Henry's School of Imaging Photo 101 Course

Last summer Teena bought a Nikon D5100 camera with interchangeable lenses. I really liked the zoom and some of the other features so thought it was time for me to upgrade too.

At the end of November, I picked myself up a a Canon PowerShot SX30 IS. Mine does not have the interchangeable lenses but is just a half a step down as my lens has many of the same capabilities as a DSL camera.

"The PowerShot SX30 IS has got you prepared for your next extreme photo opportunity. This point-and-shoot digital camera comes with a massive 35x Wide-Angle (24-840mm) Optical Zoom lens - a first for any PowerShot! It also comes with a 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD, 14.1 Megapixels, High Dynamic Range, Zoom Framing Assist and much more."

Neither of us have not really used our cameras to their best capabilities and we shoot mostly on "auto". I have tried a few features and shot some great pictures in Bermuda, particularly on one walk.

We realized we should do something to enjoy our new cameras more so enrolled in the Henry's School of Imaging six-week Photo 101 Course.

Our Photo 101 course is an immersive and fulfilling program for the aspiring photographer. In this workshop we explore many of the fundamental skills required to advance your photographic knowledge. Students will learn both the technical and artistic sides of photography in a group environment.

Each week, students will be lead through a combination of lecture style and hands on exercises. Students are expected to complete weekly assignments and post them to the course Flickr! group for in class discussion.

Tonight was our first class titled "Getting Started" In it, we covered:

• Camera Orientation
• Camera Handling and Setup
• Program Mode
• Exposure Compensation

It was a very interesting 2 hours. One feature I liked when I bought my camera was the viewfinder as my eyes are not the greatest for shooting using the LCD screen. Our instructor, Ingrid, (she was an excellent teacher) told us this was a feature we should always be using. It is easier to frame an image and keep the camera stable.

Now we also are no longer allowed to use the "auto" setting. Instead she has graduated us to the "Program" setting where we can make adjustments. I like that what we are learning is good for any camera I use. I do need to learn more about my particular camera, though.

Homework this week is to take a shot of our living room or kitchen, adjust the exposure compensation for darker, take the same shot, and then brighter and again take the same shot. We then post them to Flickr! for discussion next week.

Thursday nights are going to be interesting.

Time to drag out the manual and read up more about my camera.