Register this holiday weekend for either of my two upcoming workshops (Creative Photoshop Fun Day, Saturday September 13, 2015 and Photographing Flowers for Transparency, weekend workshop, October 4-5, 2015) to take $50 off the tuition of each workshop ($100 for both workshops).

Register for both workshops this Labor Day weekend, and I will also give you a signed copy of your choice of my books (limited to our stock of books on hand).

Fine print: there essentially is none, except that this special offer expires at midnight on Labor Day, Monday September 1, 2014. To take advantage of the offer, in the registration process simply deduct $50 from the total when you pay (or pay the full amount, and we will refund you the $50).

Please let me know if you have any questions, and very best wishes in photography!

Harold Davis

Registration and information for the Creative Photoshop Fun Day with Harold Davis (Saturday, September 13, 2014)

I often get asked about my Photoshop techniques in the course of a workshop. In a general workshop that involves photography there just isn’t enough time to cover the vast multitude of creative Photoshop techniques that you can use in depth. This workshop will provide a one-time opportunity to do that exploration of Photoshop: both as a creative medium, and as an artistic partner with digital photography.

High-Key Tulips © Harold Davis

I will also work with each participant to develop their personal Photoshop style and to process one or more of their own images using the techniques demonstrated in this workshop.

Let’s spend a fun day together playing in Photoshop! We’ll work with layers, masking, textures, backgrounds, selections, filters, LAB color, and more. There will be time for image review, and for helping participants with individual creative projects.

The focus will be on creating an individual Photoshop workflow that is fun and that energizes. Take your Photoshop creativity to the next level!

Van Gogh’s church at Auvers-sur-Oise © Harold Davis

Registration: http://www.meetup.com/Harold-Davis/events/186153022/

Prerequisites:  Participants are expected to know how to use their computers and to have (at a minimum) a basic knowledge of Photoshop. Please contact us with any questions about whether you have the appropriate background for this workshop.

Suggested advance reading/viewing: The Way of the Digital Photographer and the Harold Davis Photoshop webinar recordings.

What to bring: Please bring a laptop with Photoshop installed and some of your images that you would like to work on. The following software is also suggested (but not required): the Nik Collection, Topaz Adjust and Topaz Simplify.

When: Saturday, September 13, 2014 from 9AM to 6PM, with an hour break for lunch.

Where: The workshop is hosted in Berkeley, California, in a convenient location near the upscale Fourth Street shopping district and close to the University Avenue exit from I80.

Tuition: $295 per person ($245 via the special offer). Workshop is limited to a maximum of 16 participants.

Flowering Quince by Moon © Harold Davis

 Registration for Photographing Flowers for Transparency, October 4-5, 2015 Session

Due to many requests I am holding a session of the Photographing Flowers for Transparency workshop, Saturday, October 4—Sunday, October 5, 2014. Click here for information and online registration for the February Photographing Flowers for Transparency workshop. 

Synopsis: In this unique workshop offering master photographer Harold Davis shows the techniques he uses to create his floral masterpieces. Arrangement, composition, photography, post-production will all be covered, as will Harold’s special techniques for shooting on a lightbox.

Here are some details about the workshop:

Master photographer Harold Davis is well-known for his often imitated—but seldom equaled—digital images of luscious transparent and translucent flowers.

In this unique workshop offering master photographer Harold Davis shows the techniques he uses to create his floral masterpieces. Arrangement, composition, photography, post-production will all be covered, as will Harold’s special techniques for shooting on a light box.

Who is this workshop for?

The workshop is intended for photographers of all levels with an interest in flower photography.

Harold is only planning to give this workshop once this year. There is no better way to learn the floral transparency techniques that he has pioneered. The two-day format will give participants the chance to complete their imagery using the techniques that Harold will demonstrate.

Here are some comments from earlier Floral Transparency Workshops:

• “Loved the pace, in-depth instruction and generous sharing.”
• “EXCELLENT PRESENTATION AND COVERAGE OF MATERIAL. MR. DAVIS WAS PATIENT TO ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS.”
• “Harold, thank you for the time, expense and effort it took to put on a great one-day workshop….You are a wealth of information and share it so graciously.”
• “Outstanding workshop!”
• “A very packed day! Harold is very clear and organized; an outstanding photographer who is also an outstanding teacher.”
• “Thank you for an amazing weekend workshop. Have waited a long time to take this workshop. The weekend flew by. Have much to digest and process. Highly recommended.”
• “Learned a new photographic technique that I can apply not only to flowers, but to other subject materials.”
• “A great workshop! Learned about creating translucent flower photographs and also about important features of Photoshop.”
• “Great workshop with a good balance of instruction and practical application. Plenty of opportunity to ask questions and more importantly get answers.”

Where: MIG Meeting Place, 800 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94710

When: Saturday October 4, 2014, 9:30AM to 5:30PM and Sunday October 5, 2013, 10:00AM to 5:00PM

Tuition: The cost of the workshop is $745 per person ($695 via the special offer). Workshop limited to 16 participants.

