Tell MCP your Photoshop or Photography New Year’s Resolution and have a chance to win?
What is do you want to learn in the new year? What do you want to get better at? What is your NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION as it relates to Photography and/or Photoshop? Please comment directly on my blog to enter (do not reply to me via email). One comment will be drawn at random – the WINNING entry will be drawn on January 1st, 2009.
The Prize: MLK Studio’s ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE – $395 value. This class covers the basics of photography from exposure, stops, lighting and much more. But the best part is that you can do it from your own home, yet interact with a professional photographer.
Topics include portraiture, journalism,
still life, land and seascapes and the history of photography. You won’t find a
better or more complete course on the web anywhere. The internationally-renowned author of the program, Matthew L. Kees, a
student of Ansel Adams, has over 20 years of experience teaching professional
photography.
Here is a course outline:
| Week 1 | ISO, Stops, f/stops, Shutter Speeds, Reciprocity and Depth of Field |
| Week 2 | Various Films & Processing, Digital Imaging, Light Balance and Color Theory |
| Week 3 | Prime & Zoom Lenses, Equipment including Meters and Accessories |
| Week 4 | Manual, Automatic & Dedicated Flashes, Sync Speed, Fill Flash and Night Flash |
| Week 5 | Rule of Sun, Back Light, Fine Tuning Exposures |
| Week 6 | Composition, Photographic Art and History |
| Week 7 | Portraits, Landscapes, Seascapes, Architecture, Still Life and Journalism |
| Week 8 | Printing & Publishing – the Art and Business aspects of Photography |
Next Post: The stores are all closed… Do you still need a gift for a photographer?
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My Goal is to step up the marketing on my photography business so that I can spread awareness of the work I do and grow my business. At the same time I want to continue sharpening my photo skills.
To be BOLD!! 2009 is going to be the year I get crazy with color and to be a little more daring with location and posing!
My resolution is to practice more. Definitely be more assertive! And learn from my mistakes.. Happy Holidays everyone!
My goal is to do anything/everything I can to improve in both my taking and editing of pictures.
My resolution is to practice more and really experiment with my DSLR. I only bought it a few month ago, and I really hope to learn more about it this year.
My resolution is to be the best I can possibly be! 2008 exploded before my eyes and I want to focus on my technical skills and be more confident in myself! I also would love to find my grove in my work flow to be more efficient AND faster!
Love your website … love your actions … love your tips! You have been a huge influence in my work!!
Thank You!!
My resolution is to finally focus a bit on learning the basics of digital photograph, so I can get away from the dummy stage, where I just click and be done with it! Still a great thing, since I can take decent enough photos, but I want to do better!
My resolution is to get all the training that I can. I am farely new to photography so I want to excel in every aspect of it. I really need some photoshop training considering I only really now basics. I have bought a few of your actions and love them. So weather I win it or not I will probably sooner or later be taking your course. Thank you and Happy Holidays!!!
My resolution is to get better at using the natural light to really capture life in my subject’s eyes. It seems that I usually have too bright light & they have to squint, or to get out of the blinding light, we wind up with no light at all. I want to find the best places to use the light correctly.
I would like to get better with lighting.. I specifically would like to start using reflectors with natural or existing artificial light – I have to say – the more I learn – the more I realize how many tools can go into the photography toolbox.. sometimes I get overwhelmed!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year..
NGG
I just started doing photography seriously a couple months ago. I still have SO much to learn… lighting, flash, posing, photoshop, camera, everything!!!
My resolution is to find a way to get better at exposure and lighting. I have had no “formal” training and am fully self taught. I love making people happy and feeling good about themselves but feel bad knowing that I’m not producing the best product. Reading online can only take you so far. Thanks for all the help that YOU have provided me. Merry Christmas!!!
I just bought a new dslr for Christmas and I really really need to learn how to use it!!! I can’t think of a better way to learn everything I need to know! What a great prize!
My resolution is to diligently learn how to take the best photos under the circumstances facing me at the time. Learning all about ISO
My resolution is to get better at metering in camera. There are times I think I’ve really nailed a shot, but then I look at it in Lightroom and it’s a little more underexposed than I thought. Also, I want to improve on the business side of it all…I want to raise my prices and learn how to sell myself to higher-end brides. That’s for my ultimate goal of going FULL TIME! : )
My resolution for photography is to learn more lighting techniques.
Photoshop – I would love to get PS4 and continue to learn new techniques, I would love to learn how to make my own actions and how to make templates.
Merry Christmas, Jodi!
I would like to become confident in my picture taking to the point where I can look at a set up and know what my settings should be and know the picture will turn out the way I want it to. I want to learn my flash and use it to my advantage and not worry about shadows. I want to be the best I can be!
