Announcing The New DPS Outdoor Classroom

outdoor photography classes ireland

SAFETY FIRST

Our new “Outdoor Classroom” is a fantastic opportunity to combine our tried and tested classroom approach to teaching photography in an outdoor environment – chockablock with lots of practical exercises and techniques.

In these unprecedented times that we are experiencing – we are putting safety first with each class conducted with health and safety of our students and trainers at the heart of what we do.

Each class will allow for maximum social distancing, minimum contact and masks and hand sanitizer will be provided to each student on location.

 

Our first on location outdoor classroom is to be announced is our “Introduction To Landscape Photography”

Which will take place in Co Wicklow in July.

 

Other Outdoor Classrooms Coming Soon:

  • Quick Starter Photography Course
  • Street Photography Starter Course
  • Long Exposure and Filters
  • And Many More To Be Announced

Should you be unable to attend our outdoor sessions due to underlying health concerns or Cocooning – them check out our full range on online virtual photography classes  – Full Details Can Be Found At Photographycourseireland.ie

Announcing New Online Photography Sessions In Ireland

online photography courses irelandDublin photography School are delighted to announce our new ‘Online Campus’. We will now be offering selected photography courses via the online campus, as well as photography courses excursively designed for the online photography classroom session format. You can now take a photography course via our virtual classroom sessions from the comfort of your own home and no matter where you are in the world. At our new online campus at www.photographycourseireland.ie we have taken our vast experience and knowledge with delivering premium photography courses and workshops, and are now bringing that experience to you online. Our trainers provide a virtual classroom session, complete with interaction with fellow students and real time questions and come complete with online access to downloadable E-Notes.

New Online Photography Sessions Available:

  • Online Composition photography session
  • Online Black & White photography session
  • Online Street photography session
  • Online Shutter Speed photography session
  • Online Aperture photography session
  • Online lenses explained session
  • Online Histograms made simple session
  • Online Macro photography session
  • Online Macro edition session
  • Online introduction to Landscape photography session
  • Online Moving Your Camera session
  • Online Posing & Direction People session
  • Online Photo Rules Made To Be Broken photography session
  • Online Travel photography session
  • And Many More To Be Announced

Full Details Can Be Found At Photographycourseireland.ie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DPS Beginners Photography Courses -September 2019

 

September is a busy time for schools and Dublin Photography School is no exception, being Dublin’s premier photography course provider we run a series of additional beginners photography courses from our Dublin 2 premises to help facilitate demand.

We have courses for all levels but find that September goes hand in hand with starting night and evening courses and taking on the challenge of learning a new skill – our unique blend of friendly class room learning and hands on practical shots help all our students getting out and mastering their cameras and improving their photographic skill in no time.

We run several different types of photography courses for beginners and those looking to improve their photography skills:

 

Beginners Photography Courses Starting In September 2019:

Improvers Photography Courses Starting In September 2019:

Photography Workshops Starting In September 2019:

Should you have any queries or questions please don’t hesitate to contact us here

 

 

 

 

DPS Thursday Talk ‘Prepping Images For Printing’, presented by Steve Crozier | 360 DPI Printing

360dpi printing brayFREE THURSDAY TALK WITH DUBLIN PHOTOGRAPHY SCHOOL

We are delighted to bring you an evening of ‘Prepping Images For Printing’, presented by Steve Crozier

Steve Crozier runs and owns 360 DPI, one of Irelands top printing and framing studios. Steve has been involved with image presentation for over 20 years. He has printed and framed some of Irelands most prestigious exhibitions. He has produced very small intimate exhibitions, to large scale pieces on show in some of Irelands best museums, along with work on display in some of Irelands top hotels and company buildings.

Time: 7pm
Date: May 16th 2019
Venue: The Carmelite Centre, 56 Aungier Street, Dublin 2

Steve works with some of Irelands best selling photographers producing work for sale to both collectors and some of Irelands biggest companies. As a founding member of Offshoot Photographic society, Steve is actively involved in the camera club photography scene.

R.S.V.P by emailing info@dublinphotographyschool.ie to secure your place
Please book early as places are limited & will fill up fast

 

Dublin Photography School 2018 Year In Review

We say hello to 2019 and goodbye to 2018 – it went by in a flash (get it?).  What a year it has been for the team at DPS. It has been over 8 years since Dublin Photography school opened it’s doors and 2018 was another incredible year for us and we reached some massive milestones and went from strength to strength. We will have a new post soon of what to expect from us in 2019, however before we dive in 2019, let us look back at some of the highlights for 2018.

