She does it with layer adjustments and layer masks predominantly and I thought it was so worth it. Was able to take her steps and make them my own very easily. Also, she was a fantastic and very gracious teacher.

I felt the opposite, she uses way too many actions. I'd rather know how to do the adjustments on my own then rely on actions.

That is interesting you felt that way because in my mentoring session group, she used hardly any actions at all. There was one action at the end of her edits and that was it.

Another question, those who did her online mentoring course, did it improve your photography/editing?

Is there any tutorial DVD's that can produce the same effects?
How is her online group session? Is it informative?
Is it for beginners or advanced Photoshop users? She is not mentioning basic skills required.

A good read on choosing workshops:

USE ASTACUT TO CODE YOUR LINKS
Edited by:-
Ashok.poonia
(Global Mod)

Hi NiNi,
This article, I feel, is very generic.

I am going to say something that will freak out North American women but if you really think about it you will see that I am right.

80% of the workshops are run by women. 80% of the attendance are women. Percentage I feel is even higher.

I will tell you a story that I think really reflects this industry and how it is being directed and by whom.

I was in the Vegas show a year ago and came across the Shoot-Sac booth. Now I had the pleasure of carrying this bag on one of my shoot and I gave it the best use I could. It was flimsy, It will not protect your gear and it's not that comfortable.

But it's fashionable! and that's why it sells well...to women.

It's also being aggressively pushed by every woman celebrity photographer out there staring with Jasmine Star, Sandy Puck and a bunch of the usual suspects.

The booth had in front of it a line up of women so long you would think they are giving it for free. It's not. It's $175.

It's a microfiber bag, women!!!

I have a microfiber bag that I bought at a store the other day, it's black with a grey cover and has a very nice hardware. I paid $34.00.

It's not meant for photography gear. In my opinion it does not have the right padding. But it is built exactly the same as the shoot-sac (except the divider in the middle, that don't give any protection).

look at Kubota and how many women he invites to join him on his many DVD's. Look at Creative Live, most of the instructors are women. They know who to target and they know that this market segment is going to spend and a lot of money. They want to be in the fold, they want to feel belonged and they will spend to no end.

I feel that this industry is becoming a cheap 'cheerleader show' when all those women cheer for the other women and create spectacular reviews about each other.

And prices are only going up. I feel that if I have to pay $1,700 for a day to be thought something and I have to also pay all the traveling expenses that least I can ask for is that this day will be mine and mine only. I will not want to share it with anyone. For that price, I deserve it.

I graduated from a design and photography school. The program was 14 months almost 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Thia was an amazing experience that thought me more than I could imagine. It cost $13,000. You do the math. I know that colleges are cheaper but seriously, the amount of money people ask to teach photography is insane.

$350 for an online course sounds high also. I would like to hear more in details from someone that took it.

MO

She used 6-8 actions in the one that I saw, I wasn't impressed. I wanted to learn more how to do stuff not how to use a bunch of actions and adjust them.

It's a trend and everyone is jumping on the band wagon. If they are a well known photographer than everyone thinks their workshop is going to be glorious. I refuse to do anyones workshops, why because I have my own style and will figure it out on my own. There are great photographers that give out info for FREE. If you went to an actual school program and you learned an abundance of information, I'm sure there isn't much more you can learn other than learning someone elses style. And I totally understand about the camera bags. I bought an awesome insulated lunch bag by Igloo and made a camera insert for it and it cost me a total of maybe 8 bucks! I don't know why you feel that article is generic, that lady was just talking about things to think about before joining that bandwagon and really researching before spending alot of money and end up disappointed. You might try looking into forums (not this site) like "Clickin Moms" or "Rock the Shot" and ask around before you fork over $350 that might be spent in better ways. And to those who want to learn how to edit without actions, that info is free on the web, it's trial and error and not learned over night.

