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The original reference image for this digital photo reconstruction was taken at Hensley Settlement School in 2006. Corel Painter Essentials 4 and Photoshop CS3 were used on a Mac Power PC to create the final 16x24 inch final work shown here. ©2008 Malco
Beyond The Camera — Taking Control of the Digital Darkroom
October 06 - 10, 2000Digital Artist / Photographer and Harlan County, Kentucky native, Malcolm J. Wilson, will present "Beyond the Camera, Taking Control of the Digital Darkroom: An Intermediate Introduction to Adobe Photoshop Elements" on Oct. 6 through10 at Pine Mountain Settlement School.
"With the explosive growth in popularity of digital cameras in the last few years, so many people now have access to the convenience and ease of digital photography," Wilson says. "The full potential of a digital darkroom and a computer's role rarely gets explored, and there is so much more now available for creating memorable work."
The workshop will include instruction in basic lightening, darkening, contrast and color correction, compositing and collage. Discussions and demonstrations will include ways to use digital photography and image manipulation software professionally, personally and artistically. Participants will also see how to use Photoshop and/or Photoshop Elements as a graphic design tool to produce brochures, flyers, posters, and holiday cards. File preparation for printing, web and email will also be a part of the workshop. Students will also be introduced to Corel Painter Essentials, a digital painting program which allows students to turn their photographs into works of art.
"The major emphasis will be unleashing your artistic side, using these digital tools as an outlet for creativity, limited only by one's imagination," Wilson said. "We will learn tricks for cropping, frame generation, localized color, black & white printing, color saturation and photo reconstruction."
Wilson will teach using a Mac computer projected onto a big screen. All information, however, easily translates to the Microsoft Windows software versions.
Prerequisites for this workshop are: basic computer skills and an understanding of digital photography's relationship to digital photography software and basic working knowledge of photo cataloging and/or photo editing software programs. Familiarity with at least one photo program such as iPhoto, Picasa, Picture Publisher, Elements, Photoshop, Aperture, Light Room, Photo Styler, Paint Shop or Corel Photo Album is a necessity. Students are not required to bring computers, although having either a PC or Apple Mac laptop with Photoshop Elements or Photoshop installed is a plus. Students in the past have brought smaller desktop computers such as iMacs.
Students who do not have a computer will be teamed with those who have computers. Students can, although not required, also have installed on their machines Corel Painter Essentials 4 and a small Wacom Pen Tablet.
Drawing inspiration from the historic Pine Mountain campus, students will also take breaks from the computer screen to go out and create imagery for photo enhancement and/or photo reconstruction.
Wilson has worked in the digital photography world for over 20 years, doing his first image editing using Aldus Photo Styler on a PC running Windows 3.0. Since then, he has fully embraced digital photography, discontinuing film in 2002.
Before moving to Bristol, Tenn. nearly a decade ago, Wilson worked as a commercial photographer in Cincinnati for 19 years. He currently uses his digital photography skills in advertising and marketing work and in his personal fine art creations.
The digital photography workshop will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 6 with dinner at 6 p.m. followed by a course introduction after dinner. Class time and field work are part of the session on Thursday through Saturday. The workshop will conclude after lunch on Sunday, Oct. 10. After-dinner sessions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights are reserved for students requiring additional one-on-one assistance with topics covered in the daily classes. More computer savvy students are welcome to attend the evening sessions to assist those less knowledgeable.
Pine Mountain Settlement School is a National Historic Landmark located on the north side of Pine Mountain in Harlan County, Kentucky. The School's property covers 800 acres of forests, valleys, and streams in the state's southeast mountains. The School is also home to the 348-acre James E. Bickford State Nature Preserve.
For more information or to register by phone, call (606) 558-3571 or send e-mail to office@pinemountainsettlementschool.com.
Rates
The cost is $350 and covers home-style meals, lodging and tuition. Visitors to Pine Mountain may stay in dormitory or cottage-style housing.
A non-refundable deposit of $100 will be applied to the cost of the workshop at the time of registration.
Lodging
Students will stay in dormitory-style accommodations, with shared bath. Bed linens and towels are furnished. All Pine Mountain Settlement School buildings are smoke-free. No pets or firearms are allowed on campus.
Cell phone service is spotty at Pine Mountain because of the topography and lack of cell phone towers in the area. Most people can receive a signal to make calls. The School provides dial-up Internet access in Laurel House, which houses the dining hall and meeting rooms.
Meals
Meals are served in the Laurel House dining hall. Vegetarian meals are available upon request.
Advance Deposit
A non-refundable advance deposit of $100.00 is required at the time of registration and will apply to the total cost of your reservations. Lodging is not guaranteed without deposit.
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