My New Venture

I've been a professional photographer for over fifteen years now. I started my career shooting film cameras and eventually moved to digital about ten years ago. During this time, I've amassed a great amount of knowledge about the world of photography. Over the past couple years, I started thinking seriously about how much fun it would be to teach other people who have a passion for photography as well. My focus is not on other professionals. No, my focus is on the "non-professional" market because I see a great need for educating them on the fundamentals of photography. My goal is "to get them off Auto". By that, I mean the trap that millions of photo enthusiasts fall into when they get their cameras. Most of us, including me, get a new toy and want to start using it right away. We can't be bothered with the owner's manual. Therefore, the easiest way to start using a new digital camera is to put it on "auto" and go. And that's usually where the camera stays. Sound familiar?

Last year, I had the opportunity to partner with a New York-based school called the Digital Photo Academy (www.digitalphotoacademy.com). They conduct photography classes throughout the country, teaching students both in the field and in the classroom, how to be a better photographer. F-stops, rule of thirds, depth of field, leading lines, fast lenses, macro, etc. Several different topics are discussed to help change one from being a simple "point and shooter" to a "photographer" who understands photography concepts and how to employ them under different conditions. I have the privilege of being one of the instructors who teach in Seattle and it has been fun and rewarding to meet so many people who share a common interest.

If you want to become a better photographer, I invite you to visit the Digital Photo Academy website (www.digitalphotoacademy.com) to see what upcoming classes are available in your area.

Hawaiian Adventure

I travel for work and pleasure. Once in awhile, I actually get to do both at the same time. My upcoming trip to Hawaii will be one of those trips. When I'm not working, I plan to play around with photography techniques and ideas and post them on my blog. I'll be showing how different types of lenses can dramatically change your image. I'll show how filters can take that image from "ho hum" to "wow". Maybe I'll show that the world from a horizontal perspective can be made even more interesting by taking that same image vertically. Please check back often as I hope to be posting images and ideas on a regualar basis during this trip. Mahalo!