www.kelbytraining.com — Part 3

Posted by Steve Herzberg on Apr 20, 2010 in Quick Focus | 0 comments

4. From Laurie Excell: Lessons on My Camera and How to Take Care of It

When I was an embryonic lawyer, my office had an IBM system that created templates for most legal forms and allowed the secretaries to fill in blanks rather than type long originals; the computer took up a full sized office.

Today, my D3 puts much more computing power in my hands.

The upside of all that computing power is that I have an almost infinite variety of settings with which to create and control my images. The downside of all that computing power is that I have an almost infinite variety of settings with which to create and control my images.

The bottom line — to get the most from our cameras, we have to know how to harness that power — we have to master the menu and setting choices that tell the camera what to do. For most of us, that means spending many hours in manuals that make little or no sense.

Fortunately, for those who learn better seeing than reading, Kelby Training has complete classes on many current cameras — including many Nikon and Canon models. There are even lessons on shooting video with the latest DSLR’s.

I really know my D3 — I’ve actually read the manual several times. I know, boring. But, hey,that’s who I am.

Even thought I knew my D3, I still took Laurie Excell’s class on it and learned some new things. Laurie is well organized, clear and concise. In 2 hours I learned as much from her as I had from many more hours in the manual.

Laurie goes one step further. In a separate class, Cleaning Your Digital SLR Sensor, she takes the fear out of sensor cleaning. Before watching this tape, I hesitated to clean my sensor; I knew that the slightest mistake could lead to an expensive repair. Laurie demystified the process, and took me through it in small, easy steps. (One lesson is aptly entitled “Dont Be Afraid”.)

Here’s Lesson 7 of the 10 in this class:

Conclusion:

I’m glad I subscribed to Kelby Training.

I like the deep curriculum and the fact that it is expanding every week. I like the ability to “dabble” in a subject; I can try a topic and if I find it’s not for me — nothing is lost; I’ve not had to buy anything and nothing will sit and gather dust on my shelves.

Those who study the psychology of learning tell us that repetition is the key to retention. One of the strong points of online content is that we can watch it over and over and over — and then again, if need be.

And, so long as I can get an Internet connection, the lessons are always with me. I find them a good way to pass time in airports or hotel rooms.

Kelby Training is the real deal — and for those who want to up their games, a “continuing education” course well worth the price of admission.

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2010)