“What does it [photography] all mean? I don’t know – but you get an impression, a feeling…. An impression of walking through the street, walking through the park, walking through life. I’m very suspicious of people who say they know what it means.” – Leonard Freed

News

New Class Date Announced “Beyond The Fundamentals”
Tuesdays, May 11 – Jun 1, 6:00 – 8:00p
Click here to enroll

New Class Date Announced “Sports Photography”
Saturday, Apr 17, 10:00a – 1:00p
Click here to enroll

New Instructors: IPC is pleased to welcome Jonathan Hawkins and Dustin Allison to its teaching staff.

Featured Class: Adobe Lightroom For Photographers

You have 500 photos from a shoot…Within a few minutes, Lightroom allows you to find the 10 best shots, make batch edits, nondestructive edits and work hand-in-hand with Photoshop.

This is must-have software for any photographer.

Click Here for More Details

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dramatic Shadows

Creative use of shadows can do many different things to your photographs. They can obscure a busy background, add drama to a portrait or create a surrealistic effect.

Use of shadows in photographs is best done when there is a high level of contrast on the subject, otherwise it might just look like a poorly exposed image rather than a deliberate effect.

Some things to note about modern digital cameras that can make capturing good shadows somewhat tricky:

1. Most modern cameras now have “dynamic lighting” functions that by default attempt to brighten dark areas of an image to produce a more even exposure.
2. Digital “noise” is most prominently visible in dark portions of an image.
3. 

To compensate for this try the following:

1. Turn off your cameras “dynamic lighting” function if present
2. Set the ISO to it’s lowest setting to minimize noise
3. Use a bright focused source of light (e.g. flash with a snoot, light from a doorway) and spot meter the lightest area

Assignment:

Take an image using shadows either for dramatic effect or to draw attention to the subject of your photograph and post the results here.

Written by Trevor Warren

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That was this week’s Group Assignment on Flickr
To Participate in the Assignments Click Here to Join the Group!

Next Week: Cropping Images

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"Never stop photographing. It is very likely that your best photograph has not yet been captured."
- Imogen Cunningham

News

Now Enrolling March Photography Classes
Learn to take your camera past "Automatic" mode!
Enroll Now!

Completed A Fundamentals Class?
Enroll now for Level 2.

Featured Class: Experience Booster

Looking for an excuse to get out and shoot? If you’ve conquered the Fundamentals of Photography and are craving the opportunity to put your learned skills to work, this class is for you!

Join other IPC students as you gain hands-on experience in 4 different photography genres over the 4 weeks.

Click Here for More Details

Weekly Photo Challenge: Natural Light

As most of us know, natural light is the best light for pleasing photos.
However, certain times of the day are more desirable than others.

Try shooting at these times for best results:

• between sunrise and 1 ½ hours after

• between sunset and 1 ½ hours before

If possible, avoid the direct, overhead sunlight between 11am and 2 pm. During these times, the overhead light creates harsh, ugly shadows.

Assignment:

1. Select a stationary outdoor subject in full light.
2. Shoot the subject from the same position early in the morning, at noon and again in the early evening.
3. Note how the shadows change and the pleasing effects of the early morning and late evening light.

Written by Ron Kness

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That was this week’s Group Assignment on Flickr
To Participate in the Assignments Click Here to Join the Group!

Next Week: Fill the Frame

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News

Last call for November Fundamentals Classes!
Next round of Fundamentals of Photography classes won’t be until January 2010.

January, February & March classes announced soon!

Give the Gift of Photography Knowledge & Experience

Purchase an IPC Gift Certificate for a friend!

Weekly Group Assignment: The Haunting

It’s that time of year again where little creatures from beyond will comb through neighborhoods in search of snack sized candy. It’s also a good time to try out some trick photography since your best props are already out and ready to go!

Here are a couple of ideas:

Ghastly Lighting
Creative use of lighting was the main way Hollywood scared us before the era of computer generated monsters. A lot of flashes today can be triggered wirelessly for some great effects but even a strategically placed and relatively bright flashlight can do the job. Experiment with different lighting angles and ways of composing image. Sometimes less is more!

Ghostly Motion
The same technique we use to get silky waterfalls can also create the translucent and formless ghost image we’re so accustomed to seeing. The principal is the same, you stabilize your camera on a tripod or anything else sturdy and set your shutter speed at a rate too slow to freeze the moving object — the moving object is blurred while the background remains sharp.

Assignment:

Show us your best spookiest image using one or both of the techniques mentioned above. This is an all-ages group so nothing too gruesome.

Have fun!

Written by Trevor Warren
This is this week’s Group Assignment on Flickr!

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News

Looking for an Excuse to Get Out and Shoot?

The Experience Builder enrollment window has been extended! Only a few spots left. Enroll now!

Give the Gift of Photography Knowledge & Experience

Purchase an IPC Gift Certificate for a friend!

Student Featured in New IPC Ad!

Student Laurie Wylie featured in IPC October advertisement.

 

Now enrolling for November Classes!

