A Photography Lesson at the Ranch

Recently I posted some photographs of the Ranch from photographer Don Paulson.  While here Don taught some great classes on photography including how to use properly use exposure on your camera, how to shoot in the evening and a q & a session.  I have to say, I’m so glad I was able to attend a couple of his classes because I learned so much about how to properly use my camera.  I’ve been interested in photography for about the last five years or so, pretty much since I started blogging.  I bought the entry-level DSLR Canon Rebel and up until recently used the lens that came with the camera.  Now I use the much, much better 50mm 1.8 (a steal at only $110) and I can’t tell how much nicer my photos have been.  Plus, I can’t stress enough, learning how to properly use your camera is priceless.  I would say it wasn’t until last fall that I had a lesson how my Rebel actually worked such as the ISO, white balance, f-stop, etc.  I definitely don’t feel qualified enough to explain how these tools work, but I can tell you after working with Don, my photos are turning out better than ever.  I learned that a low f-stop allows you to really focus in on one thing (reference the photo above) which is great for when I take food photos.  I learned why shooting in RAW is so important to the look of the finished photo (something I was doing, but I didn’t understand why I was using RAW).

So anyhow, these are some photos I messed around with after my lesson.  The first one we were practicing the rule of thirds, the second I wanted to get a close up of the raindrops on the sculpture and the last two were really just about practicing with the f-stop.  If you love photography and have a chance to come to the Ranch next time Don is here, definitely go to his classes!  It was a great learning experience and Don is very knowledgeable and patient, which I very much appreciated!

You can learn more about Don at his website, donpaulson.com.