Expert and Fun Photography Instructor/Tutor

Zachary S.

Hi! I am an experienced photographer and educator. I’ve shot commercial work, photojournalism (Greenpeace, the Associated Press, etc.), and fine art photography, and I was an associate editor for Outdoor Photographer and two other magazines. I’ve also taught photography to high school and college students, and have given workshops for adults. (I have a technical certificate in photography and a Master’s Degree in Education.) **Portfolio available on request—message me here.

I can help you succeed by ensuring that you understand underlying concepts, so that you can solve photographic problems for yourself—whether that's when you're out shooting, doing post-production in Photoshop or Lightroom, or even in a conventional darkroom. At the same time, I know that technical prowess alone isn't enough to get you a great image—at least half of what makes a photo "work" is great composition and communicating your message clearly.

Sometimes students contact me about “learning photography,” thinking that everything can be mastered in an hour or two. More realistic short-term goals are something like these:
—“Learn how to control depth of field (with aperture, focal length, focusing distance)”
—“Learn how aperture and shutter speed combinations (and ISO) work together to get exposure”
—“Basic suggestions for composition (“rule of thirds,” looking for patterns, contrasts, etc.)”
—“Getting started with Lightroom or Photoshop: Control “exposure,” light and darks, white balance, noise reduction and sharpening”
—“Intermediate Image Processing: Controlling Selected Parts of an Image”
—"Learn about lighting ratio (main light vs. fill, etc.) in studio lighting”

The above is not an exhaustive list, it’s just to show how a huge subject like photography can be broken down into more manageable chunks. Questions? Send me a message!