January:

We welcome to DPS HQ many new faces and some familiar ones as we start classes for the New Year. Our Beginners and Introduction Photography Courses, are the big ticket items – however, we also see massive demand for many of our varied workshops, masterclasses and location shoots. We were delighted to  announce four photography holiday destinations and roll out three new innovative photography courses.

February :

This month see’s DPS tutors Stewart Kenny and Steven Maybury head to Kerala in India for a 10 night travel photography adventure. The trip is a huge success with some absolute stunning images being produced on location. Stewart Kenny  gives a ‘Thursday Talk’ on film photography and using lofi Cameras, you can see all of the details here.

March :

DPS roll out the new Masterclass series of photography tuition and there is a great response from our students. These photography classes have specific focus on one area of photography, e.g. Composition and Lighting. DPS also lead a photography group to Hook Head in Wexford with some stunning backdrops it is a fun filled day of photography which closed with some steel wool after dark beside the infamous and much photographed Hook Head.  You can see full highlights of that trip in our blog here.

April:

As the month begins we add additional photography classes to keep up with demand. We head off on another adventure and bring our first group of photographers to Montenegro on a four night holiday in conjunction with TDactive Holidays This is an absolute stunning part of the world and again DPS is leading the way with innovative and new destinations for photography holidays from Ireland. The trip is well received and has a full house. DPS and TDactive Holidays  announce a new Montenegro photography holiday date for 2019. You can see the highlights of our 2018 Montenegro Trip here.

May:

As summer approaches we see a strong demand for specific courses and workshops and we see a surge of popularity on our Wedding Photography Workshop in Russbrough House  Thisworkshop is designed to teach the basics of wedding photography from meeting and greeting your bride and groom, to posing, group shots, the importance of details and how to utilize a second shooter – to presentation techniques for your final work.

June:

With the sweltering heatwave in full swing and the promise of a magnificent summer to come – DPS announce a series of talks with Damien Demolder in association with Panasonic Ireland.

July:

DPS take part in Pro Foto Ireland. giving a talk on using DSLR for videos with Tadgh Conway. Tadgh teaches our introduction to DSLR video course. All details can be seen here.

August:

Our beautiful summer weather continued and it gave the team at DPS a chance to get out on photographing and scrout out many new locations for shoots in 2019. As with ever summer we started our planning for Christmas and began the hunt for new travel photography destinations with the guys from TDactive Holidays. Many of these are to be announced soon.

September:

DPS are delighted to find out that a number of their members have secured places on Photography Diploma courses and QQI courses in Saint Kevins College, Clougher Road, Crumlin. We receive APL and  RPL accreditation for a number of our courses and workshops. We return again to Transylvania with 12 photographers in conjunction with TDactive Holidays. DPS trainer Andrea Hunt leaves her role in the classroom behind and makes her debut trip as a location trainer. The trip is a roaring success and new dates for 2019 are soon announced due to it’s popularity. See the 2019 details here.

October:

Trainers Stewart Kenny and Steven Maybury  return on another four day travel photography holiday to Morocco with 12 photographers in conjunction with TDactive. We are lucky as always to be photographing in the foothills of the Atlas mountains to the desolate agafay desert and and bustling souks of Merakech. The trip receives fantastic reviews including one from Fionn Davenport on RTE with Sean O’Rourke. new dates were instantly added for 2019. See  here. for details

November:

DPS host a second ‘Thursday Talk’ With Damien Demolder and the talk is a huge success with over 50 people in attendance. See full details here. As each month passes we see more of more people coming through our doors who have recently taken up photography as a hobby. As a result we were delighted to announce a new 4 Week Quick Stater Photography Course.

December :

DPS trainers Stewart Kenny & Steven Maybury give a the final ‘Thursday Talk’ of 2018 on travel photographer and using your camera as an exploration tool. Again it was a full house and was very well received. The full details can be seen here. We had many great offers on a number of our courses and workshops as Christmas quickly came upon us.

DPS Thursday Talk ‘The Wonders of the Night Sky’, presented by Ian Carruthers.

astro photography courses ireland

We are delighted to bring you an evening of Astro Photography,
‘The Wonders of the Night Sky’, presented by Ian Carruthers.

