PhotoTrainer, Palo Alto:
PhotoTrainer is a photography school located in Palo Alto, in the San Francisco Bay Area, California that teaches you how to approach and enjoy your digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera. Since 2005, we have taught hundreds of people how to own and operate their DSLR's. At PhotoTrainer, we conduct small photography classes and also offer private one-on-one training workshops for people and businesses. Our students learn with their own cameras in their hands. We also offer a summer photography camp for teens as well as online photography training.
Email: Contact us here
( or request a callback ).
We offer the following photography workshops in the Bay Area:
DSLR Jumpstart Workshop:
Good photography comes first! We connect four key qualities found in excellent photographs to your camera's operations (buttons, dials and thingies). Although we cannot teach you everything about your digital camera in this workshop, we show you the most important features that make your camera the unique creative tool that it is. We emphasize understanding M manual mode. Break the Auto habit! We show you the Way to Shoot with a digital camera by introducing you to new camera habits. This quick beginner class is for fast learners. In this information intensive camera class, we offer Key Metering, Exposure and White Balance demos. You also get our color course booklet to take home and continue learning.
~ 1 to 4 instructor to student ratio (maximum of 8 students per class)
DSLR Jumpstart Deluxe Workshop:
The Jumpstart Deluxe morning session is the same as the DSLR Jumpstart, in the afternoon we explore more features with hands on demos with your camera in hand. This class is created to support those students who benefit from more time and demonstrations to learn Exposure Metering control, White Balance, Auto Focus control, on camera flash technique, and two key composition strategies. We work for three hours in the morning, take a lunch break and then come back for three more hours in the afternoon. The day offers a thoughtfully paced six hours of instruction, demos and answering questions along the way.
~ 1 to 4 instructor to student ratio (maximum of 8 students per class)
DSLR Explore Workshop:
The PhotoTrainer DSLR Explore class is an all-day, hands-on-lots-of-photography class. The Jumpstart is a recommended pre-requisite as these classes are designed to go together. During the Explore we are outdoors and shooting in Manual mode all day. Using the Jumpstart course book we go over the Way to Shoot with digital. We then explore color, exposure, and good use of lenses. In the morning, we work with open-light portraiture and floral macro photography. In the afternoon, we look at action and challenging lighting. We review images before lunch and at the end of the day. We limit the group to six with two instructors. We micro-manage you and your camera. There is no hiding and we buy you a nice lunch!
3-Day Teen Photo Summer Camp:
In today's modern world, the Camera is the thing! Visual communication skills are key to your teen's academic and life experience. This is a three-day course led by a professional photographer. Based on solid photographic fundamentals of exposure, color, sharpness and composition, your teen learns how to use camera settings to get better photographs. This is a stop-and-get-off-the-bus tour of the digital camera.
In Adobe PhotoShop Elements, we also cover photo editing techniques for prints, slideshows, and more. We teach basic printmaking applicable to common household color printers, as well as high-end, professional printers. Your teen prints a 10-image, 8x10 portfolio (yes, of their photos) and learns finishing and how to be the photo-hero on the yearbook staff or ace those semester-end project presentations. We will also have some plain old fun with the joy of photography.
Lunches, snacks, course booklet and portfolio are provided. Space is limited to six students, ages 13-19. For a 3:1 student teacher ratio. (Sorry, grown-ups, we offer you other fun classes)
Requirements: Students are required to bring a good laptop with Adobe PhotoShop Elements for this class. Also required is a recent point-and-shoot camera. A DSLR camera is preferable. Although there are excellent uses for point-and-shoot, "bridge" cameras (non compact fixed lens cameras) and DSLR cameras, the better the camera your student has, the more your student will learn for future use. We can provide more details upon request.
Coastal DSLR Explore Workshop:
We s
tart the day at Fiddler's Cove on the south end of Pescadero State beach and shoot among the rocks, tide pools and what ever La Mer serves up to us in the morning. We use tripods for good composition and great depth of field. We practice the Way to Shoot for digital cameras and see how light and histograms work. We also have time for mucho macro photography where many creatures lurk in the tide pools. Wear boots and warm clothes.
Then we wend our way back through the redwood forest at Huddart/Memorial Park. We take on another aspect of nature photography, seeing how the deep forest modifies light and how to approach extreme ranges in contrast in a given scene.
This class has a follow-up evening review conference online. We gather by the monitor light... Everyone posts 12 images from the Explore day's photography and we discuss them.
Lightroom Jumpstart 101 Workshop:
Learn the basics of Adobe's Photoshop Lightroom program. We have tested many image organization and processing programs and we think Lightroom is a winner. We have also reviewed and tried many approaches to the features and have come up with our own best ways to tame this vast and powerful software giant. Learn how to manage your photographs from the camera and into the future. We walk you through a sensible method for editing and adjusting images by way of the library. We developed modules to get you and your images organized and looking great. We present a practical and eclectic overview of the slideshow, print and web modules to do things with your images that, well, are just downright exciting.
Private Training:
In individual PhotoTraining, you complete a questionnaire, which becomes a personalized lesson plan for you, your camera and your goals. Whether you are looking for camera training, photography critique, a creative mentor or a technical resource, private training is the most efficient way to learn and progress quickly. Our initial session is 2.5 hours and covers those issues you find most challenging or engaging. This session is tailored to you and your camera and is ideal for getting a quick start with a new camera you have just purchased. We have also helped numerous people who have just found themselves "Hitting the wall" creatively and technically.
Online Critique:
To see where and how to improve your photography skills, an online critique of your images can be very helpful. Sign up and fill out the survey that outlines your critique agenda. Then send me to a gallery of no more than 50 images, where I can see metadata (properties). I review your images beforehand and then spend 45 minutes with you on Skype with screen sharing. Based entirely on your photographic goals and interests, we review your images, most likely with a focus on a few good and a few not-so-good images and I offer paths to photographic improvement. Whether technical or creative, these paths are in support of making your images more true to your desired expression.
