Digital Darkroom Photoshop-CS Masterclass
Mentoring Workshop

 

5-Day Photographic Workshop

This workshop is a 50 / 50 split between field work (making images in the surrounding Wester Ross highland landscape) and Digital Darkroom Editing / image interpretation techniques carried out in a studio environment.

During our time together we will be based in the north west of the Scottish highlands in the beautiful area of Wester Ross.

Please note: This workshop's focus is not about learning photoshop-CS. Instead, its aim is to teach you how to interpret your work. Some prior knowledge of Photoshop CS' Curves / Layers and Masks is advisable. Lightroom is not suitable for this course.

Getting to the Workshop

Aultbea around 1.5 hours away from Inverness. There are daily flights to Inverness from London and other major airports in the UK.

Inverness airport is small, and flight connections may mean that you have to stay an extra night before and after the workshop, so please take this into consideration when planning your vacation time.

If you wish to be picked up on the day of the trip, please be at Eden Court (central Inverness - 20 minutes away from the airport) for 1pm, and I will transport us all to Inverewe Gardens.

Returning from the Workshop

Please be aware that we will be leaving Aultbea on the last day to arrive in central Inverness at around 11am.

Subjects we will cover

Image flow - walking through the scene
This is all about enjoying the image and taking note of any natural flow in it. Where does your eye go, and does your eye move around the scene in a pleasing way, or is the flow of the image blocked at some points?

Looking for what works

Looking for what works will show us 'the way forward', towards the purity or essence of the message we wish to convey. We will use our application of choice to bring out each winning element of our photograph:

• Emphasis of balanced tones throughout the image
• Emphasis of symmetry
• Emphasis on patterns and themes within the image
• Emphasis on tonal relationships

Looking for what doesn't work

Looking for what doesn't work, will show us what needs to be removed, or at best reduced, so that our message is simplified. We will apply tools from our application of choice to each particular problem encountered within the image:

• Distracting tones
• Conflicting tonal relationships
• Distracting colour

Please bring along....

• A laptop with Photoshop CS Installed
• Your own mouse and keyboard if you prefer
• 20 to 30 images to edit. Please bring RAW files and also any edited Photoshop edits of the RAW files.

Photoshop CS Experience Required

You must bring along your own laptop with Photoshop CS installed and fully working.

This workshop has a focus on image interpretation techniques in the digital darkroom. It is expected that you are reasonably familiar (but not an expert) of Photoshop CS. Having some knowledge of Layers / Curves and Masks would be helpful. Photoshop Elements and Lightroom are not suitable for this course.

Please Note: The focus of this workshop is to teach you image interpretation skills to realise the best prints possible. The focus is not on teaching you Photoshop CS, although you may pick up some new skills while on the course.

Daily Schedule Outline

Each day will have the following format:

8:00am - 9:00am
Breakfast

9:30am - 12:30pm
Critique session. Feedback on Fieldwork images with guidance on how images may be worked on during Digital Darkroom sessions.

12:30pm - 1:30pm
Lunch

1:30pm - 5:00pm
Digital Darkroom sessions. With guidance by Bruce.

5:30pm - 6:30pm
Dinner

7:00pm - 10:00pm
Fieldwork - Shooting through sunset to twilight.

Travel Insurance

It is a condition of booking any of our workshops/tours that you have comprehensive travel insurance to cover you for trip cancellation (by you), activities involved and destination. This cover should include repatriation costs and medical costs.

You must provide us with details of your alternative insurance with or before your final payment.

Terms & Conditions

Please feel free to read our terms & conditions.

Contact Details

Bruce Percy Photography Limited
P.O Box 24113, 
Edinburgh, EH7 9EY
Scotland

Tel: +44 (0) 787 621 0051
e-mail: bruce@brucepercy.com