Fears about the Level of the Class

[ggroess]

Everyone,
Please remember that this week is a free for all and you are seeing things that will make a lot more sense later in the class.  This week is about letting it all hang out and showing off it is meant to encourage you, interest you, and hopefully inspire you.  Everyone that is posting and challenging has taken the class and they all started out just about where you are. 

I will tell you that 6 years ago I had to take the class as well.  I started out knowing little or nothing about curves.  I found them to be so easy for me; and so powerful that I have spent the last 6 years really using the heck out of them. 

While it seems like the water is very deep when we jump in it will only be up to your knees.  There is no sink or swim here.  I will keep at it until you understand the materials and can apply the techniques.  It's that simple.

I know that reading someones posting does not necessarily infuse you with confidence but please have patience in the process and the method.  It has worked quite well for me for the last 3 years of teaching CM 101.

I will promise you that if you participate in the discussions, ask any and all questions no matter how silly sounding, I will answer you and you will feel supported.

Greg

[sjordan93436]

Perhaps, we could introduce ourselves.    We will all be posting our images?  How many students are there?  I assume that it is a reasonable number and of varying skills.  I am not a pro and need help with curves. 

[ggroess]

Currently there are 5 members of the class group.
If anyone else is interested you can join the class at any time until the second week of materials is posted; that would be until Sept 19th. 

I'm Greg Groess, I have been teaching Curvemeister classes for 3 years after using the program and learning from Mike Russell who wrote the program.  I have been a photographer for 25 years.  I started out in the darkroom doing Color printing in RA-4 process.  I learned color theory from a very patient teacher and have been applying what I have learned ever since.

Every time I teach this class I learn something new.  It is one of the really rewarding parts of the class for me.  I hope everyone knows that posting an image in the class is part of the process and the critiques provided are to help you get better at curves and image correction. 

Everyone is welcome to question, comment, and encourage.  Many times I may not be the person who best explains something to one of you and that is just fine by me so long as you understand the concept and can apply the knowledge.

Greg

[sjordan93436]

My name is Steve Jordan.  I am DIFF.  (doing it for fun/family).  In the real world, I am a farmer in Lompoc, CA.  I grow artichokes, broccoli, lettuce, and Brussels sprouts.  www.artichokes.net  I could go into my achievements in artichokes and Brussels sprouts, but that would be boring.

I find this to be a _challenging_ hobby.  I am "going down the rabbit hole" and haven't found the bottom.  (I doubt that I will).  This phase started with some video classes from Dan Margulis.  I said "hey, that is cool.  I can color correct very accurately with curves.  Curves are better than sliders."  I read a couple of his books.  He mentioned curvemeister.  The motivation was a couple of interesting and important photos I took that I could NOT correct.  In fact one, I (hanging head in shame) used for Christmas card. 

Looking forward to this class.  I use CS5 and lightroom.  I have a Canon 5dII. (I avoid the video side because I see that as a much deeper rabbit hole.)

[ggroess]

Welcome Steve...
I never would have thought of Brussels Sprouts as having achievements...I guess I need to know more about them.  ;)
If you feel brave enough you can post the image that started your journey and we can tackle it.  It might be beyond a basic image but it might also be worth a shot.

Greg

[mikemeister_admin]

Hi!  I'm Rhonda Fleming--the newbie who posted the "fear of intimidation" message!  I am retired and am a hobbyist photographer.  I belong to the Enchanted Lens Camera Club (www.enchantedlens.org) in Albuquerque, NM, and have been a member of that group for 4 years.  The club is large and has some beginners, some intermediates and several professionals--289 members at this count.  I have spent so much time in the past 2 years serving as head of the Mentorship Committee (which organized extra-curricular classes and workshops) that I had little time for photography.  I sort of use CS4--will soon upgrade to CS5, and am familiar with curves.  One of the workshops we had at the club was an introduction to LAB color, using Photoshop.  I never had time to pursue it, however.  Now, I have passed the Mentorship Chair torch and plan to dive back into photography.  I figured that there was no better place to start than this class.  Thanks for the encouragement, and I'm looking forward to getting started!

[ggroess]

Well if you like what you learn here...Pass it on and send more people our way...
We are always glad to help people out...

Greg

[sjordan93436]

Photo one is the Christmas card before I tried to fix it.  It is photo of my son (with daughter on shoulder), his wife (with invisible baby), my daughter, my wife and me.  It was one of the few with all of us.  My son and family live in Berlin.  We left the restaurant at 10:30 pm and caught this sunset. 

I tried to fix it in Lightroom.  It was not successful.  I guess if I post this, I can post almost anything.

Photo two- it is a snapshot of ......  a  ...  Brussels sprout harvester.  No need to correct.  Yes, Greg, there are innovations and achievements in Brussels sprouts.

[mikemeister_admin]

This is becoming very educational - never seen a 'tractor' like that before.

And a lovely image for a Christmas card - needs a little lightening.  Something along these lines? although I've probably gone over the top as usual.

[ggroess]

Chris,
I'm not sure you are over the top entirely...I am posting my correction before I saw yours....

Shot1 is the color correction for the skin using the Skin8 Pin.  I also set a neutral on the zipper tag of one of the young ladies jackets.  The other hue clocks are for references.

Shot2 is the LAB color boost. The hue clock is for reference.

Greg