SANTA
CLARA
PHOTOGRAPHY
GROUP

Upcoming Events

Nearby Photography Groups

Cowboy Shot Class

Cowboy Shot Class

Saturday 24 May
Lovers Point - 10:30am - 2 Hours
Salinas Photography Group
Izzy Lyons
The term "hip shot" or "cowboy shot" is sometimes used to describe a camera angle where the subject is framed from the hip up, often seen in Western films to show a character's gun or holster. Shooting a camera from the hip, or hip shooting, is a technique where a photographer captures a photo without looking through the viewfinder, instead holding the camera at waist or hip level and clicking the shutter button.
book now
$47      
Using Light  Shadow in Photography

Using Light Shadow in Photography

Saturday 31 May
Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge - 10:30am - 2 Hours
Salinas Photography Group
Izzy Lyons
Light and shadow photography is a type of photography that focuses on capturing the interplay between light and shadow in a particular scene. This style of photography often produces dramatic and compelling images that can evoke strong emotions in the viewer.Harsh light and the contrast between light and shadow can provide some interesting photoopportunities, as well as some challenges! In this meetup, we will be looking at how you can use your camera's settings to nail the exposure.
book now
$47      
Water Droplets

Water Droplets

Saturday 07 June
Carmel Valley - 10:30am - 2 Hours
Salinas Photography Group
Izzy Lyons
In this workshop, we will explore the art of capturing stunning and unique images of water droplets.

As well as other creative ways to combine water droplets with other props and subjects.
book now
$47      

Portrait Photography Meetup

Portrait Photography Meetup

Saturday 07 June
Stanford University - 5pm - 2 Hours
Fremont Photography Group
Uyen Ta
Whether you wish to up your selfie game or begin developing a portfolio, this workshop will help you learn the basics of portrait photography and push your creativity and technical understanding.

Learn which settings are best to use, how to select the best locations, and what lighting and poses highlight a model's best features. We will also learn how to build rapport to get the best reactions and genuine emotions from a person.
book now
$47      
Bokeh for Beginners

Bokeh for Beginners

Saturday 14 June
Elkhorn Slough - 9:30am - 2 Hours
Salinas Photography Group
Izzy Lyons
Bokeh refers to the aesthetic quality of the blur in out-of-focus areas of a photograph, often described as a "soft and pleasing" blur.
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$47      
Street Photography: Learning The Decisive Moment

Street Photography: Learning The Decisive Moment

Saturday 14 June
Financial District - 3:30pm - 2 Hours
San Francisco Photography Group
Michael Forks
People, cafes, vendors, street merchants, buskers, historic buildings, art installations and much more. The power of observation underpins the art of great street photography. Learning to "see" interesting detail is a practised skill and we introduce you to easy methods that will open your photographer's eye and expose you to a world that is alive with detail. We will also go over settings, focusing techniques and lens choices common to street photography to help us capture those random chance encounters.
book now
$47      

Rule of Thirds Meetup

Rule of Thirds Meetup

Saturday 21 June
501 Monterey-Salinas Highway 68 - 10am - 2 Hours
Salinas Photography Group
Izzy Lyons
One of the most basic tenets of composition is the Rule of Thirds. Although most people are familiar with this technique it is often forgotten in the haste to take a photo. However you ignore it at your peril as it can make an average snap into something which is has tension and dynamism.

In this meetup we will practice using the Rule of Thirds in a setting full of photographic possibility.
book now
$47      
The City at Night

The City at Night

Saturday 21 June
Downtown San Jose - 8pm - 2 Hours
Fremont Photography Group
Uyen Ta
Many people don't think about nighttime being a good time to do photography since there's a lack of light. However, armed with knowledge about your camera's settings and the properties of light, nighttime photography can be a lot of fun.

In this meetup, you'll learn about the best camera settings for nighttime photography. We'll also explore the kinds of light available to us and how to use that light to make some awesome photos. As always, there are exercises that will help you put your new knowledge to work.
book now
$47      
Long Exposure Photography

Long Exposure Photography

Saturday 28 June
Fort Ord - 9am - 2 Hours
Salinas Photography Group
Izzy Lyons
Learn the basics of long exposure to capture light trails along with tripod photography.

