Sharon Christensen — Montana

Course: Basic Photography

The basic photography course at RMSP was a gift from my husband who is always encouraging me to pursue my passion. Little did I know just how passionate about digital photography I would become in so short a period of time!

Doug Johnson, my course instructor, along with his most capable assistant, Jen, patiently opened the door of understanding to this new world of digital photography and shooting in manual mode. As a die-hard 35mm film photographer, I literally cried when I could no longer purchase and process film through my local grocery store! I put away my old Olympus camera and thought, at age 60, my "picture-taking" days were over. As a true "technophobe," I never dreamed that in five days at RMSP, I would be able to master the buttons and dials of this new camera, and also learn to speak the lingo of ISO, white balance, shutter speed, aperture, JPEG, RAW, and a host of other photographic terms and concepts. With each new day of class, plus the time spent in the field, I found myself less afraid and able to actually take some pretty decent photographs.

As a result of this awesome experience, I have joined the local camera club, signed up for an upcoming Photo Weekend and plan to take the intermediate level RMSP course in the fall. I cannot say enough about the fabulous staff, their varied teaching styles and their willingness to do just about anything to help you believe that you CAN master this new dimension of photography and have fun doing so!