Photography is one of the most rewarding hobbies you can have—and digital photography offers the instant gratification of seeing the images you just shot, in the camera right after it is created.

Today’s technology provides folks with more outlets than ever to learn—from reading the camera manual, books and magazines to viewing a video, DVD or webinar to taking a dedicated class or lecture. By far, the ideal way to learn is from in a classroom or lecture setting where you can converse with the instructors, ask questions and seek advice. Reed Hoffmann, one of Nikon School’s instructors explains: “There’s a special kind of energy you feel when attending a class like this, and it’s infectious. From watching the instructors, to sharing lunch, we all learn and grow together. And perhaps most importantly, you leave with a new enthusiasm for photography, a better understanding of it, and ideas for ways to continue to grow with this amazing creative outlet.” Being in a classroom environment lets you learn not only from the instructors but feed off of the energy of the other students as well. Instructor Nick Didlick adds: “I know from personal experience there is nothing like getting into a room with a bunch of like-minded photo students and instructors and participate in a fun learning experience.”

In addition to learning about photography concepts and techniques, attendees also learn the functions and features of their cameras. Instructor Bob Pearson says, “I have many students come up after a class and tell me that they had been confused by certain functions on the camera. Exposure Value (EV) adjustments for example...many students have no idea what EV is for, and are very excited once they understand how EV functions and the advantages to using it.”

Bill Durrence, who has been a Nikon School instructor for two decades, says he hopes the biggest takeaway that students get is a new perspective on learning. Bill feels that it is also important to explain the “story” behind the photograph. He says that in addition to noting how images are made, explaining the story behind the image allows him to add humor and entertainment, which provide a break from the day’s lectures. He adds: “It gives me the chance to talk more about esoteric aspects of making—as opposed to taking—photographs.”  

Nick says that one of his favorite parts about teaching is, “talking to people about our common passion for photography,” along with answering student’s questions.

Michael A. Schwarz photo of a young girl with the reflection of her back showing in the photo as it was taken against a mirror in a ballet studio Michael A. Schwarz
A snapshot made more interesting by placing the subject against a mirror in a ballet studio. Not only do you see her beautiful smile but also the reflection as an added element.
Michael A. Schwarz photo of two boys on a merry go round, showing the panning technique Michael A. Schwarz
In this shot Michael A. Schwarz was in the center of the merry-go-round trying not to move the camera, just trying to stay in sync with the boys since they are all moving at the same speed. The difficulty was in getting the correct shutter speed, so he shot many photos between 1/4th sec and 1/60th sec. The one that had the best combination of sharpness and movement and expression was this one, shot at 1/15th sec.
Michael Schwarz photo of two kids at a pool, with towels wrapped around them. Michael A. Schwarz

Its easy to get candid shots of your kids, especially when they're having fun.

Learn from instructors with a passion for teaching

And the best instructors are those who are working professionals. Nikon School classes are taught by such working pros who not only make a living in photography but who also have a passion for teaching. Reed says the best moments are when he sees students finally understanding a concept that may have eluded them. “Seeing that light bulb go on, witnessing someone understanding what they didn’t before, that’s the best part of teaching photography.” Nikon School instructor Michael A. Schwarz agrees. “A class doesn't go by when someone doesn't come up to me and say there was something they just could never understand, but now they finally get it and it all makes sense. That really makes me feel good,” he says.

Bob adds, “I believe a good base of knowledge in photography will help students take that step from just shooting images to really making nice photographs.” Learning how to use the camera is just the beginning explains Bill. “You have to understand the basic technical considerations for using the camera, and those things have to become second nature. When you achieve something close to that, then you are ready to begin the real work of learning to see,” he says.

