Student Story – Gabriel Dominise

IOP student Gabriel Dominise tells us a bit about himself and his thoughts on the Advanced Diploma in Photography course.

IOP: Why did you decide to do an online course?
Gabriel Dominise: “In November of 2008, my wife gave me a Canon 400D as a birthday gift. I had tried learning photography by myself and although some of my photographs were featured in Metro Newspaper, BBC and two other magazines, I still wondered if I was doing the right things with my camera. I thought I should take a formal course in photography to learn more and discover what I was missing. My work schedule wouldn’t allow it to happen so an online course was the solution.”

IOP: Why did you choose IoP?
GD: “I was actively looking for a course provider that could positively enhance my knowledge of photography. It was important to me to know who was behind the course and who the mentors were. IOP appeared on my online search and I also researched more about Tim McCann the Course Director. His considerable expertise and 20 years or so in photography coupled with the affordable course fee sealed the deal. I was excited to be a student again and as expected, Tim handled my assessment professionally.”

IOP: What would you like to say about the course?
GD: “The course was just perfect for me. The best part is I’ve learned what I wanted to learn about photography. It was thorough and precise and I worked at my own pace. In fact, I was so enthusiastic that I finished the course relatively quickly. I highly recommended the course to beginners, more experienced photographers looking to refresh their knowledge and those who simply need more confidence.”

IOP: What kind of photography do you enjoy?
GD: “I most enjoy macro photography. I’m thrilled by seeing things that are not an everyday “normal” view. I saw some macro images online that made me wonder how they had done it and I felt frustrated … why can’t I take better macro shots? Armed with this desire and the knowledge imparted by IOP, I formulated my own macro method … I call it Dominise’s Macro Method (maybe some photographers are using this method as well, who knows?). I won the IOP Photographer of the Year 2013 for the macro shot above and here are the settings I used:

How to obtain a sharp focus in macro photography
(Equipment Canon 7D and Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8)

1. Use a tripod and a remote switch.

2. Set the following accordingly:
• exposure program: manual
• exposure mode: manual
• white balance: manual
• metering mode: pattern
• ISO: 100
• Shutter speed: 1/160s
• Aperture: f/5
• Flash mode: fired
• Focal length:90mm

3. Set lens to manual

4. Switch on live view shooting

5. Press AF point selection button to magnify subject to 5X. Press again to increase magnification to 10X if needed (magnification won’t operate if lens is in auto).

6. Adjust manual focus ring of lens.

7. Activate remote switch. DONE!”

IOP: What are you doing next?
GD: “My wife was so excited with my winning the IOP award that she upgraded my lens (after upgrading my camera to Canon EOS 7D during the London 2012 Olympics) to Canon 100x400mm. With this, I’m exploring wildlife. First, I’m venturing into the parks and lakes nearby and documenting the wildlife. Then I am really excited about my forthcoming first photo exhibition. The Communication Department of Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital where I’m working, was following my IOP Winner’s story. They offered to print and mount some of my images to be displayed in several areas of the NHS Trust. Watch this space in a couple of weeks!

Again, thanks to IOP for opening up these opportunities in my photography life.”

Enrol on an IOP course today…

See more of Gabriel’s work here and here.

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