My resolution is to learn all of the functionality of my camera. I have a Canon D60, I got it in July and have only used it as a point and shoot camera.
My New Year’s resolution is to continue learning Photoshop. I’m starting with CS2 (because that’s what’s installed on my machine and I have all the Kelby books for) but after attaining a decent level of proficiency, I’ll allow myself to upgrade to CS4. Also, have installed Lightroom trial and want to work that in to my lesson plans. And, start taking better and more pictures. (I hope no one around here needs me to cook dinner or do any laundry in 2009!)
My goal is to get better at off-camera flash using the SB-800s and the Quantum Qflash. I’ve seen the benefits of using flash off camera and they are great!
My resolution is to learn everything possible, especially what is taught in that class. I just got Photoshop a few months ago and love learning new things every day. I am embarassed to admit that I don’t even know what ISO and aperture mean. But I would LOVE to find out!
Merry Christmas!!!
My goal this year is to learn to be a better photographer…get it right in the camera and edit,not save, my images in photoshop so that I can spend more time with my children and capture those moments with them that I am so busy capturing for other families.
First – thanks! What a cool contest. I’d love to win!
I am upgrading this holiday to a respectable new Nikon, and I’d like to to get a better handle on lighting. I feel like I do great outdoors, I do pretty well indoors on a sunny day. After that, I struggle to know which settings allow me to capture my very not-able-to-hold-still subjects without reverting back to the ugly, blown-out pics using my flash. I rely too much on post-production in PS because all too often, my SOOC shots aren’t good enough. I invested in a detached light-source, and I’m saving my pennies for a VR lens… beyond that… I just need to learn a little more about capturing low-lighting and poor-lighting situations (aka real life).
Thanks for this generous contest.
Have a great holiday season!
What an amazing prize! My goal is to become more confident with editing photos in photoshop! I’m still learning the basics but want to be able to do what I envision in my head with the photos! Thanks!!! ~
My New Year’s goal is to become an expert marketer with regards to my photography.
I really, really, really want to be able to shoot in RAW and then edit the pictures to come out clear and crisp with great lighting. Not a big deal-right? =)
Susan
I want to learn how to spot meter so that I could meter on someone’s face and not on the whole scene.
My goal for the new year is to find my style. I know there are other things to work on as well, but I am getting to the point where I feel like I am doing what everyone else is doing, and not what I have come up with out of my own creativity. I love photography, and I want to get to the point where it is always fun, and yet still challenging.
I would like to learn how to expose correctly. I would also like to learn more about correcting photos in photoshop.
My resolutions is to understand how to get the most from my camera to create stunning and emotional photos that the recipient or viewer will love. I also resolve to learn as much as I can about photoshop so that I can enhance my photos and bring out their greatest potential. I want to learn how to move someone with my work!
I want to be able to know the tecnical side of photography so it is second naturre to me and I don’t have to think about what to do so much. I LOVE the artistic side of photography but feel I need to know the tec. side to get better at it. Photoshop is another place I want to grow in. I need it ALL LOL…….
I would like to really master custom white balance settings, and become more dynamic with posing subjects. Thanks for offering up such great competitions!
My 2009 resolution as it relates to photography is to find my own style and shoot every day. Thanks for the contest…
My goal for 2009 is to work on exposure and seeing the light. I am also challanging myself to learn to adjust a raw image as well as learn studio lighting.
My photography resolution is to be able to use light in different ways. I’d like to feel that I can use whatever type of light is available and know how to take advantage of it…backlighting, sun, flash, etc. I want to be excited about light instead of afraid.
Flash!!! I have no clue when it comes to that!!!!
I really want to learn flash and beach photos!
I am still relatively new to photography so at this point I’m wanting to learn everything to do with taking better pictures and Photoshop as well. I am sucking up everything that I can learn right now!
I say ditto to the “practice, practice, PRACTICE!!!” I am still not as proficient with my camera and Photoshop as I need to be or want to be. I resolve to shut my mouth and let my photos speak for me.
My resolution would be to get more prepared before a photo shoot, and be more confident in the role of a photographer. Or at least be able to appear that way! I’m also going to figure out this whole mask thing in Photoshop. And I LOVE how this photography course looks!
I want to get comfortable in all types of light, I want to feel confident in my photography. I want to continue to learn photoshop and to keep practicing!
My new years goal is to become so proficient at photography (lighting, composition, etc…) that people will believe that I didn’t have to use Photoshop.
I want to learn how to get more catchlights in the eyes – and to help my subjects laugh and give me natural smiles!
I would love to learn more about lighting and find different ways to be creative. And Photoshop, man where to begin with that program. So much to do and so much to learn. Thanks for the chance.
I definitely want to get to “know” my Nikon D80 thoroughly in the new year. I really want to get into photography. I’ve had it for 2 months and LOVE it already!
