and thats IF people!
IF
i taught a photography class with big picture, what kinds of things would you want me to teach?
mind you-i will not be teaching photo shop techniques. anything camera related only. lay it on me. i would love to know.
(oh and a little shout out to stephanie, who ran into me at target today, recognized me and my kids and came up to say hi. so cool! HI STEPHANIE!)
First of all, I would jump up and down in the streets and make a total idiot of myself!
My issue is getting to know my camera. My husband bought me a Digital Rebel for Christmas and while it is a fantastic camera, I can’t figure anything out! I have read the manual but it is (a) boring as hell; and (b) confuses me even more. I would love for someone to dummy it down for me. Especially shutter speed and lighting. Your photography is so inspiring Donna! I hope you do this with Big Picture Scrapbooking!!
I would TOTALLY take your class, Miss T. I would love to know more about the differences between lenses (like the 50mm and the 85mm 1.8 – what does the 35mm difference mean) and which lenses are most appropriate for different settings – beach, studio, etc. I would also love to know more about composing shots and cropping, espcially in a candid setting.
You go, girl!
Ok, did I mention the idiot part?? I just read Donna’s blog so I called you Donna. I’m a flake. I guess I got a little to excited about the idea of you teaching a photography class!
I personally have a hard time photographing people. I really like your style and how everyone looks relaxed and not posed. I don’t know if that’s something you can teach, or if it’s just a talent that you have.
I would be all over that class! I’d love to know how to do more with my rebel. I tend to put it on auto and go. I;d love to learn more about lighting….
i would be so excited too, your photos rock! the way you can feel the emotion is very cool. i love taking pictures of my kids and would like a class tailored toward the budding photographer with a simple point and shoot digital camera. lighting and composition would be good topics.
ANYthing you have to teach I would want to learn! :)
This would be the greatest, EV-AH!
I would love to know:
1. how you decide what settings to use for any given situation (ISO, metering, f/stop, white balance).
2. posing techniques, composing the shot, in camera cropping
3. what does your histogram look like for any given shot?
4. how do you decide manual vs aperture priority?
5. How to take a photo that doesn’t look like a snapshot. I know that’s the beauty of what you do best and it probably can’t be taught….but that’s what we all want. How to recognize those moments, capture them and have them look like art.
Thanks for considering the class!
i would love it! i would love ideas on manual settings and just a tad of audio on what you are saying to the folks as you are snapping away!! i would love to know how you get folks in some of the poses that you do…you know the “natural poses”…do it please!!!
Hey Tara! I would totally take your class too! (hopefully i wouldn’t make you mad at me again)lol… I would want you to teach us what you do at the shoot… what you say to the people… what you tell the little kids… how you get the ‘husbands’ to feel comfortable… ..that’s not camera related.. but that’s what i would want to know!!
OK, first off – I would totally take your class – even if you’re just teaching how to turn it on and snap a picture – somehow I’d learn something from you! But seriously, I’d love to know more about what settings you use in different lighting, what cool family poses one can do if you don’t live near a cool beach like you do, is it possible to get pictures like yours with a relatively expensive, yet 4-year old 5 megapixel digital camera (feel free to say no to this as I can use it to try to convince my dh to buy me the Canon I’m in love with). Thanks for asking & I’ll watch for the news : )
First – Big picture. Then – Scrapbook Oasis. Oh, a girl can dream, can’t she? :) I want to understand the “photography triangle” – aperture, shutter speed and iso. What settings would you use in different conditions (ie sunny, cloudy, sports, portraits, etc) and how you determine your white balance. Oh, great one, please teach us!!!!!!!!!
White balance. Clueless here.
I would love to learn more about settings and f-stops and how to get the most of the my expensive camera… and not just use the auto setting!
Okay- I would be in, and the Oasis would be even better!!! ;) Anyway- the whole manual setting thing is beyond me as well, I look at the manual and my eyes glaze over, so some camera basics for the kind of photography scrapbookers NEED to do would be perfect! That’s it- SCRAPBOOK PHOTOGRAPHY! Does that make any sense?
Oh and I would love to learn more about lighting…
I have been dreaming about you teaching a class and would LOVE to take one. While I don’t think we could all come out of it with pictures like what you take I am sure it could give us all a little nudge in the right direction. I would want to learn everything that Cari mentioned above..Those topics seem like they would be the most universal and people would get the most out of it. I’ll be waiting to sign up!
