Kia ora tatou:

Some more thoughts from last weekend’s workshop…

Alan

I enjoyed the weekend at Hanmer immensely, and as a bonus I learned a lot. Both technically, thank you Tony, and about myself. It was great to be with a bunch of similarly inclined people, all probably far more talented than me, wanting to take a step further into creating images of meaning.

Tony, in his usual way, encouraged & cajoled us to take that leap out of our comfort zone into the shark-infested water boots and all. Let go! Then he told us to make a self-portrait, so on the basis that he told us that all the pictures we make are about us, and say something about us, here is mine.

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In rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes; so with present time.

Leonardo da Vinci

Kia ora tatou:

Last weekend I had the joy of working with a number of photographers here in Hanmer Springs, spending time on the creative process and new ways of making images.

We talked about the continuum which has photography at one end and digital art at the other end. We talked about  the fact that photography , whatever we do to it, has a documentary aesthetic and no matter how we tweak it, we are working within a convention, within a tradition which has established mores. In  this part of the continuum, the photograph is a document. At the other end we have the possibility to fabricate.

We talked about giving ourselves permission to fabricate our own narratives, rather than restate one before us. In the same way that a sculptor releases an image from a piece of stone or wood or whatever, so we can release whatever we need to; we can collect, assemble and regenerate from our mind’s eye.

And our greatest resource is ourselves.

As usual, I tallekd too much and allowed too little time for practice. But a few of the crew have out fingers to keyboard and allowed me to share their experience.

John wrote this:

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Kia ora tatou:

Well, nothing whatsoever to do with sealing wax…

There are still plenty of spaces left on the Summer Sundays, so if you were thinking of coming, sign up!

1. Nick Heaphy and I will be working hard to teach you everything you need to know to know about the vexing question of colour management
2. Mary Jo and I will be running a workshop on Creativity and how to move your thinking about picture-making forward, not to mention a few cool techniques to get you in touch with your creativity
3. Then there are the plugin and photobook workshops. While they will be how-to, hands-on workshops, I really can’t help myself and I will be weaving some art theory/creative process threads in amongst them…
4. Doc and I are excited about working together, which we will be doing on the the 2 Artists, one Day workshop. We see things a lot the same way, then we don’t. And he is a filmie….well, so am I now (sort of) again…
5. And for those of you who want to take your CS3/4 techniques to a new level, there are still 2 places left on the Digital Intensive in Akaroa. 4 days of pushing the boundaries, including the (creative) use of layers, layer masks, blending modes, multiple development, smart objects, plugins, and 101 ways to ( selectively) sharpen, to name but a few….

See you there.

Kia ora tatou:

As a number of you know, Freeman, Sally and I will be teaching next year the visual design workshop  we have done for the last few years in Akaroa, New Zealand at the gorgeous Mt Vernon Lodge. Each year we finish the workshops exhausted and elated. As one recent attendee said: This workshop doesn’t teach visual design; it facilitates Art. And much more than that.

Next year I will be offering a digital Intensive before the main workshops, focusing on PhotoShop and including advanced techniques, along the lines of those in the previous post.

This is to let you all know that bookings opened yesterday.

I have uploaded a copy of the relevant guff for those of you interested. We are already receiving registrations from abroad. You can download information packs here.

information-pack-akaroa2009

registration-form

international-payments

If it continues this way, Sally and I will be the ones with the funny accents….

Ka kite ano

Kia ora tatou:

The Sitka workshop is now a reality. The dates will be July 6-13.

You can read about it on the University of South-East Alaska’s website. Because I will be working under the umbrella of the Art department, the workshop will take a creative focus. It is described as:

What is the effect of digital photography on how we see and the way we make photographs? In this course, students will look at the impact of the digital camera on process and content and development of seeing and personal style. Through a series of lectures, exercises, discussions and fieldwork, the class will look at how they can use the freedom from technical tyranny offered by digital photography to better make photographs that reflect their unique view of the world. They will be introduced to photographic art-making concepts, including use of a visual diary, and the freedom offered by the RAW format, current and next-generation software. They will be introduced to concepts of idea flow, workflow and conceptual pre-visualisation. Students are encouraged to develop a portfolio of work from the workshop.

To unpack that a little….

The emphasis will be on Seeing and developing personal style. We will look at using digital photography in a creative way, and gettting each of you to consider your own photographic direction and learn to use the example of masters to inform your own photography.

Which won’t stop us getting out there and responding to a huge landscape.

I am currently involved as a beta tester for a new generation of processing software. Think of it as PhotoShop being generation 1, Lightroom/Aperture generation 2, and this new software as generation 3. More about it as I get to grips with it.

If you have the time and inclination I would love to see you there.

The University is able to help with enquiries re accommodation, etc. Just give Jill Hanson a call/email.

Ka kite ano

Kia ora tatou:

Just advance warning for any of you thinking of a holiday abroad combined with photography. I will be doing at least one workshop for the University of South-East Alaska in Sitka in June/July, the Northern Summer. I will be teaching Creativity,previsualisation and digital skills.

Come with me to Alaska, make wonderful photographs, meet fabulous people and improve your mastery of photography. More details in the coming weeks.

Ka kite ano

Kia ora tatou:

Just a reminder of the one-day seminars in January. There are still a few places left, so if you want a break from festive season excess and to give your eye, camera and brain a workout, sign up.

The 3 courses dovetail, building upon each other.

Workshop One is devoted to the basics of photography, and looks at getting such things as exposure and development correct. More importantly, it looks at how we can make creative choices in this area. We may discuss basics, but it will be anything but basic. Note that we will look at the difference between RAW and jpeg when working in the field. And it is way easier to get a grip on it when faced with a real situation. Notes will be provided

Workshop 2 looks at dark/lightroom issues, at how to get the most out of that side of the process. I will be using Lightroom, but the skills are ones that are readily transferable to whatever package you use( Rawshooter, CS2, Capture One, etc.) this is a one-day in-house lecture type seminar. for those of you new to digital there will be lots of useful basic stuff ( like why you should ALWAYS use a card reader)Notes will be provided.

