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How To Use Words Improve Your Creativity

 

Use Your Words

 

Watch Your Process 
It’ll change your life.

Take Notes 
See, remember, and produce more.

Talk With Yourself 
Don’t worry, it’s not crazy. We all do it.

Listen To Yourself 
The words you use reveal a lot.

Turn Your Inner Critic Into An Ally 
Your inner critic can be a terrible adversary or a powerful ally.

Coach Yourself
Energize yourself. Affirm your abilities. Set tangible goals.

Avoid Should
Instead, ask, “What happens when I?”

How To Strike Up A Lively Conversation With Your Images
Find out what more your images can tell you.

 

Discover & Develop Your Story

 

Every Picture Tells A Story Free to Members
Every picture tells a story.

Discover Subjects With Nouns 
Make a list to identify more subjects and more about your potential subjects.

Discover Actions With Verbs
Make a list to find out more about what’s going on around you.

Discover Qualities With Adverbs And Adjectives
Make a list to find how you really feel about your subjects and put that into your images.

Seeing With New Eyes
Ask these questions to uncover new perspectives and ideas.

Strike Up A Lively Conversation With Your Images With These Questions | Coming
Find out more about your images and your reactions to them. Talk with them.

Guiding Questions | Coming
Generate ideas and guide your work with these essential questions.

Ask 100 Questions | Coming
This exercise is sure to stretch you, reveal personal perspectives, and generate new ideas.

Free Associate To Find Feelings, Thoughts, Memories, Connections
Identify the things happening outside you and take time to explore what’s going on inside.

Association
Learn how to deepen your relationships with your work.

Content, Form, Feeling
What kind of story are you telling?

Metaphor
Use metaphor to guide you deeper into a subject.

 

Clarify Your Vision & Style

 

The Differences Between Vision & Style 
Vision is what you have to say; style is how you say it.

What’s Your Vision ? | Coming

What’s Your Style ? Free To Members
Identify the basic visual elements in your work.

What’s Your Subject? | Coming

What’s Your Theme ? | Coming

Motivation – Dig Deep – Ask Why Five Times | Coming

Make Plans  Free to Members
Increase your productivity and fulfillment by making a plan.

Define a Project  Free to Members
Focus your creative efforts and create an action list to achieve your goals.

Developing Personal Projects 
Defining a project is one of the single best ways to develop your body of work.

Clarify Your Mission, Goals, Projects, Actions

Make Your Bucket List 

 

Tell It Your Way

 

The Way You Tell Your Story Is Part Of Your Style | Coming

3 Ways To Tell A Story More Creatively – It, I, You
Tell the story of your subject. Actually, tell three stories.

Most Stories Have A Beginning, Middle & End | Coming

Explore Different Story Structures | Coming

The Hero’s Journey | Coming

7 Essential Plots | Coming

 

Share Your Story

 

Why Sharing Your Story Is Important | Coming

How To Ask For Useful Feedback

How To Title Your Images

How I Title My Images 

Artist’s Statements  Free to Members

Tell Us About It In One Sentence, One Phrase, One Word | Coming

Loglines – Identify The Function Of Individual Images In Sequences| Coming

Core Stories  | Coming

Elevator Pitches  | Coming

Bylines, Bios, & CVs  | Coming

 

 

Play With Words

 

Breaking the Rules

Creative Fear List 

If You Were A …  | Coming

It’s Kind Of A Cross Between …  | Coming

What If … | Coming

Write A Story In One Sentence | Coming

Write A Three Line Poem | Coming

Magnetic Poetry | Coming

 

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Creative Mindfulness

 

You can be as creative with your mindfulness practice as you are with your art. They support each other.

 

7 Great Great Resources For Developing Your Creative Mindfulness Practice
The plans you make are there to further your progress.

What Is Meditation
How do I find inspiration?

Meditation Can Be / Doesn’t Have To Be A Religious Experience
Meditation isn’t a religious practice.