Last opportunity to take classes this year. December is a month for us to practice, spend time with family and relax until January. (3 Fundamentals class locations)

Weekly Group Assignment: Daytime Fill Flash

Many photographers don’t think about using their flash for daylight pictures. When photographing someone:

• Wearing a cap
• In the shade

Assignment:

1) Position someone wearing a cap in full overhead sunlight.
2) Take two pictures – one without using your flash and one with the flash on.

Have fun!

Written by Ron Kness
This is this week’s Group Assignment on Flickr!

News

Student Social Shoot

Thanks to all past students who participated in the Student-Shoot Competition at the State Fair last night! Remember to turn in your entries by 8pm tonight. Thanks to past student, Stephanie Stewart for all her help in organizing!

New Classes Added

• Adobe Lightroom Seminar (9/26)
• Brown County Excursion (10/10)
• HDR Workshop (Date Coming Soon!)

Featured Class

Brown County Excursion

Join us in a Fall Color photo shoot in Brown County. We are planning a one day trip to the state park and and Nashville, IN to photograph fall colors, macro shots, panoramas, nature abstracts, daytime water blurs and more.

Saturday, October 10th, 2009
(Raindate: October 17th, 2009)

Click Here for More Details

Tip of the Week: Explorers of Light

The great painters of Greece knew what extraordinary light meant to their paintings. What elements make light so extraordinary?

• Color
• Quality
• Direction

These elements are intertwined and all are necessary to have great light.

Color – Light color is expressed in degrees Kelvin. At sunrise, the light color evolves to a golden yellow with a color temperature around 3,500 degrees Kelvin. The same effect happens at sunset.

Quality – The light from sunrise to about 1 ½ hours after and again from 1 ½ hours before to sunset are by far, the best quality of light. This low-angled directional light accents texture. The hard, harsh mid-day light is the worst light for photographers.

Direction – The direction of light comes in three different types: side-lighting, front-lighting and back-lighting with each having its own application. Side-lighting, such as the light at sunrise and again at sunset, is the best for bringing out the texture in a subject.

Front-lighting tends to minimize texture, reduces form and flattens out a scene. If used in early morning, this light is good when shooting landscape shots.

Backlighting is great for making silhouettes from graphic shapes and close-up shots of translucent subjects.

The effect you want on your photograph determines which type of lighting to use. As explorers of light, we constantly look for the three intertwined elements in our quest for the perfect light.

Assignment:

1. Shoot an image (or several) incorporating all three elements
2. Find a landscape subject facing either north or south.
3. Be on the scene around 1 hour before sunset.
4. Record your images with your subject side-lit by the soft golden light.

By Ron Kness
This is this weeks Group Assignment on Flickr!

These tips and more can be learned in any Indy Photo Coach class or lesson.

Visit the website for more information!

Tip of the Week: Spare the Lens Flare!

If you’ve ever tried to shoot into the sun or bright lights, you should be familiar with the affects of lens flare (or lens glare). The washed out contrast & bizarre colors that appear are a result of light entering &bouncing off the inside of the lens. Although these effects are mostly unintended, they can be used to your advantage… here are a few tips to avoid or use lens flare.

• Most dSLR lenses have "Lens Hoods" available. These are hollow tube-like extensions that have multiple purposes: prevent lens flare, prevent bumping your glass against hard objects, and make your lens look 400x cooler. Suggestion: the eBay lens hood that extends about 1 inch does nothing… purchase a longer one (3-5 inches long) to cast a shadow on the lens glass.
• If you don’t want to fork over $30 – $55 for a namebrand lens hood, use your head… literally! A hat can do the same thing by holding it positioned to cast shade on the lens glass. This may take a little coordination since you’ll have to hold your camera with one hand.
• Crop out the flare by changing your position or zooming in a bit.
• Try composing *with *the flare! Most photo editing software can add in an artificial lens flare, but the original is best! Use this flare to add impact to your shot.

This week, try a shot or two avoiding lens flare, then try to use it to make your shot more powerful!

By Stacy Newgent
This is this weeks Group Assignment on Flickr!

These tips and more can be learned in any Indy Photo Coach class or lesson.

Visit the website for more information

Flickr Pool

Upload your best shots and comment on other Indianapolis photographers’ work. Be inspired!

Photo by: Photorat

Photo by: Fotocross

Photo by: Agnis Flugen

Join the Indy Photo Coach Flickr Group!

Highlights From Flickr Assignments
Designed to help you exercise your creativity and see everyday life differently.

NEW Assignment: Spare the Lens Flare!

Assignment: Panning and Motion Blur

Photo by: Shooters Desire

Assignment: Different Perspectives

Photo by: Agnis Flugen

Assignment:Colors: GREEN

Photo by: Shari

Assignment:B&W Contrast

Photo by: ShelbyR

Photo by: Dr. Freezo

More from the Group Pool:

Photo by: Fulldeck

Photo by: Western Buddha

Photo by: Moostang78

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Tip of the Week: Window Light Portraits

A big window is a great tool for taking portraits. You can use it to light your subject from the front, or the side, or even use it as back light.