Nikon Professional Services (NPS) Technical rep., Mark Kettenhofen, one of the Nikon School instructors who teaches the HD-SLR Multimedia Workshop, explains how teaching photography is more than images, and yet more than words. "Ansel Adams once said, 'When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.'" To Mark, teaching is more than just explaining photographic concepts or techniques but being able to help his students find the creativity they have within themselves. "My belief," Mark says, "is that my photography, together with my words, creates not silence, but a flow of imagination and vision that allow Nikon School participants to grow creatively beyond what they ever thought possible."

Bill says he remembers when he first started learning photography, and how confusing it was. “Once I did understand, I felt like it shouldn’t be that hard and I’ve spent most of my professional life since then trying to find ways to simplify this material and put it in plain, practical language,” he explains.

Michael notes the importance of creating a positive learning environment for Nikon School students. “I always hope that people find our classes educational as well as entertaining. I want people to expect to have a good time at our classes. We try to make it fun—we try to personalize it with our real world experiences. Lastly I want them to understand that our class is not a day-long sales pitch,” He adds: “Our goal is to try and help people enjoy their photography more by helping them get better photos and by removing any frustrations that they previously experienced.”

Nikon School classes aren’t only for beginners either. Nick explains that the attendees of Nikon School classes are often more enthusiastic about photography afterwards. “I see a renewed enthusiasm for photography and a drive to get out and put into practice some of the techniques they have learned from the class. There is nothing like watching the faces of the students as they leave the class with big grins on their faces, energized to go out and shoot pictures.”

“I feel that our instructors have so much professional experience that we blend into our teaching that there are always a handful of real practical ‘learned-in-the-field’ techniques that we pass along that can benefit those who already are pretty well experienced,” adds Michael.

Bill Durrence photo of a water lily and lily pads shot in a greenhouse in London Bill Durrence
This image was shot in an aquatic greenhouse at Kew Gardens in London. Using a polarizing filter, reflections of the greenhouse’s roof were made less distracting while the color and contrast were enhanced. Diagonal lines in the image are dynamic, creating higher energy, so the line where water and lily pads meet was used to “design” an implied diagonal from corner to corner. Border added in post-production. D300s, AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens, 1/250 sec., f/8, ISO 1100 (using Auto ISO), aperture priority, -.07 EV, cloudy white balance.
Bill Durrence photo of torn screens and fabric on a shack in Death Valley National park Bill Durrence
This is a section of torn and weathered fabric and screen on an old shack, shot at Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley National Park. Bill Durrence was using a tripod which let him carefully control the composition at the edges of the frame, and avoid camera movement as the shutter speed got slower. What drew him to this vignette was the left to right layering pattern of texture and tone and muted color. The natural orientation of the subject lines felt vertical so he deliberately shot it as a horizontal for impact. Border added in post-production. D300, AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens, f/8, ISO 200, aperture priority, white balance set to cloudy to add more warmth to the picture.
Bill Durrence photo of a highway, using leading lines into the distance, shot on US 163 near the border between Arizona and Utah Bill Durrence
Taken on US 163 Scenic Highway near the Arizona-Utah border looking south towards Monument Valley. The composition emphasizes the vast space, and the exclusion of traffic reinforced the sense of emptiness. This image epitomizes the point that it’s not the camera; it’s the photographer. Border added in post-production. COOLPIX 3700 (3-megapixel camera), program exposure mode, matrix metering, exposure compensation -2 EV (to compensate for the large amount of black roadway in the image), ISO 50, Nikon Capture NX2 software used in post-production to add more warmth and saturation, contrast and sharpening as well as minor object removal.

Having Fun While Learning Too

Nikon School instructors do their best to educate students about photography, and help them with any questions they may have, but also make the learning experience fun and entertaining, so in addition to the gained knowledge, students enjoy themselves in the process. Reed feels photography is at its best when it's a shared, group activity. “That’s why I’ve always enjoyed teaching these classes, and hands-on workshops too. I learn from the students’ questions, and we all feed off of each other’s energy. And I love telling stories about my failures—it’s fun, and helps the students understand that we all make mistakes, no matter how long we’ve been doing photography. The important thing is to learn from those mistakes.” According to Bill, “play” is the most important word in photography. “Learning happens better when we’re having fun. Mistakes are how we build knowledge and skills.”

