Logo for Shutterbug Photography School LLC featuring a cartoon bug with a camera, wearing a hat, against an orange background with stars and text.

Basic Photography Classes

Basics of Digital Photography 1 - Camera Controls, Exposure, and Resolution

Close-up of a black camera with various controls, including a focus ring, shutter speed dial, and an Fn button.

This four-part course covers the essential foundations of digital photography. You’ll learn how your camera works—metering, exposure, digital file types, and resolution—and how to choose the right settings for different situations. We’ll explore how apertures and shutter speeds affect depth of field and motion, giving you more creative control over your images.

You’ll also gain a clear understanding of digital formats and how they influence focal length, aperture, and overall image quality. Bryan introduces you to RAW files, using histograms to achieve optimal exposure in any lighting condition, and the basics of RAW file processing.

By the end of the course, you’ll have the skills to consistently create properly exposed, in-focus photographs across a range of lighting conditions and subjects.

Format: Four sessions, 150 minutes each, spread over four weeks.

*This class requires an Adobe basic photography subscription*

Tax is included in the price.

Basics of Digital Photography 2 - Photographic Aesthetics and Meaning

Close-up of multiple camera lenses, prominently featuring a lens with a 24-105mm focal length and f/4L aperture, showing glass elements and reflection.

If you already know how to use your camera, have a handle on creating well-exposed images, and have basic image processing skills, this four-part class is for you! (While this course builds on the skills taught in Basics of Digital Photography 1, that class is not required to participate.)

Our goal is to blend your technical knowledge with imagination to deepen your creative practice. We’ll explore how to use light and composition to make evocative, dynamic photographs in any setting—and how to be decisive and intentional in your process.

We’ll dive into photography as a medium for storytelling and expression. Through close analysis of both historical and

contemporary photographs, you’ll learn how images create meaning and convey ideas. You’ll also begin mining your own interests and ideas for possible subject matter.

By the end of the course, you’ll have gained new tools and insights for expressing your photographic ideas more powerfully, with your unique point of view.

Format: 6 sessions, 150 minutes each, spread over six weeks.

*This class requires an Adobe basic photography subscription*

Tax is included in the price.

Shutterbug. For the love of photography!