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About Andy

 

I am an avid adventurer, conservationist, teacher, and outdoor photographer whose photography celebrates the African landscape and its rich wildlife, people, and culture. My photographic safaris allow my travelers to not only enhance their understanding of photography, lighting, and wildlife, but to develop a life-long admiration for Africa ‘s beauty and culture.

Banana Republic recently used my photographs as the cornerstone of their Urban Safari campaign, and my images were seen in all 750 stores around the globe, as well as in their billboards, catalogs and annual report. I was also the winner of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year in the ‘Wild Places’ category in 2008 and a highly commended in the ‘Creative Visions of Nature’ category in 2007.

I launched Gura Gear in 2008, in an attempt to deliver lightweight camera bags to the market. I was looking for a lightweight camera bag to hold all of my photographic gear, and there was nothing desirable on the market that suited my needs. After spending 2 years with many prototypes, the Gura Gear Kiboko bag was born. More products are now available on the Gura Gear web site.

 

 

 

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Entries in Printing (6)

Sunday
Feb012015

Fine Art Photo Processing Sessions! New Dates Added

I have been doing 1-on-1 sessions for quite a few years now, and the best feedback I have received from past participants is a willingness to spend more time in my studio past 1 day, without breaking the bank. Well, here is my plan for the rest of 2015 with this feedback in mind.

The Dates

  • April 6-8
  • July 14-16
  • August 25-27

The Plan

I am going to host a series of 3-day Fine Art Photo Processing Sessions in my studio in Houston. Each session will be limited to only 2 or 3 people each. We will work diligently on the processing of creating the absolute best quality images and prints possible. We will work on color images. We will work on images for black and white. And we will create proof prints and large prints alike. And you will go home with a large number of prints.

 

 

What Is Included

These 3-day sessions will include mid-day meals, all materials including ink and paper, and all you need to do is show up. I do prefer you show up with your own computer, as we will optimize your machine for the best color possible, which you will enjoy when you are back in your own environment. I have a *ton* of printing equipment from 13” printers all the way up to 44”. I am likely to have your exact printer model if you are using Epson, Canon or HP printers.

The Cost

These sessions are $1,850 each. I normally charge $950 per day, and since we will work in small groups I am able to reduce the price significantly.

Other Information

Here are just some of the topics we will cover:

  • Color management (how to definitively know your display and printer are properly calibrated and profiled)
  • Lightroom processing and workflow. This is my workflow, not a class on Lightroom functionality.
  • The use of Nik Software plugins
  • Soft proofing and how to correct your printing workflow if it needs correcting.
  • Black and white image processing and how to create dynamic B&W prints
  • What to look for in a good print and how to correct
  • Paper choices
  • Print sharpening
  • Upsizing and sharpening files for large format output
  • Editing images for a portfolio

 

How To Signup

Just email me at info@andybiggs.com and I can send you an invoice and additional details such as hotel recommendations. That’s it! I hope you will join me for some exciting times in my studio.

 

 

Friday
Jun182010

Digital Printing lecture in Santa Fe, June 24

I will be in Santa Fe, New Mexico next week to do a 2-hour lecture on digital printing. The event will be held at the Santa Fe Camera Center from 5:30 to 8pm on June 24. If you live in the Santa Fe area, please come by for some free refreshments at 5:30, and my talk will begin at 6:00pm sharp. The event is free.

Here is a lecture synposis:

Learn the latest digital printing techniques from Master Printer and African Wildlife photographer, Andy Biggs. Andy will cover ICC Profiles, demystifying color management (do’s and don’ts), how to choose inkjet papers, how to properly calibrate and profile displays, types of printers and building the ideal digital print studio.

 

Wednesday
Jun092010

One-on-One Print Mentoring page updated

I have just updated my One-on-One Print Mentoring page to reflect some updates to my equipment selection here in the studio. Here are the curent printers that I am using:

  • Canon iPF 8300 large format 44" 12-ink pigment ink printer
  • Epson 9900 large format 44" pigment ink printer
  • HP Z3200 44" wide format pigment ink printer
  • Epson Pro 3880 17" pigment ink printer

We also have the following equipment to help us with the entire digital workflow:

  • Mac Pro desktop with 12GB of memory
  • Dual LCD displays (Apple 30" Cinema and a 24")
  • Speed Mat mat cutter and Rising 8-ply and 4-ply museum board
  • X-rite i1 and iO scanning table for profiling
  • GTI display booth with D50 light source
  • Epsn V750 flatbed scanner
  • Plenty of workspace to layout prints
  • All Moab Paper products, including Colorado Fiber Satine, Entrada Bright 300gsm, as well as Crane Silver Rag, Epson Exhibition Fiber, Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl and Photo Rag.

If you are in the market for a new printer, consider coming over to my studio to test drive these printers prior to your purchase. They are well maintained, and I have spent much time on all of them and understand how they all work. I do work for Moab Paper, which means I have relationships with printer manufacturers and access to their technical resources.

Head on over to my One-on-One Print Mentoring page to read more about what a day of printing can look like.

Friday
Mar262010

Adobe Lightroom & The Fine Art Digital Print

Workshop Date: October 7-10, 2010

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 v3.x, 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

Day 1 - Afternoon
Portrait lighting sessions Part I, outdoors

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
Portrait lighting sessions Part II, indoors

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.
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 $1250 per person (inclusive of light 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 $350 is required to secure your spot on the workshop. Final balance will be due no later than September 1, 2010.

