Adobe Lightroom & The Fine Art Digital Print

Workshop Date: October 8-11, 2009

Workshop Leaders: Andy Biggs and Michael Clark

Location: Hotel Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico

About The Workshop

This 4-day workshop will be a combined classroom workshop with outdoor photographic shoots. The workshop coincides with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which is the world’s largest balloon festival and will certainly be one of our photographic destinations. All classroom instruction will be centered around Adobe Photoshop Lightroom v2.3, as well as the craft of creating a fine art digital print.

Workshop Schedule

Day 1 - Morning

Lightroom introduction. The modules: Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print and Web
Raw or JPEG (8 bit vs. 16 bit)
Exposing for Digital Capture and Histogram Camera settings
Noise/ISO sensitivity
White Balance
An overview of RAW software options
Overview of a solid digital workflow
To DNG or not to DNG? That is the question.
File Management
Image Editing

Day 1 - Afternoon
Outdoor shoot up in the Aspens in the Sangre de Christo mountains above Santa Fe. Early October is a fantastic time to be amongst the aspens as they change color.

Day 2 - Morning
Dawn Patrol: Early morning shoot at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Day 2 - Afternoon
Lightroom and the Develop module

Day 3 - Morning
How to select inkjet papers
Printing from Lightroom and Photoshop

Computers will not be provided but participants with laptops are encouraged to bring them. Following along on your own laptop is a hands-on way of learning what is being taught in the classroom.

Day 3 - Afternoon
Landscape shoot at Plaza Blanca, an area near Abiquiu, NM that was made famous by the painter Georgia O’Keefe.

Day 4 - Morning
Dawn Patrol: Early morning shoot at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Day 4 - Afternoon
Hands-on printing with current large format printers on the market. Paper provided by Moab Paper and printers on loan from Santa Fe Camera Center. Participants leave with one fine art print of their own work!

About the Instructors
Michael Clark is an internationally published outdoor photographer specializing in adventure sports, travel and landscape photography. He produces intense, raw image of athletes pushing their sports to the limit and has risked life and limb on a variety of assignments to bring back stunning images of rock climbers, mountaineers, kayakers and mountain bikers in remote locations around the world. He contributes to National Geographic, National Geographic Adventure, Sports Illustrated, Outside, Men's Journal, Backpacker, Outdoor Photographer, Digital Photo Pro, Climbing, Alpinist, Rock and Ice, Bike Magazine and The New York Times among many others. You can see Michael's work at www.michaelclarkphoto.com.

Andy Biggs is an avid adventurer, conservationist, teacher, and outdoor photographer whose photography celebrates the African landscape and its rich wildlife, people, and culture. With a deep respect and understanding for African wildlife, Andy unfolds the world of the Serengeti onto our doorstep with striking emotional depth. His photographic safaris allow the traveler to not only enhance their understanding of photography, lighting, and wildlife, but to develop a life-long admiration for Africa 's beauty and culture.


The Cost
The cost of this workshop is $995 per person (inclusive of breakfasts either in our teaching space or in the field). The same rate applies for each participant regardless of whether they are doing photography and participating in the workshop, or not. A nonrefundable deposit of $300 is required to secure your spot on the workshop. Final balance will be due no later than September 1, 2009.

Please note: We will attempt to adhere to this itinerary as much as possible. However, certain conditions, such as bad weather, may necessitate changes in the itinerary. We reserve the right to alter any itinerary at any time, if necessary.

Accommodations
The classroom portion of the workshop will be held at the Hotel Santa Fe. We have negotiated a group rate that is discounted from their advertised prices if you would like to stay at Hotel Santa Fe. Please inquire if interested.

Transportation
Most major airlines service Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is approximately 60 miles south of Santa Fe. Once in Albuquerque, you can take one of the many shuttles to your hotel in Santa Fe. Shuttle costs are approximately $25 - $30. Rental cars are available in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and from the hotel. The Hotel Santa Fe is located in downtown Santa Fe, within walking distance to shopping, restaurants and entertainment.

We do not provide transportation during the workshop. Please plan ahead and reserve a rental car. Of course, we will share vehicles and car pool to make life easier for all of us. We are not responsible for reimbursement of non-refundable airline tickets in the event of a workshop cancellation.

Workshop Materials
All participants will be given a copy of Michael’s e-book entitled Adobe Photoshop Lightroom: A Professional Photographer's Workflow, which details his complete workflow from start to finish.

You will need to bring the following equipment with you:
• a 35mm digital SLR camera with interchangeable lenses
• a laptop computer with a DVD burner or an external hard drive – PC or Mac is acceptable. Instructors will be using Mac.
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software installed on your computer (you can download the 30-day trial version of Lightroom before the workshop if you don’t already have the software.)
• Digital memory cards with a card reader (preferably CompactFlash or Secure Digital Cards)
• power adapters and cables for laptop and digital camera
• camera manual
• batteries and charger for rechargeable batteries

It is expected that you know how to download images from your camera to the laptop, know basic editing techniques using your software, and are able to organize the edited images for critique.

$300 Hold your place until September 1 with a deposit.

