Learn photography 101 in this six-session beginning photography class. We’ll cover how to use your camera’s manual shooting mode, create an organized workflow using Adobe Lightroom Classic, develop basic image processing techniques, and get you shooting on a regular basis.

This digital Photography Basics course will start with Cameras Basics to get your shooting in RAW and learning how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together for spot-on exposure. A series of creative on-your-own photography assignments for beginners will cultivate learning to see creatively and get you out shooting regularly. These assignments paired with weekly critique sessions will further your development and help you to see and approach your photography in a new way.

A photography workshop on beginning digital photography wouldn’t be complete without comprehensive instruction in Adobe Lightroom Classic—and we’ve got you covered! You’ll learn a full introduction to Adobe Lightroom Classic that will get you feeling comfortable with the industry-standard tool for working with digital photography.

Learn photography in a fun and supportive environment and get the most out of your RAW files — no experience necessary!

“Without assignments, life can get in the way of getting out to shoot.”
— Stuart Schwartz, Founder of The Image Flow

In-Person Photography Class Schedule

Photography Basics will be split approximately 50/50 between photographic techniques and Lightroom instruction.

Day 1: Camera settings & manual operation: aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and RAW capture, 1st assignment given—due Day 2

Important: Do NOT import your images into Lightroom, we will do this together in class on Day 2

Day 2: Lightroom Intro, 2nd assignment given—due Day 3

Day 3: Critique, Developing Basics, 3rd assignment given—due Day 4

Day 4: Critique, Continued Developing, 4th assignment given—due Day 5

Day 5: Critique, Local Adjustments, 5th assignment given—due Day 6

Day 6: Critique, final quick tips, follow–up/refresher on previously covered topics, class wrap-up

Just finished our Photography Basics digital photography course? Take your photographic skills to the next level with Intermediate Photography.

Workshop presented by The Image Flow Photography Center, providing photography classes, custom printing services, and fine art reproductions.

Instructor Bios

Nathan Lomas

Nathan hails from Buffalo, NY. He developed his passion for photography at the tender age of five when his father gave him a Ricoh camera. He has a BFA from the College of Creative Studies in Detroit and an MFA in Imaging Arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. He is an adjunct professor at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, owns his own photo studio in Alameda where he specializes in 19th-century tintype photography, and at The Image Flow, works with digital restoration, film scanning, and printing, as well as teaching workshops and working one-on-one with clients.

Peter Merts

Peter Merts has been a photographer for 40 years, focusing on documentary, portrait, and fine art projects. His work has been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, The Huffington Post, Newsweek Online, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among others.

For the past 15 years, Peter has documented California’s Arts in Corrections program, visiting over 120 art classes in all 36 of California’s adult state prisons. He co-published, with Dr. Larry Brewster, the book Paths of Discovery: Art Practice and Its Impact in California Prisons (now in its 2nd edition).

Peter’s recent photography awards include the 2020 Critical Mass Top 50, and the 2021 CENTER Social Award.