Related Links:
Hasselblad University Notes
Photography Classes
Nikon School Website (dates, info..)
Various camera makers sponsor local events such as the "Nikon School", including Canon,
Pentax, Mamiya, and Hasselblad (see Hasselblad University Notes).
Check with your local camera dealer for upcoming events in your area, or schedules in ads
and workshop listings in magazines and publications like
Shutterbug. While many of these short one day courses
contain some marketing and promotion of the mfger's camera gear and brands, much of the
material is generic and applies to photography in general. You can expect to see a lot of
great slides and get some general tips, as well as detailed answers to any questions about
that specific mfger's equipment.
A common question is whether such courses are "worthwhile". A typical fee might be only
$100 for an 8 hour course, often with lunch and a free course outline. Still, if you are
an advanced photographer using another equipment brand, you might find much of the course
content to be elementary or not applicable to your camera model or format. So if you can,
you should ask to review a detailed course outline (such as that shown below) or the
course materials. Many dealers will have a copy of these publications and be able to show
you what to expect in the course. On the other hand, suppose you only pick up one good tip
in every hour of presentation? What is that worth to you?
My personal view is that such courses are of most use to folks who are relatively new to
photography, or who haven't done a lot of general reading on photography topics (see
book recommendations). More advanced photographers might benefit
more from taking a semester course at a local junior college (local tuition is only $75/course).
Spending $100 on film and processing doing some photo projects could also be a good way to
build your photographic strengths.
From: [email protected] (TonyD22032)
Date: 1998/03/08
Subject: Re: Nikon School -- If it's so good, why not say what you learned?
I am not going to get into the debate re: vegetarianism. However, I would like
to address the original question posed that got us started. "What did we learn
at Nikon School?"
Earlier I posted a reply about how I enjoyed the session in opposition to the
issues raised by the original message.
Below I offer my notes from that workshop in the Crytal City. VA, Marriott,
just outside Washington, DC.
I was an amateur photographer and still am. Some of the points were
rfresher...some were new...others were very basic stuff. Keep in mind the
leaders had 250 people in the room of all kinds of skill levels.
ANY errors in Note taking are MINE...do not blame the instructors.
Also, these notes are only part of the story because of the images Sam and Bill
used to explain each and every poiont they made.
The Nikon School
December 10, 1994
Bill Durrance and Sam Garcia
(Bill presents first)
The Leading Eye is the most critical focus point in a composition
(The eye closest to the camera)
Concentrate on Front Focus (E-screen grid)
Shutter speed
Water in a bucket analogy...the longer the faucet is on, the higher the exposure
For better panning, wind up your body back from where the subject will finish,
not from the middle of the range of motion.
Illusion/Zone of focus, your eye can only focus on one point.
Strive to achieve an exposure that is emotionally correct as well as technically correct.
"Sunny 16" Rule = 1/ISO speed at f16
Eye Brain adjustment
Scene aberration options for exposure control
1) Meter off a gray card
2) Blue sky
3) Palm plus one stop (thumb up)
4) Green minus one stop (leaves, etc.)
5) White swans (exposure plus two
Sunset pictures
Use center weighted metering, not matrix
Dominant element is the basis for exposure
Exposure for highlights
Three dimensions
Brightness
Contrast
Distance
Special situations
Silhouette
Spot meter, lock exposure, compose
Meter for highlights
Rim light
Meter from behind subject
Turn away from the scene
Night
Overexposure (Expose for shadows)
Lunar
Sunny 16
Star Trail/Fireworks/Lightening
ISO 100 at f5.6 or f8
Trails = 1 to 2 hours
Fireworks (Hold open on tripod) Add
flash at TTL
Lightening Open at medium aperture for
several flashes
Rainbow
Meter and shoot with slide film
Neon/Stained glass
Meter off the neon or glass
Sunrise/sunset
Meter away from the hot spot
A-E lock
Shorthand bracketing
Meter off sky --- lock -- shoot
Meter off shadows -- lock -- shoot
"If some if good, more is better"
Multiple exposures
Speed ISO times number of images = ISO
Reset camera setting after your done
Shoot different films to test than stick with one and shoot it all the time
Reciprocity failure
1 second ------>>>>5 seconds
5 seconds ------ > > > 30 seconds
Color shift
Slide film has better exposure control
Sam Garcia
"Composition -- placement of elements
Where the stamp goes on the envelope
The bottom corner doesn't feel right with prior experience
The Whole Frame is Your Job
What do I want to show the viewer
Number of elements
Even number makes picture chop up in half
Three is the optimum number of elements
Avoid the bullseye effect unless for dramatic flair
Study free images (Library of Congress Archives)
Techniques
Flat perspective vs. Depth
Arrow -- leading lines
Arc
Triangle
Circular/Oval
Hairdos/Fashion/Timely (blur people with slow shutter speeds)
Cotton candy -- nothing really there
Fill the frame with information
The eye concentrates on an image roughly the equivalent to the 50 mm
lens.
