Been THERE Done That

I have to apologize to the great people over at shoot fly shoot, I commented on there post and referred to my blog, and for some reason (because I am a rookie blogger) the post was not posted. So here we go...

This long awaited  class Photography 101, over at  Shoot Fly Shoot, is by far the BEST instruction for newbies. From my experience as an public school educator, my mantra, was Tell Me, Show ME, Let Me.

That is what 

                                      Josh                         and                         Kevin

do through there Video instructions. OMG, these guys are awesome! Just imagine you have a best friend who just happens to be a Pro-Photographer. Your friend noticed your interest and said, " Want me to teach you how to use that camera with all those settings?".  Hell, yeah!
So your new best friend tells you, Shows you, and lets you try (still holding your hand, via video) how to manage your DSRL and take photos in MANUAL !  And if you have a table, your new friends can go to the shoot with you. But if you don't, never fear cuz they take you on one of there shoots and talk you through the entire process and show you everything they are doing, how awesome is that I ask?

More soon to come Photography 102! Video ! I am jumping for joy. All this for 55$. Get those fingers moving to Shoot Fly Shoot. There's always room in the class for one more student!

Been THERE Done THAT

Big Picture Classes is the site I began my journey into online classes. As a life long learner (lll) what brings joy to my heart is learning. There was a time it was teaching and seeing the joy in others from learning as well. Over at Big Picture there are so many classes to turn on the creative switch. The class, Great Pictures with Any Camera by Elisha Snow, was a workshop give Fall 2010. So why talk about it? 

As an instructor myself I have found that some learners ( I include myself in this category) need more than one way, one point of view, one technique, to fully grasp a concept or two.  This class covers the more creative side of  Photography covering light, composition, Creative Icon settings on your DSRL, taking self portraits and dealing with flash white Balance Focusing on post processing. All valuable information for the wanna be like me. 

Big Picture offers Workshops and Self Paced classes (ie, Instant Downloads). I would love to see the past workshops repeated or offered as an instant download. Anyway, just head over to Big Picture and learn something there has to be something going on over there that will assist in THE QUEST.

Been THERE Done THAT

My own quest has lead me to several online Photography Classes. Over at Jessica Sprague, OH Shoot with Candice Stringham offers plenty of downloadable text/photos discussion Shutter Speed, Aperture, Focus, metering, histogram, lighting and manual mode. Candice has Exposure Rulers, a sort of slide Rule ( oh, remember those nifty things from High School), that uses shutter speed and aperture to give all  exposure settings. Her explanation is flawless. At 126$ for 6 weeks of classes with video explanation, MP3 audio of lesson, Daily (M-F) emails and one assignment per lesson I felt she covered the gamut of DSLR. The most valuable detail at Jessica Sprague is once you sign up for a class you are able to access it any time for as long as the site remains. This is invaluable for refresher one month to one year down the line!

Next Been There Done THAT - I will talk about Mastering Manual Mode at Big Picture with  Elisha Snow.
Shoot Fly Shoot with Kevin and Josh two great guys with a passion for photography and teaching.

Just in case you are wondering, yes, I paid for and took all these classes. Find out which was my favorite --- Just keep reading----my quest continues.

Quest

Diving in and learning everything possible about what ever you are doing. Whether your a Cook, seamstress, painter, photographer, and the list goes on,  the need to read about, gain insight, anything that helps us understand, make connections, and  spur our creativity. The quest to know everything and anything about our Topic is the quest! 

On a personal Note:

Spring fever. This is a good thing. We are having unseasonably beautiful  weather her in the North-Coast. Sunny and in the high 60's and 70's. Soon the patio and deck will be a place of my creative outlet, place to share time with loved ones and a sanctuary of solitude when no one is home.  The above photo is my deck, decked out in full summer glory and altered for my Art Journal. Inspiration is every where!

I can fill myself falling into the WOW stage. With every pop of a tree bud, to shadow created by sunshine, to the sound of the birds at daylight to the sound of the peeps at night--WOW !

The Flood

Where ever I go what every I do I am thinking about what I am creating. My brain is filled with idea, processes, opened for inspiration. The flood of thought consumes me. I tend to work fast, talk fast, think fast, move fast, yet not fast enough. Nothing can stop me and time does not exist. Flying high as a kite and enjoying every minute of it. Some my refer to it as the zone.

WOW- The thrill of it all

Free ATC

The thrill, the exhilaration,it is there in our head waiting to get out! THE WOW. Since I am not in the WOW phase today I am finding it difficult to get motivated, that is an other stage all in of it's self. However, we have all been there. Its seems that you can not work fast enough, whether your writing a book,short story, painting, art journaling, digitalizing in Photoshop, sketching, designing kitchens to sweaters the adrenalin is flowing! The excitement, the joy is at times a complete high. Focus is so intense that a bomb could go off and not be heard. Your are dancing with joy.  

 Which brings me to the new show on NBC:

Putting aside all the drama. Yes, we love the drama. Watching the performers, actors, directors, writers, go through the creative process is magical. I try to identify where they are in to creative spectrum and then I focus on the drama!

Comments are always welcome --come join the ride and collect your ATC cards