Even better is developing a plan for follow-up. If you’re headed to Imaging USA or WPPI you’ll have a chance to meet Colin and the staff of both companies in their booth. As with any vendor in photography, everybody is always looking for feedback and ideas on where to go next, especially Colin and Nathaniel. Take the time to introduce yourself and get to know these guys – they’ve got an amazing resource center to help you grow.

This twelve minute video today will take you through just one topic, using Curves, from Colin’s DVD, “CS5 for Digital Photographers”. Like so many of the videos we’ve shown this week, the full content of the parent video is seven hours of material!

Remember, the special offer program won’t last for ever. Software Cinema and Photoshop Cafe have worked hard to give all my readers a special discount code. Enter “nov20″ for 20% off  on all your purchases on both the Software Cinema and PhotoshopCAFE web sites.

And, if you’re looking for great stocking stuffer gift ideas for the holidays, you just watched excerpts from five of them since we started this last Tuesday. I especially want to thank not only the featured artists from each video, but Colin and Nathaniel for allowing me to run these. They’re helping to build a stronger more talented photographic community with the only big investment being the time you put in to watch and practice the different aspects of each skill set that’s been demonstrated!

So often I meet photographers who are convinced they’ve learned it all. Their business is solid. They’re respected by their peers. They’re making a solid living and the business is growing. However, photography is one of those creative fields where you can never learn it all.

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.

Harry S Truman

In today’s economy you constantly hear complaints from photographers about the “Uncle Harrys” making it a challenge to be a professional photographer. Well, if Uncle Harry really is stealing business from you, then you need to take a serious look at the quality of your work. Are you an artist or just another photographer with the same gear Uncle Harry has?

In this short clip from“HDR and Photoshop (CS5) SECOND EDITION” Colin will help you create the Pseudo HDR. And, as with each video this week, if you love what you learned here, check out the full range of videos at Photoshop Cafe and Software Cinema.

This is about expanding your skill set and fine-tuning your craft.  Software Cinema and Photoshop Cafe have worked hard to give all my readers a special discount code. Enter “nov20″ for 20% off  on all your purchases on both the Software Cinema and PhotoshopCAFE web sites. 

Dean may have passed away almost seven years ago, but the legacy he left us is one of the treasures of photography.  His dedication to producing great educational videos has continued with Software Cinema and through next Monday I want to highlight some of both Software Cinema and Photoshop Cafe’s productions.

Best of all, with every one of these short segments on the blog, there’s a more in-depth presentation in a full DVD. This is all about expanding your skill set and fine-tuning the craft.  If you like what you see here, the Software Cinema crew has worked hard to give all my readers a special discount code. Enter “nov20″ for 20% off  on all your purchases on both the Software Cinema and PhotoshopCAFE web sites. 

I can think of no better way to kick off Photoshop Cafe and Software Cinema Week than with a great clip from Jane Conner-Ziser.  Jane has constantly reinvented herself, staying on top of all the latest trends in image manipulation. She’s recognized as one of the finest artists in our industry and if you see Jane on the platform of any convention or workshop get there early for a seat!

Being a successful photographer is dependent on so many different variables. Even if you’re not directly involved in Photoshop or related activities of the artistic process, it’s important to understand the extent of what can and can’t be accomplished. Survival is no longer about the fittest, it’s for the most creativity and diverse.

This five minute clip is from “Photoshop CS5 Portrait Retouching Advanced Techniques”  which features many of Jane’s tips and will help you build the quality of your images.  The topic on this one is straightening crooked teeth. While it’s a specialized topic that would interest primarily a traditional portrait artist think about the technology it takes Jane to go from start to finish. Understanding that same technology is invaluable to helping you build your reputation as a photographer and artist.

I hope this video introduces you to two of my favorite companies, Software Cinema and Photoshop Cafe!

This is about having fun – one of those special words I ended yesterday’s post with. Even better is knowing Kevin! And if you don’t know him, then make it a point to catch him at the next convention or workshop!  Jeff and Ross are going to be on the road as well with Get In Motion, a necessity to being a great storyteller. Use “SSS2011″ in the special promo box and there’s even a discount.

Completely unrelated to Photoshop, but definitely focused on fun – if you’re on Twitter, make sure you follow @kubotatools and @skipcohen. Next Wednesday we’re going to pull three followers at random for copies of Kevin’s new book, The Lighting Notebook and GoingPro, one of my most fun projects written together with good buddy, Scott Bourne. Both books are just starting to be available. Here’s your chance to get one of the very first copies, but you have to be following both.