National Geographic branch myth
Try carrying camera all the time
Lite touch with Fuji 100 or Kodacolor 200
Play with nature and man-made "stuff"
Move off to the side
Move image to the corners
Move the horizon higher or lower
"Seeing" go into your head
Looking vs. Seeing (Lincoln test -- he looks right)
Don't cut a subject at a joint
1/8000th = Accuracy of all speeds
For shallower depth of field
Push-able film
ISO 100 becomes 200 (add one stop)
ISO 100 becomes 400 (adds two stops)
Also adds contrast and grain from the dye
Lumiere 100 Kodak
Proveia 100 Fuji
Speed for tripod use --
Hand hold only to the speed of the reciprocal of the focal
length
50 mm lens = 1/60 sec
200 mm lens = 1/250 second
Flash
Manipulate the quantity and quality of light
Supplement the light you have
*** Primary operating condition is Fill-Flash!
Fill flash -- Available light plus underexposure flash exposure
TTL -- Available light plus correct flash
Manual compensation
Dial in changes flash exposure
So, if you give the camera a minus one, give the flash a plus one
TTL - Through the lens considers the lens, filter, etc. by reading light off
the film plane
Fill flash
Wide contrast - eyes see 12 EV but film sees only 7 EV
Dark areas and light areas go so photographer must provide illumination to the
darker area to close the EV range.
Matrix-balanced flash evaluates the scene (background and foreground) and reads
brightness and contrast.
Center weighted (12�) Static. Reads overhead light. Close-up.
Spot (3�) Very close reading. Faces.
Flash compensation -- Increase or decrease amount of light.
SEL +/- SEL
Minus makes foreground less dominant
Plus makes foreground more dominant
To adjust background, use exposure compensation on camera.
Lower the whole photo -1/-2/-3
Repeating flash (indoors and outdoors in dark lighting
Put camera on manual exposure
Set flash to repeating mode ���
Set shutter speed for the complete scene (1 sec. Or 2 sec.)
Bounce
Softens light - spreads light around
Auto mode will compensate for distance
Built in diffuser card
Off camera
USE SB-17 cord to move shadows out of the picture
Wide flash adapter
Adjusts the flash to the focal length of the lens automatically (24mm to 85mm)
Over 20 mm, use flash adapter
Close-up flash
1/10 life size = close-up
Same to larger = Macro
Repro ration 1:1
Double 2:1
Half 1:2
Rear synch
At slower shutter speeds, flash fires at the end of the picture to show movement
Multiple flash (up to five nits)
Rim, Background, Backlight
Main/Master Priority Lighting Full Power
Second Fill Full to Half
Third Back Full
Camera set to manual
From: [email protected] (TonyD22032)
Date: 1998/02/28
Subject: Re: Nikon School == AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!
Sorry I have to disagree with Gyan.
My Nikon School experience in Washington, D.C., was very different. The
equipment table was in the lobby and nothing was for sale!
Two real life shooters taught the day...and they used their own images as
examples. Not some phony textbook where the images are all shot on 4x5 film
and your new 35mm camera will never come close to that quality.
We had a chance to interact with both, ask question on techniques and
troubleshooting. All info presented by them was relevant for any camera, and
lens. Shooting macro, travelling with your camera, lighting, etc. Only a few
times did we get Nikon only examples.
Bill Dorrance and Sam Garcia were the teachers and they did a fine job for
what it was...a one-day refresher course or intro to shooting. If you
want more, go to Maine or Santa Fe.
This was much better content than the stiff Nikon School videotapes which are
20 minute product information commercials for N-90, SB-26, etc. Those tapes
should be on free loaner at any store selling Nikons.
From: Jay Foust [email protected]
Subject: Re: Nikon School
Date: Sun, 01 Mar 1998
I just went to the Nikon School two weeks ago in Atlanta and I felt it was
well worth the money. I've been wanting to attend the school for about
three years and I was very happy with the program.
The two instructors, Sam Garcia and Bill Durrence, were very professional
and their presentation was outstanding. I picked up several good ideas and
tip and I expect they will be worth more than the $99 I paid for the class.