Nikon D3x mini field report from Arizona

Saguaro Sunset

Saguaro National Park, Arizona. April 2009

Nikon D3x, 24-70mm, 1/4 sec @ f/14. ISO 100

I was in Arizona a few weeks ago with some friends, and this was my first landscape trip with my Nikon D3x camera. As a new Nikon user, I had some frustrating moments when I realized that I was not able to have both mirror lockup with a shutter delay. I was comfortable with how Canon implemented their mirror lockup, even though I had to dig deep into the menu structure to make it work. The Nikon way is accessed on the top of the camera (yeah!), however a timer / countdown mode requires making a choice between mirror lockup and the timer. There is no apparent way of having both. In a perfect world I would compose, click the shutter and the mirror flips up, and then a timed day of 2, 5 or 10 seconds, then the exposure happens.

One thing that has surpised me on the D3x is just how much detail there is when compared to a Canon 1DsMkIII or 5D Mk2 file. Nikon must be using a less aggressive anti aliasing filter, as the file size increase from 21 to 24 megapixels shouldn't be enough to explain the increased resolution. I am extremely pleased with these files, especially for landscape photographers.

The dynamic range is also pretty darned amazing. Yes, in landscape situations I can take multiple frames and merge them together and perform a tone mapping for more dynamic range, but HDR really isn't my cup of tea. I would rather grab a shot and move on to the next scene. I am ok with a more limited dynamic range, as I am still recovering from my Fuji Velvia days. Ok, now that I have admitted it, I only have 11 more steps to go for a full recovery!!

On the lens side of things, the Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 is one heck of a good lens. My hunch is that it is better than the Canon 24-70mm, especially on the wider end of the zoom range. The D3x is a demanding camera, and good lenses support its capabilities and bad lenses make it look pretty bad. And that brings me to the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR. This is a lens that Nikon need to update ASAP. At apertures up to about f/11, you see a significant amount of vignetting around the edges. It is like Nikon never actually thought that they would have a full frame digital SLR on the market. My friend E.J. Peiker tells me that he is having excellent results from his Nikkor 70-300mm VR for landscapes. This is great news, as it is much less expensive and lighter in weight. I was prepared to purchase the 70-300mm VR for my upcoming Namibia trip in early May, however Sony will be loaning me a pair of A900 24mp digital SLR bodies with their 16-35mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses. The equipment should show up tomorrow, and it is likely that I will be taking the Sony setup to Namibia as a result. If you can recall back to November, Sony loaned out some gear for my polar bear trip, which also included a pair of A900 camera bodies.

So far I have been extremely happy with the Nikon D3x, but I tend to grab my D3 for all of my shooting around the house. Why? Primarily because of better quality files at ISO 800, 1600 and perhaps 3200. I am less interested in large prints, and I am more interested in silky smooth files at the higher ISO values. Both are excellent cameras, and the D3x is more of a specific tool for me. My goal when I am shooting in Africa is to be able to create large prints for sale, and the larger the print the better.

Photo of the Day

Lioness in a Tree

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. January 2009

Nikon D3x, 200-400mm f/4 VR @370mm, 1/200 sec @ f/8. ISO 250

Another Namibia opening

Are you available to travel to Namibia next month? I had a cancellation for my Namibia, May 19-27 trip. I have a number of people on a waiting list, but I am also getting the word out on this blog. If you have ever wanted to visit and photograph one of the most photographically rich landscapes on the planet, Namibia is the place for you. Namibia took my breath away back in 2006 when I visited for the first time. Now Namibia is part of my safari mix every year, with its captivating sand dunes, people and wildlife.

Namibia Photographic Safari

Northern and Central Namibia

May 19 - 27, 2009

1 spot available due to late cancellation

Last minute Namibia opening

Are you available to travel to Namibia in a few weeks? I had a last minute cancellation for my Namibia, May 9-19 trip with John Paul Caponigro. I have a number of people on a waiting list, but I am also getting the word out on this blog. If you have ever wanted to visit and photograph one of the most photographically rich landscapes on the planet, Namibia is the place for you. Namibia took my breath away back in 2006 when I visited for the first time. Now Namibia is part of my safari mix every year, with its captivating sand dunes, people and wildlife.

Namibia Photographic Safari

Northern and Central Namibia

Trip leaders: Andy Biggs and John Paul Caponigro

May 9 - 19, 2009

1 spot available due to late cancellation

Headed to Seattle, April 24 and 25

I am heading out for Seattle in a few weeks, and I will be at Glazers Camera to do a few lectures on my African adventures and digital inkjet printing. If you live in the Seattle area, please come by and say hello. I will be showing some of my digital prints, along with a discussion on how they are made. Here is my schedule:

Schedule of events:

Friday, April 24th 2pm - 3pm
Digital Output – Capture to Print
-LCD display selection
-Choosing the perfect paper for your image
-How to put together the ideal digital darkroom
-Presentation Ideas

Saturday 10am-11am
Digital Output – Capture to Print
-LCD display selection
-Choosing the perfect paper for your image
-How to put together the ideal digital darkroom
-Presentation Ideas

Saturday 1pm-2pm
Safari Photography
-wildlife photography presentation

Glazers Camera is located at 430 8th Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109. Here is a map to the store.

Photo of the Day

Saguaro and Galiuros Range, Arizona. April 2009

Nikon D3x, 24-70mm f/2.8, 1/20 sec @ f/8, ISO 100

Photo of the Day

Saguaro, Mount Lemmon, Arizona. April 2009

Alpa TC, Phase One P45+ digital back, Rodenstock APO Sironar HR 180mm