Category Archives: Weekly Roundup

Back by popular demand the Nikon D7000 Class with Paul Van Allen Wednesday February 15th at Samy’s Camera in Los Angeles.  Paul will show you the features for Nikon’s D7000 including an overview of the HD video capabilities of this exciting camera. Don’t miss this opportunity to see this camera in action.  Register here.

Thursday we have a great intro to on camera flash surprisingly called:  Intro to On Camera Flash Photography – February 16th at Samy’s Los Angeles.  This is only the second time we’ve run this class and last time we had over 50 people.  This 2 hour seminar is designed to get you up and running with your portable on-camera flash. You will learn how to get the most from your portable flash – hint, it usually means moving it off your cameras hotshot.  Register here.

We are doubling down and raising one with Gregg Cobarr classes this week.  On Saturday Gregg starts off in the morning at the Fairfax location and then drives down to Santa Ana teaching Better Photos Now at both locations in one day.

• Better Photos Now with Gregg Cobarr – February 18th at Samy’s Camera in Los Angeles - Register here.
• Better Photos Now with Gregg Cobarr – February 18th at Samy’s Camera in Santa Ana – Register Here.

We raise him one by adding Better Photos Now 2 on Sunday Feb 19th.  That class didn’t make it onto the new website but it’s almost filled up with students from Gregg’s previous classes.  There are only 2 seats left so email us if you want to grab one of the remaining spots.

Paul Van Allen will also be putting some miles on his car this week to teach Nikon D7000 Class on February 18th at Samy’s Camera in Santa Barbara.  Join Paul in beautiful Santa Barbara to learn the in’s and out’s of your Nikon D7000 including an overview of the HD video capabilities of this exciting camera. Don’t miss this opportunity to see this camera in action or to visit the Santa Barbara Samy’s Camera.  Register here.

Also in Santa Barbara on Saturday is Paul’s Getting More from the Nikon Wireless Flash System – February 18th 2012.  Get ready for some real fun! Paul will walk you through the settings to make your Nikon a lean mean wireless flash machine. The the fun really gets going as you practice what you just learned… With YOUR cameras! That’s right, you are going to shoot pictures… Amazing pictures! By the end of this very unique hands-on workshop, Flash… Wireless Flash WILL be your style!  Participants will need a CLS compatible camera D40 / D40x / D50 / D60 / D70 / D70s / D3000 / D5000 / D3100 /D2x / D2xs / D2h / D2hs / D3 / D3s / D3x PLUS any one of these three items SB-700, SB-800, SB-900 or SU-800.  Register here.

On Sunday we have Introduction to Canon DSLRs – February 19th at Samy’s Camera in Santa Ana.  This is one of our most popular classes so don’t wait to register or you will miss out.  Instructor Mike Monezis covers all features, menus, and software for Canon DSLRs. Cameras covered as a group include Rebels, 60D, 7D, and 5D Mark II.   Register here.

Last but not least is George Simian’s 2 day studio lighting class Pro Lighting Fundamentals – February 19th and 26th, 2012.  This hands-on shooting workshop takes place at Smashbox studios.  Students learn about the fundamentals of lighting including how to set up and light with Profoto strobes.  Students will learn to use light modifiers including soft boxes and reflectors to shoot models.  There isn’t a better lighting workshop around.  Students will bring their own cameras and are required to understand how to use them in manual settings.  A basic understanding of digital workflow is also recommended.  Register here.

This week starts off with the much anticipated Sony Alpha School.  A lot of customers bought Sony Alpha and NEX cameras over the holidays and this is the class to get them up and running.

Sony Alpha School – February 8th at Samy’s Camera in Los Angeles.  This class isn’t just your basic camera menu class.  Sony digital imaging expert Todd Tieman, gives some great photo instruction along with a walk through of how to use your new Sony NEX and/or Alpha cameras.  Transform your snapshots into photographs with this informative and inspiring class. During this two hour course you’ll learn digital photography essentials, the basics of your Sony DSLR camera, and how to utilize compositional techniques that make a photograph memorable. Come take this first step to getting the most from your Sony DSLR investment.  Register here.

Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers Level One – February 8th, 2012. Samy’s Los Angeles.  This hands on beginners workshop will show you just the things you need to know to start feeling confident in your Photoshop skills. Realizing that Photoshop is a huge program with a lot of tools, filters, adjustments, palettes, and menu items etc… We will cut through the complexity and just shows you exactly what you need to know to hit the ground running in Photoshop. When you’re done with this workshop you’ll realize you didn’t learn every little thing there is to know in Photoshop. But you will have a solid grasp of the most important features and you will be at the next level in no time.  Register here.

Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers Level Two – February 9th, 2011. Samy’s Los Angeles.  This class builds on the fundamental foundation of the Adobe Photoshop for photographers – I class.  The aim of this class is to raise the participant’s knowledge to a more professional level of digital workflow.  Be ready to up your game as a digital photographer.  Register here.

