Photography Classes in NYC for Beginner to Advanced Level

PhotoManhattan:
Founded in 2003, PhotoManhattan is an established photography school in Manhattan, NYC offering excellent digital and film photography courses, private classes and free seminars as well as affordable darkroom and photo studio rentals. Introductory and advanced photographic instruction are offered at a fraction of the cost of larger institutes and schools in the area. People of all ages and capabilities are welcome. Our photography classes are designed for students who wish to learn photography as a hobby, therefore our courses are not accredited.

Basic Beginner to Advanced Level Photography Courses:
PhotoManhattan's curriculums have been tested and improved over the years to provide solid and dynamic training to thousands of students of all levels. Whether you just want to learn how to use your camera in full manual mode, take an outdoor photography class in New York city, or master the techniques of Studio and Lighting, PhotoManhattan could be the place for you.

Photography in Automatic Mode:
This course is our most simplified version of Introductory Photography for those of you looking to learn tricks and tips using your camera strictly in Automatic and Semi-Automatic modes. Students will learn tricks and tips necessary to improve their travel, candid, landscape or action shots. Course will cover: Framing, Lighting, Exposure control, Focus, and basic special effect techniques.

Photo Orientation:
This course was designed for those of you who wish to touch upon several different fields of Photography before immersing in each full dedicated course. Each week, students will learn about various different topics, ranging from Exposure & Digital camera settings, through Focus control and Depth of field, to TTL Flash control, Portraiture, and Studio and Lighting.

Classes will consists of weekly assignments, photo critiques, and most importantly in-class photo shoots furnished with professional equipment including: strobes, flash-meters, umbrellas, soft-boxes, camera tripods, portable flash units, and more! This course is an excellent orientation into the world of photography and the fields to be explored.

Introduction to Photography:
This course is a complete training on all the basic and intermediate photography techniques and processes: Camera settings, Exposure control, Photo-Composition, Focus control, Basic Lighting, Portraiture and Project development.

Photography II:
The purpose of this course is to fully train students advanced photo techniques to enable them to expand their creativity and express their own ideas, convictions and emotions through photography. Through the study of different techniques: composition, lighting, depth of filed, and special effects, students will develop a better understanding of how different techniques can be used to manipulate and change the meaning of a given image. Students will also be introduced to Color photography, flash, tripods, and basic image post processing.

Photo Documentary:
Learn to develop a Photo documentary project, from the conception of an idea, through the analysis of your subject, to the final layout of a series of photographs. Students will be assigned to document the streets of New York through a 6-week photo project. Each class will consist of an introduction to the work of famous documentary photographers as well as a photo critique of students weekly work. Various documentary techniques will be reviewed and practiced through assignments. Outdoor shooting might take place if students are interested. By the end of this Workshop, students are encouraged to present their best photographs at any of PhotoManhattan's students' exhibitions!

Photoshop I:
This course is designed for those of you who are looking to learn image retouching and fine-tuning using Photoshop. Course covers: Histogram, Contrast & Color adjustment using Levels, Cropping, Sharpening, Noise control, and Saving settings for various outputs.

Photoshop II:
Through weekly presentations and assignments, students will learn to work with Masks, Curves and Photoshop Tools in order to achieve specific, localized image adjustments and fine retouching.
The knowledge achieved in this course will provide students with advanced control of difficult images in Raw and Jpeg formats.

Portable Flash:
This course is a thorough training on using portable flash in various modes from Automatic, through TTL, to Manual. Students will learn not only the ins and outs of Automatic functions but they will also learn special techniques and troubleshoot necessary to not only improve Flash lighting, but also make more creative lighting set ups. This course will cover off-camera flash and set ups of up to 3 units both wired and wirelessly. Class shooting and demonstrations will be made using PhotoManhattan's equipment.

Portraiture:
This course explores both the intangibles of art portraiture and the concrete specifics of client-based portraiture. The work of successful photographers both in candid, formal, and commercial portraiture will be analyzed and harvested for both their technical and aesthetic merits. Course will cover: Introduction to Portraiture styles & history, Portraiture composition, Directing the sitters, Environmental portraiture and Portrait lighting using hot-lights. A sitter will be provided in the final class to practice the methods learned. Limited spaces: 12 students. This course includes a photo exhibition of students' work on the 9th class.

Studio & Lighting:
This course is a perfect mixture of basic and intermediate studio & lighting techniques. It is designed to teach students to accurately manipulate lighting in order to get exact results as well as to make creative studio imagery from portraiture to product. Through weekly photo shoots at PhotoManhattan's Studio, students will train on: Studio equipment use, Flash-meter and Lighting ratios, Exposure and Tonality control, Basic Portraiture lighting, Background control, Ambient & strobe light mix, and basic Special effects.

The knowledge achieved in this course is applicable to any kind of photography and a "must" for those of you looking to jump to the next step! Students will work on the presentation of 4 product photos of their own creation which they are welcome to exhibit at PhotoManhattan and at our student photo gallery webpage. Spaces limited to 8 students.

For further information on our photography classes in Manhattan, NYC, please email us via our Contact Page.