Fall Colors 2015

Very nice Fall color at Gibbs Garden Georgia this year. Sorry to see it end……

Photoshop World 2015 Las Vegas

     
        Just back from teaching at another Photoshop World conference. Helene and I had a very busy time as usual. Got to hang out with some great friends while making new ones every day. This years single PSW conference was held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Conference Center in sunny Las Vegas. It was 100+ degrees outside, but that didn't slow things down inside. We spent the little free time we had  hanging with our friends Angela and Tim Wallace, Randy Van Duinen, Judy and Eddie Tapp, Jack Reznicki, and all the Kelby gang.
       It started out with a Canon live shoot pre-con class that was taught by Eddie, Jack, and myself held off site at a large Las Vegas studio. Attendees photographed models and then turned their favorite shots in for a competition. The winner received a new Canon 5DMIII and 24-104mm lens at the opening program.

 Each of us ran a different set and helped the attendees with their posing and lighting techniques. 

 They worked quickly on their laptop computers to meet the final turn in deadline.

 Eddie demo's a lighting set up with his model

 The start of the conference is always a big production. This years conference theme was based on Wayne's World.

 Opening program was standing room only as things got started.

Rock band Rebel Soul played at the opening and Tuesday night party.

 The trade show was busy with lighting demos, programs, and opportunities to try out new equipment.

For the last 15 years, I have had the pleasure of hosting and presenting at the Art of Photography panel. A group of us including Dave Black, Moose Peterson, Joe McNally, Jay Maisel, Julieanne Kost, Joe Glyda, and Jeremy Cowart make presentations over a two hour class.

 All of us are alway honored to be on this panel and I introduce each presentation.

The Strip has grown beyond belief in the last few years. All kinds of new buildings and hotels.

Got to try my new 50MP Canon 5D Mark III SR camera on some night shots.

 Helene and I got to see two Cirque Du Soleil shows on this trip. Seeing the Beatles LOVE for the 2nd time, and seeing the Michael Jackson ONE was a big highlight for us. Very cool shows.

 Driving on the Strip on a Friday Night....  Not going anywhere too fast...

 See you next year!

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Weekend at the Silo City Workshop

                 This past weekend I had the pleasure of helping photographer Mark Maio with his Buffalo Historic Grain Elevator and Ward Pumping Station Photographic Workshop. It was a nice treat to myself as it was my birthday as well. We had a large group ready to take advantage of the access Mark has arranged to photograph there. It’s the coolest collection of pealing paint and rusty things you could imagine. Attendees all did different types of images there from I-phone shooting to the most high tech digital camera backs provided by Chris Snipes of Capture Integration. From light painting, and HDR imaging, to shooting models in the grain elevators, everybody was engaged in creating images. I came back with 54 gigs of RAW files to play with. Here are a few of my fist images.  Hope you can come to the next one….   Enjoy…..

click to enlarge image

Photographer Jack Reznicki composes an image in the belt room

Mark loves his Leica

Shooting at the Historic Ward Water Pumping station was one of my favorite places

 

Jack took a nice group photo of all of us...  

Having too much fun on my birthday!....

Great Week at Niagara Falls

        

         Helene and I just returned home from speaking at the Professional Photographers of Canada Conference in Niagara Falls. Good food, great friends, and an incredible location. And they call this work? Seriously?... Thanks to Gail and Peter Gold for having us both back again. We have made so many great friends there, and their membership’s photography was just beautiful. Thanks to our host, Carol Tothe we stopped off in their wine country for lunch an a few wine tastings on the way to the conference. We taught a day-long pre-con class together, some separate Photoshop and creativity classes, and did portfolio reviews for the attendees. Here are some photos from the week. We had a heck of a view for photos from our hotel room balcony.

We had a perfect view of the falls from our room. It still had some pretty big chunks of ice in it. Click on any photo to enlarge.

The conference attendees paused their busy class schedule for a giant group selfie.

Got to hang out with our friends Heather and Sandy Aberteen

Helene taught hands-on posing class, as well as a creativity class