invites you to join us
October 29 – November 9, 2010

Please note: while medium format cameras will be available to trip participants to use, this trip is still a typical Photo Safaris tour in all other respects. Therefore, participants will want to bring their own photography equipment to use.

We’ll travel to Cambodia and Myanmar’s most spectacular photo spots to explore these two cultural centers of Southeast Asia. We’ll photograph a bounty of subject matter, including pagodas, stupas and palatial temples, as well as monks in saffron-colored robes, bustling markets and women strolling with colorful parasols. And, we’ll spend three full days in and around spectacular Angkor Wat where we’ll photograph early in the morning before the crowds arrive and then explore lesser-known temples and locales.

Experience the beauty and mystery of Southeast Asia while learning about the stunning image resolution offered by digital medium format photography. This trip departs in early 2011 so don’t delay—call today to reserve your place!

• Complete Tour Details for Cambodia & Myanmar—A Digital Medium Format Adventure!

• Cambodia & Myanmar slideshow

• Read James Martin’s description of this trip in the Photo Safaris Blog

I’ll see you in the field!

Joe Van Os, Director

Ask John Shaw

A Monthly Q&A from Photo Safaris

You can submit questions to John at askjohnshaw@photosafaris.com. Each month, John selects one or two questions among those submitted and posts his answers in Photo Safaris Email Updates.

Ever since Adobe released Photoshop CS5, I’ve been asked several times which of its new features I think are the best. There are a number of new features. Some I’ll probably never use (such as “puppet warp”) but some are truly game changing. I’ve now spent some time with CS5 and I’ve come up with my list of THE FIVE (and ½) BEST NEW FEATURES IN PHOTOSHOP CS5.

1. Hands down, my vote for the best new feature in Photoshop is Refine Edge (also called Refine Mask, depending on how you access this). Masking—the ability to apply an adjustment to one select area—is the primary reason I go to Photoshop. As the name implies, Refine Edge allows precise adjustment of the mask edge, the transition area between masked and not-masked areas. It gathers into one panel a number of ways to deal with simple masks, but then adds methods for the most complex masks. Two features within Refine Edge are amazing: Smart Radius and the Radius Brush.

2. Content Aware Fill gets my vote for the #2 spot. This has been shown on the web with lots of razzle-dazzle, but it does indeed have a place in the toolbox of image corrections. It makes cloning and/or healing larger areas far easier. Just in passing, it’s now the default behavior of the Spot Healing Brush.

3. The next three features are new to both Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom 3′s Develop Module, since they share the same RAW conversion engine. Feature #3 is the new 2010 Process Version. Yes, Adobe has rewritten the math beneath their RAW converter. There is a visible improvement in how RAW files are demosaiced, as the new process is sharper and less noisy.

4. Feature #4 is the new noise reduction, which is also found in Lightroom 3. Adobe has taken a giant step forward compared with where it was previously. The new noise reduction lives in the RAW converter in both programs, the most non-destructive location possible to apply noise reduction. All third party noise reduction programs work on standard file formats, not RAW images. Adobe’s new version is so good that I doubt I’ll be using any other noise reduction software.

5. The #5 place is filled by the new Lens Profile Corrections (also in Lightroom 3). Profiles have been made for many Nikon and Canon lenses (and Adobe promises more to come, while publishing a free “do-it-yourself” profile maker) that automatically correct for distortion, chromatic aberration and lens vignetting.

So what’s with the “and ½” bit? It’s that CS5 is now available as a 64-bit program for Macs. CS4 was already 64-bit for Windows machines, so now both PCs and Macs have the advantages that 64-bit software offers. In terms of Photoshop, the big advantage is the better use of RAM and the ability to address amounts of RAM over 3 GB.

2011 Photo Safaris Tour Schedule

With more than 40 tours to photo destinations worldwide, our 2011 Tour Schedule offers photographers plenty of great choices. We’ve included a broad selection of perennial favorites as well as several new and returning tours. When you find a tour that interests you, call us at 206-463-5383 to reserve a spot or get additional information. We look forward to hearing from you!

Infrared photography is the focus of a group exhibition at the new Maine Media Gallery in July. Four Visions in Different Light: Susan Bloom, Jill Enfield, Elizabeth Opalenik, and Theresa Airey is now on view through July 25, with a closing reception on Tuesday, July 20 from 6:30-8pm.

These four talented photographers have united to put together a show that strives to demonstrate how many different perspectives and interpretations there can be for one medium. Infrared photography allows artists to create images that make infrared light-waves discernible, even though they are beyond the visible spectrum.

By using infrared film or adapted digital cameras, these photographers allow us to see what was once invisible. Theresa Airey says, “I like to show the world as we know it in a ‘different light’, one that is more symbolic of the mood or the feeling in the landscape, rather than the realism of the scene.”

