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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. 

Special Notice(s)

(My email to keep you thinking about your studies and practice is below any special notices)

Copy and paste -20%

and you’ll save

yourself $70.00 when you register for my

Photography Basics/Introduction to Photography class.

End of the Special Notice(s)

————————

If we’re like most photographers who work in automatic exposure mode, we cross our fingers and hope the picture comes out the way we want.

That roll-of-the-dice approach to making pictures usually leaves us frustrated because the camera doesn’t think, feel, or know what we want to communicate; it just does what it does based on the algorithms dumped in it, and, since it does that, it lacks the human influence in terms of intentional communicative composition.

Recently, I worked with a photographer who told me, and I’m paraphrasing here, “I know what I want my picture to look like, but it never comes out that way.”

Seem familiar?

That’s what happens when we let a thoughtless, unfeeling machine do the work of a thoughtful human who feels.

Manual exposure mode lets us express what we think and feel.
 

Instead of hoping that the camera gives us the photograph we want, we can create it ourselves.

When we can observe and describe the light we’re seeing and relate that to camera operation and composition to create an intentional photograph that communicates what we want, we get the pictures we want.
 

It’s about understanding how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together and using them intentionally to convey our intended visual message.

When it comes to creating the pictures we want, hope doesn’t take us too far.
 

On the other hand, understanding what we’re doing as photographers takes us as far as we wanna go.

If you’re doing more hoping than creating, I’m here to help you.
 

A good way to start is to use these free self-evaluations and leave your information so I can offer you some guidance.
 

• Photography Instruction Strategy Questionnaire
• Basic photography and Camera Operation Quiz.

I also suggest studying and practicing with me during my Photography Basics/Introduction to Photographybecause it’s designed to help participants intentionally create pictures that matter to them.
 

There’s one starting on January 4, or you could do it as a series of Private Lessons.
 

There’s more ways to learn photography with me listed below, and if you want to give or get a gift certificate, nothing beats my Instant Gift Certificates.

Questions or want to discuss your next steps?

Email me at sam@samdamico.com or call 202-531-2344.

Remember, keep studying and practicing, and make at least one picture a day.

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.

I keep my group classes small 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.