Podcasts about create photography retreat

In this episode Jeff Harmon and I talk about portrait photography for Seniors as well as Families. Jeff talks about the lighting gear he uses and balancing natural and artificial lighting. Jeff's website is at https://jsharmonphotos.com. He also does a couple of podcasts that listeners may be interested in called Photo Taco (https://phototacopodcast.com) and Master Photography (https://masterphotographypodcast.com). He is also going to be presenting at the Create Photography Retreat (https://createphotographyretreat.com) this October where he will be doing a pre-retreat workshop on a crash course for flash photography and sessions during the retreat on Sports Composites. Visit the homepage for show notes http://www.liamphotographypodcast.com Join the Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/liamphotographypodcast

What does it take to be “good” in photography? We explore that and more in this edition of Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 73 for April 5, 2020 Links Mentioned in today’s show: Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School  Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order. I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo  Thank you for your support! Alabama Stay at home order: https://www.alabamanews.net/content/uploads/2020/04/Final-Statewide-Order-4.3.2020.pdf Announcements I’m very excited about today’s show. The main topic is what to do when you feel like an imposter in photography. But I do have some updates and announcements to talk about before we get to that. So let’s get these first. Regular guests A few months ago now I put out a casting call for some folks to join me on the show from time to time. I’ve been using the term “regular guest” and I had way more submissions than I expected and of those it was very difficult to select the final names. I had just a few goals for these folks and also I want to be clear here too with you all, this is something I’m looking to try out for a year. I’m thrilled to have these folks willing to come on but as this is rather new for me on this show I just don’t know how it will go. So in the end I decided to go with eight of the submissions. It’s probably more than I should have accepted but each person brings something unique to the show that I was hoping for and I think it’ll be good. The others that didn’t get chosen also had very good qualities and it was difficult to draw the line somewhere as it were. But alas, here we are. So let’s see how this goes. First up is Mary Malinconico, she’s a teacher as well and comes to us from across the country. She’s been on the show before and I look forward to having her on more regularly. Second is Matt Bishop. He’s an Aussie but he lives in Italy. In fact he’s the first one up with the next episode where we’ll talk about Patagonia again and what to do during this time as we prepare for “normal” once again. Then there’s Ariel Estulin, he’s been on once before and we talked about Nepal. He also does graphic design and the next episode he’s on we plan to talk about websites for photographers. Then we have Brie Stockwell from Texas. She’s a self-described “noobie” and I’m looking forward to her perspective on the show. Then there’s Drake Dyck from Vancouver Island, BC. I might have chosen him just so I can live a bit vicariously through him, but seriously, he’s going to offer a great perspective I’m sure. Then there’s Lori Rowland and Kirk Keyes, both from the Pacific NW like I am, but they are from different regions and they have slightly different interests in photography so I’m looking forward to that. And finally, we have Tom Wagner, he’s in the Air-force and comes to us from the great state of OK. Everything hit the proverbial fan about three weeks ago. On March 12 my son’s band trip to Hawaii was cancelled, the university I teach at announced that campus was closed on Friday starting at 2:00 p.m. and all sorts of crazy broke loose around the world after that. I tried to get a trip scheduled for me and the boy to Hawaii and we were scheduled to leave on the 19th, a week later, though final plans were put into place on the 16th, that previous Monday. I then cancelled our trip on the 18th due to Hawaii closing all state parks and wilderness areas. If we could have left just two days earlier we’d have gone anyway and I’m sure we’d have had a great time. In that timeframe I also spent about 5 days working crazy on the house in attempts to get it sold. It’s nearly done, but… Now we’re on a virtual lockdown like most other locations and it’s difficult to make arrangements to show the house let alone sell it right now so we’re in limbo. I’m now working from home as well as the university is all online. I prepped my three classes, one of which was already planned to be fully online anyway, but the other two were not.  It’s been a whirlwind of a time and things are finally getting back to a schedule, still not a “normal” schedule but a routine none-the-less, and that’s good. Thoughts on when we’ll return to classroom teaching. What I’ve been up to these last two or so weeks Workshop items. I’m still planning on my Palouse Shoot-n-Print workshop that is scheduled for June 15 and 16. As of the time of this recording things are still a go. I have the hotel reserved, the facility reserved where we’ll host the meeting and since our group will be less than 10 people we’ll successfully fly under the radar. The building is capable of hosting 40+ people so I fully expect the “social distancing” requirements to be in force at that time and we should be able to accommodate that no problem. I’ll have two printers there and that will help with this idea. I also have three already signed up so I’ve met the minimum. As we get closer I’m monitoring the latest that Whitman County, the State of WA and other entities are saying about things like this. I’ve been in contact with both folks that will be flying in for the event and they are still fully on board with it. But as we are well aware our plans can be up-ended in a heartbeat with the latest stuff that’s been happening. If we are forced to pull the plug or postpone it I’ll keep you all updated. If you’re interested in this workshop I am offering a more lenient cancellation policy. However, I am also taking payments up to the day before the event so if you make it a last-minute decision that’s fine too. And finally, if we postpone it I’ll be in contact with those that have bought plane tickets first to see when they can arrange it for since airlines are offering to change tickets without any penalties or fees. Lessons online. If you’ve not done so yet, please consider joining the Latitude Photography Podcast facebook group. There’s over 800 members there and I’m putting my Principles of Photography lessons there in the fb group. These are the same lessons my university students get. You just have to ask to join, then answer a question, that is name the host, that’s me, and tell me about how long you’ve been a photographer. That’s it! These lessons will be repackaged and made public and free later this spring or early summer. But I decided I couldn’t wait to get something out there now so there you have it. They are for beginners. But I’ve already had some fairly experienced photographers write and say how they are enjoying them so I’m sure many more may enjoy it too. Survey. I’m doing a survey for my Latitude Photography School. The link is at the top of the show notes. It closes May 15, 2020. If you give me your email address, only for this survey give-away, you’ll be entered to win a ThinkTank Photo Photocross 15 backpack. Main Topic. Time for the main topic of discussion, that is, what to do if you feel like an imposter in your photography. This is a serious issue if you let it fester and get the best of you. I received a note from a listener in his mid-twenties. I have a lot of experience in dealing with young people like this so I basically decided to treat him like one of my college students. His name is Alex and he wrote an email and I’d like to read it here. Oh, I’ve also made this a full blog post on my website. The links are in the show notes at up at the top. Pretty much all the detail is here but you can read it over there too since I go into a little more detail as far as the writing is concerned. Anyway, with his permission to share, here’s his initial email: I have recently jumped feet first into this lovely pursuit we call photography. I have taken pictures for most of my life at some capacity, but within the last month or so, I have decided to try and make it something more meaningful.  