Photoshop World 2010: Las Vegas

Photoshop World 2010: Vanelli’s Itinerary

Photoshop World 2010
March 24–26, 2010
Orange County Convention CenterOrlando, Florida

I admit, I’m spoiled by getting to attend Photoshop World twice a year. But that still doesn’t make it easy to select my classes!

Tuesday, March 23rd

12:00p-09:00p NAPP Photo Safari with Moose Peterson & Joe McNally

Wednesday, March 24^th

01:00p-06:00p  Expo Open

08:00p-11:00p  Photoshop World After-Hours Party – BB King

09:00a-10:15a  Opening Ceremony & Keynote

10:45a-11:45a My Favorite Photoshop Tips & Techniques with Russell Brown

12:00p-01:00p  Many Uses of a White Seamless Background with Zack Arias

02:30p-03:30p  Mastering HDR Photography with Matt Kloskowski

06:15p-07:15p  The Lazarus Effect: Raising the Dead Pixel with Vincent Versace

Thursday, March 25^th

01:00p-05:00p  Expo Open

07:15p-09:15p  The Art of Digital Photography

10:00p-12:00a  Midnight Madness hosted by Scott Kelby

08:15a-09:15a  Real World Image Sharpening with Jeff Schewe

09:30a-10:30a  Photoshop for Video with Richard Harrington

10:45a-11:45a  Designing With Type 2010 with Scott Kelby

12:00p-01:00p  Photoshop Restoration with Matt Kloskowski

04:45p-05:45p  Bringing Out the Big Guns with Joe McNally

Friday, March 26^th

09:00a-01:00p  Expo Open

11:00a-12:00p  Practical B&W Conversion for the Common User with Vincent Versace

01:00p-02:00p  The Perfect Panoramic With Photomerge with Jim DiVitale

02:15p-03:15p  One Light for Real People with Jack Reznicki

03:45p-04:45p  Conference Wrap-up & Giveaways

Photoshopo World 2009 Vegas: Pre-con

I always love this day! Class doesn’t start until 12:00 p.m. so there is plenty of time to chat with old friends and make new ones. I took the NAPP Photo Safari with Moose Peterson and Joe McNally. When I attended the March Photoshop World 2009 in Boston, I shadowed Moose so this safari I made it a point to shadow McNally. Before we went into the field to shoot, the two spoke to the class and answered questions. I finally have a better understanding on how to make the remote flash dance gracefully with the camera. I”m going to break from the story and add my notes for you, then I will continue it below.

Think in terms of global and local change. When you make a global change, you effect both the camera and the flash. When you make a local change, it effects the camera or flash separately. The example I’m giving is aperture priority mode using f/8 with an off camera SB 800 flash set to remote and TTL (through the lens). The camera sees the scene and  exposes it correctly with the proper shutter speed. It then sends a signal to the flash and tells it how much light it needs. This is seamless and yields great results using an auto mode.When you want to be creative this is where we make the camera dance with the flash. Dialing the camera with a -2 EV (exposure value) will trick the camera into underexposing the scene by adjusting the camera and flash equally. The dance begins when you adjust the TTL flash by adding a +1. Now you made a local change to the flash that will effect the power of it. A great example is found in Joe’s new book, “The Hot Shoe Diaries“. Look for cowboy Chris standing in front of a barn.

We then boarded two buses and headed to our ghost town. The bus ride is always informative. I had the pleasure of sitting with Drew Gurian, Joe McNally’s assistant. Drew’s knowledge on lighting and skills as a shooter are amazing. Joe answered people’s questions and gave advice on how to capture the ghost town. When we arrived, we were set free to shoot on our own for a few hours. Joe and Moose were always in range to answer any questions. As an added bonus, Laurie Excell and Sharon Peterson were also on hand to answer questions. I was extremely impressed with their wealth of knowledge. They definitely have emerged from the legendary shadow that Moose cast. Before the class split into two groups, Adorama‘s very own Jeffrey Snyder captivated the crowd as he gave pointers on how to shoot a moving subject with flash. I’ve known of  Jeffrey as the Pro Service Account Executive for Adorama, but I had no idea he was a great shooter. He was motivating and inspirational as he pumped up the crowd. Then Joe and Moose took their group and gave a lesson on flash photography. When we finished, we boarded the buses again and headed home. It was great hearing fellow participants share their adventure!

