You've Been Asking for a "Retouching" Seminar. Here it is!
Retouching with the Master
For the First Time in a Limited Enrollment Hands On Seminar
One of the Industry's Most Respected Image Doctors
October 11 and 12, 2008 –– 9AM to 5PM Each Day
Tuition: $350.00 for Both Days
Enrollment Limited to 15 Students
We all know we are supposed to “get it right” in the camera. But, when we shoot real people we face real problems – problems that we can fix if we know the tricks of the “image doctors”. And, no-one knows those tricks better than the Image Doctor to the Stars, Janice Wendt.
Why do I call her the Image Doctor to the Stars? Because, Janice has done the post production work for some of America’s best photographers on some of their best known images. People like her good friend Hanson Fong turn to her in their moments of need.
And, now, we have her in a small format, work-along-with-the-teacher seminar.
Why bring the camera? Because all good images start with a good exposure. We will spend some time in the studio discussing lighting and posing and the other things we have to do to get it “right” in the camera. It’s not known to many people that in addition to being a world renowned touch up artist, Janice is an accomplished portrait photographer. The studio session will allow her to share those skills with you.
After an introductory lesson, you’ll shoot some images to work on during the
remainder of the class. We will also give you some images that present
special challenges and we’ll work, together, to solve them. Finally, if time permits, we’ll give you a chance to work on some of your own “problem images” with Janice’s help.
No one can get good results without careful color management. It starts in
the studio and ends with the print. Although this will not be a course in color
management, we will spend a little time on the concept so that you can use what Janice teaches you to your full benefit.
We’ll also spend a short time on RAW processing.
We will also spend some time on “total image rescue” – what to do when something goes wrong in the camera – like when we use the settings for an outdoor shoot under tungsten light, or when we underexpose, or you get the idea, when we have gray moments.
But, the bulk of our time will be spent on two tasks: (1) solving the kinds of
problems we can’t completely cure in the studio – things like bad skin,
wrinkles and asymmetrical features or making people thinner, taller, or
filling in a partial smile; and (2) making good things better, like making
eyes “pop” and teeth glisten – some of the tricks of the fashion/glamour
trade.
At a time in this industry when it is critical to be both “better” and
“different”, we’ll learn how to give our images an “edge” or “style” that
not all photographers can achieve.
As we all know, there are a myriad of ways to do the same thing in post-production. There are a ton of tools from which we can choose. In class, we will discuss the alternative ways of doing things complete with the “pros” and “cons” of each approach.
Because of the generous support of our sponsors you will have the use
of trial versions of the software from onOne, Imagenomic, and Nik.
The Bottom Line: Even the best photographers have to retouch their images.
In two days, Janice will teach us an approach to image doctoring that will improve the quality of our work and the ease with which we do it.
More on Janice Wendt:
I call Janice the Nik Diva – she’s the woman at the trade shows doing those
amazing things with Nik products. When she taught a session in one of my Texas School classes, I decided I’d make every effort to bring her to Houston. With Hanson Fong’s help, I finally convinced her to come.
Janice, who is from San Diego, California, is one of the industry’s most respected retouch and image enhancement artists. She is often called upon to “train the trainers” on numerous techniques related to digital imaging. She spends much of her time working on educational projects for Nik Software and educates hundreds of professional photographers each year nationally in subjects related to the digital capture process, digital workflow and offers a practical view of the film to digital transition or conversion process for professionals.
Janice has fine-tuned her craft over the years and has a foolproof way of getting the most quality out of every image. She possesses a full understanding of the photographic process and has positioned herself as one of the true leaders on the topic of digital image enhancement.
Janice is an experienced commercial and portrait photographer with over 20 years of working in film and digital photography.
Is This the Class For You?
Although there has been a lot of demand for “work along with the teacher courses”, and although I understand that we learn a lot more from doing than seeing, I’ve been hesitant to offer this type of course before because it is difficult to make sure that all of the students get a quality experience.
