Digital Photo Basics
2-SESSION BEGINNING PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS
Fundamentals of Photography Class Near Aurora
Conveniently Located in Downers Grove
CURRENT DATES FOR THIS PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS:
(IF NO DATES ARE SHOWN, PLEASE CHECK BACK.)

Digital Photo Basics focuses on camera equipment and field techniques that are essential for creating technically excellent photographs.
Requirements: Digital Interchangeable Lens Camera (DSLR or EVF/mirrorless) with spot or partial metering and lens, along with a Willingness to Learn (View Course Requirements)
For: Beginning Photographers
Prerequisites: Get to Know Your Camera
This digital photography course is just as important as Get to Know Your Camera. It answers many fundamental, practical questions that beginning photographers need to know about DSLR and mirrorless cameras, lenses, filters, flash, tripods, RAW files, field techniques, and much more. The course flows naturally from the 2-session digital camera class called Get To Know Your Camera.
You’ll learn about the fundamental principles related to cameras, lenses, filters, and photography in general. The information provided will also help you understand the capabilities and limitations of your current equipment and what you may need to add so that you can better photograph the things you love most.
Information covered in this class include:
- Essentials of Lenses
- Focal Length
- Magnification
- Field of View
- Fixed vs. Variable Aperture
- Fast vs. Slow Lenses
- Sharpness & Contrast
- Crop Factor (important for comparing cameras, lenses, and making sharp hand-held images)
- Making Sharp Images
- Tripods & Heads
- Remote Shutter Releases
- Mirror Lock-Up
- What are F-Stops, really?
- Depth of Field & How it Works
- Hyperfocal Distance (how to get everything in focus, often used for scenery)
- Filters
- UV and Skylight Filters
- Circular Polarizing Filters
- Split Grad Filters (used for controlling high-contrast scenes)
- Memory Cards
- Introduction to Flash
- File Formats (RAW, JPG, and RGB)
- Caring for Your Camera
- Mike will demonstrate with lenses, filters, tripods, and more!
As with all of Mike’s presentations, he has created a very visual and poignant PowerPoint program that clearly illustrates the various photographic principles and techniques. A comprehensive handout of the PowerPoint lecture is provided so you can engage in the class instead of taking notes. Plus, the handout is a valuable resource to guide you in the future.
If you have further questions about Mike MacDonald photography workshops just email or phone 630-852-8448.