How do I blur out the background? Is Manual mode better than Auto? Why do photographers shoot in RAW? Which memory card should I use? Why are my pictures blurry? How do I protect my camera? What is focal length? How much ISO should I use? Can I use a flash outdoors? How do I take sharper pictures? (And finally) Is Canon better or Nikon?

If this sounds familiar, you have either invested in a D-SLR or are planning to get one. Although this is a good first step, the seemingly infinite controls, parameters, and the jargon can be a little daunting even for the most dedicated aspirant. With this in mind, the workshop on 'Basics of Photography' has been designed to provide professional guidance to hobbyists and aspiring photographers while they build their creative personas in photography.

Topics Covered

- Introduction To Photography: An overview of different genres and shooting styles
* Elements in a picture
* Photography as a love child of art and science
* Decoding the photographers' jargon

- Myth Buster: All the Do's & Dont's
* Sensor sizes - Bigger the better?
* Megapixels - A marketing gimmick
* Sunflares, hoods & lens caps!
* "But good photographers don't . . ."

- Camera Basics: Your 200-page camera manual packed in a crisp interactive session
* Camera types - Full Frame, Medium Format, Bridge, Compact, SLR, Mirrorless, and the unique Lytro
* All about lenses - Prime, Wide or Telephoto; focal lengths, their field of vision and applications
* Focus systems - Auto (+) Manual focusing, focus points, back-button focusing and focus lock
* Images/Click - Single vs. Burst mode
* Image formats - JPEG, RAW (NEF), TIFF
* Memory cards - What to look for in your next card

- Shooting Modes: You won't go back to Auto, I promise!
* Different shooting and scene modes - Auto, P, A (Av), S (Tv), M (Manual) + Scene modes and when (if) to use them
* Manual mode - An interactive session on how images are captured and the parameters that matter
* Exposure Triangle - How individual parameters (Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO etc.) work in conjunction + Cheat Sheet

- Lighting: Your first step towards mastering light
* Lighting - Basics of lighting and how to shoot well-lit images
* 'Reading' Light - Understanding metering modes and tools like the Histogram
* Colours - Light temperature and white balance

- Tips from the trench: Never shoot a blurry image ever again!
* Rules of framing and composition - Point-of-view, Rule of thirds, Leading lines etc.
* Photography best practices
* Tips for shooting in natural light
* How to shoot sharper images
* Photography projects and challenges
* Resources and online content

- Q&A session to answer all your questions from HDR to macro photography

- Next steps and a customized path forward for every participant