Photoshop Elements Seminar

Dixie State College Community Education in St. George, Utah is sponsoring my new seminar: Photoshop Elements. This seminar will be held on your choice of either of two convenient Saturday Sessions on either 1/30/2010 or 3/37/2010. The seminar runs from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm with a one hour personal lunch break. The college’s fee for this seminar is $49 + $10 for materials. The following topics will be covered:

• File cataloging
• Easy Editor
• Full Editor
• Special Effects
• Printing and Output

Materials Students Bring

• You should own Photoshop Elements version 6, 7, or 8
• Bring some examples (files or prints) of your work for us to discuss in class.

Who is This Class For?

• For folks who want to use Adobe Photoshop Elements to easily edit and print their pictures.

Contact Dixie State College Community Education at (435) 652-7675 to sign up.

DSLR Camera Concepts Seminar

Dixie State College Community Education in St. George, Utah is sponsoring my new seminar: DSLR Camera Concepts. This seminar will be held on your choice of either of two convenient Saturday Sessions on either 1/23/2010 or 3/20/2010. The seminar runs from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm with a one hour personal lunch break. The college’s fee for this seminar is $49 + $10 for materials. The following topics will be covered:

• Lenses
• Raw Files
• Macro Techniques
• Tripod Usage
• Camera Modes
• Accessories

Materials Students Bring

• You should own a Digital SLR Camera. The camera you have is probably just fine. Bring it.
• Bring your related gear (lenses, tripod, etc.)
• Bring some examples (files or prints) of your work for us to discuss in class.

Who is This Class For?

• This class is perfect for the Digital SLR owner or someone contemplating a DSLR purchase.

Contact Dixie State College Community Education at (435) 652-7675 to sign up.

Achieving Critical Artistry

Dixie State College Community Education in St. George, Utah is sponsoring my new class: Achieving Critical Artistry. This class will be held in six 2-hour Wednesday evening sessions on the following dates: 3/24/2010, 3/31/2010, 4/7/2010, 4/14/2010, 4/21/2010, and 4/28/2010. 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:

• This class is your final step towards learning the secrets of Fine Art Photography.
• It is combines field assignments, critique, and Photoshop techniques to allow you to become an expert at producing head-turning results.
• This is not just a random collection of “tips and tricks”, but a fully orchestrated pallet of processes that you choose to use as your creative concepts emerge.

Materials Students Bring

• You should own a Digital SLR Camera. The camera you have is probably just fine. Bring it.
• You should own Photoshop CS4.
• Bring some examples (files or prints) of your work for us to discuss in class.

Who is This Class For?

• Recommended for photography enthusiasts that are already comfortable using Photoshop. (The Photoshop Throughput class covers this background.)

Contact Dixie State College Community Education at (435) 652-7675 to sign up.

Photoshop—Lightroom Integration

Dixie State College Community Education in St. George, Utah is sponsoring my new class: Photoshop—Lightroom Integration. This class will be held in four 2-hour Tuesday evening sessions on the following dates: 3/30/2010, 4/6/2010, 4/13/2010, and 4/20/2010. The classes run from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The college’s fee for this class is $59 + $15 for materials. The following topics will be covered:

• This class will answer your perplexing questions regarding using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom together to get the maximum benefit from each.
• We will discuss where each program can be best exploited, transfer methods and file formats, the use of smart objects, and plug-ins.

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 and Lightroom 2.
• Bring some examples (files or prints) of your work for us to discuss in class.

Who is This Class For?

• You should have a working knowledge of both programs before attending. (The Photoshop and Lightroom Throughput classes cover this background.)

Contact Dixie State College Community Education at (435) 652-7675 to sign up.

Lightroom 2 Throughput

Dixie State College Community Education in St. George, Utah is sponsoring my popular class: Lightroom 2 Throughput. This class will be held in seven 2-hour Wednesday evening sessions on the following dates: 1/20/2010, 1/27/2010, 2/3/2010, 2/17/2010, 2/24/2010, 3/3/2010, and 3/17/2010. 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 Dixie State College Community Education at (435) 652-7675 to sign up.

