PhotoWalkPro

It’s that time of year again.  Time to join all of my NAPP friends for another fantastic Photoshop World and this Spring, it’s back in Orlando.  With the Winter that we’ve had here, I will be more than ready to spend a few days in Orlando.  And just as I have at the past two Spring Photoshop Worlds, I’m going to kick things off with a photowalk the day before everything gets rolling at the convention center.  The location for the photowalk will once again be the beautiful downtown area surrounding Lake Eola, just a few minutes drive from the conference location.

I don’t have all the details nailed down yet but we will probably begin sometime around 4:30 or 5:00, depending on the sunset time for the date. Which, by the way, is going to be Tuesday, March 23rd.  It’s important to note that this is not an official Photoshop World activity and is not affiliated with NAPP or Kelby Training.  It’s just a way to get out and have some fun before the conference starts.  In fact, you don’t even have to be going to the conference.  If you are in the Orlando area and just want to get out with your camera and have some fun, then this is the event for you.  So if you are traveling to Orlando for Photoshop World and want to get things kick-started, come on out and join me for an evening in Orlando.

Early Registration Discount Ending Soon -

Speaking of Photoshop World, this is the last week do get the Early Bird pricing.  If you pay for your registration by February 26th you will get $100 off the full conference price.  I’m already registered and I suggest you get yours taken care of because who can’t use an extra 100 bucks.  There are also spots left in 6 of the pre-con classes including HDR with Matt and RC, DSLR Video with Rich Harrington, Real World Concert Photography, and more.  You had better hurry though, the pre-con classes really fill up fast the month before the conference and there’s no telling how long it will be before they are all sold out.  You can find out more information on the classes, instructors, pre-cons, and registration at the official Photoshop World site.

By the way, if you are still trying to convince your boss/spouse to let you go, you have to check out the form letter that has been written for you to help with your argument.  Even if you don’t need it, it’s still worth a read.  You can find it here.

When I was walking the tradeshow floor at Photoshop World last month, I was just amazed at some of the new plug-in applications that are now available for Photoshop.  One that really caught my eye is called Fluid Mask 3 by a company called Vertus.  A friend and I just stood and watched the demo for a good 15 minutes with our jaws hanging as the company rep made selection after impossible selection with an ease and quickness that was just astounding.  Well, now I have a copy and I am going to give it a good run through.  I’m not ready to give it a review yet as I have just started playing with it but already I am impressed with the power of this new tool.  If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the short video on the Vertus site.  I’m sure you will be amazed too.

There was also some software that was being demonstrated, but not on the show floor.  I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at some of the beta software currently under development by OnOne and Nik.  I can’t talk about the Nik stuff because I am an official beta-tester and had to sign an NDA but I am really excited with what I have seen so far.

Speaking of beta testing, one of the products from OnOne that we saw was called Liquid Resize and it is currently available to download in beta format right here.  It is a slick little piece of software that will let you resize an image, say from 4×6 to 4×5 by throwing out the “unimportant” pixel information and keeping those items that matter.  They call it “Content Aware” resizing but whatever it’s called, it is just about the slickest thing I have seen in some time.

Yesterday I got on a Black and White kick and started processing some old images.  Here are the results (I should have been cutting my grass but rain and a flat lawn tractor tire kept me inside, what a pitty).

This is just the preliminary walk route/schedule and is subject to change as I get more information but here is what I have planned so far.  Our walk will include two Orlando landmark areas, the first is Lake Eola.  This lake is in downtown Orlando and can provide some really nice cityscapes, especially after dusk.

Photo by Bucky Schwarz

From our starting point at the North-East corner of the lake we can head South and follow the lake around the southern rim.  We can then walk West on West Central Blvd. over to the train tracks and then turn South to the Church Street Station area.

Photo by Joel Mann

Church Street Station is located in downtown Orlando and was constructed around Orlando’s original train station. The restored station along with old-fashioned bars like Rosie O’Grady’s Good Time Emporium swelled in popularity until eventually a whole complex of restored buildings was created. The Train Depot is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places and contains numerous historical artifacts. The most impressive artifact is “Old Duke”, a steam locomotive that was in the movie “Wings of Eagles” with John Wayne. 