I live in AL (approx. 30 miles north of Talladega National Forest) and struggle to find things that captivate my mind for photography. I enjoy being outdoors and have recently jumped into hiking every weekend in the local national forest/state park. Considering where I live, the grand scenics are hard to come by unless it’s at sunrise or sunset and even those are somewhat limited. Small scenes are where it seems to be the best, but I struggle to see small scenes and how to photograph them.  I am also limited on gear and income that allow me to acquire more gear. I am using a Nikon D750 with a Nikon f/1.8 50mm and Tamron 70-300mm. I have no filters at this time. I also struggle with feeling like an imposter in a hobby to which I don’t belong. I don’t feel as though my technical skill is up to par as well as my creative skill. I feel as though I can see a good picture when looking at them, but I don’t feel as though I’m capable of taking great pictures. I struggle with this because it makes me be down on myself and feel as though it is almost a lost cause. What I do know is that every time I’m behind the camera, looking through the viewfinder, I’m at peace. When I’m looking through the camera, all I think about is what’s on the other side. I’ve never really had this happen. I’ve never had a hobby or passion that consumed my entire brain when doing it. There is no other thought except for the photo I’m trying to take.  Thank you for your time. I know it is worth a lot and I greatly appreciate it. First off, I’m glad he wrote. He really needs some guidance and encouragement. But I’m curious, how many of you identified with even one thing he wrote there? I’m pretty sure all of you did. At least with one thing anyway. And that’s why I wanted to talk about this on today’s show. So this is the outline of my response: I noted that he “recently” jumped into hiking every weekend and that photography is a recent thing for him too. I asked what precipitated this. Afterall, I’m curious to know if he’s serious about this hobby or not. If he’s just been in it for a few weeks or months and he’s questioning this position as a photographer and wondering if it’s even for him (that’s what it sounds like to me) then is it really helpful for me to get involved? I assured him that at this time he probably “should” feel like an imposter. After all, he’s so new to it all. Then I talked about his disappointment with not being able to capture the grand scenics. This tells me he’s comparing himself to others too much. Especially since he essentially “blamed” it on where he lives. In subsequent messages he described other places he’s lived and that’s all fine and good. He pines for some of those other locales, but you’ve gotta learn to flourish where you’re at and with what you’re capable of getting too. He also mentioned some photography interests that were for his work and a few other things from childhood, but only in the last few months has he really found nature photography and hiking to be such a joy and he’s having trouble bringing the two together effectively and he’s having trouble getting what he wants out of the experience. How many of us know disappointment? I then took a stab at what might be bothering him and said, “You get frustrated when your photographic interpretation of that world is not realized. It’s not what you saw and felt at the time of being there. This is where you’re experiencing a disconnect with your experience and your appreciation of the experience and how to convey that through the camera. As a beginner I’d be very surprised if you had it nailed from the get go. I see people all the time that think they’re really a “good” photographer when in reality, they totally aren’t. They’re good according to their beliefs, but when they leave their little bubble of reality and have someone else look at their images they’re not really that good. You recognize that you’re not living up to your goals and hopes and dreams and that’s good! That’s wonderful. So how do we get you through to making some progress with your image making?” I then started hitting home with a few things I wanted him to shift his thinking about all this so I pointed out that he’s creating or making images. Not taking photographs. It’s semantics, but words are important after all. I’m not one that wants to rely on saying “that’s what I meant.” I want someone to say what they mean. I want them to be articulate with their goals and purpose in life and photography. Getting to the point is important and getting it right is also very important. Go on three hikes without your camera. Just leave it home! I stated some reasons for it such as verifying that you truly find this enjoyable and that he understands that a camera will actually add to the experience. I had at least two other reasons for this part of the assignment but I’ll leave that a mystery for now. Buy a tripod if he didn’t have one. Turns out that he does have one. I sent him a link of 10 lesser known waterfalls in Alabama. I then challenged him to pick any of them and go there with the camera. But he can only take his 50mm lens. Not the zoom. BUT, he must get to the waterfall and not shoot for 30 minutes. He can sit there, walk around, doesn’t matter. But he can’t shoot right away. I then sent him a webmd.com article that talks briefly about negative ions that are prevalent in nature, especially waterfalls, and explained the benefit of not shooting for 30 minutes. I need his frame of mind to be transformed by the place before he gets shooting. I then stated that if he’ll follow my advice and repeat this over and over to different location he’ll start to see a shift in his image making. And I reiterated that he must follow the process. The creative process is important. In subsequent messages I learned more about him and how he likes to get right to it. But the creative process requires patience. Maybe that’s why doctors are so good at photography… :) I then encouraged him to seek out resources and maybe even consider attending the Create Photography Retreat. After a few subsequent messages I learned more about his history and about him as a person and then recommended that he find a photo buddy or two that he can go shoot with. If you’re in the his region you can reach out to me and I’ll put you in touch with I’m if he’s OK with that. I then reminded him that it will take dedication and commitment. I don’t expect him to not feel like an imposter right away, but with time and practice he’ll have the confidence and the experience to not feel so awkward when shooting and making photographs. I ended up giving him a series of assignments. They are: Tip of the Week. Just get out there and shoot something. Stay safe, don’t break any laws or quarantine policies, but do get out and shoot. Reminders I put a post in the facebook group for voting where you want me to go once this pandemic stuff is all over. I’m running a very high temp with all this cabin fever and I need an outlet fast, but maybe the dreaming aspect can help a bit. So please get on in there today and place your vote. The options are: Black Sea (take ferries between Istanbul, Odessa and Georgia) Rural Western China Japan India Outer Hebrides Serbia, Montenegro and Albania

