Photoshop Tutor - Photo Editor

What is your title, and can you explain what your daily responsibilities are?
I currently work for Adobe as a Solutions Consultant in Digital Media. I spend my time working with our enterprise customers and showing them the value of our desktop software. This includes products within Creative Cloud, Acrobat, EchoSign & the Digital Publishing Suite.

In addition, I teach as an Adjunct Professor for Texas A&M University-Commerce http://www.tamuc.edu/ in the Visual Communications department. I see a new batch of freshman art students each fall.

Finally, I speak at regional workshops, national conferences & events  as time allows.

What inspired you most to become a Photographer/photo artist?
My first memories as a photographer/videographer are early childhood spent with my father. He shot a lot of home movies on 8mm film, and he would spend hours splicing together reels in our basement. I was also intrigued with his Polaroid camera, my first experience with instant image gratification.

I was drawn to music for much of my early career, and I was reintroduced to photography in the late 90’s. I connected with some folks in Dallas who raced motorcycles, and found modest success. Sports & action photography is where I moved beyond taking snapshots, and it really nurtured my interest in improving my photography.

I used a number of cheap photo editors before switching to Photoshop 6 when it was released. Most of my editing consisted of titling, image enhancements, and basic design. Compositing images is something I started exploring after my daughter was born six years ago.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle to pursuing a career in the creative fields?
I guess that depends on what you define as a career. For someone who is looking to make a living as a creative, you definitely need to know the business. Whether you want to freelance or pursue a career within a company you have to understand how to do business. This means writing a resume, creating a portfolio, knowing how to network, writing contracts, accounting, learning how to work with a team, a myriad of vocational skills I believe many “starving” artists tend to overlook or ignore. However, I believe it’s perfectly fine to be an artist and not have that be your job. My sister is a brilliant touring musician who also happens to be a very successful corporate attorney.

Your art doesn’t have to be stifled by your career, and vice-versa.

With all the new versions of Photoshop what changes do you personally feel are the most exciting or brilliant?
That’s a hard question. I believe using Photoshop isn’t just one tool, one fix, but rather using the tools together in combination that makes it so powerful. If I had to pick one feature that just blew my mind, I would say Content-Aware Fill. The first time I saw Bryan Hughes use Content-Aware to create new landscapes by expanding the canvas of a cropped image I was floored. Again, it’s not the technology itself, but how people utilize and ultimately create new things with it that I get excited about.

What Photoshop artists/creatives do you follow, and why do they stand out from others in your opinion?
Glyn Dewis because I’ve seen his progression as an artist. It’s good to have that perspective of seeing where someone with exceptional talent started, and how they’ve taken things to the next level.
J Schuh because of his adaptability. He’s probably the best working artist I know simply due to his ability to work within the styles requested by his customers.
Patrick Boivin is incredible. I would love to create animated shorts that emulate his style.
Zack Arias is a talented thought leader who helps not only the hobbyist photographer, but those that want a no-BS view of the photography industry.

What social networks do you like most?
None of them. I kid, I kid…
For me, social media is a tool, it’s not something I spend a lot of my free time on. I’d much rather spend time with the family doing something offline. *grin* I believe the “best” social network is the one you leverage the most. It goes back to an earlier answer, you have to know your business, or in this case your audience. Twitter is worthless if that’s not where your audience is at. Folks are finally starting to pay attention to Vine, and there are artists who are killing it because they chose to make it their network.

For myself, I started utilizing Twitter, then moved to Facebook, and ultimately I’ll end up on Google+. I believe Google+ is the next campground for social communities; it certainly has proven fruitful for a number of photographers. To paraphrase Wayne Gretzky, it’s not about where the puck is, but where it’s going to be. I believe you should treat social media in that regard if you want to grow an audience.

Which social networks present good examples of Photoshop and Photography the best?
Behance, Flickr & 500px are good places to showcase work, with great mobile experiences. Google+ has a thriving community built around images. I like Behance https://www.behance.net/aj-wood because it’s designed for portfolios, is integrated into Adobe tools, and allows for collaborative works. I haven’t done nearly enough with it, or other image networks simply due to time constraints.

I’ve seen some amazing images on 500px, and there’s always good conversations happening on Google+.

