A Busy Spring Photography Teaching Schedule

In Summary, here it is

·       Lightroom Tuesdays March 3-April 7

·       Introduction to Digital Photography Thursdays April 9 – May 14 (excluding April 23^rd)

^·     Spring Waterfall Weekend Workshop May 15^th – May 17^th  

Leaning In - Ashuelot River

With the holidays out of the way, I have been organizing my spring teaching season, and this year the programs are especially compressed.  It will be a busy and exciting time to cover photography, including an introduction to digital photography, a detailed exploration of the amazing image organizing and editing capabilities of Adobe’s Lightroom Classic, and a fun spring weekend workshop shooting some of the most beautiful waterfalls in southern Vermont and the Monadnock region.

This is just a brief listing of the spring programs.  For those who are interested, I will be posting more details as the dates approach, but since I keep the classes comfortably small, it always helps to reserve your spots early.  The best way to get your name on the list is to send me an email and if you have any questions, give me a call: 603-363-8338.

Introduction to Lightroom Classic – AND the Transition to Photoshop

Six Tuesday Evenings March 3rd – April 7th
373 Route 9a Spofford (around my dining room table)

Lightroom Workflow

 Once again, beginning in early March, I will be offering my Introduction to Adobe’s Lightroom Classic. If you are interested in getting the most from your images there is no better place to start.

With each new version of Lightroom, the program’s capabilities and features have grown. Its image management tools have improved, but the major advancement has been in its sophisticated editing capabilities. Lightroom’s Develop Module now is as fully capable as Photoshop’s Camera RAW, but Lightroom organizes these tools into a simpler and more intuitive workflow. The program also facilitates the sharing of images through Slide Shows, Books and simple Web designs.

Lightroom Magic

Given its power and ease of use, for the majority of digital photography enthusiasts, Lightroom is all they will need to get started with image management and editing.

The Course

Around the Table

From 6-8 pm, on six successive Tuesday evenings beginning on March 3^rd, we will gather around my dining room table in Spofford.  The course will concentrate on Lightroom Classic, which is the full desktop version of the program intended for photographers who want to get the most from their images.  Adobe also offers a version of the program simply called Lightroom which is designed for mobile users and will not be covered in this course.  All the key functions of Lightroom Classic will be covered primarily in live demonstrations, and although everyone will be encouraged follow along on their own laptops, this will not be necessary to benefit from the course.

If you, like many, are still confused about the different Lightroom programs, just know that the Lightroom and Lightroom Classic versions are both included among the options in the Adobe Photography Subscription Plan, along with the latest version of Photoshop (if you ever want to enter the abyss) and still costs only $9.99/month.

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html 

 My course will be covering the full power of the Lightroom Classic Program but I have added a sixth class to review how to move images into Photoshop and a brief look at what this amazing program can add to your pictures. 

The expanded course will be $225.
More details will be coming soon on my blog at:

http://jeffnewcomerphotography.blogspot.com/

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Introduction to Digital Photography Thursdays April 9 – May 14 (excluding April 23^rd) Keene High School

My introductory class on digital photography has evolved over the years as I have tried to find better ways to inform and excite students about the amazing capabilities of digital cameras.  The course includes 5 two-hour classes and two photo shoots. I cover a wide range of topics from understanding the differences in camera types, to image file formats, file management and archiving. Special emphasis is placed on exposure, composition and the use of different types of light.  All these topics are applied to the results of the photo shoots.  This class always fills very quickly, so sign up early at :

https://www.keenecommunityed.org/classes/digital-photography-intro/

Spring 2018 Class

Contact Erin White, Program Assistant
(603)357-0088 ext. 103, ewhite@sau29.org
for more information

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Spring Waterfall Weekend Workshop May 15^th – May 17^th  

Garwin Falls

It may seem early to anticipate my annual Spring Waterfall Weekend Workshop, but I’m reminded that the snow on the ground is the raw material that will contribute to the vigorous spring run-off.

This year’s weekend workshop will follow my usual, time-tested format. We will first gather Friday evening around my dining room table, for a chance to meet everyone, and review our plans. I will discuss key elements of the photography of flowing water, including exposure, the importance of a sturdy tripod, a cable release and, of course, a polarizing filter. 

