Your camera isn’t complicated. It’s just unfamiliar. Our small-group classes take you from your first shutter press to images you’re proud to print. They’re taught in-store in Orleans and out in the field on the Outer Cape.
Multi-session courses that build skills step by step. New sessions start every few weeks, all year.
One-time monthly events, each on a different topic, with a short talk in the store followed by a guided shoot.
Classes are capped at 8–10 people, so you get real time with your instructor.
Just got a camera? Start with Know Your Camera, or Smartphone Photography if your phone is your camera.
Ready to learn the real thing? Take Intro to Photography: Get Off Auto. Most of our students start here.
Want more control? Move on to Beyond Fundamentals: Take Control, then Composition 1 and 2 and Lightroom Basics.
Curious about film? Intro to Film, then Film 2: Shooting With Intent.
Keep shooting: monthly workshops, Critique Night and our seasonal field classes.
Finally understand the buttons, dials and menus.
A hands-on session grouped by camera type. We walk through the settings that matter, set up your camera the way the pros do, and cover autofocus basics, memory cards, batteries and care. Free with a camera purchased at Orleans Camera within 60 days.
From camera obscura to the camera in your pocket.
The story of how photography was invented: the people, the processes and the images that changed how we see the world. Add the hands-on option to make your own cyanotype or pinhole image.
Our most popular class. Take your camera off auto for good.
Learn the three settings behind every photo (aperture, shutter speed and ISO) and how they work together. We cover shooting modes, focus, white balance and reading your histogram, then put it all to work on a guided photo walk.
Next session: Saturday, November 14, Monday, November 16 and Wednesday, November 18, 5:30–7:30 pm. $179.
Sign UpYou’ve got the basics. Now make the camera do what you want.
The next step after Get Off Auto. Shoot in full manual with confidence, choose the right metering and focus modes for the moment, and handle tricky light like bright skies, backlight and low light. You’ll learn to freeze or blur motion on purpose and get consistent results without guessing.
Learn to see the photo before you take it.
The building blocks of a strong image: framing, balance, leading lines, foreground and background, and when to break the rules. Ends with a golden-hour shoot.
From good photos to photos with something to say.
Go deeper on light, layers, color and visual storytelling. Bring your work to a group critique and leave with clear next steps.
Organize, edit and share your photos with confidence.
Import and organize your library, then learn a simple editing routine you can repeat on every photo. Finish by exporting for print, web and social. Bring a laptop.
What judges look for, and how to get there.
Learn how competition images are judged and how to plan, shoot and refine a winning entry. Your final assignment is an entry in our in-store photo contest, with a judged critique.
Great photos with the camera you already carry.
Get the most out of your phone: composition, light, portrait and night modes, simple editing, and organizing and sharing your photos. Relaxed, friendly and beginner-paced.
Your best photos deserve more than a screen.
How to choose, prepare and size images for printing, and how paper and finish change the look. Work with our in-house lab to make prints you’ll want to hang.
Shoot your first roll the right way.
Learn how to load, meter and shoot a 35mm film camera. Then shoot a roll on your own, and we develop and scan it in our in-house lab. In the second session we review your roll together and work out what to try next. Film, developing and scans are included.
Every frame counts. Make them count on purpose.
For shooters who’ve finished a few rolls and want more from each one. Each session focuses on a different theme: black and white on Ilford XP2 Super, night photography on CineStill 800T, and half-frame. Your rolls are developed in our lab.
All film classes use 35mm C-41 film, developed in-house at Orleans Camera.
Wildlife photography where the Cape is at its wildest.
A classroom session on autofocus, shutter speeds for birds in flight and long-lens technique. Then two field mornings at spots like Wellfleet Bay, Fort Hill and Morris Island. We also cover field craft, ethics and safe wildlife distances. Long lenses are available to rent.
Photograph the stars over the National Seashore.
Plan a night shoot around the moon and weather, focus in the dark, expose for stars, and create star trails. Then head out on a new-moon night to the Cape Cod National Seashore. Every session has a rain date.
The quiet season is the best season.
Use long exposures and ND filters to turn waves, clouds and winter light into calm, minimal images of the off-season coast.
One topic a month. Something new to try every time.
Each workshop opens with a short talk in the store, followed by a guided shoot nearby. Indoor topics stay in the store. Topics rotate on a two-year cycle, so you can come every month without repeating one. Workshops are for anyone who has taken Get Off Auto or has similar experience.
Stuck on a setting? Book 30 minutes with us.
One-on-one help with your camera, any brand. Bring your gear and your questions.
Bring three photos and get honest, friendly feedback.
A relaxed group review where you’ll see what’s working, what to try next, and what other local photographers are shooting. Just drop in.
Most classes are built around your own camera. Rentals are available if you don’t have one, or if you want to try a different lens.
Usually 8–10 people. A class runs once 5 people have signed up.
All of them. As a Canon authorized dealer we know Canon inside out, but every brand is welcome.
Yes. Gift certificates are available for every class and workshop.
Sign up for a class, or tell us what you’d like to learn and we’ll let you know when it’s next running. Stop in at 9 West Road, Skaket Corners, Orleans, or call 508-240-1300.