What is your prediction of the evolution of social networks?
There will continue to be a pull between consumer privacy & making money. A social network is only as good as the big data collected from personalization. Facebook & Twitter are a lot different now that they have Wall Street looking over their shoulder.

We’ll continue to see networks that include features around “temporary” or “self-destruct” content. Privacy, or niche networks will continue to ebb & flow.

Mobile is a must, and we’ve already seen several social networks forgo desktops altogether.

How do you think these networks will showcase artists and Photographers better in the future?
We’re in an age of too much content. You can’t possibly consumer everything that’s out there. I like what’s been done with the iPad & Kindle in terms of making large screens lighter. I like the portability and easy access of my iPhone, but I prefer watching items on a big screen.

On the devices we have today, I don’t feel there’s much more that can be done—a slideshow is a slideshow regardless of transitions. However, I think the next level is expansion of virtual reality (VR), holographic displays, or mediums that allow for live interaction.

What predictions do you have for the future of Photoshop and Photography?
I worry that the democratization of photography will continue, and not just because an industry is on the decline. Digital cameras, and more recently cell phone cameras allow anyone to take a photograph. Our social networks are filled with A LOT of mediocre imagery. Frankly, part of the decline for photographers is a growing idea that “good is good enough” amongst consumers. I believe it will reach a tipping point, and swing back though. The industry won’t return to it’s full glory, but the business savvy, talented photographers will still be making a buck or two.

For Photoshop, that’s harder to say. Had you asked me a few years ago, I would have responded, “What could Adobe possibly do next?” then Content-Aware came along. That technology alone has changed the way we transform & manipulate images. Those that pay attention to the Adobe MAX conference have already seen sneaks into some amazing things around artificial lighting & 3D. I believe we’ll see advances in mobile, but I don’t expect “Photoshop in the Cloud”.

Whatever the future holds, I’ll be around to show it to our customers.

Find A.J. here! http://ajwood.com  on Facebook  & YouTube 

What is your title, and can you explain what your daily responsibilities are?
I am a photographer, mentor and online educator specializing in helping other photographers enhance their creativity through online mentorship and education.  I also shoot Weddings Portraits and Fine Art Nature photography.  I lead workshops and photowalks all around my great province of Ontario Canada.  As a self employed artist and educator, my responsibilities range greatly from day to day and month to month.  I could be spending  my days (and often nights), focused on creating videos and leading online classes this month, and away on an outdoor adventure with other photographers next month.  One thing I have learned over the years is it’s not enough to know what you do well, it’s important to know what you don’t do well  or don’t have time for.  So I focus on the creative side of business and get help with things like bookkeeping and paperwork.  I also trust others to help mentor me in areas I need help in like reaching goals and staying focused.

What inspired you most to become a Photographer? Why did you pursue this as a career?
When I was young, 10 years old, I remember having an epiphany.   I was upstairs alone and after having finished yet another drawing, it became clear… I am an artist.  It was one of my gifts and I knew that I would always pursue arts.  In High School, Grade 10, I took a photography course and I loved it. The camera, light, film, the darkroom.  I couldn’t get enough.  I also found myself in a bit of a conundrum.  How to be an artist AND love photography which at the time, I didn’t see as “real art”.  It took years to reconcile the two but by the time I was in my early 20’s I had become a photographer, a photo retoucher and restoration artist.  by 25 I was also teaching photo retouching and restoration at one of our local colleges and soon began  teaching evening painting classes to adults continuing education.  I loved it.  I found a way to join art and photography and discovered a love for teaching as well.  Photoshop changed my career very quickly and I was soon out of work as a retoucher and retouching teacher and for a while did not pursue this “new” technology.  That has all changed now though!

What do you think is the biggest obstacle to pursuing a career in the creative fields?
I would have to say first is opposition from others who don’t see it as “a real job”.  I was fortunate to have a supportive father who encouraged me to be what I was born to be, but I suspect that was because his father told him to “get a real job”.

The second is valuing yourself enough to learn how to charge enough for your time and talents.  Notice I didn’t say making money was the biggest challenge, I think  the fact so many have trouble making money at the arts stems from creatives loving what they do so much, they are afraid to, or don’t know how to begin to charge enough for what they do.  If I could do it over again, I would be taking a business and marketing related course for every three art courses I took.  Being a photographer an artist or a Photoshop expert means it isn’t likely you will find a job like you would if you were a marketing manager or an administrative assistant.  The creative fields often require you to find unconventional revenue streams, or at least ones that aren’t  often listed in the help wanted section.

