A Snappy Wednesday

I woke up this morning and decided to give my Snaptastic eCourse a little face lift. When students worked through the course back in October and November, new posts were presented daily. Until today, students visiting the eClassroom would see the last post first. That's no good for new student. So, I have worked my magic and now, all the posts are there waiting to be read by new students in the proper order. Beginning to end.

What does that mean for you?

If you haven't taken my eCourse, and were maybe waiting until I offered it again, you don't have to wait any longer! The entire course is there, waiting and ready, for you to work through. You can work through at your own pace, visiting daily or plowing through in a day. Once you have registered for Snaptastic, you will be invited to the classroom and you'll have unlimited access to the site. I'll never close it. So, if life gets in the way and you can't stop by for a day, a week, or even a month, that's totally okay. Come back any time. That also means ther is no start date or end date for the class. You could start today or you could start next week. It's all up to you!

Plus, as an added bonus, I am leaving comments open! So, you can continue to ask questions along the way. And, something very interesting happened as we worked through Snaptastic in October, the Q&A posts morphed into extra content posts.  There is a ton of new information that doesn't appear in the eBook. Things like white balance settings, shooting in aperture priority mode, adjusting exposure, bouncing light, cool add on products for your dslr, and a video of my photo editing technique have been added.

Are you wondering what other students thought about Snaptastic?

Erin of Erin Siegel Jewelry left this comment on the last post of the eCourse:

Thank you so much! I enjoyed your course and I learned a ton. I'm improving every time I pick up my camera, now with the information you've shared here. Before, I was just stuck doing the same thing because I just didn't know what else to do. Before, I didn't know what I was doing. Now, I understand what is going on! Again, thank you so much! I mentioned your e-course again on my blog tonight. http://erinsiegeljewelry.blogspot.com/2011/11/secret-stuff-and-snaptastic-photo.html

And Alice of Alice Dreaming had this to say:

Wow, it went so quickly! While I wasn't able to participate as much as I had wished, I want you to know I have learned a lot from this e-course. I'm a slow learner when it comes to anything technical, and when I do learn something, it is quickly forgotten if I don't use it often. I'm thankful I purchased the PDF form so I can refer back when I need to. Oh, and by the way, I'm so thankful for your demonstration of your natural light setup with the foam board etc. I've been using it with great success, and it's so easy to put up and take down.

Where I was once intimidated by all the bells and whistles of my camera, I am now less timid when it comes to taking it off automatic. And for that I thank you!

Come on, you know you want to take better pictures of your jewelry!

What are you waiting for?

What's to come...

I really couldn't be more excited to be previewing this project with you!! This right here, these few pictures, are a sneak peek at what Brandi Hussey and I have been working on for the past month. Back in August, after I a rather frustrating few days at the computer, I tweeted a cry for help in the design department and oh boy how she came to the rescue! Thank you, Brandi, for helping make my vision come to life. You ROCK my friend. Truly peps, if you need graphic design work done, she is your gal!

As you might have guessed (since I have mentioned it so often recently), this preview goes along with my new class, Snaptastic, that I'll be debuting at ArtBliss this weekend. There are still spaces open in class if you would like to join us. Today is the last day of online registration and after that, you can register at the door. I am about to tell you about my future plans for this class, but I want to stress, nothing is ever as good as being there, in person, learning hands on, asking questions, and bonding with other students. So, get there if you can!!

Now, back to these pages... they are from the eBook written to coincide with my new class. What I first thought would be simple slide show presentation splash pages evolved into a full blown eBook. I figured if I was prepping the content anyway, why not really bring it all together? I have had several emails and a few comments here on the blog too asking for this to be released in another form other than a retreat class.

I am thrilled to tell you that is going to happen... in two ways.

There are still a few details to work out, but the first of the two ways this will be release is as an eCourse. I am a bit of an eCourse junky. I have lost track of how many I have actually taken. And the good thing about that is that I have been exposed to many different styles of eCourse. I know what I like, and I know what I don't like about them. So, in building mine, I have been able to take all my favorite elements and build the best eClassroom I can.

It will be hosted on a private blog over a 5 week timeline. Once registration opens and when class begins, you will be sent an invitation to the virtual classroom. Each day through out the week, new content will be posted. You'll be able to ask questions in the comment area and on Saturday I'll post a summary of the most frequently asked questions from the week. We'll also have a private Flickr group where we can share photos and have encouraging critiques. When I return from Washington DC, I will narrow down the dates for the class, and set up a registration page.

Along with the interactive eCourse, I will release the eBook. For those that don't have time to commit to checking into a blog daily, you will have the eBook as a comprehensive reference guide for taking great jewelry photos. The eBook is 99 pages, with more than 140 photos, and it details exactly how I approach my jewelry photography. I share with you step by step everything from how to create a stage to take your photos to how to edit them after they come off the camera.

Now, why take the eCourse instead of just getting the eBook? It will be that fantastic Q&A component and having my undivided attention. The eBook will be the exact same content as the eCourse, minus the question and answer piece. And yes, you'll be able to send me a question if something comes up, but I will be hosting an eCourse and it may take time to get to it.

After the first 5 week run, I won't be taking down the eCourse site. It will remain available indefinitely so that you can come back at any time and follow the content at your own pace. Life gets crazy, I for one know that! And I want you to know you won't miss out. I will close comments after the eCourse ends but you will still be able to read them and have access to the Q&As. It also means that people will be able to join Snaptastic at anytime. If eCourse students would like the eBook to have for quick reference, that will be an option too.

This is a thrilling new adventure for me and I can't wait for you to join me on it. If you are ready to stop taking blurry photos with your flash washing out and over exposing them while having a piece of jewelry your proud of sitting on a kitchen counter... well then, you won't want to miss this!! I truly believe anyone can take great photos and you don't have to spend a fortune to do it. Now, who's with me?