NECCC PRECONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

The New England Camera Club Council (NECCC) is a non-profit umbrella group for camera clubs in the New England states (Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont).  The Council was established in 1937 and incorporated in 1963. The Council sponsors a variety of events and services for the photographers of New England including an annual three-day photography conference each July at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA, which is one of the largest in the United States.  Over 1000 photographers from the U.S. and other countries attend our conference.  Attendees range from beginner to professional photographer. Find out more and Register Here.

If you have not been to this conference you are certainly missing out! I leave every year inspired, motivated and more knowledgeable about photography. Lisa

PRECONFERENCE WORKSHOPS (running concurrently)

Friday, July 13, 2012 (9am until Noon)

Participants in any Workshop (you cannot attend more than one) must be paid registrants for the conference.  Class size is limited. Register Early. It is suggested that if paying by check you write a separate check for the Conference and a separate check for any of the four pre-conference workshops.  Workshop Cancellation Policy: If you must cancel, notify Conference Services by letter or e-mail before June 29^th to ensure a refund (less $10 processing fee).  There are absolutely no refunds after June 29^th. See www.neccc.org for additional information on Pre-Conference Classes.  Electrical outlets will be provided to power your laptop.

WORKSHOP I  --  The Creative Odyssey: The Power and Magic of Lightroom

by Mary Lindhjem and Mollie Isaacs (VA) of Awake The Light Photo Tours and Workshops

In this workshop you will learn the basics of Lightroom 4 by working alongside Mary and Mollie. You will work on images supplied by them on your own laptop, and will come away with the skills necessary to use Lightroom successfully.  In this session we will concentrate on the Development Module and explore the powerful tools available here to realize your creative vision.  Join them for this instructive, easy to understand workshop, and learn how to transform your images into the natural-looking works of art that will take your breath away. PREREQUISITE: Attendees must bring a laptop preloaded with Adobe Lightroom 4. You should have basic computer skills and basic familiarity with Lightroom.

WORKSHOP II  --  Setting Up and Using a Low Cost Home Studio  

by Shiv Verma, MNEC (MA)   sponsored by Rogue Photographic Design

This program focuses on setting up a small home studio, and will cover setups for portrait photography, product photography and macro photography.  You will learn how to make and use backgrounds, softboxes, diffusers and reflectors, and to create phenomenal lighting effects with on and off camera hot-shoe flashes, workman’s lamps and a number of do-it-yourself designs.  We will have a live model and will use the simple setups to demonstrate the power of small lights and inexpensive lighting accessories.

WORKSHOP III  --  Intermediate Program:   Elements - Layers & Beyond

by Hazel Meredith, MNEC (CT)

This intermediate/advanced class will explore the more advanced functions of layers; how they can help your workflow and how you can change the effect of a layer by utilizing blending modes and opacity levels. We will work together on provided images and use filters, textures, shapes, and type to jazz up these images.  You will learn masking and how it can simplify many processes. Images will be provided so we can work together, as well as class notes for reference and practice at home.  PREREQUISITE: You must bring a laptop with a copy of Elements 9 or newer installed, and you must be experienced with basic adjustment layers in Elements.

WORKSHOP IV   --  Advanced Program:   Potent Tool: Photoshop Blend Modes

by A. Cemal Ekin (RI)

Layers and layer masks in Photoshop do heavy lifting and the blend modes provide much of the power for that. This hands-on workshop will explore what these blend modes are, the mechanics of blending, and how to use different modes for different purposes in Photoshop. You will learn efficient ways of adjusting tonality, color, contrast, and other image attributes as well as augmenting them with layer masks. Photoshop CS6 will used but earlier versions are similar. PREREQUISITE: You must bring laptop with a copy of Photoshop installed and be comfortable using Photoshop, working knowledge of layers.

WORKSHOP V  --   Hands-on Program: Taking Your Macro Photography to the Next Level  

by Roman Kurywczak (NJ)   (sponsored by Sigma) FULL

Roman will show you how to get the most out of your macro photography and achieve consistently good results. A heavy emphasis will be placed on using flash correctly in the field to properly balance the exposure and achieve dramatic results.  High key macro photography, cross polarization, and other creative macro techniques will also be explored. Bring your camera, macro lens, and flash if you have one.  Knowledge of how to change your camera settings is required to participate; bring your camera manual.  Sigma will provide a selection of loaner macro lenses for you to try out during this hands-on workshop.