Ushuaia

Destination - Antarctica, Workshop  Comment
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We (Caponigro, Johnson, Resnick, Schewe) got the lay of the land today. We tapped local resources for information about the area, scoured maps and guide books, rented a car, and drove through the mountains to Lake Fagnano. The local landscape isn’t particularly distinctive. I had low expectations. I was just along for the ride. So I experimented. I warmed up with my new 5D Mark II. I tried a lot of things with multi-shot images. I find it takes practice to learn new ways of seeing. It’s one thing to understand an idea intellectually. It’s another to learn to see in new ways and be able to practice it. At the end of the day I was thinking and seeing in new ways, making my approach more versatile. I was surprised at how many images I made – 8 gigs later. Will there be any keepers?
While it may be challenging to find compelling images here, it’s easy to find an adventure. Tomorrow we take a 3 hour guided hike to ice caves in the mountains. Though I expect to make fewer images, I have high hopes. Whether I shoot a lot or a little, one real keeper would be welcome. It will be interesting to see the results.
What’s the influence of expectations on results?
The research has also clarified goals for future trips. Next time, I’d like to plan extra time to see Iguazu falls (in the northern Argentina) and/or walk the glacier’s near Calafate (western Argentina).
Enjoy my Antarctica galleries, book, and statements.
 
Learn more about my workshops here.
Early registrants get discounts at home.
Members get discounts abroad.
 

20090108

Destination - Antarctica, Workshop  Comment
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27 hours is too long to spend in a plane.
You work, you read, you sleep and it’s still to long.
Arrival is welcome.
A comfortable bed is even more welcome.
Ushuaia, “the bottom of the world” is nestled in high mountain peaks along the Beagle Channel. It’s a sporting town – fishing, skiing, hiking, boating … you name it. They often display maps that look upside down from a northern hemisphere perspective.

Olaf Willoughby – Alumni Success Story

Alumni, Books, Workshop  Comment
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Olaf Willoughby is one of my workshop alumns with an amazing success story. It’s a testament to how one man with focus can succeed personally and make a significant contribution in a short time.

“It all started with the mesmerising impact of a photographic expedition with Michael Reichmann and John Paul Caponigro. Antarctica was even more dramatic than I had expected. Glowing pink light at sunset. The vivid blue depths of the ice. Drifting sculpted icebergs. It was almost like a fairytale.
But the reality is different. Antarctica is under threat. Apart from the impact of climate change; the accords on land exploitation, whaling and tourism are all on a course of seemingly irreversible change for the worse.
This contrast between splendour and sadness led me beyond a photographic portfolio to produce a 48 page colour book, a work of environmental advocacy. “Antarctica, A Sense of Place”. The images and text contrast the natural beauty with the dark detail of the dangers facing Antarctica.
I produced the book within 6 months of the trip but I was still only halfway. John Cage said he didn’t consider his music complete until someone had heard it and similarly I needed marketing to create awareness and demand.
The World Wildlife Fund endorsed both the book and the images, using them in its web and print marketing activity. They also distributed over 5000 copies of the ebook on CD to help raise money for environmental causes. I have also blogged for the International Polar Year and their web site has featured the images. Additionally an article on the trip appeared in the UK’s most popular photographic magazine, Amateur Photographer, who also gave the book a very favourable review. A selection of images were exhibited at the ‘White Worlds’ exhibition at Nature In Art in the UK, Summer 2008. Prints have also been sold to support corporate environmental marketing programmes.
Through the WWF I have managed to create a good level of awareness, far higher than I might have managed on my own. I am going again in Jan 09 with John Paul and am currently planning the second edition.
JP’s workshops bring together a wonderful collection of like minded artists, rich with different talents. There are many benefits but, for me, the one outstanding lesson has been the expansion of the way I ‘see’ images, both provoking me to push harder and allowing me greater freedom to express my vision.”
Olaf Willoughby is a photographer, writer and researcher who lives with his wife Monique in London, UK. Creator: the WIT test of individualists and team players used in market research. Author: photography & travel books and articles. Values: the need to connect, environmental advocacy. Interests: the rhythms of data, images and words fuse into a long term fascination with creativity and pattern detection.
Check out a recent feature on Ag magazine here.
Find Olaf’s book here.
Learn more at olafwilloughby.com.
Stay tuned for stories from our upcoming January 2009 voyage to Antarctica.
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Enjoy my Antarctica galleries, book, and statements.
Learn more about my workshops here.
Early registrants get discounts at home.
Members get discounts abroad.

2009 Workshops Announced

Workshop  Comment
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My 2009 workshop schedule is live. My field workshops emphasize creative approaches to exposure. My lab workshops emphasize creative approaches to post-processing. All of the exercises are designed to help you find and refine your unique authentic voice. There are four international destinations – Antarctica, South America, Namibia, and Iceland. There are two field workshop in Maine. All lab workshops are held in my private studio / gallery. Early registrants get 15% off. Space is limited.
Check out the full schedule here.
Check out specific workshops here.
Check out what past alumns have said about their experiences here.
See alumni work on this blog. Click the Alumni under Categories.

