Last winter, I decided to finally get serious about a lifelong interest: photography. I bought Nikon D5300 digitlal SLR camera and have since purchased lenses, memory cards, a camera bag, filters, and many more accessories. None of this equipment would be useful, however, if I did not know how to use it.
To that end, I have been taking a self-paced online course from a National Geographic photographer. The course has been very helpful. I have learned a great deal about how to use my camera, though I still felt the need for more direct instruction. REI, the recreational equipment store, offers classes in everything from how to ride a bike to outdoor cooking, kayaking and more. I recently participated in a photography course at the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown, Rhode Island. As it turns out, I was the only student in the class and had the instructor, a professional photographer, as a one-on-one tutor for six hours.