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

Show in a Box

Show at the Prime Roast Coffee Company Cafe

 
This month I brought my “Show in a Box” to the walls of Prime Roast in Keene New Hampshire.  It is my favorite place to find coffee beans, both familiar and exotic, and a friendly venue to show my photographs, but it couldn’t have happened unless I was ready for “the call”.

Hanging Competition

There is an abundance of talented artists in the Monadnock Region.  A wide range of exciting work can be seen in many annual exhibitions including the Keene’s Art walk, Art in the Park and the Ewing Art Awards.  Over the years I have taken advantage of all of these opportunities to join others in showing my work, but I have also displayed my photographs in a long list of local galleries, restaurants, cafes, banks, churches and any other public places that might have an unguarded open wall.  As I have said many times before, it is all about “showing the work”, but it seems that the list of venues has been decreasing while the number of artists seeking places to display their work has exploded.

 

Some locations have grown tired of the hassle of constantly juggling rotating exhibitions.  Instead of managing a fresh set of holes hammered into their walls every month, many have opted for a fixed display of decoration.  I can’t say that I blame them.  

I probably wouldn't want the atmosphere of my elegant restaurant altered every month based on the artistic whim of my latest exhibitor.  Of course all styles have their own validity – just not all are conducive to digestion.  With the number of venues decreasing, the waiting lists are getting longer.  What is a poor artist struggling for recognition to do?  

 Consider just a few basic principals.

• First get on the lists. Don’t be discouraged by the twelve or eighteen month waiting periods.  Time passes and, if you are on enough lists, you will eventually settle into a schedule.
   
•  Be nice to your venues.  Show up as scheduled and hang and remove your work at a time that is convenient for your host, not in the middle of the dinner rush.
  
  
• Try to be as gentle as possible to the walls.  If your venue doesn’t have a hanging system, avoid repeatedly pounding nails to re-position your work.  You won’t be invited back if you leave the walls in tatters.  I use my nifty picture hanging tool to get the height right the first time
  
  
• Choose your art carefully to compliment the mood of the venue.  What would work well in a gallery of avant-garde art may not be appreciated in an elegant restaurant.  When displaying in hospitals or clinics, I tend to avoid my moody cemetery images.
  
  
  
  
  
• Finally, you should be ready for opportunities.  I was on list for the Prime Roast in Keene New Hampshire, scheduled for sometime in 2017, but early last week I got the call.  Someone had dropped out at the last minute and Judy was looking for a replacement.  I have shown at the café on several previous occasions, Judy knew my work, and I had my “show in a box” ready to go. 

The Show in a Box

When not in a show I keep the bulk of my framed images, wrapped in corrugated, in a bin ready to load into the car.  From previous exhibitions, I knew that the front walls of the café can fit nine or ten of my images.  I looked back at the list from my last show and selected newer images that hadn’t been displayed there before.  Everything fit in a single bin.  Prime Roast has a wire hanging system which makes adjustment in spacing and height a snap.  Within a little over an hour, the show was hung, adjusted and photographed.  The next day I was able to post a list of the images.  Done!

 

The point here is that with all the competition for good venues, it is important to be ready to quickly accommodate the urgent requests.  It is surprising how often they come.  Owners hate bare walls, and they appreciate and remember those who are able to help them out of a bind.

So assemble your bin of art and be ready for the call.  Remember, it is all about showing the work.

• If you around Keene drop by the Prime Roast Coffee Company for some great coffee and, of course, inspiring New England Photography

 

Check out the
Prime Roast Show Gallery.

Hanging Art : Links

• Hang In
• Hanging Art, Showing Your Work at its Best
  
  
  Jeff Newcomer
  partridgebrookreflections.com
  603-363-8338
  
  

Hanging In

 

Hancock Meeting House

This is one of those weeks when I am struggling to get two blogs ready in the same  week. Once again it is my turn to contribute an article to the New England Photography Guild Blog and of course I will also need my usual weekly "Getting It Right in the Digital Camera" article. For the guild, I'm working on an piece about one of my favorite classic New England villages, Hancock, New Hampshire, and as usual I will dedicate my personal blog to an album of additional images from Hancock that I have collected over the years. All this leaves me little time for this week's blog, so I've decided to offer a quick tip. This week it's about tools to make hanging your pictures easier and more precise, and it was triggered by a simple devise that I found at Bed Bath and Beyond, of all places, just a few days ago.

Nail-Free Hanging, Jaffrey Civic Center

The Challenge
I've have talked about the challenges of hanging images at shows as well as on the walls at home. There are new hanging systems that make this much easier, but for me, one of the biggest challenges comes when I have to pound nails into a wall and somehow try to get all the pictures to line up. I've tried various approaches usually with disappointing results. Often I will give up and purposely hang the pictures at significantly different levels to avoid the disorienting discomfort of seeing them all slightly out of alignment.


DIY Hanging 
My best solution has been a simple home-made tool. I don't have the patience or skill to construct a complicated device, so this is perfect. Here are the instructions:

Get a strip of wood and put a screw through it at one end.

 That's it. It only took me three of four tries to get it right. Once I got over the fact that it contained no batteries or microchips, I found that it worked pretty well. I simply hang the picture on the screw, adjust to the desired height and then press on the screw to make a small hole where the nail will go. Except for the problem of the picture occasionally falling off the screw, this has worked rather well, but a few days ago I found something that should work even better. Still no batteries, but It has a level!

 

 
Hang and Level

Hang and Level

As I was browsing at Bed, Bath and Beyond in Keene, I saw that someone with much better engineering skills had improved on my idea. I knew it would work great because the package said, "As Seen on TV". I had to have it. The "Hang and Level" did exactly what my crummy wood slat tool did, but it had hooks to keep the picture from falling of, and, since the nails on the The back are recessed, and only poke through when pressed, the tool can be held tightly against the wall, without scratching the finish. It also offers a two hook option for heavier pictures, and it includes two levels. I already have a level in my picture hanging tool kit, but this thing was bright yellow plastic, how could I resist. It even fits in my tool box. 






The Hang and Level seems to be widely available. I found listings at Home Depot, Walmart, Ace Hardware and on Amazon. For the sake of some free advertising, I found it at Bed Bath and Beyond and it was certainly worth the $15 price. You can check out Under the Roof Decorating's website for more information including a number of simple videos, but if the price is too steep you can always go the DIY route.  I still hate being forced to pound nails into perfectly good walls, but now I can't wait to hang a show where I can try my new, favorite tool. I'm talking to YOU, Kristin's Bakery and Cafe, I'll see you in the spring with this bad boy in hand.

Kristin's Crumbling Wall

I'd love to hear how you deal with this problem and, if you try it, how the Hang and Level works for you.

Now on to Hancock!

Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com