All the things you can learn in our Fundamentals course – module by module

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INSIDE THE MODULES - aka WHAT DO YOU LEARN?

Module 1: See what your camera sees


Our first module is dedicated to breaking you our of the snapping habit and giving you a fresh perspective. We show you how your camera sees the world differently than what you might expect in three major ways - the optics. the focus and the light.


Major Takeaways:

At the end of the module you will have gained full control of your focus - no more guessing game and kids turning out all blurry, you will also gain an insight of how to use your lens ( there is a skill to it) and how to let the light help make your subjects stand out.

What's inside:

  • The importance of focus and what it does to our brain 
  • Taking control of your focus - the Where and HOW your camera focuses
  • Mastering focus formula - a process to help you determine what settings to use for each occassion
  • To zoom or not to zoom and how it changes what and how your camera sees
  • Learning how your camera sees the light and how to make it better, especially with tricky light
  • learning how to shoot against the light - like a bright window and NOT end up with the person looking all dark

Module 2: On exposure and all things sharp and blurry

In our second module we take you off the auto setting and dive deep into learning about exposure - i.e. making sure that your images are not too dark or bright or blurry. But not only that, we pay special attention to how to make some of the things in your image sharp and others blurry through the use of specific combinations of settings

Major Takeaways:

How to work your camera in priority ( semi-manual) modes, how to capture detail or portraits with a great separation of sharp and blurry to make these elements stand out. 

What's inside:

  • Understanding the mechanics of your camera - how does a photo actually happen inside
  • Taking your camera firmly OFF the Auto settings - learning the key factors ( aperture, shutter speed and ISO) and how they interact with one another
  • How to capture portraits and those precious detail shots beautifully 
  • Switching to Aperture priority and controlling your aperture - the how and the why
  • Taking control of what in your image will be sharp and what will be blurry - hello full control over blurry backgrounds, blurry foregrounds and pin sharp subjects in between. 

Module 3: Capturing movement 

One of my favourite modules, dedicated to helping you capture your kids in motion - whether they're wriggling babies, speedy crawlers,  wobbly toddlers or perpetual-motion-machines that most children are. We learn how to match your focus settings, your shutter settings and your composition to capture great movement photos. 

Major Takeaways:

Learn how to capture your children on the move, SHARP but also how to use blur and speed to really showcase and highlight movement. Big AH-HA moments here! 

What's inside:

  • switching your camera to shutter priority and mastering MOVEMENT
  • learning how to capture moving things SHARP - yes, that includes those fast moving baby arms and legs
  • learning how to capture moving things BLURRY - and why would you want to do it?
  • learning how to highlight action and energy and speed  in your images and how to help yourself with composition
  • creative techniques like night time light trails or panning or creative blur
  • how to use your focus settings on top of your shutter settings to help capture things sharp

Module 4: And then there was LIGHT

We should call this module the AH-HA module because there are so many discovery moments here. Learning how just turning around or taking 3 steps to a side will change the light in your image completely and take your image from MEH to WOW. Learning how the kind of light you have will result in a completely different look. 

Major Takeaways:

How to find good light in your o=home and outside, how to use light in a way that enhances your images, how to find great light for a portrait and how to find beauty in the shadows. And if you have never thought about either of these, this is probably why your images so far are not consistently great

What's inside:

  • Learning to see the different QUALITIES of light and how they influence your images
  • discovering how to find good light in your home and outside
  • learning what kind of light might be best for moody portraits and light and light abd airy baby shot

  • Learning to see the light - really see where it comes from, how it affects your child and how to bend it to your will
  • learning how sometimes just turning around will make the hugest difference to the way your image looks
  • getting creative with light : bokeh, light flares, starbursts, halo effect and more! 

Module 5: Photographic composition and storytelling

Although we introduce elements of photographic composition throughout the course, this is the module entirely dedicated to it. We look at composition not just as a set of arbitrary rules, but more as something that helps you express what you really see and feel. We look at photographic storytelling and helping your images get look more impactful and stronger

Major Takeaways:

Good photographic composition principles to help you really show the magic you are seeing. At the end of this module you will say goodbye to boring flat photos and will instead start taking rich images with lots of depth and eye catching composition. 

What's inside:

  • understanding how we 'read' photographs and how to compose so that the magic YOU see translates into what the others see when they pick up that photo
  • fundamental rules of photo composition - we started you off with the rule of thirds but there is MORE
  • Good crops, bad crops, crazy crops and everything in between

  • storytelling through your photographs - how to make your images mean something and show something real, beyond 'my child looks cute here'
  • getting creative and expressing yourself through photographs 
  • learning to go beyond your usual compositions and discovering different styles


BONUS Module 6: Idea Bank : Photographing children at different ages


This last module is a bit different. We us it to give you lots of ideas for photos with children of different ages - from photographing milestones to capturing what's unique about them at a particular stage and really getting into their world to capture where they're at. The module is packed with ready to take ideas and will let you take all that you have learned in the first 5 modules and apply it in real life situations. We also help you think ahead to the next steps in your photography education - should you want to continue.