Workshops
Contact email: info@charlessiritho.com
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My workshops are here to benefit YOU, 110%. I am offering these courses because I enjoy teaching and interacting with people who share my interests and passion for photography. I am extremely friendly, humble, and very open to new ideas– never be afraid to make suggestions or ask questions while undergoing any of my courses.
When I first started photography, I was very closed minded and hard headed, but when I finally had the nerve to post my “pictures” on forums, I was torn apart by professionals. Determined to learn more and find out what I was doing wrong, I sought out their knowledge and assistance– asking questions is the best way to learn. In my case, the professionals who were helping me were unable to physically aid me or show me techniques; I found this incredibly difficult and discouraging at times, but my passion and drive to learn photography kept me going and, 3 years later, here I am.
I would like to save you the frustration and discouragement that I felt by offering these courses in person, in the hopes of jump-starting your knowledge and teaching you new things about photography you may have never known otherwise.
I have taught countless people in various workshops with class attendance ranging from 60 to over 120 people; four people in particular have gone far above and beyond my expectations. That number is seemingly low, but those four were the dedicated photographers that wanted this more than anything– that is not to say that others in my classes have not improved drastically, as they have– these four photographers do things now that I didn’t even imagine was possible with their equipment. This only further demonstrates my point that a passion and a desire to learn is the best way to go far in photography.
Before continuing, you will need some basic photography equipment:
- A Digital single reflex camera, or more commonly known as a DSLR. Examples may include the Nikon 5100, or Canon T3i; I am also able to work with a 1D, or a D3 pro body series.
- If you have a prime lens, BRING IT! Portraits are usually shot using a prime lens. The most basic type, a Canon or Nikon 50 1.8, is acceptable. More advanced lenses are also welcome. If you do not have said equipment, we are here to provide you with it.
- If you are requesting a Photoshop/Lightroom class, please have it pre-installed on your laptop prior to attending the class. If you need any help with installation, feel free to contact me. Both trials can be found here.
- If you are interested in “Intro to Off-Camera Lighting” YOU DO NOT NEED flashes or strobes, but it is highly recommended that you bring them if you have them. I am willing to let you borrow and use my own equipment if you do not have flashes.
These workshops are broken up into different categories and each session will last roughly 2 to 4 hours. The time of a session really depends on how in depth you would like to go; I am fully committed to serving my time TO YOU as a client, and I have no problem going the full 4 hours.
One-on-one workshops:
Learning Your Camera/Introduction to Photography
This introductory course will cover (but is not limited to):
- Dials
- Buttons
- Understanding menu options
- Histograms
- Viewfinder Information
- Top Screen Information
- Picture Styles
- Learning of aperture
- Shutter speed
- ISO Control
- Exposure compensation
- Metering
- Auto focus modes
- White balance
- Quality
- Composition & composure
Investment: $500 (Includes model fee)
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Introduction to Photoshop (OR) Lightroom
This workshop will go over the basics of Photoshop and/or Lightroom, as well as some more advanced work in the programs:
- RAW editor
- Preset manger
- Curves, levels, ETC
- Catalog management
- Formatting
- My personal tricks/techniques
Investment: $400 per course/program,
$750 for both. (both can be completed in the same day or time)
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Introduction to Off-Camera Lighting
This is what I would consider my most advanced course.
In this course, you will learn about:
- Flash Power
- Flash Zoom
- Positioning of flashes
- My own personal tricks/techniques
Investment: $500 (includes model fee)
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Or take it all (Learning Your Camera, Introduction to Photography, Introduction to Photoshop or Lightroom, AND Introduction to Off-Camera Lighting) for $1600!
A $150 savings–
Advanced classes beyond those listed may be requested.
To view more photos from previous workshops, click here.
FAQ (Frequently asked questions)
- Do I need know ANYTHING about photography!?
- Absolutely not! I will be there to walk you though it, step by step. My goal is to get you out of that thing called AUTO mode. After my course, you will be able to compose a solid image and walk away with something you can be proud of.
- I do not have much equipment, can you provide some?
- If you have Nikon, you are in luck! I shoot Nikon and have some amazing lenses you can try out; as far as Canon, I have one lens you are able to sample. My apologies to the Sony,Fuji, Olympus & Pentax owners, as I don’t have any of their brand lenses or equipment.
- Can I buy more than one Workshop?
- Please do!
2 workshops can be fulfilled in one day, if you decided to purchase ALL of them, we will split them into 2 full days of learning and fun. - I have a point & shoot, is this acceptable?
- Unfortunately, no. This is a more intermediate level workshop experience and I highly recommend you have a DSLR.
- What type of photography is this learning experience geared towards?
- The best part of this whole experience is that it is ONE-ON-ONE, so it can be customized to your liking. I assume that most of you will request portrait style, but I am open to ANY type of photography. I have personally shot a wide range of styles including weddings, portraits, automotive, products, photo journalism, etc. So do not be afraid to suggest any type of style!