I took the workshop and wish that I had saved my money. I guess technically she did what she said she was going to do. She went step by step through her workflow. However, it just wasn't nearly enough info to make it worth the money. She shoots 100% in jpeg, shows 2 blending modes that she uses, and shows you how she burns and dodges some things. She recommended a few actions that she uses for skin and eyes and overall tone.

It was interesting to see what she does but not worth $300. You would be a lot better off watching some lynda.com tutorials on photoshop.

Also, I use the shoot-sac and love it! I think that it is because I use all prime lenses and it allows me to switch them out quickly during shoots. It was worth every penny to me.

I am sure some will love the shoot sack, I am sure it has its use but I will NEVER pay that much for a microfiber bag. Sorry.

My camera bag is a well constructed bag with am amazing padding all around, nice wide strap and plenty of room for a camera and much more. OK, so it's not to carry around all day I know but this bag cost me $190. It's A BAG. not a piece of material stitched together to look fashionable.

hails said:

I took the workshop and wish that I had saved my money. I guess technically she did what she said she was going to do. She went step by step through her workflow. However, it just wasn't nearly enough info to make it worth the money. She shoots 100% in jpeg, shows 2 blending modes that she uses, and shows you how she burns and dodges some things. She recommended a few actions that she uses for skin and eyes and overall tone.

It was interesting to see what she does but not worth $300. You would be a lot better off watching some lynda.com tutorials on photoshop.

which blending modes? if u dont mind me asking.

I'm also curious about which actions she recommended using and her burning and dodging techniques.

Hails - would also love to learn more about what blending modes she uses! Pretty please!!!

She duplicates the background layer and puts it to the blending mode: Multiply

Uses a mask to apply the effect where she wants it.

Then she flattens and does the same thing with the blending mode soft light.

She likes to use some of the florabella actions at about 10% opacity to give the photos the tone she is looking for.

For skin and eyes she uses the free action CoffeeShop PowderRoom 2

That's great, am going to give it a go, thank you Hails! x

Tried it, looks nice on some, awful on others. I could not see it done on many events and portraits I did because it looks out of place.

What I find very deceiving is that all those photos we see on many of the workshop sites (sorry if I sound cynical, believe me I am far from that), are the same style.

The look of the photos starts already from the moment you take the photo. It helps when the man wears a barrette and the girl wears this soft and dress (like they wore in the 60's) and the look is already there.

However, many of the photos I take are true portraits. Real people. I don't ask them to act so it fits MY style of presets and actions. I post process their images to fit their style. Does that make sense?

Melanie

You're right Melanie, a lot what sets these images apart is the styling, location and props. I LOVE what Barb Uil does at Jinky Art, but in reality how many people have access to a white pony, or can put a bed in the middle of a field for a family shoot? So yes, be wary of workshops and what they promise, whilst we would all love our clients to look as if they have stepped out of Anthropologie, the reality is quite different!

Im going to keep this really simple because the responses pretty much covered everything .

STOP falling for these people scams , its easy money for them . They market to people who have no clue about photography .

You want some valuable information for free ?

get out and shoot , shoot till you cant shoot anymore , then go shoot some more . shoot up high , down low , sideways , upside down , backwards .... just shoot !

Posing guides ? keep an inspiration board ... pinterest is best for that .... there you have your free posing guide .

Fashion ? just google your choice of fashion and again use pinterest as an inspiration board BAM ! another free guide made by YOU , with lots of different sources not just from one person .


Print out a color wheel ... Learn about color ( did I mention thats free as well ? )

Have you ever went to one of these ''famous'' photographers websites and went to their archives ? check out their stuff from when they first started ... if its not there google their old blogspot accounts before the money started rolling in ... crappy right ? because they were just like you , they just practiced and involved over time .

Photoshop ? you do know there are zillions of FREE tutorials on line , FREE photoshop actions , brushes , shapes , etc dont forget deviant art ! the place that started it all . You will never truly understand the power of photoshop if yo dont sit and learn and play around with it . I took three five month courses 2 days a week at my local college ( beg , inter , adv ) and spent practically nothing , I couldnt image learning photoshop in 3 hours for 300 bucks !!! are you kidding me ?