San Diego – Lecture Tonight & Workshop Next Two Days

Event - Lecture, Workshop  Comment
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Lecture – Museum of Photographic Arts
Tonight from 7-9 in San Diego at the Museum of Photographic Arts and Cuyamaca College, I lecture on my work and creative process.
Here’s an excerpt from my statement A Call To Connection. “This work is a call to incite conscientious creative interaction with our total environment. This work is a call to connection with us. If we feel that we are a part of nature, conscientious practices will no longer need to be legislated, they will simply happen. If we feel that we are not insignificant, we will act to make our own positive contributions in our own unique and creative ways.”
Read my Artist’s statements here.
See my work here.
Workshop – Julia Dean in San Diego
Friday and Saturday I’ll be teaching a workshop – The Power of Color. Space is still available.
Find out more here.
Find more Canon sponsored events here.

Dan Steinhardt – About Paper / Meaningless Terms

Printing, Workshop, Workshop - Special Guest  Comment
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Last week at The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshop The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshop (taking place at Brooks sponsored by Epson) spoke about paper. We always have special guests at these events and we were delighted that Dano was able to come this time. Dano explained a lot of interesting things about paper (three types – swellable, microporous, cotton fiber)(the history and myths of OBA’s – optical brightening agents – used in paper coatings, some longer lasting than others)(longevity facts – it’s a combination of many factors, lightfastness being only one).
One of the funnier things that everyone came away with was how many terms we’re used to hearing and using that are essentially meaningless and can be potentially misleading if you make assumptions often associated with the terms. “Fine art paper”, “museum grade”, “archival”, “pearl”, “luster”, “stipple” are all marketing terms with no definite meaning. “Permanent” means water fast, but doesn’t imply light fast. “Compatibility” simply means the paper will transport through the printer – nothing more. So it pays to know which terms are truly meaningful/useful and which terms aren’t.
More to come on this. Stay tuned.
Look for upcoming Epson Print Academy dates here.
Check out The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshops here.
Check out my Fine Digital Print workshops here.

Peg Fredi – Simulating Alternative Processes / Waxing Prints

Alumni, Printing, Workshop  Comment
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This week at The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshop (taking place at Brooks sponsored by Epson) Peg Fredi wanted to simulate the look of the alternative process prints she’s been making with digital contact negatives. She tried several toning solutions – variations of traditional warm toning solutions. She found that she like the black of the inkjet prints, which is even blacker than alternative process blacks. She tried several paper types, ultimately deciding on Epson Velvet paper, which she then planned to wax (with butcher’s wax) to enhance the surface further. Actually, waxing print surfaces has been around a long time. It adds an extra dimension and quality to any print. And it doesn’t affect longevity. It pays to experiment. You may find new solutions that are just right for your work.
Have you finished your prints in unusual ways? Tell us about it! Comment here!
See Peg Fredi’s work here.
Look for upcoming Epson Print Academy dates here.
Check out The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshops here.
Check out my Fine Digital Print workshops here.

Steve Robeck – Thinking File Structure

Alumni, Software - Photoshop, Workshop  Comment
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This week at The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshop (taking place at Brooks sponsored by Epson) Mac Holbert and I reviewed file structure at the end of the week – by processing student work. Everyone participating in the workshop got a valuable review of the file building workflow Mac and I use and recommend. Steve Robeck also got more than one possible window into the art of interpreting digital files. Time and time again, you modify how you apply a tool, eliminate it from the process, or add another. In this case we added a Photo Filter adjustment layer applied selectively to the highlights to add subtle warm ambient color and we used an additional Hue/Saturation layer to increase the saturation of yellow accent colors throughout the image. Adopting a consistent file structure and working methodology is important. And, knowing when and why to make exceptions is equally important.
Look for upcoming Epson Print Academy dates here.
Check out The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshops here.
Check out my Fine Digital Print workshops here.

Carlos Conseco – Print Surface

Alumni, Printing, Workshop  Comment
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This week at The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshop (taking place at Brooks sponsored by Epson) Carlos Conseco discovered how important it is to test materials and evaluate images side-by-side. He printed one of his best images on a variety of surfaces – Epson Watercolor, Velvet, Ultrasmooth Fine Art, Luster, and Exhibition Fiber. They were all good. Each material added something new to the expression of his print. Materials affect print quality in technical ways (glossy papers produce blacker blacks) and aesthetic ways (matte papers seem softer and more organic). So he slept on it before making his final decision. The most important thing he learned was that materials matter.
What papers do you like? Why? Comment here!
Look for upcoming Epson Print Academy dates here.
Check out The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshops here.
Check out my Fine Digital Print workshops here.