Cocoon Photography Studio - Adelaide Newborn, Pregnancy & Family Photographer

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Intro to photography – Short course Adelaide

2016

Ok – so you bought a fancy pants camera and it was supposed to be easy – better photos, right? Well turns out there are all these buttons and things you need to know to tell your camera what to do – but the manual is confusing and who can be bothered reading stuff! We are creatives!!!

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Let me break it down. I’ll tell you the bits you need to know, guide you with great starting points in various situations, hold your hand, answer the silly questions that are never as silly as you think, give you simple steps to help you remember, build your confidence in your ability and together we can get excited and inspired with what you are now able to capture.

Welcome to ‘Learn’ – my version of intro to photography. A short 3 part course in bite size pieces to get anyone started using their camera on manual. Feb course is sold out but I have one coming up in May 2016. With a max of 10 students this is filling fast – so get on it people!

Reserve you place – find out more and ENROL HERE 

OH- and bring a friend an you both save $20 each!!!Intro2016

 

Portrait Tips – Learn Photography Adelaide

It’s always nice to be able to record special occasions a mile stones with your children. I meet so many people who struggle to take a nice photo of their children. Sometimes it is a lack of understanding of light, sometimes it’s composition, sometimes it’s wrangling your camera and sometimes it getting the right moment.

For those of you using manual settings on your cameras – here are a few tips to help you on your way. For those not familiar with these settings you may be interested in enrolling in the next ‘Learn Photography’ course to be held in February 2015.

 

If you have a child who loves to dress up, play it up for the camera then you may not have ever experienced the pain that some parents do when trying desperately to get their own kids to co-operate for a nice photo. Some children know exactly what is trying to be achieved and will go out of their way to make sure it doesn’t happen – these tips are for you. As a professional portrait photographer it is my job to get kids on side and capture the true them and I seem to do that well…. but even I find it completely different with my own children. This is what I have found works well with my kids.

 

  • Don’t make a big fuss about what is about to unfold. In fact, don’t even let them know what you are planning.
  • It pays not to get too hung up on what you want them to wear, as invariably it will be the one day they suddenly hate that dress or those pants are too itchy. Open mind = success. If heading out to a public location – simply achieving ‘Dressed’ is sufficient! And if it’s your own backyard who needs clothes anyway!
  • Keep it brief. Your window of opportunity is limited. Very limited. Aim to wrap things up and put the camera away while it’s still all really fun – this helps for next time. If they remember it was a long, boring process and you just never stopped, then they will groan loudly next time you get the camera out.
  • Aim for one or two really nice photos. That’s all you need. You don’t need to record the whole time at the park. Take some photos with purpose and then put the camera away and join in the fun.
  • Rewards – take your pick. Arm yourself with something little for mini rewards during and something more significant at the end. As soon as something great is achieved produce your reward – don’t make them work too hard for it.
  • Pick the right time of day. Early mornings or late evenings are best for the light but mornings are best for happy, bright, playful children so aim for it to be the first task of the day.
  • If it’s overcast you have your pick of spots but if the sun is out, make it easy on yourself and find the shade. Pick a nice setting.
  • As a starting point – Set your camera to f5.6, shutter speed 250th and adjust your ISO to suit.
  • Stand back and use your zoom to accentuate the shallow depth of field and achieve greater separation from the background for that lovely soft blur in the background.
  • Focus on the eyes. Remember they don’t need to look at you for it to be a great photo.
  • Chat to them, make fun of them and act like a fool. It will make them laugh in the way you recognise and love.

 

These are my hot tips. All simple and straight forward but when it’s your own kids, it suddenly becomes more complicated. Last week I took some photos of my kids and their cousins for a gift. It was a great opportunity to get a photo of my kids to record them at this age. Here is my little man and two of his cousins.

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For more on taking photos of people on location – the next workshop coming up is location portraiture – check it out – October 18th!

Also don’t forget – LENS NIGHT AT DIAMONDS CAMERAS is coming up in a few weeks – October 27th. Open to all.

