With that being said, here was my thought process. Street photography made me think of Sandy Foster, who’s street photography images are stunning. Which made me think she needs to get signed model release forms which reminded me of a class Jack Reznicki and Ed Greenberg taught on model release forms. That made me download Jack and Ed’s simple model release form which made me think of a post Larry Becker did on “Invite Models to Your Pad”. The pad being your model release forms made into a pad from an office supply company. While editing the form in Adobe Indesign, I thought of a class Terry White did at Photoshop World that taught us how to use conditional text so the forms can be changed on the fly. Now you have a glimpse of what’s inside Vanelli’s  head when he prepares for a project!

So to recap before I explain what I did… Street photographers (Sandy Foster) need model release forms (Jack Reznicki and Ed Greenberg), and it would be convenient to have the forms on a pad (Larry Becker) that can be designed (Terry White) so other photographers could use them too! Whew that was a lot of thought to prepare for one photography class (Joe McNally and Moose Peterson).

The Model Release form

Jack and Ed drilled into our heads the importance of  having a signed release form. Even if you don’t think you are going to use the images in the future, it’s a great safety net that can protect you if you change your mind. I am not a lawyer, so the best advice I can give you is to take their class or watch it on Kelby Training.com. This way you are getting first hand information. I asked Jack if I could share the Limited Model Release form and he was more than happy to let me share it with you.  Keep in mind, this is a generic form. Each state has their own laws.

Limited Model Release

I give Robert Louis Vanelli (“Photographer”) and designees and those acting with Photographer’s authority permission to use the photographs created or made on _____________ for the sole purpose of fine art gallery shows and exhibits, photography books and video tutorials, and for use in photographer’s portfolio, self-promotion, lectures, and books.

I waive any right to inspect or approve the finished images, or other printed matter that may be used in connection therewith. Except as stated above, I do not give permission for the use of my name or said photographs for the purpose of advertising or endorsing any goods or services.

Model acknowledges that he/she has read this release and has received a copy of this release.

_______________________________________         _______________________________________
Model’s Name                                                                                    Model’s Signature

_______________________________________         _______________________________________
Address                                                                                                Date

_______________________________________         _______________________________________
Witness Signature                                                                            Witness Address

If you plan to use this form, please send Jack and Ed a simple thank you email.

Designing the form

I wanted to keep the form small enough to carry in my bag yet big enough for the model to fill out. I chose to use legal size; 8.5 x 14, paper and print 4 to a sheet. The final form size is 6.5 x 3.75. Using concepts from Terry White’s conditional text tutorial, I made the Photographer’s name, address and phone number conditional text. Now I can print the form for other photographers without changing my design.

Creating the Pad

Larry Becker’s post, “Invite Models to your Pad” gives great advice about creating a pad for your model release forms. After reading it, I went to Staples to have them make a pad for me. The only problem, Staples has a 3 day turn around. I called Office Depot and they have a one day turn around. My last call was to Kinkos. They have a 4hr turnaround! I went there and the staff was great. I explained what I needed and they suggested an alternative option. For 30 cents a sheet they can print the form on a carbon paper. At first this sounded expensive but then I realized I’m printing 4 forms to a sheet. The cost would be $5.00 for a total of 80 forms or 6 cents a form. The downside, the forms would be individual not a pad. I decided to stick with my original plan  and have them make a pad for me. The cost is about $9.00.

Street Photography

I can’t wait to go on the NAPP Photo Safari with Moose and Joe. I really can’t post anything on the actual shoot until we go. Look for my review later in the week.

Moral of the Post

Integrate lessons you are taught by different instructors!

Why am I posting on this? Before the call to NAPP, I was on hold for 60 minutes with another customer service representative from a HUGE Corporate America company. She drove me crazy and I couldn’t understand how a company that big had an employee like that. I politely asked to speak with someone else. I made up an excuse stating our personalities are not compatible. Thinking this was a nice way to split the blame. She snapped a rude comment and I was finally transferred to a manager. The manager was a little better.She did confide in me that the reps are under pressure with new rules from Corporate.