Porcupine Falls

Will meet on Saturday for an all-day shoot traveling to many of my favorite regional waterfalls and ending with an evening of pizza and sharing around my informal table. Sunday morning, we will gather again for more falling waters and I will let you all escape, exhausted but full of wonderful waterfall images, by noon.

Dummerston Veil

It should be an exciting weekend and I’m looking forward to sharing many of my favorite spots. 

To allow for individual attention, the workshop is limited to only 8 participants. The entire program including snacks and an informal dinner will be $195. 



Get in touch as soon as possible, by email or phone, to get on the workshop list. I look forward to seeing you.

Jeffrey Newcomer

www.partridgebrookreflections.com

jeffn49@myfairpoint.net

603-363-8338

Fall and Winter Photography Classes

It’s time to talk about my upcoming fall and winter photography classes and workshops.  This year the planning has been affected by my very hectic and over booked summer, including various travels, getting our son moved into a new apartment in NYC and our daughter into her new house in Medford Mass (in anticipation of the October arrival of our first grandchild !!).  Also, I am preparing for the Annual Art in the Park which is coming up this weekend at the Ashuelot River Park in Keene. 

Finally, my I’m packing for and exciting trip touring Ireland with a group of dear friends and, since I will be away for a few weeks, I wanted to get the information out, before I left.  While away I hope to have at least spotty email to answer questions and get people on the lists. 

Again, I will be offering my Introduction to Digital Photography class this autumn along with my annual Fall Foliage Photography Weekend Workshop.  My Introduction to Adobe Lightroom Classic will be coming up in March, in hopes of avoiding the worst of the winter storms.   Here are some details

So, here is what is coming and please let me know if you have a comments or suggestions for future programs.

Hope to see you soon.

Introduction to Digital Photography

Sponsored by Keene Community Education

·         Date: Oct. 29 to Nov. 19, Tue.,

·         Time: 6-8pm (8 hrs.)

·         Location: Room 326 at KHS

Keene High School

My introductory class on digital photography has evolved over the years as I have tried to find better ways to inform and excite students about the amazing capabilities of digital cameras.  The course includes 4 two hour classes and two photo shoots. I cover a wide range of topics from understanding the differences in camera types, to image file formats, file management and archiving. Special emphasis is placed on exposure, composition and the use of different types of light.  All these topics are applied to the results of the photo shoots.  This class always fills very quickly, so sign up early at :

https://www.keenecommunityed.org/classes/digital-photography-intro/

Contact Email Erin White at ewhite@sau29.org  for more information

Introduction to Digital Photography, Online Syllabus

Sorry, for health reasons, I have to cancel this year's Foliage Workshop

Fall Foliage Workshop Weekend

October 18th – 20^th, 2019

Monadnock Region and Southern Vermont

This autumn, I will again be offering my Fall Foliage Weekend Workshop.   I will be following the same format that seemed to work well over the last several years.  Again, I picked the weekend after the Columbus Day weekend craziness.  It is an opportunity to see great color without the same crowds that typically congest our beautiful countryside.  Our base of operations will be around my dining room table in Spofford, NH.  I will host the participants at my home on Friday evening for snacks and a discussion about photography in general, and the specific opportunities and challenges of foliage photography.  It will also be time to plan the shooting for all day Saturday and Sunday morning.  

Saturday, we will head out early to explore as many different locations as possible.  My goal. Will be to place the group in beautiful locations and then help them get the most from the opportunities. Depending on the state of the color we may travel west to some of my favorite locations in southern Vermont, such as Guilford and the magic village of Green River, or we may explore the hills and farm around the Monadnock region and my own village of Chesterfield.

In the evening, we will return to the dining room table for an informal dinner of pizza and some gentle critiquing of the day’s shoot.

We will head out again Sunday morning for more of our exploration of color, and I will finally let people go around noon. I promise you will come away exhausted but thrilled with the experience.  I look forward to sharing my love for photography in this special time of year. 

The three-day program is $195, including the delicious snacks and an elegant pizza dinner.  Please get in touch soon, by email or phone, to assure your place in the workshop. If you are coming from outside of the area, I can send you a list of some the best local accomodations.

• 2018 Fall Foliage Workshop
• 2017 Fall Foliage Workshop
• 2016 Fall Foliage Workshop

jeffn49@myfairpoint.net

603-363-8338  

Introduction to Lightroom Classic – AND the Transition to Photoshop

Six Tuesday Evenings March 3^rd  through April 7^th, 2020

? Monadnock Imaging, Main Street Keene New Hampshire

For the last couple of years, Monadnock Imaging has provided facilities for my classes, but I haven’t been able to confirm that the store will still be available after their business transition.  The alternate site will be around my comfortable dining room table in Spofford.

