Alma College - Photo Essays

Alma College students came to Santa Fe to study for a week with National Geographic photographic Maggie Steber.  Many of the students had not ever studied photography prior to their week here.  The 17 art and communications majors and their instructors from Alma worked in teams to create photo essays that were presented on Friday evening at the Eldorado Hotel downtown.  View their presentation here!

Two-step Portrait Popper

By Lesa Snider King, author of the forthcoming Photoshop CS4: The Missing Manual (O'Reilly) and chief evangelist of iStockphoto.com.

One of the simplest ways to draw a viewers eye into a photo is to add a soft dark coloring to the edges. It’s a real “portrait popper” which is why studios like Olan Mills have been using it for years.

That being said, it’s literally a two-step effect in Photoshop CS2 and latter using a filter hidden deep within the menu system. Here’s how
to get it done:

Step 1: Pop open an image, and immediately duplicate the background by pressing Command + J (PC: Ctrl + J). Because this technique is destructive (it affects the actual pixels of the photo), duplicating the layer builds in a bit of flexibility in that you can toggle the visibility eye off on that layer to see a before and after. You can always toss the duplicate layer in the trash if you don’t like the effect.

Step 2: Trot up to the top of your screen and choose Filter > Distort > Lens Correction. At the bottom of this dainty dialog box (ha!), uncheck Show Grid, so you can actually see what you’re doing, then turn on the Preview button. Grab the Vignette slider and drag it all the way to the left. Now grab the Midpoint slider and drag it *slightly* leftward, to about +40. Click OK and you’re finished.

Told you it was quick! For more practical Photoshop techniques like this, be sure to attend the Beginning Photoshop course in July.

- Lesa Snider King

Inside the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops

Inside the Photographic Workshops with Jennifer Chapman

Jay Reisinger, SFPW's full-time Bookkeeper, and Store Manager, and Monitor for the IHM retreat center, has a history of living in visually astounding places including many years in Ojai (The Best), California where he worked for the famous potter Beatrix Wood, and Sedona where he managed the largest new age bookstore in northern Arizona, and a brief stay in the Pacific Northwest. Wanderlust, and a desire to walk in the desert again, led Jay to head south to Santa Fe almost 14 years ago.

JC: What do you like about living in Santa Fe?
JR: I like the community. When I first moved here I worked at the Eldorado Hotel. One day after work, I walked down to the Plaza, which I had never been to before. It was snowing those big flakes and there was no breeze and the Christmas lights were on the trees. I was watching kids sliding in the crosswalk and a few couples that were talking. One of the people started singing Silent Night and then they all started singing. It was very Rockwellian, incredibly beautiful and it made me cry. I continued walking that day and came across that statue of St. Francis on the corner of Marcy and Lincoln with the groundhogs at his feet. Someone had put a red and gold garland on one of the groundhogs. When I think of Santa Fe, I think of those two images.

JC: What is one thing you dislike about living in Santa Fe?
JR: The parking lots, they are so badly engineered. And the roads.

JC: What is your favorite place to eat in Santa Fe?
JR: I don't go out much, but I guess Del Charro because that's where we go. It's cheap and the food is good and the drinks are good.

JC: What's the most challenging aspect of your job at The Workshops?
JR: From day one it has been that I have no background in photography. The challenge is relating to SFPW students when they come into the store. I want to be able to connect. I'm getting a camera today and I want to learn enough to relate.

JC: What do you like most about your job?
JR: The people I work with. Also it's a catalyst for getting out into the world. The Workshops reminds you to get out of your routine and take advantage of what's around you.

JC: If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
JR: A dog because their nature of loving is such that pain is not an obstacle. I had my dog Pip for 14 years. All dogs do is love, and they don't complain.

JC: What inspires you?
JR: To do what? Well, what inspires me but also scares me is the passage of time. When you catch it in the moment, it makes you aware, makes you get your priorities straight, and makes you want to go in the correct direction.

JC: What food grosses you out?
JR: Anything with chile in it.

JC: If you didn't have to be here today, what would you be doing?
JR: As a state in life? I would be a successful writer.

JC: If you didn't have to be at work?
JR: At Borders because of the books. That's another thing that inspires me, books.

Where Are They Now? Tim Householder - A/V

Howdy!

Just a little update to let everyone know how things are going.  After two seasons of working in Santa Fe doing the A/V, I'm back in Michigan plugging along.

I've been accepted at Wayne State University as a Masters Applicant for an MA in Art (well, photography), which I will begin work on this fall.

