A Great Headshot, Why Bother?
Because "You never get a second chance to make a first impression"
Let's be honest. Be it a Linkedin profile, Website, Bio or CV., a profile image is the first thing you look at. Period. It is what it is. Human nature. Does that mean that you you have to be one of the "beautiful people" in order to post your image. Absolutely not!! But the care you put into the presentation of your picture should match the effort you put into the rest of the information you want your readers to consume. Be professional. Use a professional photographer. Make sure you look your best and put forth your best image. It's that simple.
A Great Headshot, Why Bother?
Because "You never get a second chance to make a first impression"
Let's be honest. Be it a Linkedin profile, Website, Bio or CV., a profile image is the first thing you look at. Period. It is what it is. Human nature. Does that mean that you you have to be one of the "beautiful people" in order to post your image. Absolutely not!! But the care you put into the presentation of your picture should match the effort you put into the rest of the information you want your readers to consume. Be professional. Use a professional photographer. Make sure you look your best and put forth your best image. It's that simple.
Onsite Headshots
"The Magic in Photography is to see a subject or scene in your minds eye, and then replicate that image in your camera. In order to do this you must train yourself to see what your camera sees without looking through the viewfinder. If you train yourself to use the correct lighting, lens and camera settings, I promise the magic will happen, and I can help you." -Bart Levy
*Example: Photography for Birders: Lens and Camera choices. Flying vs. Stationary subjects. Image quality, Exposure and Focus.
My approach to teaching photography:
Photography is a visual art, and visual learners are often attracted to it. I love to teach hands on. As an art, there are beautiful rules of composition that can be learned with patience. That's the fun part. But there are technical aspects that must be mastered as well. There are buttons and bells and whistles common to all cameras. Having taught thousands of students over the years, I've learned to present all of these concepts in an easy to understand way. I will give you many real life lessons and metaphors that will make your trek to becoming a great photographer an enjoyable journey.
From one of my students:
"I was lucky to attend one of Bart’s classes when I first started my photography journey and he has since become a valued mentor and friend. His mentoring sessions helped me value myself and my time while also honing my photography skills. His knowledge on both the technical and customer side, helped me gain the confidence to work with clients. He not only taught me about how to take the best picture, but he taught me the foundation and boundaries of starting my photography business. Not only is Bart a creative and talented photographer, he is an inspiring teacher and mentor." -Jackie
Whether your interest is Landscapes, Wildlife, Sports I can assist you in mastering these essential skills to take your photography to the next level and beyond. Bottom line, you and your camera need to communicate!! Let's start with some basics:
Focus: Making sure the camera is focusing on what YOU want it to, not what IT wants to!
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Focus Modes (Tell your camera if your subject is still or moving)
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Focus Area Modes (Tell your camera specifically where in the frame you want it to focus
Exposure: Making sure your images aren't too light or too dark.
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Aperture or f/stop (How much light is coming through my lens a any given moment}.
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Shutter Speed (How long the light is allowed to hit the film or sensor}
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ISO (How sensitive my camera is to light)
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Just Right!!
Too dark
Too Light
Moving Objects
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Stopping action and showing motion with shutter speed:
Slow Shutter Speed
Fast Shutter Speed
Really Slow Shutter Speed!!
And More!! So much more to learn about all of those camera buttons, wheels and menus like:
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Manual Exposure
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Aperture Priority
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Shutter Speed Priority
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White Balance
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Image Size
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Picture Styles
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Raw vs. Jpeg
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Scene Modes
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ISO
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Metering Modes
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Continuous Shooting Modes
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Using Filters
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Lens Selection
What about Your specific interests:
Although there are common elements that all photographers need to master, there are other techniques that are specific to different disciplines. We can work on your passion and dive deep into what makes it unique.
Nature and Landscape Photography: Lighting, Time of day, Filters, Lens selection, Depth of field and Composition.
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Portrait Photography: Lens selection, Lighting, Focusing, Skin tones, Color vs. Black and White, Photoshop techniques.
Product Photography: Camera and lens selection, studio lighting, Closeup techniques.
Sports Photography: Focusing on moving objects, Indoor vs. Outdoor sports, Stopping action, Continuous shooting.
Wildlife Photography: Exposure, Composition, Using Telephoto lenses, Stopping action.
Artistic Photography: Filters, Creative motion techniques, composition and Colors.
As important as it is to be a good photographer, in order to be a great photography teacher (feel free to roam around the rest of this site to see my personal work) it is more important to be able to pass the knowledge that I've learned onto my students. That is what truly authenticates an instructor's ability to teach.
Photo by Jenise Jensen
Like what you see so far? Want to hear more? Let's have a conversation and talk about your photography journey, see if we're a good fit! Contact me by:
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Phone (303) 369-6990
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Click here to use our contact form