YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Yokosuka Naval Base residents are being offered the opportunity to learn to shoot like a professional, through a new photography class offered through the Yokosuka Community Center.
No camera or experience is necessary.
The 10-week class will be taught by Petty Officer 1st Class Alan Warner, a photographer with Yokosuka’s Fleet Imaging shop.
Warner said he’s been hoping to teach a photography class for several years. He taught a small course at a high school during his last shore command in the United States a few years ago.
And on his last ship, his skipper asked him to prepare a class or instructional video to teach photography to amateurs. He’s mulled the idea for years, he said, so when the community center called asking if anyone at Fleet Imaging could offer residents a quick course, he was thrilled.
“In the Navy, you don’t always get to do fun jobs,” he said. The class “is 35 years of experience in 10 classes.”
The classes are scheduled for Wednesdays; the first is this week.
Each class will focus on different types of cameras and the fundamentals of photography.
“It’s what makes a good picture,” Warner said. “It’s extremely thorough.”
Using about 100 slides per class, he hopes to show people how small details make a big difference — such as standing a few feet to one side or using a different type of lens.
Warner said he also plans to go over the functions of many popular cameras, including his favorite, Nikon, and Canon cameras.
Center officials said the class costs $5 per session and is open to all ages, although very young children must be accompanied by adults.
Although the class is very basic, organizing it took a substantial amount of work, Warner said. “It was actually a challenge to get it together.”
The class will cover basic camera operation and shooting technique and theory. Types of photographs to be covered include family and people, sports and action, nature and landscape, and travel photography.
Warner also is to discuss the business of photography.
He said he plans to add field trips and workshops to help participants gain experience.
After the initial 10-week class, Warner said, he hopes to offer the course once more before he moves later this year.
The class is to begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Community Center’s third-floor lecture hall. Call 241-4111 for more information.
