Keepin’ up

Somebody told Debbie Bice that if she is published 6 times in a year, Nikon will extend her pro status. (Thanks for that Jack!)

So, be that as it may, here is #3. This is an issue of Flying Disc Golf Magazine, page 48. From what I can tell this was taken at Ponderosa Resort Ranch near Zion National Park last fall.

Congratulations Debbie! Three more to go.

4 New Saturday Clinics Sponsored by HVAA

In conjunction with Hurricane Valley Arts Alliance (HVAA), we are pleased to announce four new one day clinics to be held in Hurricane, Utah. If you will recall, these are the great folks that recently sponsored my successful DSLR Boot Camp.

Each of these clinics are independent – you can pick and choose, mix and match, to suit your individual needs. They are held mid-day on Saturdays in late September and early October. These clinics will take place at the Rainbow Canyon Community Building in Hurricane, Utah. The clinics run from 9 AM to 4 PM with an hour break for lunch. Registration fee for any of these is a mere $65 (which includes handouts). Contact Carol Larson at (435) 635-6966 or musiccarol@msn.com.

Here’s the rundown on what we have in store…

Taking Better Digital Pictures – September 12, 2009

• Composition
• Focus
• Lighting
• Exposure
• Posing
• Intended for Point and Shoot owners on up!

Photoshop Elements – September 19, 2009

• File cataloging
• Easy Editor
• Full Editor
• Special Effects
• Printing and Output
• Intended for folks that [want to] use Adobe Photoshop Elements

DSLR Camera Concepts – September 26, 2009

• Lenses
• RAW files
• Macro Techniques
• Tripod Usage
• Camera Modes
• Accessories
• Perfect for the Digital SLR owner or someone contemplating a DSLR purchase

Juried Art Shows – October 3, 2009

• Finding and Planning
• Entering
• Preparing
• Setup and Tear down
• Marketing
• For all artists and crafters seeking involvement in the world of juried shows.

No Pain No Gain!

OK, many of you have wondered about the summer heat in St. George. It is here. I am fine with it; actually embracing it. Perhaps I have acclimated sooner than normal. This morning, at roughly 9:30 AM, the temp is 105 and rising, the humidity is is 17% and going down. It actually feels tolerable, if not comfortable. Call me nuts but I am digging it. Given the benefits of locating here; I’ll take the heat any day. No sweat!

New Classes Arranged: Create Your Own Photo Note Cards

Dixie State College Community Education in St. George, Utah is sponsoring my new class: Create Your Own Photo Note Cards. This class will be held on your choice of one of two offered dates: 11/17 or 11/24. The classes run from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The college’s fee for this class is $25 including materials.

Just in time for the Winter Holiday season!

Some people call them note cards; some call them greeting cards. There is a growing popularity in the creation of personalized cards by serious photographers. This is for personal or commercial reasons. Maybe it is just for fun! Once you decide to go beyond the drugstore prints and the drop‐in folders, there is a certain craft to producing hand printed, fine art miniature renditions of your precious photos. Producing really professional‐looking greeting cards (AKA note cards) is an acquired skill that can benefit from some insider knowledge. There are techniques and resources that can significantly reduce the trial and error.

Clinic Topics

• DESIGN — how to use Photoshop to layout your card, creating aesthetic appeal
• PRODUCTION — how to print the cards on different types of photo printers and use color management
• MATERIALS — card stocks, inks, envelopes, boxes, bags, displays
• MARKETING — placing in stores, consignment, fairs and shows, holiday markets, sales tax

Materials Students Bring

• Bring a reasonable high quality JPEG or TIFF file you would like to possibly have a sample card made from (on a CD, DVD, or thumb drive).

Who is This Class For?

• Enthusiastic digital photographers that have some experience editing and printing their files for themselves. Usually, such people consider their skills at least at intermediate level.
• Students that have completed the Photographic Principals and Camera Operations class are well qualified..

Contact Vicki Baldwin at (435) 652-7664 to sign up.

New Class Arranged: Lightroom 2 Throughput

Dixie State College Community Education in St. George, Utah is sponsoring my new class: Lightroom 2 Throughput. This class will be held in seven 2-hour Thursday evening sessions on the following dates: 10/22, 10/29, 11/5, 11/12/, 11/19, 12/3, 12/10. The classes run from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The college’s fee for this class is $99 + $25 for materials. The following topics will be covered:

• All about RAW files and how to expose them properly.
• Understanding color spaces (Pro Photo, Adobe RGB, and sRGB).
• All about Metadata and the Catalog/Folders/Collections concepts.
• File ingestion using Library Module.
• File backup and storage strategies.
• Evaluating, ranking, labeling, and keywording files using Library Module.
• Using the Develop Module…
  • Color & Tonal adjustment
  • Noise reduction, Sharpening, and CA removal
  • B&W conversion and Toning
  • Spot removal
  • Vignetting
  • Presets & Batching
• Using the Print Module
• Using the Web Module
• Using the Slideshow Module

Materials Students Bring

• You should own a Digital SLR Camera. The camera you have is probably just fine. Bring it.
• You should own or intend to purchase Lightroom 2.
• Bring some examples (files or prints) of your work for us to discuss in class.

Who is This Class For?

