Bradenton Brand Opening Classes & Demos (So far!)
Night Sky Photography
Hosted By: GCC's Jack-of-all-trades,
Donnavan Evans
Location:
GCC Bradenton + Coquina Beach
Date / Time:
Saturday, Oct 17, 2:30-3:30pm
and Saturday, Oct 17, 8:30-9:15pm
This two-part class begins Saturday afternoon with a one-hour class at Gulf Coast Camera. We’ll cover the fundamentals of photographing stars and the night sky, including camera settings, focusing in the dark, lens selection, composition, and the equipment needed for a successful nighttime shoot.
Later that evening, weather permitting, we’ll meet at Coquina Beach for an optional hands-on field session. We’ll use the night sky and waxing moon as the setting for creative environmental portraits while practicing the techniques covered during class.
Schedule
Daytime Class
Saturday, 2:30–3:30 PM
Gulf Coast Camera in Bradenton
6709 State Road 70 E
Bradenton, FL 34203
Night-Sky Portrait Session
Saturday, 8:30–9:15 PM
Coquina Beach
Bradenton Beach, FL
The exact beach meeting point will be provided to registered participants.
What to Shoot When There is Nothing to Shoot
Hosted By:
Canon Rep Jeff Leimbach
Location:
Gulf Coast Camera - Bradenton
6709 State Road 70 E Bradenton, FL 34203
Date / Time:
Saturday, Oct 17, 4:30pm
Feeling uninspired with your photography? Join Jeff Leimbach at Gulf Coast Camera - Bradenton to discover photo opportunities hiding in everyday places.
Learn how personal photo assignments, unexpected angles, and looking above, below, and behind you can spark fresh ideas. Jeff will explore finding inspiration in unfamiliar locations, rain, and nighttime scenes, plus shooting on spec to explore new genres and build your portfolio.
Come away with practical ways to challenge your eye and keep creating—even when you think there’s nothing to shoot.
Fujifilm photo walk
Hosted By: Fujifilm Rep,
John Gordon
Location:
starts at Bradenton Riverwalk Splash Park
Date / Time:
Friday, Oct 16, 6:30pm
Join Gulf Coast Camera and Fujifilm for an evening of photography along the Bradenton Riverwalk as part of our Brand Opening celebration!
We’ll meet at the Riverwalk Splash Park at 6:30 PM, then explore the waterfront with our cameras. Look for interesting light, reflections, patterns, and everyday moments as the evening shifts from sunset into nighttime.
Whether you’re just getting started or have years behind the camera, come practice, share ideas, and enjoy an evening with fellow photographers.
Bring your camera, a charged battery, a memory card, and comfortable walking shoes. A tripod is optional for photographing the waterfront after dark.
RSVP and come ready to see the Riverwalk with fresh eyes!
I Didn't Know That!
Hosted By: GCC Bradenton Manager,
Michael Arbor
Location:
Gulf Coast Camera - Bradenton
6709 State Road 70 E Bradenton, FL 34203
Date / Time:
Friday, Oct 16, 2:30-3:30pm
All those camera questions you’ve been saving for “someday”? Bring them along.
Join Michael Arbor for a practical, lighthearted look at caring for your digital camera—from everyday upkeep and storage to the little habits that help keep your gear ready to shoot. We’ll explore common misconceptions, easily overlooked details, and questions you might feel you should already know the answers to.
Whether you’re new to photography or have years behind the lens, come curious. You might just leave saying, “I didn’t know that!”
Creating great travel portraits
Hosted By: Fuji Artist,
Bobbi Lane
Location:
Gulf Coast Camera - Bradenton
Date / Time:
Friday, Oct 16, 12:30pm
Travel puts unforgettable faces in front of you.
The question is whether you'll bring them home.
In a new and exotic place, everything competes for your attention: the sights, the food, the people. It's easy to fire off a quick snapshot and move on. Snapshots are great for memories. But a portrait that captures who someone is, and the place that shaped them, becomes more meaningful with every passing year.
