Creative Tip: Free 4-Week Photography Course!
I’m delighted to announce a new 4-week Digital Photography Course starting in two week! This special course is taught by photographer John Greengo from the PBS series Art Wolfe’s Travels to the Edge. This 8 minute video gives you a great overview of not only the content, but the style in which John teaches.
Want to enroll? Us this link to enroll: Digital Photography Course Enrollment.
July 15: Week 1 – Overview.
July 22: Week 2 – Your Camera.
July 29: Week 3 – Your Technique.
Aug 5: Week 4 – Composition Secrets.
I’ve watched John teach. He does a remarkable job making technical photography subjects relevant, understandable and yes, fun.
We are very fortunate to have John joining us.
Read on for an extended Q&A, and to ask your own questions in the comments. John is currently finishing the course content. If you have a topic you’d like to see him cover, mention it in the comments below.
Q: What Time Do Classes Start?
A: That depends on where you live. People attend these workshops from all over the world. We start at 11AM Wednesday mornings in Seattle. Here are the start times for time zones in the United States:
2PM – Eastern (New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Florida)
1PM – Central (Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas)
12PM – Mountain (Denver)
11AM – Pacific (Seattle, Los Angeles)
10AM – Alaska
8AM – Hawaii
For international participants, follow this link to see how 11AM in Seattle translates to around time zones around the world: What time is 11AM in Seattle? Here are some example start times for different cities:
7PM – London, Dublin, Algiers, Lagos
8PM – Amsterdam, Paris, Oslo, Prague, Zagreb
9PM – Athens, Jerusalem, Cairo, Kyiv
10PM – Moscow, Dubai
11PM – Tashkent
Midnight – Islamabad
1AM Tuesday – Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta
2AM Tuesday – Hong Kong, Beijing, Perth
3AM Tuesday – Tokyo, Seoul
4AM Tuesday – Melbourne, Sydney
5AM Tuesday – Vladivostok
6AM Tuesday – Auckland
Q: How Long Are Classes?
A: Each class is roughly 90 minutes long, with an additional 30 minutes for audience questions. The Q&A is typically pretty valuable, so plan to stick around.
Q: How Many People Can Attend Each Webinar?
A: Our Webinar tool, GoToWebinar, has a limit of 1,000 attendees per class. We hope to extend beyond that limit before the end of this course.
Q: Can I Download Recorded Copies of Classes?
A: We record a high-resolution copy of each class, and we plan to make recorded copies available for a slight fee.
Q: How Can This Be Free?
A: We are trying to make a big splash, and we love working with a large audience. Help us spread the word. If we continue to attract a full audience, we’ll be able to keep offering these types of free courses for InDesign, Illustrator, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, and other Adobe products.
Q: Can I Post an Invitation on my Blog?
A: Yes. Please help spread the word. We need as many people as possible enrolled to make this free class format viable for us. You can post a link to the following URL, which we will keep updated as details change:
http://creativetechs.com/freephotographycourse \
Popularity: 3% [?]
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Ummm you cutting yourself short on people.
Can you please off at least 1 session at night please, not every one who has a 40+hr a week day job can attend a session during the day.
Or how about offering 1 session on the weekend?
Something other than during the day on a week day would be very very appreciated!!
Please! Please! Please!
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Brian,
We’re working on long-term alternatives for people working on different time zones and schedules. I don’t know that we’ll be in a position to roll that out by the time this course starts, but we’re definately working on some options.
These sessions work as a series, so we try to be consistent with weekly days and times. But trust me, we’re getting a lot of feedback that a variety of schedules would help people.
~Craig
July 6th, 2009 at 5:54 am
Pleae talk about camera raw
July 6th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Are any of the classes Closed Caption?
July 6th, 2009 at 6:29 am
These are live classes, and I don’t know of an available technology we could use to provide Closed Captioning. If anyone knows of one, I would be interested in adding it.
July 6th, 2009 at 7:47 am
I love this idea especially the fact that we could get the recorded copies later- since I do work full time and would not always be able to look at this at 2pm in the afternon. great idea! Jane
July 6th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Do you know if your classes have trouble getting through firewalls? I was going to request the time to take this class at work but first wanted to check about the firewall question. Thanks.
July 6th, 2009 at 9:08 am
The first class is 90 minutes of his life and works? Don’t mean any disrespect, but that seems a bit much in a 4-part series. There is so much to learn. I’d like to see maximizing the results with a point and shoot, because I can’t physically shlep around a big, heavy camera any more.
July 6th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Sara, trust me on this, I pressed John for that first week. Before we get into the technical details of camera and technique, we need the vision and inspiration for where we are going. That first day lays out the importance of camera, technique, and composition in a visual, inspiring way. While the remaining weeks focus on the fundamentals of each in greater details. You can skip the first week if you like, but I think you’ll be missing something important.