Bob explains how the students’ energy is also infectious for the instructors. “One of the reasons I joined the Nikon School teaching staff was because of the energy that the students bring into the seminars. I love to see the excitement in the students when we talk about photography, when we show them beautiful photos or see their eyes light up when they understand a concept that had eluded them up until that point. That energy in turn motivates us instructors.”

Bob Pearson photo of a rainbow shot just outside the town of Otavalo, Ecuador Bob Pearson
This was shot just outside the town of Otavalo, Ecuador as we were leaving after shooting the weaver. Bob Pearson was with a group, and asked the driver to stop so they could hike through traffic and around houses to find the right elevation and vantage point to photograph from. It was one of the most striking rainbows he says he has ever seen...a full rainbow with the mountainside under it in partial sunlight, and the outskirts of the town below in shadow from the clouds. D3, AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens, 1/250 sec., f/7.1, ISO 200, EV value of -.07. Original shot as NEF.
Bob Pearson photo of a weaver's hands and yarn close up in Otavalo, Ecuador Bob Pearson
Bob Pearson photographed this woman in Otavalo, Ecuador demonstrating the local process of dying and spooling of yarn and how she weaves this yarn into rugs, clothing and other items. He was shooting shutter priority to maintain a consistent shutter speed, slow enough to achieve the blurred effect on the spool yet fast enough to freeze any movement of her hand. The image was taken indoors, without a flash, hand-held. D3, AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens, 1/30 sec., f/9, ISO 3200, EV setting of -1.0 to keep her hand from over-exposing. Original shot as NEF.
Bob Pearson photo of oil derricks juxtaposed against wind turbines and a freight train in Texas Bob Pearson
Bob Pearson came across this scene while traveling on his motorcycle through Texas one summer. He was in awe of the number, seemingly hundreds, of wind turbines in the fields near Hermleigh, TX. As he was walking (and riding) around the fields to find a good composition, he noticed some old yet active oil derricks pumping in the midst of the turbines, and was intrigued by the juxtaposition of the technologies running side by side. He wanted a nice clean shot of the derrick with the repeating pattern of the wind turbines trailing off into the horizon. A freight train came into view about the time he started shooting, which added to the technology aspect of the photograph. D300, AF Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens, 1/1000 sec., f/8, ISO 200, EV of -0.7, aperture priority to control depth-of-field. Original shot as NEF. I shoot 99% of my images in (Nikon NEF) RAW.
Nick Didlick photo of footprints in the sand leading to a person walking on the beach Nick Didlick
Try and look for the basic elements in a picture, this would include a horizon or a basic pleasing line leading your viewer into your photograph. These leading lines are found in almost every photograph and should be worked to your advantage to give the viewer a line that leads to your subject. D80, AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens, 1/320 sec., f/9, ISO 100, normal program, matrix metering.
Nick Didlick photo of a seashore, framed by the leaves of a tree in the foreground Nick Didlick
When difficulties with composition occur, try shooting through something in the foreground, like trees or other objects, as they will create a natural frame for your subject and add depth to your photograph. D80, AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens, 1/200 sec., f/7.1, ISO 100, normal program, matrix metering.
Nick Didlick photo of a waterfall taken with a slow shutter speed with trees in the background Nick Didlick
Working in Shutter Priority Exposure Mode you can control your shutter to a longer exposure letting the camera record movement in this case its a waterfall. You should use a tripod and remember if you have people in your picture to have them hold very still while the camera works it's magic. D80, AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens, 1/4 sec., f/4.5, ISO 100, manual exposure, matrix metering