All Religions Practice Forms Of Meditation
Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all practice forms of meditation.

Benefits of Meditating
You will create many benefits for yourself by meditating.

The Physical Benefits of Meditating
There are many clinically proven physical benefits of practicing meditation.

Increase Your Awareness Of Your Body Through Meditation
For much of our daily lives we are unconscius of our bodies.

How Many Thoughts A Day Do You Think?
On average, we each think 60,000 thoughts a day.

How Long Should I Meditate?
The question will serve you much better if you consider it over time.

How To Find Time For Meditation?
You can find time for meditation without changing your schedule.

Increase Your Awareness Of Your Environment Through Meditation? 
Spend some time becoming more aware of the miracles that surround you.

Increase Your Awareness Of Your Mind Through Meditation.
Consciousness is one of the great riddles of the universe for which there are few answers.

Increase Your Awareness Of Your Emotions Through Meditation.
For most of us, when it comes to emotions, our thinking is often unclear.

 

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Read More

Maine Destinations To Photograph

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Get this ebook free.

 

From the solitary summit of Katahdin, to the deeps of more than 22,000 lakes and ponds, to the 3,500 miles of tidal coastline, the wild beauty of Maine is irresistibly beautiful. Inland you’ll find sweeping mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, and farms. Along the rocky coast, you’ll find countless islands, beaches, lighthouses, and fishing villages.

This ebook collects images of Maine made in the locations that I have returned to photograph most often for more than 25 years.

Each image is accompanied by a short description of the location.

Interactive links access Google Maps and additional resources.

This valuable resource will help you make the most of your explorations of Maine.

22 images

22 pages

 

Find my Maine workshops here.

What People Are Saying About John Paul Caponigro’s Workshops

 

I love teaching because I love helping other people find inspiration and ways to express themselves.

I also love learning and I want to thank my participants for teaching me, about art, craft, and communication.

Here are some of the responses participants in my workshops have shared.

 

“John Paul is the best teacher I’ve ever had – and I studied with Richard Feynman.”
– Steve Scheele

“John Paul is hands down one of the best creative and technical communicators of our generation.”
Michael McLaughlin, commercial photographer, Ireland.

“For me, the only joy greater than taking a picture, is seeing that image printed to it’s highest form… the photograph. When asked by colleagues and students who I turn to for advice, technique or guidance on printing, there’s only one person I recommend and that is John Paul Caponigro. JP is to digital inkjet printing what his father is to traditional silver gelatin printing… a true master craftsman and artist.”
– Arthur Meyerson, award winning commercial and fine art photographer.

“As with any endeavor, the first 80% is relatively easy; it’s the last elusive 20% that makes all the difference. I wanted to learn the “secret” to attaining the highest possible level of quality in my digital printing, so I enrolled in “The Fine Art of Digital Printing,” the only workshop personally taught by the two pioneers in the field. Both Mac Holbert and John Paul Caponigro have been recognized as the premier innovators and masters of the medium since its inception.

Mac Holbert essentially invented the medium of digital printmaking as a fine art, using the predictable and repeatable nature of graphic arts prepress tools available at the time and bending them to his will. With great finesse and efficiency he continues to produce digitally-generated prints of unparalleled quality. John Paul Caponigro has not only been a pioneer in the use of digital technology to create and print his own fine art images, but is perhaps the leading educator in the field as well, lecturing, teaching classes, and writing extensively on the subject.

Together, Mac and John Paul cover all aspects of fine art digital printmaking in a logical, easily understood format. They generously share their time-tested techniques, sure-fire shortcuts and invaluable personal observations while patiently demystifying the process of digital printmaking at its highest level. Yet they never lose sight of the ultimate goal: to realize the vision of the artist. The image remains paramount. So in the end, there are really only two reasons to take the Fine Art of Digital Printing workshop – R Mac Holbert and John Paul Caponigro.”
– Gregory Heisler , multi-award winning portrait photographer, prepared a large-scale commission during the week.

