Online Photography Course
Learning the Canon Digital Rebel Camera

Your Instructor
Charlotte K. Lowrie

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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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Charlotte K. Lowrie
Charlotte K. Lowrie is an award-winning nature and portrait photographer and writer. Her photography and writing have appeared in newsstand magazines including Popular Photography & Imaging, and in newspapers. Her photography and writing have also been featured on the Canon Digital Learning Center, on MSN, and in Microsoft products and advertisements. Charlotte is also featured on TakeGreatPhotos.com as a master photographer. You can see her images on her Web site at wordsandphotos.org.

Charlotte is the author of the following books:

• The Canon EOS 5D Mark III Field Guide
  
• The Canon EOS T3i/600D Field Guide
  
• The Canon EOS T3/1100D Field Guide
• The Canon EOS 60D Field Guide
• The Canon Rebel T2i/550D Field Guide
• The Canon 7D Field Guide
• The Canon Digital Rebel XS/1000D Field Guide
• The Canon 50D Field Guide
• The Canon Digital Rebel XSi/450D Field Guide
• The Canon Digital Rebel XTi Field Guide
• The Canon EOS 40D Digital Field Guide
• The Canon EOS 5D Digital Field Guide
• The Canon Digital Rebel Field Guide
• The Canon EOS 30D Field Guide
• Adobe Camera Raw Studio Skills (now out of date)
  
• Teach Yourself Visually Digital Photography, 2nd Edition (no longer in publication)
  

Charlotte's images have won awards in the International Aperture Awards and the International Aperture competitions, and in the Women in Photography Portrait competition.

Charlotte teaches five BetterPhoto PhotoCourses:

• Learning the Canon EOS 60D
• Learning the Canon Digital Rebel
• Learning the Canon EOS 7D
• Camera Raw: From Capture to Finished Photo
• Learning the Canon EOS 50D

A Couple of Photos by the Instructor

© Charlotte Lowrie

© Charlotte Lowrie

Course Outline

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Lesson 1: Introducing Exposure, Precise Focus, and Color Control
The first lesson walks you through the camera controls and setup. We'll look at what image format and quality settings you should use, how to get the best color via White Balance settings, and you'll learn about Autofocus modes and how to get tack-sharp focus in every image. This lesson also introduces the elements of exposure, and you get a chance to begin working with exposure elements using Program AE (P) mode on the camera.
Sidebar: Does Focus Lock and Recompose Work?
Assignment: Shoot two images at different f-stops to show how f-stop changes affect Depth of Field while getting sharp focus, accurate exposure, and great color. (It is good to have a tripod available for this and all lessons.)
 
Lesson 2: Creative Exposure Control and Composition
You likely bought the Rebel because you want to do a lot more than point and shoot. Indeed the Rebel offers modes that let you stretch your skill and knowledge as a photographer. In this lesson, we learn all the elements of photographic exposure, how the camera meters light, and we'll explore each of the creative modes and learn when to use them to get the effect that you want in your images. By the end of this lesson, you'll know how to use Depth of Field to your creative advantage.
Sidebar: Photographic composition
Assignment: Using Av shooting mode, make two images; one with extensive, and one with shallow depth of field while creating a pleasing composition.

Lesson 3: More on Creative Exposure Control and Modifying Exposure
In this lesson, you'll learn how and when to use Tv and M (Manual) shooting modes and how to use shutter speed changes creatively. Then you'll learn how to evaluate image exposure using the histogram, how to use the Rebel light metering modes, and how to modify exposure when you encounter challenging light.
Sidebar: Shutter Speed Tips
Assignment: Using Tv shooting mode, make two images; one image using a fast shutter speed to freeze subject motion, and one image using a slow shutter speed to show subject motion as a blur.
 
Lesson 4: Using the Flash, Exploring Lenses, and Using Live View
What about using the flash, and additional lenses and extenders? In this lesson, we'll explore the world of lenses and the options they offer for extending your creative eye in photography. Which lenses will benefit your photography most and what you can expect from each type of lens. We'll also cover the benefits of using the built-in flash and adding an accessory flash such as a Canon EX Speedlight. And for those with newer EOS Rebel cameras, we'll learn when and how to use Live View shooting.
Sidebar: Understanding the Focal-Length Multiplication Factor
Assignment: You'll make two "personal best" images featuring two thematic assignments that pull together all the concepts and skills we've learned in the previous weeks.

© Charlotte Lowrie

© Charlotte Lowrie

Requirements

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Own or borrow a Canon EOS Rebel. Basic experience making pictures with a point-and-shoot digital camera or with the EOS Rebel. A tripod. Knowledge of off-loading images from the camera to the computer. A desire to make better pictures with your EOS Digital Rebel SLR.

FAQ

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Yes, the new T4i (650D) is included in the course, along with all earlier models of the Rebel. 

No. All you need is the lens that came with the camera kit, or the lens that you currently own. You should also have a tripod.  

No. This course concentrates on learning to use the camera and on getting great images in the camera. But if you're interested in learning how to edit digital images, BetterPhoto.com offers a variety of other courses that teach you image editing techniques.  

The course is designed to take you beyond automatic shooting and show you how to take creative control of your photos. The principles taught during the course will provide the foundation for you to get even better images from the camera than you're getting now. If you feel that you are currently "shooting in the dark" with your Rebel, or if you know that you're not taking advantage of all the options the camera offers, then you'll benefit from this course.  

Yes. Supplemental material will cover basic composition, the elements of exposure, and you will get additional information on white balance and choosing lenses for the cameras. 

Both courses cover the same primary concepts and camera operations but in a slightly different order. The instructors have compared notes to ensure that you will get full information regardless of the Digital Rebel course you take.  

For this class, we will shoot JPEG images only. 

© Charlotte Lowrie

© Charlotte Lowrie

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.