Photo above by Bill Ray

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3-week online course (September 15, 22, & 29)

Led by Bill Ray

To quote Ansel Adams: “The most important feature of the camera is the 12 inches behind it”. This is certainly true with birds. A thoughtful human with modest camera gear can be successful when they understand their gear and love their subjects. No need to break the bank or your back to get started.

This 3-night class is for novice photographers moving beyond cell phones and snapshots, starting to learn how to step off full auto and edit the images.

Making a successful bird photograph: Tips on "posing" birds, starting in your back yard. See what makes a memorable photograph such as composition and capturing the decisive moment. Learn what’s different between bird watching and photography. Discover three typical shooting situations that will help make sense of the technology in the next two sessions.

Camera Gear and Settings: How to go beyond snapshots with a Bridge, Mirrorless or DSLR camera. Characteristics of birding cameras, including what to look for in a first digital camera. Practical approaches for exposure and focus that largely use the camera’s smarts with your selective overrides. Get sharp photos by matching autofocus settings to how the birds move around. Autofocus is the most challenging issue in better bird photos.

Post-Processing to bring out the best, most natural results: In the real world with birds we are unlikely to capture the photo perfectly in camera—too many moving parts. Consider several popular software editors from free and simple to sophisticated. Just two editing steps can greatly improve your photos.

Pricing: $35 for members, $45 for non-members.

Class will be conducted over Zoom (and recorded if you cannot make the live session).