With all the new versions of Photoshop what changes do you personally feel are the most exciting or brilliant?
Wow, that’s a big question!  I would have to say one of the things I think I love about Photoshop is Adobe Camera Raw and the creative sandbox it gives me.  I don’t think I would have said that had it not been for how Lightroom has changed how I work on my images.  Camera Raw is the engine behind Lightroom’s Develop Module as well and it is not just for colour correction or tone adjustments,  using It I have found Camera Raw to offer endless creative abilities as well with things like Split Toning, Graduated Filter and the Adjustment brush that gives me incredible creative freedom before I even open it completely to Photoshop.  Once in Photoshop though I would have to say I love tools like the adaptive wide angle but not for buildings, for landscapes!  it’s a fantastic tool for fine tuning creative landscape work as well.  I think I first learned to experiment outside the box more after we had John Paul Caponigro on The Photoshop Show and he used it and other features in very unexpected ways.  Finally I have to mention the Content Aware possibilities have really changed the game for increasing the potential to quickly edit what in the past would have taken hours.

What Photographers & Photoshop artists/creatives do you follow, and why do they stand out from others in your opinion?
I already mentioned John Paul Caponigro.  His approach as an artist to his photographic work resonated instantly with my own creative vision and as I learned he is also a highly respected educator and workshop leader he became a top choice for inspiration.  Though I don’t do composites as as much as I’d like to, Mark Johnson has really impressed me as a creative encouraging and enthusiastic educator in Photoshop.  Qualities I hope I incorporate in my own work. Having been a co host for the past two years on The Photoshop Show I have met a lot inspiring personalities.  There are just so many!  I could say the wit and wisdom of Julieanne Kost, The sincerity of RC Concepcion, the Photoshop empire of Scott and Kalebra Kelby have lead the way in the finest photography and Photoshop education available anywhere.  I could go on and on and on.  This industry is full of the most sincere and generous people I’ve met.

What social networks do you like most? Which present good examples of Photoshop and Photography the best?
I Love Google+.  It’s no secret.  It really changed my life and my career at a time when I was feeling a bit like a flopping fish on the creative dock of life.  It’s clean interface and the way it presents images was an instant hit for photographers and a huge global community quickly formed which I became active and engaged in early on.  because of the On Air Hangouts and the ability to broadcast live and to YouTube, it gave me and many others a platform to flourish in and use our gifts in new and exciting ways like live demonstrations and broadcast interview style shows.  I think though everyone has to go with what works best for them.  For example, my wedding and portrait business benefits more from Facebook currently than G+ but that is changing  This year I have had more students from my local area participate in my online programs on Google Plus, as well G+ has been a much better platform to promote workshops and photowalks.  I don’t “get” Twitter at all, though I know some who love it as a social platform.  I was far too late into the Flikr game to really understand how to have any real involvement there except I do like the way it displays images.

The short answer is I think if you are an educator using video, G+ is inevitable.

What is your prediction of the evolution of social networks? How do you think these networks will showcase artists and Photographers better in the future?
I think of what 500px has recently announced.  A platform that was already fantastic for displaying some of the webs finest images has announced it is throwing its hat into the stock photography ring and is even offering an unprecedented 70% payout to photographers on the sale of their images.  I need to look into the terms more but It may be a huge step in the right direction.  I wouldn’t call 500px a social network, it’s more a portfolio site but I could easily see a social network forming with the strength of the photography community on G+ with a searchable and marketed database of images.  I wouldn’t hold my breath hoping Google does it though, it just isn’t part of their business model and would be too small for a company of that size to invest resources into it.   For Photoshop and Lightroom educators and experts, I think Google Plus with it’s YouTube integration will be a powerful platform for a long time yet.  It is still in it’s infancy and with the Hangout features and screen and document sharing, I don’t see another platform challenging it for a while.

What predictions do you have for the future of Photoshop and Photography?
Photoshop has demonstrated year after year it is the Big Daddy when it comes to providing photographers and artists the best most supported playground to create in.  I long for the day they make the interface a little more intuitive for the beginner, but then again it has created a fantastic community of educators to help those beginners learn it!  Cameras are changing at an astronomical rate and it won’t be long before we will all be taking video and simply pulling the best frames out of it for our still photography.  I’m not sure how i feel about that as I haven’t fully embraced shooting digital video yet.  I suspect I’m not alone.  Photoshop with it’s built in video editing features will continue to improve and it will simply morph into a more robust still and video production suite.  Technology is changing fast and it is at once exciting and quite scary.

