Online Photography Course
Mastering the Digital Camera and 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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Peter K. Burian
Peter K. Burian, Photo Journal Syndicate (www.peterkburian.com), is a freelance photographer based in Toronto, Canada. His outdoor, travel, nature and active lifestyle photographs are available as stock for editorial and advertising use. He markets his work direct to photo buyers via www.peterkburian.com and is also represented by three stock agencies: Corbis, Alamy and The Stock Connection.

As a writer and editor, Burian is co-author of several books, including the National Geographic Photography Field Guide and ten Magic Lantern Guides to SLR camera systems (including Sony Alpha, Pentax Digital and Maxxum/Dynax digital cameras).

His book covering all digital aspects has received numerous favorable reviews. Mastering Digital Photography and Imaging (Sybex)covers the technology, equipment and techniques, providing 270 pages of practical advice for photo enthusiasts.

Burian is a regular contributor with several magazines: SHUTTERBUG, PHOTO LIFE, Australian Photography and HERE'S HOW! He is also one of the Panel of Experts for Microsoft Home answering readers' questions about digital cameras and photography at: http://www.microsoft.com/canada/home/expertadvice/default.asp#3

He also provides editing and technical editing services to publishers of books on photography and digital imaging.

Finally, Peter Burian is also a BetterPhoto.com course instructor. Sign up today to learn how to make great photos with your digital camera

A Couple of Photos by the Instructor

© Peter Burian

© Peter Burian

A Couple of Student Photos

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View photos by previous students. You can make pictures like this too!

© Patty H. Hooker

© Patty H. Hooker

Course Outline

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Lesson 1: Getting to Know Your Digital Camera
Understanding your camera controls and functions. The five most valuable features. Features to avoid. Checklist of what your camera can and cannot do. How to get the most out of your digital camera. The biggest advantage of shooting digital: the right way to use your LCD monitor.
Assignment: Give Us Your (Worst and) Best Shot: Before and After

Lesson 2: File Formats and Quality Settings
JPEG and other in-camera options such as Raw and TIFF: pros and cons of each shooting format. Tips on shooting with RAW capture and image conversion. Storage and memory issues - doing digital photography on the road. Why you should convert your JPEG pics to TIFF format in the computer.
Assignment: JPEG A JPEG That Has Been JPEG'ed

Lesson 3: Digital Exposure 101
The primary exposure concepts. Why cameras sometimes make images that are too dark. Using Exposure Compensation, a simple method for perfect exposures. Learn where to meter from and use Exposure Lock. The part ISO plays in exposure. Tip: Use a Semi Automatic mode while maintaining full control.
Assignment: Exposure: Over, Under and Just Right

Lesson 4: Creative Control of Apertures (f/stops) and Shutter Speeds
Learn "depth of field" and motion control with aperture and shutter speed selection, using the camera's automatic and semi-automatic modes. A primer on depth of field. Prevent blurring from camera shake and subject movement. Great news about exposure when changing f/stops or shutter speeds in certain camera modes.
Assignment: Aperture/Depth of Field Control; also, Shutter Speed/Motion Control

Lesson 5: Exposure Evaluation and Low-Light Photography
Using the camera's histogram (and "loss of highlight detail warning") to evaluate exposure and contrast. The challenges and compromises of night photography. ISO Equivalents - changing ISO on the fly. Minimizing digital noise (graininess). Shooting at night - with and without a tripod. Making beautiful images in low light.
Assignment: Night Shoot - Before and After; also, High Contrast vs. Low Contrast

Lesson 6: Controlling White Balance and Other Aspects, In-Camera
The color of light for the non-physics major. Understanding the white balance options. The easy way to getting the correct white balance. Adjusting the in-camera level for sharpening and color saturation.
Assignment: White Balance Before and After; also, Saturation/Sharpness Before and After

Lesson 7: Composition and Lens Choice
Principles of visual design. Putting the Rule of Thirds to good use. An easy way to understand the Golden Rectangle. Shooting vertical as well as horizontal photos. Understanding lens focal lengths. Wide angle and telephoto options with digital SLR "focal length magnification factors".
Assignment: Rule of Thirds/Orientation: Before and After

Lesson 8: Introduction to Image Enhancing Software
Adjusting brightness, contrast, color balance, color saturation and sharpness in a few steps. Understanding the primary color concept in digital imaging. Taking advantage of automated enhancing features such as Auto Levels and Red-Eye Removal. Introduction to image correction with RAW converter software. And a bonus: a brief introduction to software for making long panoramic images from several photos made for exactly this purpose.
Assignment: Correct a Technically Poor Image in Under 60 seconds

Review: Voting on Best Work

© Peter Burian

© Peter Burian

Requirements

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Digital camera with aperture control and exposure compensation feature. Tripod. Practically any image-editing software.

FAQ

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This class is perfect for everyone from the beginner (with a camera that includes overrides) to the "serious hobbyist" or advanced amateur. Highly advanced digital photographers will likely already know many of the topics we cover, but you are welcome to join us anyway.  

Only in one consideration: Does your camera allow you to control aperture and shutter speed? And does it include an Exposure Compensation control? Without these options, you will likely find the camera insufficient for this course.  

Yes. A tripod. Also, some basic imaging software. For the following, you do not need all of these functions and tools, but the more you have will have a direct relationship on how much you enjoy the class:

• LCD monitor.
• The ability to shoot in JPEG format; a Raw capture mode would be a bonus.
• The ability to lock your exposure as well as your focus.
• Exposure compensation and other exposure control techniques.
• The ability to view a histogram in your LCD monitor.
• A zoom lens.
• The ability to control ISO equivalents.
• The ability to control white balance settings.
• Software with a panoramic stitching function would be useful.
• A macro mode (for very close focusing - common with many digital cameras) or a macro lens for an SLR.

Don't get frightened if you don't know any or all of the above terms - we'll cover these in the class. And remember, you do not need all of these ... a few would be enough.  

Not really. We will touch on a few topics such as panoramic stitching and brightening images with software, but, overall, this course is not about Photoshop or other digital imaging software.  

© Peter Burian

© Peter Burian

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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