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2012 Digital Photography Workshop Series

Workshops at Callaway Gardens are fun and informative. With a wide variety of topics, you're sure to find some that appeal to you. Workshops are held in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. Try one and you're bound to return for more!

Scroll down for some exciting 2012 Photography Workshops!

Space is limited. Preregistration is required for all photography workshops.

To preregister, call 706-663-5153 or email education@callawaygardens.com 

Callaway Gardens is the perfect venue for learning photography with year-round opportunities to take great photos.  The Discovery Center Auditorium is the perfect place to hold our workshops, with theater seating, theater lighting, and a state-of-the-art overhead projection system for the PowerPoint Presentations.  No finer venue is available for photography workshops!  Smaller classes are held in one of the Discovery Center Classrooms with table seating and electrical hookups for laptop computers.

Your instructor is Jim Henderson, an accomplished amateur photographer with an encyclopedic knowledge of the technical aspects of digital photography, a master of the artistic side of photography, and an incredible knack for teaching and inspiring his participants in a fun and enthusiastic manner.  Using custom PowerPoint presentations, Jim presents each topic and concept in an easy to understand manner and illustrates each concept using his own photography.  You can contact Jim through his website - www.pbase.com/sandman3

The three FOUNDATIONS courses are essential courses in understanding the fundamentals of photography as they apply to DSLR cameras.  These should be taken in order unless the participant has already mastered the content in the previous course.  Building upon the knowledge and skills learned in the FOUNDATIONS courses, the ADVENTURES courses offer the participant an opportunity to explore the various "specialty" areas of digital photography, where additional knowledge and skill is acquired specific to the specialty area.  ADVENTURES courses do not need to be taken order.  From beginner to advanced workshops, the approach is simple - introduce the concepts, cover them thoroughly, show examples to illustrate the concepts, address any questions, then give the participants an opportunity to apply what they have just learned.  At the conclusion of each workshop, participants are asked to complete a Workshop Evaluation.  With every class, evaluations are always over the top.

For all digital photography workshops, please bring your digital camera, owner's manual, charged batteries, and storage media.  Dress casually in layers for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.

Foundations in DSLR Photography III: Mastering Focus and Exposure
Saturday, February 18, 2012
9:30 A.M.-1:30 P.M.

This intermediate level workshop is devoted to understanding and perfecting focus and exposure.  Topics include understanding the various focus modes, selecting a focus target, manual focus, understanding and using histograms, understanding how camera meter work and when they don't, understanding the various metering modes, using exposure compensation, using automatic exposure lock, and using automatic exposure bracketing.  The afternoon session is devoted to an in-depth presentation and discussion of the RAW file type.  Ample time has been allotted for questions.
Fee: $75.00 includes admission to Gardens, Saturday Lunch, and digital handout

Skill Builder Photo Shoot with Instructor
Sunday, February 19, 2012
9 A.M.-1 P.M.

Meet the instructor at a predetermined location to begin a four hour guided and directed photo shoot of Callaway Gardens.  The photo shoot will include a number of "challenges" designed to reinforce concepts covered in previous Foundations courses.
Fee: $40 includes admission to Gardens
limited to twenty participants and must attend February 18th workshop

Adobe Lightroom Boot Camp - A Comprehensive Two-Day Introductory Course
Saturday & Sunday, March 3-4, 2012
9:30 A.M.-4:30 P.M. on Saturday
9:30 A.M.-1:30 P.M. on Sunday

This beginner level workshop is devoted to exploring the possibilities of Adobe's newest software title for digital photographers.  The instructor will demonstrate how he uses Lightroom to organize his extensive photography collection, do initial edits, export images for print, create elaborate slide shows, and publish images to the web.  See for yourself how this software title has revolutionized digital photography workflow and production!
Fee: $115 includes admission to Gardens, Saturday Lunch, and digital handout
limited to twenty participants

Adventures in DSLR Photography II: Mastering Landscape Photography at the Azalea Festival
Saturday & Sunday, March 31-April 1, 2012
9:30 A.M.-4:30 P.M. on Saturday
8 A.M.-12 P.M. on Sunday

This intermediate level workshop is devoted to exploring the technical and artistic demands of landscape photography - held at a time of year when Callaway Gardens is at its best - during the Azalea Festival.  Technical topics include hyper focal focusing, using mirror lock-up, using a tripod, remote and cable shutter release, using polarizing filters, using neutral density filters, using neutral density gradient filters, and evaluating exposure.  Discussions will include special landscapes such as shooting waterfalls.  On Sunday morning, we will meet at a pre-determined location for a guided photo shoot of the azalea gardens.  We will return to the classroom for a group critique.  Laptops welcome!
Fee: $115 includes admission to the Gardens, Saturday Lunch, and digital handout

Adventures in DSLR Photography I: Mastering Close-up and Macro Photography with emphasis on the Butterfly
Saturday & Sunday, April 21-22, 2012
9:30 A.M.-4:30 P.M. on Saturday
8 A.M.-12 P.M. on Sunday 

This intermediate level course is devoted to exploring the unique technical and artistic demands of macro photography with emphasis on the butterfly as our subject.  Technical topics include overcoming depth-of-field limitations of macro photography, focusing techniques, using flash effectively, and special equipment including use of extension tubes, close-up filters, and tripods.  The instructor can be contacted prior to the workshop for lens, flash, tripod, and other equipment recommendations.  On Sunday morning, we will have exclusive access to the Day Butterfly Center before it opens to the public.  Following our photo shoot, we will return to the classroom for a fun-filled group critique.  Laptops welcome.
Fee: $115 includes admission to the Gardens, Saturday Lunch, and digital handout