Although your comment about the point-and-shoot is important. I’ve been talking with John about how to ballance the needs of point-and-shoot cameras with the more advanced SLRs.
~Craig
July 6th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Yes Please! Enroll me – Liz
July 6th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Dorthy. I’m pretty sure we have people attending these webinars through a variety of firewalls. You could check with GoToWebinar for a specific details.
~Craig
July 6th, 2009 at 10:20 am
I would love to attend, but work during the day.. Any chance for a night time schedule. Please…..pretty please with a fast shutter on top!
July 6th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Are any of the sessions going to cover portraiture, posing, and lighting techniques?
Also, learning about camera RAW would be awesome!…
July 6th, 2009 at 11:39 am
This is awesome of you guys to do! I would love to attend, especially week 3 and week 4, but am unable to get that time off work. Please let us know if we can later download these classes, or if there will be other sessions in the evenings.
July 6th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Here’s another vote for an evening webinar – or a rebroadcast – or even perhaps as an audio only podcast. My interest is RAW, White Balance and Lighting.
July 6th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I am going to sign up to take this class because I could really use the information, but it will be pretty difficult for me to sit through a live 90 session each week with two little ones. It would be so much better for me if this was a “at your own pace” class where I didn’t have to sit down for 90 minutes at a certain time each week (late evening and weekends are much easier for me to steal a few minutes for myself!).
July 6th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Will the course only be for Digital SLR cameral users, or with those of us with only point and shoot cameras be catered for?
Will there be costs involved in viewing the webinar from the UK (even though the course content is free)?
July 6th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Will you post when we can down load the seminar? I have to work during the day.
July 6th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
For those of you requesting different days because you work… you are missing the beauty of these offerings. They record every session. Just sign up for the class, then purchase the $50 downloads (video and pdf handouts—a real bargain). You can listen to the recorded presentation at the time of your choosing! They even record the question and answer sessions, so you get the whole enchilada whenever you’re hungry!
July 6th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
I’d be interested also – but work every day except Fridays and Sundays…
July 6th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Thank you soooo much, I am so excited!!!!!!
July 7th, 2009 at 12:49 am
I am very excited about this course. I cave dive all over the world and have been on incredible diving expeditions. I really want to improve my personal photography both above and below the water.
What makes this course so great is that if I cannot make the live presentation I can listen to it later.
Thanks for this wonderful opportunity.
PS: This is not during the day for everyone!
July 8th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Note to Cinda: If we cannot take the time to sit through the sessions during the day, getting them later IS an option, but if it’s going to be fifty dollars, then it’s no longer free, is it? The beauty of these sessions is that they are supposed to be free, but if they are offered at inconvenient times, they are useless to me since I can’t afford to purchase them later, either.
Come on guys, give a break to the working stiffs and offer this in the evening instead.
July 8th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Hey Everybody!
I am currently assembling this special 4 week class from a collection of other courses that I teach on a regular basis here at the Art Wolfe Leaning Center. I’m gearing this course half toward all photographers (point & shoot as well as SLR users) and half toward beginning SLR users.
There are a lot of principles and techniques that apply to both and I’m really trying to look closely at those features. SLR users will definitely get some good stuff out of this class as they have already taken that first step to better photography. For the point and shooter there is a ton of things that still apply but just in a slightly different way.
When it come to aesthetics, the camera almost doesn’t matter, it’s your vision and imagination. I’m guessing that by the end of the class everyone will pick up all sorts of tips and tricks they didn’t know about before.
Scott – Yes I’ll talk about RAW, white balance and lighting.
Barbara – Sorry I won’t have time in this series to address the world of portrait photography. (Maybe in the future)
July 8th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Would love to attend you class but 4am is a tad early! I already put 12-14 hours a day into the computer each day, I agree with one of the earlier comments about an evening class that would have to make it a reasonable awake time in Australia!
Christina
July 9th, 2009 at 12:05 am
not everyone is laid off. i work every day at 2. could there be a re broadcast?
July 9th, 2009 at 3:19 am
Is the class one day a week for four weeks or once a week for four weeks?
July 9th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Looks to be a lot on composition and technique. Having been taking good photos since pre digi….
Hoping would cover more about sizes [fine, full/half], formats & what tif, png; jpeg are best used for; why when get a 4×6 printed, the head and feet are cut off. Also anytime edit or use software and save, asks what size & quality. ??? Why isn’t it keeping the orginal? More about this new digi aspects, including organizing.
I’m pretty sure most network firewalls block webinars / GoToWebinar. I’m on public computers anyway so they do not allow the DL and run of software. Sound card may also be an issue.
