Photography Class #1

Photography class has begun and it was rather interesting if I do say so myself. As you may, or may not know, I bought a fancy new camera (Nikon D3000) back in the fall (thank you, interest free financing for 12 months!). And along with the fancy new camera came some fancy photography classes at Wolf Camera. Last night was the first of these classes, titled “Intro to DSLR Photography.”


My friends Lisa and Candy also bought new cameras – Lisa got hers a couple of weeks before me and Candy got hers a couple of weeks after me; so, we were all able to trot on down to Wolf Camera last night and take the class together. But, first… we ate, after all; any good night must start with a good meal. Candy, Lisa and I had dinner at Atlanta Bread Company where I devoured the veggie sandwich, which is divine, if I do say so myself.

When we arrived at Wolf, Candy’s husband, Andrew was waiting on us. Lisa’s Derek had signed up for the class but had to work and my Tony, well, he didn’t call in time to get put on the list (sarcastic gasp of shock here!). We walked in and were immediately… disappointed. Lisa and I thought there would be tables for folks to sit at while learning the ins and outs of photography; but, instead, it was a group of folding chairs in the middle of the store. I don’t know about you, but I hate sitting in a folding chair. It hurts my bottom. They are not comfortable. There’s just nothing good about a hard folding chair, I’m sorry to say. I told the girls that next week I was going to bring my chair in a bag – and don’t think I won’t because I so will and everyone will be jealous.

Well, we found seat, but not all together. Lisa and I sat together and Andrew and Candy sat in front of us. When we sat down, a guy named Bobby was explaining to everyone about RitzPix and asking everyone to fill out a form. He had a very country voice and he started explaining RitzPix over and over and over again. He could have saved a lot of time and energy if he had just started when everyone had gotten there. While Bobby was ramblin’ on about RitzPix, a lady closer to the front waved at me multiple times. I vaguely recognized her face, but wasn’t sure if she was waving at me or someone secretly standing behind me. So, I blurted out in a not so tactful way, “Do I know you?” “Yes, Susanne Anderson,” she said. “Oh yes, how are you doing?” I said as my stomach dropped to my ankles. You see, Mrs. Anderson is none other than the mother of my college sweetheart, Chris. Oh the horror! At any rate, Mrs. Anderson has lost some weight since I last laid eyes on her and it has been over 10 years since I’ve seen her so cut me a little slack here, people. To answer your pending question; no I didn’t talk to her after class, but that’s only because she left the class as soon as it was over and I didn’t have an opportunity to fill her in on how I’m still single and without children. But, there’s time for that next week.

On to the class – after a not so brief introduction by Bobby (who promised an intermission, but didn’t deliver), Mr. Farley Vaughn got up in front of our group and started teaching the class. Now for those not from around these parts, Mr. Vaughn was a fantastic wedding photographer in his day. In fact, he was booked the day my parents’ got hitched so they had to go with someone else. Mr. Vaughn is, I would venture to say, in his seventies, but I found him fascinating. Probably because I knew of his reputation and who doesn’t want to learn from a master?! He’s like the Yoda of Huntsville photography!

Mr. Vaughn taught us about SLR (Single Lens Reflex) Cameras and how they work and told us about different modes that you can shoot on. He tried not to get into too much detail because we have many more classes yet to attend. Some things that we learned are: the smaller the lens number, the faster the lens (not talking mm here). Aperture and controls the amount of light let in and also is a major factor in the degree of depth of field in a photograph. Shutter speed will control the stopping or blurring of movement in a photograph. A Puffer softens the light of your pop up flash and is available for $19.99 at Wolf Camera. When you increase the ISO you get a better picture, but a grainier or “noisier” picture. There are both round and square filter systems. Because of limitations with a pop up flash (only 10-12 feet in range), the ability to add an auxiliary flash is one of the major advantages of a SLR. When you change the lens on a camera, get in a corner and turn the lens side of the camera down to prevent dust from entering the camera. Always have a lens or a cover on your camera – no naked cameras! Cameras – they don’t make pictures, they make memories!

I don’t know about the others, but I really enjoyed this class. My only complaint is the chairs and the fact that Bobby interrupted a lot to put in his two cents. The class lasted about 2.5 hours and I’m looking forward to next week’s lesson.