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. 

Special Notice(s)

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

Kick off the new year by becoming a better photographer. The Photography Basics/Introduction to Photography classes start in early January. (or you could do it as a series of Private Lessons.)

End of the Special Notice(s)

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There’s a lot of moments that come and go that we’re not ready to make a picture of.

I’ve had more than my share of those moments, and the lesson learned is that we’ve got to be ready.

But we can’t be ready all the time, and being prepared isn’t about equipment, since we always have our phones with us.
 

Being prepared is really about having a visual awareness of what we’re seeing and getting a feel for whether it's the kind of thing that’ll make for good photography.
 

If we feel what we’re seeing is the kind of stuff that’ll make for good photography, then we’ve gotta prepare ourselves to respond without overthinking.

And if we’re working in the same light, we could get our tonality out of the way.

When we’re considering taking care of our tonality, we can get a feel about our aperture, shutter speed, and ISO combinations to get the depth of field, blur, and levels of noise we think would be OK for the space we’re gonna be photographing in.

Moments in flux don’t wait.

Were the ones that gotta wait.

If we miss something, chances are good something else will happen in that space that'll be interesting to us, we just gotta be ready.
 

But being ready requires something of us.
 

It requires us to see rather than look, to use whatever camera we have with us, and to get to know our camera so well that adjustments become second nature.

And practicing to be ready means practicing “seeing” every day, using whatever camera we have, and getting to know our camera so we can operate it effectively and efficiently to get the pictures we want.

The best photos are often spontaneous, and even though we might feel the pictures are “technically” off, a strong composition could withstand a few “technical” dings.

But since we do wanna get the best picture possible, the way to prepare is to do the following:

• Practice making at least one picture a day, no matter the subject.
• Embrace imperfections—blur, grain, or odd compositions can make an image unique.
• Focus on noticing light and composition in your everyday surroundings.

And remember—all missed photographs are lessons and a reminder for us to begin paying attention to what we’re seeing, because that missed picture is a tap on the shoulder, a signal that the space is probably ripe with photographic opportunities.

Next time we miss something, we’ll be more attentive and ready to make the pictures we want.

Have questions or want to talk more about staying ready?

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

There’s ways to learn photography with me listed below.

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.