The Exposure Triangle, Manual Mode, and Auto Exposure Modes
The first step in the process is understanding exactly how ISO, aperture, and shutter speed actually control the amount of light in your exposures. What are these three things actually doing to make the image brighter or darker? How do you know what ISO to use?What is under-exposure and over-exposure? What are whole stops and partial stops? How much light do you really need to let into the camera to take a picture in any situation? Learn to cont

Before you can make any decisions about how much light to let into the camera, you need to know exactly how much light you actually have available to you. For this you need to understand metering, which is simply measuring the light. Most cameras have light meters built-in, but there are several ways to measure the light and different methods work better for different situations. learn how to use the camera’s intelligent automatic functions while still maintaining manual control over your pictures!

Shutter speed affects the brightness of your exposures but it also affects the visual style of your image by altering the way that time is recorded. This session is all about learning how shutter speed can be used creatively to freeze a moment in time or to convey a sense of energy and movement in an image. We’ll talk about minimum shutter speeds, long exposures, blurring waterfalls, freezing the action, light painting, when to use a tripod and what kind to buy, and more.

Besides controlling brightness, aperture has an affect on the amount of background and foreground blur in your images. This background blur effect is called Depth of Field and it’s one of the most creative tools available in photography. But, aperture is only one of several key factors that control depth of field. Learn how things like aperture, focal length, focus distance, and the size of your sensor affect the amount of background / foreground blur you can get in your images.

In the old days, most cameras had only a handful of controls and functions. Today’s digital space ship cameras have a bewildering number of buttons, menus, smart features (some dumb ones, too) and highly advanced automation that are designed to give you (or take away) as much control as you want. In this class, learn all about the most useful camera features for speeding up or enhancing the process of making great pictures.

Most digital cameras have a wide range of options for tweaking the color and style of your pictures. Some have preset “instagram-y” styles that instantly add those cotton-candy colors or dark and moody drama. For more creative control, there are adjustable color profiles and tricks for making your pictures look like something only you could have done. When we do all this in the camera (rather than on the computer) we call it pre-processing.

Many photography enthusiasts proclaim “It’s all about LIGHT!” This is only partially true. It’s about light AND shadow and how they relate to each other. This session is devoted to learning (and understanding) how light behaves, how it affects your subjects, and how to control and shape the light for the best results possible.

The camera is a tool photographers use to capture a vision. Composition is the language we use to express visual poetry. This session covers some popular “rules of composition” and delves deeper into the theory behind them. We’ll also discuss what lenses are best for creating different images and why.

This 60-minute photoshoot is aimed to get 3 to 5 different poses and/or outfit in the can. Please be prepared to bring a handful of outfits that are easy to change in and out of for this session.
Add a Make-up artist for +$80 (subject to scheduling).
You will receive one final edit photo for each pose/outfit 1 to 2 weeks after the shoot is completed.

Deposit required upon booking.

Deposit required upon booking.

Deposit required upon booking.

Deposit required upon booking.

*This lab requires a minimum of 3 photographer participants. If the minimum is not met, this will be rescheduled.

2- Hour Minimum
Option to Add More Hours
$100 Deposit due at booking; non-refundable if cancelled less than 48 hours in advance.
Add more rental time with Neil (+$100)
Seamless Paper (+$15; fee applies only if paper is damaged)
Tethering (+$25)
**Once you've rented with Neil a few times and are comfortable operating the studio on your own, you may inquire about our Unassisted Studio Rental rates.**

Book a highly skilled, experienced commercial photographer and photo instructor as your assistant for the day. (Commercial Product Shoot; Advertising; Wedding 2nd Shooter; Video Productions; Portraits/Headshots; Dance; etc.
I can offer any level of service you need for your shoot, from basic setup to full service technical director. I can bring whatever equipment I have at my disposal. Just tell me what look you’re going for and I can take care of the rest. Your clients will think I work for you.