I just signed up for an online Digital Photography Course!
When I was a Graphic Design student back in the early 90’s, one of our subjects we had to take was photography. I couldn’t have signed up for an online Digital Photography Course way back then because they didn’t exist, I think the internet was still a baby! My dad lent me his old Minolta camera for the course and I loved capturing closeups of intricate details in plants and exploring composition, contrast and visual storytelling. I also enjoyed learning about the different technical aspects such as shutter speeds and aperture settings, but unfortunately I can’t remember any of those now.
I do remember that one of the first things we had to do on the course is make our own pinhole camera out of cardboard. It’s still amazing to me that you can actually construct your own camera and take real photographs using just a shoebox! I put a bowtie on my cardboard pinhole camera so that I could say “be careful his bowtie is really a camera“. I thought I was funnier in those days than I actually was, I think.
I also remember the smell of the dark room, the anxiety of being careful to open your spools in pitch darkness, having to create contact sheets and the magic of seeing your images emerge from the developing fluid.
Sadly I don’t remember the model of my dad’s camera as, even sadder, it was stolen from the boot of my car in Johannesburg early one morning as we were about to head off on holidays down to the Berg.
Losing the camera would be one of the big reasons why I didn’t keep up manual photography and can’t remember how to use all the features on a camera. The other big reason is of course photography and cameras have changed so much since the 90’s.
A couple of years after I graduated, I was teaching Adobe Photoshop classes and in those days we scoffed at the quality of images that digital cameras were producing. Nowadays, the quality on your phone camera would be far superior to the best digital cameras back then!
Now, this past Christmas, approximately 20 years after my dad’s camera was stolen, I received a camera as a present from Athol and the kids. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude and delight that I burst into tears! My camera is a Nikon D3500* (yes I know I was thoroughly spoilt) which apparently is an excellent starter camera if you are wanting to get into digital photography. I have been taking it out and about and trying to figure out how to use all the features as best I can but I’ve finally decided it’s time to take a course.
About 4 years ago, after attending a creative writing workshop at our local library in Wexford here in Ireland, I signed up for an online Short Story Writing course through Universal Class. It was a great course, I learnt a lot and I was able to go at my own pace, although the course has to be completed within a certain time frame – which was good, I always do better with deadlines! The brilliant thing about UniversalClass is you have access to a personal tutor via e-mail who will answer questions, and, if you sign up through the library, these courses are free!
So this morning I did a search for an online photography course and signed up to Digital Photography 101! Woohoo!!
I am excited about taking this course to discover what those little numbers and symbols all over the dial and buttons actually mean. My camera now has a screen on the back where the spool used to go which to my mind is as complex looking as an aeroplane cockpit.
I also love that this hobby brings me so much joy. Last night I went for a walk in the woods with my camera and the stopping to look and observe the world around from new angles gave me a greater appreciation for the beauty that we have surrounding us. I hope to capture a small piece of this in my photographs.
I am looking forward to being able to use this hobby in my blogging business too in order to create beautiful images for my blog posts. And hopefully now my Instagram feed will soon start to demonstrate my new found skills! 😀 😀
Here are a few of my favourite shots I’ve taken since Christmas time:
Are you on Instagram too? If so let’s connect there!
So no doubt I will let you know how I get on with the course, hopefully between the rain and the kids I’ll be able to complete it.
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What a great idea! One of us had a new camera for Christmas too! And we’d looked in to courses in the local college but then 2020 happened. Maybe next year.
What a pity! Online is at least more accessible at the moment but not nearly as sociable as college. Hopefully next year will be better!
Sounds like great fun. I used to have a Pentax 1000 35mm camera that was really good. I took great pictures with it, but, like you, have forgotten much about how to use it. I even had close-up lenses and a zoom lens which I never did learn to use properly. I got a digital with a Lumix lens about 15 years ago, and have been taking pictures ever since. I still don’t know everything it will do, but what I do know is good enough for me. It is a lot of fun and gives me a lot of pleasure too.
Oh yes, I remember the lenses too, a long 300mm I think and then all the discs for closeups.
It is a fun hobby isn’t it, and digital is so much easier now that you can see your shots straight away!
Enjoy!
Thank you Enda!
So excited about your course, Libs – enjoy! What course is it? Send me the link! Robs x
Hey Robs, thanks I am super excited about it too! The link to the website is there above in the post to UniversalClass and if you search for photography it comes up. Are you thinking of doing more?