Photography Courses and Workshops: March 2020

Kate Woodward

The following list describes sample photography courses and workshops from a variety of providers. Note that the providers generally have many additional courses or workshops on their websites. The courses/workshops are organized around three categories: (1) Classes and Workshops in the DC Area, (2) Online Courses, and (3) Multi-day Photography Trips to Places Within and Beyond the United States.

You are also invited to provide descriptions of courses/workshops you have taken and recommend, for the Cable Release. Email me at info@ssccphotography.org or cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.

Note: Inclusion in this list is not an endorsement of the provider or the particular course/workshop.

1. Courses/Workshops in the Washington, DC Area

The sample courses listed in this section are available either in March or April 2020.

Capital Photography Center

Setting: Classroom or in the field
Duration of Courses: Generally,multiple hours or full day
Sample Courses:
- Lightroom in a Day
- Take Your Photography to the Next Level
- St. Mathews Cathedral
- External Flash Made Easy
- Spring at the Franciscan Monastery

And other courses at http://capitalphotographycenter.com/classes/

Note: Capital Photography Center and Washington Photo Safari, listed below, sometimes co-offer workshops. Also, see Michael Koren, below, for his courses offered through Capital Photography Center. Capital Photography Center is offering one travel tour in Section 3.

Dramatic Product Photography Group Meet-up (Michael Pucciarelli)

Setting: Classroom
Duration of Courses: Multiple hours
Sample Courses:
- Natural Lighting with Flash Workshop
- Flash Lighting Workshop
- Natural Light Workshop with Headshots

See https://www.meetup.com/Rockville-Dramatic-Product-Photography-Group/

Note: Michael Pucciarelli is a member of the Silver Spring Camera Club.

Glen Echo Park (Photoworks)

Setting: Mostly classroom, but a few in the field
Duration of Courses: Generally, multiple hours or multiple sessions
Sample Courses
- Skills: Photoshop Adjustment Layers & Masks
- Skills: Introduction to Lightroom
- Skills: Photoshop Compositing Basics
- Vision: Advanced Photo Seminar—Next Steps
- Workshop: Lighting Basics—Indoor/Outdoor

And other courses at http://www.ssreg.com/glenechopark/classes/classes.asp?catID=4403&pcatID=4379

Michael Koren Photography

Setting: Classroom or in the field
Duration of Courses: Multiple hours or multiple sessions
Sample Courses:
- Photographic Composition: Essential Techniques
- Smartphone Field Shoot – Springtime Around the Capitol
- Smartphone Photography: Getting Started at the American Indian Museum
- Street Photography

And other courses at https://www.michaelkorenphotography.com/teaching-schedule/

Note: Michael Koren was formerly president of the Silver Spring Camera Club and is currently a director. His courses are offered through Capital Photography Center and Montgomery College Lifelong Learning Institute. These two vendors are listed in this section, but you can access Michael Koren’s courses through his Website.

Montgomery College Community Arts

Setting: Classroom
Duration of Courses: Multiple sessions
Sample Courses: Special Topics in Photography: Exploring Light

And other courses at https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/workforce-development-continuing-education/community-arts/index.html

Montgomery College Lifelong Learning Institute, Workforce Development & Continuing Education

Setting: Classroom
Duration of Courses: Multiple sessions
Sample Courses: Street Photography

And other courses at http://aceitoc.montgomerycollege.edu/course/courselistings.aspx Select Lifelong Learning Institute/Photography

Smithsonian Associates

Setting: Mostly classroom, but a few in the field
Duration of Courses: Multiple hours, full day, or multiple sessions
Sample Courses:
- Introduction to iPhone Photography
- Introduction to Lightroom
- Introduction to Black-and-White Photography and the Darkroom
- Introduction to Studio Portraiture
- On-Location Photography

And other courses at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/events/photography

