Mastery is something acquired over a lifetime. It's a path one sets out on and hopefully never leaves. Answering the questions that will put you on the path to mastery is the focus of this workshop.

This workshop is about much more than mastering advanced techniques - it's about mastering the creative process. It demystifies technique and technology and emphasizes personal vision and artistic creativity. We place vision first; we use technique to serve it.

Mastery requires craft as well as vision. During the week we'll concentrate on the most effective and powerful ways to create multilayer documents using advanced compositing and masking techniques. You'll learn sophisticated methods for enhancing image quality, such as sharpness and noise. You'll learn how to render realistic effects, many involving light and shadow. You'll learn effective ways to both restore and weather images. While it favors a poetic sensibility, the curriculum is not exclusively oriented toward creating altered imagery; every type of photographer will benefit from exposure to this material.

Portfolios are required, no matter what state they're in - rough or polished. We need to see your work, to see what you need most. Then we'll start identifying and clarifying the characteristics that make your work unique - defining a personal style, identifying personal iconography, and revealing the underlying themes within your work. Next, we'll pursue the techniques that will strengthen your work.

At week’s end you will leave with a vastly expanded horizon of possibilities for making images and a deeper understanding of your unique vision.

Remember the feelings you had on first discovering a passion for imagemaking – the loss of a sense of time, waking up in the middle of the night with new ideas, experimenting, learning, and discovering new facets of yourself and the world? Recapture those experiences as you immerse yourself in this intensive Master Class.

You don't have to be a wizard with Photoshop to take this workshop, but it's not for beginners. This course is designed for artist’s who have progressed beyond the basics of Photoshop and are ready to explore advanced techniques and refine their personal visions.

You want to become adept at combining images, expose yourself to new possibilities, and refine your personal vision.

A basic comfort level with Photoshop is required for all of John Paul's sessions.