Photoshop CS4 Throughput

Dixie State College Community Education in St. George, Utah is sponsoring my popular class: Photoshop CS4 Throughput. This class will be held in eight 2-hour Tuesday evening sessions on the following dates: 1/19/2010, 1/26/2010, 2/2/2010, 2/16/2010, 2/23/2010, 3/2/2010, 3/16/2010, and 3/23/2010. 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 Dixie State College Community Education at (435) 652-7675 to sign up.

Photographic Concepts and Camera Operation

Dixie State College Community Education in St. George, Utah is sponsoring my popular class: Photographic Principals & Camera Operation. This class will be held in six 2-hour Thursday evening sessions on the following dates: 1/21/2010, 1/28/2010, 2/4/2010, 2/18/2010, 2/25/2010, and 3/4/2010. 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 Dixie State College Community Education at (435) 652-7675 to sign up.

Individually Tailored 1-on-1 Mentoring Programs

Effective immediately, I am offering private instruction. This has been something that I find rewarding, enjoyable, and frequently requested.

This educational service will be offered on a 1-on-1 basis in my studio office in St. George, Utah. This facility is fully equipped with three powerful work stations, multiple calibrated monitors, Photoshop CS4, Lightroom 2, and host of professional photographic applications to render the ultimate in image presentation. I use the very latest in printers: the Epson Pro 7900 and the Epson Photo R1900. Your prints for the day are yours to take with you.

I plan to meet your needs in individual training centered on five possible themes:

• Creativity (concept, approach, possibilities, exercise, etc)
• Image management (ingestion, ranking, key-wording, archiving, etc.)
• Editing (the basics and more)
• Output (print, web, video, etc)
• Presentation (matting, framing, hanging, selling, etc)

These sessions are aimed at the Outdoor Photographer facing the challenges of natural light. This encompasses, landscape, scenic, nature, street, and documentary work. (For now, studio and flash components are not a consideration.) This a natural outgrowth of many of the topic and concepts I have been teaching for years at seminars and DSLR Boot Camps.

Obviously, that is a broad palette from which to choose. I will work with you ahead of the session to define and prioritize your needs so the program is crafted to be of most use to you.

I am very close to Zion National Park (and hundreds of other equally amazing scenic gems). As a result, you can come to the park, and take private lessons with me. I also will accompany you into the field for shooting if you request my skills for guiding and/or photographic instruction.

The base charge for a day of private studio lessons or field training is $275/day, prepaid at time of reservation. I live 2 hours from the Las Vegas airport along I-15. Significant others that merely observe or have their own agenda are not charged.

This offer is subject to availability. Once payment is made, your reservation is considered firm. I accept check, Visa, and MasterCard. Please contact me now to reserve your dates at (435) 673-3817 or bob@bobkulonphoto.com

I sincerely hope to see you in the glorious Southwest – the best concentration geography and art in our country.

Pathways to Distinctive Photographic Accomplishment

A little over two years ago I distributed an article I prepared to help my photographer friends and acquaintances find ways of improving their skills. This was done in response to a repeated inquiries as to how I personally progressed. I am reloading this document for you free use at http://www.bobkulonphoto.com/pdf/Pathways_2009.pdf. Feel free to copy and distribute in whole for reading as long as my copyright notice is respected. Here is the opening paragraph:

“After spending considerable time with many enthusiast photographers in our burgeoning community, it crosses my mind that many folks are becoming quite serious about making their mark in the field, either professionally or as a serious amateur. It seems that the allure of the Digital SLR camera and the creative options presented by Photoshop and other photo productivity computer solutions has captivated the masses. The promise is undeniable. Artistic expression is well within the grasp of everyone.”

Consider this my Holiday Gift to you. Cheers!

I will participate in “Art In Kayenta”

February 13 & 14, 2010
Art In Kayenta
Ivins, Utah

• The best art festival in Southern Utah
• 10 AM to 5 PM both days
• Coyote Gulch Art Village, in the center of the Kayenta community
• On the outer edge of Southern Utah where the red sand is garnished with silvery sage and framed by towering red cliffs, you’ll find Kayenta. The sun pours warm and golden from a turquoise sky. This amazing landscape is the backdrop for the annual “Art In Kayenta” Festival, with its broad spectrum of artists offering work in acrylic, watercolors, oils, bronze sculptures, fused glass, gourd art, mosaics, photography, metal art, jewelry, pottery and more.