Our New Extended Hands-on Class for Learning Photoshop Has Been Announced!
Here we are, in a new year. We look to the new year ahead with expectation that somehow we might make it “better”. With well-intentioned “New Year’s Resolutions”, wishes of “Happy New Year” to our friends, we look ahead with expectant hope.
Amidst the celebrations of New Year’s Eve, an old tradition was the singing of “Auld Lang Syne” which originated from an old Scots poem from 1788. Wikipedia has a good article about it. Set to the tune of a traditional folk song, the title may be loosely translated to mean “for (the sake of) old times.”
As we look ahead to this new year, it is worth reflecting on the year that ended, our memories we carry forward, our challenges we faced, our joys, our friendships, our family memories, our loved-ones, our disappointments, our celebrations… our lives. Inasmuch as we look ahead to this new year, this remembering of the past year is just as important because it shaped who we are.
The photographs we took over the past year all capture brief moments in time, fitting together snippets of our life experience like pieces of a puzzle. No one photo tells the whole story. Over time, we discover which of those images become priceless to us, as we want to hang on to those moments, at least through the photographs. We remember loved ones who are no longer with us. We embrace occasions we’ll never experience again.
“Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.” – Henri Cartier Bresson
For auld lang syne, for the sake of old times, I hope you will remember the good in your life. Say “I love you” to those whom you love. Be thankful. Learn from your mistakes.
Now you are prepared to take on this “new year”. Make it a great one. Take a few photographs along the way. You’ll want to remember this year.
Kevin Gourley
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Hey Photographers in Austin TX and Surrounding Communities! to an evening with Kevin & Gail Gourley, sharing photos and stories from their adventures in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Tuesday January 17, 2017 7pm We have been leading photography workshops in Rocky Mountain National Park for several years. Please join us as we share photographs and stories about our adventures in this magnificent park.
Click Here to learn more and SIGN UP to attend! |
As we enter the new year, make your plans NOW to join us on our Summer Rocky Mountain Photography Workshop! This is truly the perfect adventure for any photographer! We’ll be in one of the most beautiful national parks in the country photographing sunrises, waterfalls, mountain landscapes, wildlife, forests, rivers, wildflowers, and more.
Student Comment:
“This is a workshop you can’t afford to miss! I came to the workshop with a goal of never using Auto settings again… I achieved that and more. Kevin is such a great teacher and is able to work with photographers of all levels. He made everyone comfortable, I am from Virginia and did not know anyone in the group (as were several others) by the end of the work shop I had made a group of new friends! We were able to get so many landscape and wildlife pictures. The whole experience was amazing. I’m ready to sign up for the next workshop! Thank you Kevin” – Barb
We stay in a lodge right on Fall River, just a couple of miles outside of the park. Our adventures explore various areas of the park by car, plus we go on hikes on some of the park’s most beautiful trails. Because people are starting to make their vacation plans NOW, it is important that you sign up for the workshop soon so we can ensure there will be room in the lodge where we’re staying.
Student Comment: “The natural beauty of RMNP was enhanced by Kevin’s 
knowledge of the park and locations that were custom picked for great photographic shots. Kevin’s calm, patient and knowledgeable teaching style meant that everyone, at whatever level they were at, felt comfortable asking questions, making mistakes, learning from them and then getting immeasurably better pictures as a result. The improvement in my photography from Day 1 to Day 4 was unbelievable. I came thinking the auto settings on my camera really took better pictures than I did, and I left seeing and believing that the pictures I now understood how to take were vastly superiorto anything the camera could capture in auto mode. It was a 5 star experience from beginning to end.“
You have the option of doing a 4-day or a 9-day version of the workshop. Either option is great, offering many hours of very “hands-on” learning as we photograph in the park. The 9-day option more than doubles your opportunities for getting great wildlife shots and mountain scenics. We also have two pre-trip meetings in Austin, TX to prepare you for the trip, know what to anticipate, and learn tips for getting better photographs while we are there. If you can’t attend the pre-trip meetings, no worries. We also post video recordings of the meetings online so you don’t miss out on anything!
Our students consistently have loved the workshop, and many have signed up to return again and again! We hope you will be part of our 2017 Summer Rocky Mountain Photography Workshop.
QUESTIONS? If you have any questions about the workshop, thinking about going but are “sitting on the fence”, don’t hesitate to contact us because NOW is the time to sign up, while limited space is still available. We’re more than happy to answer any and all questions about the experience.
These are designed as small group experiences where you bring your own camera and you do the photography as we shoot with a model, or go work on some project together like real estate photography, night photography, etc.!
Want to have some fun, create your own great images, and learn photographic techniques along the way? Our Learn by Doing Series is perfect for you!