I am a dedicated long-term user of Photoshop, but over the last few years I have become increasingly impressed with the power of Lightroom, in terms of both its image management tools and its sophisticated editing capabilities.  I still bring almost all my images into Photoshop for final tweaking, especially when complicated masking is required, but I now use Lightroom for 80-90% of my global editing.  Given its power and ease of use, for the majority of digital photography enthusiasts, Lightroom is likely all they will need to get started with image management and editing.

 During the last couple of years., I have offered a comprehensive introductory course covering all the essentials of Lightroom.  I run the class as a live demonstration.  Students are encouraged to work along on their own laptops, but a computer is not necessary to benefit from the material.   I’ve had a great time and, as is always true of teaching a course, I have learned a ton. Over the last couple of years Lightroom has evolved and grown, with increased capabilities, and I have worked to keep up with the changes.  

Recently Adobe has complicated our lives by splitting the Lightroom Program in two.  There are many good discussions of the differences between these very different programs, but simply speaking, the new Lightroom CC is an entirely new cloud-based program.  With a simpler interface, but significantly pared down capabilities.  It is designed for more casual photographers, and those who work primarily through a mobile interface.  For more serious photographers who store larger image archives locally on hard drives and who want to use the full features of the “old” Lightroom, the new program has no significant place. 

For me and most serious photographers, the “new” choice is called “Lightroom Classic”.  It sounds disconcertingly like the old “Coke Classic”, but Lightroom Classic is just the old Lightroom CC with all the amazing features and functions and a few new tricks.  This split seems to be designed to create a simpler path for mobile, and other smart phone photographers, without stripping the power of the “Classic” Lightroom program.  Adobe promises to keep up with innovation on both versions of Lightroom.  We will be watching.

If you, like many, are still confused, just know that the CC and Classic versions are both included among the options in the Adobe Photography Subscription Plan, and still for $9.99/month.  

My course will be covering the full power of the Lightroom Classic Program.

I initially thought that that four, two-hour classes would be enough to cover the program's many features, but because of my tendency to ramble and lots of great questions, I subsequently added a fifth class to cover the Slide Show, Book and Web Modules.

A Sixth Class

Lightroom is a great program which covers most organizing and editing needs of the majority of photography enthusiasts, but there are many aspects of fine tuning that can be performed best from within the scary confines of Photoshop.  My Lightroom students frequently ask, “When are you going to do a course on Photoshop?”.  The prospect of trying to organize a comprehensive course on this massive program scares me to death.  But perhaps an easier approach is to take a smaller bite of the pie.  Some time ago I added a fifth class to my Lightroom course and last year I added a sixth session.

In this additional session I focused on the transition from Lightroom to Photoshop.  Starting with pictures which have been optimally edited in Lightroom, I will again examine some of the important ways that Photoshop can refine those images using more precise selections, layers and compositing.  Consider it a chance to dangle your toes in the ocean of possibilities that is Photoshop, but for many who already own Photoshop as part of the Adobe Photography Plan, it can be an encouragement to take the plunge.

There will be. not five, but six, two-hour, evening sessions, and of course, snacks will be provided. The expanded course will be $225.  Please get in touch by phone or email as soon as possible to reserve your spot on the list.

Stay tuned for this coming spring’s offerings including the Spring Waterfall Weekend Workshop, my Introduction to Digital Photography Course.

Jeffrey Newcomer

www.partridgebrookreflections.com

jeffn49@myfairpoint.net

603-363-8338  

Classes, Workshops and Exhibitions for 2018 - 2019

Lower Purgatory Falls, Wilton NH

I just finished a great Spring Waterfall Workshop, with enthusiastic people who were excited, not only about waterfalls, but also digital photography in general.  Now it seems a good time to announce my plans for the fall-winter classes and workshops.  

Introduction to Digital Photography

Sponsored by Keene Community Education

Four Tuesday Evenings from September 18th thru October 9^th, 2018

Keene High School

My introductory class on digital photography has evolved over the years as I have tried to find better ways to inform and excite students about the amazing capabilities of digital cameras.  The course includes 4 two hour classes and two photo shoots. I cover a wide range of topics from understanding the differences in camera types, to image file formats, file management and archiving. Special emphasis is placed on exposure, composition and the use of different types of light.  All these topics are applied to the results of the photo shoots.  This class always fills very quickly, so watch for the announcement and brochure in mid-August from Keene Community Education and sign up early. 

