Step Outside is a three-day online learning extravaganza put on by Olympus visionaries and professional instructors. Normally, each class would cost $29, but you can tune in live to any (or all!) of them for free next Wednesday–Friday, August 14–16. Click here to watch the trailer for the event or to RSVP for the classes of your choice!
The Schedule
| Wednesday, Aug. 14th | Thursday, Aug. 15th | Friday, Aug. 16th |
| 9:00 AM: Macro Photography: Insects & Plant life | 9:00 AM: Beginner’s Guide to Bird Photography | 9:00 AM: Beginner’s Guide to Astro Landscape Photography |
| 1:00 PM: Olympus Lenses: The Complete Guide | 12:30 PM: Image Critique | 12:30 PM: Image Critique |
| 1:00 PM: Olympus OM-D E-M1X Fast Start | 1:00 PM: Landscape Photography: Capturing Adventure |
The Classes
Beginner’s Guide to Astro Landscape Photography
Olympus Visionary Peter Baumgarten will draw on his extensive star-shooting experience to lead you through gear choice, preparatory research, safety precautions, troubleshooting, and more. On-location footage will provide an immersive setting while you’re set up to capture the Milky Way, meteor trails, and more on your next astrophotography shoot.
Beginner’s Guide to Bird Photography
Ben Knoot is a lifelong lover of the environment. Having studied environmental policy and education, he now leads birding tours professionally. Learn how to properly research your subject (both for better photos and a better experience), the best lighting and composition techniques for birds, and get a baseline in fast post-processing techniques to make your workflow more efficient.
Image Critique
Submit your own wildlife, landscape, night, and travel photos for an interactive Q&A/critique with Peter Baumgarten and Ben Knoot. This one will be live both Thursday and Friday!
Landscape Photography: Capturing Adventure
Go into the field with a professional adventure photographer: Ryan Resatka will take you through a variety of essential skills for the roving photographer: packing lightly but effectively, researching rules for photographers at National Parks, finding suitable lodging, and (of course) how to approach a variety of shooting situations to make your landscapes stand out from everyone else’s.
Macro Photography: Insects & Plant life
Climb into another world with Olympus photographer/designer Chris McGinnis. This beginner-friendly class will teach you what, precisely, the oft-misunderstood category of macro photography is (it might be different than you think!) before diving into techniques to take great macro photos. Learn how to use your camera effectively and how to understand insects’ behaviors and relationships to plant life to make your shooting intentional rather than random.
Olympus Lenses: The Complete Guide
John Greengo has been shooting for over three decades, so he’s had his share of experience with a variety of lenses. Get the masterclass in glass available from Olympus from a pro who’s seen it all, covering both what is available as well as helping you understand what your lens kit should be doing for you.
Olympus OM-D E-M1X Fast Start
Also taught by John Greengo, this course is way more fun than the manual, and will leave you with at least as much understanding of the incredibly powerful (yet tiny!) OM-D flagship, the E-M1X. Learn the ins and outs of the menus, buttons, and dials, then develop your own pre-shot checklist to make sure you’re prepared to meet any situation.