July 9th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I would really love to register for this course but every time I try the page kicks back to IE unavailable. I have tried lots of things but I keep getting the same thing! Some one please help!
July 10th, 2009 at 3:13 am
I would so love to join in for this course but the timing is out for New Zealand & my committments , what a wonderful opportunity you are giving everyone who can manage to do this !
July 11th, 2009 at 5:57 am
It says for Creative suite, I use Elements version 7 , so would it not be of value to me? thaks for this sounds awesome either way. Nola
July 11th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Oh man, just signed up and saw it is inly live. No can do cuz of work. How about doing it as an online class we can take when it is convenient when we get home? Maybe do it like a college course online where you ca access it when it is suitable. You would get a lot more people all over the world. They will know how great you guys are. I was lucky enough to spend 2 days with the 2 of you in Portland
July 11th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Thank you for this…I’m signing up and will pass the link on to others. I will be in the process of moving across the US during this time but will try to squeeze in time for the classes when I can and purchase them later. I am not complaining…You can’t please everyone…. =) I look forward to this and appreciate you guys taken the time to put this all together. Thank you!
July 12th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Was going to sign up, but there’s no way I can make myself available for a 90-minute window in the afternoon.
Wish it was view at your own pace.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:14 am
I would so love to enroll in this but 2PM EDT on a Wednesday is smack in the middle of the workday. There is no way I can take 90 minutes to watch these.
I am really bummed out because this is what I have been looking for. I know a lot of people I could spread the word about this to but everyone I know works. I would imagine that even for people in the Pacific time zone 11AM is still in the middle of workday. Do you have any idea of what the fee would be to purchase the series?
July 12th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Hi Folks. I wanted to respond to the number of people saying they are interested in this course, but find the time to be a poor fit for them. With the move to the new space, we are exploring options to make classes available in other times. With our worldwide audience, any single time we pick is going to be a bad fit at least half of the people we’d like to be able to attend.
I would recommend that if you are interested in the class content, you enroll for the email notifications anyway. This 4-week course is a trial run for us on this new topic area. If this goes well, John has a deeper, 10-week version of this course that goes into greater detail on many aspects.
A full recording of the class itself will be available for purchase. I don’t know the final cost yet.
July 12th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Craig,
I am trying to sign up for this class, but the confirmation link in the email is invalid. How can I go about signing up? I emailed you as well. Thanks!
July 13th, 2009 at 8:05 am
I work 40 hours a week and I need a time during the evening. I see many people are having the same problem. I live in Texas so anything starting at 6:00pm or later would be great.
Thanks
July 13th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
I am excited about this class. I hope I will be able to make it for each of them. Sorry that you are getting so many complaints about the times!
July 14th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
I signed up and hope to be able to attend all of the classes. Although they are a bit long for the middle of a work day. Thanks for offering this.
July 14th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I’m so excited about this course. Thank you so much for offering it. I have no doubt that I will benefit greatly. However, I can’t find any information on the Webinar program. Do I need to download the program, or just sign in when the class is ready to start? If we are just signing in through the Webinar website, when will we get the information to sign in?
Peace and Plenty
Dorcas
July 15th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Just attended the first class & it was fantastic! Kudos to you for another fabulous offering!!! John did a marvelous job presenting the material & his photos & behind the scenes tour were incredible. I realize from the Q&A that there is no way he could cover all the “gear” questions. However, would he possibly be willing to post a list of some of his favorites/recommendations for us all to see? I haven’t stepped up to a DSLR yet, but am hoping to very soon & would especially love to hear his recommendations for an entry level DSLR camera & equipment. Thanks so much & again, bravo to you all for another excellent class series!!!
July 15th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
I was told that I would be emailed with my login details and I never received anything so I missed the first class =(
July 15th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Hi there, just wanted to say I thought the pace of the presentation was great — John is a natural at instruction. I did feel that for a 4-session class there was too great an emphasis on what John does with Travels to the Edge, but even that was interesting. I look forward to what the other classes hold.
Based on previous Creative Techs seminars, I think those who are expecting really detailed information here are going to be disappointed — it is only 4 classes. A broad overview of theory and techniques is all that I expect. Also, while it is natural for John to gravitate to the DSLR cameras, I know that any tips he can offer to help people get better shots from compact digital cameras will ensure a broader audience.
July 15th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
John wonderful class today!!! Great job!!! Can’t wait until next week!!! Loved the humor!
July 15th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Compliments to the “Chefs”! Great menu. Great job. The long “getting to know you” intro was amusing and informative. Looking forward to the next classes:) Thank you very much!
July 15th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Great start to the 4-week session. Already getting re-energized about an old avocation (been using digital cameras since ’98), and looking forward to next week.
