Took my old but trusty point and shoot Sony W300 camera to Bohol (2013) and Dubai (2014) trips and the memory card got corrupted. Hence, only some photos remained. Since the camera is 5 yrs old, I think it's time to replace it- that's another topic.
I don't have plans to be a pro, but a hobbyist who knows how to take the 'right' photos, not just the centered, touristy types, and to learn something new. Maybe an events photographer on the side at most.
So I searched the internet for photography classes, and Jo's caught my eye due to the ff:
- Location- 15 Gold Bldg., Annapolis St., Greenhills, San Juan City
- Affordability- as an anniversary promo, he's giving 50% discount to prospective students @ 3,000Php for 4 Saturdays (1 month split into 3 half days and the last day is a whole day class). Lunch included for the last day. At times, he hosts special classes, which are only 2 Saturdays of the month, for those who are busy.
- Experience- He's been in the business for 18 years now and is a Canon EOS Ambassador. Although I didn't know him prior, I've read good feedback from past students. Best of all, one can take make-up classes and numerous refresher classes for FREE!
Jo is really a passionate photographer and teacher. He teaches in a way that you will easily remember what he says and apply them when you start doing it on your own. As a newbie, I found all the concepts overwhelming, but after all the classes, I started digesting them.
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| Jo Avila doing the Canon Ambassador pose for white balance testing on my Nikon D5200 |
The best way to know you are learning is to incorporate these in your snaps or paying it forward. By sharing some pointers with my partner, who learned the craft from her dad.
She works in Singapore and tries to go out and photography on a weekly basis. So on a Skype call, I would critique her photo and say- don't tilt your camera while shooting, use your feet or legs to get closer to the subject.
Recently, she took photos on overcast skies, she used ISO 100. The photos looked underexposed. So, I suggested that she try using ISO 400 because the higher ISO will make up for the overcast skies.
Also, Jo is a certified critique. During the post processing class, I took a 'straight' photo of my dad (flat on flat, photo to follow) and he reminded me to put an angle to it, and how to shoot horizontally, among others. I guess that's the consequence of missing the first class, which I duly made up for last Oct 11.
Ask away in class, and Jo is happy to answer them. When he doesn't have a photo shoot after, he'll stay over at his studio and you can just keep firing away.
He's a practical adviser- the finer points he gives are common sense in photography lingo. Also, he doesn't encourage students to keep buying new gear. What he does is to tell his students to buy the stuff that they need (ex. cleaning kit, camera strap), and to keep learning with the lens that they already have (kit lens or whatever you have). The point is, he wants you to master your gear before transitioning to a new lens or getting a new SLR.
Just bring your SLR/CSC Camera to the class! Jo is a Canon Ambassador, but he will teach you how to work with your camera. I own a Nikon D5200 and it was cool with him.
Overall, I've got to give Jo Avila a 5-star rating. He's a cool and practical teacher and emphasizes to improve your skill with your current gear. It was totally worth it!
As a bonus, students will receive a Jo Avila discount card. This avails his students a year's worth of discounts from his sponsors, from Canon to various gear and others.
PS: Here's a sample of my own post processed photo:
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