In this presentation, Bobbi shares the simple, practical steps for turning fleeting encounters into portraits with soul:
- Approach with confidence. Walk up to strangers with warmth and ease.
- Connect across any language. Communicate and build trust, even without a shared word.
- Find the light. Position your subject in beautiful, flattering light.
- Tell their story. Choose backgrounds that reveal who they are and where they live.
Along the way, you'll sharpen your awareness of place, light, and color, and learn to let go of the fear that keeps so many photographers from ever raising the camera. No matter where you are in the world, we share a common humanity, and a smile is universal.
Come ready to see differently, connect deeply, and bring home portraits you'll treasure for a lifetime.
Bird Photography photo walk
Hosted By: Fuji Artist,
Bobbi Lane
Location:
Robinson Preserve, Brandonton, FL
Date / Time:
Saturday, Oct 17, 7:30am
Egrets preening in the morning light, an osprey scanning for prey, chicks peeking out of the nest: birds offer endless chances for magical images, and they won't wait for you to get ready! Join Bobbi, a lifelong birder, for a relaxed photo walk where you'll practice the skills that make bird photography so rewarding. She'll share her favorite camera settings and tips for sharp eyes, including how to use autofocus subject detection and the shutter speeds that freeze the action. You'll also learn how to track birds in flight, why staying a little wider helps you nail the shot, and how to handle a long lens with ease.
Bring your camera and your curiosity, and come ready to practice, practice, practice! Don't forget a charged battery, a memory card, and comfortable walking shoes.
flowers with flash
Hosted By: Fuji Artist,
Bobbi Lane
Location:
Gulf Coast Camera - Bradenton
Date / Time:
Saturday, Oct 17, 11:30am
Flowers are a favorite subject for good reason: their beauty, grace, and color are irresistible. The challenge is using light to reveal their texture, shape, and form.
Join Bobbi and discover how just ONE flash, on and off the camera, can make your flower images glorious. She'll guide you step by step, from choosing the feeling you want to capture to selecting the right light modifier, with simple techniques you can use at home or in the field. You'll also learn how to focus bracket for razor-sharp results!
Four Ways You'll Master Your Flash:
- Flash as the main light in a studio setting
- Outdoor fill flash
- Balancing ambient light and flash outdoors
- Focus stacking
street & travel photography
Hosted By: Fuji Artist,
Bobbi Lane
Location:
Gulf Coast Camera - Bradenton
Date / Time:
Friday, Oct 16, 4:30pm
Great street photography isn't about specs, it's about seeing.
Join Bobbi Lane and Lee Varis for a lively look at how the lens you choose shapes the way you capture a place and the people in it.
Using Fujifilm's fast, compact prime lenses and a versatile zoom, they explore the process behind the pictures: finding a sense of place, working with light, scale, and perspective, telling a story, and deciding when to include people and when to leave them out.
Through images from their own travels, you'll see how each focal length changes your vision and learn how to choose the right lens for the way you want to experience and photograph a location.
Nikon - beyond the manual
Hosted By: Nikon Rep Derek Skaggs
Location:
Gulf Coast Camera - Bradenton
Date / Time:
Friday, Oct 16, 11:30am
A deeper dive into camera setup, along with display, custom functions, and a look at features like focus stacking and autofocus controls.
Pensacola Classes & Events
Digital Basics - Getting Off Auto
Our digital photography basics class explains manual exposure by clearly covering aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. You'll learn how these core settings work together to create well-exposed images in a variety of shooting situations. This class is ideal for photographers who want a strong foundation and more control over their camera.
Camera Button Breakdown
Take control of your camera and start creating photographs with confidence.
Have you ever looked at all the buttons, dials, and menus on your camera and wondered where to begin? Camera Button Breakdown is designed to help you move beyond Auto mode by explaining what your camera's controls actually do and, more importantly, when to use them.
Whether you own a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or bridge camera, this hands-on class will help you become more comfortable with your equipment in a relaxed, beginner-friendly environment.