Each of the four artists provides a unique insight into the many facets of infrared, and has decades of experience working with infrared photography.  The work they present in the exhibition includes figure studies, landscapes, and photographic collages. Three of the women “Susan Bloom, Jill Enfield, and Elizbeth Opalenik” are instructors at Maine Media Workshops.

Maine Media Gallery is on the first floor of the Shepherd Building, 18 Central Street, Rockport Village. The gallery’s 2010 exhibition season is generously sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank. 

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Brenton Hamilton Releases Book of Cyanotypes

Brenton Hamilton, Maine Media faculty member, recently released a new book of his work entitled The Blue Poet Dreams.

Published through Blurb by the non-profit organization Obscura, the book showcases more than a decade of work stemming from Brenton’s meticulous dedication to the 19th-century cyanotype process.  According to his website, Brenton “chooses this antique medium to render his one-of-a-kind dreamlike visions in an equally unique and intense hue.” His work combines human anatomy, botanical imagery and astronomy to create arrangements that are both intriguing and provocative.

Brenton Hamilton has been a fixture at Maine Media, guiding students as a mentor for more than 15 years. He is Chair of Maine Media College’s Photography Professional Certificate Program and an instructor for the Young Artists Program in photography. 

Obscura was founded by a group of artists and educators, including MMW instructors Mat Thorne,  Matt Smolinsky and Brenton Hamilton, in 2009.  The Blue Poet Dreams is available for purchase from the Obscura website, with proceeds from the sale of the book going to fund youth scholarships.

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Jeff Rosenheim to Give Talk on Helen Levitt, July 19

For the fourth consecutive year, Jeff Rosenheim, Curator of Photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, returns for one of his captivating lectures. This year’s special presentation focuses on the legacy and achievement of the extraordinary street photographer, Helen Levitt (1913-2009). The event includes an in-depth, illustrated talk about Levitt’s camera work, as well as a rare screening of her 1948 film, In the Street.

The event will take place on Monday, July 19, 4:00 pm at The Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, Rockland, Maine. Admission is free.

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Will Yurman Brings His Multimedia Expertise to Maine

With the ever-growing popularity of multimedia as a way of telling stories, MMW is lucky to have instructors like Will Yurman as part of the faculty.

Will has extensive experience in multimedia storytelling, having combined images and audio for years, and recently adding video to the mix.  His work features strong visual content, driven by natural sound and the subject’s voice. He has been recognized several times in the Best of Photography and Picture of the Year International competitions for his still photography and multimedia work. 

His latest project, A Family at Play, follows the Beckwith-Cohen family as they all perform in the Rochester Children’s Theatre production of Peter Pan. The piece, which is sequenced into three acts, explores the dynamics and influence the theater has on the family.

Will comes to Maine this summer to share his knowledge and experience with students in Introduction to Multimedia, August 1- 7, and One Man Band, August 8-14.

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Summer Workshops in Rockport

Visit www.mainemedia.edu for details on all available classes.

The Narrative Portrait, with Amy Arbus
Aug 15 – Aug 21, 2010
Students in this workshop take their portraiture skills to the next level, creating a series of photographs that set the scene, introduce the character(s), create a mood, and show life in all of its dramatic possibilities. Instructor Amy Arbus reveals techniques for editing, sequencing, and presenting work, approaching people, involving subjects in the process and helping them feel at ease.

The Power of Images in Today’s Media, with Maggie Steber
Aug 15 – Aug 21, 2010
This workshop combines the importance of storytelling and outlets in photography. From story research to approaching people and editing, participants take their storytelling skills to the next level and discuss possible outlets for their work in today’s media.

Photographing the Human Condition, with Dominic Chavez
Aug 15 – Aug 21, 2010
This workshop explores the photo essay as a voice for telling stories of people and their personal conditions. Students work on a documentary project throughout the week, applying instructions on the issues and challenges photographers encounter when working with the human subject.

Introduction to Audio Storytelling, with Bruce Strong
Aug 15 – Aug 21, 2010

Documentary audio can be a descriptive and powerful documentary medium. Through hands-on demonstrations, lectures and assignments, students learn how to work with the gear necessary to develop and produce audio stories.

Intermediate Multimedia, with Josh Meltzer
Aug 15 – Aug 21, 2010
Students in this workshop find, shoot and produce multimedia stories using still and video cameras during a week that includes intense daily critiques, lectures and demonstrations. Additionally, students are introduced to Apple�s Final Cut Pro as a means to edit and produce the stories they shoot.

Creative Darkroom, with Jim Megargee
Aug 15 – Aug 21, 2010
This course is for intermediate and advanced photographers who want to become more proficient in making expressive B&W silver prints. Students explore master printmaking techniques, as well as density and contrast control in both the negative and print.

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The 2010 Summer/Fall Catalog is available online as a PDF download.

The 2010 Young Artists Brochure is available as a PDF download.

Need Help on Selecting a Workshop?

Are you having difficulty deciding which workshop is right for you? Call us for advice. Email your questions to info@theworkshops.com and we’ll make every effort to respond within 24 hours.