If you’re wanting to photograph models, we can line up the models, you bring your camera, and shoot in our studio with our lighting, with Kevin’s guidance to ensure you get excellent images!
Make sure you go to our ‘Learn by Doing’ Web page and learn more. Provide YOUR input on what you are wanting! Since these are designed as small group experiences, we can tailor the activity to your needs! If you have several photographer friends who would like us to create a custom workshop, let us know! This is ALL ABOUT YOU and YOUR NEEDS!
Discounts up to $70 end on December 24th (while space is available).
Our new ‘Learn by Doing’ Series of workshops are focused on putting you to work creating your own images and learning as you do it! This is a very “hands-on” approach to learning, in a small group setting. Students have been asking for these workshops and we most definitely listen to your input and needs!
If you are interested in learning techniques to produce better real estate photographs, check out this class! The class is coming up VERY SOON, and space is limited, so sign up as soon as possible if you want to participate! CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
Remember to check out our other Learn by Doing Workshops currently scheduled, AND complete the survey (look for the green box) to provide your input on what YOU want us to add!
Happy Picture Taking!
Kevin Gourley
I absolutely LOVE Adobe Photoshop! This powerful program has so many features, but its complexity is intimidating for many. I have been teaching classes on Photoshop for a while now, and I am thinking about making some changes to the format and options, to help students learn even more, while extending the number of hours for this hands-on learning experience.
If you want to create the best images possible, and learn how to most effectively use Adobe Photoshop, please go to our web page about this class and complete the survey in the bright green box. Your input matters so much! My classes are totally focused on the needs of my students.
Thanks!
Kevin Gourley
Dear friends,
This is not like any of my other posts on my blog. In fact, this has nothing to do with photography. This is just an invitation.
It’s an invitation for Christmas Eve. I realize you all have differing views on the whole topic of “religion” and “faith” (and believe me, I have gone all over the map through the years). I am a Christian, but for almost half of my life, I was not a Christian. I have been agnostic, atheist at times, so I do understand different viewpoints on this subject and I totally respect you for where you are now on such matters. As a Christian, I figure if I can simply strive to love others, and not condemn someone for being different from me or waste any time “judging” others, I am doing ok. God knows (literally), I am pretty imperfect myself.
So, if I haven’t lost you in my first two paragraphs, I’ll get back to that invitation. I was sitting in church today, thinking about what an incredible group of people we have at my church. They are the most loving and generous and kind people I have ever known. Since Christmas is coming up soon and we have a beautiful Christmas Eve Candlelight service this Saturday, I wanted to invite you to attend.
You might already have plans for Christmas Eve, and that’s fine, or this might not be of interest to you at all. But if you’re somewhere “in between” where you don’t have plans and hadn’t even thought of going to a Christmas Eve service but that sounds interesting, we have 5 different services in our brand new sanctuary. My church is Bethany United Methodist Church in NW Austin, at 10010 Anderson Mill Road. If you are interested, here is a link to the website with more info about the services, what they are like, and which ones have child care.
I just thought I’d put this invitation out there for those of you who might like to do something to make this Christmas Eve special as we experience the wonder of “Christmas”.
I am grateful to know so many of you who have taken my classes, gone on destination workshops with me, follow me on my website or via emails or my blog or facebook.
I wish you all Happy Holidays, and for those of you who say “Merry Christmas”, I hope yours is indeed the best Christmas ever.
Most sincerely,
Kevin Gourley
A lot of people ask me what type of lighting I use for shooting portraits outside. I often use a couple of Canon Speedlites 600EX RT. Other brands like the Phottix (for Nikon or Canon) work well also.
For my off-camera speedlite, I have the light angled at about 45 degrees to the side and raised up a bit, and it is mounted on a softbox.
I use an Impact 24×24″ Softbox, but you could use any brand really, and get nice results.
Of course there are a lot more details I could cover, but I wanted to keep this simple in this article.
Every camera works differently in how it interacts with a flash/speedlite, and there are all sorts of considerations regarding shutter speed, high speed sync, front vs rear curtain sync, mixing ambient light etc.
Using TTL (known as iTTL or ETTL etc. depending on the brand) is the easiest way to operate your flash. One helpful trick is to underexpose the ambient (existing) light by about 1 f/stop.
If none of this makes sense to you, I offer Light & Photography Workshops intermittently throughout the year. Plus, when I have enough people interested, I am happy to add a ‘Learn by Doing‘ Workshop on this topic any time! Just go to this web page and fill out the form if you are interested (look for the bright green box on that page).
For this article, I just wanted you to know what type of gear I typically use for my outdoor shots, since lots of people have been asking.
Happy Picture Taking!
Kevin Gourley