About pushing the Nikon equipment, you should've expected that, after all,
it was the NIKON SCHOOL. I use Canon myself, so I just simply ignored
their sales pitch. But I did enjoy looking at the spread of equipment they
had set up outside.
I will go again next year.
Jay Foust
Sports Editor/Photographer
The Walton Tribune
Monroe, Ga.
From: Bob and Leah McDonald [email protected]
Subject: Re: Nikon School == AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!
Date: Sun, 01 Mar 1998
I must disagree completely with your assessment of the Nikon School.
I attended both the Nikon School and the Nikon Owner's Course in Canada.
These two seminars were held on two separte days. The Nikon School was
very "non-denominational" and I found it to be very interesting and
instructive. There was no emphasis on Nikon equipment in the Nikon
School, but simply a matter of techniques that are applicable to a wide
variety of equipment. I can also say that Larry Frank, the instructor,
was EXCEPTIONAL and so was the program. The Nikon Owner's Course was, of
course, geared directly to getting the most from Nikon equipment and was
dedicated to Nikon equipment.
I would highly recommend the Nikon School to everyone, and the Nikon
Owner's Course to owners of Nikon equipment.
From: "John N. Wall" [email protected] Newsgroups: rec.photo.misc Subject: Re: Nikon School -- If it's so good, why not say what you learned? Date: Wed, 11 Mar 1998 Well, if you don't like the Nikon School, then I guess you could go to the Canon School or the Minolta School or the Pentax School. I enjoyed the Nikon School. I did learn a great deal. I learned several good things about macro photography, including how to take closeups with a reversed lens, how to diffuse flash with small objects. I learned some more about using flash with landscapes -- how to take multiple exposures of the same object, one using twilight, one using flash after dark. I learned about finding compositions in the field, which has improved my travel photography. The list could go on. The approach is to cover a large number of kinds f photography, so people with specific interests will find some things more interesting than others. I did not find a great emphasis on using Nikon. In fact, I expected to be encouraged to buy expensive Nikon accessories, but I heard how to do things cheaply and with little gear as well as how to use more specialized equipment. I enjoyed playing with the Nikon gear at breaks. The lunch was good; the slides were good; I got a manual I enjoy having; I got some things to try in my own photography. How much do you want for $100? -- John N. Wall email: [email protected] WWW: http://www4.ncstate.edu/unity/users/j/jnweg/html We are not revitalized or transformed as often by a change of circumstances as we are by a change of perspective.
From Nikon Mailing List;
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001
From: "Paul J. Borja" [email protected]
Subject: [NIKON] A moment at the Nikon School changed how I shoot
[email protected] writes:
I went to the one in Seattle this past November, with
my friend Gord Pritchard from the Nikon MF list.
I came away fully fired up on my personal photography
and that flame can be easily doused with our constant
Vancouver rain. Sam Garcia and Bill Durrence can teach
these classes blindfolded by now, I think.
Nevertheless their quick wit and fast pace always
keep things interesting, not to mention their images
often invoke a "wow" reaction from the class of
150-200.
_____________
I attended the Nikon School in Denver last April, and
had a wonderful time.
For me it was a refresher course in terms of
technique, but my reason for attending was more to see
images, talk to people about their photography, and
hear what the Nikon instructors had to say about
things in general. I wasn't disappointed.
But something happened at that Nikon School. That
something really changed my outlook on what happens
when I - or anyone else for that matter - point a
camera at someone and trip the shutter and expose
film.
Sam Garcia changed his approach that day (he told us
so)and instead of a prolonged exhibition and
discussion of his photos or Bill Durrance's or anyone
else's, he threw a curve ball at the school's
participants.
As I recall, it turns out that Sam's dad is a lawyer
and one of his clients was an elderly woman who had
passed away. She had no known relatives and Sam's
father was before a judge who was ruling on her estate
and the disposal/disbursal of her assets.
The woman had very little to leave behind, but one of
her possessions was a box filled with photos and
snapshots, brown with age but still very clear and
full of details of this woman's life. (The images
dated from the time the woman was a child until she
was much much older.)
Sam's father asked the judge if he could have the
photos so he could give them to Sam, a collector of
old photographs. Seeing that the photos weren't
masterpieces now just coming into the light but simple
snapshots of this woman's life, the judge agreed to do
so.
