Special Announcement

I’ve added a Photography Basics/Introduction To Photography class starting on Saturdays for the April series of classes.

Special Announcement

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As photographers, we think we make photographs, and we do, but to make a photograph, we’ve gotta make decisions.

In other words, the photographs we create have everything to do with the decisions we make.
 

We make a lot of decisions, from the camera we choose to the things we photograph and everything in between.

We can think of our decisions in terms of three things: camera operation, composition, and light.
 

Our decision to make a picture of the light that catches our interest and to imagine the composition we want from that comes naturally and easily.
 

Where things get challenging for us is our decisions around camera operation.

Our first decision when it comes to camera operation is: do we work in manual or automatic exposure mode?
 

In manual mode, we create the photograph; in automatic exposure mode, the camera creates it.

In manual exposure mode, we make all the decisions; in automatic exposure mode, we make only a couple of decisions.
 

The more decisions we make while creating the photograph, the more we’re able to communicate what we want to communicate through the picture we make.
 

What decisions do we make about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, lens choice, focusing mode, and focusing areas?

What metering pattern should we use, and what do we meter off of?

If we don’t understand what we’re doing with the camera, we get stuck in our misunderstandings and get frustrated and disappointed during our photography studies and practice.
 

I’m here to help you understand what you’re doing with your camera, and once we understand what we’re doing, we’ll get the compositions we want.

Remember, the next round of Photography Basics/Introduction To Photography classes starts on Sunday, March 29. If none of the schedules work for you, you could learn the same material through a series of private lessons.

No matter how you study and practice with me, I’ll help you be a better photographer.
 

About Sam

Sam D'Amico, a professional photographer and photography instructor, helps anyone who wants to be a better photographer. 

He'll work with his students to increase their understanding of camera operation, composition, light, and lighting. 

Sam started working as a professional photographer in the mid-1980s.

Most notably, from 1992 to 1997, while working as a freelance photographer, he photographed over 500 assignments for the New York Times.

Additionally, Sam received awards for his work while exhibiting his photographs in shows. 

Sam began teaching photography professionally in 1998 through the Highland Park, N.J. recreation department. 

In 2002 Sam moved to Washington, D.C., and began teaching at the accredited Washington School of Photography in Bethesda, Md.

It was in 2003 that Sam developed his curriculum and started teaching classes in Washington, D.C. 

In 2018 and 2022, the Sam D'Amico Photography Classes were voted the "Best of DC" art class by the readers of the Washington City Paper. 

Many photography teachers spend a lot of time teaching about DSLRs and rules of composition that create homogenized, rigid photographs.

On the other hand, Sam teaches about camera operation, thought process, and the individual photographer's visual communication intent. 

This approach to teaching allows his students to use ANY camera (yes, even the camera on their phone) and break free of the rules of composition.

Approaching the creative process this way allows for fluid and spontaneous photographs unique to the photographer creating them.

Sam encourages his students to find their ways as photographers. 

He instills the skills in his students that result in creative, engaging, and unique compositions that reflect the photographer's intended one-of-a-kind visual expression.