Today was the first day of Photoshop World, the place to become a serious Photoshop ninja. Photoshop World (or PSW) is held twice a year: on the east coast in the spring and on the west coast in the fall. After attending in Las Vegas, Orlando, and Washington, D.C., I’m tickled pink as the cherry blossom in my neighbors’ yard to see the conference right here in Atlanta.
It’s hard to choose sessions with so much awesome taking place at once (classes in 7 categories—Beginners 101, Photoshop Skills, Creative Cloud/Graphics, Photography Techniques, Lighting, Lightroom, and Photoshop for Photographers run at the same time), but here were my picks for today.
Session 1
Class: Photographing Americana Subjects
Instructor: Bill Fortney
Track: Photography Techniques
I love photographing old things so I knew this was the class to attend during the first session. Bill Fortney discussed photographing old cars, wood, metal, historical objects, planes—you name it. What an inspiring set of images!
Quotes:
“When you see a dramatic shadow, look for a way to shoot it.”
“Everywhere you go, there are graphic representations of the past.”
Thanks to this session, I want to check out Old Car City and the Southeast Railroad Museum here in the metro area.
Session 2
Class: The Art Behind the Headshot – Top 10 Tips
Instructor: Peter Hurley
Track: Photography Techniques
I read Peter Hurley’s bio before the conference while choosing sessions; what a great story. I chose his class based on the subject matter, with no idea what a charismatic presenter he’d be. I’m totally uncomfortable having my picture taken, so I thought this session would help me both as a photographer and a subject. It did.
Quotes:
“I want people to behave like human beings in front of my camera.”
“You’re 90% therapist, 10% photographer.”
“Everybody has a digital identity.”
Expo Hall
I caught the middle of Atlanta photographer Zack Arias’s Expo Hall class called Street Photography Saved Me. {This is an example of how awesome the Expo Hall sessions are—Zack Arias, people!}
Quote:
“If you want to become a more interesting photographer, become a more interesting person.” (I think Zack quoted someone else, I just don’t remember who.)
Zack’s creativity in capturing candid street photos is amazing.
Session 3
Class: Concert Photography
Instructor: Alan Hess
Track: Photography Techniques
Alan is my buddy, my photography mentor. He advised me when I bought my camera in 2009 and has been plagued by my requests for information ever since, although I finally copied his advice for shooting concerts into my phone’s notepad app so I wouldn’t message him every time.
Concert photography tips:
Initial settings: ISO 1600 night/200 day; aperture f/2.8; shutter speed 1/250.
Session 4
Class: Beginner’s Guide to Illustrating in Photoshop
Instructor: Pete Collins
Track: Beginners 101
Yep, I even made it to the beginners track. Pete showed some serious examples of how you can photograph a basic sketch on your phone and then flesh it out as an illustration in Photoshop. Very inspiring!
Tips:
Create custom brushes from things such as clouds to create texture in your illustrations.
Ready for Tomorrow!
I’m already excited about tomorrow’s classes and the fact that my husband will take the day off of work and join me. If you’re here in Atlanta, you should seriously consider checking out the Expo Hall with a free pass. Online registration is no longer available: just show up and register on site. Let me know if you come!