So, in the Nikon School in Denver, we viewed a 10-15
minute slide show of some of the photos collected by
the elderly woman. I can't remember the music chosen
by Sam to accompany the slide show, but I remember
being sort of bored by the first few images. Then, for
some reason, at least for me, the images seemed to
exude a life of their own.
As the slide show went on, I kept asking myself
questions: "Who is that now with her? Where did she
take that photo? I wonder who got married that day?
Those women look like her - are they all sisters?" And
so on.
At the end of the slide show, Sam told us the obvious.
"Those photos were not magnificent in their
composition, in their capturing of a certain kind of
light."
Then he told us what was not obvious. "But these
photos - of her standing with others all at some sort
of celebration, of her with her dog, of her with some
friends - they were important to the old woman.
"Probably to her dying day, she collected those
photos. She put them all away in a box, so she could
take them out ... and see her life."
Sam then said that when shooting people, we, as
photographers, sometimes get caught in the technique,
in the f-stops, in the bracketing.
Then he said something that changed my outlook
forever. "What we should be more aware of as
photographers is the importance of what we do - we
record people's lives."
He told us to not lessen our art, to possess passion
for our photography and to have empathy for the people
we photograph. "Each time we take a shot, we record
the moments that make up people's lives. And that's
important."
For those of you out there that doubt that, go to a
family gathering and shoot with a digital camera
(Nikon of course). After a dozen or so shots, go
around and show people the results. I guarantee you
EVERYONE will want copies.
What we do as photographers IS important. As Sam said,
"...we record the moments that make up people's
lives."
Anyway, just my two cents.
>From stormy Guam in the western Pacific,
PAUL J. BORJA
From Nikon Mailing List;
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001
From: "Chris L" [email protected]
Subject: Re: [NIKON] A moment at the Nikon School changed how I shoot
He did the same show here in Chicago and I was also touched by it the
same
way your were. I now find myself looking at thins very different when I
shoot family events or just other peoples lives.
Chris
From Nikon Mailing List;
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001
From: "Juan C Domenech" [email protected]
Subject: [NIKON] Nikon School
Hey folks,
I just attended the Nikon School held here in Atlanta on 2/24. I'm sure
I'm repeating what has been said before but I thought it was fantastic.
Sam Garcia and Bill Durrance provided an excellent presentation that
covered everything from basic camera functions to advanced techniques.
They also presented much of their work in the slide presentation and
some of these photographs were absolutely amazing.
I was not impressed with the display Nikon had outside the class. They
neglected to bring any of the D cameras, FM3A, or N65. They did display
the F5, F100, N90s, N80, N60 along with the new lenses (AFS & VR ). I
happen to ask the Nikon salesmen about the longevity of the N90s (since
that's the camera I shoot with and have also read the info on NML) and he
tells me Nikon has no plans to retire the N90s since it fits well between
the N80 and F100. Well that is the total opposite of what I have been
reading here so I guess Nikon is not ready to admit the removal of the
N90s from the assembly line (or the N60 either).
From nikon mailing list: Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 From: Yin Shih [email protected] Subject: Re: "Nikon School" Hi Just went two weeks ago with my wife. I would say it was worth the price. The seminar itself was targetted to a wide range audience so they do spend time on basics (aperture, shutter speed, etc), but they didn't spend any more time than necessary to keep from losing people who were less familiar with such topics. The major subjects included: Tips (tripod, gadget bags, tools), Exposure (aperture, shutter speed, metering), Basic Digital Overview, Composition (guidelines vs rules, perspective vs focal length), Flash photography (Guide number, front sync, rear sync, etc), Close-up Techniques (extension tubes, close-up lenses, some on macro lenses), Photographing People (especially kids, strangers). The two speakers were knowledgeable and dynamic, good stories and experiences mixed into the subject matter. Easy to listen to. No one was falling asleep. The very knowledgeable might pick up some tips and just enjoy the stories and ideas, the point-and-shooters probably got more than they could absorb if they tried to retain all the technical data, but at least got some good stuff on composition and photographing people. My wife and I probably represent the two extremes and we both enjoyed it. Most people brought their cameras and bags, but there's no need as there is no time to take photos or evaluate them. Speakers made themselves available for questions during all the breaks. Equipment/demo table set up the whole day. You also get lunch and a nice handbook as part of the fee. Some mention of Nikon stuff throughout the day (it is the Nikon school), but no hard sells - all low-key. Just a fun day. Yin ShihEnd of Page
Broken Link:
Nikon School Review was at http://home.hkstar.com/~peteln/bobby/nikon/5.html#5.1.2 before 2/2003