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Oxford School of Photography
insights into photography
Tag Archives: Digital photography
Camera Sensor Cleaning Techniques
Posted by on July 12, 2014
From those very clever people at Cambridge in Colour a useful tutorial on how to clean the sensor on your camera. You may be aware of spots appearing in areas of clear tone in your pictures, areas like blue sky, these are almost always caused by dust on the sensor. This in depth article explains how to resolve the issue and explains about use of brushes, blowers and other stuff.
“If you’re using an SLR camera, you’ll eventually encounter spots in your photos due to a dirty camera sensor. If it hasn’t happened yet, don’t worry — it will. When it does, you’ll need to know if what you’re seeing is indeed from sensor dust, or is instead the result of a dirty viewfinder, mirror or lens. Most importantly though, you’ll need to know how to clean the sensor, and how to minimize the risk of this happening again.”
Top Ten Tips for Posing Couples
Posted by on July 12, 2014
If you are an aspiring wedding photographer or just like taking pictures of couples this article could be valuable to you, it talks a bit of sense and of course a bit of dogma but is well worth the read. You might also think about our Portrait course which spends time talking about posing and making your subjects feel comfortable so that you get the best images.
Top Ten Tips for Posing | Professional Photography Blog | Pictage.
20 Invaluable Tips for the Aspiring Wedding Photographer
Posted by on July 10, 2014
You’ve heard there is big money in wedding photography and you want a piece of the action. After all, it sounds like a good gig, right? Five hours of work one evening on a weekend and a $1000+ payday! What could be simpler?
Before the dreams of grandeur and big pay checks start clouding your vision, here are 20 tips I hope will help steer your growth so you are an asset to the happy couple entrusting you with their fond memories.
20 Invaluable Tips for the Aspiring Wedding Photographer.
Breathtaking Urban Decay Photographs
Posted by on June 21, 2014
As a subject area dereliction is often appealing, there is something about grime and decay that draws many photographers’ eyes. This display offers some really interesting images that make you think, wish I had seen that, but at the same time might encourage you to go and seek such locations for yourself.
Best Photography Ebooks
Posted by on November 30, 2012
I love photography books, I have many, mostly monographs by specific photographers but I also have a few ‘how to do it’ books. The trouble with the latter is that once you have mastered what is on offer the book is a bit redundant. The cost is part of this concern but also that any book published this week was probably written 2 years ago and in the days of digital everything moves more quickly than that.
I have bought ebooks since they were first available, I really like take instruction in this way, I find the quality of reproduction a joy and if you manage to hit upon a series or writer you like and trust then even buying a number of books costs next to nothing.
I am a great advocate of the Craft & Vision ebooks, these cover technical and visual matters in clear and well presented publications and cost only about £3.25, at that price I feel it is worth taking a chance but I have to say I have never been disappointed by a Craft & Vision ebook. Have a look at what they have here
Here are some of their ebooks
Making the Print Printing Techniques For the Digital Photographer (A Masterclass) Martin Bailey
Beyond Thirds A Photographer’s Introduction to Creative Composition Andrew S. Gibson
Up Close A Guide to Macro & Up Close Photography Andrew S. Gibson
Close To Home Finding Great Photographs in Your Own Backyard Stuart Sipahigil
Vision is Better Free the Mind, Free the Camera David duChemin
See the full catalogue of ebooks here, remember they are only £3.25 each or cheaper if you buy 5 or more
Understanding Flash Course
Posted by on September 6, 2012
Thanks to the repeated requests from our students we have written a new course on flash photography. This course will look at the use of on camera, off camera and studio flash. We aim to explain how flash works and why and when you might use it. We are also interested in the creative possibilities of using flash both at night but more so during the day. We have investigated the various equipment options and will advise on what you might need to buy to become a serious and considered user of flash.
This course starts on Monday 12th November and runs for 3 x 2 hour sessions, full details can be found on our website here
We have a new schedule of courses for this coming term with dates for most of the courses we teach, if only there were more days in the week!
Here is a list of the dates for this term, currently the Intermediate and Photoshop courses are half full.
Understanding Your Digital SLR Evening Classes:start dates 17.9.12 (now full) ; 7.11.12 This is always a very popular course and very well received, if you don’t use your camera properly give this one a try.
Understanding Your Digital SLR Saturday Morning Classes start date 3.11.12 as above really…
Understanding Your Digital Compact Camera – starts: 26.9.12 After we revamped this course to include the chance to do some assignments
Introduction to Photoshop and Photoshop Elements starts 25.10.12 not a must for everyone but if you intend to use Photoshop or already do then this course is ideal in understanding the basics
Composition In Photography – Seeing Pictures – starts 15.10.12 This course is one of our most popular and really successful in changing the way our students see the world and take photographs
Understanding Flash Photography starts 12.11.12 A new course that we know hits the parts others don’t. If you intend using flash this will get you where you want to be
Portrait Photography: starts: 25.9.12 Most photographers want to take better portraits but shy away from the idea because people are difficult aren’t they. well no they aren’t if you know what you are doing
Intermediate Photography – starts: 23.10.12 This is our most advanced course and is not about cameras but about how we see and react to our world. It is a serious course for those who already understand their cameras and really want to be interested in photography as a subject. This is a great course.
Black and White Digital Photography – starts 27.9.12 Specialist in nature in that making b/w images is not difficult but this course is designed to stretch the way you look at a monochrome world and make images that reflect the works of the great photographers from the past
One Day Understanding Your DSLR – 23.9.12; 21.10.12; 18.11.12; This is an ideal start point for those who have a DSLR camera and want to use it rather than being led by it’s automatic functions. It suits many people who just cannot commit to the 4 session version of the course but still want the basics.
