On a skype conversation, I was telling my best friend Tala about not meeting many people of the same age yet in Berlin, she encouraged me to look for activities wherein I can meet people with the same interests. (Aren’t I a lucky gal to have a life coach as a BFF?) It seemed serendipitous when I saw a Tweet about an Improve Your Photography Tour by Slow Berlin because I’ve been wanting to take a refresher course on photography and learn how to maximize the features of my RX100. So last Saturday I crossed town and attended the Improve the tour by Paul Sullivan. Photos after the jump!
We met in Cafe Manolo to learn basic theories, while enjoying coffee/tea (not included in the 25 € fee). Paul explained these basics with accompanying photographic examples. Afterwards he went to each person to check our cameras and teach us how to adjust the settings we had just talked about. The only requirement for the course was to have a camera that has adjustable Shutter, Aperture and ISO – SLRs and advanced compacts welcome. We all had different cameras and I thought that it was so useful that he took the time to show each person how to work with their own camera.
During the class we couldn’t help but notice the beautiful falling yellow leaves outside the window. It’s only natural for lovers of photography to want to capture these pretty moments. I did a quick shot, but totally forgot that I was in the “illustration” mode just moments back.
Lesson learned: When tweaking settings, make sure to check settings before mindlessly taking shots! I thought this accident turned out quite nicely though, with the yellow U-Bahn speeding past in the background! What do you think?
To practice what we learned, Paul took us to the passage underneath the Eberswalder Strasse U-Bahn so we could take photos without disturbing or getting in the way of too many people. 
I thought the location was perfect – photogenic, spacious and perfect for practicing depth of field!
Photography techniques are best learned when applied!
We partnered up for testing the different aperture settings and backgrounds. How do you think my pictures turned out?
We learned about light and shadow…
…Leading lines…
… Motion…
…And the rule of thirds.
I loved Paul because he was always able to insert his easy going personality and his amazing sense of humor into the session. He even ran and jumped around to give us a laugh and learn how to use shutter speed. =D
All in all it was a great an inspiring session and I got to meet lovely new friends who are also into photography! I took a photography class a long time ago, and even if I “learned” these principles already, I’ve forgotten how to apply them and I wanted to re-learn using the camera I currently have. I also wanted inspiration and that’s exactly what I got!
When I went home, I was inspired to take shots of everyday things I see during my walks in the neighbourhood. What do you think of the pics?
Fallen leaves of fall
Side streets I yearn to explore
The grocer’s dog – a bigger version of DiploDog
The amazing sunset colors of the foliage
the mound of dried leaves that DiploDog loves to jump into and scatter
Slow Travel Berlin offers these Improve your Photography Tours for groups of 2-6 persons for 25 € per head. A reasonable price for an intimate group of people. I recommend this for newbies to photography who want to take better pictures or for those of who are always using the automatic/program settings in their camera. This tour will teach you how to use other settings in your camera to take better pictures and other photography basics. Paul is a wonderfully patient, a skilled and funny teacher who tries to avoid overwhelming his students with too much technical jargon, while making us understand the basic concepts in ways that we can easily remember and apply.
I loved the experience and I look forward to trying their other tours in the future.
Thank you Paul for the fun and inspiring afternoon! I’m gonna keep on practicing what I learned from you.
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- Read more about the Improve Your photography Tour HERE.
- Check out other workshops and tours offered HERE.
- They also offer tours for private groups and can arrange tailored itineraries. For more information please contact
- tours@slowtravelberlin.com
- ++ 49 (0) 171 122 5973
I took a basic photography course and it was wonderful. But somehow the skills fade away and I do need a refresher….or maybe not be too lazy or rush. Your new photos are wonderful!
Thanks so much Didi! It’s really so different when your subjects are staying still. It’s easier to compose, however I find that with most of my blog features, people are moving and I have to do stealth mode for resto interiors etc so I am unable to do as much as I want. I hope I can continue to practice and improve though! Thank you for complimenting my photos. I agree with you, it’s easy to forget if we don’t practice and sometimes the program auto is just so tempting ya?