OK, time to maybe make an enemy.

As a 35 year classroom teacher (34 paid and one as a student teacher) I will put most of it on you as the teacher.

You assumed that this more or less beginner knew the photographic jargon you were using - always teach as if the student knows '0' zero about the subject including the vocabulary. And I don't know if you did or did not have "cheat sheets" made up to hand out but it is a good idea. I sometimes had former students show up at open house nights and tell me they had finally gotten out my handouts and their notes and tried the study skills I drilled into them "You know what Mister, it worked!"

I know going over that stuff can be boring for someone who knows it already, esp if it is the Xth time for the XXth year in a row. I did 5 or 6 classes a day for 16 years at a Jr High. And it was just as bad during my 19 years total at Sr Highs. The % of kids who arrived at Jr or Sr High without the basics was a crime. And I am talking about kids born and raised in the US, not the immigrant kids still learning English.

I once had a gifted kid (8th grade in a Jr High) and his Mom complain to an Admin in a parent conference that many of my lessons were beneath him and the other gifted students - esp the lessons on how to study, read maps and history/geography vocabulary. I pulled out his last few quizzes and tests, laid them in front of the admin and Mom - "If it is so basic it is beneath you why is your best grade a C-?" After that he was still a pain in the neck but started doing the work and his grades came up to where they should have been.

In spite of it being a GATE class (Gifted And Talented Education=GATE I went with the idea they knew nothing about study skills and even reading and vocabulary. Because some of our feeder schools were not very good and the current Ed Fad was "creative games and critical thinking" (my name for it) without basics and very little knowledge. I was largely right.

So, teach as if the student knows nothing, if it turns out the class/group does know a fair amount you can speed up and skim a rehash of the information. Who knows some of them may have 90% of it down pat already but be missing 10% - and the more in the class the more likely those gaps will cover almost all of the information when you map out everyone's knowledge gaps.

This is not meant to belittle the photographer--I seriously tried to help this person. But it is so very funny that I just have to tell someone--if you are a photographer---this should bring a smile to your face.

Saturday night I took 32 members from a combined 3 local camera clubs to photograph the Miami skyline at night. I was there as an instructor to teach them how to accomplish this. I had spoken at all three clubs about the technique and types of settings that would yield the best results before the big night.

Thus Saturday night we ended up on a sidewalk looking at the Towering condominiums of the Miami skyline at sunset. Everyone set up their tripods and began composing their images and taking their first shots as the sun sank and the light began to dim. One gentleman, was asking for lots of help with his settings and his composition. The settings were easy to correct but I told him that the most interesting part of the composition was the building that were beginning to light up and the colorful sky behind them. It was not yet dark enough for light reflections to appear on the bay waters. Thus I told him he should RAISE the angle of view in his composition so as to get less water, and more sky. He said he would try it and I turned to help someone else.

NOW HERE IT COMES-- Moments later, when I turned back to look at him I saw him use his cable release to trip the shutter, and then WITH ONE HAND, WHILE TAKING THE IMAGE, HE PICKUP HIS TRIPOD AND HELD IT ABOUT A FOOT OFF THE GROUND!! In shock if asked "What are you doing?" He replied:

"WELL YOU TOLD ME I HAD TO RAISE THE ANGLE OF VIEW"

I was speechless...

This is not meant to belittle the photographer--I seriously tried to help this person. But it is so very funny that I just have to tell someone--if you are a photographer---this should bring a smile to your face.

Saturday night I took 32 members from a combined 3 local camera clubs to photograph the Miami skyline at night. I was there as an instructor to teach them how to accomplish this. I had spoken at all three clubs about the technique and types of settings that would yield the best results before the big night.

Thus Saturday night we ended up on a sidewalk looking at the Towering condominiums of the Miami skyline at sunset. Everyone set up their tripods and began composing their images and taking their first shots as the sun sank and the light began to dim. One gentleman, was asking for lots of help with his settings and his composition. The settings were easy to correct but I told him that the most interesting part of the composition was the building that were beginning to light up and the colorful sky behind them. It was not yet dark enough for light reflections to appear on the bay waters. Thus I told him he should RAISE the angle of view in his composition so as to get less water, and more sky. He said he would try it and I turned to help someone else.

NOW HERE IT COMES-- Moments later, when I turned back to look at him I saw him use his cable release to trip the shutter, and then WITH ONE HAND, WHILE TAKING THE IMAGE, HE PICKUP HIS TRIPOD AND HELD IT ABOUT A FOOT OFF THE GROUND!! In shock if asked "What are you doing?" He replied:

"WELL YOU TOLD ME I HAD TO RAISE THE ANGLE OF VIEW"

I was speechless...

This is not meant to belittle the photographer--I seriously tried to help this person. But it is so very funny that I just have to tell someone--if you are a photographer---this should bring a smile to your face.

Saturday night I took 32 members from a combined 3 local camera clubs to photograph the Miami skyline at night. I was there as an instructor to teach them how to accomplish this. I had spoken at all three clubs about the technique and types of settings that would yield the best results before the big night.

Thus Saturday night we ended up on a sidewalk looking at the Towering condominiums of the Miami skyline at sunset. Everyone set up their tripods and began composing their images and taking their first shots as the sun sank and the light began to dim. One gentleman, was asking for lots of help with his settings and his composition. The settings were easy to correct but I told him that the most interesting part of the composition was the building that were beginning to light up and the colorful sky behind them. It was not yet dark enough for light reflections to appear on the bay waters. Thus I told him he should RAISE the angle of view in his composition so as to get less water, and more sky. He said he would try it and I turned to help someone else.

NOW HERE IT COMES-- Moments later, when I turned back to look at him I saw him use his cable release to trip the shutter, and then WITH ONE HAND, WHILE TAKING THE IMAGE, HE PICKUP HIS TRIPOD AND HELD IT ABOUT A FOOT OFF THE GROUND!! In shock if asked "What are you doing?" He replied:

"WELL YOU TOLD ME I HAD TO RAISE THE ANGLE OF VIEW"

I was speechless...

This was entirely YOUR fault, not his. You made some incorrect assumptions - a)you were dealing with someone that was playing with a full deck, b)he brought the deck with him, c)he had a basic level of photographic ability and common sense, d)he knew how to operate his tripod either the 3 way pan head or a ball head that he had attached the camera to, e)he understood the primary benefit of a tripod - to provide a sturdy, stable platform to minimize camera movement and blur with slow shutter speeds. You obviously missed all the warning signs.

Just yanking your chain - this guy should take up another hobby, like stamp collecting. He should not be allowed anywhere near camera gear. You were absolutely right to be speechless -