Practical Photography (Basic Photography Course)

Minimal classroom time, maximum shooting time.
8 sessions, 2 hours each, S$390 (see discount, course outline or sign up now)

Learn basic photography with the most hands-on photography class in Singapore.

Instead of getting you to memorise scary terms like aperture, shutter speed, depth of field, we prefer to bring you out to the field and show you what they really mean—and what you can do with them.

To help you get acquainted with your camera quickly, you’ll spend a total of 10 out of 16 hours of your course taking photographs in various locations in central Singapore rather than sitting in the classroom.

By the end of this 8-session workshop, you would have gone through five guided field trips, including two night outings covering low-light and flash photography. You’ll be comfortable handling your camera and understand technical concepts from the different shooting modes to aperture and shutter speed.

You’ll also be able to apply composition techniques from finding effective backgrounds to rule of the thirds, know what makes a good photo and how to improve a bad one.

Through our field trips and assignments, you’ll also become more confident approaching people on the streets for portraits. You’ll also learn to work on your digital photos in Adobe Lightroom, apply basic adjustments and correction and output them print at minilabs such as our partner lab, Triple D.

Most importantly, you’d have lots of fun! We keep our class small (8 persons max*) so you can be sure you’ll get individual attention from our instructors. Indoor lessons take place at our partner studio located in central Singapore near Clarke Quay and City Hall.

Recommended and suitable for: Beginners who want a strong foundation in photography. We also offer a shorter basic photography workshop that is completed in 2 weeks with fewer weekend classes.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, 2009. Commissioned by AsiaPhoto

*We cater up to 2 additional places per class for students who miss their classes and qualify for makeup lessons.

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Most Hands-on Basic Photography Course

Learn photography with guided field shoots rather than sitting in the classroom

Theory is nice, but we realise most people just want to take good photos—and nothing beats going out there to shoot. Many students choose our workshops because they don’t want to learn photography sitting in some classroom. We keep theory to a minimum, preferring instead to bring you out to do some real photography.

Get the Most Attention With the Least Bucks

Get the attention of private lesson at the cost of group lessons

If there’s one thing that we’re extremely particular about, it’s making sure each and every of our student gets the attention needed to learn effectively. That’s why our Practical Photography class is limited to just eight people*. You might find similar-looking workshops elsewhere at $10–20 cheaper, but you won’t find one that offers you as much attention as you can get from ours.

Expose Yourself to Different Kinds of Photography

Expose yourself to a wide variety of photography

Portraits, streets, landscapes, nightscapes, flash, flora, architecture, macro and close-up—these are the kinds of photography that you’ll get to shoot in our Practical Photography class. By the end of the workshop, you’ll be more than well-equipped to tackle most genres of photography and discover the ones you like most.

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Course Requirements

Participants must bring their own camera (DSLR or compact with manual exposure modes). A tripod is required for some guided field trips, and a laptop for lesson 8.

Tripod recommended for lesson 4 and 6. Tripods of varying built quality are available for rent from our partner Camera Rental from $5–15 a day. Students enjoy a discount on equipment rental.
Laptop with Lightroom 3 installed recommended for lesson 8

Course Schedule

March 2012 Sunday Class VII

March 25 to April 15, 2012

March 25, 2012, 2:00–4:00 pm
March 25, 2012, 4:30–6:30 pm
April 1, 2012, 7:30–9:30 am
April 1, 2012, 6:00–8:00 pm
April 8, 2012, 11:00 am-1:00 pm
April 15, 2012, 7:30–9:30 am
April 15, 2012, 6:00–8:00 pm
April 15, 2012, 11:00 am-1:00 pm

February 2012 Sunday Class V (Full)

From February 19 to March 25, 2012

February 19, 2012, 2:00–4:00 pm
February 19, 2012, 4:30–6:30 pm
February 26, 2012, 7:30–9:30am
March 4, 2012, 6:00–8:00 pm
March 11, 2012, 11:00am-1:00 pm
March 18, 2012, 7:30–9:30am
March 18, 2012, 6:00–8:30 pm
March 25, 2012, 2:00–4:00 pm

February 2012 Saturday Class VI (Full)

From February 18 to March 31, 2012

February 18, 2012, 11:00am–1:00pm
February 18, 2012, 4:30–6:30 pm
February 25, 2012, 7:30–9:30am
March 3, 2012, 6:00–8:00 pm
March 10, 2012, 2:00–4:00 pm
March 17, 2012, 7:30–9:30am
March 24, 2012, 6:00–8:00 pm
March 31, 2012, 2:00–4:00 pm

February 2012 Sunday Class VI (Full)

February 26 to March 25, 2012

February 26, 2012, 11:00 am-1:00 pm
February 26, 2012, 4:30–6:30 pm
March 4, 2012, 7:30–9:30 am
March 11, 2012, 6:00–8:00 pm
March 11, 2012, 11:00 am-1:00 pm
March 18, 2012, 7:30–9:30 am
March 18, 2012, 6:00–8:00 pm
March 25, 2012, 11:00 am-1:00 pm

January 2012 Saturday Class IV (Full)

From January 7 to February 11, 2012

January 7, 2012, 2.00–4.00pm
January 7, 2012, 4.30–6.30pm
January 14, 2012, 7.30–9.30am
January 21, 2012, 6.00–8.00pm
January 28, 2012, 11.00–1.00pm
February 4, 2012, 7.30–9.30am
February 11, 2012, 6.00–8.00pm
February 11, 2012, 2.00–4.00pm

January 2012 Sunday Class IV (Full)

