Photographing people can be fun, exciting – and complicated! This course will make taking beautiful pictures of adults, children, and babies simple. Don't be nervous if you're new to digital photography, because we'll start with the basic principles you need to know in order to become a people photographer. You'll discover the best way to shoot faces, fix common close-up problems, and use digital photo editing techniques to retouch your photos and make other improvements. Next, we’ll move onto portrait and formal group shots, where you’ll learn how to organize people, which angles to use, and which to avoid. You'll become proficient in action photography, and you'll also learn several fun and creative ways to photograph children and babies. You'll even gain expertise in filling your photographs with imagery, setting moods, and creating themes. This course will have you well on your way to becoming a skilled people photographer.

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Syllabus:

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week One

Wednesday - Lesson 01

Photographing people is one of the most exciting and complicated kinds of photography. Yet, with just a few skills, you'll soon be taking better pictures of people. In this lesson, you'll learn some of these basics, including lens options, composition, subject management, and lighting.

Friday - Lesson 02

Most people love looking at portraits and group photos. But creating them can be a bit difficult. So today, you'll find out how to take the best portrait shots and how to work with your subject. You'll also find out how to pose a group shot for the most effective photo.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

Close-up shots of a person's face make great photos, but they can be difficult to capture effectively. In this lesson, you'll discover how to take great close-ups. You'll learn how to pose your subject, use special effects, and work with lighting, composition, and angles.

Friday - Lesson 04

In this lesson, you'll discover how to take the best photos of children and babies. You'll find out how to catch those priceless expressions, how to get the best angles, and how to capture the moment. Your children and baby photos will be much better after you learn a few basic skills.

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

Action shots are fun and exciting, and today you'll find out how to take great ones. You'll learn about speed settings, stop motion settings, and how to capture the movement you want. With your camera and a little practice, you'll be taking better action shots in no time!

Friday - Lesson 06

In this lesson, we'll explore how to create mood and theme within a photo. You'll look at some examples and learn some tools and tricks for producing more stunning photos of people.

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

Today, you'll find out how to use Photoshop Elements to enhance your photos. You'll learn how to fix common problems, how to resize your photos, and techniques to improve a photo's quality.

Friday - Lesson 08

In this lesson, we'll explore specific ways you can use Photoshop Elements to enhance photos of people. You'll see how to fix blemishes, red eye, hair color, glass glare, lip color, and other common issues. Armed with these skills, you'll be able to make your people photos look better than ever.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

Special effects and text can make your photos of people much more interesting. Today, you'll see how to work with effect and lighting filters in Photoshop Elements, and how to add creative text to your pictures.

Friday - Lesson 10

Photoshop Elements gives you the capability to create combined and composite photos by easily removing and adding people. We'll explore this today, and with the skills you gain, you'll be able to take your people photography to a whole new level.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

Naturally, you'll want to print copies of your people photos. However, getting the best print output can be difficult. In this lesson, we'll consider resolution, paper choices, sizing, and other printing techniques for getting the best possible prints of your people photos time and time again.

Friday - Lesson 12

Digital photos are digital files and you'll need to manage and take care of them. In our final lesson, you'll learn how to work with electronic files, and how to share you photos through e-mail and over the Internet so that others can enjoy your work.

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Curt Simmons.

Curt Simmons, M.Ed, MCSE, MCSA, CTT, is a best-selling author, technical trainer, and multi-media expert. Curt has written over forty computing and technology books on a variety of topics, including How To Do Everything with Windows XP, Mac OS X Headaches, iPhoto For Dummies, and How To Do Everything with Photoshop Album. Curt's multi-media expertise provides a focus on digital photography and other Internet related technologies. He is both a classroom and online instructor, and has developed custom courseware for major U.S. companies.

Requirements:

You will need a digital or film camera and a digital editing program (Photoshop Elements 3 is preferred), Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader). and any type of computer.

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