We arrived back around 8:00 p.m., just in time to attend the Tweeter meet up at the House of Blues. At first, Larson thought there was going to be dead silence as tweeters sat and text each other instead of speaking. Just kidding! It was great putting faces to people that you have only met through text.

Photoshop World Las Vegas 2009: Getting the Most out of PSW

Photoshop World is my time to be selfish. All year long I help others develop their skills in Photography, Photoshop and yes Martial Arts. When I attend this conference I get to relax and have fun while learning new skills and meeting old and soon to be new friends. I plan my days to get the most of PSW. NAPP host two Photoshop Worlds every year; East Coast and West Coast. I have had the honor to attend all of them (except for 1) since 1998. Most people don’t have the luxury to attend the conference twice a year so selecting classes may be difficult. In my case, the classes I missed on the East Coast, I catch on the West Coast. So, what do you do when you can only attend once a year? I have outlined a few tips and tricks to get the most out of PSW! At the end of this post I have included my itinerary for PSW.

ATTEND A PRE-CON

Pre-cons are a great way to get PSW off to a great start. NAPP works hard to offer a wide range of Pre-Cons for everyone. The only problem; there isn’t room for everyone. Signing up in advance is the only way to ensure you can attend a Pre-Con. If you miss out, you can try to attend a few NON OFFICIAL photo walks that members set up. Terry Reinert has always provided great walks.

PLAN AHEAD AND USE A FRIEND

Scott Kelby and his group has developed a genius plan to organize the classes. The classes are coordinate into “TRACKS”. These tracks let participants select what they want to learn. One pitfall; sometimes you are conflicted on choosing which class to take! This is where friends come in. Plan ahead which classes you both want to take. If there is a conflict, split up and later that day review your notes with each other. If you don’t bring a friend with you, make a friend and do the same. If you have a problem making a friend, come see me and I will loan you one of my friends. (Sorry Terry, you are first on the loaning out list).

TRAVEL LITE

You will receive a Photoshop World conference book. The Alumina affectionately call it “The Phone Book“. The book has notes to ALL the classes. It’s heavy, leave it in your hotel room! Bring a note pad instead. Laptop computers? Nope don’t need them. It’s best just to sit and listen to the instructors. You don’t need to write everything down, that’s what the book is for. Just write brief notes to remind yourself where to look in the book. Sometimes the instructor has something that isn’t in the book and they will tell you to write it down.

SNACKS and WATER BOTTLE

Each room will have water available. Staying  hydrated will keep you focus on the class. Bring a small water bottle and fill it up before the class starts. Healthy snacks will also keep your mind off hunger pains!

BUSINESS CARDS

Business cards are great. One main problem, you will hand out and receive lots of them. Organize them as people give them to you. Write a little note on the card that will help you remember the person who gave it to you. When you return to your  hotel room, add them to your contact list on your phone or computer. Also add any notes you have on them. Organize the new contacts as members of Photoshop World. When you get back home, you can send them a thank you email. Keep in mind most people took a week off to attend Photoshop World. They may be slow to respond. DON’T give your contact information to anyone you don’t want to contact you.

COMFORTABLE SHOES and OUTFIT

I’ve logged over six miles walking back and forth from my hotel room to the convention center and to the classes. Wear shoes that will make your feet love you. It tends to get cold in the seminar rooms. Wear something that will make you feel comfortable while sitting in the classroom.

LOAD PHOTOS ON YOUR iPOD OR PHONE

Load up your iPOD or phone with your best work art. Show them to people who ASK for them or if you need ADVICE on a project. Over showing your photos can turn people off. Judge the people you are with and if they want to see your work, they will ask. Don’t be afraid to ask others if you can see their work. If you see something you like, ask them how they did it.

EAT WITH NEW FRIENDS

During the breaks, have lunch or dinner with new friends that you have met. Share conversation with them.

ATTEND PORTFOLIO REVIEW

As a Photoshop World conference attendee, you’ll have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get one-on-one instructive feedback as your portfolio is reviewed by some of the most highly acclaimed professional photographers in the industry today. Helene Glassman and the gang donate their time and skills reviewing participants portfolios. The only catch, you have to sign up at least two weeks in advance.