Ian has a BSc in Mathematical science and has had a strong passion for photography since 2012. His main areas of interest being landscape, severe weather and astrophotography. He has been to America to study/chase severe storms including tornadoes, to the Isle of Skye to experience its stunning landscape, Iceland for the aurora borealis and to Tenerife to witness  the night sky in a prime dark location.

Time: 7pm
Date: January 10th 2019
Venue: The Carmelite Centre, 56 Aungier Street, Dublin 2

Ian has had work featured in various forms of media including books, exhibitions and more recently got to tick off a long-time goal of his in which he won featured image of the month in BBC’s Sky At Night Magazine. He strives to get people interested in the outdoors and more especially, the night sky. Check out some of Ian’s photography on Instagram, @irishskies or over on his Facebook page, Ian Carruthers Photography

R.S.V.P by emailing info@dublinphotographyschool.ie to secure your place
Please book early as places are limited & will fill up fast

A BIG SUCCESS – DPS Thursday Talk ‘Getting More From Your Tavel Photography ’

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED THIS FANTASTIC EVENING OF  TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY.

The December 6th Thursday Talk at DPS HQ was a full house with over 70 people in attendance. This talk was co-hosted by DPS’s own Stewart Kenny and Steven Maybury with fascinating insights into their unique approach to travel photography, the night was a fantastic success and we would like to thank all who attended. See you back at the school again very soon.

photography holidays from ireland

FREE THURSDAY TALK
GET MORE FROM YOUR TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

We are delighted to bring you an evening of Travel Photography, ‘Using Travel Photography As A Means of Exploration’, presented by DPS tutors & travel photography guides, Stewart Kenny & Steven Maybury. While on location, Stewart & Steven combine two passions, photography & travel, which helps them to have unforgettable experiences & produce stunning imagery. During this instructive talk, they will explain their approach to travel photography & how they use the camera as a tool of communication, exploration & engagement. You will come away with new travel photography concepts to think about.

Time: 7pm
Date: December 6th 2018
Venue: The Carmelite Centre, 56 Aungier Street, Dublin 2

A full range of all upcoming 2019 photography holidays will be showcased on the evening

Stewart & Steven are both experienced travel photographers & have lead numerous TDactive Holidays & Travel Department photography tours. Their recent adventures include India, Morocco, Romania, Montenegro & Iceland.  Both are extensively travelled & have been exhibited both nationally & internationally

R.S.V.P by emailing info@dublinphotographyschool.ie to secure your place
Please book early as places are limited & will fill up fast

Guest Blog by Fat Lama: 5 Mistakes For Beginner Photographers To Watch Out For

It’s easy to be by possibility when you’re starting out in photography. And, we’ll level with you, there is a lot that can go wrong. But fear not: by reading this, we hope you’ll know how to avoid the five most common mistakes that beginner photographers make when starting out.

1. Shooting in JPEG

Let’s be clear: whilst some photographers will tell you otherwise, it is ok to shoot in JPEG. The files sizes are smaller, cameras usually allow for a faster burst mode in JPEG, the whole process is quicker, and sometimes all you need is to take a few quick snapshots and be done. However, there are a few of reasons why it might not be the best bet.

Basically, when your camera is shooting in JPEG, between you taking the image and seeing it on the screen, the camera does the processing and voila: your photo is ‘finished’. Shooting in RAW, on the other hand, gives you many more tools for a much wider range of creativity and often this is key in developing your own signature style. So, for greater freedom beyond your shoot, give RAW a shot.

2. Blown Highlights

One of the most common issues facing a new photographer is the blowing or ‘clipping’ of highlights. This means that your highlights are overexposed to the extent that the camera sensor can’t record any information from that part of the image. If your highlights are blown, literally no amount of post-processing can bring them back. The data simply isn’t there. Ouch.

So, what can you do if you’re shooting on a sunny day or in another high contrast situation? Here’s where we ‘expose for the highlights.’ What this means is, when you take a photograph, make sure the exposure is adjusted for the highlights in the image. Naturally, this will result in a darker image. But don’t worry: if you’ve shot in RAW, you’ll be able to bring back the detail from the shadows in post-production.

3. Over-Reliance On Post-Production

The RAW mindset can lead to a problematic ‘I’ll fix it later’ mentality. You may well wonder what the point in nailing your exposure is, when you can easily adjust exposure by up to five stops either way at your computer screen. And why bother getting the white balance correct in-camera when you can just fix it later on?

