Photography seminars

One Day Photography Class
One Day Photography Class

Two Part Photography Class For Beginners 

Spring is coming soon with exciting opportunities to photograph unique images of nature. One Day Photography Class specially developed for taking better pictures outdoor in different light conditions. Taking photos outdoors, especially in Fall and Autumn, needs specific know-how techniques. Our One Day Photography Class is scheduled for March 24th and all camera makes and models are welcome.

What is One Day Photography Class about?

One Day Photography Class is a two part workshop; the first part is a 2 hour classroom session where you will learn how to control the settings on your camera, how to meter or read the light, how to compose your photos, etc. With outdoor photography you need to understand and change the camera settings on the fly as the light can change so quickly, or your subject may move, so you need to be able to compensate for these changes as quickly as possible. The main part of One Day Photography Class is dedicated to finding and changing these settings in your digital camera quickly without wasting any time. Here is an example of how fast the ambient light can change the look of your picture.

Outdoor Light Photography Class

Photography Class
Look for soft natural light for portrait

Outdoor Light Photography Class

Photography Class
Directional Natural Light works best for creating special effect.

Learn Composition in Photography Class

Another important topic we are going to cover is composition, and how to find the right angle. I took these photos from different heights and angles.

Composition for Outdoor Photography

Canon EOS 5D MK III Field Test
Lower the camera to capture dynamic shadows

Composition for Outdoor Photography

Photography Class
The orientation and height of the camera can make a huge difference in your photographs

Outdoor Field Trip

The second part of the One Day Photography Class is completely hands on. We are going to walk around the field and apply these techniques in practical ways. It is a full 2 hour outdoor photography adventure with plenty of time to interact with your instructor and learn specific photography tips.

Holding Camera

Photography Class
Holding the camera properly is very basic, but plays a big rule in photography

Fun Photography Class

Photography Class
Omnilargess Photography Classes are informative and Hands on

Fun Photography Class

Photography Class
And sometimes we have extra fun to find the right view!

One Day Photography Class for Beginners

A Complete Full Day Photography Class with Field Trip

There are a few more tickets available for the One Day Photography Class. Register now to reserve your spot. As always, please contact us if you have any questions.

Ted and the Omnilargess Team

We're sorry, but all tickets sales have ended because the event is expired.

Find more information about One Day Photography Class
0

digital camera class fraser valley, Outdoor photography classes, Photography Class, Photography seminars

, , , , , , ,

White Balance Presets 
White Balance Presets 

When To Use  White Balance Presets.

When it comes to adjust the colours, human brain does an amazing job. In less than three seconds, our brains adjust the colours for us. That is why we move from one light source (for instance normal light bulb) to outdoor light (daylight), and we can see the correct light and colours almost instantly. Our digital cameras do not have a brain to adjust the colours. That is the reason for all new digital cameras are equipped with Auto White Balance, White Balance Presets, and Custom White Balance settings.

What is Auto White Balance?

Each digital camera has the data of thousands of images built into its processor. When you use any of the auto modes (Auto White Balance, Auto Exposure, Auto area auto focus, etc.) the camera compares the scene to the data of these images and selects the one that is closest. The result might be close or be quite far from accurate colour and exposure.

You may have noticed that the newer digital cameras take better photos. It is not because these cameras are better made, but mainly because the manufacturers added more data to the newer camera to use as references!

White Balance Presets

Almost all digital cameras are equipped with White balance Presets.
Almost all digital cameras are equipped with White balance Presets.

When should I use Auto White Balance?

This being said, if you have a newer digital camera and are taking pictures with only one source of light, the Auto White Balance will create a decent image for you. If there is more than one source of light (e.g. daylight from a window and tungsten light of an indoor lamp) the chances are higher that your camera can’t make the right decision, which will result in a heavy colour cast in your image.

Auto White Balance

Custom White Balance
Auto White Balance, as the whit colour is presented in the image will work fine

How do digital cameras measure the White Balance?

Generally speaking, digital camera searches for 18% grey in the scene, and whatever resembles closest to 18% grey will be used as a reference for grey and the colours adjusted accordingly. This is why photos in a forest with no white or grey present in the scene will often end up with a deep green cast over your images.

Auto White Balance

Perfect pictures
A sample of incorrect White Balance and Exposure

What are White Balance Presets?