Long exposure refers to a technique where you keep the shutter open for an unusually long period of time. This results to interesting effects in your photographs.
book now
$47      

Shooting in Manual Mode Class

Shooting in Manual Mode Class

Saturday 28 June
Financial District - 3:30pm - 3 Hours
San Francisco Photography Group
Michael Forks
This class is for anyone looking to switch their camera mode from Auto to Manual and learn how to shoot using the Manual Mode. The goal is to help everyone become more confident when using their camera settings. We will touch on essential camera functions and the exposure triangle: Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO.
book now
$92       5 places left
Beginner's Photography Class

Beginner's Photography Class

Saturday 05 July
Monroe St, Santa Clara - 4pm - 3 Hours
Fremont Photography Group
Uyen Ta
Ready to learn more about your camera and get out of automatic exposure? Now is your chance!

Join us as we break down your camera to help you learn about shutter speed, aperture, ISO and how these settings affect your exposure.

We will then put your new knowledge to the test with the guidance of a professional photographer.
book now
$98       5 places left
50mm Lens Meetup

50mm Lens Meetup

Saturday 12 July
China Basin Park - 3:30pm - 2 Hours
San Francisco Photography Group
Michael Forks
The 50mm lens is one of the flexible and useful lenses in any photographers gear bag. It is neither a wide-angle or telephoto lens, but allows the camera to see on the same scale as your eye. As such, it can be used for a variety of styles, from landscape and street photography to portrait and product photography. In this meetup, well review the basic camera settings. Well then cover some of the advantages of shooting with a prime lens, and some basic techniques to using the 50mm lens. As always, there will be ample opportunities for you to put your new knowledge into practice.
book now
$49      

ABOUT SANTA
CLARA
PHOTOGRAPHY
GROUP
Come along to our photo sessions to dust off your camera and get snap-happy with a professional photography instructor.

Brush up on your camera skills and learn new photography techniques whilst on a photo walk class with other local keen photographers!

We run two hour photography sessions based on a photography theme/technique/style and they take place in various locations in Santa Clara .

  • New to photography? We also run a popular 3 hour Beginners Guide to Photography Class once a month. And once in a while we will run special niche 3 hour classes, for example, Astrophotography - so do subscribe to our newsletter to know when the next on is!

  • Who can attend? Open to all skill levels, from beginners to keen amateurs. The photography instructor is there to help you with camera settings and provide any advice you need.

  • What to bring? We recommend bringing a camera that has full manual mode or semi-manual modes (Aperture or Shutter Priority). Compact cameras and smartphones also welcome!

    The meeting point and full details for the day are sent in the booking confirmation email to the email address you provide at time of booking.

    Join the Santa Clara Photography Group on Facebook to share your photos after the session.

    Got a question? Try our FAQ.
  • PHOTOGRAPHERS
    Vern Fisher
    Vern Fisher is an award-winning photographer specializing in editorial, corporate, commercial, travel and nature photography with a style consisting of poignant and energetic imagery. Fisher believes that great photography often is the result of collaborative efforts and values working closely with his clients to provide exciting storytelling images.
    Vern Fisher is based on the Central Coast of California. He is ready to create outstanding images for you. Vern Fisher has over 35 years of photojournalism experience at newspapers in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas.
    For the past 25 years Fisher has been the Director of Photography at the Monterey Herald in Monterey, California.

