Please register your interest for the 2026 course at the bottom of the page!

Would you like to know how to improve your skills as a photographer? Would you like to know more about your digital camera?

Rosanna Photographic Club runs an Introduction to Photography Course for those interested in improving their photographic skills and techniques and how to use a digital SLR camera, mirrorless or advanced compact camera to its full potential. The course is designed to enable you to take your camera off auto and to turn your good photo taking into great photo taking. The 2025 Course is up and running and no new applications can be accepted, however, you can register your interest for 2026 by completing the form at the bottom of this page.

The course is conducted by experienced members of the club and guests who are specialists, skilled in all areas of photography. The course is designed to help not only new camera owners but also those with some knowledge who wish to know more.

The course is made up of ten sessions with eight in the classroom on WEDNESDAY evenings (7:30 – 9:30pm) in the Clubrooms at St Pius X Church, 431 Waterdale Road, Heidelberg Heights. All the classroom sessions have a significant practical component. There will also be two field trips, one for night photography (in the CBD) and one for general photography at La Trobe University. There will be two photographic tasks and you will be provided with feedback on your images by our experienced members.

Course outline

SESSION 1: Wednesday April 23 2025, 7:30pm

Understanding Your Camera: An overview of the different components of a camera, explaining their functions. We will cover topics such as focussing, viewfinders, buttons, and settings, lenses, file type and size, SD cards types. How to hold a camera.

Camera Modes and Settings: Explore the various modes available on cameras, including Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Program modes. Learn how to adjust settings such as ISO, aperture, and shutter speed to achieve desired effects. Types of lenses will be discussed.

SESSION 2: Wednesday April 30 2025, 7:30pm

Exposure Triangle: Discover the key concept of the exposure triangle – the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO (light sensitivity). Understand how each element affects the exposure and creative aspects of an image.

SESSION 3: Wednesday May 7 2025, 7:30pm

Creative use of camera settings, Controlling Depth of Field and Focus. Learn about the concept of depth of field and focus and how it can be controlled using aperture settings. Discover techniques for achieving shallow and deep depth of field to suit different subjects. Focus modes. Aperture ISO, shutter speed.

SESSION 4: Wednesday May 14 2025, 7:30pm

Composition Techniques and Storytelling: Explore the principles of composition and some golden rules - such as rule of thirds, leading lines, symmetry, and framing. Find out how these techniques can transform an ordinary shot into a masterpiece.

SESSION 5: Wednesday May 21 2025, 7:30pm

Practical night. Portraiture and macro photography, slow and fast shutter speeds and a range of other activities to reinforce the theories learnt in previous sessions.

SESSION 6: Sunday May 25 2025, 10:00am

Field trip – location TBA. Daylight and hand-held photography

SESSION 7: Wednesday May 28 2025, 7:30pm

Light, Lighting and Histograms: Understand the importance of natural and artificial light in photography. We will cover topics such as golden/blue hour, natural/artificial, soft/harsh light, and techniques for using available light effectively. The concept of the histogram will be explained in relation to light and exposure.

SESSION 8: Wednesday 4 June 2025, 7:30pm

Field Trip to CBD. Use of tripods, camera settings for night photography, composition, timer use, shutter release

SESSION 9: Wednesday June 11 2025, 7:30pm

White Balance, colour, metering modes, and focusing techniques.

Learn about white balance and how it affects the colour of an image. Understand how to adjust white balance settings to achieve accurate or creative colour representation.

Use different focusing modes and techniques, including single point autofocus, continuous autofocus, and manual focus.

Gain insights into how to achieve accurate focus in various scenarios

SESSION 10: Wednesday 18 June, 7:30pm

Final Night.

Participants to present their images from course activities and field trips for constructive critique.

Course review.

Q&A session

The cost of the course is $195 including course manual and USB of lectures with extras. This amount must be paid in full prior to the course commencing.

This course fills very fast and there are limited spaces.

Contact Us

To request registration details or further information please send an email

431 Waterdale Road Heidelberg West 3081

Rosanna Photographic Club Inc.