This proves a point I have always believed. The attitude of the employees are influence from the top.If the company cares about the employees, in most cases the employees treat the customer with respect and compassion. Now back to NAPP. Not sure people realize it, but the hard working people you see helping at Photoshop World are actual staff members of NAPP. They are from all departments helping to make Photoshop World a success. The sad part is, not all employees can go every year. Being the new kid on the block, Michelle isn’t going this time. Can you imagine her reaction when it’s her turn to go!

Glad I had the opportunity to talk to Michelle!

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

Although it is always best to attend the seminar, I hope this can be another alternative.

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

On June 29, 2009 I had the honor to be a guest blogger for Scott Kelby. I have re posted the article here on our web site.  I want to thank Terry Reinert and Sandy Foster for their valuable input.

Before I begin I want to thank Scott for including me as one of the weekly guest bloggers on his blog. To say it’s an honor for being one of the 52 guests he has per year is an understatement! You wouldn’t really think that being a guest blogger for Scott is an intimidating task until you are given the opportunity. Only then does the truth of the matter come out! I myself, a man of many words, struggled with what I should talk about and who I should target my post for. Then I remembered the KISS method; Keep It Simple Silly. For the more complex theories and techniques, I will guide you to the experts that I pull my inspiration and knowledge from. Please don’t mistake this for name dropping for shameless plugs for my friends… As they say, “it takes a village to raise a child”. In this case the saying would be “a community of artists draws inspiration”!

Title: Creative Ways to Mass Produce a Photo Shoot

There are many different types of photo shoots that a photographer can do. Although the concept of photography in general is the same, each area within photography comes with its own set of rules that have been predetermined by photographers, editors, and clients throughout the past. It is up to each individual photographer to determine which rules to follow and which ones to break in order to achieve your goal. Our goal here is to create a template that can be reused to get the same results. I am not talking about an Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom template but a template that takes us from Click to Print. The final output from our Click to Print Template will be package printing; wallet size, 5×7, 8×10, 10×13 and 16×20, all from the same print without compromising our creativeness.

The major steps that we will complete in this project are 1) doing the mass photo shoot, 2) applying any post processing, and 3) send the images off to a lab. Yes, I said a lab. In the past I did it all which included the printing, packaging, and shipping. I wanted to learn the entire process and offer custom sizes. I also wanted the ability to fix anything I screwed up in the shot! I recommend completing a full scope project like this on your own a few times so that you can gain the insight in each area of the process so that you can mitigate any risks or problems for future projects. But I know that some people do not have the ability to create high quality prints themselves so that is what this whole post is about; giving you some of that insight to help you mitigate your risks without having to drop a ton of time and money on new equipment.

Prior to diving into the details of what I am going to explain I want to tell you a quick story that shows the usefulness of what I am going to tell you. I had an opportunity to photograph one of the most sought after high school football players, a young kid named JJ Keels. My game plan seemed pretty simple; I wanted to capture his humble demeanor but at the same time make him look like a tough college level player. Another intention of the shoot was to experiment with lighting in stages and to develop a tutorial on it. At first, I took the standard safe portrait shots. Then I had my assistant, Terry Reinert, spray JJ down with water to get that sweaty tough look. Then we took it another step further into the experimental range by spraying water in the path of the lights to create the images you see here. After the shoot, I used Adobe Photoshop to continue creating my vision and also to experiment even more. Once I had the format down, I took notes on what I would do different on the next shoot so I wouldn’t have to spend a day in Adobe Photoshop for the next one. Take note, if I took on this shoot with 60 football players waiting in line, I would have to edit 60 additional images to get the results I got. There is no way that I could have done that without having done a test shoot first and got my game plan together. The test shoot enabled me to develop a format that I can use to mass produce the same type shot in the future. I was also able to develop a predefined lighting system to use as a starting point for other shoots.

