Course Content
Introduction
A pre-lesson to help prepare you for Lesson 1.
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Lesson 1: Getting Started
Collect the photography gear that you'll need for the course
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Lesson 2: The Workings of a Camera (Technical Lesson 1)
In this lesson, we'll discuss how a camera works - including digital cameras!
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Lesson 3: Background vs. Foreground (Composition 1)
In this lesson, we will look at the three basic elements of every photograph - the foreground, the background, and the subject.
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Lesson 4: Light (Technical Lesson 2)
Everything in a photograph is based on light. In this lesson, we will study light and how to use it to your advantage while taking pictures.
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Lesson 5: Tell a Story (Composition 2)
In this lesson, we will discuss how to compose pictures in such a way as to draw viewers into the photo via the story it tells.
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Lesson 6: The Direction of Light (Technical Lesson 3)
In this lesson, we will look at how the direction of light affects our photographs - and why this is important.
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Wilderness Photography 101
About Lesson
  1. Go outside on a sunny day between the hours of 10am and 3pm.  You’ll need your camera and a sheet of pure white paper – it should be lightweight or at least normal weight (no cardstock or photo paper).  You may also want to take a helper with you, although it’s not absolutely necessary.
  2. Find a subject (it should be fairly small, such as a flower or small rock) in the sunshine.
  3. Take a photograph of your chosen subject.
  4. Hold up the paper so that it is shadowing your subject – having a helper do this so you can operate the camera may be useful.  You may need to back up a bit so that the paper is shadowing the subject but not leaving it in deep shadow.  If your paper is too thick, the subject will appear to be in deep shadow rather than having filtered light on it.  If this is the case, find a lighter-weight sheet of paper or use thin white fabric, such as a thin camisole or a white dress shirt.
  5. Take a picture of the subject as it is shadowed by the paper.
  6. Compare the two photos.  Can you see how the softer light affects the photograph?