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 USB memory key, DVD or external hard drive. 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.

$350 to hold your place until September 1 with a deposit.

 

Testimonials from last year's workshop

"Thank you and Michael for a wonderful, educational, experienced based workshop in Santa Fe. Today I reread my notes from the classroom work and have been amazed at how deeply informative it was. Michael's Lightroom Book as well as yours about digital printing have given me a whole new level of understanding especially around the Lightroom Develop module as well as on the entire topic of printing and color management. I really appreciate how you and Michael showed your individual processes for image workflow. Comparing and contrasting both methods allowed me to take the best of both and adapt them to fit my needs. My increase in knowledge along with the additional hands on guidance we got in the three photo sessions for aspen fall colors, Albuquerque Balloon Festival, and Abiquiu landscape site, will enable me going forward to make the best photos I'm capable of producing. Showing the class the image evaluation image printed on many different papers was most informative as was printing a few of our individual "best" photos from the week.

Andy, I've taken several photography seminars over the past few years. Without a doubt your's has been the most informative, well organized, openly sharing event I've attended.


Thanks again for all your help and guidance. It's clear you don't hold back when teaching and sincerely want all attendees to get as much out of the seminars as we're able to absorb."



"Hi Andy & Michael,


It was a pleasure to meet you both and I enjoyed the workshop a lot. I found Michael's well written e-book and in-class lecture on Lightroom very informative and I gained new insight it's operation features that I wouldn't have discovered on my own. The full printing workflow has always been a mystery to me, and thus I dismissed printing and never did much of it. When I first signed up for the workshop I considered the "fine art printing" aspect to not be the main reason why I attended, but this was the part of the workshop that I learned the most from - Andy's explanations and experience helped me to appreciate and better understand the full workflow from the proper paper selection (I didn't realize there were so many choices) to correct evaluation of output and will serve to encourage me to print more of my pictures.

Thanks for the great workshop!"
 

"Your workshop at Santa Fe was too good and I came away with a lot of knowledge and renewed energy. The level of expertise that you and Michael shared was topnotch and I hope to repeat this experience again. Thanks for such a great workshop!"

"..my mind is still spinning and I can't help but smile every time I think of the wonderful experience garnered from our workshop. Between what I learned from the two of you, as well as from my talented classmates - this was a great experience, and I would do it again."

Wednesday
Oct142009

Behind the scenes photos from our Lightroom and the Fine Art Digital Print workshop

Here are some behind the scenes photographs from our most recent workshop. All images copyright ©2009 Michael Clark.

 

Indoor teaching session on fine art digital printing

 

On our first afternoon, we saw the first snowfall of the year up near the Santa Fe ski basin

 

Trevor, our resident gear hound, putting his Hasselbad to work

 

Liftoff at the Balloon Fiesta

 

We spent an afternoon taking a nice hike near Georgia O'Keefe's home at Abiquiu, New Mexico

Sunday
Oct122008

One on One Printing mentoring

If you are interested in creating better photographic prints, I am now offering private full-day mentoring sessions at my printing studio. This is an opportunity for you and I to work side by side to create beautiful prints from your own digital files. We can work on whatever you wish to work on, from digital capture to Lightroom workflow to digital output. The world is your oyster, and I am here to assist. Typical items that are usually covered:

  • Color management
  • Lightroom processing and workflow
  • Soft proofing
  • Black and white printing
  • What to look for in a good print
  • Paper choices
  • Print sharpening
  • Upsizing files for large format output
  • Editing images for a portfolio
  • Mat cutting and presentation ideas

These sessions are very informal, and are designed around getting information to you that is relative to your goals.

 

 

My location and equipment

Here is the equipment that I have in my studio in Houston, Texas (Memorial area, west of downtown):

  • Canon iPF 8300 large format 44” 12-ink pigment ink printer
  • Epson Stylus Pro 3880 17” pigment ink printer
  • Epson Stylus R2400 13” pigment ink printer
  • Epson Stylus R2880 13” pigment ink printer
  • Epson Stylus R3000 13” pigment ink printer
  • Canon PRO-1 13” pigment ink printer
  • Canon PRO-10 13” pigment ink printer
  • Canon PRO-100 13” dye ink printer
  • Mac Pro desktop
  • Dual LCD displays (NEC PA-272W 27” and Apple 30” Cinema)
  • X-Rite i1 and iO scanning table for profiling
  • X-Rite iSis
  • GTI display booth with D50 light source
  • Epson V750 flatbed scanner
  • Plenty of workspace to layout prints
  • All Moab Paper products, including Colorado Fiber Satine, Entrada Bright 300gsm, Somerset Museum Rag, Silckrock Metallic Pearl as well as Crane Silver Rag, Epson Exhibition Fiber, Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl and Photo Rag.

The Cost

The cost of this all day (10 hours) session is $950, and will include the use of all printing materials, matting materials and perhaps the use of my assistant’s time if he is around to help out. A typical day will begin at 8am, and will end around 6pm. I have found it best to have a casual lunch break away from the studio to break the long day up. Oh, and lunch is on me. I also have an espresso maker in the office for those who need caffeine at all hours of the day.

The Signup process

All you need to do is to send me an email at andybiggs@gmail.com, and we can take it from there. My schedule is busy with Gura Gear and my photographic safaris, but we can carve out some time that works for both of us.