CHECK OUT HELP DESK LIVE!

This is where you go to get your Photoshop questions answered, one-on-one, directly from the Photoshop World instructors themselves. Led by Photoshop author and NAPP’s resident Help Desk guru Peter Bauer, Help Desk Live is open all three days during Expo hall hours of the conference, and located close to the classrooms so you can just walk up and have your Photoshop questions answered in a fun, informal setting. Bring questions you would like answered.

THANK THE STAFF MEMBERS

Most people don’t realize the staff members you see at Photoshop World are actual staff members from Kelby Media. They take turns attending Photoshop World each year. They are there to help make your experience an enjoyable and memorable one. Take time to give them a simple “thank you“. They work long hard days while they are at the convention.

LASTLY, ENJOY YOURSELF

I’m not advocating you become a member of “Ross Bushong’s Classic Class Dodgers”. But after you attend classes and do your homework, take in a few shows, relax by the pool. You deserve it!

VANELLI’S ITINERARY

Tuesday, September 29^th

11:25a-01:25p Arrive in Las Vegas

03:00p-02:00a Free to shoot

Wednesday, September 30^th

06:00a-07:00a Work out

12:00p-09:00p NAPP Photo Safari with Moose Peterson & Joe McNally

09:30p-02:00a Free to shoot

Thursday, October 1^st

06:00a-07:00a Work out

09:00a-10:15a Opening Keynote

10:45a-11:45a Graphic Secrets: Totally Text Lesa Snider

12:00p-01:00p Mastering the New Adjustments & Masks Panels Ben Willmore

01:15p-02:15p Digital Photographer’s Notebook Kevin Ames

02:30p-03:30p Top 20 Shortcuts for Photoshop and Lightroom Julieanne Kost

06:15p-07:15p The Designer’s Lifesavers Jack Davis

08:00p-11:00p Photoshop World After-Hours Party – House of Blues

Friday, October 2^nd

01:00p-05:00p Expo Open

06:00a-07:00a Work out

08:15a-09:15a Lightroom for Wedding Photographers  David Ziser

09:30a-10:30a Real World Camera Raw Jeff Schewe

10:45a-11:45a Concert Photography From Capture To Client Alan Hess

12:00p-01:00p Seeing the Light Jack Reznicki

04:45p-05:45p The Lone Ranger Joe McNally

06:00p-07:00p Lightroom for Landscape & Travel Photography Jack Davis

10:00p-12:00a Midnight Madness hosted by Scott Kelby

Saturday, October 3^rd

06:00a-07:00a Work out

09:00a-01:00p Expo Open

11:00a-12:00p Practical B&W Conversion for the Common User Vincent Versace

01:00p-02:00p Printing From Lightroom Jeff Schewe

02:15p-03:15p Create Print Layouts in Lightroom Scott Kelby

03:45p-04:45p Conference Wrap-up & Giveaways

Sunday, October 4^th

Anytime – 11:00a Free to shoot

01:00p – 08:30p Arrive in Orlando

Photoshop World 2009 Boston : Day 1

I received another dispatch from Vanelli yesterday of his Photoshop World day 1 experience but didn’t have time to write it up until this morning. Sorry about that! But it is good that I waited until now to go through it… he recorded everything at 2am so it has been very interesting going through it, trying to make sense of it all, and getting it translated for posting here. As one of his Black Belt’s I wouldn’t dare suggest that he skip his 5am workouts this week so that he isn’t so tired at the end of the day…. but again, I wouldn’t dare suggest something like that!!

Are you ready for today’s ride into the Mind of Vanelli? I hope so cause here we go!!

Vanelli is having trouble finding his notes on Ben Willmore’s class on “Mastering the New Adjustment and Masking Panels” and Jack Davis’s class “Lightroom 2 Enhancement Effects with Presets”. Jack Davis is the preset king… he has a preset for everything! His philosphy is that anything you do in Photoshop, create a preset so that you can go back and immediately do the same effect on any other photo. During the class, Jack gave away hundreds of his own presets to conference attendees. He tells everyone to take his presets, adjust them to fit your own needs, and then save them as a new preset. Then jokingly he added that you could them sell them on eBay as your own. We all know Ben Willmore as a guru when it comes to photography. But he has really advanced his photography in recent times in his ability to capture an image and the wide range of colors in a scene.