Tips For Taking a Professional Self Portrait Kenny Huffman, a long-time listener and alumni of the Create Photography Retreat, asked a question I thought would be good to answer in the episode today given the contest we are running (again we will talk about it at the bottom of the show). Kenny asked me “any method of focusing on the ... The post 20 Steps To a Professional Self Portrait appeared first on Master Photography Podcast.

It’s The Great Portfolio Paradox: how do you build a portfolio when your standard for the work that needs to go into it is higher than what you’re currently producing? In this episode I address an artist curse old as time, and along the way give 6 tips to develop your portfolio even with a perfectionist mindset. Join the Creative Chaos community at https://bit.ly/2BXWZty   Become a Patron: https://bit.ly/2D3FUio  Create Photography Retreat: https://bit.ly/320jfiw 

Sometimes, you just need a change. Maybe you’re burnt out or bored or maybe you’ve evolved from who you were 5 years ago. Whatever the reason, if you want to take your business in a different direction and don’t quite know where to start, this is the episode for you. Join the Creative Chaos community at https://bit.ly/2BXWZty   Become a Patron: https://bit.ly/2D3FUio  Create Photography Retreat: https://bit.ly/320jfiw 

Your media kit is how you represent yourself when pitching to a big potential client or requesting funding for a dream project. In this episode I discuss what to include and how to format it, plus a few tips from personal experience, such as whether or not to include your rate sheet along with your media kit. Join the Creative Chaos community at https://bit.ly/2BXWZty   Become a Patron: https://bit.ly/2D3FUio  Create Photography Retreat: https://bit.ly/320jfiw  Book Me For Your Event: https://bit.ly/2tbuAzk 

Not everyone (myself included) is cut out for the constant interaction and availability of social media, and if you have a business to run it can feel like you’re trapped. Thankfully, that’s not the case. In this episode, I list 5 ways to grow your business without the use of social media. Join the Creative Chaos community at https://bit.ly/2BXWZty   Become a Patron: https://bit.ly/2D3FUio  Create Photography Retreat: https://bit.ly/320jfiw  Book Me For Your Event: https://bit.ly/2tbuAzk 

Create Photography Retreat I am so excited to be presenting at the Create Photography Retreat again in 2020.  It is being held in beautiful Greenville South Carolina October 15-17 when all of the fall colors will be breathtaking.  Come join me and others from the Master Photography Podcast network in interactive, hands-on sessions and make some serious progress towards mastering ... The post Photographer’s Checklist For Sharper Photos appeared first on Photo Taco Podcast.

In this edit from a long lost episode recorded back in April, Brendon joins me on the podcast sharing FIVE THINGS WE LOVED about the Create Photography Retreat! #1 The type of Amazing, Enthusiastic people that came to it! #2 The Array of Classes & that it is only getting better! #3 The Great People BEHIND the Retreat! Brian Hanson! #4 It is one of the GREAT retreats FOR BEGINNERS! #5 Small Class Settings allowing everyone time w/ instructor! If you have been on the fence about coming to the Create Photography Retreat, this episode will be the thing that pushes you over the edge! It was a true blast being a part of it and I can't wait for 2020! Join us at the Create Photography Retreat in 2020! https://createphotographyretreat.com/

We continue our sharing of the Patron-Only Podcasts with this interview of our friend and awesome photographer Alyce Bender! Aaron was really sick and so Brendon interviews Alyce on his own and we get a great interview coming from a world traveling Landscape Photographer transitioning from hobbyist to professional. Something we all want to do! This week Aaron gets a break and Brendon interviews Alyce Bender. Alyce is an outdoor travel loving photographer. She has traveled and lived all over the world. She will also be teaching at the Create Photography Retreat in Las Vegas. You can follow her on Facebook & Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/abenderphoto/ https://www.instagram.com/abenderphoto/ Her main website is https://www.abenderphotography.com/

