Thomas Percival
Saturdays: April 18 and April 25, 2026
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
$165 non-member/ $150 member
Location: 1 Commandant’s Lane, Benicia
Level: Beginner
Age minimum: 18
Minimum 2 | Maximum 10
Class Description: Give your camera’s processor a rest! Learn how to take the photos you want! We’ve all experienced it, your camera can’t make the adjustments for a good picture, or it just can’t make up its mind and won’t allow you to take a picture at all. Photo 101 is a great starting point for anyone new to photography, or for someone who wants to build their confidence behind the camera, so you don’t have to depend on AUTO mode.
Students will learn the basic settings of their camera, i.e., shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and how to control each to be able to freeze motion, blur backgrounds, or shoot in tricky lighting. We will use part of the 2nd class to critique and evaluate ways to tackle the difficulties you might encounter with your photos.
Please join me to take your next step in learning the fundamentals of photography!
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Tom Percival has been a professional photographer for more than 35 years. His interest in photography began in high school and became a profession when he joined the United States Navy as a Naval Photographer. There, he learned and mastered the technical side of photography, from processing and printing color and black & white images, to being the ship’s photographer and running the ship’s photo lab. He developed a passion for large format, 4”x5”, photography, teaching himself Ansel Adams’ Zone System. He attained the rank of Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class (E-5) before leaving the service to attend college at Southwest Texas State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in small business management and marketing.
He started Envision Photography more than 30 years ago. At first, he assisted one of the top wedding photographers in Texas, then he began shooting weddings and portraits on his own. He also worked in a handful commercial photo labs before and after moving to the Bay Area with his wife, in the late 1990’s. He began specializing in architectural photography after their move, photographing homes, hotels, businesses, and wineries throughout Northern California and Hawaii.
Instructor Website: https://www.envisionphotography.com/home