Vanelli’s last class of the day was with Vincent Versace on sharpening a blured photo. Versace went through a very intesive action that he made that brings back that sharpness. In order to explain what all he did you would have to talk to him directly as it was that intensive. But here is the theory to give you a general idea… As usual you follow the same process as other photos… get rid of the noise first, then do all your enhancement techniques, and then run the unsharp mask at the very end before you save the file. High Pass filter and set that layer to soft light. He would do this multiple times to build up the sharpening. The amount of sharpening that he does all depends on how he is going to print or display the image.

A few quotes from Versace that Vanelli really likes… “Don’t confuse workflow for habits.” and “Think globally; global to granular.“

Vanelli apologizes to everyone for losing his notes for those two classes but said he is going to find them and provide more information on those classes soon.

I want to take a second to throw my own words in here to quickly discuss the two quotes that Vanelli picked up from Versace. If you are familiar with what a workflow is, it is basically the step-by-step process you follow when processing an image. When you constant follow the same procedure it gets habit forming and you miss out on taking advange of new techniques or processes that could benefit what you are doing. For example, I used to have one workflow. I used it for everything; photoshoots with models, HDR landscapes, etc. One day I realized that I could be saving a ton of time in Lightroom 2 by organizing my HDR bracketed images in a different way than my portrait work with models. So do not form a habit around your workflow. Be aware of what you are doing and read up on what the pro’s are doing. If you read something good, adopt it into your workflow. If you find that you are doing something better than the pro’s, write a blog on it or post it as a comment on other blogs! The key is that your workflow is YOUR workflow… do what works best for you… But be careful not to form a habit around it and not adopt better techniques.

As for the second quote, I think the idea there is to start on an image zoomed out looking at the image as a whole. Do whatever adjustments you think are needed to the image as a whole. Then start looking at smaller parts of the image and processing just those areas using layers, adjustments, and masking. Don’t get me wrong… you do need to look at the image as a whole when adjusting each area to make sure that your composition isn’t negatively affected by local changes. I would be very interested in hearing more about this from Vanelli or Versace to get a clear picture of exactly what Versache is recommending.

I should have the Day 2 dispatches sometime today and will get them posted shortly after I receive them. I know yesterday was a big day for Vanelli with Midnight Madness and all. I’ve only heard bits and peices so far but I heard it was a riot. Stay tuned!!

Photoshop World 2009 Boston : Day 0

Today Vanelli took part in the Photo Safari pre-conference workshop with Joe McNally and Moose Peterson. Again, this my interpretation of everything that Vanelli told me about his day. Take a look…

One of the questions that Moose was asked a lot by attendees is what his favorite lens is. He takes a lot of different lens out with him and one thing Vanelli noticed is that there are a lot of fixed lens in the bag. But he always takes a wide angel and a fish eye lens with him as well.

On the photo safari itself Vanelli said that he stood right next to Moose and used Moose’s camera with all the same settings but his photos were not anything like the ones Moose was taking. Moose just has a great eye for composition and capturing that moment. Another thing to note is that Moose does not crop his photos at all. What you see composition wise is what came out of the camera from the exposure he took. When using a zoom lens he said to move forward or back; don’t use the zoom!

Some more good information from Moose… he doesn’t use a flash on most animals, only birds. Using a flash with birds will bring out their color. Another thing to think about is that when an animal gets wet, a bear for example, there will be a lot of spectral highlights because of the light reflection off of the water.

He also picked up a few tips on composition from Moose… the minds eye goes to the whitest and brightest point. There is also a strong tendancy to start at the top of an image and go down. So those are two things to think about when composing a scene. You want to lead the viewer through your composition instead of having their eyes wandering around aimlessly. Exposure and light produces emotion, mood, and passion. Make sure that your composition tells a story so include or excluse various things to make sure you are telling the story that you want to tell. He also looks for sharpness and depth of field in his compositions.

With Joe McNally, the master of light, they were using a lot of diffusers and reflectors in his shooting. The distance of the lights from the subject depends on how much you want the light to spread. Of course using a diffuser and reflector will change this variable as well.