Workshop 3 puts it all together. We will spend time using these things in the field. In this instance I want to spend time on previsualisation, and show you how to analyse a scene, beginning from the statement you want to make (the [metaphorical] 2-cigarette method), considering the design issues based on that, then how to think through the technical decisions required to feel confident of the best possible subject. I also want to demonstrate a technique called Shooting Around the Subject. Notes provided.

A number of you have asked about the Maniototo workshops. We are working on details of those at the moment, and the final bumf should be out later this week. There will be one in late April in Naseby, 15-20, and another in July. The workshops will focus heavily on Creativity and Seeing as well as technical stuff. Lots of fieldtrips, and a slot set aside each day so that each participant has the opportunity for one-on-one mentoring. Oh yes, we will never be too far away from good coffee! If you are interested, drop me a line.

Ka kite ano

Kia ora tatou:

A number of people have mentioned to me that they would like to spend some time brushing up on their technique and getting to grips with digital photography (or just building on what they already know).

For that reason, and since I will be in Christchurch most weekends this January working on weddings, I propose to hold a series of one-day seminars looking at some of these aspects. So here with, may I present(tahdah)

The Summer Sunday Workshops.

They are as follows:

January 14. Digital basics. Venue: Castle Hill Basin. Time:0600 ( no, I am not joking)-1600

In this workshop we will look at issues of lens choice, exposure, use of the histogram, and implications of ISO. We will look at issues surrounding shooting in JPEG or RAW and how to get the best possible file for later processing. We will look at how to analyse a scene, and what corrections to apply for a later working-up of the file up for a finished print. Basic technique is something we all need to revisit from time to time, so there should be something here for everybody, whether you’re an absolute beginner or more advanced. You’ll need to bring lunch, your equipment, and a tripod.

January 21. Digital Darkroom Basics. Venue: to be advised (but somewhere in/near Christchurch). Time: 0900 to 1600.

The seminar follows on from the digital basics workshop. In this workshop I will talk about processing files (with particular reference to Lightroom), the difference between raw converters and how to prepare your images for either print or projection(there is a difference).We will look at issues such as sharpening, saving and archiving. I will attempt to demystify Lightroom and show you how to develop a workflow using it. If you have a laptop, bring it along. The seminar is aimed at all of you have find the darkroom (or should I say Lightroom) side of digital photography a fraught process. This would be of real help for those of you who are looking at submitting images for projection in competitions.

January 28. Previsualisation: a creative approach to the landscape. Venue: Arthurs Pass. Time: 0500-1600

This workshop follows on from what we learned in the previous two (not that you need to have done the previous two to take part in this one). Following on from what we discussed in the previous two, I want to spend time working with you in the field, considering a live subject (if you can consider the landscape alive!),considering what it is he want to say about that landscape, identifying the features that you want to include, and thinking it through to the finished image, whether that be print or projection. In a previous post I talked about the concept of previsualisation; in this workshop I want to show you how to approach the subject and a methodology that will guarantee predictable results. You needed to bring equipment, lunch and money for coffee!

Workshops one and three are limited to 12 participants; workshop two is limited to 20.The fee for each of the 3 days is $100.

These seminars would be great preparation for the upcoming April and July workshops in the Maniototo, which will focus on creativity and developing personal style.

If you would like to be involved, e-mail or phone me (021 227 3985)

Kia ora tatou:

If any of you missed the Freeman workshops last April, well there is good news and bad news.
The good news is that he is coming back to do 2 workshops on February –March next year.
The bad news is that it is in Martinborough, one of the country’s finest wine-growing regions, and a week doing the workshop can be hard on the liver. So much pinot noir, so little time! Curiously there is a boutique brewery right in the middle of the area, that makes stunning beer (stunned is what you will be if you have too much).

There are 2 workshops of a week each. I will be doing a 2-day digital intensive just before they begin, useful if you are a bit digitally… um… tender. I will be focusing on working with RAW and how to get the most out of the new Adobe Lightroom.

Interested? Then get in touch with Michael Anderson. You can email him here.

You can read about it in more detail on my workshops site.
Ka kite ano

Kia Ora tatou:

Last week’s Okuru workshop was full-on, rained out and a lot of fun. When it rains down here, it doesn’t muck about( although there is usually a lot of muck about)! The group produced amazing images, given the circumstances. Actually they produced amazing images period! I am in the process of building a companion blog to showcase their work and thoughts. I should have it up in a few days, so keep an eye out for it.

For those of you who can’t get away to spend time down here, I will be doing a 5-day workshop at the University of Canterbury focusing on developing your skills as a digital photographer. the emphasis is heavily on workflow, RAW, and getting the most from your digital camera.

I will be (of course) running a number of cafe crawls (oops, fieldtrips), and at least one of these will be a get-up-early fieldtrip. The rest of the time we will be in the MacLab at UC, working on building workflows, learning new techniques and getting to know Lightroom. We PC drivers are foaming to see it out on Beta, so we can get into it. Frankly it leaves every other RAW converter in the dust. Actually, it is the first app to be able to take you from download to print in one go so it is more than a RAw converter. At the end of the week you should be able to use it with confidence. Which nmeans that when Lightroom of Wuin is released, you will have a head start.

But we will be doing other stuff as well. If you want to know more then look on UC’s website
here. You can book online, or phone them. Call (03) 364 2470 and ask for Shandley.

There are 14 places on the workshop, so if you want to come, be in.

Ka kite ano