Nature Safaris

Recent Comments

“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

“Saturday’s Safari was the closest I’ve taken to a photography class. The simple tips on adjusting white balance, ISO settings and trick metering have—and I mean this—revolutionized my approach to taking pictures. I look forward to learning more. Thanks, again, and be well.”
—Gary Jenkins

“Thank you SO MUCH for such a diversified Safari itinerary. The locations you selected for us to practice our photography were excellent. Although I am a native Washingtonian, I admit I rarely travel downtown to view all of the wonderful monuments and museums. I commuted downtown for more years than I care to remember, so it was very refreshing to view the city through the eyes of a tourist rather than a commuuter. You were very patient and shared a wealth of information with all of us, which I will be sure to practice. I am learning to trust my own judgment and not leave the camera on “automatic,” especially since its the latest and greatest in digital photography. I certainly felt I got my money’s worth from this Safari. Keep up the good work!”
—K.P.

“Thank you again, David for the class yesterday. It’s definitely taken away my fear, and reduced my ignorance about using F-stops and shutter speeds. I feel ready to practice now and get more proficient. I’m sure I’ll be enrolling in more of your Safaris.”
—K.R.

“I just wanted to let you know that I am now in Paris pursuing a full-time diploma in professional photography at the Speos Paris Photographic Institute.I would like to put it on record that the Washington Photo Safari sessions that I took hugely influenced my drastic career shift. The modules taught me concepts in exposure value and white balance, and these alone led to significant improvement in technique. Through proper technique, I was able to discover my creative potential and convince myself that I need to take the big plunge. All the photos that comprised my portfolio for admission to Speos had a touch of Washington Photo Safari in them. I have recommend WPS to all my friends who say they want to explore concepts in photographic technique without making huge upfront investments in time and money.”
—Maharash Shantaram