You'll find the photography-related stuff after I unabashedly ask you to do one more thing during your busy day.

I'm not a politician, but I'm asking for your vote! 

And I promise, regardless of who wins, I won't question the outcome, ask for a re-vote, storm the offices of the Washington City Paper, or try to overthrow their management.

So click the green, square "Best of DC 2023" graphic and vote for the Sam D'Amico Photography Classes in the Washington City Paper's Best Art Class category.

Thank you.

Hello , 

"Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography."  George Eastman

If you don't know who George Eastman is, look him up.

In brief, he founded the Eastman Kodak Company and is considered to have revolutionized the photography and film industries and popularized amateur photography.

In short, he simplified photography and made it available to almost everyone. 

The Kodak camera was introduced to the masses in 1888, and since that time, anyone could take pictures with a handheld camera by easily pressing a button. 

The slogan he coined about this camera said, "You press the button, we do the rest."  

And while that slogan describes pressing the shutter release and making an exposure that creates a photograph, that only deals with the exposure part of camera operation. 

Of course, there's a lot more to photography than simply pressing a button. 

Photography is probably the most accessible art form because of George Eastman. 

And, I think because of George Eastman; everyone is a photographer.  

It's not hard to be a photographer.

Because all we need to do is press the button to make a picture. 

What's hard is to be a good photographer. 

But we could be. 

It just takes some work. 

We need to study and practice camera operation and understand light. 

Yesterday was the last meeting of the Introduction To Photography class that started on June 4.

During the first three weeks, we got involved in camera operation and composition while touching on light to put the camera into context as a light recording tool. 

Yesterday we reviewed what we covered in the first three weeks, and at the end of the class, we talked about light.

Specifically, we talked about describing light in terms of characteristics from a photographer's perspective. 

If we do a keyword search online for characteristics of light, we usually find the physicists' take on it. 

But as interesting as it is, I don't find the physicist's version of the characteristics of light useful as a photographer.  

And we should become familiar with the characteristics of light for the reasons George Eastman stated. 

Because observing and describing the characteristics of light helps us understand our options in terms of camera operation and composition. 
 

Classes are below. 

These emails come with the intent of helping you be a better photographer. Here's an archive of them at the "Newsletter Hub." 

Ways To Learn Photography With Sam