Almost all digital cameras contain a variety of preset white balances; these presets are tuned to provide a fixed correction for common lighting scenarios. The camera relies on you to choose the right setting for the scene. The most popular presets are: Direct Sun, Flash, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent.

The description and symbol for the above white balances are just rough estimates for the actual lighting they work best under. In fact, cloudy could be used in place of daylight depending on the time of day, elevation, or degree of haziness. In general, if your image appears too cool on your LCD screen preview (regardless of the setting), you can quickly increase the colour temperature by selecting a setting further down on the list above. White Balance presets are not always accurate: for example the colour temperature for a shade area varies from summer to winter.

White Balance Presets Vs Auto

Auto White Balance Vs Presets
Auto White Balance vs Fluorescent preset. The preset created a better colour

Any tips on using White Balance Presets properly?

As a matter of fact in most cases the Auto White Balance does a better job than White Balance Presets, but if you are using a off camera flash as your main source of light, then it is a good idea to set the White Balance Presets to Flash and your camera will provide perfect colour.

That is all for now. Stay tuned for more articles and tips. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for FREE upcoming tutorials and tips.

Custom White Balance can handle different Light Sources
Custom White Balance can handle different Light Sources

Digital Photography Class - Bootcamp Program

Shoot like a pro in 6 weeks

A comprehensive photography class for beginners in 8 sessions. There are 2 field trips in the Boot camp class as practical hands on sessions.

We're sorry, but all tickets sales have ended because the event is expired.

Click here for more information and dates.
0

digital camera class fraser valley, Photography seminars

Entry Level Photography Class – Bootcamp Program
Entry Level Photography Class – Bootcamp Program

6 Weeks Entry Level Photography Class For Beginners

Digital cameras can be very daunting for a new photographer, as there are many buttons, knobs, dials, adjustments, and letters. Digital cameras may look fragile and one may avoid exploring the possibilities that a digital camera has to offer. The Omnilargess 6 week entry level photography class is developed for new photographers and answers the most common questions that you may have about your digital camera or photography.

Digital photography technology evolves so fast, same as our photography classes. The 6 week photography class receives quite frequent updates to meet the needs of photographers as new cameras come to market.

Omnilargess Photography Class

Photography Bootcamp
Daytime field trip is part of digital photography bootcamp. The field trips help you to apply the skills and learn more.

Shoot Like a Pro in 6 weeks!

Omnilargess Entry Level Photography Class (Bootcamp) is a step by step interactive program for beginners and intermediate photographers who want to take control over the camera settings and make the most of their cameras.

From the very first session, students start to use and navigate camera’s different menus, learning about the buttons and knobs, and how to change the settings. There are assignments for each session which helps students to apply the new skills into their photography.

By the Night time photography field trip (which is the end of the program), students start to use the camera in fully Manual Settings, which is the same settings that pro photographers use.

Night time Field Trip Photography Class

Mill Lake at night. Photo by Teresa Thomas from April Bootcamp workshop
Mill Lake at night. Photo by Teresa Thomas from April Bootcamp workshop
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROGRAM CLICK HERE

Does the entry level photography class covers the Art Of Photography?

Art plays a big role in photography, and Composition is part of the Art of photography. That is why two sessions of Bootcamp program is dedicated to Composition.

Is it really possible to learn photography in 6 weeks?    

That is the main target in our 6 week entry level photography class. Does it seem out of reach? Not at all. Just don’t take our words, here are few of many testimonies that our previous students had sent to us or posted on Facebook.

Night time Field Trip Photography Class

Omnilargess Night Time Photography Classes
Omnilargess Night Photography Class. Photo credit Margaret Bouwman

  • Maria Killam

    I have had my DSLR Camera for over 2 years and had no idea how to use it. As a colour expert, decorator and design blogger, it's so important for me to have pretty images on my blog. I had tried many times to take photos that included a window but my automatic functions (auto settings in camera) would not allow it. That one day when I learned how to turn an image from dark and bleak to a light filled space was worth the entire price of the course. Your patience and sense of humour with a bunch of novices in the class was great! Thanks again for a great boot camp! I look forward to learning more from you! Thank you so much!
    Maria Killam, Colour Expert and Design Blogger, mariakillam.com

  • Luella Johnsen

    The workshop (Bootcamp) was very well done. Ted is an excellent teacher and was careful to ensure that everyone had answers to their questions. The size of the class of excellent and was a very comfortable group.
    The repetition required to better understand our cameras was very beneficial.

