If you are a leader or a member of a photography club and would like to have a professional educational program for your club, I have put together several programs for the next year.

I would like to be able to work with your group during the next year in whatever way works best for your members. I can server as a speaker with slideshows, provide a class session at a regular meeting, do contest judging and critiquing or offer a complete workshop for your members. I will do speaking, or a 1-2 hour class at no charge (just cover expenses) or provide a complete workshop at a greatly reduced rate.

My website will also serve your members with, how to photography articles, great photographic destinations and more. I also write a monthly newsletter your members can receiver at no cost.

Photography Club Programs

Lenses 101

In this one evening class Greg will answer all of your questions about lenses, and explain all of the technical stuff so that you can actually understand it.  Lenses are probable the most expensive investment you will make in your photography equipment, normally much more than the camera itself.  Be sure you can make an informed decision before spending to be certain that you are getting the proper lens to fit your needs.

Hot Rod-2

Composition More than Thirds

Composition is basically the pleasing arrangement of subject matter and elements within the picture area. Good composition is essential in photography because the camera does not record a scene the same way that we see it. Our brain isolates information that it does not consider important, the camera however records everything, often creating problems with the composition. We have two eyes which give us the ability to see depth and spatial relationships. The camera records everything in only two dimensions which can cause further problems with composition in an image.

Listed below are some of the guidelines and elements that affect composition in a photograph.

  • Center of interest
  • Subject placement
  • Simplicity
  • Viewpoint and camera angle
  • Balance
  • Shapes and lines
  • Pattern
  • Lighting
  • Texture
  • Tone
  • Contrast
  • Framing
  • Foreground
  • Background
  • Perspective
  • Volume

Photographing the sky; the good, bad, and the ugly (and the beautiful)

For outdoor photographer the sky is the one thing that we photograph the most.  The sky is an important part of landscape photography and can make  a photo great, or completely ruin the image.  Many times we have no choice about the sky in our photos, this is the only time we will be able to photograph a particular location.  Greg Disch will answer all of your questions about how to make the best photos with the sky that you have.

 

  • How much sky should you have in your photo?
  • What makes a good sky or a bad sky?
  • Why would I want to shoot in RAW?
  • How do you deal with a blown out sky?
  • Why would I not want clouds?
  • Is the sky the subject?
  • Do I need the sky in my photo?
  • Where should I place the horizon?
  • What is high dynamic range?
  • Why and when should I use a polarizing filter?
  • What is a graduated neutral density filter?
  • When is a grey sky great for photography?

Sam's Throne 20140424-_MG_9589_90_91

Understanding Histograms and White Balance

Histograms are  one of the most misunderstood tools that we have as a digital photographer.  In this class “Understanding Histograms” you will learn what a histogram is, how to read it, and how to use it to improve your photos. If you think you already know all there is to know about histograms, go over this list just to be sure.

  • What does a histogram represent?
  • Why do some show RGB and others do not?
  • What is a Bayer Filter?
  • Why does a “Bell Curve” not equal a proper Exposure?
  • What is “Clipping”?
  • What is a “low Key” image?
  • What is a “high key” image?
  • Why does the histogram not properly show my RAW image data?
  • Why should I shoot RAW image files?
  • Why should I use the technique of “ETTR”?

In addition to the histogram I will also do a short class on White Balance.

UNDERSTANDING HISTOGRAMS

Introduction to Lightroom

Almost everyone interested in photography has heard of Adobe Lightroom, but many are not using it or do not know what it does and does not do. Adobe designed the softer to work with other editing software such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements or to be used as a complete solution for most basic digital editing.

What sets Lightroom apart is the fact that the program is a database, which is very efficient at organizing and cataloging your image library. The program is also non-destructive, meaning it does not alter your original image file, this prevents loss of quality or messed up images from over-processing.

This class is intended to answer your questions about the benefits and the shortfalls of the program. I will go through many of the capabilities of the software and show you my workflow from capture to output during this session. This will not be a hands on working on your computer class like my full “Learn Lightroom” workshop, but simply a demonstration and Q&A session.

lightroom workspace

All the information in this post was believed to be accurate at the time it was published.  Please be sure to double check with the location before relying on this information as everything changes over time, especially hours, prices, and whether the location is still open.  

Great Places for Great Photos

 

Let me help you to find a great location for your next photography adventure.  I will list many lesser-known destinations, as well as the famous "Icon Locations" for photography.  I will provide photos (Lots of Photos), location information, consisting of what there is to photograph as well as other information about the destination.  I will give costs, maps, directions, contact information, and other essential information for a successful photo trip.  I will only post for locations that I have personally photographed to ensure a quality guide to great locations for photography. If you know of great places that are not posted, please send me the details, I may just decide that is a place I need to go!

 
 

Greg Disch is a freelance photographer located in Arkansas. Greg specializes in nature, scenic, wildlife, and other outdoor subjects in Arkansas and other areas of the country.  Most of the images on this site are available for sale as prints, personal use, or rights managed stock photos.

Greg offers both classroom instruction and in the field hands on photographic workshops. Classroom sessions are normally held in Fort Smith Arkansas, but arrangements can be made to bring a class to your group.

All classes and workshops have small class sizes designed to provide an optimum student to instructor ratio, where you can get the personal attention, you need.  Most classes and workshops are limited to a maximum of six participants and will be held with a minimum of only two.

If you are looking for a wonderful opportunity to get personal individual instruction, I do private workshops and classes at a location of your choice, whether doing a location photo shoot, coming to your home or business, traveling across the country on a road trip, or at my classroom.  This is a fantastic way to learn digital workflow and be sure that your computer equipment is properly configured for optimum performance.

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