[jensenholmes]

Hi! I just signed up on this forum today. Was googling around for photography classes in Seattle and this site came up. Nice to find a forum for NW photography geeks!

Can anyone recommend a good local place to take classes? So far I'm mostly book taught. I have the basics down, but I'd like to take an Intermediate course to refine my knowledge and get some practical hands-on advice and maybe do some group photo field trips.

[SpiritedEarthStudio]

I suppose it depends on what you're interested in learning. I've heard things, good and bad, about PCNW (www.pcnw.com) their classes are kinda pricey, but might be worth it, as I've not taken any classes there personally.

I have however been taking a couple of classes at Seattle Central Community College, classes there are a bit cheaper (at least the ones I've taken), one a refresher on darkroom practices, since I still shoot film but haven't used a darkroom in ages. And the other a street photography class, I chose this one because I've mostly shot landscapes/cityscapes, some portraiture and live shows, but always had an interest documentary photography. Both of these are pretty basic classes, I personally was more advanced than the others in the classes, which is either good and bad. Another reason for my signing up for the classes was to do some networking and meet others who also hold an interest in photography, I'm still new to the area and don't really know anyone. Seattle Central might something worth checking into.

I also know there are online classes you could pursue, to me this would be like book learning, and personally that's not for me. I'm a hands on learner, which is why, when I was a teenager I worked as an assistant, and continue to pursue such work these days between gigs.

Again depending on what you're interested in learning, perhaps you could find someone to kind of mentor you or something. Through the classes I mentioned above I've actually gone out on shoots with a couple of my classmates and was able to help them through various questions they had, that might not have been covered in class (or that might have been learned in a different kind of class, like a beginning, intermediate or advanced photo class as opposed to a street photo class, etc...).

Sorry for the rather lengthy response, hopefully some part of it will help ya out.

Good luck!

Oh yea... welcome to the forum!

Kate

[cheeseplease]

Welcome to the site. I love your new puppy, he's really cute. I just got a puppy myself (Bernese Mountain Dog) They are fun, but oh-so much work. I'm up north (Camano Island) but if your ever in the area or I'm down in Seattle I would be game for getting together or with a group to photograph for the day. I'm a scrapbooker as well, haven't tried the digital side of it. I guess I have too much cardstock to use up first. Really interesting to see the other side of scrapbooking though. Glad you found this site.

[jensenholmes]

Thanks for the welcome!

Wow, cheeseplease! Guess you checked out my blog, huh? I forgot that I put it on my profile. Yeah, my new puppy is an English Bulldog. She's fantastic but you're right -- a lot of work. I tease my husband that I got her to have a member of the family that would tolerate being photographed 24/7. She's already trained me in the use of treats to get her to sit still and look at the lens. hehe

Spiritedearth -- thanks for the tips. I'll check out PCNW and Seattle Community College. I'm on Capitol Hill so at least one of their branches is very close by. I'm rather afraid that, like you, I'll get into a class where I'm too far ahead for the material. But I guess any practice is good practice. How did you like the instructor?

I also found this source online last night, but it is online only. http://www.ppsop.com/
Their two exposure courses look quite intriguing. I've gotten aperature and basic exposure down, but I'd like to get more fluent at using S priority and doing some night shooting and I'm sure I could beef up my general exposure skills.

It would be fun to get together with some local peeps -- maybe on a field trip to do some shooting. My current kit is a Sony A100 with various lenses, but I'm on a waiting list for a Nikon D3. My Sony taught me a lot about photography, but at this point I figured that if I'm going to keep investing in gear, I want to be either in the Nikon or Canon camp. And the D3 was the "killer app" (ok, it's hw, but you get my analogy) that pushed me in that direction.

[SpiritedEarthStudio]

Well I'm sure you know by now it's not all about what camera you have, but the photographer too... I currently use Nikon gear myself, have for over 25 years. I'd love to upgrade to the D3 or even the D300, but it's just not doable at this time.

As far as exposure goes, I always shoot in manual, honestly not sure how to do the shutter or aperture priority on my camera . Once i understood exposure and the zone system, and now am learning how to shoot without a meter, I don't believe I'll ever do anything but shoot in manual.

The teachers I've had thus far have been fine, one is a little scattered to be honest (but seems to work for him and others in the class - most of the time), on one occasion I found myself helping to clarify something he was trying to convey to the other students, not in a "overstepping my bounds" way of course.

As far as getting together for shoots, I'm always interested in meeting others who hold similar interests and doing day trips (even if it's just to pike place) and shooting. Which is, of course, part of the reason I came to this site.

Kate

[jensenholmes]

I looked at the PCNW site in more detail. They're very conveniently located for me and look like a professional, focused group. Anyone had any experience with their classes?

[jensenholmes]

Originally Posted by SpiritedEarthStudio

Well I'm sure you know by now it's not all about what camera you have, but the photographer too... I currently use Nikon gear myself, have for over 25 years. I'd love to upgrade to the D3 or even the D300, but it's just not doable at this time.

