Introduction to Digital SLR Photography - Nikon Training Course Review

Picture Control being illustrated in the classroom

I was recently invited to write a blog posting after attending a Nikon Introduction to Digital SLR Photography Course at the newly opened Nikon Centre of Excellence in central London. I was delighted to take advantage of learning from the professionals, using the Nikon D3200 that Kitchen Delights uses to pictorially illustrate postings.

I have always technically supported Kitchen Delights blog, however, my wife takes all of the photographs for the blog, improving my knowledge will benefit any support that I can provide.  Food photography in a home kitchen is a challenge, especially cooking hot meals, presenting food in the most appealing way and hopefully getting a meal to the table whilst reasonably hot.

Mark the class tutor, started with introductions to find the photographic interests of the attendees.  It’s surprising how diverse the interests were, from landscapes, portraiture, macro to family, sport and food.

The initial ground covered was to highlight what all of the buttons and dials are typically for.
We all know the Auto button is the starting point for ‘point and shoot’ but to take creative control we need to expand the use of the options available on today’s high specification cameras. M, S and P shooting modes allow for much more control over the camera options, these were explained with their relevance for different shooting requirements. Everyone has a different take for their style of photography and the modern DSLR can cater for a tremendous diversity of needs.

The first practical exercise was outside on the street, to photograph moving vehicles, to freeze their motion and try blurring background and vehicles. Mark our tutor was there to ensure we could ask questions to clarify the previous time spent studying the theory.

The course progressed through all the basic understanding required to achieve better creative control,  after studying the theory the practical sessions followed to reinforce the learning.

Example of picture control
Top left Standard, Top right Neutral,
Bottom left Vivid, Bottom right Monochrome

As the day progressed, through a series of easy to follow practical exercises, all of the common aspects associated with creative photography were covered, exposure control regarding aperture, shutter speed and ISO, colour balance and picture control, both for picture taking and effects after the shoot.

The course helped to give attendees confidence to explore all the menus within the camera, adjustments for the shooting conditions and features for editing photographs within the camera, as well as teaching why there are different file types to allow for more control at the editing stage.

There were refreshment breaks in the morning and afternoon and a lunch break with good quality food provided for everyone to enjoy.

A fabulous selection of filled baguettes

Fresh fruit for dessert or chocolate brownies and strawberries.

The course provided stimulation for the attendees and focused on the basic knowledge for taking improved photographs, this is a valuable start to using a DSLR.

I can thoroughly recommend attending a Nikon Introduction to Digital SLR Photography.  The class size when I attended was eleven people which meant we all had our share of individual attention from the tutor.

There are Nikon courses on many different aspects of photography including, lighting, movies and street photography in London.  For more details about upcoming courses visit Nikon Training.

Thank you to Nikon Training for an informative and enjoyable day.