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Russ and Adilfa

Its time to learn how to use my DSLR and take it off automatic mode. 

Eric got me a Groupon for a 4 hour photography class with Don Polo Photography. 

First of all, I loved the couple that taught the class. Probably because they remind me so much of my parents. This is so cheesy but my parents' love for each other (as well as Adilfa and Russ) is so evident and after so many years of marriage they are still very affectionate...Eric and I will be just like that too :)

Adilfa is hilarious and has been a photographer for 18 years. For the past 10 years her husband, Russ, has joined her in the business so now it's a family affair. Adilfa is from Venezuela and Russ is gringo. Just like my mom, after many years of living in this country, Adilfa has a super thick accent. Their photography is super traditional but they had a plethora of knowledge and I could have listened to them all day. They have mad photography skills and are extremely talented. They can make anyone look good! And man, I've never seen anyone use Photoshop so well. Eric knows his way around the program but I've never seen it used like this. They made brides look thinner in their waist and arms, took away blemishes, added umph to someones eyes, whitened teeth, lightened the appearance of wrinkles. When people said models on covers of magazines don't really look that way, they weren't kidding. I didn't know how they could distort their body until I saw Adilfa work her magic. The before pictures were night and day. She didn't make the brides look like a different person, she just made them look a little better.

Now onto the class. The basics were covered:

-how to use your camera  

-posing

-photoshop

-lighting

Lets just say there is still A LOT I need to learn. We just covered the tip of the iceberg. How to use your camera was the most confusing. I'm still trying to figure out how to balance aperture, shutter speed, and metering. Until then, I'm still using automatic. I really just got a glimpse of how to use my camera and need to figure the thing out. I didn't think it'd be so complicated. They suggested we take workshops and more classes to further our skills. Thinking about joining the Wasatch Camera Club where you can take field trips, workshops, and "learn and grow with other area photographers who take the art seriously".  

600 peeps purchased the groupon and there were 100 people in my class. Most were amateurs, like myself (have a DSLR but don't know how to use it), and only a handful were paid professionals. That's not what I'm aiming for...I love taking pictures and I just want to get better at it.