Follow Ron here!  www.ronclifford.com  on Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RonClifford/posts and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RonCliffordPhoto

What is your title, and can you explain what your daily responsibilities are?
This one is a hard one, I do so much that it really depends on the task at hand! But according to my LinkedIn profile, I’m an “Online Instructor, Designer, & Developer“, So we’ll go with that! 🙂
As for my daily responsibilities, I of course work on Photoshop Training Channel, and on any other projects I have going on.

What inspired you most to become a Photographer/photo artist?
Growing up I used to read a lot of comic books, so I started drawing a lot. At some point, I started playing around with digital graphics, and I really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun with it, so kept doing it.

Why did you pursue this as a career?
It’s fun. It’s as simple as that. Like all other careers there are pros and cons, but at the end of the day I really do enjoy it, and have a lot of fun doing it.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle to pursuing a career in the creative fields?
The biggest obstacle would be, learning to become a business person as well as a creative professional. Most people are too involved with the art and the technical aspects of their field (which is good), but more often than not, creatives completely disregard the business aspect of their careers. We must remember that at the end of the day we need to put food on the table and business skills are required to be a successful creative professional. Creatives must learn to market their skill set and learn how to correctly demonstrate the value of their work so they can get fairly compensated for their services.

With all the new versions of Photoshop what changes do you personally feel are the most exciting or brilliant?
I’m really liking the new Perspective Warp tool, it can do some amazing things!

What Photoshop artists/creatives do you follow, and why do they stand out from others in your opinion?
I follow a lot of people, and there is a lot of great talent out there, but if I had to name just a few, then I would have to go with Bert Monroy and Ben Wilmore.

I’ve always been a fan of Bert Monroy, he can create some incredibly realistic images using nothing but Photoshop. He is Photoshop user #6 and co-wrote the first book on Photoshop, so as you can imagine he is a wealth of information, and does truly know the software inside and out. You simply can’t have a conversation with Bert without learning something new.

Ben Willmore is a very talented Photographer who really knows his stuff, I’ve never seen anyone explain so clearly some of the most complex tools in Photoshop. He is like an encyclopedia for color correction. I have learned a lot from him.

What social networks do you like most? Which present good examples of Photoshop and Photography the best?
I’m on Facebook the most, but I’m also on all the other big networks, Pinterest, Twitter, Google +, and LinkedIn.

For Photoshop and Photography I would choose Facebook and Pinterest. Both networks do a great job of displaying images, and both can lead a lot of traffic to your website with the right images.

I know a lot of creatives are worried of other people sharing their work on social networks or other websites and they simply won’t post anything because of this fear. I think it’s unfortunate because this is the best form of free marketing available! Creatives shouldn’t fear social networks, we should embrace them!

Look at Brandon Stanton from Humans of New York. His Facebook page has 3.5 million likes! His photos are shared all over the internet (With no water mark!). But yet, we all know who he is. Do you think he has trouble finding clients or making money? Of course not. He learned to use Facebook as a Marketing tool for his Photography. His book, which sales on Amazon, has over 900 reviews, 800 of those are 5-star reviews. Sure, his photography is good, but the true key to his success is his ability to market his talent using social media.

This goes back to a that previous question about the obstacles for pursuing a creative career. We focus too much on the art and not enough on the business. We have this romanticized notion that our art is sacred and that no one should share it on Facebook if we don’t get paid or give explicit permission. In my opinion, that is a completely outdated notion, and it hurts us more than it benefits us. Of course everyone is to do as they please with their work, and their business, but I would suggest to take advantage of the tools that are available to us. Specially those that generate great returns on investment.

What is your prediction of the evolution of social networks?
They will continue to do what they’ve been doing for the last 7 years or so. Connect people, and allow them to share what is important to them. The format or platform may change, but the fact is that we will continue to share cat videos in one way or another.

How do you think these networks will showcase artists and Photographers better in the future?
Art and Photos were created to be seen, and I think these networks will create tools that allow for more people to see your work. Whether it is by having better tools to target your audience or by making it easier for users to share great work.

