Sat, 24 Oct 10:00AM (AEDT)
Photography Course for Beginners: Get Off Auto
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Book soon! 29 people viewed this class.
Most people buy a decent camera and spend the next year on Auto, wondering why their photos don't look the way they imagined. This three-hour course fixes that in one Saturday morning.
We teach the three controls that decide every photograph — shutter speed, aperture and ISO — live on the big screen, then you use them: freezing motion and blurring it on purpose, throwing a background out of focus, shooting a dark corner cleanly without a flash. Then we get you sharp (focus modes, focal length, white balance, RAW versus JPEG, reading the histogram) and teach you to read light: window light, a reflector, and one studio strobe switched on so you can see where our Studio Lighting Course goes next.
The second half is portraits. You photograph each other in pairs on the studio backdrop — composition, headroom, eye contact, how to direct a person — and we finish with a group photo and everyone's best frames on the screen, plus a ten-minute phone-editing demo.
It runs inside a working commercial photography studio in South Melbourne, taught by the photographers who shoot in it. Eight people maximum. Bring any camera with a manual mode, however basic — or use one of our studio cameras at no extra cost. You keep every photo you take.
Second and fourth Saturday of the month, 10am–1pm. It runs whether two people book or eight: we don't cancel for numbers. Ready for studio lights afterwards? Our Studio Lighting Course runs on the first and third Saturday.
Details
You will learn
- Shutter speed, aperture and ISO — and how to balance them in manual mode
- Getting sharp: focus modes, focal length, white balance, RAW vs JPEG, reading the histogram
- Reading light and directing a person: window light, a reflector, a first look at a studio strobe, portraits in pairs
You will get
- Three hours hands-on in a working commercial studio, eight people maximum
- Your own portraits and a group photo from the session, yours to keep, plus a one-page cheat sheet
- A discount on studio hire afterwards
Appropriate for
Anyone who owns a camera and still shoots on Auto. No experience assumed, no question too basic. Ready for studio lights afterwards? Our Studio Lighting Course runs on the first and third Saturday.
Preparation
What to bring
- Any camera with a manual mode (DSLR, mirrorless or advanced compact), a charged battery and a memory card
- No camera? Come anyway and use one of our studio cameras at no extra cost
What to wear
Comfortable clothes; you will be on your feet.
Your Teacher
Amir is the photographer behind Crown Visual Studio — a working commercial shooter rather than a full-time instructor. The portraits, headshots and model portfolios that come out of this studio through the week are his, and the room you learn in is the room he works in.
He teaches this course the way he wishes someone had taught him: no jargon for its own sake, no assumed knowledge, and no question treated as too basic. If you have owned a camera for years and never left Auto, you are exactly who this course is for.
Organized by
Crown Visual Studio
Crown Visual Studio is a working commercial photography studio in South Melbourne — the room where portraits, headshots and model portfolios are shot through the week becomes the classroom on weekends. You learn on real studio strobes, modifiers and backdrops, with a professional model in front of you and a studio crew running the floor, instead of on borrowed gear in a hired hall.
Classes are taught by the photographers who shoot here, and the advanced courses are capped at four people, so everyone gets behind the camera, everyone gets corrected, and everyone goes home with their own images. Rated 4.9 from more than 75 Google reviews.
Cancellations & Refunds
If the organiser cancels the class:
You are entitled to a full refund.
If you can't attend the class:
You’re welcome to send someone in your place.
OR
- A refund can be requested 21 days before class starts. Free of charge.
Terms & Conditions
Anyone partaking in any classes or coming to any events at Crown Visual Studio or organised by Crown Visual Studio must agree to these terms and conditions.
1.) SAFETY AND PERSONAL PROPERTY
The studio is a working space with lighting stands, cabling and powered equipment. I agree to follow the directions of the studio team at all times, and not to move or adjust lighting stands, cables or power leads myself. I understand that Crown Visual Studio is not responsible for my personal property, including cameras, lenses and bags brought to the studio. Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any right or remedy available to me under the Australian Consumer Law.
2.) PHOTO & VIDEO
I agree to give Crown Visual Studio unrestricted publishing rights for any photographs or videos taken at Crown Visual Studio classes and events or on Crown Visual Studio premises. (For use of Crown Visual Studio marketing materials).
3.) PHOTOGRAPHING OTHER ATTENDEES
I agree not to photograph, film or publish images of other attendees without their consent. The model and the set are there to be photographed; the other students are not.
4.) CONDUCT
Crown Visual Studio may ask anyone behaving unsafely, or in a way that makes other attendees uncomfortable, to leave the class. No refund applies where a class is left for this reason.
5.) NON-ATTENDANCE
If I do not attend a class and have not contacted Crown Visual Studio before it starts, my booking is not refunded.
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