As far as exposure goes, I always shoot in manual, honestly not sure how to do the shutter or aperture priority on my camera . Once i understood exposure and the zone system, and now am learning how to shoot without a meter, I don't believe I'll ever do anything but shoot in manual.

The teachers I've had thus far have been fine, one is a little scattered to be honest (but seems to work for him and others in the class - most of the time), on one occasion I found myself helping to clarify something he was trying to convey to the other students, not in a "overstepping my bounds" way of course.

As far as getting together for shoots, I'm always interested in meeting others who hold similar interests and doing day trips (even if it's just to pike place) and shooting. Which is, of course, part of the reason I came to this site.

Kate

Too true, Kate. It's the photographer rather than the gear, and I've got a long way to go to even approach the people I most admire! But I'd love to beef up my technical skills to be "worthy" of my D3.

I took a look at your site and saw your Utah pictures. I love landscape photography myself and I've done several hiking trips to Utah. Fantastic scenery!

Maybe we can swap skills. I'd like to learn more about using manual as you do. Lately I have been using Aperature priority. I use ISO 100 unless there's not enough light, set my aperature for the desired effect, and let the camera figure out the rest. I adjust exposure if it looks like my shots are too light or too dark. And I use spot metering quite a bit, particular for performance (theatre and band) shots -- which I see you do as well. I've also been playing with spot metering for nature photography -- taking shots metered for foreground and then sky and merging in Photoshop. That technique is discussed a lot in some of the UK photography mags I subscribe to. I also just switched from jpeg to RAW and really like the improved control.

A photo shoot get-together sounds fun. Looks like dismal weather for the foreseeable future, but rainy days can be OK if it's not too torrential. I'd like to propose a brilliant location suggestion, but my brain seems to not be running in that direction today. On Cap Hill Lakeview Cemetery is always nice and I know of a few good vista points if anyone wants to try some night time/city lights shots. Or I'm open to going further afield, too.

[jensenholmes]

I had the brilliant idea of the Seattle Asian Art Museum as a place to get together and take some pictures, buy I called them and they don't allow photography, period. That kind of stinks. I've been to other museums that don't allow flash or tripods, but SAM won't allow anything at all.

[RGoldman]

Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure class is well worth the money. He's a great instructor and there is a tremendous amount of useful information over the 8 weeks.
Not only do you get your own worked critiqued, but you get to see everyone else's work in the class and the critiques on it as well as the students comments which is also a great learning tool.
Betterphoto.com out of Redmond (I believe) has some great instructors as well.

My partner and I will be teaching a 4 day on location workshop in Oregon and Washington next Spring. You can check out the details here: http://www.portlandtoportlandphotoworkshops.com
A great way to get hands on instruction!

Ron

[SpiritedEarthStudio]

Originally Posted by jensenholmes

Too true, Kate. It's the photographer rather than the gear, and I've got a long way to go to even approach the people I most admire! But I'd love to beef up my technical skills to be "worthy" of my D3.

I took a look at your site and saw your Utah pictures. I love landscape photography myself and I've done several hiking trips to Utah. Fantastic scenery!

Maybe we can swap skills. I'd like to learn more about using manual as you do. Lately I have been using Aperature priority. I use ISO 100 unless there's not enough light, set my aperature for the desired effect, and let the camera figure out the rest. I adjust exposure if it looks like my shots are too light or too dark. And I use spot metering quite a bit, particular for performance (theatre and band) shots -- which I see you do as well. I've also been playing with spot metering for nature photography -- taking shots metered for foreground and then sky and merging in Photoshop. That technique is discussed a lot in some of the UK photography mags I subscribe to. I also just switched from jpeg to RAW and really like the improved control.

A photo shoot get-together sounds fun. Looks like dismal weather for the foreseeable future, but rainy days can be OK if it's not too torrential. I'd like to propose a brilliant location suggestion, but my brain seems to not be running in that direction today. On Cap Hill Lakeview Cemetery is always nice and I know of a few good vista points if anyone wants to try some night time/city lights shots. Or I'm open to going further afield, too.

Hey again....

I tend to shoot on the low end with my ISO as well, carry over from shooting Velvia 50 and 100. And a D3... I'm a bit jealous, have to admit, one day, hopefully, for now the D200 will have to do.

I've been waiting on the move to shoot raw, trying to figure out what software I'm going to invest in. It's a change I anticipate doing soon, as I like the idea of having more control of my images, etc... But ultimately my goal is to get the shot, while I'm out in the field or in the studio... you know. I don't really do a ton of post processing, but I've been looking into CS3 and and thinking it might be time to upgrade.

As far as locations go, I know it's corny, but I'd like to do the skyline at dusk, on a clear evening (of course that might have to wait a bit). Being new to the area I'm still figuring out the weather and such. I think I might also like doing some night street photography around various neighbourhoods. I've not heard of the cemetery you mentioned, I might look into that, sometimes they can prove interesting.

Anyhow... like you said, I'm open to suggestions and possibilties.