One killer thing to think about that Vanelli picked up from McNally is this… when you change the EV setting in your camera it is a global change. So everything is effected by it. When you change the EV on your flash, it is a local change. So if you use a light meter and exposure for the background and then change the EV in your camera, suddenly your exposure on the background is going to be off. To shoot with a model you shoot your background first and get the exposure right using the camera settings. Changing the EV on your camera will help to saturate the colors in the background scene. Then you bring your model in and use the EV on the flash units to change the power to get the proper exposure of the model.

So there you have it… Vanelli’s experience and knowledge that he picked up from the NAPP Photo Safari pre-conference work shop. And, of course, right as I finish typing this up Vanelli sends me a photo he took from his Black Berry of him and Ben Willmore hanging out. Apparently Ben’s question to me is “Where are you??” My answer… “Sitting at home typing up Vanelli’s notes!”. Photography assistants never get the glory. *Sigh*

Photoshop World 2009 Boston : Day -1

I spoke with Vanelli this evening about what all he experienced in Boston at Photoshop World during the Pre-Conference workshops. There is a lot going on up there and I wish my schedule had worked out where I could join him. But hey, since I am not there that means I can share with everyone else who couldn’t make it exactly what is going on with him at the conference. So, in my own words interpreting Vanelli’s own words… this is what we missed at Photoshop World today…

Vanelli got an unbelivable opportunity to review Sandy Foster’s portfolio today. She is an incredible street photographer and he went through her photos from Paris and China. He loves how she is able to capture the moment with people. She likes to observe from a distance and capture that special shot from outside of the event. What he learned from her is patience… define your scene and wait and let the scene unfold before your lens. His favorite shot is of a Chinease man walking down the street with an umbrella. She said she had to run down the street to get in position. He had his head down the whole time but then lifted his head at the last second and she nailed the shot.

After that Vanelli and the gang went to Debby Krim’s Art Gallery. Her floral arrangement works are amazing and she is well known throughout Boston for her passion of photography and her use of natural light and light modifies. Many of her photos can be seen in local stores. She has built a very good reputation on her use of color in her compositions. He really enjoyed spending time walking around the gallery and seeing everything that she had on display.

Make sure you check out both of their websites to see all they have to offer.

I know that Vanelli spent the rest of the afternoon and evening doing the pre-conferance photography workshop with Joe McNally and Moose Peterson. I have not heard from him yet about what he learned with them which means he is either still out shooting or is still too excited about all the things he learned to give me a call. So I will make sure to virtually beat the information out of him tomorrow when he calls and get that posted at the beginning of tomorrows update. So make sure to check back in tomorrow for the update so we can all continue to live vicariously through Vanelli for the next few days!

Edit: This was actually day -1 and not day 0.

NAPP Photo Safari with McNally & Peterson

So…Where are We Going?

The Boston National Historic Park / Charlestown Navy Yard!

We’ll be shooting along the HarborWalk with special interest in two ships – the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world, and the USS Casin Young, a World War II destroyer. This area offers many interesting opportunities, as it is a historic Naval Yard with artifacts that span its 174-year history.

Once we get there, we’re going to have several models on hand to pose for us. Our instructors will be working with the models to teach us lighting or posing techniques.

About our instructors…

Moose Peterson is an author, lecturer, and well-known wildlife photographer. He is also the first major wildlife photographer to begin shooting exclusively in digital format back in 1999. He made it his lifetime goal to photograph North America’s most elusive and endangered wildlife using the most advanced tools and techniques possible. But, Moose gets true personal and professional satisfaction from teaching others to express themselves artistically through photography.

Joe McNally is an internationally acclaimed commercial photographer and long-time photojournalist. He was LIFE magazine’s staff photographer from 1994 until 1998 and he was selected as one of 10 photographers worldwide to work on promoting the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Joe’s most recognizable work is a collection of 246 giant Polaroid portraits taken in a three-week period immediately after the events of 9-11 known as “Faces of Ground Zero – Giant Polaroid Collection.”

As you can probably see, we are in fairly capable hands for this outing. They have been doing these Safaris for a while now, and have yet to lose anybody…to boredom or to “the wild.” It’s guaranteed to be a fun-filled day, and we are bound to learn a lot from both Joe and Moose…as well as our fellow attendees.

Stay tuned for notes on the safari!