Current Offerings
Mark your calendars now for these educational opportunities. More details as the event gets closer.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| February 16 | Sensor and Camera Cleaning |
| March 22 | Organizing and Protecting your Photos |
| May 24 | Macro Photography |
| July 12 | Lightroom |
| September 13 | Camera Basics |
| November 4, 7, 8 | Street Photography |
February 16 – 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Main Library Room 102
Sensor and Camera Cleaning
David Leadingham
Have you ever looked over your photographs and discovered a “blob” marring all your photos? Might be an indication of a dirty sensor. In this class, David Leadingham will instruct us on how to properly and safely clean the sensor of our cameras in order to improve the quality of our photography. Prior to the class he will offer instructions about what supplies to purchase.
We will start off the class going through the various tools that can be used to clean your camera, both inside and out. The second half, will be spent going through the steps and cleaning your camera and lenses!
There are some items you’ll want to purchase ahead of time if you want to go through the cleaning process during the class. You are of course welcome to just observe too.
These are items needed for the workshop
Sensor cleaning swabs- These swabs are going to be specific for your sensor size. Full frame, micro 4/3, crop sensor, etc. The easiest way to get these is to go to Amazon and search for sensor swabs for your specific camera or sensor size. For example Canon 7d mkii sensor cleaning swab or full frame camera sensor cleaning swab swab
Lens Wipes- These can be bought at Walmart in their optical department. They are made by Zeiss or Walmart has their own brand. I’ve used both and they both work great.
Micro fiber lens cloth- They should have these at Walmart in the optical department as well. Best Buy, Office Max/Depot, etc. Some of the sensor swabs on Amazon sometimes come with them.
These are items you don’t have to have for this class, but you are welcome to get them ahead of time.
Rocket Blower- I recommend the Giottos Rocket Air Blaster. This brand really works the best, but any bulb type blower will work. I have a couple that I will have at the workshop. NO CANNED AIR!
Lens Pen- or some other similar brand. I’ll have some of these with me at the workshop as well.
Pre Class Homework
You will need to take a photo of a solid blue sky.
ISO 100-200, aperture f/11 or higher. Your shutter speed will not matter, so set it to get the exposure right or just shoot in aperture priority mode. Then edit the photo in your photo editor to just bring out the darks a little more. In Lightroom I typically move the dark, shadows, and contrast sliders. This is just to bring out the dust spots in the photo. This is to give you an idea of if and where you might have dust on your sensor.
Prior to cleaning the sensor, you will need to know how to do a couple things with your camera body. If you have a DSLR, you will need to know how to lock up your mirror for sensor cleaning. In my Canon’s there is a menu item that will move the mirror up. In some of the more entry level bodies, its just done by using mirror lock up then turning off the camera. Just Google your camera model and locking up the mirror for cleaning.
If you have a mirrorless camera and/or your camera has in body image stabilization. THIS IS IMPORTANT. You will need to know how to lock the sensor in place for cleaning. In some cameras, the sensor “floats” to achieve stabilization. If the sensor is not secured, you could damage the stabilization mechanisms. Don’t worry, I will make sure anyone who has this in their camera knows before we do any cleaning.
Other items to bring to the workshop
Laptop- After you complete the cleaning, you may want to take a test shot to see how well the cleaning worked. This will make it easier than looking at the back of your camera. Of course this is optional and I will have my laptop with me
Any lenses you want to clean- I will be covering how to clean lenses as well. So bring a lens that needs it or one you want to practice on.
Register Now
Plans changed? Please cancel so that someone else can fill your spot.
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March 22 – 2:00 – 6:00 pm
Main Library Room 102
Organizing and Protecting your Photos (data management)
Darrell Miller
Taking photos is the fun part of photography. Keeping those photos organized and protected in case of disaster is not fun, but important. I will discuss this aspect of photography, often called a photographers “workflow.” We’ll be discussing different workflows and approaches to the organization of photos on a computer. These different approaches cover everyone from hobbyists to semi-pro photographers. We will cover the basics of:
- importing of photos
- tagging and organizing (different approaches work for different people)
- where and how to save your images
- approaches to protecting and backing up your images.
Register Now
Plans changed? Please cancel so that someone else can fill your spot.
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May 24 – 2:00 – 6:00 pm
Main Library Room 102
Macro Photography
David Leadingham
Macro photography is a tiny world unto itself and a fascinating one at that. David Leadingham will lead this workshop. He will begin with lecture, then you will put his instruction into practice and shoot for an hour or so. After reviewing your shots, we’ll share your favorites with the class and discuss, comment, and gently critique. Bring your camera, macro lens, tripod, and computer for this workshop.
Register Now
Plans changed? Please cancel so that someone else can fill your spot.
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July 12 – 2:00 – 6:00 pm
Main Library Room 102
Lightroom
Gene Bachman
Gene Bachman will lead this informative Lightroom class. This class assumes you have basic knowledge of Lightroom but will offer guidance on basic and intermediate editing techniques and other tips and tricks.
Register Now
Plans changed? Please cancel so that someone else can fill your spot.
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September 13 – 2:00 – 6:00 pm
Main Library Room 102
Photography Basics
Darrel LeBlanc
So you’ve upgraded from a point and shoot to a “real” camera…and you have no idea what to do with it. Darrel Leblanc’s basic photography workshop will cover the true basics of photography like the exposure triangle, composition, etc. and will also offer an opportunity for you to practice with your camera. Maybe by the end of class, you’ll be able to get out of Auto mode!
Register Now
Plans changed? Please cancel so that someone else can fill your spot.
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November 4, 7-9 pm Main Library Large meeting room
November 7, 9-12 noon Location TBA
November 8, 2-6 pm Location TBA
Street Photography
Darrell Miller
This is a three part workshop. On November 4, we’ll convene at the library for an overview presentation from Darrell Miller on Street Photography. Then on November 7, we will meet at the gates of the annual Hammond Renaissance Festival to put our newfound knowledge into practice. We’ll shoot all morning, with Darrell offering personalized guidance if you wish. By Sunday evening, November 8, you should have culled your photos and chosen and edited your favorites so that when we reconvene we can talk about the experience itself and review the resulting images for comment and gentle critique.
Plans changed? Please cancel so that someone else can fill your spot.
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