Practical Photography for Busy People (Short Course)

Learn basic photography in Singapore—fast.
5 sessions, 2 hours each, S$280 (see discount, course outline or sign up now)


Specially catered for the busy person, Practical Photography for Busy People teaches you the fundamentals and basics of good photography in just 5 sessions over 2 weeks.

We picked the very essentials from our Practical Photography workshop—while still mindful to balance between classroom learning and outdoor practicals.

By the end of this foundation workshop, you’d have gone through two guided field trips in various locations in central Singapore, including one night outing covering low-light and flash photography.

You’ll be comfortable handling your camera, understand concepts such as different shooting modes, aperture and shutter speed, apply composition techniques from finding effective backgrounds to rule of the thirds, and learn to work on your digital photos in Adobe Lightroom.

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 with no or little knowledge of photography who want to learn photography in the fastest and shortest time. For a more comprehensive 8-session basic photography workshop, see Practical Photography Class.


Wat Arun in pink sunset twilight, Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Arun in pink sunset twilight, Bangkok, Thailand. Commissioned by AsiaPhoto

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

Top

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.

Learn Photography in the Shortest Time

Learn photography fast with Practical Photography for Busy People

Perfect for those in a hurry or for those who prefer to spend lesser weekends on photography, the Busy People workshop retains the essentials from our Practical Photography class while still equipping our students with a strong foundation in photography.

Top

Course Requirements

Participants must bring their own camera (DSLR or compact with manual exposure modes). A tripod is required for lesson 4, and a laptop for lesson 5.

Tripod highly recommended Tripod required for lesson 4. 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 highly recommended Laptop with Lightroom 3 installed required for lesson 5. 30-day trial available from Adobe.

Course Schedule

Wednesday & Saturday Class
  1. August 4, 2010, 7.00–9.00pm (Wednesday)
  2. August 7, 2010, 4.30–6.30pm (Saturday)
  3. August 11, 2010, 7.00–9.00pm (Wednesday)
  4. August 14, 2010, 6.00–8.00pm (Saturday)
  5. August 18, 2010, 7.00–9.00pm (Wednesday)
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

Sign up and make payment by July 19, 2010 to enjoy $10 off your course fee.

Bring-a-friend Promotion — $10 off

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

Sign up for Practical Photography for Busy People

Name

Email

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:

  1. Fees must be paid in full—by bank transfer, credit card or cheque—before the start of the workshop to ensure your enrollment.
  2. You have read and agree to our full sales & refund policy with regard to payments made for workshops.
  3. You are able to attend the classes of your chosen session, as well as any special wet weather arrangement, as listed under Course Schedule
  4. Make up lessons for missed lessons can be arranged by joining the next running workshop subject to vacancies. Priority will be given to students who have signed up for their given session and you’re strongly encouraged to attend the sessions that you have signed up for.
  5. 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.
  6. If you’re unable to make it for the postpone field trip, you may attend the equivalent field trip on the next running workshop subject to class vacancies.
  7. 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.


Top

Course Outline

Lesson detailsTopics covered and learning objectives
Lesson 1
Introduction
Location: Studio
7-9pm
    Technical
  1. Camera Handling and Operation
  2. Focus and Depth of Field
  3. Exposure: aperture, shutter speed, ISO
  4. Exposure Modes
  5. Zero-ing the Camera

    6. Composition
  6. Subject/Content
  7. Framing
  8. Backgrounds
Lesson 2
Guided Field Trip I
Location: Boat Quay
4.30–6.30pm
    Photo Shoot
  1. Subject and their Backgrounds: Urban Landscapes
  2. Review and critique

    Learning Objectives
  1. Putting technical and compositional concepts from Lesson 1 into action
  2. Choosing backgrounds and viewpoints
  3. Understanding effect of focal length
Lesson 3
Introduction
Location: Studio
7-9pm
    Technical
  1. Exposure revisited
  2. Measuring light: Metering
  3. Histograms
  4. Shutter speed and motion
  5. Lenses: focal lengths, strengths, quirks

    6. Composition
  6. Spots & Lines
  7. Shape
  8. Pattern
  9. Emphasis
  10. Balance
  11. Viewpoints and perspectives
Lesson 4
Guided Field Trip III
Location: City Hall
6-8pm
Tripod highly recommended
    Photo Shoot
  1. Street Photography: Candid Portraits
  2. Low-light Photography: Night Landscapes
  3. Basic Flash Photography
  4. Review and critique
  5. Conclusion

    Learning Objectives
  1. Aperture control
  2. Exploiting good light
  3. Working with low-light
  4. Working with flash and ambient light
  5. Approaching subjects
  6. Using tripods
Lesson 5
Digital Workflow and Imaging
Location: Studio
7-9pm
Laptop highly recommended
    The Digital Workflow
  1. Introduction to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
  2. Managing your photos
  3. Applying corrections to problematic photographs
  4. Making creative adjustments
  5. Preparing and sending photographs for print at our partner lab

    Learning Objectives
  1. Manage your photo library
  2. Correcting problems in post-production
  3. Enhancing photographs in post-production
  4. 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.

I am glad that i have chosen to attend the workshop conducted by you. It was personal and informal yet I have received many many good pointers. Can’t wait to go on an outing to learn more.

— Lily,
Practical Photography

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

Definitely a course one should attend after getting his/her first DSLR. Good structure with appropriate theory and practical sessions. The instructors are very enthusiastic and friendly. I would definitely recommend this course to people who are busy.

— Anonymous,
Practical Photography for Busy People

The instructors at Phocus were extremely patient, encouraging and clear in their explanations.

— Madeline Chang,
Practical Photography for Busy People