Doing the Mass Photo Shoot

Running a karate studio gives me a huge pool of talent to pull from for my photography experiments. I am never limited on subjects to try out my ideas on. I emphasize the words try out because you are doing just that; experimenting to determine what will work for your upcoming mass photo shoot. Find someone that can benefit from your time and energy for your test shoot. Explain that this is a test shoot and you are experimenting with different lighting configurations and poses. In return for their help, you can provide them with the photo package that you create or put the images on a CD for them. This practice is generally known as a TFP (Time For Prints). Use your neighbors, friends or family members but I do recommend not using children or someone who is overly shy because you will need to focus on the photography side of the experiment and you won’t want to take on the added worry of dealing with your subject. Another good source for test subjects is networking websites like Model Mayhem or One Model Place. Look for upcoming models that can’t afford to pay for a portfolio and ask them if they would like to participate in your experiment and receive portfolio pieces. Word of caution, have an assistant or an escort with you when dealing with strangers for both personal and legal reasons. It pays to be safe!

Regardless of who you use as your test subject, make sure you have them sign a model release form. Ed Greenberg and Jack Reznicki teach a class at Photoshop World called, “Everything Legal”. In this class they explain the legal aspect of photography including model release forms and copyrighting your images. You can also read their column in Photoshop User Magazine. In short, Jack gave an example of a photographer doing a free shoot for a friend’s neighbor. In exchange for the shoot, they get a set of photos and the photographer gets to use the images on his web site. He didn’t have them sign a model release form because it was a free shoot. Everything was fine until the couple divorced. After that they asked him to remove the photos from his web site. The photographer doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Another area Ed explains is why you want to copyright ALL your images. These two are a great resource for legal advice. Jack is also an incredible photographer by the way! Check out his portfolio.

So now you have your test subject and are ready to begin the photo shoot. The first thing that you have to do is keep an open mind. Have a game plan but be flexible and also be ready to change it. The next important thing that you should adhere to is to avoid the pitfall of filling the whole frame with your image. Moose Peterson just had a heart attack; did Vanelli just say NOT to fill the frame??? Moose has an incredible ability to capture what he sees without cropping. He fills the frame using every pixel the camera will allow. This is what we are suppose to do and should do except on this project. After the test shots with JJ, I was ready to try a mock shoot with Brad Holmes, one of my Black Belts. I learned from the test shoot that I had to shoot a little wide to give me room to crop the image to different aspect ratios needed to create the photo package. Keep in mind that we are losing pixels which will eventually result in loss of image quality. However, the loss in quality is not enough to make a difference on the standard package sizes. You may see a slight difference on a 24×36 print but prints that large are extremely rare for photo packages.

Finally, be consistent with the composition of the shot, the pose, and the special effects. Things like fog machines, spraying water into the path of the light, and, in the case of shooting my karate students, kicking or punching are impossible to repeat for each subject. For custom shoots you should be the artist that you are and go crazy with the creativity. For mass shoots you should be creative but also a little flexible in that you can be creative but also consistent.

Once I was happy with the results I was seeing in the camera, I acted like I had 60 people standing in line waiting for their turn in front of the camera. I put pressure on myself to get the shot and move on. This is very important especially when dealing with subjects that have limited time to be at the photo shoot.

Applying Any Post Processing

My first word of advice here is to use Adobe Lightroom! This part gets confusing to most people. If I have Adobe Photoshop, why do I need Adobe Lightroom? Think of Lightroom as a digital darkroom where you go to develop your digital photos. Photoshop’s purpose is to manipulate the image. Lightroom not only organizes your photographs and projects but it allows you to quickly and efficiently post process your photos.

I always start my Lightroom work flow by following a series of simple steps I learned from the Guru himself, Scott Kelby. His book “Lightroom 2 for Digital Photographers” has a permanent spot on my desk. When I can’t quickly find what I need, I log onto Kelby Training and watch the Lightroom videos. For this article I outlined my steps below. For a more detailed look at my work flow I created a video tutorial for you to follow along.

1)     Import all images from the shoot in DNG format.

2)     Select the keepers and delete the unusable shots.

3)     Color correct one image and, if the lighting is the same, apply it to all the images from the same shoot.

4)     Adjust the exposure.

5)     Fix the eyes.

6)     Remove any skin blemishes.

7)     Smooth the skin on females.

8)     Export image in Photoshop

9)     Add a vignette, if any, at the very end (more on this later)

Looks like a lot? It should only take about 45 seconds per image. David Ziser, best known for his outstanding wedding photography, developed a system with his employees. He is able to tell you how much each image cost him to have his employees process them. Once you get a system to work for you, use it!