Simply stated, it’s hard to balance the class in a way that the topics covered
are within the reach and understanding of all who attend. For example, I
don’t consider myself an “advanced” Photoshop user. I figure I’m closer to being a beginner. However, in reality, I’m probably on the line between “intermediate” and “advanced”. Some of my friends who took “work along Photoshop” classes at Texas School grumbled that their classes were held back by people who had never studied Photoshop or had no idea how to run their computers. I’m sure that those people, who initially signed up for these “intermediate” classes did so in good faith; I can only imagine how frustrated they must have been when they could not keep up.
So, how do you decide if this class is for you? Here are a couple of questions you might want to ask yourselves:
Are you proficient on your computer? Do you know how to turn it on, download files, open, close and save files? Is your computer “stable”? Has it been trouble free for a while? Can you deal with crashes and freezes? Unfortunately, we won’t have IT support on site.
Are you proficient in Photoshop? Do you know the basic tool set? How to open new documents? What layers are and how to create them? Do you have a basic understanding of masks? Have you ever processed a RAW image?
As to the Photoshop questions, if you want to take the seminar, you can build some proficiency in these areas by reading and working with books, online training, and DVD’s – before you come to class. We don’t expect anyone to be experts in these areas. We do think you will need to know how to open the gate to the arena we are entering.
Are you too advanced for the seminar? That’s hard to tell. I really don’t know
anyone, including our instructors Dave Cross and Jim DiVitale, who are too
advanced to learn new Photoshop techniques. As many of you know, Photoshop is a “black hole”; it’s easy to be captivated, fall in and never come back. There’s always something new, a bit more down the hole.
We are posting this seminar a month before it will be held to give as many people as possible a chance to bring their skills up to the level which we think will ensure a positive experience in the class.
What Am I Supposed to Bring to Class?
Please bring a laptop computer, an extension cord, and a power strip and
a card reader; if you have a tablet, you may want to bring it. I’m sorry, but
we cannot support desktop computers or large external monitors; there’s just not enough room in the classroom. You will want to bring your cameras, meters and Pocket Wizards (if you don’t have a meter or a Wizard, you can
use one of mine.)
To Get Ready for Class We Recommend:
1. That you download the trial versions of the software we will be using in class and familiarize yourself with what they do and how they do it. Proficiency is not necessary. Familiarity will be helpful.
We will touch on aspects of:
a. onOne Software – just click the link to download MaskPro 4.1, PhotoFrame Pro 3.1, Focal Point 1.0 and Genuine Fractals 5. This site has great video tutorials on each product. These are fully functional versions that expire after the trial period. (If clicking on the underlined text does not work put the following url in your browser: http://www.ononesoftware.com)
b. Imagenomic – download and try Noiseware , Portraiture and Real Grain. These are fully functional trial versions – except they leave a watermark on your prints. You’ll get to learn how to use them and see whether you like them, but you won’t want to print the images. There are some excellent training materials on this site. (If clicking on the underlined text does not work put the following url in your browser: http://www.imagenomic.com)
2. We will teach this course using Photoshop CS3. Most of what we do can also be done in CS and CS2, but we strongly recommend that you upgrade to CS3 if you can.
If you do not own Lightroom, you can download a free, 30 day, trial version from Adobe.
3. When you come to class, we will give you a CD with the files we will be using in the exercises. So, you’ll need a computer with a functioning CD drive and the ability to load the files.
4. We will also pass out trial versions of NIK software products.
This is a long description because we think we are offering a lot of class. We want to be very careful to let you know what we are going to be doing and give you a way to figure out whether or not you should take the class. We really don’t want to discourage anyone. This class will work for people with basic computer and Photoshop skills.
Enrollment in this seminar will be capped at 15 students for the entire weekend.
We expect this class to fill quickly.
But Wait, There’s More
This seminar is being brought to you with the help of our sponsors –
Houston Camera Exchange, the MAC Group, onOne Software, Photoflex
and Imagenomic. Upon completion of the class you will be given certificates that allow you to purchase their products at discounted prices.
This seminar will be taught in the classroom and studio of:
PrairieFire Productions, Inc.
7026 Old Katy Road
Studio 162
Houston, Texas 77024
