Digital Photography for Teens with Ben Eyles

This course has been developed so you can build serious confidence in using your digital camera, switching from 'auto' mode so you can take full, creative control of what you want to express with your camera.

We start with the basics of using your digital camera, then move quickly into exploring how to use light, space, and composition. You'll learn to experiment with the manual controls to create unique, considered, and resolved photographic images.

What you will learn:

You will refine your technical skills through exploring different photographic approaches, ensuring you understand the techniques that make images pop.

Key topics include:

• Camera Control: We will master shutter speed, aperture, and the exposure triangle. You’ll also learn essential skills like choosing the right lens, and try working with on-and-off camera flash and LED lighting. We’ll even explore long exposure photography and other creative and artistic techniques.
• Killer Genres: We’ll explore photographic genres that matter to what you want to shoot, including portraits and creative portraiture, macro photography, landscape photography, and artistic photography. We will also cover the history of photography — briefly — to ground your work.
• Digital Workflow: Get introduced to apps Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Affinity for digital manipulation. You’ll learn how to prepare your finalised images for printing or posting online so they look amazing wherever they are seen.

Term 1 dates:
Saturdays
12:00pm to 3:00pm
7th February to 14th March 2026

What to bring

• camera—specifically, a mirrorless or DSLR or at least a high-end compact camera that has the manual (M) setting.
• The camera manual
• Tripod.
• Computer/laptop with Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Photo installed so you can start editing photos right away.
• Any extra lighting or cool equipment students may already have and want to learn how to use.
• Charging cables for your equipment.