Betty Anderson — Montana

Course: Basic Photography

Wow! This was one of the best and most fun weeks of my life! I loved Doug, his assistant Roxi and our whole class. Doug is a totally awesome instructor: patient, kind, loving, encouraging and full of fun, not to mention bald and beautiful. He is excellent at explaining concepts about both the art and the science of photography. Our class was full of characters, and we laughed a lot. There was almost instant "camaraderie."

I experienced great joy when we went on field shoots. How I loved finding something interesting or beautiful to photograph! Sometimes the results were disappointing, but hey, that’s photography. I was pleased to find that many of my shots were actually terrific. I also found inspiration from seeing photos from other students, who found a perspective different than what I would have thought of.

The week was intense, and the classroom work was challenging. There were concepts I picked up very quickly (like the relationship between aperture and shutter speed) and others that I am still puzzled over (like RAW). But Doug kept checking with the class to see if we had any questions. Roxi made herself readily available to those who needed a little extra help.

This coming summer I will be back for Intermediate. I can hardly wait! My experience with RMSP is one I will always treasure and will never forget. Many thanks to the staff who made this event worth attending, including Neil and Jeanne, Forest, Sue, Bob, Melanie, and especially to Doug and Roxi.