Welcome, friends!!!

I am so looking forward to this ten week journey we have begun!  Yesterday it was so great to meet all you beautiful ladies - and for those of you who were absent, I can't wait to have you join us next week!  For the online followers, welcome to the blog!  I look forward to lots of comments/questions on your end of things!  :)

Yesterday was kind of an overview of what the next 10 weeks will look like in our workshop.  One of the key elements in yesterday's talk was 'how to get the most out of this class'.  Just to recap..

                         - FOLLOW THIS BLOG (if you look to the right of this page you will see google friend connect and also an email sign up box - please do both)
                       
                         - USE YOUR FIELD JOURNAL (writing stuff down helps you remember - and also, the field journal is your own personal go-to guide to keep in your camera bag, so write down those things that you will want to be able to refer to)
                       
                         - ASK QUESTIONS (a workshop or mentorship very similar to this normally starts at $75/hr.  Take advantage of the opportunity you have and ask questions.  I am here to help and I want to challenge each of you where you need it most.)

                         - DO THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE (your active participation is vital to your learning.  In my opinion, the actual practice is at least 50% of your learning.)



Weekly Challenge

1.  Read your camera's manual
*You are allowed to skim.  But the idea is to get an understanding of what your camera can do.  Even if you don't understand all the terms, highlight things you may have questions about.  Never underestimate the power of reading the manual.

2.  Take a self-portrait and email it to me
*Get creative.  Use your self-timer or a mirror, or whatever you want.  Just make sure YOU are the one IN the photo and YOU are the one TAKING the photo.  :)  Please use whatever shooting mode you would normally use on a regular basis.  I will not be marking these photos - it's just for fun and practice.

Don't forget about INSTAGRAM.  If you have an iphone or android, please join Instagram and follow me.  My handle is stellymay.  Everytime you take a photo with your phone and apply some of the techniques we've learned in class, please use the hashtag, #theshinycircle so we can all link up together!  :)


Also, it is completely optional, but feel free to add me on facebook.  This will help me get to know your names quicker.  :)

Have fun this week!  See you Tuesday!