With Photoshop at your disposal, you may increasingly hear yourself saying, “I’ll fix it later”. Be warned. If you start taking shortcuts in one area of photography, other areas are likely to suffer too. Remember: processing is intended to enhance your work, not rescue poor photos.

4. Overshooting

Whilst you should absolutely try to shoot day, less can be more! Back in photography’s analogue era, you were fixed to either 12, 24 or 36 exposures per roll of film – and it didn’t come cheap! This meant that thought was required before you pressed the shutter.

Whilst digital photography opens up the possibility of vast quantities, it also increases the risk of overshooting. Be careful not to merely ‘spray and pray’ – the quality will suffer. One recommended exercise is to go out for the day and limit yourself to no more than 12 photos. You might just find that you end up putting much more thought into what you are capturing and develop better shooting habits as a result.

5. Conspicuous Editing

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Contrast, shadows, exposure, highlights, vibrance, saturation, vignettes – the list is pretty endless. However, this can often make it easy to lose track of where an image started out! Moderation is key and subtlety is the name of the game. Quick tip: keep a copy of the original image side-by-side with your working edit, so that you can constantly see how far you have come.

We hope these five easy tips will put you on the path to greatness.

Bradley Allen is a freelance photographer and writer for Fat Lama.

Picking The Right Photography Course For You

beginners photography course guide ireland

You have a brand new camera, your memory card is empty, your battery is full, and you are burning with enthusiasm and ready to get to grips with all that photography has to offer. You might start by checking out a few YouTube videos, reading a few books and after a couple of blurry shots too many,  you decide to bite the bullet and take up a photography course. So where to start?

Our photography courses, workshops and masterclasses are broken down into the following categories:

beginners photography courses dublin

4-5-7 Week  Photography Courses

These are short photography courses that take place on a week night at DPS HQ in Dublin City Centre. These evening courses are designed to get you up to speed, not just with your camera but with the principals of photography. They cover everything from complete basics, to more advanced concepts. They are ideal for beginners and form the back bone of any future learning in photography. They do this by helping you get the basics in place, by dispelling myths, by busting jargon, and getting you comfortable with your camera. Our aim is to combine classroom based camera and photography techniques, with at least two classes out on location where you will apply what you have learned in theory. As we say here at Dublin Photography School, “you can’t learn to drive just by reading the rules of the road”.

Level: Complete beginners, experienced novices, self taught photographers looking to formalise their photography knowledge and photographers returning after a long break.

Course Frequency : Depending on the time of the year we can have up to 4 start dates a month depending on demand.

Equipment Needed: DSLR Camera, Mirrorless Camera, Tripod, Remote Control.

See Evening Photography Course List Here

1 Day Photography Courses

Our one day photography courses are aimed at anyone looking to make a quick start or for someone who cannot commit to an evening or part time course due to their own commitments. These courses tend to be similar to the 5-7 week courses but with out the on location shoots, however in line with our ethos, we still provide a practical element later in the day.

Level: Complete beginners, experienced novices, self taught photographers looking to formalise their photography knowledge and photographers returning after a long break.

Course Frequency : Depending on the course anywhere from 3 times per month to twice per year.

Equipment Needed: DSLR Camera, Mirrorless Camera

See 1 Day Photography Course List Here

1 Day Photography Workshops

Photography workshops slightly differ from photography courses, in that they tend to be a little shorter in duration. The can run anywhere from 4.5-6.5 hours depending on the workshop. The subject matter tends to be a little more specific to particular types of photography e.g. flash or studio photography, black and white photography, street photography, smartphone photography, travel photography, macro photography and wedding photography.

Level:  Experienced novices, self taught photographers looking to formalise their photography knowledge, photographers returning after a long break and students after completing a 1 day or 7 week course.

Workshop Frequency : This is workshop dependent.

Equipment Needed: This is workshop dependent.

See Photography Workshops List Here

Photography Masterclasses

A photography masterclass is an intensive short class 3-4 hours long that solely focuses on a single topic of photography, from Composition and Lighting to Semiotics and Visual Metaphor.  These classes tend to more lecture based with more of a focus on refining work, showing samples of how, when and where to use techniques, as well as identifying and refining work already produced.

Level: Experienced novices, xxperienced photographers, camera club members, students after completing a 1 day or 7 week course with DPS. All levels above beginner.

Class Frequency : There are 4 masterclasses scheduled for 2020.

