Ideas for running a (very) short training course

jamesoliverstone

jamesoliverstone

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Hi all, we are running a learn at work week soon and I have been asked to run a couple of 1.5 hour photography sessions for a bit of fun.

Now I used to train photography, lighting and post processing but they are all pretty lengthy courses and I am struggling to think what I can reasonably do with a bunch of people that will be fun and informative in such a short space of time...

So I guess my question is, if you could teach or join in on a small session, what would you do? What do you think would be fun for people to do? I am going to assume that they have no knowledge and are turning up with cameras set to auto...

Thanks all :)
 
I would explain the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, then I would explain the effect on DoF of aperture and finally I would get them to take photographs that meet a list of criteria, so 1, underexposed, 2, overexposed, 3, foreground OOF, 4 background OOF. etc

This means they have to understand their camera and practise using M rather than auto.
 
I would give everyone 10-15 mins to take a photo round the office/site on their phone then get everyone back in the room talk some basics of composition then send them out to improve their pictures. Have them email both shots to you and share them as a conclusion.

It needs to be fun, interactive and relevant to all. A dull lecture on ISO etc will instantly turn people off.
 
a1ex2001 said:
I would give everyone 10-15 mins to take a photo round the office/site on their phone then get everyone back in the room talk some basics of composition then send them out to improve their pictures. Have them email both shots to you and share them as a conclusion.

It needs to be fun, interactive and relevant to all. A dull lecture on ISO etc will instantly turn people off.
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THIS! In such a short space of time, better to work on improving what they are getting on auto, rather than trying to get them on manual and improving composition/ideas is probably the best way that will be fun and interactive for them.
 
Good ideas thanks everyone. I like the idea of just doing something fun that I can give a bunch of simple tips to improve... and I think your are right, composition is easy to grasp and very simple to give practicle examples too. :)
 
Reminds me of my first photography course at college. We spent three weeks talking about composition. First week was fine, second week got boring. By the third I was ready to kill the lecturer
 
I'd use the bucket and water anology to describe the technicals. Its quick simple and fun, bright day means loads of water, dull day its just a drizzling... easy to get them inspired about 'its all about the light', and then onto composition.
Full bucket equals a good exposure. The size of the bucket is ISO. The size of the water nozzle/shower head is aperture. The time it takes to fill the bucket is the shutter speed.
 
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gadgeteer said:
Reminds me of my first photography course at college. We spent three weeks talking about composition. First week was fine, second week got boring. By the third I was ready to kill the lecturer
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Talking about anything for three weeks is dull as dishwater! Photography is a practical subject and learning it should focus massively on taking pictures not on talking about taking pictures!

After all a picture says a thousand words!
 
In such a short time I would show them how to focus properly. It is amazing how many people don't know how to focus with the camera they have. The half press and recompose is a relevation for many, and hopefully help them get subjects away from the centre, which may improve many images.

I'd also go through what the scene modes do, as using those over auto can improve some shots. When you show people the scene modes their faces light up and the phrase you hear again and again is 'I didn't know my camera could do that!'.

I'd also try and get in Exposure Compensation in too, as again that can transform peoples images quickly.

In 1.5 hours all that would be a bit tight, especially in a group where some may not be that interested, but those three things can transform peoples photography IMHO.

For those that aren't that interested relating all that to their phone's camera can get some none camera photographers interested.
 
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I'd teach them about composition, assuming they're not generally photographers, they could improve their snaps no end by not having horizons on the p***, by not having their subject smack bang in the middle etc. Maybe set them a challenge once you've outlined a few basic principles, rule of thirds, lead ins etc. Send them around the building with their cameras, they have to bring back one portrait, one landscape, one detail shot (not macro as such, just an interesting close up) and one abstract. It'll make them think more about the composition so when they go away on holiday they come back with photographs, rather than just snaps, something where they can see a real world improvement.
 
I'd leave out the exposure triangle - 90 minutes is too short. Life is too short.

But exposure compensation is a good topic, as is what is under- and over-exposure and when is it likely to happen. With any camera that's going to make a difference in 90 minutes - even phone cameras generally have exposure compensation.

Other than that, how about "The camera in your hand" and make the session just about getting better phone camera shots? It stops the "office bore" and "boy's toys" problems in mixed groups where it could otherwise focus on one or two guys and their large DSLRs. Ban any ILC from the room - phones and compacts only.
 
BBR said:
I would explain the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, then I would explain the effect on DoF of aperture and finally I would get them to take photographs that meet a list of criteria,
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You've got an hour or so to teach this to non-photographers. If you did what you suggested above, , you'll have them snoring. Alex's idea is definitely the way I'd go. Let them have fun with whatever they have.. however they want to do it.. then talk about the results. They'll enjoy looking at each others photos, and therefore be engaged with the discussions about each image's merits.
 
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Pookeyhead said:
You've got an hour or so to teach this to non-photographers. If you did what you suggested above, , you'll have them snoring. Alex's idea is definitely the way I'd go. Let them have fun with whatever they have.. however they want to do it.. then talk about the results. They'll enjoy looking at each others photos, and therefore be engaged with the discussions about each image's merits.
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I just did an experiment with my daughter. She knew nothing about photography. It took me 3 minutes to explain in simple language how exposure works. I am not talking about inverse square laws and calculating hyperfocal distances. Just basic ISO, aperture and shutter speed. The higher the f number the more you get in focus, to throw background out of focus use a low aperture eg f2.8.
If I were going to spend an hour and half at a 'learn at work' session and I came away without an improvement in my basic knowledge and having been treated like a moron with an attention span of a goldfish, I would not be impressed.
 
I missed the bit where someone said treat them all like morons I must admit.