“Rarely, if ever do you get the opportunity to have a teacher show you something that changes the way think and create. Even rarer is when lightning strikes twice. I have never had workshop experience affect me and my work as profoundly as the workshop taught by John Paul Caponigro and Mac Holbert. I thought I knew what I was doing when I attended the first day, I walk out at the end of the week knowing more than I thought possible. Let me put it another way…. If you pass on this opportunity to learn from these two master artists then you’re just a big silly.”
 Vincent Versace, Photoshop guru and Acme Educational DVD entrepreneur, assisted during both 2007 workshops.

“For those hoping to take their digital print-making skills to the cutting edge and beyond, look no further than the FADP workshops offered by John Paul Caponigro and Mac Holbert the “dream team” of digital photography. It would be difficult to imagine a duo better suited to slash through today’s briar patch of confused and conflicting approaches to fine art printing than Mac and John Paul, but hold on to your hats, with these two, the classroom experience is very much like drinking from a fire hose of vital information.”
– Chris Noble, internationally renowned adventure/travel photographer

 

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“This is a workshop that really does not need improving. It is superb – among the best instruction I have ever received in anything in my life.”
– Matthew Belge, Massachusetts

“[JP asks] the questions that lead to answers.”
– Ken Carl, Illinois

“JP’s discussion on landscape styles and follow up in the field, crystallized for me my understanding of what makes a well structured (landscape) photo.”
– Ed Bacon, Pennsylvania

“The variety and building of exercises were great. (JP) created a great foundation to start to understand how to see!”
– Daniel Gregory, Washington

“This workshop was an eye-opening ‘deep dive’ into the creative process that provides a foundation for ongoing creative inquiry. The tremendous range of ideas will apply to my work long into the future.”
– Tina Elkins, Ohio

“I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop, especially the free flow of information. There was nothing pedantic about the structure, just an open atmosphere conducive to the learning experience.”
– Walter Smith, Alabama

 

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“John Paul… showed me the way…how to see, how to plan and how to get results!”
– Steve Lumpkin, Kansas

“This has been the most professional workshop facility I have ever attended!”
– Marc Koegel, Vancouver

“It made me think in new directions I didn’t expect. These are the ‘right’ directions, and I’m very grateful.”
– Daniel Oppenheim, New Hampshire

“Life-changing experience! I am so grateful…to have had this experience of learning, camaraderie, and self-discovery.”
– Jerry Wyman, California

 

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“JP’s Artistic sensibility as it applies to Photoshop is unique and unparalleled!”
– Linda Sandow, New York

“Great theory and practical hands-on work make for a valuable in-depth program. The course increased my confidence and competence.”
– Sam Krisch, Virginia

“The material was presented in a manner that was so easy to understand, and… the supporting materials re-enforced what (I) learned.”
– Ellen Slotnick, Massachusetts

“John Paul presents and demystifies the software making it a more pervasive tool.”
– Joanne Cody, New Hampshire

Visiting Our Gallery & Studio

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You can visit Caponigro Arts during exhibits, workshops, or by appointment.

You’ll arrive at a newly renovated farmhouse, in a rural setting, on the beautiful coast of Maine.

Upstairs, you’ll see the current exhibit in the gallery.

Downstairs, you’ll see the high-tech studio with many works in progress.

You can view many portfolios of finished works as well as boxes of studies.

Plus you can view masterworks by other famous photographers from John Paul’s personal collection.

 

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While the gardens and woods surrounding Caponigro Arts are picturesque, the landscape along the Maine coast is stunningly beautiful all year round. Consider spending a little extra time before or after you visit to explore Maine’s beauty.

 

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How To Get To Caponigro Arts

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Address

73 Cross Rd, Cushing, ME 04563, USA

Latitude: 44.021593 | Longitude: -69.253328

207-354-0578

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Airports

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Portland and Bangor airports are both serviced by major airlines. JetBlue now offers economical flights in and out of Portland. Daily commercial air service is also available to Knox County Regional Airport, located in Owls head just outside of Rockland. Portland and Bangor feature limousine and shuttle-van service, and taxi service is available at Knox County Regional Airport. All three airports have rental cars available.