Equipment Needed: DSLR Camera, Mirrorless Camera,

See Photography Masterclass List Here

Photography Location Shoots

Photography shoots are a great opportunity to get out and about with the camera and meet other photographers. They are about a social and peer group as much about learning new practical photography techniques. Each of our Photography Shoots has a different theme or techniques depending on the location or time of year and can take the form of a photo walk or Meet up that will visit several locations or be just confined to two or three spots depending on the location and techniques.

Level: All Levels

Location Shoot Frequency : Depending on the time of year we can have location shoots or location workshops happening up to twice a month (depending on demand).

Equipment Needed: DSLR Camera, Mirrorless Camera, various.

See Location Shoot List Here

Photography Excursions

Photography Excursions tend to be day trips or overnight stays in various locations around Ireland, and are all practical based outings. Some examples of the excursions and photography day trips we have run in the past are Copper Coast (Waterford), Hook Head (Wexford), Kilfane Glen and Waterfall,(Kilkenny) and  White Coast, Co Antrim to name a few.

Level: All Levels

Excursion Frequency : Photography day trips and excursions tend to run 1-2 times per year.

Equipment Needed: DSLR Camera, Mirrorless Camera, Tripod, Remote Control.

See Excursion List Here

iceland photography tour

Photography Holiday

In 2013 we teamed up with Travel Department & TDactive to bring you a series of photography holidays to some of the most stunning photographic locations in the world. These 3-5 Day trips are designed for all levels and are an outdoor classroom that bring you to handpicked locations by the DPS team and show you how to get picture perfect images that you would see in any travel book or brochure. Its a great experience with photographers of all levels catered for, thanks to the fact that there are 2 DPS trainers on every holiday allowing us to focus on all levels from COMPLETE beginners to ADVANCED veterans. The DPS crew pride themselves on creating a warm, fun and inclusive atmosphere where photographers of all levels can flourish and take advantage of the outdoor classroom. With Destinations including Romania, Italy, Croatia, Iceland, Morocco and India, There is something for everyone.

Level: All Levels

Course Frequency : We run up to 5 photography holidays a year depending on demand and locations available.

Equipment Needed: DSLR Camera, Mirrorless Camera, Tripod, Remote Control.

See Photography Holiday List Here

Photography Talks

DPS run a series of FREE photography lectures during the year called “Thursday Talks” With a mix of in house and guest speakers on a wide variety of subjects in and around photography. These talks have proven to be very popular over the years and tend to be a full house everytime.

Level: All Levels

Photography Talk Frequency : Up To 4 Times Per Year

Equipment Needed: None

Keep an eye on our photography Blog here or DPS  Facebook Group Page Here for upcoming Talks in 2018.

Online Photography Courses

At Present Dublin Photography School do not run any online photography courses. We feel that photography is a hands on practical subject that requires a “look and feel” approach to learning. The art of photography has always been more than just dry technical specs, no matter how import technics are in photography, they are just one important thread in a very rich tapestry of learning  photography. With that said DPS has plans for an “Online Campus” that will supplement the classroom based learning process and not replace it.

Keep an eye on our photography Blog here for upcoming future developments.

Mirrorless Camera Courses Dublin – With Dublin Photography School

Mirrorless camera photography courses ireland With recent upsurge in popularity of Mirrorless cameras with brands like Olympus, Fuji, Sony, Canon & Nikon all producing various Mirror-less Cameras models that are taking the photography world by storm. Dublin Photography School are delighted to announce that we have been on trend the last 18 months and that our staff and trainers have been fully trained and up to date on the latest mirror less cameras. while Mirrorless cameras work in principal nearly identically to DSLR cameras and are interchangeable, there are several areas such as camera lag, focus times, print size, aspect ratio, battery life, EVF etc, that require a slight modification of technique to get the most out of your camera. The entire crew here in DPS have been working and traveling with Mirror less cameras from all brands and companies for the last year making sure we are on point with the latest technologies and everything that this exciting innovation have to offer.

Our 7 Week Beginners Photography Course, 5 Week Follow On Photography Course and 1 Day Beginners Photography Course have all been modified to cater for Mirrorless users and cover all camera brands. While still being geared toward photography principals that will allow our students to use any given camera from, camera phones and compacts to DSLR and Mirrorless technology.

If your interested in learning more about Mirrorless cameras, why not check out Dublin Photography School Snapshot; Which has it the first half of the Podcast dedicated to mirrorless cameras.