A unique opportunity to learn, touch and try in a closed shop after hours. I will hold your hand and ask all the embarrassing questions you feel silly for asking and we will have the incredibly knowledgable brain of our co-host Lindsay to quiz and find out about all the latest options on the market.

  • Unique and private access all areas
  • Learn the ‘ins and outs’ of lenses
  • Simple and effective steps to follow for future equipment purchases
  • No pressure to buy
  • Perfect chance to build a relationship with a trusted retailer
  • Every attendee receives a FREE lens care kit
  • VIP discount on any purchases
  • The only workshop also open to those who have not yet attended any previous ‘Learn’ courses
  • Numbers strictly limited to ensure an intimate learning experience.

 

Learn Photography October – Short Intro to Photography Course

Today draws the end to the October ‘Learn Photography’ course and we had a great group of girls. I must take my hat off to one wonderful student who lovingly entered all her notes into her journal, each with tabs for easy reference later.

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Are you looking at buying a DSLR? The question I get asked the most is which one should I buy and what lenses do I need?

 

Well here are my HOT TIPS ON LENSES: It all depends on what you are photographing. Think about your favourite subject matter and when you plan to use the camera.

 

For those photographing PEOPLE – I find a zoom perfect. I like to work across a range of 24-120. Lots of entry level cameras come as a kit of 2 lenses that break around 55mm. I find this the most frustating point to need to change lenses. Most of the time you need a bit of both lenses and always find you have opted to head out with the wrong one on. I suggest buy one zoom lens to cover a more usable range. 28-135 is a great range and anything that covers around that will be super usable and no need to change lenses!

 

For those in love with LANDSCAPES – opt for a wide angle lens like an 18-35mm range. Head to a store where you can try it out, go outside and see if what you can see is what you had envisaged.

 

For those obsessed with CLOSE UPS and small details: check the tech specs for how physically close you can get to a subject to maintain focus. Look for a macro or sometimes called a micro function.

 

Then you have the fixed or variable aperture and quality factors to address – speak to a reputable retailer about that – but now you have a starting point.

Learn Photography – 4 Week Short Course Adelaide

Here is an interesting quote from someone looking to enrol in my ‘Learn Photography’ course and unfortunately is it a sentiment I have heard too many time.
“I sadly haven’t done much photography (bar the iPhone snaps!) lately, I blame the terrible WEA course I did earlier in the year which was too technical and uninspiring! I haven’t picked up the SLR since!! 
The two friends who are keen to join me at your workshop have also done the WEA course and hated it too so we are keen for something more fun and creative!”
I have been offering these courses on occasion over the past 2 years and have over 100 people attend the ‘Learn Photography’ course and have run 5 of the ‘Learn Photoshop’ group classes. Attendees have come from all backgrounds; some have studied other short courses, some have never even discovered manual before and I have even had a few photographers starting out that want to formally run through what they have self-taught themselves. Unfortunately, those who have attended the WEA course over the past 5 years have given less than glowing reviews and really enjoyed the refreshing, real life spin I put on all the technical side of things.
The funny thing is after choosing photography in high school and opting for film studies as my sub major at Uni, I have also completed a WEA course. That was 15 years ago mind you and I am sure the course and instructors have changed significantly. I actually then ended up enrolling to study commercial photography and here I am today.
What I have gathered from all these avenues of education is that photography is complex and continuing. Even for the most skilled, there is something new to learn from someone else, even if it is simply a new way to achieve the same goal. It is for this reason I have chosen to structure the course I run with 2 important points in mind.
1. It is short – I know how hard it is to find time to do anything for myself so my aim is to keep it achievable for people. You can make anything happen to ensure you an attend for 3 or 4 sessions – Call in favours and make time appear out of no-where.
2. Keep it simple – cover the basics, make it easy to remember, use real life examples and visual scenarios to trigger your knowledge base when you actually come to use it.
I love it when I meet my groups for part 2 and they are singing my silly catch-phrase “little number, big hole, lots of light”… because it sticks in your head and therefore you already know it and will always remember it. (for those who wish for translation – that is aperture in a nutshell. One topic that always snagged me because it is a rule of opposites and way too easy to forget because it goes against logic. My theory is – if you remember this phrase you will know where to start and what impact those settings are going to have on making your photo lighter or darker. Easy!
For those keen to learn I am hosting my last ‘Learn Photography’ course of 2013 in October starting on the 16th. This one is unique as for the first time I am holding it during school hours, offering a creche and using a Community Centre in Wynn Vale so it is perfect for those North through to East of the city. There are only a few spots remaining so please email me if you wish to enrol.

