While some of successful photography is understanding the technical aspect of a camera, much of it is actually learning to look at the world around you.
That was the key lesson at a photography workshop offered by Destination Stettler at the Phoenix House Bed and Breakfast on Saturday, April 2. Though the group was small — only about five people attended, though the registered number was a bit higher — everyone had a fun day and came away eager to put what they learned to use, Phoenix House Bed and Breakfast owner and the event's primary organizer, Dave Goodwin, said.
The morning session was run by Kirk and Trudy Harrold of Focal Point Photography in Lamont.
"I expected a lot more of the technical aspects to be taught," Goodwin said after the event. "We did touch on that - aperture and ISO, but mostly we worked around the idea of how to recognize what would be a good subject."
People stop paying attention to the world around them, especially when they see the same world day-in and day-out for months or years on end, Goodwin said. Taking a moment to really stop and look and see the world around you can result in beautiful photographs, and that was the key message driven home by the morning session.
After lunch, the session turned to phone photography, hosted by Patti Marsh of Rainbow Photo Lab in Stettler. With the proliferation of smart phones, nearly everyone has a camera at their fingertips. Though the phone cameras aren't as capable as point-and-shoot and dSLR cameras, they can take adequate and even excellent photos under the right circumstances.
"We had plenty of positive feedback," Goodwin said.
Interest was so high that it's likely another workshop will be held in the future, he said. People interested can contact him at 403-742-3602.