Online Photography Course
Digital Infrared Photography

What You Get

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	Benefits: You get direct feedback on your photos from world-acclaimed, professional photographers. You can learn photography in this way from anywhere in the world.
Learn at your pace, with structure. Be guided by a real pro instructor. Get your photos critiqued every week. Join students from around the world. Go far beyond any book or DVD. Make great pictures, again and again!

Instructor

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Deborah Sandidge
Photography has been part of award-winning professional photographer and author, Deborah Sandidge’s life since she picked up her first camera—it has evolved into her passion.

Following her formal study of art and photography at the University of South Florida, she began dedicating her time to the art of digital photography, establishing a name for herself as a leading infrared photographer. Deborah, who is the author of the book, Digital Infrared Photography, teaches two excellent online photo courses right here at BetterPhoto.com: Digital Infrared Photography and Photoshop: Enhancing Images and Creating Works of Art.

Residing in Oviedo, Florida, allows Deborah easy access to her favorite photography subjects, Florida’s birds and other wildlife, as well as its landscapes. Her travels, however, have not been limited to Florida’s fascinating beauty; they have taken her from border to border of America and beyond to yield photography that stretches the imagination. She has had the joy and privilege of photographing areas ranging from Namibia, Africa, with its stunning dunes, primitive tribal villages, beautiful people, and sweeping coastlines, to the cities and towns of Switzerland, Germany, and France with their rich history, majestic mountains, tiny churches, soaring cathedrals, and captivating night scenes.

Deborah’s passion is not only capturing images of people, places, and things with her digital cameras, but also in the enhancing, creative work she does in the digital darkroom. She considers Photoshop her "artist's palette".

Deborah’s tutorials have been published in Photoshop Creative Magazine and in Digital Close-up Photography. Her photography has been published in Nikon World Magazine, Nikon World Calendar, and in various Nikon publications and at photography events including PhotoPlus Expo, PMA and Macworld.

Deborah's photography is currently on exhibit in several galleries. Her creative digital image, Cormorant Conversation, along with photos from the Orlando Camera Club, earned Best Nature Portfolio by Nature’s Best magazine for the prestigious Windland Smith Rice International Award 2008, which is on exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC. Deborah’s work is represented by Danita Delimont, Positive Images, and Novastock.

• BetterPhoto puts the spotlight on Deborah in an interesting interview. Read it here...

• Check out Deborah's beautiful photography in her Pro BetterPholio - www.deborahsandidge.com - and in her Basic BetterPholio gallery.

A Couple of Photos by the Instructor

© Deborah  Sandidge

© Deborah  Sandidge

Course Outline

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Lesson 1: Visualizing and Capturing Infrared Images
Defining infrared light and how it can be used with photography. Using infrared light as an artistic and creative alternative. Filter choices, setting up your camera, getting the best exposures, and how infrared differs from color photography.
Assignment: Shooting in infrared and comparing the differences between color and infrared.

Lesson  2: How Infrared Composition Differs from Color
Composing and photographing in infrared. Choosing the best lens for the subject. Discover how infrared light impacts architecture, landscapes, people, and animals. Using the drama of infrared light to develop unique themes in infrared.
Assignment: Composing a dramatic infrared photograph using compositional techniques or a thematic approach for compelling images.

Lesson 3:  Working Creatively In-Camera and Optimizing your Infrared Images
Explore various creative techniques such as long exposures, shooting through glass, reflections and using special filters. Optimizing your infrared images, noise reduction and converting to black and white.
Assignment:  Stretching creative boundaries and exploring new destinations by trying something new with digital infrared photography.

Lesson 4:  What Happens If? Creatively Working in Photoshop
Fun and final lesson, achieving the "blue sky" effect, using selective color for impact. Toning, tinting and simulating a traditional infrared film look. Composites, filters and plug-ins to enhance your image. Finishing touches.
Assignment: Using your imagination for creative interpretations in infrared that will engage and draw in the viewer.

© Deborah  Sandidge

© Deborah  Sandidge

Requirements

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Infrared converted camera is ideal, or experience and camera compatible with an infrared filter. Understanding of aperture, shutter speed, and camera functions. Familiarity in working with Photoshop or Elements. The “blue sky” effect can be achieved with infrared filters such as the standard (720nm), the enhanced color filter (665nm), and  the use of Photoshop’s Channel Mixer.

FAQ

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This course is designed for anyone who has a good working knowledge of a digital SLR camera. The course is designed to build skills for upper serious hobbyists, intermediates, and advanced photographers. 

You will need either a digital SLR camera with an infrared filter to use on the lens, or an infrared-converted camera.  

If you wish to start by using an infrared filter on the lens of your camera, I suggest the Hoya R72 filter for the lens you most commonly use. The various infrared filters are covered in the first lesson.  

If you are using an infrared filter on the lens of your camera, you'll need a sturdy tripod for longer exposures (just like color photography). 

© Deborah  Sandidge

© Deborah  Sandidge

No, you do not need to be online at any specific time. The lessons are sent to your email and you are also provided the Campus Square - where you interact with your classmates and instructor. This is also where you upload your photos to be critiqued by your instructor. The instructors are very punctual and respond quickly.

Absolutely! Students can ask questions in the special Q&A forum set up in the course's Campus Square, or can ask the instructor via email.

Yes. We are confident that you will fully enjoy our courses. All the same, for our 8-week classes, we offer a 100% money-back guarantee before the Wednesday that Lesson #3 is sent out. If for any reason, you are not satisfied and let us know that you would like to withdraw before the Wednesday that Lesson #3 is sent, you will be promptly refunded.

For our 4-week courses, we offer a 100% money back guarantee before the Wednesday that Lesson #2 is sent out from BetterPhoto. If for any reason you are not satisfied and you let the ordering department know that you would like to withdraw before the Wednesday that Lesson #2 is sent, you will be refunded within 7 days. After the second lesson has been sent out, no refunds will be given.


If you have further questions about this course, feel free to contact us via the Contact link below.

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