Check out our workshops and events, and also webinar recordings!

Photoshop Layers 101 Recording

The ability to work with layers and layer masks in Photoshop is what unlocks the power of Photoshop, and separates it from more mundane image editors. Yet many people find working with layers (and the tools related to layers) daunting, both conceptually and practically.

This webinar aims to get you over this learning hump gently. It is intended for serious photographers—for example, those working in Lightroom—who want to take their work to the next level in Photoshop. We will go slowly, work through many examples, and reserve ample time for questions

The Photoshop Layers 101 with Harold Davis webinar covers:

• What is a layer?
• Working with layers
• Adjustment layers versus “regular” layers
• Hide all layer masks
• Reveal all layer masks
• Viewing alpha channels
• Opacity
• Blending modes
• Painting on a layer mask with the Brush Tool
• Using the Gradient Tool

Here’s one comment from a viewer: “Layers used to scare me. Now, thank to Harold’s gentle approach, I can begin to unleash to full power of Photoshop!”

Another viewer adds, “I love your webinars!!!”

Click here to register for access to this webinar recording (unlimited access is $19.95).

I’ve been asked to explain by several people who are interested in my photographic trip to Japan why it is “so expensive.” You can find the full trip itinerary here, and trip costs with registration info here.

I have not created this trip as a money making venture—this trip is a matter of the heart for me that I would like to share with a select few. I have spent a huge amount of time planning this trip. I am eager to share the aspects of Japan that I love with other photographers. I’ve worked hard to keep the costs as low as possible, but some things—like being in Kyoto for cherry blossoms—are simply not about money.

Dawn in the High Fields © Harold Davis

Essentially the old adage about getting what you pay for comes to mind, but let me be more specific:

• Japan is an expensive place to visit.

• There is a tremendous amount included in this trip. It runs for eighteen days. This is a long trip, it includes most meals, airfare from Hiroshima to Tokyo, a workshop at the fabled, 700-year-old Awagami Paper Factory on Shikoku Island, the hotels I really wanted (in Kyoto during cherry blossom season this is a big deal), many admissions (which in Japan really add up), all kinds of transport, and bilingual guides throughout. Please take a careful look at the itinerary to see all that is being offered.

• The kicker is the small group size. Many things cost the same amount no matter how many people are in the group. This goes for guides, buses, and more. The more people, the lower the per-person cost. Of course, in a smaller size you also don’t get substantial group discounts.

Generally, I want to lead smaller groups when I travel with photographers, and it is a fact of life that this leads to higher costs. The point is a more personal experience, so that I can spend ample time in a collegial fashion with each photographer on the trip.

In the case of the Photo Odyssey to Japan, some of the very special places we will visit and stay at can only accommodate the smallest of groups. So if I wanted to present this fantastic trip, I had no choice but to keep the group size small. I do realize that not everyone is “made of money,” and I have worked hard to keep the costs as low as possible.

Buddha Samadhi © Harold Davis

If you take a look at the detailed itinerary, you will see that it is assembled with a great deal of care, and that those lucky enough to join us will have unique experiences, and come home with many great and unusual photos–not just the typical tourist photographs.

Now here’s the special offer. I am eager to get the Photographic Odyssey to Japan well-launched by the end of August. So this offer is intended for you, if you are sitting on the fence. If you follow the simple registration steps, fill out the registration application and pay the $500 trip deposit before September 1, 2014, I will send as a gift to you a signed, original 11″ X 14″ print of either Dawn in the High Fields, Takihara or Buddha Samadhi. The archival pigment prints are handmade in my studio on Awagami Kozo washi, and have a retail value of $495 each. The images are shown above in this story. (The Awagami Factory is where we will make paper on the trip!)

The fine print: There really isn’t any. If the trip doesn’t run, of course your deposit will be returned, and you can keep the print as my gift. If you have already signed up, of course you are entitled to your choice of either print.

So what are you waiting for?

Visit a Japan that most westerners never get to see with special, once-in-a-lifetime photographic opportunities.

Harold Davis

For the itinerary: www.digitalfieldguide.com/japan-workshop

To register: www.digitalfieldguide.com/japan-registration

I will be presenting “Creative Black & White” at the Los Gatos-Saratoga Camera Club on Monday, August 18 2014 at 7:30PM. Here’s the event description:

Creative Black and White Photography—Harold is a leading contemporary photographer and artist who uses innovative technical processing techniques to create exquisite Black and White photographs. View some of his work at www.digitalfieldguide.com/galleries/black-white

Temple Garden, Kyoto

Please keep in mind these other upcoming Bay area events (free or nominal cost at the door):

• Tuesday, August 26 2014 at 7:30PM—Harold Davis presents “Digital Black & White” at the Alameda Photographic Society (click here to download PDF brochure).
• Monday, September 22 2014 at 7:15PM—Harold Davis presents “Making Memorable Travel Photos” at the Golden Gate Computer Society

Please click here for a PDF brochure of my workshops, and here for the calendar of events. Webinar recordings are available by clicking here.