District 196 Community Education

Learn how to take great close-up photos. Work with how to control your depth of field and lighting and what equipment works best. Photograph everything from flowers to rings and more. Let's move in and have fun!

Fireworks displays can be a great photographic subject as they evoke a lot of emotion and nostalgia with a touch of magic. They remind us of summers and holidays spent with family and friends, but can also be tricky to capture. They are fast moving balls of fire that explode at unpredictable intervals over crowds of people that may be blocking your view and it's in the dark. Learn how to tackle these challenges and walk away with the shot. Discover the steps involved starting with planning the shoot, which can be just as important as the actual shoot. Discuss the basic techniques used along with the equipment needed and the use of various accessories essential to capturing a display. Learn a unique technique of photographing fireworks called "Defocusing" which results in an unusual and very artistic view of fireworks. This class is geared towards people who own a DSLR or similar camera capable of manual or bulb settings and are familiar with these modes. The second session will be a location shoot to practice what we learned from the first session. Location and date is to be determined and will be weather dependent.

Take photos as you learn how the men and women of the MSP Airport Fire Department respond to day-to-day emergencies as well as prepare for large scale incidents at one of the nation’s busiest airports. See the various fire and rescue vehicles that are stationed at the airport for response to medical, structural and aircraft incidents. Tour the fire station living quarters where firefighters make their second home for 24-hours at a time. Hear about the training and education that firefighters undergo to become an airport firefighter at MSP. For photographers who already have an understanding of how to use their camera.

Walk among llamas and more in the final season of the Zoo’s South America immersive exhibit, a.k.a. Llama Trek, without the crowds. Learn how to make the llamas the stars of your photos through depth of field, by changing camera settings and shooting from different angles to achieve sharp and soft focus points where you want them.