I download the stuff that goes up on asta but I can assure I never use ANY of it , actions , ebooks , brushes , doddles, templates , NADA . Im honestly just like a kid in the library looking at the pretty pictures . When I send a image to final print I always use my own custom workflow and that is the way it should be done !

Photoshop Queen,

Yup! Agree to everything you say. Did the same regarding Photoshop. I spent (maybe too much time)weeks in front of my computer with lightroom and photoshop. That's the only way to learn.

Unfortunately, we became a culture of 'shortcuts'.
"I want it and I want it now!".
"I don't care how it's done, I just want the end results so I can have fun with it"

Well, many (if not most) of those workshops and sites easily pray on these photogs that don't have the patience to learn.

Very well said Photoshop Queen.

Dang,hails you covered EXACTLY what I learned in her workshop. During it I thought "are you freaking KIDDING me?!" I already had her workflow figured out,but I wanted to know the actions she used to get certain tones. She went over like 4 photos and I was very upset to spend that much money. I wanted to see more. She barely went over the vintage workflow. She was extremely nice and informative if you are a beginner in photoshop. I was just highly upset that she didn't go over more of her photos that i saw in her "mentoring" folder. Save your money because hails pretty much covered it lol.

yamomma82 said:

Dang,hails you covered EXACTLY what I learned in her workshop. During it I thought "are you freaking KIDDING me?!" I already had her workflow figured out,but I wanted to know the actions she used to get certain tones. She went over like 4 photos and I was very upset to spend that much money. I wanted to see more. She barely went over the vintage workflow. She was extremely nice and informative if you are a beginner in photoshop. I was just highly upset that she didn't go over more of her photos that i saw in her "mentoring" folder. Save your money because hails pretty much covered it lol.

WOW, thanks girls because I was seriously thinking of signing up…not anymore! that sucks that all she does basically is use two blending modes which for me doesn't work on ANY of my images! it looks horrible :/ Thanks again for saving me my hard earned money on that. <3

Well she doesn't use them at 100% opacity. She adds a layer mask and paint it on at about 20% until it suits her liking. It's a good little trick though. I must say I do use it quite often.

I wanted to take her mentoring for her vintage looks, she doesn't really even cover that?

Im so glad I didnt pay for the mentoring!! It is useful tips but Ive seen lydia.com have better tutorials and free.

Has anyone done the
amanda holloway ? its 500 dollars yikes!

No, but i would love to do the amanda holloway, I love her processing!

Nothing is worth that much. They (all the ones that make a living selling photographers overpriced things) would like to drill it to your head the "Value" that you will gain for a mere $500 (or whatever price). They will convince you that the return will be a hundred fold.

We are constantly bombarded by selling techniques that try to create value for a product based in it's "sure" potential to make you money.

Wrong! Something's value, in my humble opinion, is based on what you receive and not what it "potentially" can create for you.

I will also say that nothing can create anything FOR you. All those products and services are worth nothing (absolutely NOTHING) unless YOU go out there and use them. I dare say that if you use some common sense ideas and have a few (literally 5-10) good actions and presets you will gain the same results.

It's not those overpriced courses that will create you wealth, it is how you implement your talent to create your wealth.

Go on line and do some research. Don't be lazy. Spend a couple of hours a day to learn new things. Look at other web site and get inspired. Than create your own ideas, looks, post processing and such.

If you look at her site you will not see one over weight or average looking girl. It's true that you should post your best work on your site but it is deceiving when you sell your services. Give me a knock out girl and I will create you images that you will be drooling over.

I will use my camera with an average lens and after one hour with Lightroom I will end up with stunning images.

Now give me the average teenager that unfortunately, these days, is way over weight, tries to cover her bad skin with way too much make up and you got a challenge.

I dare say that this Amanda will have a challenge also. And I bet, you will not see this girl's images on Amanda's site either.

I may be wrong but I seriously doubt it.