Philly PAC had a busy month of April, hosting three very diverse type of events. These consisted of a photo walk around the historic section of Philadelphia, a seminar for learning how to get the camera off auto mode, and a studio lighting event for group and family portraits.

Elfreth’s Alley and Old City Philadelphia photo walk

On April 12th, a beautiful Saturday afternoon, 15 PAC members met at the historic section of Philadelphia to photograph its history and to socialize. Our starting point was Elfreth’s Alley , the nation’s oldest residential street. We worked our way up the street capturing all of the wonderful details of the houses built during the 1700’s . From there we walked a short distance to Christ’s Church, which has been standing since 1744. Some of the original parishioners included Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams and Betsy Ross. We concluded the walk at the Church burial grounds, a colonial and revolutionary graveyard.

Take Your Camera Off Auto With Kathy Peoples

On April 16th at Red Cedar Studios, Kathy Peoples taught a hands-on seminar for beginning DSLR and compact camera users. Her emphasis was on taking the mystery out of all of the buttons and dials, teaching how to use them so the user is in control of the photos taken. Kathy explained the importance of ISO, aperture, shutter speed and how each variable affects the final exposure. She also talked about the cameras “Scene Modes” and when to use them.

Kathy Peoples is a professional photographer, photographing weddings, baby, family and business portraits. Kathy offers private and group classes and also runs workshops. You can check out these at WWW.KatydidPhoto.com

A special thank you to Gregory Maxx for the use of his studio for this event

Basic Studio Lighting: Portraits for Groups and Families With Gregory Maxx

Also on April 16th at Red Cedar Studios, Gregory Maxx shared his knowledge regarding studio lighting as it relates to group and family photography. Greg walked the group through the process of setting up his lights, building the lighting he is looking for one at a time. He also showed how important it is to put your subjects at ease, how this relaxed atmosphere transfers to the final image. Greg worked with three young children, posing them while interacting with them to keep them interested and loose.

Greg also explained the different types of light modifiers he uses and in what situations. He talked about how we don’t always need the most expensive modifiers as some of his are DIY modifiers at a fraction of the cost to name brand equipment.

Gregory Maxx is a professional photographer based in Philadelphia who specializes in glamour, boudoir, portrait, family, music artist and wedding photography. He is the owner of Red Cedar Photo Studio, which is available for monthly and hourly rates. You can view his work and find out more at www.gregorymaxx,com

Philly PAC would also like to thank Bay Photo Labs www.bayphoto.com for their continued support of Philly PAC and PAC.