Photographing Children in Natural Light with George Simian – February 11th at Samy’s Los Angeles.   This one-day workshop starts at noon, with a couple of hours of planning and practicing: we will cover capturing children candidly or engaging them directly with the camera; the quality of soft vs. hard light, the direction of the light, and the use of reflectors; and the best camera settings for more effectively focusing attention on the child.  At 2PM we will move to a nearby park, and start photographing children, working in small groups, and rotating locations, that everyone has a chance to photograph different children in different activities.  By 4PM we’ll be back in the classroom, reviewing the images made, and discussing what approaches worked best! We are counting on participants to either bring their own children, or to ask friends to bring their children – they will be rewarded with all the successful images made of each child!  Register here.

The Landscape with Hernan Godoy – February 11th at Samy’s Camera in Santa Ana.  Hernan will explore three elements that are crucial to producing a fine photograph, along with discussing techniques such as composition, use of color versus black and white, lighting, choosing the best time of day to shoot, locations and tools to consider (lenses, filters, tripods, etc.). Samy’s Advanced Digital class is recommended as a prerequisite but not required. Lecture/Slideshow.  Register here.

Get Up and Running with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 – February 12th at Samy’s Camera in Santa Ana.  This class is an intense introduction to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3. Quickly learn the reason for starting your entire file processing workflow with Lightroom. Learn how to organize, manage and backup your digital files. Learn why you should shoot raw files and how to extract the very best image quality out if them. Finally discover how to export your files to Photoshop, printers or email.  Register Here.

The first class up this week is one we recently launched for people who want to find out more about Adobe Photoshop but might not be ready to commit to a 4 session class.  Introduction to Photoshop CS5 -February 1st at Samy’s Camera in Los Angeles is a great overview of what’s new in Photoshop.  Natasha will walk you through setting up Photoshop and explain some of the tool palates.  This is a great first step to getting your digital darkroom up and running.  Register Here.

Friday and Saturday is when SanDisk  brings us the Speedlight Master Class with Dave Black & Lucas Gilman.  These guys are flying in to share their Nikon flash techniques with Samy’s EDU students at the gorgeous Downtown LA Music Center facilities.  Students will get to shoot models at the metal clad Disney Music Hall, the grand lobby of the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion and the surrounding areas.  Don’t miss this one of a kind workshop in this amazing setting!  Register Here.

On Saturday Art Ramirez brings his Understanding Your Digital Camera class to Samy’s Culver City.  This class covers compact cameras as well as DSLRs.  Art starts at the beginning with lessons about basic operation of digital cameras, such as setting the camera’s resolution, basic flash operation, basic menu functions, memory cards, storage and more.   Get the most out of your digital camera by registering here.

In Santa Ana on Sunday we have Digital Filmmaking Bootcamp with Mike Walker – February 5th.  In addition to being an amazing photographer, Mike Walker spent 15 years as a TV camera man for CBS and has several indie films under his belt.  This one day intensive workshop is geared towards digital filmmaking with DSLRs as well as high end video cameras.  Mike will take the class out for a demo shoot using an HDSLR camera and rigging from companies like Redrock Micro.  Jump into the digital cinema revolution by registering here.

Classes are heating up for the new year this week at Samy’s Camera EDU.

Introduction to Color Management with Natasha Calzatti – January 10th at Samy’s Los Angeles:   Trying to get your photos to print what you see on the screen is difficult without understanding color calibration. Join Samy’s color specialist Natasha Calzatti as she walks you through selecting the best color space to use in Lightroom and Photoshop. Learn to use the Spyder hardware calibrator to calibrate your monitor and how to take advantage of profiles made available by paper manufacturers. This 2 hour class will take place at Samy’s Camera EDU near the Fairfax location.

Introduction to Time Lapse Photography with Blue Fier – January 11th at Samy’s Camera in Los Angeles:  Come explore the time-lapse world with Blue Fier in this introductory session. You’ll learn about the history of time lapses and see examples of how you can integrate altering time into your photography skills.

Digital Photography I with E.K. Waller – January 11th at Samy’s Los Angeles:  This is a 5-week, 3-hour class in Digital Photography, which is designed to teach the basics of shooting with a 35mm DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera.  In addition to fine-tuning basic camera operation, students will complete technical and creative assignments.

Digital Photography II with E.K. Waller -January 12th, 2012:  This 5-week, 3-hour class is a continuation of Digital Photography I.  This class is for those students who have a basic understanding of their camera and it’s functions, exposure, depth of field, use of the shutter speed for action shots, but are looking for more challenging photographic situations to build a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of photography. Students will work with shaping and controlling natural light and using on-camera flash more effectively, as well as focusing on composition and content of the photograph.

Understanding Your Digital Camera with Art Ramirez – January 14th at Samy’s Los Angeles:  This is a basic class for individuals who own a point-and-shoot or Digital SLR camera and wish to learn more about navigating through all those confusing camera modes.  We will discuss the very basic operation of Digital cameras, such as setting your camera’s resolution, basic flash operation, basic menu functions, memory cards, storage and more.  This class is not specific to any particular camera manufacturer, so whether you purchased the camera for yourself, or received it as a gift, this is the class to get all of your questions answered!

Understanding Your Digital Camera Level 2 – January 14th at Samy’s Los Angeles:This class is designed to to give the student not only a better understanding of their camera, but when and how to use them. Some of the topics discussed will be Exposure, Metering, Focusing, Shutter Speeds and Aperture.