Our Fall photography Bootcamp ended last Friday. During the program students submitted their assignments and below you can see the progress of the Fall Photography Bootcamp students from week one to week 8 in this collections.

Jeanette Doodson

Roger Rourke

Sukhvider Sidhu

Elisa Erho

Raman Johal

Robyn Oishi

Entry Level Photography Class - Bootcamp Program

6 Weeks Complete Photography Class

Bootcamp Photography Class is a 6week, 8 sessions photography Class. There are 2 Field Trips, one for day time and one for night time photography.

Bootcamp Photography Class Page
0

digital camera class fraser valley, Photography seminars

, , , , , , , , ,

The Winner is ….
The Winner is ….

And the Winner is….

Award Announcement for August 31st Seminar

On August 31st  Omnilargess Workshops hosted our second Challenge Your Artistic View, an opportunity for photographers to have one image evaluated and judged by professionals and their peers.  This free workshop was held in our Abbotsford office and we enjoyed a variety of entries and discussion about the merits of each image. I want to thank Jason Brown from Revival Arts Studio for judging the photos and selecting the winner.

Congratulations to all our participants – it takes courage to submit your work for critique and review!  Everyone agreed it was a beneficial opportunity on the path to becoming better photographers.  And the learning never really ends, as technology changes along with our skill level.    

For the recipient of the $20 gift card the judge chose a charming image of a Sunset, shot by Dwayne Thornhill. Here is the winner picture

The winner is

The winner is Dwayne Thornhill with this amazing Sunset photo. Exposure and composition drag you to the scene.

The winner is Dwayne and He looks very happy and pride! Congratulation to Dwayne

The winner is Dwayne and he looks very happy and pride! Congratulation to Dwayne

The participants also got to vote for a class favorite and the winner of that distinction goes to Rick McDonald , for his cute and funny image. Here is the honorary photo

Second place goes to Rick McDonald for this amazing and funny shot

Second place goes to Rick McDonald for this amazing and funny shot

Thanks again to all who signed up for this event.  Stayed tuned for announcements for the next date and an opportunity to bring us your work for review and evaluation in a positive, friendly environment. Check our UPCOMING CLASSES for new exciting workshops.

Until then, happy shooting,

Ted and the Omnilargess team

Search:

Event Venue Date
Beginners Photography Bootcamp High Street Office
  • February 2, 2023 6:00 pm
Register
Vancouver Skyline at Night Totem Poles at Brockton Point
  • February 18, 2023 5:00 pm
Register
TOFINO BC PHOTO TOUR Tofino, BC
  • February 24, 2023 4:00 pm
Register
Landscape Photography Workshop Maple Ridge Dyke
  • April 1, 2023 8:00 am
Register
Nitobe Garden Photo Walk Nitobe Garden
  • April 22, 2023 10:00 am
Register
Digital Camera Crash Course 2023 High Street Office
  • April 29, 2023 9:30 am
Register
LAC DU BOIS PHOTO TOUR Lac du Bois, British Columbia
  • May 5, 2023 4:00 pm
Register
LEARN PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY High Street Office
  • June 15, 2023 6:00 pm
Register
Chasing Shadows High Street Office
  • June 17, 2023 9:00 am
Register
Youth Summer Photography Program High Street Office
  • July 12, 2023 2:00 pm
Register
0

Photography seminars

Omnilargess Free Seminar
Omnilargess Free Seminar

Challenge Your Artistic View

You’re invited to participate in a Free Seminar by Omnilargess Photography Classes

On June 22nd 2016 from 7 pm to 8 pm, Omnilargess Photography Classes is hosting a very special event open to all photographers. We’re inviting you to bring one image to the event for evaluation and constructive analysis. In this event Cheryl Wiens (www.sweetlifeportraits.ca) and Ted will examine the photos, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and select a winner. Seminar participants will also get to vote by private ballot for an Honorary Winner.

Are you ready to be critiqued by professional photographers and your peers?

Evaluating strengths and weaknesses in photographic images is an important learning opportunity for everyone. We all enjoy getting “likes” and “favs” on the images we share on social media sites, and yet how often do we get valuable feedback on why an image works and what could improve it? Constructive criticism not only helps us understand the strengths and weaknesses of a single image, it is a way to become better overall in the art and craft of photography. If you are ready to bring your best shot to this event, not only will you gain valuable tips about your own work, but also from the work of other participants. This is a free seminar where you will learn many critical points and also have a chance to win a $20.Gift Card!

