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Thank you for taking the Intermediate Photography class with Sam D’Amico.
Your opinion and candid comments are valued because they help me to make sure the class is as effective as possible and help me to evaluate if I’m doing a good job as a teacher.
Thank you again for choosing to work with me, I hope that I have helped you to be a better photographer.
Sam
- Could you please take a moment to let me know what you thought of the class in the “Leave a Reply” area below?
- If you’d like, you can use the following questions as a guide.
- What was your main concern about taking this class?
- What did you learn as a result of taking this class?
- What specifically did you like most about this class?
- What are three other things that you found useful about this class?
- Would you recommend this class? If so, why?
- Can you comment on Sam D’Amico as a photography instructor?
- Is there anything you’d like to add?
I took Sam’s Intermediate Photography class and couldn’t have been happier. I enrolled because after a year a shooting and getting to know my camera I felt my work had become stagnant and I needed a check on my technical approach to photography. By assessing my approach to shooting, Sam was able to suggest alternative approaches to metering, exposure, color balance and other techniques that helped refresh my photography and had an immediate impact on my shots. As another example, I’d just begun working with flash when I enrolled in Sam’s class. While I understood the basics, I was struggling with where to start when setting up a flash shot. Sam explored processes for metering for ambient vs. flash light and how to control each, and I quickly found myself on my way with flash. Highly recommended!
Thank you for your comments, Ray. I enjoyed working with you and I’m happy that you incorporated my suggestions into your photography practice. Please keep practicing.
This was a very useful class for me. It helped me gain a much greater understanding on how to think about exposure, to more effectively manage ISO, aperture and shutter speed to produce better photos. It also significantly improved my grasp of the use of metering in composition and how to incorporate flash into my photographs. The class also enhanced my understanding of white balance.
I enjoyed the ‘seminar’ aspect of the class and small class size. Sam is patient and encouraging.
I would definitely recommend this class for anyone with basic knowledge of SLRs who wants to improve their skills.
Hope to take another class with Sam.
Thank you for taking the class and thank you for your comments, Michael.
I enjoyed working with you and I’m happy that you found the class useful.
As we discussed today, keep practicing so you “know” what to do and when to do it.
I took this class as a next step after the intro class, after a break of a few months during which I traveled and took a lot of pictures so I was able to apply what I’d learned in the intro class and get an idea of what I wanted to learn in the next class. I like Sam’s teaching style, and benefited from having a small class size so we could all be pretty flexible with each week’s focus. I would say that overall the class was a good refresher on metering, and I also particularly found useful learning more about white balance, among other tools.
Sam is very encouraging of peoples’ individual styles and preferences, which is a good motivator. He gives feedback on pictures without picking them apart in any kind of negative way. It is all about learning how to get the effect you want in your own pictures.
I’d recommend this and other classes that Sam teaches for people who prefer a less formal structure and are OK with not having a very specific lesson plan ahead of time. If you are looking for something that is more centered on lectures and a syllabus in a classroom type environment, this is probably not the class for you. Sam is a very patient and flexible instructor who will take the time to listen to and answer any questions you have. So, it helps to be proactive about bringing your own questions or concerns to the class. It is really up to you to do the work to get what you want out of the classes.
It was a pleasure to take this class.
It was good working with you again, Holly. Thank you for your comments.
I took the intermediate class about a year and a half after taking the intro class. I knew I was struggling with certain photos but I didn’t know why. Sam helped me identify where I was struggling, which I really needed. The intermediate class is structured to allow students to focus on the the areas where they really need help. I also learned more about flash and white balance than had been covered in the intro class, which has increased my ability to take photos that I like and that I find interesting.
This class is a really useful follow up to the intro class. Sam is very patient and eager to help you take photos that you like. I took this class because I wanted to be more thoughtful as a photographer, and this class has moved me in the right direction. I would recommend this class to anyone who basically knows how to use their camera in manual mode, but wants a better understanding of how to use elements like shutter speed, aperture, white balance and flash to intentionally compose photos that you really like.
It was good working with you again, Debbie.
The learning never stops. After you learn about craft, you continue to learn to be more observant of light and how to apply craft/technique to compose, with intent, the pictures that you want. Keep Practicing.
PS Thank you for your discussion regarding the Monthly Fine Tunings. I’ve scheduled a few and changed the location of the meetings to create what I think to be, based on our discussion, an effective class.
What did you learn as a result of taking this class?
I gained a strong understanding of metering and white balance, which have been foundational for my growing photography skills. Sam work patiently with all the students in our class, regardless of skill level.
Would you recommend this class? If so, why?
I would. If you have a basic understanding/grasp of your camera, but want to take your ability to operate in manual to the next level — this is the class for you.
Thank you for your comments and thank you for taking the class, Tiffany.
I’m happy that you have gained a strong understanding of metering and white balance.
Metering is one of the most important things you do as a photographer and your understanding of white balance will allow you to effectively use color as an element of composition in your photographs.
As usual, it has been good working with you.