From January 8 to February 12, 2012

January 8, 2012, 2.00–4.00pm
January 8, 2012, 4.30–6.30pm
January 15, 2012, 7.30–9.30am
January 22, 2012, 6.00–8.00pm
January 29, 2012, 11.00–1.00pm
February 5, 2012, 7.30–9.30am
February 12, 2012, 6.00–8.00pm
February 12, 2012, 2.00–4.00pm

January 2012 Saturday Class V (Full)

From January 28 to March 3, 2012

January 28, 2012, 2.00–4.00pm
January 28, 2012, 4.30–6.30pm
February 4, 2012, 4.30–6.30pm
February 11, 2012, 6.00–8.00pm
February 18, 2012, 2.00–4.00pm
February 25, 2012, 4.30–6.30pm
March 3, 2012, 6.00–8.00pm
March 3, 2012, 4.00–6.00pm

Wet Weather Postponement

In the event of wet weather conditions, the instructor may give an one hour prior notice to postpone the guided field trip. For Saturday classes, the field trip will be postponed to the next day on Sunday at the same timing; for Sunday classes, the field trip will be postponed to the next Saturday at the same timing. However, special wet weather arrangement may apply if it is listed under Course Schedule.

Promotions & Discounts

Early Bird Promotion — $10 off

Bring-a-friend Promotion — $10 off

Bring a friend along and enjoy $10 off your course fee; bring two and enjoy $20 off!

Name

Phone

Camera Make and Model (Optional)

Session

Payment Method

Remarks (Optional. If you’re bringing a friend, let us know the name of your friend here.)

By clicking on the ‘Register’ button below, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

Fees must be paid in full—by bank transfer, credit card or cheque—before the start of the workshop to ensure your enrollment.
You have read and agree to our full sales & refund policy with regard to payments made for workshops.
You are able to attend the classes of your chosen session, as well as any special wet weather arrangement, as listed under Course Schedule.
Subject to availability and vacancy, you may be able to join the next running workshop to make up for one missed lesson. Places are extremely limited and we reserve discretion in allocating make up lessons to maximise learning for our students.
In the event of wet weather conditions, the instructor may give an one hour prior notice to postpone the guided field trip. The dates for postpone field trips are listed under Course Schedule.
You are responsible for the safety of yourself and your equipment during the workshop, and will not hold Phocus LLP liable for any injuries or damages incurred during the course of the workshop.

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Course Outline

Lesson details	Topics covered
Lesson 1 Introduction Location: Studio 2.00–4.00pm	Technical Camera Handling and Operation Focus and Depth of Field Exposure: aperture, shutter speed, ISO Exposure Modes Composition Subject/Content Framing Backgrounds
Lesson 2 Guided Field Trip I Location: Boat Quay 4.30–6.30pm	Photo Shoot Subject and their Backgrounds: Urban Landscapes Review and critique Learning Objectives Putting technical and compositional concepts from Lesson 1 into action Choosing backgrounds and viewpoints Understanding effect of focal length
Lesson 3 Guided Field Trip II Location: Singapore Botanical Gardens 4.30–6.30pm	Photo Shoot Flora and Portraits Review and critique Learning Objectives Aperture control for contrast Mastering depth of field Choosing backgrounds and viewpoints Learning to recognise and exploit good light Thought process for good portraits Shutter speed control for creative effects
Lesson 4 Guided Field Trip III Location: City Hall 6.00–8.00pm	Photo Shoot Capturing Motion through Shutter Speed Control Street Photography: Candid Portraits Low-light photography: Night Landscapes Review and critique Conclusion Learning Objectives Shutter Speed Control Exploiting good light Working with low-light Approaching subjects Using slow shutter speeds for creative effects Using tripods
Lesson 5 Introduction Location: Studio 2.00–4.00pm	Technical Exposure revisited Measuring light: Metering Histograms Shutter speed and motion Lenses: focal lengths, strengths, quirks Composition Spots & Lines Shape Pattern Emphasis Balance Viewpoints and perspectives
Lesson 6 Guided Field Trip IV Location: Little India 4.30–6.30pm	Photo Shoot Architecture and the Stranger Portraits Review and critique Learning Objectives Viewpoints, perspective and architecture Understanding characteristics of lenses Approaching strangers for environmental portraits
Lesson 7 Guided Field Trip V Location: City Hall 6.00–8.00pm	Photo Shoot Portraits Low-light Photography: Flash and Ambient Light Review and critique Learning Objectives Exploiting good light Working with bad light Choosing effective backgrounds Using fill flash Combining flash and ambient light
Lesson 8 Digital Workflow and Imaging Location: Studio 2.00–4.00pm	The Digital Workflow Introduction to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Managing your photos Applying corrections to problematic photographs Making creative adjustments Preparing and sending photographs for print at our partner lab Learning Objectives Manage your photo library Correcting problems in post-production Enhancing photographs in post-production Ensuring your photos turn out the way you want them to

Testimonials

Don’t just take our word for it—hear what some of our past students have to say about the workshop.

The outdoor sessions were particularly useful in improving my photographic skills and the instructors were very well prepared. Overall, I felt that I learnt a lot from this short course and I would urge beginners to join it too!

— Jasmine Kwok,
Practical Photography for Busy People

I’m so sad the workshop ended. I really enjoyed discovering that all those little letters and numbers on my camera do actually have a purpose and can help me take better pictures. Junjie, you were a terrific instructor! It was a real pleasure to be in your class. Thank you!

— Anshu,
Practical Photography

A very good course to introduce someone into photography. Classroom size is optimal. Lots of opportunities to photograph under different conditions (low light, landscape, potraiture etc). Instructor was well informed and available to give on-the-spot advise. Greatly benefitted from this course. Looking forward to more workshops with Phocus.

— Alywin Chan,
Practical Photography