It seems you can’t walk from A to B these days without seeing some budding amateur photographer with a DSLR camera around their neck. The camera is the latest accessory of choice – and when it comes to capturing that perfect snap, there’s no doubt that all the cool kids are doing it with a Nikon DSLR!
You’d be forgiven for thinking that ‘ISO’ is the latest rapper topping the charts, or that ‘depth of field’ is something to do with football. Dealing with Nikon cameras and photography reviewers on a daily basis, three Zingers jumped at the chance to attend the famous ‘Nikon School’ on Saturday 10th March to learn the basics – and of course the lingo – of the technical side of this popular hobby.
At 10am we arrived at the beautiful Blue Sydney Hotel in Woolloomooloo for our Nikon School crash-course: ‘Introduction to DSLR’. Beaming with enthusiasm and ready with our Nikon cameras in hand – we were greeted by our two Nikon teachers and a 5* function suite which would be our classroom for the day. Our classmates ranged both in age and ability, from the total beginner, to those who had owned a DSLR for a while but wanted to learn how to really use it to its full potential.
The day was structured around three components: classroom teaching, hands-on shooting and morning and afternoon tea! Our vibrant and charismatic teacher Alex kept the class engaged with a mixture of PowerPoint tutorial and trial with our own cameras, as well as trips into the midday sun for some outdoor shooting practice. There was also some singing thrown in for good measure – she definitely managed to keep everyone’s spirits up and attention focused. All this learning and practising certainly worked up an appetite – twice in the day we stopped for a welcomed tea break complete with a delicious 5* cake (or two).
Throughout the day we learned how to adjust our camera manually to shoot in different light, with varying depths of field and how to shoot a moving subject. Once we had grasped the basics we looked at how to obey the rules of composition and how to break them (we like to see ourselves as arty alternatives you see).
The day ended at 4pm with a mini graduation ceremony as we walked in turn to the front of the class to collect our certificates, having officially passed the Introduction to DSLR course. We left with our heads bursting with information but held high with a real sense of achievement. I was particularly inspired to give the photographic hobby a proper go now that I’d learned the basics. Nikon School had broken down the jargon into sizable chunks and left us with an inflated sense of confidence – I mean, we’re practically Pro now…
By Laura Cairnduff, Account Executive
