Earlier this year, Joey and I signed up for what we thought was a lighting workshop through Groupon. We had expectations of showing up, meeting some peer photographers, learning advanced lighting techniques and participating on a photo walk. Let’s just say we showed up excited, but left disappointed.  We weren’t disappointed because we didn’t learn anything new, we were disappointed because the instructor didn’t actually teach anything.  We felt like he was just there to collect our money and take us on a walk. Most of the other participants were inexperienced and obviously very lost — we took a few students under our wings and showed them some basic concepts.  The general consensus is that everyone felt totally ripped off.

On the way home Joey suggested I put my teaching skills to work and offer an affordable photography class for beginners. I took his advice and had my first group of students this past weekend.  It was a great experience!!  We met in the morning in my home studio in Tulsa, went over how a camera actually works, what all the manual settings do, had lots of discussion on framing and composition, and went on our own photo safari using the skills we learned in class.  I am very proud of this group of students.  They went from not knowing what the little letters on the camera dial mean to shooting the photos you see below. Keep in mind these photos are directly out of their own cameras with no Photoshop effects applied.

Based on the positive feedback I got on this first class, I am going to have more classes.  If you want to learn how to use the actual settings on your camera, check out my workshop page and contact me. I can teach you to take photos like the ones you see below too.  I hope to see you soon!

 Actual Student Photos from Gentry’s Tulsa Photography Class for Beginners

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