- Where will the workshops be held?
- I have a list of preset locations located near the bottom of the page. I have chosen them because I feel that they possess many or all of the elements needed to create a stellar portrait. If you are requesting further knowledge of Photoshop or Light room, I highly suggest that we do them at your house; if you are not comfortable with that, my suggestion is that you provide a moderately-high performing laptop with on board graphics at a preset location.
- What is the best time take the “composition, composure” course?
- 90% of my photo shoots take place 3:30pm in the fall/winter, 5pm in the spring/summer; I feel that these are the best times. If you are not available around those times, I am sure that in most cases I will be able to make exceptions and work with your schedule.
- I feel that I am up to speed with this whole thing and I am searching for something a little bit more advanced, what are your suggestions?
- Please let me know if you are wanting something more advanced, before doing anything else. I will ask to see your portfolio, we will review it and talk about your weak and strong points and I will make a professional assessment with the decision to move forward with an advance course based on your work. This can either be done on Skype, or in person. Your preference.
- You said, “OH MY GOSH my photos are fantastic, now what!?”
- If I feel that you are producing work adequate enough to begin to charge for your photography, we will focus more on marketing, customer service, and ideas of how to become a successful photographer. I will begin to ask you questions about what type of look you want, and how you want your photos to represent who you are. Personally, I absolutely love the Ad look– some people love, it some people hate it– but again, as a moderately successful young photographer, I am completely open to new ideas. Personally, cross processing is not my first choice, but I am highly proficient in the look, ironic huh? Please do not be afraid to ask questions! I am committed to helping you every second I am with you.
Now a quick last word– I am sure that each and every one of you will walk away with more than just an amazing shot or knowledge of a camera; you will walk away knowing that I wanted to help you every step of the way and that I am fully committed to what I do. Photography is my passion. I want to help other people who have a passion for this industry, but sometimes need a helping hand; I will be that helping hand for you. I want you to be able to interact with your clients in different ways that you could have never imagined. I want you to form, friendships and relationships, all in a matter of just a few hours. If you doubt this, I dare you to challenge me, because that’s when the real fun begins.
My name is Charles Siritho. I have always wanted to change the world, but that is highly unrealistic; however,if I can change ONE PERSON individually, that is good enough for me.
Locations
- Venue At The Grove (recommend for Composition & Composure, Off-Camera Lighting) $100 Dollar Fee
- Scottsdale Civic Center (recommended for all workshop categories)
- Scottsdale Water Front (recommended for Composition & Composure, Off-Camera Lighting)
- Papago Park (recommended for Composition & Composure, Off-Camera Lighting)
- Tempe Town Lake/Tempe Center for the Arts (recommended for Composition & Composure, Off-Camera Lighting)
- Mill Ave (recommended for Composition & Composure, Off-Camera Lighting)
- Downtown Phoenix (recommended for Composition & Composure, Off-Camera Lighting)
- Sedona (recommended for all the workshop categories, car pooling is highly recommend, LIVING SOCIAL CUSTOMERS, a $50 DOLLAR GAS SURCHARGE will be charged if requested, regular purchase, surcharge is included. )
- Studio (recommended for all the workshop categories; this is the most advanced course location)
Previous workshop attendees
(Photos they have taken)
Tori Blackwell
- “I met Charles when I was still in high school, and I thought I knew it all due to the 4 years of photo classes I had taken. Charles very quickly humbled me, making me realize I had so much to learn. I shadowed him for about 3 months. He would take me out on his shoots with him, and vise versa. Being the hands on learner I am, I learned more in the short time with him then I had in 4 years of photo. He constantly hounded me on what I needed work on, until the day I will never forget. The day when I finally got the thumbs up from him, when I knew I had “passed” in the book of Charles Siritho. I was so proud of myself and words cannot express how much respect and gratification I have for the man. Siritho is a great teacher. He is well balanced in many areas and can answer just about any question about photography for you…and if he doesn’t know the answer, he’ll find it. His character to some might seem a little..loud, obnoxious and eccentric, but he’s a warm hearted man who is truely passionate about what he does. He wants nothing but to see his friends and clients succeed. I know I still have a lot to work on and prefect, but I’ve come a very, very long way since I’ve met my good friend Charles, and that’s exactly what he is- more then a teacher, but a life long friend of mine.”
Andy Parra-Lopez
- “I always looked at Charles’ pictures and admired the way they were composed and processed. When he decided to start offering a mini workshop, I knew I had to jump on this opportunity.He was very helpful, professional and knowledgeable. He taught me some techniques that really opened some doors for me to start being creative and adding my own style to what he taught me. I would definitely recommend Charles Siritho if you want to get better at composition and/or processing.”
Look them up; feel free to ask them questions on how I teach and what they’ve learned from me and my workshops.