Lights… Camera… Action

NPS’s own Mark Suban is one of the instructors of the HD-SLR Multimedia Workshop, which is geared to those photographers who wish to learn how to use their HD-SLRs to shoot better video. Mark says most of these students in the HD-SLR multimedia classes are looking for “power user” tips and short cuts designed to get the most out of their cameras. “My favorite part of teaching photography or multimedia creation, is sharing the tips and tricks of using Nikon products to create the images and movies our customers desire.” He explains that many of the attendees of this class are using HD-SLRs to create D-Movies as part of their jobs. Because the HD-SLR multimedia class is so specialized, Mark notes that the small class size is ideal for learning. “Smaller class sizes equal better student to instructor ratios. Students feel that they’re receiving more ‘hands-on’ help and personal attention,” he says.

Mark Suban photo of an orange car hood and light and shadows Mark Suban
This photo shows the use of tight cropping, while focusing on the play between light and shadow; it was shot at a local auto show at Indian Head, Maryland, using the COOLPIX S800c. The camera was set to AUTO Scene Mode with an exposure of 1/400 sec., f/4.7, ISO 125 to capture fine color details and maximize quality. The image was then uploaded to my mobile device using the built-in image transfer feature of the camera.
Mark Suban photo of an ivy covered tree in Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Mark Suban
This was taken on a cloudy day in Stanley park, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Since it was a low contrast situation, I set my Picture Control to Vivid with sharping set to +9 and contrast set to +3 to boost the overall snap of the image. It was important to have the VR set to ON and use a fast shutter speed as I was hand-holding the photo. D3, AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens, 1/500 sec., f/3.5, ISO 200, auto white balance.
Mark Kettenhofen photo of a sunburst through the Delicate Arch at sunset. Mark Kettenhofen
This image of Delicate Arch at sunset is a great example of using a small aperture to create a "star burst" affect in your photography. Shooting at f/22 will exaggerate the rays of light you see when compared to a wider aperture. This effect can be enhanced by making sure you place an object in front of the light source, making sure that the light source is near the edge of the object in the frame. D3X, 18mm lens, 1/25 sec., f/22, ISO 100, aperture priority, matrix metering.
Mark Kettenhofen photo, silhouette of a sherpa on a mountaintop with a great expanse of clouds and sky over Mt. Lupsie Mark Kettenhofen
A loan sherpa stands on a ridge in the Karakoram mountain range as the sun rises over 18,000 foot Mt. Lupsie. By exposing for the darkness of the early morning sky the fingers of the sunrise are shown reaching around the ridge while keeping the sherpa is dark against the ridge line. D1X, 85mm lens, 1/1250 sec., f/10, aperture priority, matrix metering.
Mark Kettenhofen photo of a group of cowboys showing their backs, and the open sky in partial silhouette Mark Kettenhofen
Portraits don't always need to have the subject's face in full view to tell a story. Simply viewing this image you can tell the subjects of this image are cowboys who spend a good deal of their time in the great outdoors. D300S, 14mm lens, 1/1600 sec., f/6.3, aperture priority, matrix metering.

Testimonials

“Reed and Nick ran an excellent course; they were very well rehearsed and had a great breadth of knowledge. The cost was well worth it and I would have expected to pay much more for that quality of training.”

—Tymish Halibey, Student, Nikon School, New York City, NY


“I attended the program last year too. Inspired me to buy new compact and D-SLR cameras this year and use them in ways I had never imagined. The speakers from both groups were fabulous. You could consider me a regular from now on. Also I bought new software, lenses, tripods, cases—all recommended by the speakers... truly an inspiration. They have changed my life in a great way. This personal growth in a non-work area has added unbelievable joy to my too busy life.”

—Peter Kelly, Student, Nikon School, Milford, CT


“Thank you so much for your enjoyable and informative seminar in Nikon School this past weekend. It was my 2nd time taking the class but it was worth the review. I learned with my daughter new things which I missed the first time.”

—Tak Inaba, Student, Nikon School, New York City, NY