On step 8 above we export to Photoshop. Now we are into the Mack Daddy of all imaging programs (sorry Rod Harlan for using your well deserved nickname but it was for a worthy cause). Photoshop has grown so much over the years and has developed into an overwhelming program for beginners. I remember working with version 2.0. I must have called Adobe Tech Support three times a day. Finally one patient technician told me that their support system is for when the program didn’t work and not for learning how to do something. I asked how I was supposed to learn this stuff. He turned me on to KW Media. KW stood for… Kelby and Workman. I wish I knew the name of that technician. I’d bring flowers to the insane asylum I probably sent him to. The moral of this story is save an Adobe technician and go to Photoshop World.

Once I import my photograph with the Lightroom adjustments, I open a template I created; merge the two files together, and save the photograph using the same name that you imported it with. Showing how I created the template is beyond this article but I do have a video that shows the process. Using this process organizes the files better in Lightroom.

Send Images Off to the Lab

The last stage in the process is to crop the images and get them off to the lab. I use a Nikon camera that has a native 2/3 ratio. This gives me an 8×12 image that, when cropped, will keep my project centered. Upload the image to your lab of choice. Use their tool for cropping the package sizes. Remember back in my work flow I left the vignette until the very end?  This is why; if you apply a vignette to the original image the outcome will not be what you are looking for when you go to crop the image. If you need to apply a vignette, use the printing lab’s tool for that. If you are printing the project yourself, start with the 8×12 print and crop from there. Each time you crop, save the image and then start with the 8×12 again. Don’t crop and then crop the crop. This will throw your ratios off. You’ll notice certain sizes crop even such as wallets (2.5×3.5) and 5×7 or 8×10 and 16×20. To make printing this package easier, use the built in picture package feature in Lightroom. If you use this feature, you don’t have to crop, the picture package will do it for you and the vignette will look consistent.

Printing is an art by itself. In my case it pays to have Miller’s Lab do my printing and packaging for me. The cost is very reasonable and the quality is impressive. I have an Epson 9800. I can print as wide as 44″ by almost any length. Although the printer can do mass printing, I use it for my proofs and for large scale one print projects. Anything in quantity, use a lab. It takes a large load off of me and allows me to spend more time doing what I would rather be doing than sitting next to my printer cutting and packaging images.

Last Word of Advice: Game Day!

You have everything set. The lights are on, battery is charged and now you are ready for the first subject. Before any participant steps in front of your camera, make sure they filled out an order form, signed model release form, and made their payment ahead of time. Your assistant can collect them one at a time. After you take the shot, record the photograph number on the subjects order form. This way you are not scrambling to put a name to a face. Play music, be pleasant, and have fun with what you are doing. If something goes wrong you will have the knowledge to fix it on the fly; that’s what the test photo shoot was for! When the day is over, follow the Lightroom and Photoshop work flow. Make sure you keep a back up of all the photos just in case something goes wrong!

I mentioned having an assistant at the shoots quite a few times. I am a firm believer that every photographer should have someone assisting them on shoots. This frees your time to be creative and the assistant will gain valuable knowledge. My assistant, Terry Reinert, is more of a colleague than an assistant. When Terry has a shoot lined up, he sometimes asks me to assist him. When I do, I keep my mouth shut and let him run the show. I only give advice when asked. I’ve developed this concept while teaching karate for the past 28 years. It turns students into instructors, helps them grow, and develops a tight bond. One of my most memorable photo shoots, using this theory, was when I was in Los Angeles visiting Mike Kubeisy. Ben Willmore heard I was in town and made a special trip to see us. How incredible it was to shoot with these two creative shooters. We took turns assisting each other on the shoot. I learned so much from keeping my mouth shut and ears open. Thanks Dad for teaching me that one!

Conclusion

So there you have it, from Click to Print. I hope that I was able to give some insight into each of the steps that will guide you in the right direction when doing a mass photo shoot. I mentioned many names in the article in the hopes you will research these talented artists and draw inspiration from them. Thank you for reading and thank you again to Scott for this great opportunity.

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!!

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*

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.

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!