Nikon D5100

The camera is smaller and neater then the D5000 but this doesn’t mean it has taken anything away. In fact some features have naturally been added and improved. One feature is the 1080p HD video and another is the 921k dot LCD screen, which can be used as a viewfinder for both stills and video. The screen is also hinged so it can be positioned in all sorts of different angles, enabling viewing from most positions.

The D5100 has a 16.2mp Nikon DX CMOS sensor, very similar to what is in the D7000, which is the next step up in Nikons range. Understandably the D5100 wouldn’t have other features the D7000 has but the final image quality would be very similar.

The D5100 has all you would expect from a DSLR. The standard exposure modes including Manual plus the usual scene modes. A maximum shutter speed of 1/4000 sec is adequate for practically all situations and an ISO range of 100 to 6400 will also suffice. However the ISO can be extended up to 25600 ISO.

A new set of features included with the D5100 is the Effects modes. On the exposure setting dial is “Effects” and these are a set of preset effects that can be added to an image when shooting it. One such effect is selective color where a color is keyed in and preserved in the image while all other colors are converted to black & white. Some may see this as an added gimmick but as this particular effect is commonly used in photography, it may be a nice attraction for some.

In the School of Photography we would recommend this camera as perfect for use in our courses.

Our new course has everything you may have already experienced from the School of Photography:
- Comprehensive instruction -
- Hundreds of example images -
- A fully documented Travel shoot -
- The ins and outs of travel photography as a business -
- Projects -
- Tutor Feedback -
- A Graded Certificate for Framing -

In short everything you need to know to improve your own travel photography images.

The course is in 3 modules, the first module will show you what equipment you really need and how to put your own personal travel kit together. Learn what goes into planning a travel photography shoot. Module 2 will take you further by showing you how to cope with the various terrains and climates you may experience no matter where you are going. Module 3 introduces how to process all those images you capture and weed out only the best. We show you how to digitally enhance your images using RAW files. If you are interested in running your own travel photography business, we show you how to get started and where to sell your images. Finally, we show you a day by day account of a travel shoot to Rome, documented from preparation to the finished images!

You CAN learn how to capture stunning images on your travels. Each lesson is designed to improve your photography techniques so you can get more creative and don’t miss out on an important shot just because you don’t know how to capture it.

Just like all of our courses, this Tutor assisted course encourages you to do practical projects and gives feedback on your own work. If, after reading each Travel Photography Course lesson, you would like additional information on the lesson’s content, just ask!. Your personal tutor is ready to hear from you.

Start learning Travel photography at home or the office in your own time today.

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Course Fees

In the last few years photography has changed considerably. More users have switched to using digital cameras, and the quality of the cameras have increased. To reflect the constantly changing world of modern photography all our courses are periodically reviewed, updated and revised to provide our students with the most up to date information and learning experience possible. Our latest update is the Glamour photography course, which has been thoroughly updated with new images, text and videos and also ported to our e-learning system. This means new students can log onto all their e-learning courses from the one location using a single log on. Used by countless universities and colleges worldwide, our new e-learning platform  means that future changes will be simpler, faster and ongoing which will provide the student with both an easy to use and current photography course.

The Glamour Photography course includes 30 full lessons with over 300 images including…

* Finding and working with models,
* Finding locations,
* The creative photographic knowledge you need
* The Home and Studio lighting equipment guide
* Lighting guides with image, videos and examples
* Strobes, Flashguns, Softboxes, Umbrellas
* The Posing Guide
* Filters and Glamour Techniques
* Organising a ‘Shoot’
* Directing the model
* Model Release Forms
* Post processing the image
* Selling your Images
* Projects and feedback on your own work and more…

To enroll in our New Glamour Photography Course or find out more please visit our Glamour Photography page.

Most auto focus cameras use the central point of the viewfinder as the point of focus. Everything else in the image is ignored. Modern advanced cameras often have multi-zone focusing. Even with these extra focusing areas, unless you change the focusing area the central area of the viewfinder would still be the default area set the cameras. Single point systems are always read from the center of the viewfinder

There are various methods to focusing depending on the type of subject being photographed. With portrait and animal photography, whether it is man or beast, the most important part of the image to capture sharply is the eyes.

If the subject’s eyes aren’t sharp, it is a serious detriment to the image. With most portrait images the viewer will be directed straight to the eyes of the subject, this is a natural occurrence. Therefore the sharper and clearer the subjects eyes, the better the impact of the image.

With single zone cameras for portrait photos you aim the center of the viewfinder at the subject’s eyes when you activate the focusing system. Usually this is performed by half depressing the shutter button. If there is a need to compose the image with the eyes in another part of the frame, the focusing can be locked by holding the shutter button in the halfway position and recomposing before fully depressing the shutter button.

For multi-zone focusing cameras you can select the focus point area nearest the area to be focused upon. For portrait photos for example, you would normally turn the camera vertically, placing the subject’s eyes about a third of the way down the frame. Select the focus zone closest to the eyes, and focus, use the focus lock described earlier then recompose and fire.

Multi-zone focusing is very useful if your subject is not dead center. Simply because you can get the composition correct first, and then select the focusing zone you require for your off-center subject without having to move the camera again.

To learn all about focusing, depth of field and every other aspect of photography, join our Basic Photography Course.