Photography Courses – Oxford
Posted by on April 13, 2012
We have just released the new course schedule for the summer term, here are the details, full information can be found on our website
Most of our courses are evening classes starting at 6.30pm, they are mainly 4 sessions on consecutive weeks
If you would like to reserve a place please send me an email visit our website for full details
Understanding Your Digital SLR: £80 start dates 24.4.12; 6.6.12 9.6.12 (Saturday morning)
Understanding Your Digital Compact Camera – starts:October
Introduction to Photoshop and Photoshop Elements 6 sessions £97 starts 14th May
Composition In Photography – Seeing Pictures – £80 starts 9th May
Portrait Photography: – starts: October
Intermediate Photography – starts: 6 sessions £97 April 26th
Black and White Digital Photography – starts October
Travel Photography starts £80 14th June
One Day Understanding Your DSLR – £90 ($ different dates this term) 29.4.12; 20.5.12; 24.6.12; 15.7.12
Selling Your Photographs Through Stock Libraries: An Introduction
Posted by on April 5, 2012
This useful article By Jason Row comes from the well thumbed pages of Lightstalking
“Before the advent of digital photography, there was no micro and macro in stock photography, royalty free was a little used term and image catalogues were large glossy books with just a selection of the best images. To purchase an image you either asked one of the library’s researchers to look for it or you went in person and trawled through thousands of transparencies on light boxes. Apart from a few big stock agencies there were hundreds of smaller ones each dealing in their own niche’s such as music or historical images.
The face of traditional stock photography was changed beyond recognition by two major developments, the advent of the digital camera and the rise of the Royalty Free license, both of which lead to the development of the microstock agency . So if you wish to offer your images for sale at a stock library, which should you choose, micro or macro?”..….MORE
An image that has sold well at a macrostock agency
Here are some links to stock libraries
The Modules of Adobe Lightroom
Posted by on March 15, 2012
I use Lightroom every day, I must say that in most areas it is a joy. Understanding how the software works can be a bit confusing though as bits sometimes will not do what you expect. As such I am in the process of writing a course on the use of Lightroom and hope to have it ready for next term. In the meantime this excellent explanation by Chase Guttman over on Lightroom will help to explain one of the main features, the use of modules.
“Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is an essential component of any digital photographer’s toolbox. As with all post-processing software, Lightroom is a program that photographer’s can use to improve and organize their visual art. Yet, Lightroom is unique in many ways. Unlike other popular post-processing software, Lightroom is a modular program and has the advantage of non-destructive digital editing (in other words, the original files are never altered within the program). The program is designed in such a way, so that each module found in Lightroom, can be used to accomplish different tasks in an efficient manner.
Another unique feature of Lightroom is that the software is designed to handle many images at once, so it’s equipped to deal with the fast paced workflow of many digital photographers. This is due to the fact that with Lightroom, your images are separated into different catalogs, where Lightroom handles only a specific set of images at one time.
Finally, with less of a learning curve than Photoshop, Lightroom is the best choice for amateur photographers who are just starting with post-processing.”.…MORE
Click Here: The Modules of Adobe Lightroom
Photography Courses 2012
Posted by on January 13, 2012
Happy New Year
I hope you had a wonderful holiday period and if you were hoping for new camera equipment it came your way. You may now want to get the most out of your photography and a course is what you need. Our new term has already started but we have courses scheduled through the next three months and I am sure there will be something of interest to you
If you have a camera but only ever feel comfortable using it on the fully automatic setting then you are wasting your potential and could be doing so much better, understanding how to use your camera is the cornerstone of improving your photography, we have courses for those with digital SLR cameras and for those of you with compact cameras.
Most of our courses are evening classes starting at 6.30pm. Full details of our courses can be found on our website here
Here are some dates
Understanding Your Digital SLR: £80 start dates: 11.1.12; 30.1.12; 7.3.12; 3.3.12 (this is the Saturday morning course for those who cannot make evenings)
Understanding Your Digital Compact Camera – £80 starts: 27.2.12
We also have a 1 Day Version of the DSLR course, there are three dates left this term with places
One Day Understanding Your DSLR – £90 19.2.12; 25.3.12; 29.4.12
If you have completed one of these course with us or have learned by your own efforts you will understand how valuable the skills you have are and now may want to go further and improve your photography in a more subject driven way. Most people start this by taking our very popular Composition Course, it is subtitled Seeing Pictures because we aim to help you understand about photography in a general way and how you can apply that vision and skill to your own images.
Composition In Photography – Seeing Pictures – £80 starts 2.2.12
The other courses we run are aimed at those with specific subject area interests and these courses really help photographers to learn how to take much better pictures in their chosen subject areas
Portrait Photography: – £80 starts: 1.3.12
Black and White Digital Photography – £80 starts 6.3.12
The Intermediate Photography course we run is a wonderful way to realise that having photography as a hobby is not just about your pictures but also about how what you do with a camera is influenced by the great masters of photography and how you can learn from them. This course is a definite must for anyone who has a good understanding of their camera but wants photography to mean something to them, to make pictures that have impact and beauty. In some ways this is one of our most successful courses because the advancement we see in students images is significant.
Intermediate Photography – starts: 24.1.12 six sessions £97
Photoshop is skill that many photographers want to master because they want to have control over how their pictures will look, they want the final image to be more than just what the camera creates. We teach this by instruction and practical engagement with the software, every class has periods where the students watch how to do something and then have time to practice in class. We recommend the Photoshop Elements program rather than the full version as much because it is only about £60 at the moment on Amazon rather than £550 for the full version.
Introduction to Photoshop and Photoshop Elements – £97 starts 22.2.12 6 sessions
If you would like to book a place please send an email and we will make a reservation for you and send further information.
Details of all our courses are here
The Photographers of Vientienne, Laos
Oxford School of Photography 