On another note..have you and your other scrapping celebrtiy friends ever talked about using your talents to raise money for charities near and dear to your hearts. Your fans could “bid” on things or buy raffle tickets to “win a shoot with Tara”. “Have Ali make you an album”, “Work with Cathy on a book of me”, etc,. I know you are all so busy, but it is just an idea I wanted to throw out there..or how about “win a weekend photo workshop with Tara”??
I think it’s a great idea too!
Lighting
Posing/Working with people
Composition
I know not all of this is considered technical stuff, but it’s the stuff that intrigues me about your work.
Lighting, F-stops and about a MILLION other things
Oh please, oh please say you will do it. I LOVE your pictures!
omg!!! I would love to learn more about settings…all those buttons on my camera that I have NO clue how to use-except auto, and barely that (of course considering that all cameras are not created equal)
also would love to figure out how to do those focus-on-one-thing-in-the-foreground-and-everything in-the-background-is-blurry pictures (again, prob settings)
just HOW not to use the flash and get a picture that is not blurred!
and I suppose all those cool pics you take with deep colors, grainy texture or black and white are just adjusted in PS?
you know, IF you taught a BPS class…
i just want to learn the manual stuff on my camera. i have books but they’re too wordy for me. something that has lessons and makes me go take pictures to learn.
and if you were to teach a class that would be awesome! i was just thinking about this the other day.
tara
ya got a
this is you
this is the camera
say hi to your camera
the on switch is here
kinda class?
ok
too basic?
i wanna know conversion stuffs
how DO you get the colors so clear?
wait
is that photoshopish?
i would love to take a cxlass b/c
well
it is YOU
and because
i need to have a legit reason to put actual effort into leanring more about taking pictures
kellicrowe
gosh, i’d take anything taught by you, tara… i drool over your work, and i want so badly to have half of the talent you have… i find myself taking photos and wondering why they don’t look as good or as cool as yours – so i want to know how you do that. pretty nebulous, huh? :)
I don’t care what you teach as long as it’s something..
would totally LOVE to take a class by you…can i pre-register before you even decide???? !!! i have a canon 20D and need an in English lesson on settings, f-stops, white balance, etc. you know, anything from you would be an honor! Tanya
I’d like something as simple as an inspirational “photo a day” idea to get me to take ordinary photos of my kids. Something like, “today, take a picture of your kid in the car” and then give some tips for what lens you might use for that kind of shot, ideas for angles, etc. Also simple ideas for using natural light without ruining the moment. Does that make sense?
Nieka
R U Freakin’ kiddin’ me!
I would take a class on how to load a toilet paper roll if YOU taught it!
Your smile, your personality, your WORK – ANY, ALL of your work – IT.
I would take IT. Whatever you teach – you have a following. Just in case you didn’t know it – girl – you have a SERIOUS following – or I guess a much better term would be POSSE.
You have your own “Chick Posse”.
Cool.
Your cool.
I would like to know instruction/tips for shooting in specific situations:
Beach shots – bad to shoot in strong light with lots of contrast or not? Face which direction?
Shaded or dapple-shaded areas.
Indoors with/without flash.
Moving kids, water, kayaks, etc.
Inside a church.
How to avoid red-eye even when your camera has red-eye reduction.
a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g. just tell me when & where to sign up. YAY!!
OhMyGosh OhMyGosh OhMyGosh . . . It doesn’t matter to me what you teach. You could teach me the ABCs. IM IN.
(oh, and I like Tina’s ideas about the differences between lenses. What lense to use to get what kind of look/feel.)
have a dream of mine been answered? the only thing better than a tara class would be to have my picture taken by tara but since i live in the middle of the country…i will take the ladder.
i would love to know about lighting ESPECIALLY indoor and digitial. ugh. always a constant battle in my world.
plus. i love the artisitc effects of your pictures. how one person is clear and the other is blurry. i know the concept but i cannot but it into application that well.
ohh please consider it. i would be forever grateful….hee hee hee
p.s…also. i am a photoshop junkie so i really wish you would consider teaching an online photoshop class.
Anything. You’re so talented. I would love anything at all! I’d pay money just to listen to you ramble on and on about anything! Does that help?
