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 who sees it.

When making photographs at a high ISO, did you ever notice random speckles or patterns that look like grain, especially in the darker parts of the picture?
 

That’s noise.
 

A lot of photographers seem to think that noise is a bad thing, I ain’t one of 'em.

That’s why my camera has all forms of noise reduction turned off.
 

Let’s look at noise in a more detailed way; it doesn’t make a sound, but it makes a big impression.
 

What Noise Looks Like

In our photography, noise appears as variations in the brightness or the color of pixels, and like static on an old TV, instead of smooth tones, we see tiny specs.

What Causes Noise?

1. When we increase light sensitivity by increasing our ISO, we amplify the sensor's electrical “static”.
2. When we make long exposures, the sensor takes longer to record light; the longer it takes to collect light, the more the sensor heats up, and the more the sensor heats up, the more noise we get.
3. Given the same megapixels, the smaller the sensor, the more noise.
4. Not enough exposure and brightening a dark picture in editing software can make the noise more obvious.

There’s Different Kinds of Noise

• Luminance noise appears as random speckles of brightness and is reminiscent of film grain.
• Chrominance noise looks like weird colored specks of red, green, and blue dots, and it’s most easily seen in shadows.

The simplest way to think of noise is that It’s visual static.

In other words, it’s the visual version of the crackling noise we hear on a radio that’s not getting good reception.

If we let go of the idea that noise is a bad thing, we begin to see times when it could support our intent of communication.

Noise, as an element of composition, has a gritty appearance that could easily lend itself to some subject matter.
—

In addition to the In-person ways to learn photography with me listed below, I’ve got collections of tutorials on my Online Learning Platform for Photographers that’ll help you learn to be a better photographer.

Access to this content and other content related to the photography classes I teach in person requires a membership, which costs $25 a month.

As one member told me, it’s cheaper than their weekly coffee habit, and more useful than any YouTube videos they’ve watched, especially since they could  ask me questions.

Here’s the link:Online Learning Platform for Photographers

—————-

The Photography Basics (Introduction To Photography) classes are starting soon.
 

If the schedules don’t work for you, we could arrange a series of private lessons covering the same material.

—

Become a better photographer by joining my Online Learning Platform for Photographers – Study and practice at your own pace with access to exclusive content, assignments, and feedback.

The Photography Basics (Introduction To Photography) group classes starts soon or you can learn the same stuff as a series of Private Lessons.
  
More ways to study and practice photography with me are below.

Call me at (202) 531-2344 if you need help determining the best course for you.

—

A note about group class sizes: Did you know that some places that teach photography have up to 25 students in each class? 

Bigger ain't always better.

That's why I limit my group classes to no more than five participants because smaller classes make for better, more effective, and more efficient learning experiences.

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

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

Currently scheduled classes are below.

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