    Vern Fisher is available for private bookings

    PHOTOS
    Santa Clara Photography Group
    2025-05-05
    Title or Location: Near Pinnacles National Park, California
    My first attempt at Star Trails went well. I found this old barn near Pinnacles National Park and it was facing North. The set up was pretty simple. Two VJIM LED lights sitting about 75-100 feet away from the barn at a 10 level to light paint the front of the barn . They were at a 45 degree angle to the barn. I took about 11 shots at 180 seconds each and the last shot I walked into the barn and light painting the insides with a red lens LED light.Shot with a Nikon Z6II & Z 20mm f/1.8 len
    Credit: Brad Iwafuchi
    Instagram: bradiwafuchi

    Santa Clara Photography Group
    2025-04-11
    Title or Location: Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve, California
    Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve provides both seasonal and year-round habitat to a large number of bird and mammal species, including rabbits, waterfowl and raptors such as red-tailed hawks, kites, and harriers. This is an urban oasis near the high-tech and go-go technology center of Silicon Valley, part of a much larger wetlands restoration project, offering a peaceful, easy walking environment. It's a great place to take pictures of native birds and wildlife, which are conditioned to seeing
    Credit: Dennis Pfaff
    Santa Clara Photography Group
    2024-07-23
    Title or Location: Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve Trail
    I like bird shooting. This pic was taken last sunday morning. Pelican is a beautiful, attractive huge sea bird.
    Credit: AH UI

    Santa Clara Photography Group
    2024-05-27
    Title or Location: Yosemite Valley
    I went on a hike in Yosemite Valley and unexpectedly found this tree that had a heart shaped hole in the trunk. I stayed until dusk and used my red light on my headlamp to cast the red glow inside the heart. I was inspired by my then girlfriend. I love LOVE!
    Credit: Cody Mattson
    Facebook: codymattsonphotography

    Santa Clara Photography Group
    2024-05-13
    Title or Location: Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve
    I'm a frequent visitor to the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve, which provides habitat for a large variety of birds and other wildlife, thus offering multiple photo opportunities. On a beautiful warm spring day, this hummingbird seemed especially resplendent, sporting bright red plumage that literally flashed like a ruby beacon in the sunlight. Fortunately, it tolerated my presence long enough to allow me to capture this image. Canon EOS R6 Mark II with RF100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens @5
    Credit: Dennis J Pfaff
    Santa Clara Photography Group
    2024-04-29
    Title or Location: Guadalupe river trail
    Whike walking along the Guadalupe trail, I happened to see this beautiful Salsify blloom with a lady Beetle viditor, and the color contrast just really caught my eye.Whike Salsify is not native, I just find it to he a beautiful flower.
    Credit: Erica Fleniken

    Chichester Photography Group
    2025-05-14
    Title or Location: Gloucester
    While wondering around Gloucester in the evening a couple of weeks ago we turned a corner and this view just jumped out as an image
    Credit: Stuart McGowan
    Facebook: Stuart McGowan
    Instagram: stuart911s

    Toronto Photography Group
    2025-05-14
    Title or Location: Toronto ON Canada
    I love exploring Toronto, where I've been living for a while now, with a camera, or more often just with a mobile phone. And looking for unusual angles. This place in the center of downtown on King Street always looks different depending on the weather, time of day, wind... This time I was shooting late in the evening and waiting for the flag to straighten out.Shot on a Samsung s21 mobile phone, edited in an editor Snapseed/
    Credit: Yuri Shvarzman
    Atlanta Photography Club
    2025-05-14
    Title or Location: at my house in Oconee County outside of Athens, Georgia
    This shot was taken along with 3000 others images on my first ever photo shoot during Covid. I hired a model I had seen and had come to do pool shots with another Photographer and he suggested I hire her and conceptualize the shoot. I?m not a professional and had no props but I bought some fabric and I used my leaf blower to make that effect. I periodically go back to those pictures and rework them with my iPhone apps for varying effects. You can see more of my work on Instagram. That day creat
    Credit: Cindy Karp
    Facebook: Cindy Karp
    Instagram: Cindy Karp iPhone Photographer

    Orange County Photography Group
    2025-05-12
    Title or Location: Yorba Linda
    Thank you for considering my photo for Photo of the Week! I have a number of bottle brush trees in my back yard, and birds love the blossoms when they bloom in the Spring. I usually see numerous hummingbirds and sparrows, but I saw this gorgeous bird one afternoon resting in the branches. I was able to get a couple of shots off before it flew away.
    Credit: Jerry Devera

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