My Cool Birthday Present

Yesterday at work my boss said she's been racking her brain on what to get me for my birthday (Monday, December 8th~not telling the year). She sent me this email:
Hello,
I hope this message finds you well this holiday season. I would like to invite you to my upcoming Kirstography Photographic Excursions. I have 8 excursions planned throughout Los Angeles in December. Each excursion lasts 4 hours, providing plenty of hands-on instruction and time to practice. The cost is $65 per photographer & is limited to 5 people.For further information or to book your excursion, please call or email.
Kirsten L. Levisen
310-980-8581
kirstography@ca.rr.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirstography
http://kirstography.smugmug.com/
Sunday, Dec 7th - Holiday Lights @ Griffith Park
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Los Angeles
An evening Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing holiday light displays after dark.
Bring your tripod & learn how to control your shutter speed to take long, low light exposures.
You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations to create better photos.
Control Shutter Speeds:*Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action)*Slow Shutter (blurred motion) Use Camera's "Night Scene" modes Use self timer or remote control Use flash with a slow shutter speed Use a tripod
Location Info:
http://www.dwplightfestival.com/index.htm
Friday, Dec 12th - Santa Monica Pier-Night Lights
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Santa Monica
An evening Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing the lights on the Ferris Wheel & other rides on the Santa Monica Pier. Bring your tripod & learn how to control your shutter speed to take long, low light exposures. Twilight is a beautiful time of night to capture all the of the lights & action around the pier. You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations to create better photos. Control Shutter Speeds: *Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action) *Slow Shutter (blurred motion) Use Camera's "Night Scene" modes Use self timer or remote control
Use flash with a slow shutter speed Use a tripod
Location Info:
http://www.santamonicapier.org/location.html
Saturday, Dec 13th - Getty Villa
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: Malibu
A daytime Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing the Roman inspired architecture and gardens of the Getty Villa. You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations & Techniques to create better photos. Control Lens Aperture: *Long depth of field (architecture) *Shallow depth of field (close-ups) Control Shutter Speeds: *Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action) *Slow Shutter (blurred motion) Compositional Techniques: *Rule of Thirds *Leading Lines *Curves *Compression/Expansion *Low Angle/High Angle View Point *Orientation-Horizontal vs. Vertical
Location Info:
http://www.getty.edu/visit/
Thursday, Dec 18th - Griffith Observatory
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Los Angeles
A twilight Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing the Art Deco architecture of The Griffith Observatory & the L.A. skyline. This excursion starts right before sunset & ends after dark. So, bring your tripod & learn how to control your shutter speed to take long, low light exposures. You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations & Techniques to create better photos. Control Lens Aperture: *Long depth of field (architecture) *Shallow depth of field (close-ups) Control Shutter Speeds: *Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action) *Slow Shutter (blurred motion) *Use Camera's "Night Scene" modes. Compositional Techniques: *Rule of Thirds *Leading Lines *Curves *Compression/Expansion *Low Angle/High Angle View Point *Orientation-Horizontal vs. Vertical
Location Info:
http://www.griffithobservatory.org/vshuttle.html
Saturday, Dec 20th - Union Station & Olvera Street
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: Downtown Los Angeles
A daytime Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing the architecture & activities of Union Station & Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations & Techniques to create better photos. Control Lens Aperture:
*Long depth of field (architecture) *Shallow depth of field (close-ups) Control Shutter Speeds:
*Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action) *Slow Shutter (blurred motion) Compositional Techniques: *Rule of Thirds*Leading Lines*Curves*Compression/Expansion*Low Angle/High Angle View Point
*Orientation-Horizontal vs. Vertical
Location Info:
Union Station http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Los_Angeles)
Olvera Street http://www.olvera-street.com/html/olvera_street.html

Now all I have to do is pick a day. How awesome is that present?! When I take pictures...I just guess at the settings and hope it comes out okay. Now I'll be able to learn details and the reasons behind it.

It's like learning a whole new language! The best part...it's HANDS ON, which I'm much better at than just reading from a book that doesn't make much sense to me. Now when I take my trip up to Utah on the 23rd, I can take AMAZING pictures and not doubt what I'm doing.

I've narrowed it down to two specific dates, one of the days teaches you the most, but I really need to learn about night shooting (I'm REALLY bad at it), so I'm kind of torn. I think I'll go with the day shoot and just pick her brain about night time settings...I'm kind of pushy that way.
I can't wait...it's the PERFECT gift!!