New Classes!

Our Intro to Basic Digital classes were so popular over this past year that we've expanded our class offerings. Now we are offering a three-part Basic Photography series that goes more into depth on six aspects of the Fundamentals of Photography. You don't have to take the classes in order, nor do you have to take all of them-- they can stand on their own-- but we are offering a 10% discount on the whole lot if you buy them all.
They're $25 per session, and we're offering each session twice a week to accommodate your schedule: Mondays 6:00-8:00pm and Saturdays 1:00-3:00pm at 7474 Transit Rd in Williamsville, and Wednesdays 6:30-8:30pm and Saturdays 1:00-3:00 pm at 2635 Delaware Ave in Buffalo.

Class 1: The Basics
Understanding the interrelationship of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, and some of the most fundamental camera settings.
Class 2: Composition
Capturing decisive moments, the basics of composition and importance of details.
Class 3: Lighting and Exposure
Fundamentals of exposure, the foundation of all photography: how to read your camera's meter and use the different settings. How to appreciate and use different qualities and colors of light, how to use an electronic flash.

Sign-ups are limited so that class sizes are small, allowing individual attention. Call or visit either store to reserve your space (preference is given to prepaid registrations, so prepay if you want to guarantee a spot-- we can take a credit card over the phone). Delaware Ave is 877-3317, Transit Rd is 631-5600.

Where Do You Go To Take Pictures?

This morning we got a call at the Transit Rd. location. The caller on the line wanted to know where in the area she should go to take pictures.
We hemmed and hawed and suggested a few scenic local areas, but were a little taken off-guard by the question. Someone looked us up in a phone book to ask where to take pictures in the Buffalo area? Why would you call a camera store with a question like that?

But actually, it's a really good idea. All of Delaware Camera's employees are avid photographers, to one degree or another. All of us take pictures all the time. Even if at this busy time of year we only have time for the pictures we take to show customers how to use cameras, we still do it daily, and most of us do even more than that. A few of us have side businesses, doing weddings or portraits. Some of us tinker with old film cameras. Some of us love to photograph sports. Some of us are art students whose cameras live in our school bags and go with us everywhere. All of us, given a day off and no other obligations, are highly likely to grab the camera bag and head somewhere pretty. There's not a lot of downtime at this time of year, in the retail sector, so most of us are only going to be taking photos of the inside of the store until after the holidays are over, but at least we're taking photos.

And this is why we can help you with your photography questions. You may get different answers from different employees, because photography is a highly individual pastime, but we all are passionately interested in photography, and handle cameras and photographs every day.

So I'm sure we all have our suggestions of where we'd go shoot, if we had a nice camera and a day off.
Where is YOUR favorite local place to take pictures?

Leave us some suggestions here in the comments or on our Facebook page, or @ us on Twitter!

The Most Important Thing About A Camera

No camera is a good camera if you don't know how to use it. It doesn't matter whether you have a high-end pro camera that cost more than your car, or are trying to document your family's life with the built-in camera in your cellphone. It doesn't matter what it is or is not innately capable of-- if you don't know how to make it take good pictures, it's not a good camera for you. Because the point of the exercise is to take pictures, not just to impress the Internet with your tech specs or indie cred.

Here at Delaware Camera we get a lot of questions about how to take pictures. Because, as it turns out, the other stores that sell cameras around here tend not to have employees who actually can explain to you how to take pictures. And as for the Internet, well, it's full of people who are pretty sure they know how to do everything there is, but when it comes down to actually figuring out how you can take the pictures you want with your camera... Predictably, as it turns out, while they know an awful lot, they tend to fall short there.

So with that in mind we've started offering classes again. Since we know how to take pictures, and you want to take pictures, it's the most efficient way to make that connection happen. Come in to one of our stores and see what time slots are available, and sign up. (Times are listed on the website-- Delaware Ave location here, Transit Rd location here, but the signups are managed in stores so that no one session will be too crowded.)

What classes are we currently offering?

Intro To Basic Digital Photography

So you have a digital camera, and it turns out it’s pretty complicated, even frustrating to use. Don’t worry, the fantastic pictures you’re looking for are within your reach! Come to our introductory class, where we’ll review the basic principles of photography, and cut through the confusion of today’s sophisticated digital cameras to give you the simple, basic knowledge you need to take great pictures.

Digital SLR Basics

There’s no substitute for an SLR when it comes to picture quality and total control over your images. Problem is, if you don’t know how to take that control, you don’t get the results you want. This class helps you move that dial off of Auto mode and start to take advantages of all the power and control your digital SLR offers you, so you can realize the potential of your SLR camera and get the best possible pictures.

Understanding Lenses

Cameras with interchangeable lenses offer unparalleled control. But there is a bewildering and expensive array of lenses available. Get a solid overview of how lenses work, what different types of lenses are available, and most importantly, how to choose lenses that will allow you to take the kind of photographs you’ve always wanted to take with this intermediate-level class.

Let us know if there are other classes you'd like to see!! We've had requests for a class on taking better pictures with a cameraphone, but the boss doesn't believe us. So if you really want something like that, drop us a line so we can prove it. We've got all kinds of ideas in the works for new classes, so watch this space. But in the meantime, start off with one of the basics-- it's knowledge you can use now, and most importantly, since the class sizes are small, you can ask a real live human your questions, and get intelligent answers.