I am a novice that just got into photography, and I really want to learn how to use my camera and Photoshop! Right now I am slow and fumbling with my camera, and by the time I get everything right, the moment to take a good pic has passed! (like my subject has moved)
I want to perfect my posing. I’m a little dissapointed with my family posing and angles. I also am going to try new and different lighting techniques now that I have the basics mastered. I got new wireless equipment so I am going to practice with off camera flash using my two 580s. Happy 2009 everyone! And keep learning!
merry xmas you all!
my goal is to do something more creative when it comes to posing and composition.
My resolution is to learn photoshop better. Curves and layer masks are my first focus. Then to master studio lighting. Thanks for the contest!
I’m not a big New Year’s resolution person, as I seek to be better throughout the year (it’s less depressing when something interrupts life). So for me the things that I’m going to kick up a notch are my editing workflow. I need to streamline my process so that I can effectively keep it in-house. As a photographer, I’d like to strengthen my manual shooting skills so that I’m more satisfied SOOC.
What I need is to have my decent pictures where they are not just hit and miss. I have started thinking I need a new and more expensive camera. LOL! I know it is not the camera. It is me! I need to go back to the basics. So my resolution for next year is to do just that.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Composition…lighting…manual settings…these are a must that I need to learn!
WOW! This would be the best FREE prize ever! I would love to WIN this and sure hope that I do. Thank you for offering such a wonderful gift
My resolution is to master natural lighting. I can hold my own but I know that I can do so much more. Happy Holidays everyone
My resolution is to better my photography skills and practice more so they become second nature. I need to become comfortable in more situations. I also need to improve my photoshop skills. I really need this all to come together for me this year!! Thanks for all you do MCP!
I am just lost with manual mode. We have a good camera, but I am still lost. Goal=practice and take a class.
My resolution is to LEARN my camera and to LEARN photoshop (I just got CS4)!
i want to learn how to shoot manually while running around chasing kids (i usually just set the aperture and let the camera do the rest). i want to shoot more in raw!
My resolution is to practice more on people other than my children. I would love to someday have my own business.
My resolution?…I would love to master the manual mode of my camera AND learn more about flash.
Great contest Jodi! I would love to really work on shooting with different types of lighting and receiving advice for that. For instance, I recently bought a speedlite flash but have a hard time using it correctly. Outdoor photos are much easier than indoor photos for me. I would also like to learn more about how to start a photography business.
Thanks a bunch.
Hugs,
Jonni
This year I want to leanr to use the new camera that I got for Christmas. So, this would be the perfect thing. Pick me. Pick me.
AWESOME contest! My resolution is to become more proficient in using my flash in low light situations as well as marketing my photography business more effectively…sounds pretty simple huh…
Hope I win!!!
My photography resolution is to be able to read the light better & know the lighting patterns. I want to become comfortable with my flash as well. I also want to improve my processing in photoshop.
My resolutions for my photography business are to learn to shoot in any lighting condition, get better & more daring with backlighting, figure out what the ultimate lens is for my style, & improve my marketing plan!
I have gotten better at taking photos, and adjusting them in Lightroom and Photoshop, now I want to get to be expert in printing my own photos. The art of printing is just as important as the taking, and just as much fun.
Merry Christmas from New Zealand
My biggest New Year’s Resolution is to shoot manual with more confidence. I would also like to second shoot a few weddings. Awesome contest, thanks for the opportunity to win such an amazing price. Merry Christmas!
My New Years’ Resolution is to work toward becoming the best photographer I can be! I am 55 years old and I feel like my time to learn photography is passing in a hurry. I would love to learn how to really USE my camera off of AUTO or Program Mode. My children and grandchildren are my favorite subjects of study and I want them to be able to look back at their best photos and say with pride… My Mimi, or my mom, took this! My friends and their children and grandchildren have also been in front of my camera on important occasions, which warms my heart that they entrust me with such an important task. By the end of this year, I resolve to get my small business running so that my photography can be a part of some the most magical moments in my community, like weddings and children’s’ milestones. This class would be an integral part of my work toward becoming the best photographer I can be.
My resolution is to practice, practice, practice and to be done with “auto”!
my resolution: to understand exposure better and be able to handle manual and have confidence to shoot in any situation:)
Thanks for the awesome contest!
My New Year’s Photography resolution is to get out and shoot more often – I need to quit waiting for a good reason! One of my specific goals is to work on flash photography. I’ve already signed up for a class on that at my local Calumet, so I think it will be an acheivable goal! Merry Christmas!
My resolution is to learn to trust myself when I shoot manual. I know this will take practice, practice, practice. I would also like to attend a workshop this year.
I want to improve my “natural light” photography. I just love the natural light, narrow plane of focus look. Just today I was shooting for fun with my Christmas lights as subjects.
