Come and discover the fascinating world through a photographer’s eye. This course will teach you what you need to capture scenes from around the world and bring them back to your home. You will discover tips for digital photographers, and how to use both traditional techniques, as well as those unique to digital equipment. You will learn how to get the best shots of animals in captivity and animals in the wild. You will discover ways to blend in with nature and the best kind of equipment for specialized shooting. You will discover tips on taking shots for professional use and those to treasure from a family vacation.
This course will address environmental challenges that can put your camera equipment in jeopardy such as, freezing temperatures and tropical heat, and offer practical solutions that travel easily. You will learn how to travel with digital equipment and what to take and what to leave behind. You will examine various examples from destinations around the world, and expand your knowledge of techniques for shooting digitally and working with the images when you return from your trip.
This first lesson will be an overview of the equipment you will need to pack before you head out on the road. You will look at cameras, lenses, and tripods, as well as other options for stabilization. Then you will examine a number of different ways to photograph the wilderness. You will explore ways to carry your equipment, keep it safe from rain, and power it up on a long trip away from home. You will learn some basic rules of composition and how to put them to good use, as well as focal points and getting the depth of field that best suits your subject.
This lesson will concentrate on animals and how to capture their essence, whether in the wild or protected in cages. You will look at equipment for zooming in and camera options for the best quality images. You will learn how to merge with nature so you can observe the animal’s behavior. You will also learn about shooting fast-moving animals like birds in flight, and how to use your camera to its best advantage. Then you will discover how to manage light when you are under and over the water. You will learn how to work with backlighting, reflectors, fill flash, and spot metering. You will also learn how to use lines in an image to set off your subject and improve your composition.
Work with settings on your camera like customized white balance, ISO, and flash options. You will discover the power of shooting in RAW, and the options available with digital editing. You will explore some options for cave photography, lightning, and fireworks. Then you will learn how to protect your equipment from condensation and heat. With the added control that manual exposure settings give you, you will find the Sunny 16 Rule a great help. You will also take a look at macro work and how to get detailed shots.
Discover some of the exposure challenges when taking pictures of snow and ice. You will look at shooting indoors, freezing action, and how to make the most of bad weather. Then you will investigate the many advantages of cruising and being at sea with your camera. You will learn easy solutions to exposure latitude issues to get the shots you want.You will be given a photo assignment where you will document your journey with all the tools at your disposal.
In this lesson, you will discover histograms and blinkies, and how they can help you improve your shots, as well as how to use exposure compensation to quickly correct exposure problems. You will learn the importance of perspective when taking shots in the air and how to shoot through hazy skies. Then you will discover how to make the most of photos taken while on sightseeing tours. You will look at safety precautions, how to shoot in the fog, and how to use metering options and handheld light meters.
In this final lesson, you will look at international travel, power concerns, and customs issues. You will explore the mysteries behind model releases and selling your work, and even how to take a great passport photo. Lastly you will look at how to clean your camera so you will be ready when the next photo opportunity arises.
Prerequisites / Requirements
Completion of Secrets of Better Photography (or equivalent photography experience.)
- This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac device.
- PC: Windows XP or later.
- Mac: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 or later.
- Browser: The latest version of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari (We recommend Firefox or Chrome).
- Adobe Flash Player. Click here to download the Flash Player.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download the Acrobat Reader.
- Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
- Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Instructional material requirements:
- The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
WHEN CAN I GET STARTED?
A new session of each course opens each month, allowing you to enroll whenever your busy schedule permits!
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Once a session starts, two lessons will be released each week, for the six-week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends.
HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO COMPLETE EACH LESSON?
The interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes 2 weeks after each lesson is released, so you’re encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
WHAT IF I NEED AN EXTENSION?
The Final Exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the Final Exam has been released, you will have 2 weeks plus 10 days to complete the Final and finish any remaining lessons in your course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.