Pro photographer brings instructional course to Belvoir

Belvoir photography enthusiasts have an opportunity this month to participate in a four-week digital imaging course taught by a professional photographer.

The Kawamura Arts Center hosts the training sessions on Saturdays, 9 to 11 a.m., starting with a course overview and demonstration Jan. 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

According to Luke Pinneo, instructor and owner of Creative Communication, the classes are designed to teach aspiring photographers simply how to take better pictures.

“We have a saying in the photography industry: a great photographer can make a good picture no matter how bad the camera, but a bad photographer can’t make a good picture no matter how great the camera,” he said. “Part of the course is to help students recognize the difference between an image that is visually arresting and stunning and one that is simply a properly exposed image of an otherwise boring subject. And we want students to go from accidental picture takers to deliberate picture makers. With today’s technology, it’s easy to get a lucky shot.
We’re interested in making it repeatable.”

Pinneo is an active-duty photographer and writer for the U.S. Coast Guard and was inspired to create the photography class from his experiences teaching others in his military position.

“I had for years tossed around the idea of pursuing teaching further,” he said.
“I’ve always felt very at home with it and there is a tremendous value, both for the student and the teacher, during the exchange of ideas, especially when dealing with a creative subject like photography.”

“Sometime after we moved here to Fort Belvoir, I answered an ad for instructors on the MWR website,” Pinneo added. “After meeting with them and working out several versions of the curriculum, we beta-tested it in the fall of 2011. And we got unanimously positive feedback from the students.”

Students participating in this course can expect to delve into the particulars of photography from the very start.

“Right from day one students can count on being incredibly inspired and heavily informed,” Pinneo said. “Whether they are beginners or experienced, the lessons build from a full overview of the basics right through to advanced creative thinking exercises. We developed lessons to help each individual tap into their own creative source, to develop their own unique creative thumbprint. Most people mimic, which is OK in the beginning — that’s how we learn. But at some point, we’ve got to grow our own creative wings. Few do this, which is why we see a lot of the same images over and over again. So we teach in the context of individual expression.”

Pinneo said that being a photography instructor has been a valuable experience personally, allowing him to work with new photographers in an effort to increase the overall quality of the images being produced in an industry that often suffers from mediocrity because of the advances in automatic technology.

“It’s reassuring to know that we’re investing in the future of the photo industry by helping newcomers understand the value of quality — not just image quality, but holistic quality, in how they interact with subjects, how hard they’re willing to work on new ideas and projects, and whether they see themselves as mere shutterbugs or as craftsmen,” he said. “This is the legacy of the craft. We talk about this in class—the value of preserving the industry. A lot of people think it’s just taking pictures, but this is our visual history we’re talking about here. It should be superb.”

Additional information about the photography course and the schedule of upcoming classes is available by contacting the Kawamura Arts and Crafts Center at (703) 806-4647. Luke Pinneo may be contacted through his website, www.lukepinneo.com.