Understanding Exposure

Email Erin White at ewhite@sau29.org to get on the list to be notified when the on-line brochure is available.

http://www.keenecommunityed.org/

Intro to Digital Photography Class, Spring 2018

Fall Foliage Workshop Weekend

October 12th – 14^th, 2018
Monadnock Region and Southern Vermont

This autumn, I will again be offering my Fall Foliage Weekend Workshop.   I will be following the same format that seemed to work well over the last two years.  Again, I picked the weekend after the Columbus Day weekend craziness.  It is an opportunity to see great color without the same crowds that typically congest our beautiful countryside.  Our base of operations will be around my dining room table in Spofford, NH.  I will host the participants at my home on Friday evening for snacks and a discussion about photography in general, and the specific opportunities and challenges of foliage photography.  It will also be time to plan the shooting for all day Saturday and Sunday morning.  

 

Green River, Guilford Vermont

Saturday, we will head out early to explore as many different locations as possible.  My goal. Will be to place the group in beautiful locations and then help them get the most from the opportunities. Depending on the state of the color we may travel west to some of my favorite locations in southern Vermont, such as Guilford and the magic village of Green River, or we may explore the hills and farm around the Monadnock region and my own village of Chesterfield.

In the evening, we will return to the dining room table for an informal dinner of pizza and some gentle critiquing of the day’s shoot.

We will head out again Sunday morning for more of our exploration of color, and I will finally let people go around noon. I promise you will come away exhausted but thrilled with the experience.  I look forward to sharing my love for photography in this special time of year. 

Foliage Workshop 2017

The three-day program is $195, including the delicious snacks and an elegant pizza dinner.  Please get in touch early, by email or phone, to assure your place on the workshop list. If you are coming from outside of the area, I can send you a list of some the best local accommodations. 

• 2017 Fall Foliage Workshop
• 2016 Fall Foliage Workshop

jeffn49@myfairpoint.net

603-363-8338  

Introduction to Lightroom Classic – AND the Transition to Photoshop

Six Tuesday Evenings January 8th - February 12th

Monadnock Imaging, Main Street Keene New Hampshire

I am a dedicated long-term user of Photoshop, but over the last few years I have become increasingly impressed with the power of Lightroom, in terms of both its image management tools and its sophisticated editing capabilities.  I still bring almost all my images into Photoshop for final tweaking, especially when complicated masking is required, but I now use Lightroom for 80-90% of my global editing.  Given its power and ease of use, for the majority of digital photography enthusiasts, Lightroom is likely all they will need to get started with image management and editing. 

 During the last couple of years., I have offered a comprehensive introductory course covering all the essentials of Lightroom.  I run the class as a live demonstration.  Students are encouraged to work along on their own laptops, but a computer is not necessary to benefit from the material.   I’ve had a great time and, as is always true of teaching a course, I have learned a ton. Over the last couple of years Lightroom has evolved and grown, with increased capabilities, and I have worked to keep up with the changes.   

Lightroom CC

Recently Adobe has complicated our lives by splitting the Lightroom Program in two.  There are many good discussions of the differences between these very different programs, but simply speaking, the new Lightroom CC is an entirely new cloud-based program.  With a simpler interface, but significantly pared down capabilities.  It is designed for more casual photographers, and those who work primarily through a mobile interface.  For more serious photographers who store larger image archives locally on hard drives and who want to use the full features of the “old” Lightroom, the new program has no significant place. 

Lightroom CC Classic

For me and most serious photographers, the “new” choice is called “Lightroom Classic”.  It sounds disconcertingly like the old “Coke Classic”, but Lightroom Classic is just the old Lightroom CC with all the amazing features and functions and a few new tricks.  This split seems to be designed to create a simpler path for mobile, and other smart phone photographers, without stripping the power of the “Classic” Lightroom program.  Adobe promises to keep up with innovation on both versions of Lightroom.  We will be watching.

If you, like many, are still confused, just know that the CC and Classic versions are both included among the options in the Adobe Photography Subscription Plan, and still for $9.99/month.  

