that being able to see how light will translate into an image is one of the keys to achieving great photographs. He also believes that mastery of a camera through applied techniques is the best way to learn, and that each photographer has their own vision. Part of freeing that vision is recognizing the camera as a tool rather than a complex, often intimidating microprocessor with a lens.

One of the ways he teaches applied technique is to work with an assignment sheet, actually a menu from which students can pick and choose the techniques that most interest them and that will most serve their work.

Some field worksheet could include suggested field techniques that you should attempt during the course of the class:

High Contrast:


• Resolve with Meter reading patterns
• Resolve with HDR (brackets)
• Tone curve adjustment
• Fill flash

Bracketing:


• Using tripod
  
• Handheld (high shutter speed and continuous drive)
  
• Exposure Bracketing
• White Balance
  
• Tone Curve
  

Color:


• White balance
  
• Parameters adjustments
  
• Saturation/Contrast Mixed light
  
• sRGB vs Adobe RGB
  

Monochrome:


• With and without in-camera filters ID images for bw processing
  

Raw format:


• Post-exposure adjustments
  

JPEG vs Raw Panorama:


• Three, five and seven, vertical/horizontal
  

Depth of field:


• Shallow/deep
  
• Focus lock
  
• Telephoto/wide angle lenses
  
• Macro
  

Shutter speed effects Flash:


• Flash Multi-flash
  
• Bounce/tilt
  
• Flash exposure compensation
  
• Slow sync
  
• Paint with light
  
• Fill flash Low
  

Light:


• ISO adjustment
  
• Tripod (time exposure)
  
• Night exposure Noise (NR filtration)
  

Exposure:


• Manual (two hour)
  
• Exposure lock
  
• Spot metering
  
• CWA
  
• Equivalent Exposure
  

Light Quality:


• Reflective
  
• Overcast
  
• Shade
  
• Deep shadows
  
• Low key/high key
  
• Directional
  
• Backlight Silhouette
  

These and other aspects of working in the field are all covered in the class.

 

Workshop Fee and On-line Registration