Beginners Photography Course

■ Learn how to use any digital camera to its fullest potential

■ Structures for time pressed individuals

■ Learning about your camera, its handling, its menus

■ Grasp the fundamentals of lighting & creative composition

■ Fun & creative learning with like minded fellow persons

■ Well structured, practical workshops covering the key points

■ Small groups of no more than 6 persons

■ Expert tuition from the professional photographer Andrew Thomasson

■ Detailed general course notes & pdf files to back up what we learn

■ $50 gift voucher to use towards another course or to 'gift' to another person

■ Active 'hands on' learning in the Rocks, Botanic Gardens, Woolloomooloo, Hyde Park & QVB 

■ Learn how to use any digital camera to its fullest potential

■ Structures for time pressed individuals

■ Learning about your camera, its handling, its menus

■ Fundamentals of lighting & creative composition

■ Fun & creative learning with like minded fellow persons

■ Well structured, practical workshops covering the key points

■ Small groups of no more than 6 persons

■ Expert tuition from the professional photographer Andrew Thomasson

■ Detailed general course notes & pdf files to back up what we learn

■ $50 gift voucher to use towards another course or to 'gift' to another person

■ Active 'hands on' learning in the Rocks, Botanic Gardens, Woolloomooloo, Hyde Park & QVB 

■ No previous photographic experience required

■ Any full or cropped frame DSLR camera, mirrorless camera or quality compact with manual controls is perfect * 

■ The standard kit lens or lenses which came with the camera

■ Memory Card(s): we recommend at least a 4 GB card for each session of shooting

■ Charged camera battery and a spare if you have one

■ A smartphone is useful 

■ Whilst this is not a physically demanding course you should be able to walk 5-8km over the course of 7 hours 

■ Inclusions: instruction from professional photographers, detailed notes

■ Exclusions: Food and beverages

* there is more information on camera gear in the FAQ section

Time	10am to 5pm
Location	18 Argyle Street, Sydney
Meeting Point	Opposite the Clock tower. Beside outside tables near small fountain & red phone box

Why do this one day Beginners Course with Focus 10?
■ Wanting to get more out of your camera's features and learn more about photography in general. You learn much faster with 'hands on' instruction from a professional photographer and tutor

■ To fast track yourself into the world of photography

■ The security of booking with a reputable company. This digital course has been running for 19 years in Sydney with the experienced professional photographer / instructor Andrew Thomasson

■ Existing amateur photographers who just want to learn how to take better images

■ Maybe you are a designer, a traveller, have always loved photography, retired, wanting a new hobby or to start a new career

■ For those wishing to get back into photography after a long layoff - to learn about new digital technologies and devices such as smartphones and mirrorless cameras

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Is this Beginners Photography course suitable for me?
■ It's suitable for everyone: a clear path for the entry-level to intermediate photographer (maybe you need to brush up old skills learnt years ago shooting film or early digital), allowing you to gain essential new digital knowledge

■ This course will appeal to amateurs or hobbyists wanting to move on from shooting on the 'Auto' mode

■ A step by step structured course teaching you basic camera handling skills. Easy to understand and content backed up with detailed notes

■ Composition, lighting and other techniques to become a better photographer

■ You do not need expensive camera gear. Any full or cropped frame DSLR camera, mirrorless camera or quality compact with manual controls is suitable

■ Bring your smartphone as it's ideal for posting to social media and to share images & as a great snapshooter

■ Whilst this is not a physically demanding course you should be able to walk 4-7km over the course of 7 hours.

■ Inclusions: Instruction from professional photographers, detailed notes

■ Exclusions : Food and beverages

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How many people will be on my course?
■ A maximum of 6 persons for a highly personalised learning experience. This ensure plenty of one on one attention

■ We do cater for larger groups bringing in other tutors and splitting the groups into teams. Talk to us about your special requirements such as a 'team building' Beginners Photography course for a government organisation, company, your travel or camera club and for private groups

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What happens if it's raining?
■ We do not give refunds for inclement weather. Bring a raincoat and/or umbrella as some of the best photos are taken in the rain. We have a number of indoor shooting location options

■ We offer a 'repeat for free' weather guarantee. Join the course anyway. If the weather is really bad we will do a few hours and you then receive a gift voucher to come back at another time. If we call the course off you can 'gift' your credit voucher to a friend or to whoever you nominate

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Do I have the right camera gear for this Beginners course?
■ In your detailed notes you receive upon booking - we give lots of recommendations on the best camera gear, camera bag and accessories to consider as the move into the exciting world of photography

■ Most students have cropped frame DSLR camera's, a mirrorless camera or a quality compact. A base DLSR with two kits lenses such as a 18-55mm, a 18-135mm, 18mm-250mm etc is fine!