Omnilargess Christmas Gift Cards

Omnilargess Gift card can make all photographers happy

What do you need to do?

1-Register for this FREE event now. There are only 9 spots available.

2-Bring your best shot in a digital format (Jpeg or Tiff) on a USB drive or memory card.

3-Sit and learn from the judge’s critiques and find out who is the winner. It might be you!

Location:

Unit 209B-32900 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford (Seven Oaks Shopping Centre). Phone: 604-774-1900

This event is open to all photographers and the winner will receive a $20.00 Gift Card.


0

DSLR Workshop, Photography seminars

Flash Photography Tips 4
Flash Photography Tips 4

Manual Flash Photography

Flash Photography Tip 4

We discussed TTL flash photography in previous articles and in this article I am going to show you the advantages of Manual flash photography.

There are two distinct ways in which flash exposure is controlled – Manual flash or TTL flash. Just Like Manual Exposure, Manual Flash requires more attention to camera and flash settings. When you master these techniques, you will enjoy flash photography even more and be able to create amazing pictures. With manual flash, you adjust your settings to achieve a correct flash exposure. You can use a light-meter, or even the histogram, to get correct flash exposure.

As I mentioned before, correct flash exposure requires four things to be controlled and balanced:

– Aperture

– ISO

– Distance (from the flash to subject)

– Power (the flash’s actual blitz of light, taking into consideration any diffusion)

You know about the roles of Aperture and ISO and for this article I am going to introduce the influences of Distance and Power.

Firstly, flash could simply be a constant amount of light that is emitted from the flashgun.  In the case of manual flash, there is NO control by the flashgun or camera, either with the intensity or duration of the pulse of light from the flash unit.

This is manual flash.  Photographers can control the output of their flashguns by adjusting the settings in fractions of the maximum possible output, ( 1/2 power, 1/4 power, 1/16 power, etc.). It should be obvious that the absolute value of ¼ power will vary from flashgun to flashgun, as each model and make of flashgun has a different maximum power.  The power of a flashgun is measured by GUIDE NUMBER; the higher the guide number the more output of power.

To recap, with manual flash we have four controls for the flash exposure:

– the actual output level from the flashgun, (the ratio of full or partial power),

– distance from our light source to the subject 

– aperture 

– ISO.

Any of these four variables can be used to control the amount of light falling on your subject.

Flash Photography

In Manual Flash photography, you need to adjust the power of flash out put to match the ambient light and distance to subject.

TTL vs. Manual flash photography

The only way to control TTL flash metering is with flash exposure compensation. While you could control manual flash exposure with any of the four variables mentioned above, with TTL flash you have one option and this is with your flash exposure compensation.

With manual flash, since the flash is a specific level, our subject’s reflectivity or our choice of composition (how we frame our subject) has absolutely no impact on our metering. This is a hugely important aspect of manual flash.  Once we have our lights set up at a specific distance, and determined our aperture and ISO…the subject’s reflectivity (how much lighter tones or darker tones there are) have NO effect on our flash exposure.

However, with TTL flash the subject’s reflectivity / tonality and our choice of composition WILL affect our flash exposure.   And hence, we often need to control our flash exposure with the flash exposure compensation.

The concepts explained in this section are so essential to our further understanding of flash photography that I strongly suggest re-reading this section until it makes sense.  Also check our Upcoming Classes page to find a workshop in Manual Exposure or Manual Flash Photography.  Gaining a solid understanding, both in theory and in practice, about flash photography will open up a whole new creative world to you. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your flash and/or camera settings.

That is all for now. Stay tuned for more articles about creative uses of TTL and Manual Flash Photography, such as Slow Shutter synch and off-camera flash photography.

Ted and the Omnilargess Team

Our TTL Flash Photography workshop is scheduled for July 6th 2016. This is a 2 part workshop with lots of practical settings.


0

Flash Photography, Photography seminars

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Flash Photography Tips 2
Flash Photography Tips 2

Flash Photography Tips

Part 2: TTL Flash Photography

In the previous article I discussed one important aspect of the differences between Flash Photography vs. constant light photography, which is the shutter speed. In this article I am going to talk about TTL vs. Manual Flash Photography.

What is TTL flash?

