Private Tutoring with Sean Quintilian
Washington Photo Safari is pleased to offer PRIVATE TUTORING IN NATURE AND ANIMAL PHOTOGRAPHY by nature specialist Sean Quintilian.
Big Lens Coaching: Planning to buy some Big Glass or just purchased a 300 2.8, 400 f4, 400 2.8, 500 or 600 f4. Maybe you have had one for a few years and still can’t quite handle it right. Whatever the circumstances large lenses need special technique and special equipment. This tutoring session will focus how to get the best image quality from your big glass. Attention
will be paid to panning technique, proper support If you haven’t made the purchase yet you can learn with the instructors lens and have help deciding what lens will be the best investment for you as well as tripod head and leg selection.
Birds in Flight: One on one tutoring on how to capture great images of birds in flight. Special attention will be paid to proper panning technique and proper support of larger lenses as well as selecting the right lens to get the job done. Learn how to fine tune your DSLR for flight shots. Location changes with seasons but may include Snow Geese at Middle Creek PA in Feb.,
Bald Eagles at Conowingo MD in Nov and Dec.
One-on-One at the Zoo: Spend 4 hours at one of our local Zoo’s (National, Baltimore or Zoo America). Follow the instructors “getting down the basics” teaching or fine tune the session to fit your needs and questions. Time will be spent on ISO, White Balance, composition, shutter speed and aperture, flash use, camera modes as well as evaluating your current gear and planning future purchases. All with the goal of building your skills as a nature and wildlife photographer.
Shenandoah National Park: A full day of private instruction! Enough time to learn nature and wildlife techniques and time to practice them in a great location. Time can be spent on waterfalls, sunset, wildflowers, whitetail deer and possibly black bears and timber rattlesnakes. Sean will cater the session to your skill level and subject wishes. Instruction can include:
shutter speed and aperture, lenses and perspective, filters for nature photography, ISO choice, white balance, camera modes for nature, proper tripod selection to name a few. Choose the Full Day option to purchase this one.
You Name It: Don’t see what you are looking for, have something in mind as far as subject and instruction. Maybe you have a group and want a custom session. E-mail us and we will see what we can put together. Prices will vary based on final package.
Wildlife photographer Sean Quintilian has traveled over much of North America in search of outstanding wildlife and nature photographs. His body of work includes images from 14 U.S. National Parks and dozens of National Wildlife Refuges, with over 100 species of mammals, birds, and reptiles recorded. Sean has spent over 600 days on location over the past 17 years including 20 weeks in Yellowstone National Park alone and he has led two of our Safaris to Yellowstone. His work has appeared in publications, exhibits and a CD jacket, and his fine art prints have graced the walls of many offices and homes.
Choose your subject:
Recent Comments
“Tom and I had a fantastic time on the Yellowstone Safari. The trip, John, and Sean far exceeded our expectations. The guys complemented each other very well. They were wonderful teachers, full of patience and information. They were generous with their time and lenses! Thanks for everything. We are looking forward to our next Safari.”
—N.B.
“The Safari was absolutely outstanding! Melanie is great. She covered a lot of material and in many ways. She told us about the techniques, then helped us to execute them, and then reinforced what we learned by asking questions about how we would handle different situations. She is very good.”
—T.K.
“I learned a ton from the Corcoran Gallery Safari. The class covered how to shoot in museums without tripods or flash.
“First, instructor David Luria had us practice how to hold our cameras steady. Then he went over tips for ISO (high), aperture (wide, unless it’s a sculpture where depth of field was important), composition (He used the surrounding paintings as examples), and white balance (depends on the light). He also gave us a tip sheet, checklist style, to take home.
“Then we toured the museum as a group, escorted by museum staff, shooting whatever we wanted. Mr. Luria would give individual assignments every now and then (“Try shooting the statue from here.” “How about that stained glass panel right there?” etc.) He’d also share very specific tips for shots gone wrong (“That statue looks too yellow. Try changing your white balance.” “That’s a little dark. Try a shutter speed of 80.”) If a student had a particularly good technique, he’d say, “Hey look at this.” (For example, one student held his camera way over his head to avoid glare, using the flip screen to compose the shot).
“Mr. Luria’s philosophy, I think, is to try lots of different angles and techniques, because the beauty of digital photography is that you can make lots of mistakes. Also, he insisted that we not let the camera be the boss of us. For example, I overexposed one painting, so he suggested I disobey the camera’s light meter and manually set the exposure much darker —It worked great.
“It was also great to get customized hands-on advice with our particular cameras. For example, Mr. Luria taught me how to change the white balance to really bring out the red in one painting (He showed me how to access these settings several levels down my camera’s menu. I never even knew these settings existed!).
“All in all, super helpful!!”
—Angela N, 8/21/10
“I have taken 3 classes from Washington Photo Safari and all have been excellent. The first, Monuments and Memorials I would suggest for anyone visiting the capital. The information about the monuments is insightful; the instruction on how to photograph them will help anyone enjoy the trip long after returning home. The other two classes were more technical, great for us who live in the area.”
—Bert Wright, Fredericksburg, VA
“I really enjoyed the advanced digital Safari today with Melanie. I got more out of the 3 hours + than 6 months of shooting on my own. I look forward to participating in more.(Hopefully warmer) Thanks to you both.”
—Art