My course will be covering the full power of the Lightroom Classic Program. 

I initially thought that that four, two-hour classes would be enough to cover the program's many features, but because of my tendency to ramble and lots of great questions, I added a fifth class to cover the Slide Show, Book and Web Modules.

A Sixth Class

Complicated  Photoshop Selections for Focus Stacking

Lightroom is a great program which covers most organizing and editing needs of the majority of photography enthusiasts, but there are many aspects of fine tuning that can be performed best from within the scary confines of Photoshop.  My Lightroom students frequently ask, “When are you going to do a course on Photoshop?”.  The prospect of trying to organize a comprehensive course on this massive program scares me to death.  But perhaps an easier approach is to take a smaller bite of the apple.  Some time ago I added a fifth class to my Lightroom course and this time I will be adding a sixth session.

I will focus on the transition from Lightroom to Photoshop.  Starting with pictures which have been optimally edited in Lightroom, I will examine some of the important ways that Photoshop can refine those images using more precise selections, layers and compositing.  Consider it a chance to dangle your toes in the ocean of possibilities that is Photoshop, but for many who already own Photoshop as part of the Adobe Photography Plan, it can be an encouragement to take the plunge.

I have held previous Lightroom classes at my home in Spofford NH, and had to limit the classes to the 8 people who could fit comfortably around my dining room table.  Last year, the great folks at Monadnock Imaging in Keene generously offered to host the class at their store in Keene New Hampshire.  This allowed me to expand the group to a maximum of 12, and it also made the location more easily accessible, especially during the snowy winter weeks. With my next course in January, I will again gratefully accept Monadnock Imaging’s hospitality.  There will be no struggling over Chesterfield Hill in a blizzard, except for me.

There will be. not five, but six, two-hour, evening sessions, and of course, snacks will be provided. The expanded course will be $225.  Please get in touch by phone or email as soon as possible to reserve your spot on the list.

jeffn49@myfairpoint.net

603-363-8338  

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 Show the Work

As I have been planning my teaching, I have also been working on scheduling my exhibitions.  I have always understood the importance of showing my work throughout the region and it is well known that I have never seen a public wall that I didn’t like.  The number of my framed work is finite, and It can be a challenge juggling my pictures between the various venues in the region.  Spring also seems to be the season for fund raisers, and I have been honored to donate several of my works to worthwhile local causes.

Currently a few of my pictures decorate the walls and entertain the sweaty patrons of the Keene Family YMCA. Not the best place to find enthusiastic buyers, but it at least gets me to the gym a few days per week.

I also have a larger exhibit in one of the function rooms of the Keene United Church of Christ.   It is the iconic white church at the head of the square.  The show is up now and will continue through June.

In July I will be moving to one of my favorite local venues.  Kristin’s Bistro and Bakery at 28 Washington Street, just off Central Square in Keene New Hampshire.  Kristin’s has nice walls, friendly people and some of the best soup in town.  I will be showing there for the month of July.

Keene’s Annual Art in the Park is scheduled for September 1-2.  I’ll be there with my old 10x10 pop-up and its jerry-rigged hanging system.  This is the only art festival that I do all year, primarily because it is a great time to hang out with all my local friends and make them look at my work.

Not all exhibitions are large or solo affairs.  As part of Keene’s Annual Art Walk, for a week beginning on June first, I will again be at the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce, showing a few of my pictures in their two big windows facing Central Square.  For the duration of the show, the Chamber has generously offered to remove from the windows their posters advertising local events.  I plan to feature two of my big new canvas-wrap images.

Keene is fortunate to have a very active historical society and I am happy that beginning on June first two of my pictures will be part of the society’s show featuring art celebrating our Monadnock region.  The Historical Society of Cheshire County is located at 246 Main Street in Keene New Hampshire. The exhibition will run through December 4th 2018.

Finally, several of my pictures continue their long-term exhibition at Syd’s Carpet and Snooze Room at 43 St. James Street in Keene.  For a long time, Syd’s has offered their showroom walls to displace the work of the Monadnock Area Artists Association.

I think that is definitely enough for now.  I hope to see you at my exhibitions and that you will join me for one, or ALL, of my workshops and classes.  I’m getting too old for this, but hey, what is “retirement” for?

Please let me know if you have any suggestions for future programs or venues for my work.

Jeffrey Newcomer

www.partridgebrookreflections.com