Get the Goods: Exclusive Workshop Discounts for My Blog Readers!

Still can't figure out how to work that digital camera you got for Christmas? Or need to brush up on some editing skills to WOW your studio clients?

Illuminate Photography Workshops owners Efrain Cruz has allowed me to announce new discounts on photography workshops to all Picture Your World Photography Facebook Fans and Blog Readers!

Just add the coupon code "PICTUREYOURWORLD" when you check out and get $15 off registration for any class offered.

Here are the detes:

1)The PICTUREYOURWORLD discount is good for new Illuminate students or ones who've previously taken classes.
2) But it's only available on new registrations only. Discount cannot be applied to previously attended or previously registered workshops.
3)Stack those discounts: This coupon can be used together with Early Registration Discounts amounting to a savings of $55 for some classes. PICTUREYOURWORLD Coupon can be used once. That's an awesome deal considering some of the workshops are as low as $75...so you net a 3 to 4 hour course for less than $30 a pop!

Classes span the gamut from learning how to use your camera to excelling in studio lighting and Photoshop and Lightroom techniques, as well as specialty classes including wedding, special event and product photography. Interested in a particular workshop you'd like to see offered at Illuminate? Efrain is extremely responsive to suggestions from students because he cares about making sure his participants remain viable in their chosen artistic field.

Just about everything I know has come from attending classes with amazing instructors at the top of their game including Efrain himself, certified PS Guru Armando Martinez and celebrated photographers Nathaniel Coalson and Richard Peterson, and business manager/photographer Jim Turley. I just finished a kickass Camera Raw class with Armando that has speed up my post-processing of RAW images...namely, I spend more time editing while the image is in Camera Raw and might not even have to open up PS at all!

Take advantage of these deals right now!

Get the Goods: Two new must attend classes!

I'm psyched about some new classes being offered this month through Illuminate Photography Workshops.

Camera RAW: The Basics (followed by Camera RAW 2) taught by Master Retoucher, Photoshop Guru and Adobe Certified Expert, Armando Martinez is first on the list. Running Sept. 13, the three hour workshop will help me learn some tips to quickly process RAW files using Adobe Photoshop. I gave up a long time ago on including Lightroom in my post-production workflow. I work exclusively in Photoshop now and end up spending most of my time in Camera RAW -- only opening up Photoshop proper for some specific edits. I KNOW Mando will hook me up with some new tricks that will help speed up my editing even more.

Meanwhile, Event Photography, on Sept. 21 and 29, taught by Illuminate director Efrain Cruz and Photographer Jim Turley, will build on my own growing foundation on event coverage experience. Denver's central location and amazing outdoor activities continues to draw events ranging from concerts to conferences. My event photography coverage has grown so much this year alone that I even thought about specializing in it over portraiture. I have been the official photographer for the National Brotherhood of Skiers summits held in Colorado for the last three years. And this year, I was the official photographer for the Council on Foundation's Annual Conference held in Denver featuring numerous keynote speakers including Former Vice Pres. Al Gore. Check out my COF photos featured on this wrap-up page.



White House adviser Valerie Jarrett talks to philanthropists in Denver.

I went from shooting during mid-day on a snow-capped mountain to deep inside a dark and cavernous dance hall during this year's NBS coverage in Winter Park. Dealing with security, quick uploads and an insane pace during the COF conference left me exhausted for days afterwards. Instructors will give students techniques for overcoming challenges such as shooting in low light, scouting difficult venues, and satisfying organizations. Plus, we will get some hands-on training when we are invited to shoot alongside our instructors at a real event for a local non-profit!

Class sizes are kept small, so sign up today here! Would love to meet some of you.

Get the Goods: Baby steps with Lightroom

I am so glad I finally got the chance to take a Lightroom class! Illuminate Workshops instructor Peter Bryson was a blast and I can't believe how much I learned in just a few hours.