Today we are talking about color. I wrote a blog post over on my main site about this whole idea of color. Head on over there to read it but, of course, we’ll talk about it here. It’s about the basics of color, a bit of how the eye works and I try to put that into perspective with how it relates to photography. Link to blog post: https://brentbergherm.com/what-is-color/ Listener submitted images.  We also have some listener submitted images that we’ll also talk about. Today I chose images from Gary Aidekman, Chris Bartell and Benjamin Stuben Farrar.  Gary’s Image is of a red truck with a bunch of various growth around it, be it grasses, bushes, trees and the like. It’s an older pickup truck with a wooden box on the back. The beauty of this image is in the contrasts we find here. The truck is decaying, a bit of rust is seen around the edges of the truck body panels, some dents are visible. The glass is rather clean so it’s not too old and decrepit. The box is showing some age and across the top we see some damage from hauling various objects. However, the contrasts I’m talking about are both the contrasts of color, but also the contrasts of the new fresh growth and the decaying truck. There’s also a contrast of textures, the truck body panels are quite smooth as compared to the grasses, bushes, trees and the wooden box on the back of the truck.  The cab is painted red. And what does red have to do with this image? Or better yet, how does it influence our interpretation of the image?  Certainly, it pops out from the greenery that surrounds it. In this case, I think it enhances the feeling that this object simply doesn’t belong here. Or, at least it’s not “natural” in a manner of speaking. When I think over the key words that usually get associated with red, either positive or negative, I’m actually coming up a bit dry. I don’t see any of them strongly applying here. It does ad a slight dynamic sense to the image in that the colors do complement each other quite well. It’s almost Christmas like in nature, we just need a little snow! It may suggest danger to some people, but not really. The truck is resting there and it will continue to do so, and has done so for a long time which is evident by the grasses growing around it. I do get a subtle sense of power in this image. But again, it’s subtle. The power of the truck to drive here, park here and be left here by its owner. The potential power to break down the grasses and such in front of it to move on out and get things underway. While it’s decaying, it’s not that far gone. It does look like it still has some life in it, and that could suggest as subtle sense of vitality as well. Compositionally, I would like to see one of two things done to this image. Either zoom in slightly tighter to get rid of a few patches of sky that are showing up, allowing us to more fully concentrate on the truck in its environment, or zoom out a bit and allow us to see more of the environment which surrounds this truck. Zooming in will magnify the power of the truck, zooming out will diminish it. I’d also suggest a vignette to darken the greenery in the foreground. Just slightly. Nothing too drastic so that it still feels natural. Doing so will keep the eye interested in the truck only. There’s lots of detail in those areas and green, as we learned from the previous discussion, is naturally brighter than red, and so by changing the relationship between these two primary colors in the scene we’ll rebalance it to give more attention to the subject. Of course, it all depends on the intent you have for this image. The second image is from Chris Bartell. She has been with me on a workshop last year in Charleston at the Create Photography Retreat. She’s a talented photographer and is definitely showing some good work here as well. This image is of a Japanese Maple at the Japanese Gardens in Portland, OR. These are some beautiful gardens. If you get a chance to shoot there, especially in the fall, I highly recommend it. Go on a weekday if you can to avoid the crowds. The image is filled with lots of reds and oranges in the leaves, with some vibrant greenery in the grasses and mosses in the foreground. This is one of the exciting things about nature photography, we almost always have some greenery in the image (not so in the next image, but anyway). Chris has used a small aperture, a big number, and a wide-angle lens to really extend that depth of field. Almost everything is in focus. It feels that there’s a subtle vignette being applied, but it could be a natural vignette from the lens. Though when a lens is stopped down this far the vignetting is usually eliminated. This particular tree is quite possibly the most popular tree in the entire garden, at least for photographers. I’ve seen many images like it before and this is a really good example of what can be done here at this tree. So how does the color red influence our interpretation of this scene? To me, it also has a lot to do with the branches. Those branches start out in the thick trunk and they squiggle out to the outlying areas of the image. They provide a connection and a visual highway for the eye to travel through, many visual highways. To me, I’m made more alert by this image. The color is commanding my attention as it’s very visible. The inclusion of yellow hues also helps a lot with keeping things alive. Given that this is fall colors, the notion of transition and the coming winter is also suggested to me. And I am thankful for being able to see the colors as they are here because I know they will be gone soon. So, in this image, I get a sense of decay and transition quite strongly. But as I’m well aware, the cycle will continue, and this will deliver its beauty once again next year. So the promise it provides is also strong for me. Compositionally, I don’t think there’s much I’d change in this image. If I were there and no others were trying to get this shot, I know I’d try and get some unique compositions. I might try my segmentation series on this subject. Or otherwise isolate individual branches of segments of the tree. There’s not a lot of wiggle room as the keepers of the garden disallow photographers to walk around and set up various angles. One thing that is wonderful is the lone leaf on the rock in the lower left corner. I can see myself placing more leaves there to make a more prominent feature of that rock. And then put them back so my idea is hopefully unique. Benjamin’s image is another leaf. But this one has fallen to the ground. The icy ground. This provides some great contrasts once again in the image. We have the little crystals of the ice droplets that have formed and the soft smooth leaf. There’s only reds, oranges and blue hues available in this image. Along with some whites and blacks too, of course. The depth-of-field is very shallow which can really work for this type of shot, though I might have applied it slightly differently. The leaf almost fills the frame from edge to edge and is placed in the upper third of the image. So how does red influence our interpretation of this scene? The leaf is made to feel very important. It is the central object not only because the red advances so much as compared to the softer blues, but also it’s the subject that is in focus. It’s punchy and the eye is drawn so much you can’t go anywhere else. As for the composition, I think I would do one major change. That is to lift the camera up just a little. This will change the plane of focus slightly and allow for more background to show. I’d still keep the leaf towards the top of the frame but I’d change the focus to be the ridge of the leaf edge. Right now the eye gets trapped in the central part of the frame and can’t escape. If the leaf’s ridge were in focus the eye would have a line to follow, a very interesting line at that. It could travel back and forth and then it could take a few side tracked tangents based on the receding veins. Doing this would also bring different ice globules into focus and that would provide a circle for the eye to travel around, from the edge of the leaf to the in focus ice globs, back to the leaf. Controlling Red in Camera What if your reds, or other colors, are off in camera? There’s a few things we can do to correct for this. I really only have in-depth experience with Canon cameras, but all cameras will have a characteristic about it that may need correction from time to time. So often we want to make color corrections using the white balance. And that can help, but what if your colors are consistently off? In Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw, head to the last tab in the develop module called Calibration. The first thing to select is the Process Version. Usually, I’d say go with the most recent version. That’s going to be the most updated process Adobe knows to do to your photos. However, the sliders there will give you the opportunity to shift the hues around from one influence to the next. And things are limited to the Reds, Greens and Blues only. You also have a shadows tint slider which can help too, but that’s limited to greens and magentas. I say focus your attention on the primaries and shift those sliders around until you have something that works across a multitude of files. Technically speaking, if you were to calibrate your camera it would only be applicable to the lighting scenario and lens choice that’s currently mounted to your camera. You’d have to recalibrate for each different scenario. However, going about it in an easier fashion makes a lot more sense, especially if you notice that things are consistently off base. You can come in here and make the changes. Then you can make a preset that has those changes and upon import you can apply those changes automatically. Doing so may be just what you need to get those reds knocked into shape. Also, it’s been my experience that reds are the toughest for cameras to accurately render, but again, my experience is largely limited to Canon cameras and the troubled cameras are the older Rebel models, the current models have been excellent. Take a look in that calibration panel and see if something works in the right direction for you! Additionally, you can take a look in the HSL area and modify the hues there as well. The calibration panel is designed more for wholistic changes that are applied across the board. Listener Wisdom I’ve announced that my print course is finished. And I’m so glad it’s largely done! However, I figured I should address something here. That is I’m going to actually rename the course. Not even a week out and I’m already making changes. I know, kind of strange. However, this comes about from you guys, and a few others. By calling it a fine art printing course I made some feel this course wasn’t for them, where after talking to them I was like “yes, this is totally for you!” So I’m retitling the course to “Master Photo Printing” with Brent Bergherm. Nothing else has changed about the course. You still get 8+ hours of in-depth training in a format that is easy to digest and pickup where you left off. My online delivery system tracks your progress and you’ll easily be able to watch the videos that pertain to your interests and you’ll be able to go back over an over again. Also, for a few more days, I’m able to give away a backpack bag if you enroll soon. See the website for details, but I’ve got an UltraLight 36L by ThinkTank Photo that will go to one lucky person who signs up before Wednesday, April 10, 2019.  If you’ve been shooting a couple years and you want to take your photography to a different level with some color management, post-processing and creative sharpening techniques then this course is for you. I will do the bonus materials by Summer 2019 which will include walkthroughs on popular print lab websites and an analysis of their prints. So you don’t need your own printer to get something out of this course. Summer plans My summer plans have been effectively put into a blender. I had to cancel my workshops to Chile and Croatia due to low enrollment which is too bad. And I thought that would mean I’m able to go to Cuba then with the school I work at. We’re doing a mission trip there in early July. And that may will work out, but otherwise, the only thing I have solid for my summer is to head to Boise in late July and deliver a mini printing workshop and lecture there to a group there. If you have a group of photographers that want to learn one-on-one printing this summer let me know and we probably can work something out.I also have my shoot-n-print workshop happening in mid-June this year in Walla Walla. The valley is gorgeous and we’ll have so much fun shooting in the early morning and evenings, and spending the heat of the day demystifying the print process and coming away with some awesome prints of your photography.  Use this link for excellent gear at the Peak Design website. It helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks! Use this link to get a free gift at checkout, plus it helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