• This class assumes you possess the fundamental skills of camera operation. You should be adept at exposure setting and operating your camera. Photographic principles of a fundamental nature will not be covered (see the Photographic Principals and Camera Operations course for that).
• The typical attendee is an enthusiast, ready to move into a self-structured process of working so they can work efficiently and effectively.
• People that believe that they want a solid grasp on fundamentals before they become confused with all the “razzle-dazzle” “tips and tricks” seminars out there.
• You do not need to know Photoshop to attend this course. There is no connection.

Contact Vicki Baldwin at (435) 652-7664 to sign up.

New Class Arranged: Photoshop CS4 Throughput

Dixie State College Community Education in St. George, Utah is sponsoring my new class: Photoshop CS4 Throughput. This class will be held in eight 2-hour Wednesday evening sessions on the following dates: 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/28, 11/4, 11/18, 12/2, 12/9. The classes run from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The college’s fee for this class is $99 + $25 for materials. The following topics will be covered:

• All about RAW files and how to expose them properly.
• Understanding color spaces (Pro Photo, Adobe RGB, and sRGB).
• File ingestion using Bridge.
• File backup and storage strategies.
• Evaluating, ranking, labeling, and keywording files using Bridge.
• Using Camera Raw to extract working files…
  • Color & Tonal adjustment
  • Noise reduction & Capture sharpening
• Workflow in Photoshop itself…
  • Lens Corrections
  • Principles of Layers & Masks
  • Tonal and Color touchups
  • Cloning and Healing
  • Using Filters and Plug-ins
  • Actions & Automation
  • Printing techniques
  • Other outputs (Web, ProShow, PowerPoint)

Materials Students Bring

• You should own a Digital SLR Camera. The camera you have is probably just fine. Bring it.
• You should own or intend to purchase Photoshop (CS4 is not essential).
• Bring some examples (files or prints) of your work for us to discuss in class.

Who is This Class For?

• This class assumes you possess the fundamental skills of camera operation. You should be adept at exposure setting and operating your camera. Photographic principles of a fundamental nature will not be covered (see the Photographic Principals and Camera Operations course for that).
• The typical attendee is an enthusiast, ready to move into a self-structured process of working so they can work efficiently and effectively.
• People that believe that they want a solid grasp on fundamentals before they become confused with all the “razzle-dazzle” “tips and tricks” seminars out there.

Contact Vicki Baldwin at (435) 652-7664 to sign up.

New Class Arranged: Photographic Principals & Camera Operation

Dixie State College Community Education in St. George, Utah is sponsoring my new class: Photographic Principals & Camera Operation. This class will be held in six 2-hour Tuesday evening sessions on the following dates: 9/29, 10/6, 10/13, 10/27, 11/3, 11/10. The classes run from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The college’s fee for this class is $79 + $20 for materials. The following topics will be covered:

• Exposure principles: Light, Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO.
• Proper application of various lenses and tripods.
• Focusing techniques, depth-of-field.
• Dealing with lighting and weather conditions.
• Composition and aesthetics.
• How to set your camera for personal control.
• Using memory cards and card readers.
• Loading your files into the computer and organizing them.
• Selecting files to work on.
• Editing JPEG files (cropping, size, color, brightness, contrast) in Photoshop Elements.
• Tips on scenics, people, candids, and pets.
• Tips on close-ups.
• How to prepare in advance (mentally and photographically).

Materials Students Bring

• Typically, attendees have (or will buy) a digital SLR camera (any will suffice) or a digital point-and shoot camera that is flexible enough to allow some manual settings. Many people consider this course as a way to familiarize themselves with their new camera acquisition or to become informed to plan for a downstream purchase. The camera you have is probably just fine. Bring it
• To apply what you learned, you should own a computer for editing (and/or even printing) your photos. Ideally, you will also have consumer editing software like Photoshop Elements installed.
• Bring some examples (files or prints) of your work for us to discuss in class.

Who is This Class For?

• This class is targeted at people that are just beginning to develop an interest in serious photography and want to get started on the right foot.
• This includes people that feel they have been shooting for several years on “automatic” camera modes and want to benefit from more personal control of the camera.
• The last types of candidate attendee are those that have been away from the craft for a while and would like a good refresher on the basics, with a slant on digital. 

Contact Vicki Baldwin at (435) 652-7664 to sign up. 

My Art Fair Booth ~ Logan, Utah

Almost every weekend I take off to participate in Art Fairs/Shows. Some of these are local, like the Tuacahn Saturday Market. Some of them required jury selection and I travel a distance to set up my booth and vie for customers for my Fine Art Prints. I know that many of you that read this blog are personal friends. Today I thought I would give you a glimpse of my “on the road” setup.

Last weekend I was in Logan, Utah; about 300 miles north of my home base in St. George, Utah. I set up my current booth design and took some pictures before the crowds arrived…

  

The “Classic” Zion Shot – my version

Yesterday I spent the entire day exploring some of the common and uncommon reaches of Zion National Park. I am really enthused because I solidified plans for my Fall 4×6 Zion Workshops. There will be magnificent geography to absorb and photograph. Read more about these workshops at http://www.bobkulonphoto.com/training.html

Here is what is probably the most common picture taken at Zion from the bridge that is 1 mile north of the Visitor’s Center. This is my take on the magazine cover classic…

This is Utah too

I made a few short trips around the area to capture some flowers. Here’s what I found:

 

Cactus Flowers found on a back road in Zion National Park

 

Field of Desert Sunflowers #1

 

Field of Desert Sunflowers #2