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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. 

Sometimes, I think of what we do as photographers as something similar to what we do as cooks.

The cooking part is analogous to the exposure mode we work in.
 

The food part is the quality of the picture.

Automatic exposure modes are like fast food: we don’t cook, and it’s formulaic.
 

A Big Mac is a Big Mac, and a Whopper is a Whopper.

Manual exposure is like cooking at home, where we are responsible for the quality and taste of the food.
 

When cooking at home, we can follow a recipe or make it up as we go along.

Following a recipe is the same as following the rules of a composition.
 

When we follow the rules of composition, we get the same results as everyone else.

But if we don’t follow the recipe, we can get creative with the food in our refrigerator and the spices in our cabinets.

As long as we’re familiar with the cooking techniques, we can create a different meal every time, even with the same ingredients.
 

The ingredients of our photography are camera operation, composition, and light, but the most essential ingredient is our intent.
 

If we’re familiar with photography techniques and understand camera operation, composition, and light interplay, then every picture we make can be different, even though it might be the same subject.

Remember, technique is in the service of creativity.

But the best cooks and photographers know when to do without a recipe and get creative.

That’s when creativity kicks in—when we stop measuring and start tasting, or in our case, start seeing and operating our camera creatively in response to the light we see.

Next time we pick up our camera, we can ask ourselves: Will our formulaic recipes give us the same thing that anyone else would get, or are we making a picture based on our unique tastes?

The Photography Basics/Introduction to Photography class starts soon.

Private Lessons are always an option and are customized to how and what you wanna learn.
 

My Online Learning Platform is full of content that’ll help photographers keep engaged in their photography studies and practice.

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

There’s more ways to learn with me below.

The Photography Basics/Introduction to Photography classes are starting soon.
 

If you can’t make any of those schedules, Private Lessons would be the way to go.

If none of my in-person ways of learning work for you, then you can study and practice at your own pace and schedule by joinining me on my Online Learning Platform for Photographers.

It’s the next best thing to taking an in-person class with me; you could even ask me questions, and members get exclusive access to all the other member-only educational content created to help you be the best photographer you can be.  

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

Access to this content and other content related to the photography classes I teach in person requires a membership, which costs $25 a month. (You can also join for free and get access to content that’s available to everyone.) 

Here’s the link: Online Learning Platform for Photographers 

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.

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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 in-person scheduled group classes? Then, in-person Private Lessons suited to your schedule are always an option.