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Distances to Cushing

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20 minutes from Knox County Regional Airport, Owls Head (RKD) Colgan Air connects from Boston
1.5 hours from Portland (ME) International Jetport (PWM)
1.5 hours from Bangor (ME) International Airport (BGR)
2.5 hours from Manchester (MHT)
3.5 hours from Boston (BOS)

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Rental Cars

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We recommend that you rent a car during your stay.

 

Driving Directions To Thomaston, Maine

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From Portland, ME
Take I-295 north to Exit 28 (Bath/Brunswick Coastal Route 1). Follow U.S. Route 1 north to Thomaston. Rockland is four miles farther north. For directions to our studio in Cushing please refer to Directions to Caponigro Arts from Thomaston.

From Bangor, ME
Take I-395 west to U.S.-202 west via Exit 2 toward Hampden. US-202 becomes Western Ave. Take to U.S.Route 1A south to Route 1 in Rockland.

From Boston, MA
Take I-95 north into Maine, to I-295, Exit 44 or 52 in Portland. Follow directions above from Portland.

From Manchester, NH
Take I-93 to Route 101 East, then I-95 north towards Portsmouth. Take I-295 at Exit 44 towards South Portland. Follow directions above from Portland

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Driving Directions to Caponigro Arts from Thomaston, Maine

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Take Coastal Route 1 to Thomaston.

FROM THOMASTON CENTER: Turn LEFT on Wadsworth Street (Prison Store on corner). From points South, turn RIGHT on Wadsworth Street.

Go over the GREEN BRIDGE. This is BROOKLYN HEIGHTS ROAD which turns into RIVER ROAD.

Follow RIVER ROAD for approx. 5 miles. You’ll see Broad Cove (the water) on your left, and pass FALES STORE on your right. Ahead of you the road forks: left or straight.

Go STRAIGHT up the hill (this is CROSS ROAD). You’re only 1/4 mile away now.

Pass the CUSHING SCHOOL on your left, then pass the green street sign for PRIOR LANE on the right, but don’t turn.

We’re the driveway right after that street sign, on the right. It’s a green farmhouse.

Asha our big white German Shepherd, may greet you with a bark but she is very gentle and will be pleased to meet you.

 

4 Ways To Enhance Color Temperature In Your Images

What Is Color Temperature ?

Of the three elements of color (luminosity, hue, and saturation), hue is the one most closely associated with temperature.  This is a psychological temperature, not a physical temperature. Most people associate red with fire or blood (warm things) and blue with sky, water, and ice (cool things), where physically a blue flame is hotter than a red flame. You can identify which hues are warmer and which are cooler by their proximity to the absolute poles of red (warm) and cyan (cool) on the color wheel. When comparing any two hues, you can always ask, “Which one is warmer and which one is cooler?”. Even when comparing two variations of the same hue, very often one will be slightly warmer or cooler. Color temperature is part of what creates color variety, which is one spice of life, a very important one, especially when it comes to visual communication.

The Things You Can You Do With Temperature

Many photographers think of color temperature as something to "get right" during exposure, but you can also use color temperature creatively in post-processing. You can produce many compelling color effects with color temperature. You can make distant close layers feel closer by warming them and distant layers more distant by cooling them. You can make objects feel more three-dimensional by warming highlights and cooling shadows. You can add a warm glow that simulates early morning or late evening light. You can  You can even make day look like night by dramatically cooling it. And every one of these moves will change the emotional tone of an image. Temperature is a critical element for communicating with color.

Lightroom & Photoshop

There are many color adjustment tools in Lightroom and Photoshop that adjust hue. Having used them all since the day they were released (or before), I regularly use four and consider them go-to tools worth mastering.


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