I am trying to get a bit more (OK, well a lot more) out of my dSLR camera in particular and photography in general. So I attended an ‘Introduction to Digital Photography’ Workshop in late November. It was run by a Melbourne photographer, Tom Putt and was well worth the price of admission.

Robin riding ‘Diva’ @ Tonimbuk Equestrian Centre (ISO 200, f4.0, 1/200 sec)

The course accommodated only seven attendees and was very relaxed and informal. An excellent learning environment if you felt a little intimidated like I did.

The format of the day was understanding the intricacies of Aperture, Shutter and ISO, then learning about camera controls followed by Q&A in the morning. A relaxed lunch at a bayside cafe split the day. Then it was back to pick up the cameras and head outside to take some shots. All taken in Manual mode, reading our histograms and using the dSLR’s in-built light meters to ensure correct exposures. Both landscape and portrait subjects were available.

The Rocks, Mornington (ISO 200 f4.0 1/1000 sec)

The day really taught me the SLR photography basics and gave me the knowledge and confidence to use my camera in 'Manual' mode to get correctly exposed photos in most normal conditions.

Of course this does not make me a good photographer, but with more experience, practice and perhaps another of Tom’s workshops, I could be on my way!

The Photogenic Suzy in December 2008 (Canon 5D, 67mm, f4.5, ISO 200, 1/100 sec)