Brisbane panorama

Running photography courses every week I get to meet a lot of fantastic people who all share my passion and love for photography. Sometimes I get sent images that have either been taken on one of the workshops or taken after with the new found knowledge and tips picked up from the courses. A little over a month ago we had a practical workshop in Brisbane which concluded with some shots taken after sundown of the Brisbane skyline. I was really pleased to be sent this image from Lee McMe which an impressive panoramic featuring images taken during the workshop.











Lee has done a fantastic job with stitching the images together and a big thanks to him for allowing me to share the image on my blog for all to see.

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Paparazzi - the next generation

Love them or loath them, celebrities have become a part of everyday life - fueled by the media and the many thousands of magazines and tabloids fighting to survive in the new digital age. The more we want to know about them the greater the demand for exclusive pictures, enter the new breed of Paparazzi who are hungry, competitive and often aggressive in their pursuit of the killer shot!

The word Paparazzi originates from the 1960 film 'La Dolce vita' which features a character playing a news photographer called Paparazzo. The latest generation of 'pappers' however are a long way from what is portrayed in the film as the stakes are high as the right photo can sell for tens of thousands of dollars and appear around the world.

'Paparazzi - the next generation' is a new documentary that follows a group of Paparazzi as they scour the celebrity circuit in London and gives an insight into how they operate and the morality of the modern media game.

'Paparazzi - the next generation' is on ABC2  8:30pm wednesday, august 18th.

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All day DSLR workshop

We are pleased to announce a new all-day workshop. Held at Brisbane's cultural center South Bank, the workshop combines theory along with plenty of picture taking with a break for lunch and time for questions and trying out new found techniques.

Morning session (10am - 1pm)
The morning session is all about tackling the theory and guiding you through the key features of your camera. You will learn how to control the aperture, shutter speed and ISO for absolute creative control of the exposure and discover how to shoot confidently in the manual mode - no more Auto!
The first two hours of the morning session are held in a class room environment with views over the Brisbane river, we then move outside for some practical tips before breaking for lunch.

Afternoon session (2pm - 6pm)
After lunch we will take a casual walk around the South Bank parklands area where there will be plenty of opportunities to explore different techniques including controlling depth of field, capturing moving subjects, using shutter speeds creatively and shooting in low light as the sun sets over Brisbane.

What you will learn
Aperture - What is it and how does it affect the exposure and our final image.
Shutter speeds - How and why does it affect the exposure and our final image.
ISO - Using and understanding ISO sensitivity.
Shooting under varying lighting conditions (including long exposure night shots)
Controling depth of field
Different camera modes
Lenses and accessories
JPEG V RAW
Plus tips on composition and how to get more from your camera

Spaces on this course are stictly limited - for more info visit the website.


www.learnphotography.com.au

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September course dates now available

September photography courses, workshops and private tuition dates are now available on the website.  We are also introducing an exciting brand new day long workshop that will replace the popular Nikon and Canon workshops - if you wish to find out more drop me an email via our contact page.

July update

With Learn Photography one-to-one photography courses the focus is on you and you only. We will be able to answer your questions, help you understand the manual features of your camera and spend valuable time taking photos as well as reviewing and discussing the results.

With private one-to-one tuition we can cover the same subjects as in our other courses or tailor the time to suit your particular needs including help with post processing your images in Photoshop - it's up to you!

One-to-one tuition can take place at our Wynnum location, in Brisbane, your home or maybe you have a favourite location you have always wanted to photograph - this could be anywhere from the Story Bridge at sunrise to your favourite beach location - it's up to you!

Whats happening this month?

10 tips for better portrait photography

As a working professional photographer and photography tutor one of my favourite subjects is portraiture. Capturing the personality of a person within a photographic portrait is not an easy task so here's 10 tips on how to take better portraits.Paul Farris (Learn Photography)

1> It's all about the eyes
It's said that the eyes are windows to the soul so it's essential to ensure your subjects eyes are in focus. As a viewer our eyes are drawn first to what part of the image is in focus, so by ensuring the eyes are in focus the viewer is able to engage with the subject. Selecting a very wide aperture will also give a shallow depth of field for the classic blurry background 'portrait look' (see image.)
You may also wish to try capturing your subject looking directly into the camera or looking 'off-camera' - both will yield different results. Having your subject looking down the lens creates a connection between the subject and anyone viewing the image. However if the subject is looking outside of the 'frame' then this creates a feeling of intrigue and adds interest as the viewer can only imagine what they were looking at.

2> Composition
Choosing where to place your subject within the image can make or break a portrait shot. There is no golden rule here so the best advice is to experiment. It may simply be that the subject framed centrally staring into the camera works best, however placing your subject to the edge of the frame and giving them some space to 'look into' can also work well.

Read all about it - what people are saying about our photography courses

"I learned so much in the four hours, and now understand my camera for the first time. I'll be back for the practical course, this is one course that should be a must for every digital SLR camera owner, I will be telling everyone about this course. Thanks Paul, it was excellent!"

The above testimonial is just one from many that I have received in praise of my photography courses and workshops. If you are a keen photography enthusiast in reach of Brisbane then why not join us for a one of courses and find out how to get better images from your digital SLR camera. I'm a professional photographer offering photography courses that cover the essential theory, and practical courses that put the theory into practice in small groups to ensure you get plenty of personal attention.

www.learnphotography.com.au

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Wheels and randomness!

Another weekend goes by and as usual a packed few days of photography courses,  practical workshops and lots of photo taking!  Despite a very cold evening in Brisbane we got some great  images of the city,  the Brisbane wheel and also had some fun creating some random abstract images using the slower shutter speeds available on digital SLR's ...

Interested in joining one our photography courses or practical workshops in Brisbane or on the bay side and learning how to get more from your DSLR camera?  - visit my website for more details  www.learnphotography.com.au