Our industry is made up of some pretty remarkable people with incredible skill sets and great senses of humor! Are you one of them?

In looking at her site, I really enjoyed some of her before and after examples and talked her into writing a post for the blog. I know this is pretty basic in concept, but Stacey’s abilities are anything but basic. I’ve seen far too many images, especially in print competition that were just over done, suggesting that while some of Photoshop’s tools are easy to understand, not everybody has mastered the skill level.

So, welcome to the How2 Series, Stacey, and thanks for some great thoughts on getting back to basics.

With so many ways to do the same thing in Photoshop and so many methods taught & learned there’s no right or wrong way as long as you get the desired end result. I’d like to share my  most frequently used tools & how I use them.

Many of  Photoshop’s fundamental tools were created on the basis of the real life tools that were used in darkrooms back in the day. I think it’s important to understand the origin of things especially when they’ve been added to and improved upon or when you, like me, don’t come from “back in the day”. I have a  fine art background so I like to use them in ways an artist would when using different artistic mediums.

The tools I use in just about every single basic retouch job, after color correction is completed is the clone stamp, healing brush, history brush (& history states) as well as  dodge & burn. The healing tool is far better for some things I used to use the clone tool for . Examples would be blemish removal or removing lint from a black or dark colored coat. I use tools slightly differently as cameras advance over the years as well.  Today I will cover my two favorites, the clone & healing tool.

The Clone Stamp: The clone brush simply behaves like an airbrush spraying pixels from it’s referenced origin. While the clone stamp has its place, it’s not great for situations where you want to keep the details and or texture in the area such a fine clothing fibres and or pores on people’s faces. The clone brush is great for large areas without fine details that must be maintained such as backgrounds with heavy bocca & large areas of skin where sharp details weren’t captured, things that should always be left in for a quality clean professional retouch when they are captured & can be seen. I use it like I would an airbrush as an art medium.

The Healing Brush: The healing brush does the same as the clone brush but one wonderful thing it does is duplicates the texture it sees on & around the the referenced origin. Huge difference and amazing results when used with that in mind. It allows one to keep pores, baby hairs, & textures on fine clothing or linens and eliminates that soft or patchy look the clone stamp makes if used for the same desired results.

Another great bonus about the healing tool duplicating texture from it’s referenced origin is that many of todays wedding photographers love & push the outstanding ISO capabilities of today’s professional cameras to their limits .Today noise is a much “nicer noise” than it was in previous years. It used to be undesirable RGB blobs in a uniform pattern. It was strictly avoided when seeking a clean well exposed shot. However today, noise is monochromatic and in a Gaussian pattern making it far less noticeable and much more widely acceptable for some kinds of imagery. A slightly noisy image can still be spectacular but if one were to try to fix blemishes with the clone stamp it would be very noticeable. The healing brush handles these images beautifully. 

Interested in seeing more of Stacey’s work? Check it out at her site InLife Digital Imaging. As you look through her work, if you’re like me you’ll enjoy what happens when somebody with a fine art illustrative background merges their skill set with photography!

If you’re fixing it in Photoshop later, then you’re wasting valuable time you could be working on your marketing efforts, building awareness for your business and getting to know more people in your community.  Yeah, I know it’s easy for me to think about, I grew up on film.  Actually it’s too bad that every high end digital SLR doesn’t come with a disclaimer that you’re not allowed to use it until you’ve shot a case of chrome, with perfect exposures on every frame of the last roll!

Here’s the point:  Your success as a professional photographer is based on you building brand awareness for one single product…YOU!  Nobody can do that as good as you can, which means you have to invest time into building your business.  You can’t do it if you’re behind your monitor cleaning up the mess from the last assignment! 

Get your exposures and composition right in the camera and a huge part of your time, the only commodity you will NEVER have enough of, comes right back to you.

But you’ve got to register to get in the door!

I’ve told one of my favorite Don Blair stories before, but the short version is that I once found Don, he was then in his 70’s, in the back of the room at a presentation by Nick Vedros years ago.  Don, who literally wrote the book on portrait lighting and posing, was furiously taking notes on how Nick handled the lighting on a commercial shoot.  He was amazed by what he was learning!

Then, there’s Monte Zucker, who called me one night in the early 90’s.  He’d just been to a presentation on the future of “electronic imaging”. He was blown away by how he believed it would change the face of photography and wrote an email to every executive in the photographic industry.