Right now, I'm using Lightroom 2.5 to help me import photos from cards and catalog them. I'm also learning how to create collections, and how to use the star system and the X for "don't want" and the P for "pick" to help me quickly choose between the keepers and the duds. Once I've gotten those chosen, I export them as JPEGS into Photoshop and then the editing process begins. The ease of metadata and keywording is great too since I'm terrible about taking the time to do that.

Right now, I'm still stuck largely in the Library module, as I've only tinkered with the Develop and Print modules. But there are so many instruction videos and free presets available online, it won't take me long before I'm just as crazy about presets as I am about Photoshop actions. I love the fact that Lightroom records every change you make in it's nondestructive format. Once you've reached 20 or so changes in a layer while in Photoshop, everything you were doing before gets erased, so it's harder to go back several steps if you've made a mistake or change your mind.

I've already created some cool presets for printing templates, and Bryson gifted class members with some coveted WOW presets for post processing. I even downloaded the beta version of the new Lightroom 3.0, and I'm having fun playing with it, too. Can't wait to be able to import images that already have watermarks on them instead of using actions in Photoshop to create them.

I doubt I would ever fully give up editing in Photoshop. I love doing it. But if Lightroom can help me stay more organized and make it easier to backup photos, then I'm a believer. I can't wait to take the followup in-depth Lightroom workshop in December.

Get the Goods: Finally taking a Lightroom class!

On Saturday, I will finally be taking a Lightroom class with Illuminate Photography Workshops. Thank you Efrain! I know, I know. I can hear many of my photog buddies saying "It's about damn time!" Lightroom 101: Introduction is running from 10 am to 5 pm. I really love the intensive and quick hit one day formats, and I've heard great things about instructor Peter Bryson.

I guess I never saw a need for Lightroom before since I really did feel like I was barely scratching the surface with what can be achieved in Photoshop. Maybe, I've been resistant to learning Lightroom because it took me so long to become comfortable with Photoshop. I can remember that fear I felt when I opened the program for the first time years ago. I just KNEW I would NEVER be able to learn this huge program. But as with anything, step by step, class by class and tip by tip, I've gotten a strong handle on Photoshop. Post processing photos is now one of favorite parts of the capture system since I shoot almost exclusively in RAW. I'm a self-proclaimed "Actions Junkie." And it seems like everyday, I learn a new PS technique that I can't wait to make a permanent part of my workflow. Learning Photoshop has been a huge achievement for me, especially now when I hear people say they like editing I've done to a photo.



But I think it's time for me to move on now, gain some new skills and stop being resistant to change. With all of the cool presets available for Lightroom users and the increased speed everyone tells me they have with Lightroom, I'm sure I will be able to find the best way to make it gel with my own workflow process. Plus, this will be the first class I've taken in a while in a formal setting that wasn't a webinar. I'm looking forward to interacting with the instructor and other students. A lot of my buddies have said they could teach me how to use this program in a snap, but over the years, I've discovered that I really do learn well initially in a classroom setting and then get backup support and tips from friends later.

Here's what I will be learning:
Learn the basics of managing your image library and making your photos look their best in Lightroom.

Overview of The Lightroom Interface
Inside the Lightroom Catalog
Importing and Exporting
Metadata Essentials
Develop Module Basics
Visualizing the Complete Workflow
Presentation Options in Lightroom



After taking ALR 101 a student will be able to import, sort, name and retrieve files using keywords and metadata. In addition, the student will learn how to use the Develop module that allows total manipulation of an image, all in a non-destructive manner. The student will have a firm knowledge of the Histogram and Curves, and how one would use those tools.

Next, I will be signing up for an indepth Lightroom 2 workshop where I will be learning how to locally adjust areas within the image, making it less likely that one would need to use Adobe Photoshop. I have a hard time believing that, but I'm glad the instructor will be emphasizing how to seamlessly move from one program to the other and back again. Plus, we get to learn how to present images, and create web-ready galleries.

If you need to brush up on your Lightroom skills and live in the Denver Metro Area, consider taking a Lightroom course with Illuminate Workshops.