Location, location, location: It counts as much for photographers as realtors. Choosing a promising spot—and knowing how to make the most of its creative possibilities—is where great on-location shoots begin. If you want to take better photos wherever you travel, this is the class for you.
Luckily, Washington offers plenty of visual inspiration, with bountiful and diverse gardens, monuments, people, and places. Now learn to capture this vibrant capital city and sharpen your way of thinking about shooting outdoors in a course that focuses on deploying a minimal amount of equipment and a lot of fresh perspective.
Students learn to take better photos by taking fewer of them and keeping post-processing to a minimum. Emphasis is placed on what happens before the shutter release is pressed, and on truly pre-visualizing the photograph.
Sessions includes lectures, field trips, loosely structured assignments, and critique sessions in which students develop strategies to meet the difficulties of an outdoor shoot. Lectures cover topics such as depth of field; exposure adjustments; using a tripod; composition; and natural lighting conditions.
All field trip destinations are Metro-accessible, and include the National Gallery of Art and the Portrait Gallery, the sculpture gardens at the Hirshhorn and the National Gallery; the Library of Congress and its magnificent King Neptune Fountain; the Supreme Court; the classical splendor of Union Station and its Columbus Fountain; the Andrew Jackson monument in Lafayette Square; the Peace Monument on the Capitol Grounds; and numerous Smithsonian buildings on the National Mall.
A basic understanding of photographic concepts is required, along with a camera that allows for adjustments to the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and exposure compensation. Participants provide their own cameras and may work in the camera format of their choice. Field trips may require considerable walking. Students provide their own transportation.
Instructor: Joe Yablonsky
8 sessions, 3 hours each (no class Feb. 16)