• Don’t forget to turn off any overhead lights first so you don’t ruin your catchlights (highlights in the eyes).
• If you’re shooting from the front (subject facing the window) be sure you don’t block your own light.
• When you shoot using the window as backlight don’t forget to up the exposure a couple of stops- unless you want silhouette.
• Side light might require some fill if the light is very strong- use a big piece of foam core to fill as needed.

So this week grab a friend or family member, put them by a window and commence with the photographing!

By Stacy Newgent
This is this weeks Group Assignment on Flickr!

These tips and more can be learned in any Indy Photo Coach class or lesson.

Visit the website for more information

Flickr Pool

Upload your best shots and comment on other Indianapolis photographers’ work. Be inspired!

Photo by: Jeff West

Photo by: Shooters Desire

Photo by: Stewart Imagery

Join the Indy Photo Coach Flickr Group!

Highlights From Flickr Assignments
Designed to help you exercise your creativity and see everyday life differently.

NEW Assignment: Window Light Portraits

Assignment: Candid Pet Photos

Photo by: Moostang

Photo by: Indz919

Assignment: Different Perspectives

Photo by: Agnis Flugen

Assignment: Changing to Spring

Photo by: Plineback

Assignment:B&W Contrast

Photo by: Greg Hansen

Photo by: Moostang

IPC Student Feature:

Photojournalism Workshop at the "Race for the Cure":

 

 
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Upcoming Classes

Basic Lighting
Sundays | Apr 5 – Apr 26 | 2:00 – 4:00pm
Broad Ripple

NEW:HDR Photography Workshop
Saturdays | Apr 4 & 11 or Apr 18 & 25 | 9:00 – 11:00am
Indianapolis

Commercial Photography Workshop
Tuesday | April 7th | 5:30-7:30pm
Plainfield, IN
Experience Booster
Downtown: Thursdays | Apr 9th – Apr 30th | 5:30 – 7:30pm
NEW: Carmel/Fishers: Tuesdays | May 5 – May 26 | 6:00 – 8:00pm
Fundamentals of Photography:

• Downtown: Mondays | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | 6:00pm – 8:00pm
  Wednesdays | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | 5:30pm – 7:30pm
• NEW: Fishers YMCA:
  Wednesdays | Apr 15 – May 27 | 6:30 – 8:00pm
• Northside Location:
  Mondays | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | 6:00 – 8:00pm

Race For The Cure Photojournalism Workshop
Saturday | April 18th | 7:00am – 11:00am
IUPUI Campus, Rain or Shine
FREE! (Registration required)

Click Here to Enroll Now!
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Tip of the week: Bouncing Flash

By Stacy Newgent for IndyPhotoCoach.com

Juergen Teller enjoys direct on camera flash (and I enjoy his photos) but most of us like soft directional light better. This can be difficult to achieve in conditions where you need to use an on camera flash…but not if you learn to bounce your flash. For this exercise you’ll need a speedlight that you can turn up and/or swivel. If you don’t have a modern TTL flash, look for an older model like the Sunpack 1600A…its cheap, all manual and works like a charm. Ok- so what is bouncing? It’s actually very simple- just pointing your flash at a ceiling or a wall and letting the light hit something before it reaches your subject. Just a few things to keep in mind…

• Look for a white wall or ceiling so you don’t get funky colors (unless you want that).
• You may need to bump your flash up so it throws out more light since the light will be traveling further.
• Be sure you’re shooting in manual mode so you can control everything.
• If the ceiling is too high try a wall instead.
• No walls or ceiling? Try to bounce off a white card.
• Don’t get too close to your subject or the light could bounce behind them.

It takes a bit of practice, but soon you’ll be bouncing off everything. This week experiment with your flash and bouncing- it’s fun, you’ll like it!

These tips and more can be learned in any Indy Photo Coach class or lesson.

Visit the website for more information

Flickr Pool

Upload your best shots and comment on other Indianapolis photographers’ work.  Be inspired!

Photo by: bigmoverb

Photo by: Photorat Photography

Join the Indy Photo Coach Flickr Group!

We Asked, You Twitter-ed Back:

IPC:"What’s your favorite non-camera, non-lens item that is always in your bag?"

GeeItsMe: "Moleskine notepad. It’s great for taking photography notes."

Seventhstr1ng: "Advil! nothing ruins a good sesh like a monster headache"

ClayMGarrett: "Chapstick"

Photo Highlights From Flickr Assignments

  Designed to help you exercise your creativity and see everyday
  life differently.

NEW: Assignment: Different Perspectives

Assignment: Pictures from Home

Photo by: Photo Salinas

Assignment: HDR

Photo by: AgnisFlugen

Assignment: Changing to Spring

Assignment: Office Space

Assignment: Colors: RED

Assignment: Colors: GREEN

Assignment: B&W Contrast

Assignment: Valentine’s Day SMOOCHES

Assignment: Silhouette

Assignment: Geometry Part Deux: Circles & Ovals

Assignment: Diagonal Lines

Assignment: Beloved Object

Assignment: Self Portrait

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