Once we have walked through this area, we can head East on Church St. and then turn North on Rosalind Ave. back along the eastern edge of Lake Eola.  We will then make a right on Robinson St. and head East towards our starting point.  I chose this as the start/stop location because there will be some opportunity for some nice sunset cityscapes from this corner of the lake.

The Church Street/Lake Eola location is about 13 miles North of the Orlando Convention Center,  that’s about a 20 minute drive up Interstate 4.

If you have any suggestions for alterations, additions, or anything else, please feel free to post it in a comment.  I will try and get this all nailed down by the end of this week.

This is not an official Photoshop World event.  This is a privately organized photowalk and has no association with the National Association of Photoshop Professionals or Kelby Training.:-)

I am currently considering a Photowalk in Orlando the day before Photoshop World officially kicks off. I am thinking of the Lake Eola/Church St. Station area. This would take place on the 1st of April, the same day as the Pre-Conference classes. So if you are planning on coming to Orlando for Photoshop World and are interested in a short 2 hour or so photowalk, drop me an email or comment and let me know. If I get enough interest then I will go ahead and formalize the plans. You can consider this a FREE pre-con event (you would have to provide your own transportation but it’s not too far from the convention center).

You aren’t? Well let me see if I can change your mind. I have been attending PSW for the past 6 years and it is bar-none the best training experience I have ever had. So let’s run down the top 5 things that make Photoshop World the must-attend training conference for anyone that has anything to do with photoshop and digital imaging.

#1 – The Pre-Cons*

Before the conference even begins for the masses, you have an opportunity to sign up for some amazing learning sessions and workshops that alone would be worth the trip. There is a photo safari with legendary shooters, Moose Peterson and Joe McNally…Oops, that one is sold out already. I haven’t had the chance to attend one of these but I’m going to get off my lazy butt and do it in the future. (Don’t fret, there’s more chances to learn from these guys later in the week).

If you are a Canon shooter, you don’t want to miss the Canon Live-Studio with Eddie Tapp and Jack Reznicki, the On Location Wedding Shoot with David Ziser (Damn, that one is sold out too!), the Epson Print Academy (ok, still time to sign up for this one), and 8 other classes from the masters of photography and photoshop. By the way, these aren’t the 1-hour sessions that you can attend during the conference. No my friend, these sessions are 4 full hours long. Guaranteed to make your brain hurt before the conference even begins.

*All Pre-Cons have an additional charge (but they are well worth it).

#2 – The Conference Classes

To me, this is the crown jewel of the entire conference. This is what makes this conference stand apart from any other. It’s the scheduling of the classes, how they are broken into topics, and how you get to tailor your training to best suit your needs. It is a giant buffet of Photoshop learning. I’ll take one of those, two of those, one from here, and first and seconds from the dessert table. Mmmmm, tasty.

So here are the different tracks:

Creativity, Photoshop Techniques, Photoshop Design, Photoshop & Digital Photography, Productivity, Photoshop & Digital Photo Techniques, Adobe Web Tools, Digital Photography Live Studio, Lightroom, Professional Photography, Motion Graphics, Automating Photoshop, Print/Prepress, and Artistic Photoshop. That’s 14 different tracks. That’s not a list of the classes, those are the TRACKS! Each track has multiple classes throughout the day for a total of 87 classes. That’s actually more selections than most buffets I have been to (I really should have eaten dinner before writing this). And if that’s not enough, you need to see who is teaching these classes. This is a who’s who from the world of photography, graphics, video, and digital art. I could throw out some big names but… oh what the heck, how about Scott Kelby, Jay Maisel, Ben Wilmore, Bert Monroy, Kevin Ames, Vincent Versace, Dave Cross, Joe Glyda, Jeff Schwewe, Frank Cricchio, Fay Sirkis, and many, many more. These are some of the most ground breaking and influential people in the business, all there to share with you (and a few thousand others). It’s just silly bazilly! There is a downside to all of this and that is that you can’t be in multiple classes at the same time so you need to plan out your day carefully. But here’s the best part, if you get into a class and decide it’s just not for you, you can get up and go jump into another one. There is no sign-up, no pre-registration, you just walk in.

