Cowboy Shot Class
Saturday 24 May
Lovers Point - 10:30am - 2 Hours
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.
Using Light Shadow in Photography
Saturday 31 May
Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge - 10:30am - 2 Hours
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.
Water Droplets
Saturday 07 June
Carmel Valley - 10:30am - 2 Hours
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.
Portrait Photography Meetup
Saturday 07 June
Stanford University - 5pm - 2 Hours
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.
Bokeh for Beginners
Saturday 14 June
Elkhorn Slough - 9:30am - 2 Hours
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.
Street Photography: Learning The Decisive Moment
Saturday 14 June
Financial District - 3:30pm - 2 Hours
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.
Rule of Thirds Meetup
Saturday 21 June
501 Monterey-Salinas Highway 68 - 10am - 2 Hours
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.
The City at Night
Saturday 21 June
Downtown San Jose - 8pm - 2 Hours
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.
Long Exposure Photography
Saturday 28 June
Fort Ord - 9am - 2 Hours
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.
Shooting in Manual Mode Class
Saturday 28 June
Financial District - 3:30pm - 3 Hours
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.
Beginner's Photography Class
Saturday 05 July
Monroe St, Santa Clara - 4pm - 3 Hours
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.
50mm Lens Meetup
Saturday 12 July
China Basin Park - 3:30pm - 2 Hours
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.
