Digital Photography for Beginners

Sign Up for a Photography Class with Giada Otten!

Course Title:Digital Photography for Beginners

📅 Class Schedule:
June 16 – July 16
Tuesdays & Wednesdays
🕙 Morning Session: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
🕐 Afternoon Session: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Address: ARTISANS OFF MAIN

310 EAST MAIN STREET, SUITE 1

BELLEVILLE, IL 62220

Master Your Camera & Create Like an Artist

Course Goal:

To teach beginners how to fully control their digital camera through 12 core technical and creative concepts, empowering them to take expressive, high-quality photographs that go far beyond phone photography.

Course Format:

Duration: 4–5 weeks (flexible)

• Structure:

  • Short video lesson (10–15 minutes)

  • Written breakdown

  • Practice assignment

  • Creative challenge

  • Optional feedback/critique

  Course Breakdown:

Module 1: Introduction to Digital Photography

• How cameras work

• Types of digital cameras

• Basic camera anatomy

• How this course will help you see differently

Module 2: Understanding Exposure

• What is exposure?

• The Exposure Triangle: Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO

• Manual Mode vs Auto

Module 3: Aperture (Depth of Field Mastery)

• f-stops explained

• Controlling background blur

• Creative focus techniques

Module 4: Shutter Speed (Motion Control)

• Freezing action vs. motion blur

• Light painting

  Module 5: ISO (Mastering Light Sensitivity)

• Low light photography

• Noise vs. image quality

• Creative grain

Module 6: Manual Mode Mastery

• Putting it all together: Manual exposure

• How to meter light

• Exposure compensation

Module 7: Focus Control

• Auto vs manual focus

• Focus points & tracking

• Creative blur and selective focus

Module 8: White Balance and Color Control

• How lighting affects color

• Using white balance creatively

• Color temperature and mood

Module 9: Composition Fundamentals

• Rule of thirds, leading lines, symmetry

• Framing and layering

• Visual storytelling

Module 10:Light: The Photographer’s Paintbrush

• Natural vs artificial light

• Golden hour, shadows, and contrast

• How to see and shape light

Module 11: Lenses and Perspective

• Focal lengths explained

• Wide vs telephoto

• Choosing the right lens for your vision

Module 12: Creative Control & Final Project

• How to develop your creative voice

• Create a mini photo series using full manual settings

• Critique and reflection

Course Outcome:

By the end of this course, students will:

• Know how to use their camera in full manual mode

• Understand how to control every creative aspect of image-making

• Produce professional-level photographs that go beyond snapshots

• Develop a unique visual voice and start building a personal style