Go to a Workshop/Conference! We have said it on the podcast over and over, there is no better investment you can make in your photography than getting to a conference or workshop. Make it a goal right now that you will find one you can get to sometime in the next 12 months and then do it! We hope it ... The post LIVE From the Create Photography Retreat! appeared first on Master Photography Podcast.

There’s so much to talk about and so little time to do it, so, where to start. First off I’d like to talk about the show in general. Not publishing as often as I’d like. (end of the quarter and all that) Working very hard on my print course and coming up with ideas for future courses. Very busy quarter ahead. 48 in my intro to digital imaging course, 32 in my principles of photography course. Plus putting my dossier together. This quarter will be busy. Going to try out a shorter show format for a while. It will be hard because I love talking photography. But with a shorter show to get out it may not seem so daunting of a task and I might be able to keep at it on a more regular basis. My goal is still twice per month. I do have my workshops that still have several spots left. If shooting the total solar eclipse and other great spots in Chile interests you, please consider signing up. I’ve reserved a large apartment that has flexible sleeping arrangements, but I also have an option about doing your own lodging if you’d prefer. Check out the listing on my site and see if that would work for you. It’ll be so much fun and quite the adventure. We’ll learn some photography along the way too of course. And my Croatia workshop too. If you love waterfalls and historic city centers then this trip is for you. Something I’d like to really stress is that we have some flexibility on the dates. If the first part of the trip can’t work for you please consider the second part. It’s only a half-week but I can easily extend that to a full week if that would be a better fit for your schedule.  The problem is we’re coming up on the cancellation deadline which is March 31, 2019. If I don’t have the minimum signed up I’ll have to cancel. So please check it out and reach out to me if you have any questions. My website is experiencing some changes lately. I’m preparing for publishing my course and it will be right there in my main site, http://brentbergherm.com I’ve got the videos edited, I just need to polish them off and get them organized on the site. When I publish the course I’ll do another episode that will walk you through everything in basic detail so you know what’s what and what to expect. I’m so excited to be so close to being finished. I’m spending my spring break getting this thing online and ready to go.  It will be way more than just a set of videos to download.  I will make the first announcements about the course release to my email list and my Workshops group on facebook. Just search for Brent Bergherm Photo Workshops on facebook and ask to join, or find the link at the bottom of every page on my site and join the email list. I email out my most recent blog posts and other pertinent stuff.  I’ll be missing so many of you at the Create Photography Retreat later this week, but please know I’m working super hard to get this wonderful course out to you. Of course, I also have the Walla Walla Print-n-Shoot workshop as well. With this workshop you’ll get access to the print course online when it’s published, but you’ll also have time with me here in the beautiful Walla Walla Valley where we’ll spend a week going out and shooting great images and then you’ll learn tons of post-production and print process techniques to create fine art prints from your photographs. The cost of the workshop includes all the ink and paper you’ll need to print several fine enlargements. I’m still looking for submissions for my next theme where I talk about listener submitted images. For now I’m still hosting that on the facebook group. It should be the first thing you see and the theme this month is RED. I’ll record an episode in late March or early April 2019 and review and comment on three listener submitted images and then we’ll also talk about what red means in an image. Also, I picked up a book by Ibarionex Perello titled “Making Photographs” and so far I recommend it. I’d love to chat with someone about this book. So if you want to get yourself a copy and read it by this summer please do so. We’ll then do an episode that’s a book review of sorts. I think it’ll be fun, check out the link in the show notes or just search for “Making Photographs” at your favorite bookseller. https://www.amazon.com/Making-Photographs-Developing-Personal-Workflow/dp/1681983990/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?keywords=ibonarex+perello&qid=1553205526&s=gateway&sr=8-2-fkmr0 Shooting Macro. Spring is here and I love to shoot macro images of all sorts of subjects. Flowers, bugs and other details. It’s so fun to look at the amazing detail in God’s beautiful creation. So often we just miss out on the details, but when we take a macro lens and inspect it for all it’s worth, I don’t know, for me it’s just absolutely amazing. I wrote a blog post on this and I’ll link it in the show notes as well: https://brentbergherm.com/shooting-macro/ Other links mentioned: Chile Total Solar Eclipse Workshop: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/chile-2019/ Croatia Creative Composition Workshop: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/croatia-2019/ Walla Walla Shoot-n-Print Workshop: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/ww-print/

Jeff, Brian, and Brent talk through the camera settings, flash modifiers, and flash locations to take a portrait of a large group. Episode Sponsor Create Photography Retreat Join several hosts from the Master Photography Podcast network at the 3rd annual Create Photography Retreat in Las Vegas March 28-30. If you have never been around hundreds of photographers just as passionate ... The post Large Group Lighting appeared first on Master Photography Podcast.

With the huge milestone of hitting 100 Podcast Episodes we are joined by most of our Photog Adventure team, the admins from our Facebook group and our hero Jeff Harmon. Through Jeff's generous recommendations to his listeners to follow the Photog Adventures Podcast we went from less than 1000 listens to around 7000 listens in less time! Jeff single-handed put Photog Adventures on the map faster than we were getting it there and we really owe him a lot! We ask the Admins and Jeff about their favorite misadventures these last two years and the story behind their favorite image. Jeff talks about the Create Photography Retreat and shares insight on his presentations and why we all should take a chance on a retreat like this one, especially one like this that is so affordable! Follow Jeff on the Photo Taco podcast over on the Master Photography Podcast Network.

After TWO YEARS of working on Photog Adventures, we look back on where we have been, some stats and answer questions about what has surprised us most, what we have learned and some of our favorite moments in these past 24 months. We wouldn't have lasted two years without you, our listeners, and we are very grateful for the time you put into listening to our podcast, coming to our YouTube and Facebook Live presentations and watching our content on YouTube. It wouldn't have been so much fun without your comments, facebook messages and your constant support! We have had a blast producing this podcast and all of our other content and have you guys to thank for keeping it the fun it is and not feeling like work! :D We especially want to thank those Founders of Photog Adventures out there that have been supporting us through Patreon.com for months! We really really appreciate all of you and have plans to bring you even more great content this coming third year of Photog Adventures. Keep listening and in the second segment I tell the story of when I actually thought Brendon had died! For 10 mins at least, I thought he had finally done it and killed himself accidentally. We announce our participation in two Photography Conferences in 2019! Create Photography Retreat in Las Vegas from March 28th - 30th, 2019 The Create Photography Retreat is an experience open to photo lovers of all skill levels who want stellar instruction, TONS of hands-on shooting opportunities, new life-long friends, and a supportive environment. Sign up under https://createphotographyretreat.com/photog/ before tickets go up in price! Royce Bair's First Annual NightScaper Conference May 1st - 3rd, 2019 The first annual NightScaper Conference has been scheduled for May 1-3, 2019 in Moab, Utah - gateway to Arches and Canyonlands! Don't delay, recent count is that there are only 113 conference spots still left! Register here:  http://intothenightphoto.blogspot.com/2018/10/nightscaper-conference-scheduled-for.html

Erica and Brian join Jeff at the round table to discuss how to get good exposure indoors with a camera and a single flash plus 4 portrait backgrounds easily found in ANY neighborhood. Episode Sponsors: Create Photography Retreat: Join many of the hosts of shows from the Master Photography Podcast Network at the March 28-30 Create Photography Retreat in Las ... The post How to Get Good Exposure Indoors With a Flash appeared first on Master Photography Podcast.

