Intro to digital photographyI’ve said it a hundred times before, my job teaching at Virginia MOCA is awesome! Not only do I get to teach awesome classes (like Intro to Digital Photography and Lightroom), but I get the chance to teach other people how to further their passion for photography! For the win! Plus, me being the people person that I am, I get to meet a new set of wonderful students each semester.

learning your cameraMost people that take the Intro to Digital Photography class either have a very rudimentary knowledge of using their camera (you point it at your subject and push the button) or no experience at all (how do I turn it on?!). One of the most awesome things for me as the instructor is to work with each group of students and see their progress from week to week. Each class has the same basic format, but they always take on a life of their own and this one was no different.

portraits by the flowersI feel like one of the turning points that really bring people together in the class is when we do portrait week. At the beginning of that class, we always go outside (weather permitting) and practice our portraiture on each other. I especially love this week because I get to play photographer with everyone and show them my shooting style and just loosen everyone up! We always have a good time, and the pictures can often be quite hilarious (check out this {LINK} from the first class I ever taught!).

Women portraits cracking up camera posing sunlight portraits Hiding behind the camera