Items required for this course:

1. A DSLR or Mirrorless camera - See explanation below.

• A DSLR or mirrorless camera allows you to control various settings such as aperture and shutter speed. These cameras will have a dial on top called a mode dial.  All will have a green Auto mode (A square or the word auto, for example) as well as other letters, pictures, and numbers.

• The mode dial located on the top of the camera, will include the following options:

• Canon: M, Av, Tv, P

• Nikon: M, A, S, P

• Sony: M, A, S, P

• As you can see, these three camera brands are pretty similar.  The above letters stand for Manual mode, Aperture Value / Aperture, Time Value / Shutter, and Program Mode.

• There will be other settings on the dial as well, some small pictures, and perhaps SCN and 1 or 2.  To begin, we will only concern ourselves with a few of these settings.

• If you are unsure if your camera meets the criteria above, just let me know the make and model of your camera, and we can figure it out together.

2. Some way to get the pictures off your camera and onto the computer

• There are several ways to get your pictures from camera to computer, such as card readers or micro USB cables. Some cameras are even equipped with a Bluetooth connection. Card readers are relatively inexpensive and often much faster than connecting your camera to the computer via cables.

Helpful, but not necessary items include:

1. A tripod

2. Photo editing software

3. Extra lenses for your camera

• A tripod - if you are local, the preferred way to go through these lessons would be to meet face-to-face and take pictures together. I have a tripod available for use on a first-come, first-served basis. 

• Photo editing or cataloging software. If you don't have any at this time, there are free programs out there that you can download.  I recommend Gimp. 

• Extra lenses for your camera will allow you more options for your images.  If you only have the lens that came with your camera, that is fine. That is all you need.