#3 – The Tradeshow

When I first started attending PSW conferences the tradeshow was just a little way to kill an hour or two around lunch. There were your usual vendors selling training materials, plug-ins, and other Photoshop related items. Boy how things have changed. Last year’s tradeshow was their best ever and will probably pale to this year’s show. The folks at NAPP have worked hard to make this part of the conference as valuable as the training. All of the industry heavy-hitters will be there including: Adobe, Epson, Canon, Nikon, and Microsoft. You will be sure to find all of the latest gear for your photography, lighting, printing, and all around imaging needs. Need software for your imaging? Chances are you will find it in this show. If I was going to design a tradeshow that would meet my needs, this would be it. You can also be sure to find the latest and greatest books on all things imaging at the in-show bookstore featuring the latest releases from all of your favorite technology authors. Guess what else you’ll find there? That’s right, even more training. There are multiple educational stages set up throughout the show where you can sit in on even more classes. Talk about your head exploding.

#4 – THE BOOK

The book is what you get when you pick up your badge before you head off for your first class. This thing is like every photoshop book you could buy all rolled into one. That’s because it is full of the show notes from every single class being taught in all the tracks. Every lesson laid out for you step-by-step just as the instructor has gone through it in class. So let’s say that you wanted to go to Matt Kloskowski’s Top 10 Photoshop Techniques class but it’s running at the same time as Dave Cross’ Photoshop Fixes class. No problem because you already have all of the material from both classes right there in your hot little hand. This book is fantastic and is highly coveted. People actually sell these things on eBay for big bucks. It is a resource all on its own.

#5 – The Extras

The folks over at NAPP go the extra mile to see that your PSW experience is as entertaining and enjoyable as it is educational. To start off the conference, there is the keynote. This is the event that usually sets the tempo for the rest of the show. Each show has a specific theme. Last year’s was a Mo-Town theme and the keynote was incredible with the Photoshop Guys playing the role of a Mo-Town R&B group being honored at an awards show. There was great choreography and singing and, well, you just had to see it to believe it. There’s also usually a speech by someone at Adobe who always gives a little sneak peek at what is coming down the pipe. Last year was the preview of the online version of Photoshop. You just never know with those guys. The keynote is also where the awards are given for this year’s Guru Awards as well as the announcement of the Photoshop Hall of Fame nominees.

Did I happen to mention the free portfolio review in the tradeshow? You can sign up to have your portfolio reviewed by the likes of Joe McNally, Moose Peterson, Helen Glassman, Vincent Versace, David Ziser, and others. And it’s 100% FREE! You have to sign up early because slots are limited but how great is that?

Your badge also gets you free entry into the after-hours event, The Art of Digital Photography. This is a phenominal event that consists of a discussion panel comprised of some of the world’s most celebrated masters, and the true living legends of photography, including Jay Maisel, Vincent Versace, John Paul Caponigro, Joe McNally, Moose Peterson, Joe Glyda, and Jim DiVitale. If you are a photographer who truly wants to be inspired, you won’t want to miss this event. It is always the talk of the show the next day.

And finally, if you are one of the lucky ones, you will act early enough to buy your ticket to the after-hours party or snag one of the Midnight Madness passes (the party costs $49 bucks but unfortunately it’s sold out but Midnight Madness is free and they will announce when they will be giving away tickets) Ok, so the party is a no-go unless you already snagged a ticket and it’s understandable. Scott Kelby’s band, Big Electric Cat, will be playing and they just plain ROCK! Midnight Madness is still a possibility and let me tell you, if you can snag a ticket, don’t hesitate. It is the most fun you can have in Orlando without needing a lawyer…and they guarantee that you won’t learn anything about Photoshop.

So there you go, 5 great reasons to get off the fence and go buy your ticket. Oh, wait, there’s one more reason to go…

#6 I’ll Be There

If that doesn’t convince you then nothing will

So how do you sign up? I knew you would ask me that. Head on over to the Photoshop World website (click here) and just click on the Register Now link. You can thank me when you run into me at the conference.