■ A back up smartphone can take great images. So please bring yours along. As we run a dedicated Smartphone Photography course - you are recommended to do one of those instead of this Beginners course but the choice is up to you - we will cater to smartphone users.

■ Choose the right camera gear based on portability, what you like to shoot, whether you aim to be a hobby or a professional photographer down the track and price point. Do not over invest when starting out. We recommend a camera you can grow into. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus etc make great camera's you can learn on. As you get better, you can use these camera's as a second body or upgrade. Build up a system as requirements and your budget allows.

■ If money is no object - always Invest in the best lenses, filters and tripod - these should last you a long time under heavy use

■ Most beginners buy a camera with a built in flash which is fine for learning about flash. Down the track get an external flash. This will give you more versatility in getting the light right and shooting at a more advanced level.

■ You do not need a tripod for this course. If you want to bring your tripod- thats fine

■ Memory Card(s): we recommend at least a 4 GB card for this one day course. The rule of thumb with memory cards is 'Don’t put all your eggs in one basket' - better to use lots of smaller memory cards than few bigger ones in case of loss or dysfunction of cards.

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Can I rent a camera? Buy SD cards?
■ Yes - we have cropped DLSR Canon and Nikon Camera's for rent. The fee is $40 ( payable on the day via card or cash) Your camera will have a standard 18-55mm lens ( or equivalent)
■ Lexar 32GB high speed SD cards are available for purchase for $24 per card from us ( or bring your own SD card)

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What are some of the topics covered in the detailed notes I get?
DETAILED NOTES with every course booking include information on the following:

■ CAMERA GEAR - full frame DLSR camera's | cropped sensor DLSR CAMERA'S | prime & zoom lenses | quality compacts | mirrorless cameras | smartphones | tripods, | filters | batteries, memory cards | cleaning your gear | camera bags

■ CAMERA HANDLING - shooting modes | raw vs jpeg | metering modes | colour space | focusing modes | white balance | ISO | picture style & control | exposure lock compensation | bracketing | adding light into shadows | high dynamic range (HDR)

■ LIGHTING - types | natural light | artificial light | white balance | time the light

■ COMPOSITION - leading & converging lines | the rule of thirds | framing an image | reflections | look for unusual angles | colour | star bursts | showing motion | viewpoint | selective focus | vertical vs horizontal | aspect ratio

APPLICATIONS

■ PEOPLE - candid | frozen moments | street photography

■ LANDSCAPES - overview | technique | light | composition

■ ARCHITECTURE - light | composition

■ FOOD & DRINK - fresh & simple

■ ACTION - freeze the motion | showing blur

■ WILDLIFE & NATURE - flora & fauna in the Botanic Gardens

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Can I bundle or package the 2 day course with the 'Online' Real Estate & Architecture course?
■ Yes- we offer a 10% discount when you opt to purchase both the 'Online' Real Estate Architectural course ($690) and this two days 'on location' course ($790) as a 'bundle'

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Thanks for the feedback and I am loving your photos. We look forward to catching up again when you are next in Byron Bay

--Sarah Gasparre / real estate photographer

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The course was great. Have done a few shoots since the course with some good results ( I Think. LOL). I’m ready to hit the ground running now. Thanks so much for all your help. The course was well worth it that’s for sure.

--Andrew Patrick

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Thanks again for your work at our conference. We were all very pleased.

Got back to the office yesterday and we received via Dropbox all the amazing photographs you took. You captured everthing- the keynote speakers, the sailing events, the party. We will definitely be using you again when we are next in Australia

-- Karen Seidman

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Thanks for the email Andrew And yes Mate - loved the photos making me look 5 years younger. The make up artist was a good idea.
Been busy pitching new business all week.....have some time tomorrow to have a proper look at all the photos but lots to choose from.

--Craig McCann

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Thank you for one of the best weekends I can remember on your fabulous Margaret River tour. Lots of laughs, learnt a huge amount about photography, a great group, loved the variety of subjects & our Surfers Point sunset champers & oysters shoot was sublime. I will be doing your Goldfield tour next.

--Jen Risoli

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I have known Andrew for 25 years now and he is always willing the go that extra mile and is a talented photographer. We share a common love for India and travel in general. Over the years Andrew has been the judge for the Australian newspapers regular travel competitions and we love his enthusiasm and commitment.

--Susan Kurosawa / Travel editor

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Thank you for photographing or 43 staff members over the quoted 7 hours. You must be exhausted . Everyone seemed very happy and liked how you showed them the head shots as you were shooting. Can you get them to use by Thursday please? Talk soon

--Irina Fedorova

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"Great beginners photo course Andrew. Thanks very much for helping me find my passion for photography again. I received lots of one and one attention. Cool seagull shoot with chips from Pier 4 and great you knew most of the stall holders in the Rocks market. I loved this course and learnt so much. I will be telling all my friends"

--Annie Prior

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