I just opened my first dSLR (a present from my husband) and have probably taken 200 pictures in the last two hours. I’m so excited to learn the ins and outs of manual shooting, but am extremely intimidated. My new year’s resolution is to not only read as much as I can, but shoot as much as I can. Take my camera everywhere and practice, practice, practice!!
I am determined to learn my external flash this year. I have a love hate relationship with it now! I need to read up on it, practice, practice, practice. I intend to master the darn thing.
I also am going to try to put myself out there for some portfolio building, I am ready to take on some challenges.
Tami~
My NYR is to hone my skills as a photographer (stop using the AUTOMATIC FUNCTION!!), become a better employee (turn off the computer more often), live a fuller life (don’t just think of things I want to do and see…DO THEM and SEE THEM), be a better daughter and sister. My biggest goal is to put myself out there. I know I have the skills to be a portrait photographer, I just need to lose the nervousness of interacting with new clients. And don’t even get me started on what I need to learn with Photoshop…that may be a two year goal!!! Thanks, Jodi!!!
My resolution is to shoot my own family more frequently and make some time just to shoot things for fun.
Cool idea for a class, I would love to do it.
My resolution is to totally RAMP UP my marketing!! I plan to incorporate email marketing and hopefully watch my business grow!
I just hope to learn more about those things which I feel could be studied more in-depth. Specifically, lighting and Photoshop! Do you ever feel like you know everything there is to know?
My 2009 resolution is to shoot consistently and to become proficient with my flash. I have too many throw away shots and I want to learn to shoot more methodically and consistently so I am surprised when a shot doesn’t come out, instead of the other way around! Also I live in a northern climate with very short days so I need to spend more time with my flash and learn how to use it to my advantage!! I’ve not had any training yet and it would be amazing to have something like this to give me a strong skill base.
I want to learn more about creative ideas for photo composition. I am planning to do a photo-a-day project for 2009 to give me more opportunities to use my camera.
My resolution is to continue to build my photography business and to shoot on a daily basis for myself.
My New Years Resolution is to master my exposure and hopefully start taking pictures on the professional level. Also I would like to learn a lot more about photoshop and hopefully be able to master my pictures SOOC and edit to profection!!!! This class would help me tremedously in learning my exposures and how to nail them. This is my biggest challenge in my photography right now!!!
My goal this year is to take pics that pop, that make me say “Wow.” Some of my photos are good, but most are NOT! I would love for a photo to come SOOC and be a great shot.
My New Years Resolution is to carry my camera with me 24/7 and to finally master my speedlite 430EX !
i hope to take more pictures. ie try.
My resolution is to get to know my camera and it’s capabilities so that I may start to use it professionally as well as for my passionate hobby, also to keep up with my photo editing interests using Photoshop while fine tuning my knowledge and mastering this program.
My new years resolution is to really start focusing on my photography. I just love photography and it is what I want to do as a career. I just need to get serious about getting good.
I have a few resolutions this year when it comes to my photography but first and foremost, I want to take more photos so that shooting manually is second nature. I have a tendency to shoot manually and then take another couple shots in program mode “just in case.” I want that to be a thing of the past.
My resolution is to increase my understanding of lighting techniques and to improve the skin tone in my portraits.
My New Years resolution is to learn how to market my business. I’ve seen great photographers who never sell their work, and so-so photographers who sell like crazy. It all seems to come down to marketing.
My resolution is to learn my camera inside and out and work on lighting
I would love to learn more about the camera than my wife does. A class like this is out of my military budget for the time being, but it would be a huge blessing to take! I’m looking to learn to use my camera so I can take awesome pictures and use it for my career when I retire from the military! 2009 sounds like a good year to take this and make it a reality!
My goal for 2009 is to streamline my workflow. As continue my quest for ‘getting it right in the camera’, I now want to streamline the process for proofing and then for the final retouching. Using Lightroom 2 has greatly improved my workflow, and I want to make it even better! So, here’s to being more efficient in 2009!
Thanks,
Joanne
My resolutions are to learn how to do more than just basics on cs3, and to concentrate on my lighting, and to get to know my new nikon D300.
I understand the principles of photography pretty well, but the new digital set of “buttons” throws me. I miss shots trying to come up with correct setting (guess I should do that first thing, huh?). That’s my biggest problem….getting ready on “manual.”
I want to learn about light. How to nail exposures in manual and use my metering to get it right.
my 2009 photography resolution is to slow down and focus on really learning the technical aspects of photography. i realize now that there is no quick way to learn photography. i want to learn some quick editing in photoshop elements to improve what i am taking.
I want to learn how to rock any lighting situation. I want to be able to use soft light, hard light, bright light, and even low light. I also want to study a lot about photography so I can be more confident in my shooting.