Donald Peters
Donald Peters
Donald Peters has been making photographic images for 50 years. He was drawn to the hobby at scout camp, soon developing his own black and white prints. From there, his interest exploded. As a young adult, he was a staff photographer for the Scholastic, student magazine at the University of Notre Dame. Soon after that, he installed a dark room in his home and continued to hone his skills. Today, Don focuses on digital photography, but one thing that has not changed is his passion that he developed as a child.
Donald studied in the field with Bryan Peterson, founder of PPSOP (Picture Perfect School Of Photography), and collaborated on — Bryan’s recent book, “Understanding Flash Photography.”
Don’s photography portfolio includes many images from his world travels, including France, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, the Balkans, and Russia. He enjoys capturing his best memories on film.
A freelance photographer, Donald Peters’ images have been exhibited in publications and other settings, including the travel section of the Orlando Sentinel.
Call Digital Photo Academy at 1 877 372 2231. Lots of people seem to hang up if our welcome recording comes on instead of a live voice, but we promise to return your message within a day or two if you leave one with your name and number. It would be even better if you included your e mail address as well as the date and city of the class you are considering. If leaving a voice mail message is not your thing, please email us at [email protected] or [email protected].
Erin P
Don was a great instructor and I learned a lot! He even adjusted the curriculum to my and the other students proficiency with photography! I would recommend him and this course to anyone!
– Erin
Jacqueline K
Great class! I appreciate all the information I received.
– Jacqueline
Randy N
The instructor was great and I appreciated the handouts with examples. That helped my understanding of the concepts.
– Randy
Greta Huizenga
Great teacher! Great info! I really benefitted from this private course!
Chris Larson
I meant to send you a note yesterday but the afternoon got away from me. Don and I had a very productive and enjoyable morning. His easy style was very helpful and I enjoyed getting to know him and his techniques. We took some time to go over my concerns, talk about my equipment and talk about technical craft, and then we walked around the city and put some of those approaches to work. We’ve exchanged a few emails and he has shared many helpful papers and documents too. I really appreciate his insight and I hope we stay in touch! Thanks to Don and DPA!
Chris Larson
Liz Fenix
“Thank you again for the class today! Definitely walked away with tons of info and tools to use as I venture out on my own! Here’s one of my shots of the moment captured of Sylvia with the little boy….Thank you”
-Liz Fenix
Anonymous
“It was a great session with Don. Really helpful to do some time inside on the camera basics before heading out to the field. Thanks guys for a great session!”
-Anonymous
Angela
“What a great way to learn my camera and get some great pictures of Orlando!!!”
-Angela
Patfenell
Donald,
I really enjoyed the class today. Thanks for getting me motivated to get out and take my camera with me.
I will keep in touch and hope for any of your insights on how I’m doing.
Pat
Carrie Jameson
“Thanks Don – great class with excellent instruction as usual! 🙂 ”
-Carrie
John Blackwood
“Don
Thanks for the great class we had a great time and learned some things along the way. ”
-John
Laurel Crown
“Sorry I haven’t sent a more detailed report or reviews of the pics others have posted. Honestly, I feel a little intimidated by my inexperience. I really enjoyed getting to spend three hours focused (no pun intended) entirely on taking photos. Even though I didn’t spend my time on the technical aspects of my shots, I loved seeing the city from the perspective of the water taxi and as a photographer. Isaac was more serious about applying the techniques Don taught us, and really enjoyed the experience. ”
-Laurel
Daniel Schmanski
“I definitely enjoyed the class. I thought the location and route along the Chicago River was very good in providing unique photo opportunities. Don was a very good instructor and explained camera techniques well and understandably. In addition to that, I think that he did well in making the point that photography is really just an art and you should try to capture a piece of art in your shots rather than just a photo. Good class.”
-Dan
Mirta Martinez
“Over the weekend I took a class with Mr. Peters and this was by far one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. He was very well prepared, professional, attentive to our questions, helpful and patient.
I would highly recommend this class with this professor to everyone I can!
Thank you”
-Mirta
Kenee Ramirez
“I want to say thank you for putting on these classes for newbies like myself. I found that the session on Saturday was very conducive for learning. I enjoyed Don’s informal and down to earth approach to sharing his knowledge with me and the other students. The venue provided a variety of subjects to photograph and many learning opportunities. I definitely learned many new techniques that I will for sure be able to apply as I continue to learn and grow as a photographer.
Don was awesome! I specifically enjoyed the shooting examples and the times when he would say “Shoot it, then focus with your feet, now shoot it again now get closer and shoot it again!”, LOL, I will forever use this technique. I was immediately able to see a difference in my images on the spot. It was like a light bulb finally came on in my photographer mind.
I appreciate Don taking the time to view my photos and providing his feedback and suggestions to get better images in the future. I would definitely recommend these classes to any new photographer and would sincerely consider attending some of the sessions at other locations.”
-Kenee Ramirez
Eileen Dusek
“Thank you for a very great class, certainly did learn a lot and hope to continue my photographic adventures.
Have a wonderful day”
-Eileen Dusek
Carrie Jameson
“Love your pictures, especially the girl and her reflection in the water.
I also wanted to say i really appreciate the handouts, and the gear tips. Both are super helpful!
I had a great time! Thanks for a fabulous day!”
-Carrie Jameson
MariCarmen Saldivar
“I just want to let you know I had a great time learning composition with Don Peters.