July 15th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
John, I sent my thanks via Twitterchat, but I also wanted to express my appreciation here for your photography classes that started today…. FREE no less! Your overview presentation was a wonderful inspiration and, like a great ‘appetizer’, made me hungry for the main course. I eagerly anticipate the ‘meat and potatoes’ and ‘dessert’ over the next 3 weeks!!
Thank you for generously sharing your time and expertise.
-Linda
July 15th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
What a wonderful presentation! Not only was it informative, but very interesting and entertaining! Loved the “Travels to the Edge” talk, I’m looking for that program on our local stations. I can’t wait for the rest of the classes – John’s a great speaker! Thanks for offering this course.
chris
July 15th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Great job today with the photography class, John.
I’m excited to find Travel’s to the Edge now so I can see you and Mr. Wolfe in action. Can’t wait for the next three sessions.
Take care.
July 15th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
hello, I just wanted to say thanks for a very informative and intriguing first class today. I am very excited about attending the next three classes. Save a donut for me
Life is short!
Don’t let a days work, keep you from doing your passion!
July 15th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
What a wonderful class! I must admit that I thought I’d be most interested in weeks 2-4 and wouldn’t get too much out of the first class. I was not expecting to anyway. But I really did, and it set a good foundation for the rest in the series. I’m really looking forward to next Wednesday. Thanks!!
July 16th, 2009 at 3:25 am
I missed the 1st class. I tried the link this morning but it didn’t show the class. Is there any way to see this 1st class because I really don’t want to miss out on it.
July 16th, 2009 at 3:29 am
I am always interested in updating my photography skills so get the word out when these classes are available outside of the work day. I’m pretty sure my boss doesn’t want me to spend 90 minutes on personal stuff during the day….:)
July 16th, 2009 at 5:28 am
Photography has become a passionate hobby of mine…I would love to attend more of the workshops. I think the information in the upcoming weeks would be helpful. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend during the day (2:00 in my time zone) because I’m at work. I would attend if they could be held in the evening…that would be afternoon in your time zone!
July 16th, 2009 at 9:15 am
The first class was a lovely overview of the different considerations faced by would be photographers. I appreciated John’s presentation and I am looking forward to the coming three weeks. Sadly, I am currently limited to a point and shoot camera, but I also know that I have not fully utilized its capabilities. I hope the technical presentations do not get bogged down in specific model or brand detail but remain broader focused on how best to create the image of my vision. Thanks guys, you rock!
July 16th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
I understand you will be making DVDs available for those of us who can not view the classes at their designated time. However, is there a way for us to record the classes as they are being presented so we can view them at a later time?
July 17th, 2009 at 3:29 am
I really enjoyed the first class. John’s presentation was well thought out and the included photography made it very interesting.
We are starting a photography club here at my office and I would be very interested in purchasing a DVD of the course. Will all of us who registered be notified of its availability?
Looking forward to next week’s class.
July 17th, 2009 at 7:51 am
There was mention of handouts from the first class. Are those available? Thanks and btw, great class!
July 17th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
How does one enroll?
July 18th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Hey! Some seriously good stuff here!
July 18th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Can’t wait until the next class!!! John is very clear, concise, easy to understand and listen to, way interesting – he definitely got my full attention! LOVED IT!!!!! No complaints from me on this excellent, entertaining, informative and inspiring FREE webinar– THANK YOU GUYS!!!
July 18th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Just purchased the downloads and am very much looking forward to the next class!
July 18th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Darn, I missed the first class. I have taken other classes by Creativetechs and i think you guys are awesome for offfering FREE classes. I’m not at all upset by what time the class is. After all, it is free to attend live.
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:26 am
I’d love to do this, but 4am Tuesday’s is a bit rough!
August 1st, 2009 at 6:21 am
How do you purchase this series?
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Will you guys be doing these again? I’m a month late…
August 4th, 2009 at 4:08 am
I would like to know immediately when the four week webinar course is available for downloading. It is presented at a time when I am not available (curse that job), but would very much like to share it.
My gratitude will be eternal, if not longer.
August 5th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Are any of these sessions recorded and archived? It would be a big help. I missed these sessions because I found out about it too late.
August 9th, 2009 at 7:10 am
I’d love to be able to take a course if it was archived online. I have a little one and my schedule changes daily. Thanks so much for offering this – look forward to seeing more!!
August 18th, 2009 at 5:50 am
I’d love to know when you’ll be doing another free photography course. I guess I missed this one
Thanks!
August 26th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
I am in Canada, and am wondering if it also available here?
October 8th, 2009 at 7:19 am
When is the next class starting. I too just found out about it.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Lucille -
You can find our current class listings here – http://creativetechs.com/training
We’re happy to answer any questions directly. Just email us at training@creativetechs.com