From Finance to Photography

After talking money on the Board of Finance, Mark Smith has a new topic: photography.

The former U.S. Marine is leading a handful of people who want to improve their camera skills.

As he led his students along a trail at the Trumbull Nature & Arts Center one recent Saturday, he had many pointers. He later said he runs his own photo studio.

Some of his hints:

• "You can never get too close to the subject;"
• Shade the lens on sunny days and use the flash.
• "Be a director. Don't be scared to tell people what to do."
• "Make sure your lens is clean."
• "Have good stability in what you're doing."
• "Don't put a death grip on your camera."
• "Computer screens lie to you. They're not that clear compared to a print."
• Take different angles.
• Visualize the photo before picking up the camera. "The camera's the last thing.
• Read the camera's manual.

Smith's students are assigned to take lots of pictures and post them on Flickr. The classes meets every other Saturday. Future classes will discuss different aspects of photography, from landscapes to portraits.

Everyone learned something on their first day.

"I didn't realize you can use the flash in the sun," said Kimberly Adams of Stamford.

Ruth Mohr, a member of the Trumbull Nature Commission, which is the basis of the center, said she learned to vary the angle of shots.

Other class members were Kristy Nickson, Sarah Bojnec and Karen Clausi of Trumbull.

Meg Barnes, a master gardener who also teaches at the center, and Pam Georgas, chairwoman of the Trumbull Nature Commission (the base of the ), are also students.

Upon closing the class, Smith had some more advice.

"I want you to be creative in your approach. You learn more from your mistakes than you do your best shots," he said.