These emails come with the intent of helping you be a better photographer. But if you're tired of hearing from me, unsubscribe.

And if you want more photography stuff to read, there's a place on the interwebs where past emails I wrote are stored. You'll find 'em in the "Newsletter Hub."

Remember, I'd like to know what you want to know about photography. So, if you have any questions, email me at sam@samdamico.com. And for what it's worth. When you send me an email, unless someone's lookin' over my shoulder, I'm the only one that sees it.

Hello, .

One of the first things I do when I work with students is learn about their work as photographers.

Before we meet for a class, especially during a private lesson, I learn about what they're looking to get out of a course, either through a couple of questionnaires or a conversation and, if possible, through questionnaires and a chat. 

But what's also helpful to me is observing the student make a picture with their camera at the start of the lesson(s) 

Questionnaires and conversations let me hear how photographers think about their photography studies, practices, and operations.

However, watching how students operate their cameras shows me how they think about using them. 

It's one thing to know about photography and know the vocabulary; it's another to apply what we know about photography to camera operation and composition. 

They go hand in hand.

But if we need more understanding and skillful camera operation, we have some learning to do. 

Even if we're a walking encyclopedia of photographic terminology, we're frustrated with our work if we can't connect the words with camera operation and compositional outcomes. 

We have to work on both. 

We did this today during a private lesson, and we'd also do this during the Introduction to Photography class meetings. 

We started with building a good foundation by working in manual exposure mode. 

We metered light intensities and then controlled ISO and exposure to create the required picture tonality (brightness).

Of course, we also covered focusing.

In short, we became familiar with camera operation's predictable cause and effect through thoughtful, intentional composition. 

I hope you've been studying and practicing your photography.

The ways to study and practice photography with me are below.

Call me if you need help determining the best course for you.

I'll help you be a better photographer—study and practice photography with me. 

Currently scheduled classes are below.

Smaller classes mean better learning, so class sizes are limited to 5 participants plus me.

But smaller classes also mean spots fill up quicker, so sign up soon. 

And what if the timing doesn't work for you in any of my scheduled group classes? Private in-person or online lessons suited to your schedule are always an option. 

And remember, we learn and improve by doing, so practice making at least one picture daily.

That's all for now; thanks for reading! 

Sam