Food Photography with Penny De Los Santo - Another Free Webinar

Ok, I always seem to get this out as it happens. I thought this week I would post it early, so people who would like to see a free weekend Seminar on food photography can catch it. I am a big fan of Photographer Chase Jarvis and his brain child CreativeLIVE. They have Free weekend webinars,  where you can learn so much from industry pros. I have learned so much on different topics which I have had an interest in and have never explored. Furthermore, as a self taught photographer you can miss effects along the way, and these Webinars have filled in the gaps for me. All of these webinars are free. You can purchase the weekend webinar which allows you to download the full three days so you can review it repeatedly.  I have purchased two myself as I wanted to get the full three days, but couldn't sit through them as I had prior obligations. However, I can pull them up anytime I want. If you do end up purchasing a webinar, do it before the actual one end if you can as it will save you $50.

May 13 begins the latest one Food Photography with Penny De Los Santos. Another Webinar I think would be fascinating. I personally have wanted to do food photography as I and most people have a complete love for food. These webinars, go through the how to, tip and tricks, and what to know when you are doing the photography of food. If you already do some food photography, this may give you other great ideas and perspectives you haven't thought of.

If anything, I think Photographers should make contact with the CreativeLIVE site, so that they can get free educational courses, on things that may interest them. They always have something new and interesting coming up, and if you are like me, a person who loves to learn. This may just be for you. 

Click here for the CreativeLIVE  Calendar for future free Webinars.

Foundations of a Working Photographer with Zack Arias - Another great CreativeLive Webinar.

I have now watched most of the first of three days of this great webinar. I have been shooting for 10 years and never really had any Photo classes.  Yes, self taught. However, as a self taught, we get selective on what we read and sometimes miss those important technical aspects that they may cover in a College Photography class, but really don't know if they do. Zack brings all your fuzziness around most aspects of Photography into a focused view. Day one is knowing your Camera, your Lens and Subject. I have clarified things I was a bit unsure of, but you don't think about until you are in the moment.  

If you have a chance catch the next two days. If you miss the free webinar, they offer a download after it's complete for $149.00. However, if you wanted to know all the important aspects of Photography, and you didn't want to sit through a whole semester of classes, then this is for you. And it would be cheaper than that class at the local university. Check it out and if not check out the next Free CreativeLive Webinar!

He really doesn't come across like he does in this Video Trailer. Actually very down to Earth. 

Zack's Blog: http://www.zarias.com/

Zack's Website: http://zackarias.com/

Zack's Workshops: http://zackarias.com/workshop/

CreativeLIVE Webinar (FREE): tomorrow 10-5 (Saturday April 30 & Sunday May 1 )

Professional Portrait Retouching Techniques for Photographers using Photoshop

Scott Kelby has come out with another book for Photoshop - yet this is probably his best for Portrait Photographers and Retouching. This book covers everything you need to make your images stellar. If you are looking to do any one thing in retouching your portraits, this book is laid out to find a solution and to do it quickly. If you want to brighten the eyes, see Chapter 1 pg 24. Each chapter is a portion of your portraits: Chapter 1 -Eyes, Chapter 2- skin, chapter 3 Face (sculpting) Chapter 4 - Hair, Chapter 5 Lips, Chapter 6 Body shaping.  You can find it all quickly. And the final Chapter is how to set up 5, 15, and 30 minutes retouch sessions to move through many images quickly, depending on what you need to get done.  

Being a NAPP member (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) I got to catch the hour webinar on the book and some of the techniques in the book. This clued me into some things to go further with my images without spending the time. The book retails for 49.99, but as a NAPP member it was only $28. I have seen it online for 30 something. I say this is the best book I have purchased in my library of Photoshop books. If you are not Photographing people, then don't get this book, but if you are and want people to look their best, do!  

Though not required, they recommend using a tablet. I have had a tablet for years, and use it on and off. I have been recently been doing a lot of  corporate photo sessions and find myself using most of the time., as you have so much more control. They recommend a Wacom Intuos 4 Medium for photographers. This is a great unit with quick buttons to get through tools you use a lot.  

Another great thing is they give some great tips in this book that are so true. Like just the fact that we often tend to tune things out when we photograph, but they all pop out when we look at the images back on our computer. Makes me take a little more time to set up shots. And also tell how you never show people their before picture, after you retouch their image and why. (I have experienced this first hand)

So I recommend checking out the book. If you are not a NAPP member, I recommend becoming one, as it's a wealth of information. As a member you get a subscription to Photoshop User, and I believe they are giving this book to people joining NAPP for free, for the time being. Use promo code RETOUCHBK online or by phone. Click on the NAPP link on the right to get your subscription.

Free Video Stream with Vincent Laforet on Chase Jarvis: Live

Vincent Laforet on Chase Jarvis: Live

Chase Jarvis: live, takes an inside look when talking to Vincent Laforet. They sit and discuss the in's and out's of film and video production. Vincent talks about his move from photography to video direction. He talks about his technical background moving into the creative side and letting go of the technical to get the best out of his creative. He and Chase discuss using the correct camera for the job, in other words, a red is not always the best camera sometimes it might be a 5D or something else. The lesson here is there is no one size that fits all, and knowing your equipment is important to get the best out of what you have. They both talk about how learning goes on, and how they develop and evolve into new forms and areas within their expanding fields. Part of really growing and learning is to be comfortable not knowing and let the ego go. This will allow you to ask questions and gather information to develop new areas of interest in the field of photography and video. They also talked about the need to et past the stigma, that we have to know how to do everything. We don't have it all, but we can surround ourselves with the people who do and the understanding of techniques can help you but not knowing will not prevent you. They also discuss the need to hustle to get the job, but that it's not a bad thing. You just have to be driven. There's so much competition if you want it, you have to go get it. The only down fall I saw (or heard) was that they were having some audio difficulties with crackling that was rather annoying. They seem to fix it for a while but then it came back and went. Once you get past that it was well worth watching.

This was a very interesting live stream that I would have recommended to anyone who has an interest in photography or video to catch. Vincent will be doing a three day FREE Workshop: HDDSLR - Moving From Still to Video with Vincent Laforet. The workshop starts Friday, March 4 and goes through March 6. You can register online or pre-purchase the course online for $99. The creativeLIVE workshops are free and give great information, or if it's a interview a can be very inspirational as it makes you want to grab your gear and try something new. If you're not a member of creativeLIVE I strongly urge you to join for their free workshops. Chase Jarvis is a wealth of information, and he brings others which have a great amount of information to aspiring photographers and videographers.