Orange County Photography Classes: 2015/2016 Winter Schedule
November 5, 2015 | By Nick Carver
2015-2016 Winter Schedule
Orange County Photography Classes
Field Workshop:
Crescent Bay Sunset
November 7 - 3:15pm-5:15pm in Laguna Beach, CA
Practice the skills you learned in the classroom at one of the most sheltered beaches in Orange County. Work on exposure, filters, and composition with Nick by your side in this single-evening photography workshop. - 1 day (2 hrs) - $49
Get More Info About This Class
Popular Beginners Photography Class:
Understanding Exposure for Beginners
November 14 & 21 - 10:00am-12:30pm in Tustin, CA
Perfect for beginning photographers, this class is designed to make exposure easily understandable to even the greenest students. Learn what shooting modes to use, how to get correct exposures, and what the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are. You'll leave this class knowing what the f-stop is, how to get blurry backgrounds, how to avoid totally blurry photos in low light, and much, much more! - 2 days (5 hrs total) - $75
Get More Info About This Class
Composition for Dramatic Landscapes
November 17 - 6:30-9:00pm in Irvine, CA
Composition is what will make or break your landscape photographs. Don't get so caught up in the technical stuff that you forget to give due attention to the artistic side of landscape photography. - 1 day (2.5 hrs) - $39
Get More Info About This Class
How to Shoot in Manual Mode
December 1 & 8 - 6:30-9:00pm in Irvine, CA
Learn the correct way to shoot in manual mode in this very affordable single-evening seminar. Nick will demystify the process with his easy-to-understand and fun-to-use technique for manual metering. - 2 days (5 hrs total) - $79
Get More Info About This Class
Field Workshop:
Long Exposures at Little Corona
December 12 - 3:00pm-5:00pm in Newport Beach, CA
In this single-evening photography workshop, you'll join Nick to practice long exposure photography at some of the most interesting rock formations in Orange County. - 1 day (2 hrs) - $49
Get More Info About This Class
Field Workshop:
Heisler Park Sunset
December 19 - 3:00pm-5:00pm in Laguna Beach, CA
Heisler Park is one of the most beautiful cliffside parks in all of Orange County. The beach below offers unparalleled beauty and unbeatable accessibility for sunset landscape photography. Join Nick this single-evening workshop as we photograph the sunset at this landmark park! - 1 day (2 hrs) - $49
Get More Info About This Class
Adobe® Lightroom® Class
Jan 13 through Jan 27 - 6:30-9:00pm in Tustin, CA
In this class you'll learn everything from import to export, including proper file management, how to adjust images for maximum impact, how to set up an efficient workflow, and more. This class will teach you how to use Lightroom like a pro to cut down your time at the computer and create better results. - 3 days (7.5 hrs total) - $85
Get More Info About This Class
Field Workshop:
Sunset/Twilight at Top of the World
January 16 - 3:45pm-5:45pm in Laguna Beach, CA
In this single-evening workshop, you'll join Nick to capture the sunset over the ocean in a stunning panoramic to the west before turning your camera east to photograph Saddleback Mountain and the city below at twilight. - 1 day (2 hrs) - $49
Get More Info About This Class
Filters & White Balance for Digital Photography
February 6 - 10:00am-12:30pm in Tustin, CA
Don't be fooled by the marketing of software companies - filters are just as useful in digital photography as they've ever been! Find out what filters Photoshop can never replace and which filters are most important to keep in your bag. - 1 day (2.5 hrs) - $39
Get More Info About This Class
Field Workshop:
Sunset at Cress Beach
February 20 - 4:00pm-6:00pm in Laguna Beach, CA
In this single-evening Orange County photography workshop, you'll join Nick at one of his favorite beaches for photographing the sunset - Cress Street Beach in Laguna Beach. - 1 day (2 hrs) - $49
Get More Info About This Class
Includes a Field Shoot!
Landscape Photography
March 3 through March 24 - 6:30-9:00pm in Irvine, CA
This class is 1 evening per week for 4 weeks. It covers everything from how to shoot in manual, to using filters, to composition, to final output and much, much more. And this class is my one and only class to include a field shoot! - 4 days (10 hrs total) - $99
Get More Info About This Class
Only Offered Once a Year
Macro Photography
March 12 through March 26 - 10:00am-12:30pm in Tustin, CA
This class is 1 saturday per week for 3 weeks. Learn how to improve your macro photography with your DSLR camera, what equipment you should invest in, what settings to use, how to frame a shot, how to find good light and more! Includes an in-class shoot. - 3 days (7.5 hrs total) - $85
Get More Info About This Class
Don't wait, sign up before these orange county photography classes fill up!
More information and enrollment details
can be found here.
New Photos: Top of the World Laguna Beach
June 18, 2015 | By Nick Carver
Top of the World Laguna Beach
Click Any Image to Enlarge
I held a workshop last night at Top of the World in Laguna Beach, CA. Eight of my wonderful students and I ventured to this high-point overlooking Orange County to see what we could capture. Seeing as how it's "June gloom" season, the marine layer was out in full force.
For those of you outside Orange County, the marine layer is a thick blanket of clouds that keeps the beach cities in a perpetual state of overcast skies throughout June. It's a real bummer for tourists who plan their SoCal summer trip expecting that classic California weather. Take it from a local: you're better off coming in August or September.