I've taken my hard-earned skills from the A/V job at the workshops and have started to incorporate video to my body of work.  I've been working with an international collaborative of artists working on disability culture awareness programs, photographing and filming their performances.  One of the films I helped with has won several awards and accepted into a couple of film festivals.  I am currently shopping around our multimedia exhibit of photography, film, paintings and poetry to galleries and museums around the world.  Click here for information describing the project we worked on last year.

I can't thank the folks at the workshops enough for giving me the chance to meet and work with the outstanding staff and group of instructors they bring in.  If it wasn't for the opportunity to meet those folks, I doubt I would be where I am or headed where I am going.

We are here to help you pick your next workshop!

A message from our Director, Reid Callanan.

One of the aspects of my job as Director of the Workshops I enjoy most is sharing my knowledge of our classes and insights into the instructors that teach for us. I love talking with prospective workshop participants about our programs. Part of this pleasure comes from the pride I feel for the value of our educational offerings and part is because I know the classes so well I can help you make the right decision. I realize taking a workshop is a significant investment of time and money and I want to make sure the best choice is made.

With over 200 workshops offered each year, the decision is often daunting. I invite you to call me. I will offer my advice, and together we can decide what makes the most sense for you. I do not want to use e-mail. I want to have a conversation with you.

Please feel free to call me at 505-983-1400, ext. 15.

Thanks for the opportunity to help you make the right choice.

Reid Callanan
Director, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops

Digital Lab Workshops

Dottie Lopez here. I am an assistant in The Digital Lab. I have had the honor of working with the Workshops for three years. During my first year, I worked as a seasonal course assistant. This job provided me with the opportunity to work with many of the top photographers who teach with the Workshops, such as Jay Maisel, Arthur Myerson, Bobbi Lane and many others.

During the past two years I have assisted many of the masters of digital imaging, such as Scott Kelby, George DeWolfe, Katrin Eismann and numerous others whom have taught everything from “Beginning Adobe Photoshop” to “Creating the Fine Art Digital Print.” With this experience, I would like to help you find the next workshop that is the perfect fit for you.

If you have taken “Beginning Adobe Photoshop” or “Photoshop: The Next Step”, sometimes it is tough to figure out what your next workshop should be. I am here to help you through that process. To start off, let’s take a look at some of the workshops held this coming summer season.

If learning how to fine-tune your print is where you would like to go, Jon Canfield is teaching “Digital Printmaking”, June 15th throught 21st. The goal of this workshop is to make the digital printing process as clear as possible and to achieve the prints we envision.

Or, if incorporating sound with your images is the path you would like to take, check out Bob Sacha’s workshop, “Visual Storytelling with Audio”, July 6th through 12th. You will explore and create this new kind of storytelling by learning how to add music, voices, interviews, narration, and ambient sounds to your images.

And, finally, if you are just learning how to create those photographs and want to take that first step to learn Adobe Photoshop, try Lesa Snider King’s workshop, “Beginning Photoshop”, July 13th through 19th.

I am happy to talk with you about any of the instructors and workshops I have assisted during my time at the workshops. Anything from teaching style to pace of instruction, and even whether or not they have a good sense of humor. Please feel free to contact me at the Workshops (505-983-1400 ext 17) or shoot me an email (dottie@santafeworkshops.com).

I look forward to hearing from you!

-Dottie Lopez

Photoshop Tip from Josh Withers

Are you ever unclear on just how much of a feather to add to your selection in Photoshop?

Feathering softens the edges of a selection.  This is an essential technique in Photoshop.

Here is a quick tip:

Make a selection.

Hit the "Q" key to enter Quick Mask mode.  Quick Mask mode will allow you to see your selection with a colored overlay.  The default color is red.  Quick Mask mode is a temporary mode to alter your selection by viewing it as an editable mask vs. the "Marching Ants."

Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur.  Gaussian Blur works virtually the same as if you were to feather your selection.  Instead of feathering, you have a visual idea of how much softening you are doing to your selection by blurring the quick mask instead.

Once you do the appropriate amount of blurring for your image, remember to hit the "Q" key again to get out of Quick Mask mode.  Your marching ants will change shape a bit to reflect the change you made to the edges of your selection.

I hope this helps the arbitrary guessing game when it comes to feathering your selections!  Happy Photoshopping!

-Josh Withers

Nick Rapaz

For the past year at SFPW Nick Rapaz served as a key figure on the seasonal staff.  First as a Studio Assistant and then as the Studio Manager for two seasons.  Nick brought the energy, enthusiasm, and professionalism in the studio to new heights.

Nick moves to New York City this June, but we know we will see him back in Santa Fe (maybe next time as an instructor!) as opportunities to assist photographers, such as Platon, are on the horizon.