Unfortunately I got late, however Don was very kind and helped me to catch up
and I learn a lot and had a very good time.
Don was very responsive and help to look things on different way that resulted in very nice photos. He looked at my pictures and gave honest and creative feedback.
I look forward to attend another class with Don.”
-MariCarmen Saldivar
David Montague
“Just wanted to pass along a shot I took last night. Don Peters has been great to work with and continues to offer constructive advise on how I can take my images to the next level. I still have a very long way to go….
Thanks again and I really enjoyed the Saturday, Lake Eola class.”
-David Montague
irisht53
“Just providing feedback on the class I took on 1/31/15, instructed by Don Peters.
Don was very good at instruction, conveying how the settings on the Camera can be used get different results in our photos, and when we may want to use those settings. Also he provided great explanation and examples of different things to look for in a subject, to make the photo more interesting.
While taking photos, Don let us explore on our own, while periodically providing direction on potential subjects, and providing feedback on some photos we had taken. He was also very supportive and informative when questions were asked in the field.
All in all, I’d say that thanks to Don’s instruction, I’ve started looking at the environment differently, when it comes to taking photos, and I feel more confident in the shots that I’m taking.
Lastly, the venue was great. I enjoyed the variety of scenery, from a downtown setting, to the variety of architecture in the buildings, to the lake and birds, and some nature shots as well.
I’d recommend this class to any new/novice/intermediate photographer, to get a better feel of how to get the pictures they want from their camera, and how to begin looking at things that would make an interesting photo.”
-Trevor Lewellen
Student Remarks
“Dear Don, Just a quick thank you for today’s wonderful class at St. James–my daughter Moira and I loved it, thank you so much. We’ll be back to try to join you in your next class…need to check schedules and get our ‘ducks in a row’ — we will be steadfast with our manuals and basic ‘fun practice’ and hope to see you again soon. I do especially hope my son Matthew will join us one time too. You are an awesome teacher Don, it was an honor being with you! Enjoy the rest of your weekend…take care, Moira Felish and Mary Murray (Mom) Felish (and Matthew in absentia!) PS Please keep us posted too about shows where your work may be featured. I am trying to take the kids to photography shows and I think yours would be incredible.”
-Michael Felish
Administrator
“Thanks again for a great class yesterday.. We could not have had a better day for weather, the class size was perfect for learning as a group, the dynamics of the group worked well together, everyone interacted with everyone else. We don’t always get that.. And needless to say the
instructor was very informative but more than that you were there for us and we felt that.. You stayed very engaged with us, watching us and making sure we were understanding.. Your enthusiasm for photography and people shows through!!!”
– Donna Armstrong
Administrator
“I have learned so much from you and I thank you for being a remarkable instructor. I will be finally moving out of Green mode (auto mode) on my DSLR and start exploring other interesting features. You made the class interesting and fun and instilled me with the desire to continue learning.
I appreciate you letting me know what I am doing wrong along with giving me ways I can correct my mistakes. It is comforting to know that whenever I have a question you answer right away.
Once again, thank you so much for your time, expertise and patience.”
– Ashok
Administrator
“I just wanted to tell you how much my husband and I enjoyed the photography class at the Lincoln Park Zoo (8/3/13), taught by Don Peters. My husband is an avid amateur photographer with years of experience and lots of camera equipment, and I’m a novice with no skills at all, comfortable with just a point-and-shoot. I purchased our tickets through Groupon for my husband’s birthday, thinking that he would love a “composition in the field” photography class. I didn’t realize until after the class was over that he actually was dreading the class beforehand, because he expected it would be too structured and simplified. I was somewhat apprehensive for the opposite reason — I feared it would be too advanced and intimidating for a novice like me. Both of us ended up being pleasantly surprised.
Don Peters is an excellent teacher who adjusts his teaching to fit the skill levels and needs of his students. He presented basic information at the beginning of the class that was clear enough for me to understand, and yet helpful even for an experienced photographer like my husband. Then he led our group around the zoo to practice the skills he taught us. He was always available to answer questions and assist us, but there was no pressure to do things a certain way. He encouraged us to experiment. We both came away feeling like we learned a lot; I was not intimidated, and my husband was not bored. 🙂 Don even followed up with handouts of helpful tips for things he noticed people in our group seemed to be interested in, like photographing flowers, or how to adjust the shutter speed to “freeze” the water flowing from a fountain.
We came away from the class feeling like it was definitely worth it. Don Peters is good at explaining concepts and helping his students to feel comfortable. I would take a class from him again, and I would recommend him to others.”
– Linda L.
Administrator
“I just wanted to let you know that I attended the Church Street/Lake Eola (Orlando) Composition in the Field class on March 23rd with Don Peters. He did a fantastic job and I thoroughly enjoyed it. He catered the class to the student’s needs and desires and I appreciate that as I am very new at it.
Don is a great asset to your company. I hope you offer more classes with him.”
– Tricia
Administrator
“I attended the Composition class Saturday in Chicago. It was a WONDERFUL experience!!! I learned from the moment I arrived! I learned about the settings on my camera that I had no idea about. I learned to take some great and fun shots that I need to practice now. I appreciated the instructor Don Peters, who taught camera settings, suggestions for different angles to photograph, as well as types of photography (like moving cars, etc.).
It was a great way to spend the day!
I think I’d like to practice what I learned at this class and then take the same class again in several months to further deepen my knowledge about both my camera and about photo composition.
Thanks for making the class so enjoyable!”
– Ruth Lamour