Well, I survived Hong Kong. That’s about the best way to put it. If you listened to my previous shows you heard my conversation with Mia Beales with Guilin Photo Tours and how awesome that area of China is. You also heard about my other plans and what I was going to shoot there in HK. Virtually nothing went according to plan. To back up a bit, my initial goal with my journey was to show the opposite of what you expect to see from Hong Kong. In my head, I called it the “softer” side of Hong Kong. And to a large degree, I was successful. I was able to get out and hike some trails and photograph the lush landscape that you just don’t associate with Hong Kong. I was also able to find some fantastic structures along those trails, either where people live, or where they used to live. I started on Lantau Island. It’s such a beautiful place. And I had planned a very detailed itinerary and even designed it as a booklet and printed it so I’d have a copy for easy reference. I’ve done this before and it’s worked well. The main benefit is that in planning so much I have all these options and photo locations floating around in my head. So as I need to, I can alter the plan on a whim. And I did and it worked great. I still got to all my locations on Lantau Island, just not in the order I originally planned them. But that didn’t matter. I was having a blast exploring and seeing the side of Hong Kong that most people don’t even know about. Their hiking paths are rather interesting, and very well maintained. Lantau is rather mountainous, and these paths, for the most part, are raised concrete and rock paths that are about three to five feet wide. They’re so easy to follow you simply can’t get lost. And every 500m they have sign posts with numbers on them. If you get into trouble you just call emergency services, tell them the nearest sign post and they’ll know where you are. It’s great. I walked from the Po Lin monastery back towards my room in Mui Wo, about a nine mile journey. I only made it half way (to the main road) because I just kept stopping and shooting along the path and I was taking way to long to get this hike done. But I didn’t care. I was having the time of my life! This continued for a couple of days until my videographer friend showed up. My other intent for this trip was to shoot a series of training videos and he was going to help. I had a script all written for the main parts and then we’d get some more candid items as well. He showed up on Thursday, so that meant Friday and Saturday were essentially “recovery” days, although on Saturday we went to Macau and in total we walked about 11 miles! Then we got to shooting on Sunday and by Sunday evening we were doing wonderfully, things were really clicking. However, I woke up Monday morning completely sick. Totally and utterly sick. To make a long story short, I got food poisoning so bad I had to go to the hospital. I was upset, depressed, an assortment of emotions was running through me as I laid there trying to get better. I cancelled my China Excursion. After all, I know my health is more important than getting any shot, and I also know myself. I knew that I had a good chance of being released on Wednesday and with my need to get on the train to China on Thursday, that was just going to be too much. As I laid there I started thinking about a whole bunch of things. I had time, and thinking was about all I could do, that and watch meaningless TV. I thought about how this summer had led up to me going to HK, and what I planned to do after I got back. I became rather retrospective. I began to think, “what’s important here?” What can I still get out of this trip to HK, and more broadly, am I doing what I need to do in life to achieve my goals? What are my goals? And this is why this episode is called “turning point.” In that hospital bed I believe I was able to contemplate a few things and that started me down this mental journey of honing my ideas and getting things in line where they need to be. In reality my first decisions along this line took form in November 2017, when my business partner and I decided that it was time to either make it or break it as far as my company, Brent Rents Lenses, is concerned. I’d been working on that for 3.5 years at that time and things weren’t going as planned there either. We set a plan in motion that would either see growth, or, as it turns out, demise. So in July I announced that the company was closing. My job has also seen some changes. I’ve been working on reducing some of the “extra” stuff I do so I can spend more time on curriculum development. There’s so many things I’m responsible for that a regular faculty member isn’t and I’ve come to the point where I just had to start whittling away at things. So things were well on their way and the groundwork had been laid for me to vastly simplify my life. Closing things down at work so I can focus on my research and course development coupled with closing the company… They were painful decisions, but in the end, smart decisions. But what does this have to do with anything and why am I thinking about all this in a Hong Kong hospital bed? It boils down to one word. And that is failure. Or more pointedly, the fear of failure. I seemed that once again I’d failed. These other items I hadn’t really considered failure so much, especially not the decisions made at work to allow me to focus on what the school pays me to focus on. That was about reducing my overload. With the company, I’d come to terms with it. I was OK with it. Not a huge deal. But as I lay there the prospects of yet another item that was flopping on its face and I could do nothing about it. It got me thinking. Maybe it wasn’t the best thing for me to do, but it happened. I’m a man of faith. So my contemplation of these things certainly had a spiritual overtone to them as well. And I was in a faith-based hospital as well which did good for my soul, that’s for sure. The hospital chaplain visited and that certainly was uplifting, we actually had a few things in common. So I started forming some new goals and reforming existing ones. And these were larger ideas, not just focusing on my time there in HK. It involves my photography and it involves my work. And after having been back two weeks I think I finally have something that’s starting to take shape and something that makes sense. And after having been rather sour about the whole HK journey my thoughts were further galvanized. So here it goes. I figured I need a few things to happen. If I’m going to be serious about these things there must be some action. So I’ve identified a few of these things that need to happen, they are: I simply need to shoot more. I love the craft of photography. I love everything about it. However, compared to most of you, I rarely