I live in a rural community in central South Dakota… 

And in my community, any continuing education requires either a long drive or an online class. I’d been hearing from many people how they wished they knew how to fully use their cameras, so I thought I would offer my services to the community and see if anyone would be interested in taking a photography class from me. 16 participants signed up for the class!  So, for the past seven weeks, I taught a basic photography class.

We finished our final session last Tuesday. To celebrate, each participant was to submit their favorite photo, taken during the course of the class. I sent off the files to one of my pro labs and received the prints in time for the last class. Everyone mounted their own photograph and we had an in-house gallery show, complete with wine and cheese.

I’ve often heard that a teacher learns more than the students. I sure learned a lot as the teacher! I came up with my own materials that I handed out each week, some from my own brain and some from reliable resources online. It was rather challenging at times for me to start from the beginner level but it pushed me so much, too! I’m so used to just doing my own thing without thinking about how I’m doing it.

We covered topics such as how a camera functions, types of cameras, lens focal length, ISO, White Balance, Aperture, Shutter Speed, Composition and Lighting. It was so rewarding for me to hear the ladies excited about the new skills they were learning. 

I’m so thankful for each one that participated! I enjoyed getting to know these women and looked forward to each Tuesday night with them.

(Here I am with 11 of the 16 photogs. A few weren’t able to make it to the last session and I forgot to get a group shot before some had to leave for the evening.)