Hmmm, can’t think of anything I wouldn’t want you to cover. Specifically, I’d be most interested in your ideas on the best lenses for different situations, lighting, white balance, and composition. It all comes together so well for you.
Are you serious?!? This is FANTASTIC. I’d love to take an on-line photog class with you. You have so much to offer that just about any aspect of photog you choose to teach would be valuable. I too, though, have issues with the manual settings and deciding what to use when/where etc. Also, so intrigued by the relaxed nature of your photographs and would love any pointers about that as well. Tell me when to sign up and I am THERE!
I want to know what all the little thingies mean on my camera! Like there’s a head and a flower and a lightening bolt.
I just want to take better pictures….and with a digital camera, you can take LOTS of photos, but I want to make them BETTER.
Also, help us know WHAT to take pictures of! How to take photos of things my kids do, like sports and piano recitals and band concerts. How do I take a photo of my kid in the back row of the band concert from my seat in the auditorium?!!!
THATS what I want to know!!!
Oh my….lets all hope this “IF” becomes a big fat “oh ya”. I want to learn the manual stuff on my camera. Also….lighting. When is good/bad etc.
Keeping my fingers crossed ;)
I’m too far away to take the class, but the biggest thing I’m always wanting to know is lighting related! How to do successful “professional” photos at home, what type of lighting do you need? AND what causes camera’s to give you different “colors” in the same shoot? ok – thanks
I would love to hear your thoughts on white balance, how you get your pictures so sharp, what you say to people when you are taking pictures, lens for different applications, weekly inspiration projects, at least a four week course, oh man no photoshop, really?
Basically any course by you I would be in for sure :)
Everyone has pretty much covered what I’d be interested in. I’d take any class you’d teach!!
HOLY SCHMOLEY!!!! Seriously!!! IF IF IF… here are things I would like:
– insight on creative composition/settings
– insight on lighting
– insight on techy stuff, maybe some of your recommendations as far as what to use when!?
– I am sure some would like business techniques, me, not so much, but I wouldn’t be bummed if it were a part of a class.
I don’t know, anything that you say would be awesome I am sure. And I realllly hope that IF turns into when!!
I’d Sign up. picking a camera for your Needs. Photographing from a different View
this would be fabulous! your compotsition, how you get people to look sooo good, how to catch the everyday things of life in such a non snapshot looking way. someone said white balance, totally would love to learn that ;) tara anything you taught would be fabulous :)
Metering. How to use the built in meter on my rebel….
Yes, I would definitely take a class! Everyone has already mentioned anything I would like, especially lighting! Looking forward to it (hopefully!)!
I am a pre-K teacher for kiddo with dev. delays and disabilities, I start my spring break vacay today and I thought things couldn’t get any better…but then I read that there is a possibility that you, Tara, photog goddess…might…be…teaching/sharing any tasty morsels of insight into how to take half way decent photos…OMGoddess!Onto what I wanna know…So awesome…I would love to learn how to use the manual setting, what the F an F stop is??? What other lenses I need aside from what came with my regular Rebel…Oh Tara, please say yes…Have a great night!
Thanks! Courtney
I would like to know how to take tasteful nudes.
You do that, right?
; )
I wouldn’t mind a class covering the basics and then some. But what I would really love is receiving a lesson followed up with an assignment based on that lesson. We could then post our interpretation and receive an honest critique of that assignment. I know that sounds like a lot of work but you aksed :)
hmmm…i think it’s all been covered and i’m just chiming in to try to change that “IF” to “WHEN”…could you???…would you???
OMG – talk about your toes – I DON’T CARE. . . JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
okay – I am zen now. . .honestly Tara – any insight you had to share on how to improve taking pictures. How to take your pictures from birthday party snapshots to life photos, even with a point and shoot. how to use lighting to your advantage. color vs black and white what’s better and when to use one over the other. . .the list of your picture taking knowlege is ENDLESS. . .where do I sign up??????
Hillary
oh Tara girl that would be awesome!!!!! I most definately think the whole AV thing goes totally over my head. I NEED to be able to take photos successfully. learning about depth of field etc…. I have heard it all before but just can’t get it. Also getting the information from a scrapbooker is ideal because you know what I am looking for. How to get the right settings for the current shot…. F-stop, ISO settings etc.
You go girl and this class “when” it happens (notice I am hinting at when… lol) it is going to be a sell out!