Washington Photo Safari

Setting: Mostly in the field but a few in the classroom
Duration of Courses: Multiple hours or full day (occasionally two days)
Sample Courses:
- Inside and Outside the Spectacular U.S. Institute of Peace Building
- Magnolia Tulip Time at the Smithsonian Castle and its Neighbors
- Sunset and Twilight from the Kennedy Center Terrace Rooftop
- Adobe Photoshop I
- Monumental Pillow Fight

And other courses at https://washingtonphotosafari.com/

2. Online Courses

Coursera

Coursera is an online venue for courses taught by various universities and other institutions. Coursera offers MOOC’s—massive open online courses. You can generally audit the courses, particularly the video lectures, for free. Paid tuition allows you to submit work and to receive a certificate for work completed, as well as access to additional areas of the online classroom, To audit or pay for the courses, you will need to enroll. Courses are offered at various times throughout the year, but if you are auditing, you can enroll at other times and have access to course materials. Note also that courses stay on your account beyond the announced time allotted for the course.

Seeing through Photographs, Museum of Modern Art (6-week commitment)
Coursera offers the following 5-course specialization, Photography Basics and Beyond: From Smartphone to DSLR, University of Michigan. (4-week commitment per course).
- Cameras, Exposure, and Photography
- Camera Control
- Principles of Photo Composition and Digital Image Post-Production
- Photography Techniques: Light, Content & Sharing
- Photography Capstone Project

See https://www.coursera.org/courses?languages=en&query=photography

Note: Coursera also has other courses relevant to photography (such as Film, Images, & Historical Interpretation in the 20^th Century: The Camera Never Lies; Copyright for Multimedia; Telling a Branding Story through Images; Making Architecture; Modern Art and Ideas; Introduction to Imagemaking; and a Specialization in Graphic Design).

Kelby One

Kelby One (run by Scott Kelby) is an online monthly (or annual) course subscription service. With its most complete subscription option, you are offered 700+ courses, along with access to its two magazines: Photoshop User and Lightroom Magazine. Photography topics range from technical skills and software training to artistic aspects of photography. While a few of KelbyOne courses are listed below, you might want to simply search for your particular interests. You may try out approximately 15 designated courses for free, prior to subscribing, if you sign up for an account.

How to Infuse YOU into Your Photography
Get Up to Speed Fast on the New Photoshop 2020
Getting Your Portfolio Online: Using Adobe Portfolio
Lightpainting: Macro, Models, and Outdoor Location Portrait
From Taking to Making: The Secrets to Great Photographs

And other courses at https://kelbyone.com

You may also want to explore Scott Kelby’s free video series on YouTube—The Grid—which contains critiques of photos submitted online. Recently, he has also added some short photo tip videos. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=The+Grid%3A+Scott+Kelby

Lynda.com (Linked-In)

Lynda.com is an online monthly (or annual) course subscription service with hundreds of photography courses; it is now available free with a Montgomery County Public Library card (https://montgomerycountymd.libguides.com/az.php?q=lynda.com) . The DC Public Library also offers free access, and Lynda.com provides a free month-long trial subscription.

Courses consist of multiple video lectures, and they vary in length from less than an hour to more than 5 hours. Photography topics range from technical skills and software training to artistic aspects of photography. Courses can be searched by skill level (beginner through advanced), topic, software, and professor; searches will also yield parts of courses on a particular topic. While a few courses are listed below, you might want to simply search for your particular interests and skill level.

Lynda.com offers weekly photography tips/instruction videos, from six of its instructors:
- Photo Critique of the Week with Steve Simon
- Mobile Photography Weekly with Sean Duggan
- The Practicing Photographer and Creativity for All, both with Ben Long
- Photo Tools Weekly with Chris Orwig
- Photo Gear Weekly with Tim Grey
- Deke’s Techniques with Deke McClelland
Photoshop 2020: New Features
Creating a Photography Portfolio
Learning Lighting: Natural Light
Exploring Photography: Back Lighting

And other courses at https://montgomerycountymd.libguides.com/az.php?q=lynda.com (or subscription at https://www.lynda.com/ )

Photographic Society of America (PSA)

Online courses are offered free with membership and usually last a few months.