What predictions do you have for the future of Photoshop and Photography?
I think the $9.99 monthly subscription has opened the doors for more people to get involved in Design and Photography, specially at an early age. This should create more competition and raise the level of work we see.

As far as Photoshop itself goes, I’m sure new technologies will create tools which make some tasks easier or even obsolete. But I think the biggest changes and additions will come in areas not directly related to Photography, such as 3D animation, motion graphics, and video editing. Photoshop may one day become your one-stop-application for all your creative needs.

Follow Jesús here!  http://photoshoptrainingchannel.com on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/photoshoptrainingch and on Google+ https://plus.google.com/+Photoshoptrainingchannel/

What is your title, and can you explain what your daily responsibilities are?
My title, as it appears where things like that are needed, is Artist, Author, Teacher.
My first daily responsibility is to get up.

My work day starts by doing things like email, getting some job out or making necessary calls. The main thing is to get it all done so I can get to my work. At that point, the rest of the day becomes a blur. Until I have to cook dinner for when my wife gets home. After that, I usually go back to the studio and work some more.

What inspired you most to become a Photoshop artist and trainer? Why did you pursue this as a career?
I wasn’t inspired to become a Photoshop artist. Photoshop happened to come along and become my preferred medium. I have been drawing since I was 2. I have been an artist my entire life. Many other careers came along the road of my life but art has always been my passion.

I became a digital artist when I saw MacPaint on the Mac 128 in 1984. Since then I have grown with the tools. When I first saw Photoshop a few years before Adobe knew it existed, I knew this was my next tool and it has been so ever since.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle to pursuing a career in the creative fields?
In today’s market I would imagine competition. It is however, far easier to be seen than the days when I had to walk around lugging a giant portfolio.

With all the new versions of Photoshop what changes do you personally feel are the most exciting or brilliant?
I think this answer requires an entire book. If I had to narrow it down to a hundred, wait, maybe less. OK, just a few. The number one would have to be the Brush engine. I remember going to Adobe to see it in progress. I said I hadn’t seen anything that cool since PixelPaint. The Adobe guys laughed. It turned out my old friend Jerry Harris was working on the Brush engine. He and Keith MacGreggor wrote PixelPaint.

I remember the first time I saw Layers. Locked in a brightly lit room at Stanford University surrounded by multiple mikes, cameras and facing a huge mirror with people whispering behind it. I saw Layers in the menu and freaked. After playing for a while I remember one of my first comments was “why can’t I select more than one layer at a time?” Layer styles are way up there!

What Photoshop artists/creatives do you follow, and why do they stand out from others in your opinion?
This list would be very long! I am going to narrow it down to the main influences in my life. Richard Estes and Ralph Goings are two of my greatest heroes. They are both Photorealist. Much earlier, I was influenced by Maxfield Parrish. It was his use of saturated colors that captured my attention. I tend to brighten my colors.

What social networks do you like most? Which present good examples of Photoshop and Photography the best?
I subscribe to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Frankly, I don’t spend a lot of time on these things. I have enough work with emails! I’d rather spend the time working.

What is your prediction of the evolution of social networks? How do you think these networks will showcase artists and Photographers better in the future?
Social networks are a great place to get the word out. We have seen the impact on world politics. YouTube, Behance, the list goes on and on for the avenues for people to get their stuff out there. It is very exciting! The downside is, as I mentioned earlier, there are many others doing the same.

Puts the challenge on your shoulders to be better at what you do.

What predictions do you have for the future of Photoshop and Photography?
That’s a tough one! Things I saw in SciFi movies through the years that looked so cool but felt like “not in my lifetime!” are now things that were outdated ten years ago. I stopped predicting a long time ago because there are things in the works I can’t even imagine.

Rather than pondering what will be, I play with what I’ve got and anxiously await what comes next!

As for photography, I can’t tell you how many times I wish I had my camera with me. Today, it is attached to my hip in the form of a phone. Everybody has a camera now! The future is wild with possibilities!

Whether you are taking a picture or creating one from scratch, do it because you love what you are doing. Do it because the creativity in you needs to be satisfied. Do it because it puts a smile on your face and a warmth in your soul.

Follow Bert here! www.bertmonroy.com and http://www.lynda.com/Bert-Monroy/27-1.html