Monte and Don, may only be with us in spirit today, but they set an amazing example and NEVER stopped learning.  As successful as they both were, they attended every possible workshop they could and never stopped discovering new techniques for creating the ultimate image.

But education is only half the reason to attend these local programs.  This is all about networking!   Every program offers you an opportunity to meet and talk with other photographers in your area.  Other photographers, in this bizarre economy, can become allies instead of  just more competitors.    Everyone is in the same boat and dealing with similar challenges.

From Aesop to George Washington, a dozen people are credited with the expression, “United we stand, divided we fall!”  Well, it might seem melodramatic, but that’s what attending workshops, monthly guild meetings, national conventions etc. all means – it gives you a stronger reference point and framework to find more aggressive ideas in your marketing efforts, while picking up the added benefit of sharpening your skills.

Here are some programs either already in place or about to launch:

Now you didn’t think I was going to put Skip’s Summer School up last did you?  There are people who have told me this year’s line-up is even stronger than last year’s.  Personally, I’m pretty proud of the caliber of instructors for both years, but this year is definitely more diverse.  We’ve jam packed two and a half days with a dozen different topics, great information, terrific presentations and all at a great price thanks to dedicated sponsors and the MGM Grand. (The early bird $249 price is only out there for one more month.)  Here’s an opportunity to recharge your battery in August, before the craziness of the last quarter of the year.  You’ll get new ideas. from 15 different speakers, that you can implement quickly and still have an impact on your bottom line revenue before the year is over.

Two Shots of PhotoShop with Jack Davis and Jane Conner-ziser.  Here are two of the best photoshop instructors in the country, hitting the road.  With fourteen cities on the tour, this program is about solutions to the challenges of creative technique and work-flow.

Doug Gordon Workshops - How are you going to get a more professional feel to your bridal images if you don’t know how to blend in the look of high-fashion with great lighting and posing?  In this year’s new workshops, Doug is pulling out all the stops.  From larger workshops to smaller programs with just 25 photographers, Doug has put together an outstanding experience for building your skill set.

PDN’s Wedding and Virtual Trade Show:  It’s coming up in May and it’s going to be a kick and it’s FREE…but you can’t be online and attend if you’re not registered.  Registration takes only a few seconds and it’s just one click away.

Escalate Live:  The brain child of Dane Sanders, it’s coming up in May in Newport Beach, CA.  It’s two intense days in May with eight different speakers. 

Creative Live:  Free online education thanks to Chase Jarvis.  And if you miss a program there’s always an opportunity to go back and purchase the download at a reasonable cost.

Schrader Workshops:He may be a new face on the scene, but feedback on his previous workshops has been really good.  A lot of Greg Schrader’s focus is about networking.  For example, his Fireside chat series is just $20 and give you a chance to network with other photographers and that includes food and beverage!  Then, if you’re looking for a more intense workshop, check out his programs coming up in Chicago and Mackinac Island, MI.

Here’s the thing about education – you can’t be the best you can be if you’re not constantly taking advantage of the opportunities around you.  As I hear about more programs, I’ll do my best to get you the link and more information, but you’re the only one who can put aside the time and make it a point to be there.

This is about feeding the passion you have for photography and Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul said it best:

“One of the things that may get in the way of people being lifelong learners is that they’re not in touch with their passion. If you’re passionate about what it is you do, then you’re going to be looking for everything you can to get better at it.”  

DWF has managed to score 6 exclusive video tutorials for the new Adobe Creative Suite 5, which was officially released into the wilds earlier yesterday morning.  In these terrific tutorials,  DWF member and Photoshop expert, Ray Prevost, shows practical applications for some of the new and enhanced features for photographers in CS5.

This is outstanding information with great practical applications and less fluff and more filler than what usually hits the scene this early with a new product.  You don’t have to be a member of DWF to pick up some of this great new content, but if you’re not a member, whether you’re a wedding photographer or not, membership is loaded with benefits. You can even do a free trial membership:  Check it out!   

And…if you’re looking to take one of Ray’s workshops live, he’s got a program coming up on May 26 in Minneapolis at Chris Meyer’s studio.

Next week there’s a full week of CS5 training including InDesign, PhotoColor Watershop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver, just to name a few.  All programs are FREE when they’re running on line, but if you miss a class you can always purchase it later on.

Most of you know my passion for finding new ways to reach and help educate more photographers.  Well, this is an educator’s dream and with Chase and his team at the helm there’s no doubt in my mind this is the educational revolution the industry has been waiting for!

Congrats Chase and company!