Breathtaking is the word for the destinations visited during this week. This is a tour of jewels along the dramatic Maine seacoast while it is flooded with autumnal color. We'll visit Acadia National Park, Reid State Park, Popham Beach, and many tucked away treasures along the the St. George River Valley (including some spots only the locals know about). Harvest season finds the air exhilaratingly crisp setting forest canopies and blueberry fields afire with stunning reds, oranges, and yellows. My private studio will be our home base where demonstrations will take place and from which we will make daily excursions. Reviews of participant's work during the week are conducted in studio, in transit, and on location. Get ready for a non-stop week of making images.

On the day before the workshop begins, an introductory session - Getting Up to Speed - is available to prepare you for this week.

Participants may wish to take extra time on the weekends before or after the workshop to visit nearby islands (Monhegan, Vinalhaven, or Isleboro) or continue on to the White Mountains in Vermont.

Digital imaging has been revolutionizing photography and liberating photographers for over a decade. Today the possibilities for photographic image-making appear limitless. The new potentials of digital imaging aren't unlocked in the lab alone. Once you fully understand the possibilities and begin to integrate them into your practice, you will start making photographs in new ways, hopefully even ways all your own.

That's what this week is for. After new working methods and perceptual patterns have been suggested, participants will be encouraged to make new images employing both historical and contemporary methods, searching for an optimal balance tailored for each individual. You’ll find a balance that’s best for you. For some this week will be an introduction to the possibilities, for others it will be about tying them all together. It will be a complete immersion for everyone. The most important thing to bring is an open mind.

Freeman Patterson offers excellent advice. List all of the rules of photography. And break them. If you do this, you’ll develop a better understanding of the medium. I recommend you take this advice one step further. List all of your rules of photography. And break them. You’ll either find confirmation that what you’re doing is right for you or you’ll make new breakthroughs.

Daily readings, discussions, demonstrations, and assignments will guide individual explorations. Once an optimal image adjustment strategy (including converting images with Camera Raw and sharpening) has been outlined and detailed, I'll demonstrate and you'll learn techniques such as how to expand format, extend depth of field, increase dynamic range, paint with light, use creative focus effects, convert color to black-and-white, and much more.

Participants need a digital camera, portable computer, and Adobe Photoshop. Manufacturer loans may be available. Photographic skills, and open mind, and curiosity are the primary requirements for this week. Students will be required to have only a general understanding of digital imaging, though some experience with Photoshop is recommended. The more you bring to the week, the more you'll take back.

You want to explore the full potential of photography and your personal vision while making photographs at inspiring locations, receiving feedback on your images as you make them.

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

DVDs

My DVD series R/Evolution offers excellent resources to help you prepare for my workshops and review core material presented long afterwards.  Find out more about my DVDs.  Click Here