Top of the World Laguna Beach is one of those places where the beautiful compositions don't immediately jump out at you. When you head down to a beach with some epic tide pools with an epic sunset and epic waves, let's be honest, it's not difficult to get an epic shot. Just throw on your wide angle lens and get low. But Top of the World doesn't offer such easy ingredients for a good shot. You have to work harder up here. You have to look for the subtle beauty - soft colors, layers, patterns, lines...
Everyone wants those "punch you in the face" landscapes. You know what I mean - super wide angle, bold colors, epic light - the kind of stuff that racks up the likes on Instagram. But it's good to try something else. It's good to try muted colors for a change and see what you can do with a telephoto lens.
I could tell when we arrived to Top of the World many of my students were skeptical about getting good shots up here. But once they found their groove and saw what kind of subtle beauty could be captured, I was proud to see them come up with stunning compositions! Some were thrown out of their comfort zone, and they came through like pros.
I'm sharing my pictures here because I just loved the light and scenery we had that night. The marine layer rolled in, filling in the nooks and crannies between the hills, providing some of the tastiest layers I've ever seen. We were pretty much eye level with the top of the marine layer, which was awesome! You could see the top of the "blanket" and the sky above, which resulted in some seriously stunning light. Plus, at Top of the World Laguna Beach, you have, hands-down, the best view of iconic Saddleback Mountain.
I took all of these shots handheld with my Canon 5D (original version). No filters were used, although I did get creative with the white balance to get some cool color casts. I was looking to capture lower-contrast, more muted, simplistic compositions. I was after subtle beauty, not the "punch you in the face" compositions.
If you'd like to join me on a workshop like this, check out my full schedule here.
Orange County Photography Classes: 2015 Summer Schedule
May 23, 2015 | By Nick Carver
2015 Summer Schedule
Orange County Photography Classes
How to Shoot in Manual Mode
May 26 & June 2 - 2 Tuesdays 6:30-9:00pm in Irvine, CA
Learn the correct way to shoot in manual mode in this very affordable single-evening seminar. Nick will demystify the process with his easy-to-understand and fun-to-use technique for manual metering. - 1 day (2.5 hrs) - $79
Get More Info About This Class
Filters & White Balance for Digital Photography
June 6 - Satuday 10:00am-12:30pm in Tustin, CA
Don't be fooled by the marketing of software companies - filters are just as useful in digital photography as they've ever been! Find out what filters Photoshop can never replace and which filters are most important to keep in your bag. - 1 day (2.5 hrs) - $39
Get More Info About This Class
Popular Beginners Photography Class:
Understanding Exposure for Beginners
June 13 & 20 - 2 Saturdays 10:00am-12:30pm in Tustin, CA
Perfect for beginning photographers, this class is designed to make exposure easily understandable to even the greenest students. Learn what shooting modes to use, how to get correct exposures, and what the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are. You'll leave this class knowing what the f-stop is, how to get blurry backgrounds, how to avoid totally blurry photos in low light, and much, much more! - 2 days (5 hrs total) - $75
Get More Info About This Class
Field Workshop:
Sunset/Twilight at Top of the World
June 17 - Wednesday 6:45pm-8:45pm in Laguna Beach, CA
In this single-evening workshop, you'll join Nick to capture the sunset over the ocean in a stunning panoramic to the west before turning your camera east to photograph Saddleback Mountain and the city below at twilight. - 1 day (2 hrs total) - $49
Get More Info About This Class
Composition for Dramatic Landscapes
June 23 - Tuesday 6:30-9:00pm in Irvine, CA
Composition is what will make or break your landscape photographs. Don't get so caught up in the technical stuff that you forget to give due attention to the artistic side of landscape photography. - 1 day (2.5 hrs) - $39
Get More Info About This Class
Includes a Field Shoot!
Landscape Photography
July 9 through July 30 - 4 Thursdays from 6:30-9:00pm in Irvine, CA
This class is 1 evening per week for 4 weeks. It covers everything from how to shoot in manual, to using filters, to composition, to final output and much, much more. And this class is my one and only class to include a field shoot! - 4 days (10 hrs total) - $99
Get More Info About This Class
Macro DSLR Photography
July 11 through July 25 - 3 Saturdays 10:00am-12:30pm in Tustin, CA
This class is 1 saturday per week for 3 weeks. Learn how to improve your macro photography with your DSLR camera, what equipment you should invest in, what settings to use, how to frame a shot, how to find good light and more! Includes an in-class shoot. - 3 days (7.5 hrs total) - $85
Get More Info About This Class
Adobe® Lightroom® Class
Aug 6 through Aug 20 - 3 Thursdays 6:30-9:00pm in Tustin, CA
In this class you'll learn everything from import to export, including proper file management, how to adjust images for maximum impact, how to set up an efficient workflow, and more. This class will teach you how to use Lightroom like a pro to cut down your time at the computer and create better results. - 3 days (7.5 hrs total) - $85
Get More Info About This Class
Field Workshop:
Long Exposures at Little Corona
July 21 - Tuesday 6:15pm-8:15pm in Newport Beach, CA
In this single-evening photography workshop, you'll join Nick to practice long exposure photography at some of the most interesting rock formations in Orange County. - 1 day (2 hrs total) - $49
Get More Info About This Class
Field Workshop:
Sunset at Cress Beach
Sept 2 - Wednesday 5:30pm-7:30pm in Laguna Beach, CA
In this single-evening Orange County photography workshop, you'll join Nick at one of his favorite beaches for photographing the sunset - Cress Street Beach in Laguna Beach. - 1 day (2 hrs total) - $49
Get More Info About This Class
Don't wait, sign up before these orange county photography classes fill up!
More information and enrollment details
can be found here.