TTL stands for Through The Lens. With TTL flash, the camera and flash control the flash output (i.e., the power) as you adjust any of the other settings. That’s it in a nutshell – the differences between Manual flash and Auto / TTL flash.

How does TTL work?

Flash metering is achieved through the lens, using the camera’s metering system as it analyzes the scene through the lens you’re using.

Nikon first introduced TTL (Through The Lens) flash technology in 1980. The basics of TTL operation is rather simple and applies to all camera systems. With TTL flash exposure, when the shutter is tripped, the light from the flash fires off, racing to hit the subject. Let’s look a little more in depth at how TTL flash works. When you press the shutter release, a TTL flash will fire a Pre-Flash before the actual shot and the camera measures the Pre-Flash with the ambient light level to calculate the power needed in the actual flash for the shot. Don’t try looking for a Pre-Flash though, it happens very fast, only milli- or micro-seconds before the main flash, so you will only see one flash, not two, because the human eye is too slow to able to separate and see the two individual flashes. (The Pre-Flash in TTL flash photography can cause blinking in some people.)

Why is it important to learn how TTL Flash Photography works?

In manual flash photography you need to constantly adjust the out put of the flash according to the ISO, F stop, and distance. With TTL flash, the flash output is varied and controlled by the camera’s metering system. This means that within a certain range, our chosen aperture or ISO, or distance to our subject, does not influence our TTL flash exposure.

Flash Photography

In TTL Flash Photography you can maintain the exposure for your main subject while changing the ambient light

This is such a crucial point to understand about TTL flash, that I want to mention it again for emphasis.

With TTL flash, our chosen aperture or ISO (within a certain usable range), does not affect our exposure – and in a sense becomes transparent to our exposure metering. (Our camera and flash work together in calculating what it deems to be correct flash exposure, by increasing or decreasing the output from the flash.)  What does affect our exposure, is the reflectivity of our subject, and how large our subject appears within our frame.

In other words:  Aperture and ISO do not control flash exposure when we use TTL. This is because the camera will tell the flash to emit more (or to emit less) light as the camera deems necessary for correct exposure.

Then how can I control the exposure in TTL flash?

The only way to control TTL flash metering is with Flash Exposure Compensation. While you can control Manual flash exposure with any of the four variables mentioned earlier, with TTL flash you must use flash exposure compensation to influence or make changes.

What is the better metering mode for TTL flash?

The best metering mode is Centre Weighted mode when working with TTL flash, for better results than with the other modes.

What is the best Exposure mode in TTL flash photography?

You can shoot TTL in any exposure mode, but the one I prefer is Manual exposure. Since your camera controls the flash output, in manual mode you can set your shutter speed (within the synch speed), ISO, and aperture according to how much of the ambient light you want to capture, and your flash would fire the correct amount of light to lighten the subject. I cover more about TTL exposure in our TTL Flash Photography Workshop with plenty of opportunities to shoot and compensate for ambient light.

That is all for now. If you want to learn more about Manual shooting check out our new Manual shooting in Field Photography workshop  on April 2. It is a full day of field photography where we are going to use only Manual exposure mode. Or check our Upcoming Classes to find more amazing photography workshops.

Ted and the Omnilargess Team

0

Flash Photography, Photography seminars

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Digital Camera Workshop
Digital Camera Workshop

Digital Camera Workshop for beginners

Digital Camera workshop will guide you through the most important technical settings of your camera, and help you get the control you need to get the results you want. Begin improving your images with a few simple tips to get you started, and have fun learning alongside other women who want to get a better handle on the cameras they own.

You can create awesome photos each and every time if you control the setting on the camera

You can create awesome photos each and every time if you control the setting on the camera

Suitable for:

The beginner, and the enthusiast photographer.

Prerequisites:

This digital camera workshop is primarily intended for photographers using digital SLR and Mirror-less cameras, but many Manual capable digital compact cameras are also suitable. Each participant is expected to bring a digital camera with a fully charged battery and memory card(s).

Topics included:

-Camera set up

-Shutter speed

-Aperture

-ISO

-White Balance

-Fundamental Rules of Photography 

This is a 4 hour workshop

Date: March 5th

Location: Omnilargess Office Seven Oaks Shopping Centre


0

Digital Camera class for beginners, DSLR Workshop, Photography seminars, Photography workshop Fraser Valley

, , , , , ,

Page 1 of 6 12345...»