Photography 101

I'm so excited today to be starting an online photography class (called, appropriately, "Photography 101") from Big Picture Scrapbooking (a Web site started by my friend Stacy who I worked with on a couple of books projects ages ago).

As you might know, I'm not really a "scrapbooker" anymore, but I happened to hear about this class before enrollment opened, so I marked it on my calendar and got signed up the morning it was open (and a good thing, too, since the class was full later that same day).

The class runs for 10 weeks and is taught by Barbara Carroll, a professional photographer. She gives a handout/audio message each week teaching about different aspects of photography (mostly related to learing how to use the manual settings on a digital SLR camera, like shutter speed, aperture, etc.) and then you have access to message boards, etc. and can ask her questions. She also gives weekly assignments and then you can post two pictures each week to a special gallery where she will critique them.

I've really wanted to learn more about using my new camera since we got it last Christmas, which is one reason I'm so excited for this class. I also just want to learn how to take better pictures of my family!

The first week's assignment is to take at least 10 pictures (outdoors or indoors near light) and look for inspiration in other photographs in magazines, etc. I got two willing participants this morning to go outside with me (in the wind, of course!) and take some practice shots. Here are a few!

I imagine I'll be taking lots more practice shots -- then it's the matter of trying to decide which two to have critiqued!