do it. I MUST do more. And so to do more of it, I welcome you all to post your planned outings in the Latitude facebook group. If you’re in the Pacific NW and I can make it, I’ll do what I can to get out there and join you. I was going to do just that with a listener who is currently at the Pendleton Roundup, one of the largest roundups around with over 75K people in attendance. There’s less than ¼ that number for their entire population! But alas it didn’t work out. My goal is to get out way more than I have in the past. And if I’m heading out on a shoot where I can have company I’ll make a mention in the facebook group as well. I need to write more. My blog and my podcast will possibly benefit from me writing more, but maybe I suck as a writer. I don’t know, but I’m going to do it anyway. I need to experience more. Whether it’s to travel someplace, alone or with the family. Getting out there is a driving force in my life. I need to do more of it. And that’s about it. It’s rather simple. My trimming things back this summer will ultimately help me achieve these goals. But I can’t do these immediately, at least not to the level I want to do them. I do have some projects that I must finish up before I can realize these three goals I just laid out. So, for the next six months or so I’ve decided to continue scaling back so that I can get these items out of the way and I can move forward. I’m pretty sure these “needs” will morph over this time as well and I’m OK with that. However, I’m not going to be a hermit, so there’s a few things that’s happening now. I’m still going to focus on that training video we were shooting in HK. I think we got enough done that I can still pull something together. My Croatia workshop is the only big workshop I’m doing this summer. I’ll have more on that later I’ve started advertising on my site about custom private workshops. Whether someone has a need that requires a skype conversation or if you’re looking to travel to my neck of the woods, hit me up. I’ll plan an experience for you or we can plan it together. I’ve decided that attending the Create Photography Retreat in Las Vegas this March won’t be possible, at least presently. This decision hurts the most. But planning a workshop and the lessons I’d want to present will simply take too much time between now and January and I had to let something go. Hopefully my situation can change, maybe one of my projects will get done more quickly than I expected, and things can change. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. My printing course is also still on the docket. It just got pushed back a bit. That’s one of my many projects I’ve been vaguely talking about. So that pretty much sums up my summer. One where pretty much nothing went according to plan and yet it’s all still falling into place. It tends to work out somehow J My time in the HK hospital also got me thinking specifically about my approach to photography in general. I claim that I like to be “thoughtful and purposeful” in my craft, but am I really? I think I still too often fall into a “spray and pray” shooting category, and sometimes I admit that’s needed. I had time to get rather philosophical and I recalled some images from Michael Kenna. If you haven’t seen his work, you absolutely should look him up. He’s one of my ultimate photography heroes. He’s an absolute master at simplifying the scene so the only items that are left are the ones that matter. And the images are so incredibly strong. He shoots B&W film and that too is awesome. I also turned to some of David DuChemin’s work. He too is an inspiration. You should look him up as well if you’re not familiar with his work. With these thoughts in mind, I knew I needed to rework my approach to my own photography. I believe I was already leaning this direction with my work in Hong Kong but as I was getting frustrated at my inability to be “efficient” at getting shots I knew something was awry with my outlook and my expectations. I then started thinking about my Croatia workshop and how that really wasn’t fulfilling my expectations either. My previous plan had us bouncing all over the place and not spending enough time going deep and really getting what we need to get out of a location. Allow me to read my new description here: Exquisite landscapes amidst rich culture and history… For me, this is what Croatia is about. On this tour you’ll be challenged to dig deep into the very fiber of what makes you a photographer. Whether you’re a beginner and you’re starting to explore what that means for you, or if you’re a seasoned shooter, you’ll be challenged to create a body of work that only you can create. There will be up to six students, and with that, there will be at least six different points of view on how to best photograph our locations. There will be times where you’ll feel frustrated. That happens frequently when we strive for perfection. I’ve crafted this photo workshop tour to provide ample time for you to not only discover a fantastic nation and its people, but to also discover something new about your photography. We do this through constant review and discussion as we’re shooting, and then with follow-up reviews afterwards. The plan is to spend enough time at each location to give you the opportunity to focus and hone your approach. I’d love for you to join me on this great journey as we experience the best photographic wonders Croatia has to offer. There’s also an optional jaunt into Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina planned after the tour as well. So the main part of the journey is about slowing it down and my intent is to provide more time at the best locations Croatia has to offer. However, I couldn’t resist offering a brief optional jaunt into Montenegro and a good look at two of the best items Bosnia-Herzegovina has to offer too. All the info is available on my website. I’d be honored to have you along for the adventure. Well I hope this hasn’t been too much of an expose of my inner most thoughts, fears and dreams. I suppose if you made it this far you weren’t scared off too much. Anyway, I so greatly appreciate your support through listening to this show, and I hope you’ll think it worthy of sharing it with others. As for the immediate future I’ll be arranging more interviews with other photographers for the podcast. Those will happen later in October and November of this year. So my production will take a short dip as I get the school year up and running. Thanks again so much for being here. Until next time, happy shooting! Use this link for excellent gear at the Peak Design website. It helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks! Use this link to get a free gift at checkout, plus it helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