If it only takes 3 minutes to do the exposure triangle talk, do that and then move on to the composition and other ideas as already discussed maybe
 
I have something similar on the cards
I'm going to get out the flash card on ISO/ aperture, and shutter speed that does the rounds.
then marry that up with people's controls on their camera
take some examples of where you would use these things and the effect, refer back to the card to illustrate the point.
after that is metering and white balance but that's harder to iron out with a general class.

I'd run through the basics of composition but basically getting people to think about their viewpoint and try something different rather than hammering home 'rules'.
 
I'd go with Composition and then basic tips.

When I was taught about composition, the letchers had a series of 'right' and 'wrong' photos, he asked us which we prefered and unanimously we picked the 'right' ones then he explained why.

One I remember was a dog on the beach it was the same photo twice except one of them was reversed the original photo was the dog running right to left but reversed it looked better. It really made you see that left to right movement is more attractive.

He showed other things like wonkey horizons, rule of thirds, movement into space etc. etc.

Actually seeing the photos then being part of a group who knew nothing about photography agreeing that one was better than the other and having the teacher explain why was a brilliant way of doing it.

I'd then go on to give tips,

Things like when to use and not to use flash.
Shutter speed in low light
Focusing on the right thing.
Holding the camera properly.
Exposure compensation.
etc.
etc.
 
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BBR said:
I would explain the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, then I would explain the effect on DoF of aperture and finally I would get them to take photographs that meet a list of criteria, so 1, underexposed, 2, overexposed, 3, foreground OOF, 4 background OOF. etc

This means they have to understand their camera and practise using M rather than auto.
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I did exactly this for my PGCE in a 30 minute microteach, worked well by using a few of my own photos to demonstrate DOF and the effect of different shutter speeds... be a little wary of everyone bringing in their own cameras, recently did this at a camera club and found I spent a fair bit of the time trying to show people how their particular model of camera worked, best to leave it more general in my experience... another option would be to take your own camera in and actually demo the process/settings and show the resulting photos there and then.

Simon
 
Rembrandt lighting portrait, 1 window, 1 reflector = simple

Lighting is the first basic discipline to grasp. Photography early morning / evening - v - midday direct harshness etc. Good examples will inspire. Probably best to avoid the inverse square law at this stage!

So after one 1.5 hours of going through the basics, the students will be able to take (hopefully) a half decent portrait, they will feel they have achieved something.

If you hit people to hard with the ISO-Aperture-Speed triangle on the first lesson, people may soon switch off. It is a lot to grasp when you are learning and students, as we know switch off very easily...................
Good results for beginners can be obtained by Aperture priority.
 
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BBR said:
I just did an experiment with my daughter. She knew nothing about photography. It took me 3 minutes to explain in simple language how exposure works. I am not talking about inverse square laws and calculating hyperfocal distances. Just basic ISO, aperture and shutter speed. The higher the f number the more you get in focus, to throw background out of focus use a low aperture eg f2.8.
If I were going to spend an hour and half at a 'learn at work' session and I came away without an improvement in my basic knowledge and having been treated like a moron with an attention span of a goldfish, I would not be impressed.
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No one's saying you treat people like morons... You just jumped to that conclusion all by yourself. I'm saying that you just teach something relevant. Non-photographers who aren't even active in photography as a hobby will probably have a very simple auto exposure camera or a phone. They'll not be able to put anything in practice if you teach them shutter speeds and apertures and ISO, so it will be an abstract concept to them that means nothing. They'll not be able to DO anything with it, so it will be a dry subject to them that they can't actively participate in. It's also not a great introduction to photography.

If they were genuinely interested, and you supplied them all with a manual camera (or one that could be used manually) it may be a different story entirely, but that's clearly not going to be the case in the OP's scenario.

No one's saying they wouldn't understand... or that you treat them like morons, just that unless they can actually get their hands on camera and DO it, they'll get bored.

I'd get them to take images of each other, and then use the images created to discuss matters of composure, lighting exposure etc. This will get them engaged, and once engaged you can then assess exactly how interested they are, and how far to take the theory.

They won;t be coming along because they have a passion for photography, they'll be going along for a laugh more than likely. Start lecturing them on reciprocity and they'll probably not find it fun.

I've taught photography to children at one end of the spectrum and post graduates at the other, and at neither end of that spectrum would I start off with exposure theory. Beginners want to ease into a course of study at a pace that makes them feel confident. Punch them in the face with reciprocity as soon as they walk through the door and you'll not be running a popular course, trust me... I've been doing this for a considerable amount of time now. You on the other hand have had some one 2 one tuition with your daughter, who is clearly clever, switched on, trusts you and you have empathy and rapport with each other. That is NOT representative of a classroom situation on the first lesson in a room full of people who don't know each other... or you. You're just going to have to trust me on this one, even if you think I'm wrong... because I'm not :)
 
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Having sat through several weeks of a beginners photography class by mistake the iso/aperture/shutter relationship can be impossible for some to grasp particularly how those abstract notions relate to camera controls themselves. Some still didn't get it even when it was explained really well. Iso isn't so relevant these days. I'd concentrate on shutter speed for freeze or blur and aperture for depth of field. Those are easy to demonstrate. Milky water and frozen fruit smash. 5 minutes!

I think the how to take better mobile phone pics is a good one. Solving simple issues eg blur when you don't want it and maybe a section on cool apps would be fun too.
 
If this is for people who aren't and never will be keen photographers.

Basics of composition, focussing and what meters do. So that they can take sharp interesting properly exposed images.

It's simple and effective. There are thousands of 'photographers' worrying about the exposure triangle who have no idea when their meter is 'wrong' and how to compensate for that.
 
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