CHECK OUT THE NEW, FOR-REAL 503 |ONLINE| WORKSHOP SITE BY CLICKING HERE. 

Whether you have dreams of making money with your photographs or you just want to take photographs worthy of making money, this workshop is designed for you.

After a solid year of full-time, rather obsessive study of the art and business of photography, I started to think about the overwhelming amount of information that I have learned. I remember thinking just last summer about what a blessing it would be to find someone just a few steps ahead of me who was willing to open their door. I was very fortunate to find numerous photographers who did not hesitate to answer my questions along the way, but I was always looking for more.

Now looking back, I am grateful for the information I have learned through my countless hours of study. Through photography classes, professionals in my field, famous photographers who have been kind enough to answer my emails (I've sent countless), books, training DVD's and more, I have learned a vast amount of information in just 13 months. I know this info is as fresh on my brain as it will ever be, so why keep it all to myself?

So, this winter I will be teaching an online workshop called 'Behind Closed Doors'. This is not for anyone who is already a professional, but instead for those dreaming of becoming a professinal photographer or for those just simply wishing to take pictures like one.

See below for more info and, as always, feel free to email me with questions!

The Details

This will be a 6-week workshop beginning Wednesday, January 7th, 2009.

Beginning January 7th, lessons will be emailed out on Wednesdays. You can either read them at your computer or print them out to read on your own time. Homework will be due for each lesson by the following Wednesday. Homework pictures will be posted to the blog so that others in the class can benefit from classmates' work. I will critique work and use your pictures as teaching tools when appropriate.

Please do not share these lessons with anyone else. I am hosting this workshop with the understanding that students will pay the workshop fee to cover their sole enrollment.

As an additional benefit to the workshop, I will be completely accessible for questions at any time during (and after) the 6-week course. If there is anything that is not discussed, you are welcome (and encouraged!) to ask.

Equipment required

~digital camera
~editing software of any kind. I highly suggest Photoshop Elements. It is $100 at Best Buy and has everything you could ever want/need to make your picture mounds better. Very cool software! If your looking for free - check to see if your camera came with any. If not, you can find free software online. One choice: www.splashup.com.
~an excitement to learn (alot!)

Topics that will be covered

The Basics:
Getting to know your camera
Intro to exposure
What's ISO anyway?...and when to change it depending on available light
White balance
Composition (SO much to discuss here!)

Lighting:
Using flash (when is it best?)
How to look for and meter light
Where to position your subjects depending on where the light is angled
How to manipulate light
Location and timing

Editing:
Even the best photographs need a little post-processing help. We'll discuss ways to make every photo go from average to amazing. We'll also discuss cropping photos to certain sizes, the benefits of printing photos at home so as to have the most control over your colors, and file formats.

Behind closed doors:
There are certain things that every photographer holds in a lock box. I am no exception. However, there are many secrets that I am happy to let leak out. We'll discuss how I get my photos to look the way they do, my workflow, my process with clients - from beginning to end, some of the best sites for scoring awesome stuff for photographers, and lots more.

And, more:
Diagnostics & workflow
Organizing your photos
The importance of backing everything up and the best (and cheapest) ways to do it
Building confidence
Getting creative / Thinking outside the box
The best cameras on the market (as well as lenses and all around photography gear), and which one is best for you