Jeff hosts with Connor at the roundtable to talk about stolen photos, copyright, the $60K settlement that the Northrups recently talked about, and the steps to copyright your photos. Introduction Sponsor for this episode: Create Photography Retreat.  Sign up today and get an early bird special price at only $387 for tickets to the 2019 Retreat in Las Vegas!  Go ... The post $60K Stolen Photo Settlement! appeared first on Master Photography Podcast.

Jeff talks with Jim and Brent about the top 3 things that each took from the 2018 Create Photography Retreat. You can sign up for the Create Photography Retreat that will be in Las Vegas in March of 2019 at https://createphotographyretreat.com. The post Top 3 Things Taken From Create Photography Retreat appeared first on Master Photography Podcast.

Erica and Connor talk about their experience at the 2018 Create Photography Retreat. You can sign up to go to the 2019 Create Photography Retreat in Las Vegas here: https://createphotographyretreat.com/ The post Portrait Session: Review of the Create Photography Retreat appeared first on Master Photography Podcast.

Brent and Brian talk about Brent’s workshops, recent trips to Coos Bay and Santorini Greece, and the upcoming Create Photography Retreat. Topic 1: Brief Announcements: I have a nasty habit of going to my “happy place” whenever I talk about a workshop such as my Croatia and Ireland workshops. And that doesn’t do anyone any good