October 2013

Part One – Wednesday October 16th 12:30-2

Part Two – Wednesday October 23rd 12:30-2

Part Three – Wednesday October 30th 12:30-2

Part Four – Wednesday November 6th 12:30-2

Jubilee Community House – Wynn Vale

Crèche available

 

I have also decided to only offer a maximum of 3 courses in 2014, the first being held in February. Please email me for full dates and details and you can find more info on what the course covers here. Funnily enough this course is already have full with people who couldn’t attend the October course and were waiting for the next course… so get in early and reserve your spot. I only take a max of 10 people so it remains small and comfortable for people to say “ummm… where do I find that button on my camera”

 

Last little note – for the first time I am offering 2 openings in January 2014 for one-on-one Photoshop tuition. 4 hours to yourself to cover what you wish. For those starting out I will cover my normal course structure and special requests, but for those who have already attended that or those familiar with the app and wanting to know more – this is perfect for you. There is only 1 left up for grabs and this must be held on a weekday during January to get this very special offer.

Here is some feedback from someone who has attended both courses

“I have owned my DSLR for almost 2 years and honestly had no idea how to really use it. I hadn’t taken it off auto. I wanted a DSLR so that I could take better photos of my children – and my photos were better, but I was still disappointed. I was so excited to hear about your Learn course – It seemed to be exactly what I was looking for, but I didn’t know where to find it – other than reading the manual (which I never got around to with 2 small children). Your Learn course was excellent! You explained everything in such a way that was so easy to understand, and being able to try things out as we went along really helped. The course has helped me to understand how to use my camera and I am much more confident when taking photos in manual. In fact – I haven’t taken my camera off manual since the course!

When I bought my DSLR I also got Photoshop Elements included – and had very little knowledge of how to use it also. I am more than impressed with how much I am now able to do after only the second session. Again, you have made everything so easy to understand and the notes have been such a great reference at home. I have had a chance to practice a bit more at home since the second session and am starting to feel much more confident with moving around Photoshop. I am so excited about being able to put everything I have learned at both courses in to practice – and I know that my children’s photo albums will look so much better next year!”

Have a wonderful long weekend folks – Anita

New Website Launch

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Well, I can finally share this with you all – My new ‘Cocoon Studio’ logo. This has been a long time coming and I have been desperate to share it since May whilst the new website was being designed and built.

Lauren from Funky Chicken Design has created this gorgeous hand illustrated cocoon and incorporated it into a whole new look and a brand new website. Not only has she been wonderful to work with, her interpretation of my brief was perfect.

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New Website

I would also like to welcome you to my new website

Full of so much more information and fresh new images. Head on over and take a squiz! Let me know what you think.

www.cocoonstudio.com.au

I am loving that this blog is now incorporated into the website and now has the feature to add your own comments and facebook ‘like’ right there!

A special thanks to Simon and the crew at Three AM Design for their amazing work in bolting this site together. Every request fulfilled, schedule kept and miracles performed. Thanks so much guys.

Newborn Journey – Behind the scenes

Screen shot 2013-09-01 at 10.20.49 PM

I am also ridiculously excited to show you all this little video piece – a behind the scenes look at the journey a little baby and their parents take when they come in and join me for a Newborn Session.

Pop on your music and check it out over on you tube and leave a comment if you wish. Can also be found throughout the website where you see this ‘Newborn Journey’ symbol.

Music by Decoder Ring – Heidi’s Theme (love that piece of music)

video

Follow Along

watch a session

newborn session

Get In Touch

anita@cocoonstudio.com.au
0407 606 875
114 Gilles Street, Adelaide SA 5000