Practical Photography for Busy People (Short Course)

Learn basic photography in Singapore—fast.
4 sessions, 2 hours each, S$320 (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 4 sessions within a week.

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 three 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 7‑session basic photography workshop, see Practical Photography Class.

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

*We may cater up to 2 additional places per lesson for students who have made special prior arrangements with us during registration to make up for a missed lesson.

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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.

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.

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Course Requirements

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

Tripod required for lesson 4. Tripods of varying built quality are available for rent from our partner Camera Rental from $10–20 a day. Students enjoy a discount on equipment rental.

Course Schedule

February 2023 Class (Friday and Weekend)

3 February 2022, 7.00–9.00pm (Friday)
4 February 2022, 4.00–6.00pm (Saturday)
5 February 2022, 7.30–9.30am (Sunday)
5 February 2022, 6.00–8.00pm (Sunday)

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 (Sunday) at the same timing; for Sunday classes, the field trip will be postponed to the next Saturday at the same timing. For school holidays classes, the field trip will be postponed to the next day 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

Get $10 off your course fees when you sign up with your friends and make payment together.

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Camera Make and Model (Optional)

Check this if you need to rent a camera. We can arrange a third party vendor to supply this. Ranges from $70-$100/week.

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

To ensure your enrollment, fees must be paid in full within 3 days of receiving our invoice, or before the start of the workshop, whichever earlier.
You are able to attend the classes of your chosen session, as well as any special wet weather arrangement, as listed under Course Schedule.
There will be no make up lessons, transfers or refunds should you be absent for any of the lessons.
You have read and agree to our full sales & refund policy.
Workshop fees once paid cannot be refunded for any reasons other than those stated in our full sales & refund policy.
You are responsible for the safety of yourself and your equipment during the workshop, and agree to indemnify and hold harmless Phocus Pte. Ltd., its instructors and employees from and against all claims, losses, expenses, damages and and costs resulting from taking part in the workshop.

I have read and agree to the above terms and conditions.

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Course Outline

Lesson details	Topics covered and learning objectives
Lesson 1 Introduction Location: the Hive Lavender, 1 Kallang Junction 7–9pm	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: Thian Hock Kheng Temple 4.00–6.00pm	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 7.30–9.30am	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: Merlion Park 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

Testimonials

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

Practical Photography for Busy People was exactly what I was looking for! The course was well structured with the ideal balance of instruction and application. The compositional “assignments” and showing students’ photos to the rest of the group really helped to reinforce and illustrate concepts learned in class (despite being somewhat unnerving!). Most importantly, Nanda and Yiren were excellent teachers; demonstrating insightful knowledge about photography, patience with us beginners and positive encouragement throughout the course. I would highly recommend this course and look forward to taking another through the Phocus Academy.

— Easter Weiss,
Practical Photography for Busy People

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