{ Color or B&W? -- Which Do You Prefer? } -- Phoenix, AZ Photographer

Is color the new way to go or does black and white still carry some of it's old charm?

If you're a photographer, do you prefer to work in the medium in color or B&W?

If you're a client or a photo enthusiast, does color or B&W have more appeal to you?

In your own opinion, should photographs "paint the world with color" or should they "capture the classic qualities in a simple B&W"?

Online Photoshop Classes / Phoenix, AZ Photographer / Editing

Online Photoshop Tutorial Classes Have Finally Arrived!

Have you been wanting to take your phtography to the next level?

Now is your chance!

I have been asked by several photographers, when am I going to start offering online Photoshop tutorial classes? Look no further, the time is here! : )

I will be offering several classes at different skill levels, so check and see which one sounds most like you and shoot me an email to book a class :

alicia@BebaPhotography.com

The cost per class is $150.00

Class sizes will be limited to 25 participants per class, so you'll want to reserve your spot before they book up. Once classes are filled, no more participants will be accepted.

Instructions for how to access the class will be emailed out to participants 2 weeks before the class takes place.

Payments for classes will be accepted only via Paypal.

Participants must have Photoshop CS3, CS4 or CS5.

Sorry, but I do not offer Elements classes just yet.

I can't wait to teach you the magic of Photoshop!! See you there!

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{ LEVEL 1 ONLINE CLASS}

Beginning Level  / Brand New to Photoshop

This class is designed for those of you who are

brand new to Photoshop and want to learn the basics.

Saturday / May 26th, 2012

10:00am-2:00pm

Skills Taught:

-Understanding the histogram

-Working in layers

-How to make a new document

-Saving your work

-Different file types

-Rotating photos

-Adjusting, changing and balancing color

-Adjusting light/dark

-Eraser tools

-Masking

-RAW vs JPEG

-Sharpening images

-Blend modes

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{ LEVEL 2 ONLINE CLASS}

Intermediate Level / Enhance It!

This class is designed for those of you who want to

learn how to take your picture and enhance it and take it from okay to WOW!

This class is usually the most popular, so it's being offered

twice--when you register, make sure to specify which class date you'd like:

Saturday / June 9th, 2012

10:00am-2:00pm

Skills Taught:

-How to "pop" colors from your picture

-How to change a wall's color

-Whiten teeth

-Brighten eyes

-Contour skin

-Soften wrinkles

-Remove blemishes

-Targeted adjustments

-Liquify/Warp tools

-Change eye/hair color

-Remove stray hair

-Faux tan

-Digital makeup

-Thinking like an artist

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{ LEVEL 3 ONLINE CLASS}

Intermediate Level / Scrapbook Guru

This class is designed for those of you who want to

learn how to digitially scrapbook your images and how to make cards for your clients.

Saturday / July 14th, 2012

10:00am-2:00pm

Skills Taught:

-Making digital cards

-Creating storyboards

-Making photo collages

-Digital scrapbooking

-Making albums

-Adding textures to photos

-Adding materials

-Creating your own textures

-Extracting graphics and modifying them for your digital art

-Using existing shapes in Photoshop to create new ones

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{ LEVEL 4 ONLINE CLASS}

Advanced Level / You're a Pro!

This class is designed for those of you who want to

learn how to digitially alter challenging photos. This class is more labor intensive and is

designed for advanced Photoshop users only.

Saturday / August 11th, 2012

10:00am-1:00pm

Skills Taught:

-Photo restoration

-Head swapping

-Creating your own actions in Photoshop

-How to remove chipped nail polish

-Removing a photo's background and dropping in a new one

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Some of my favorite Befores and Afters:

{Will be taught in Level 4 Class--Advanced Level / You're a Pro!}

Removing current background for a new one.

{Will be taught in Level 2 Class-- Intermediate Level / Enhance It!}

Lightening and brightening photos + targeted adjustments

{Will be taught in Level 2 Class-- Intermediate Level / Enhance It!}

Lightening and brightening photos + making eyes pop

{Will be taught in Level 2 Class-- Intermediate Level / Enhance It!}

Changing the color of walls

{Will be taught in Level 1 Class-- Beginning Level / Brand New to Photoshop!}

Lightening and brightening photos + making adjusting color

{Will be taught in Level 3 Class-- Intermediate Level / Scrapbook Guru!}

Making client cards

{Will be taught in Level 3 Class-- Intermediate Level / Scrapbook Guru!}

Making client cards

{Will be taught in Level 3 Class-- Intermediate Level / Scrapbook Guru!}

Digital scrapbooking

{Will be taught in Level 4 Class-- Advanced Level / You're a Pro!}

Photo Restoration

{Will be taught in Level 4 Class-- Advanced Level / You're a Pro!}

Photo Restoration

{Will be taught in Level 2 Class-- Intermediate Level / Enhance It!}

Popping color

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CONTEST:

SHARE THIS ONLINE CLASSES BLOG POST WITH OTHERS TO BE ENTERED INTO A FREE GIVEAWAY FOR A PRIVATE 1 HOUR ONLINE PHOTOSHOP SESSION WITH ME THIS SUMMER!

No purchase is necessary to be entered into the contest giveaway.

Simply help me get the word out by sharing this online Photoshop classes blog post with others on Facebook and make sure that you let me know by linking my Beba Photography Facebook page in your post when you share it with others. To tag my page, you must manually type in the "@" symbol and BebaPhotography {no spaces} on your Facebook page:

@BebaPhotography

Email me if you need help with this. : )

My Facebook page can be found at:

www.Facebook.com/BebaPhotography

2 winners will randomly be selected on the last day of May and July and contacted via email. Winners names will be posted on my Facebook page.

Private online Photoshop sessions are NOT a part of the Photoshop tutorial classes that I am offering here on this blog. The classes posted here are group classes. Winners of the giveaway will receive a separate 1 hour private online session at no cost.

Happy Photoshopping!

Why Should I Pay for a Professional Photographer When I Can Go to Walmart or JC Penney? -- AZ Photographer

{ Walmart vs. The Professional }

My friend Beth of Lizzie Bee Photography and I were discussing this very question tonight. I've been asked it by others a lot and want to answer it. Why should people pay more for a professional when they can just go to the mall or a local chain and get lots more for a lot less?


Here's confession time. I actually used to work at a mall photo shop a long time ago and know first hand that they don't always necessarily have the same experience as a professional photographer has. I will be honest--I was hired back then when I had zero experience. I had some raw talent, but had never shot before. That's not to say that the pictures are going to come out horrible, but they might not be to the same caliber as a professional's are.


The key is where people place their value on things. We all value something different in life. Some people value their home and are regularly buying things to spruce up their home. Others value their cars and you can always see them out on a weekend detailing the finest detail of their cars. Others value fine dining or are wine conneseurs....others, book or music lovers, jewelry lovers or technology gurus. We all have something that we lean more to than other things. We are hobbyists and all unique in what we love.


My value is on photography. It's what I'm passionate about. I would and still do sit for hours pouring over old photo albums of my grandparents, aunts and uncles who have passed away. At Christmastime, I want to pull out the albums and pour over old Christmas memories and how different things are now than they were back then. I want to see how much I've changed, my loved ones have changed, how life is segemented out and stored in each photo.


Because I value photography so deeply, my argument is for it's value. I wouldn't take my car to a mechanic or to someone who had never worked on a car before, even if they had some natural talent at it. I pay for the experience and level of expertise accordingly. Yet a lot of people will not place value on their memories and are okay with just okay. But do we underestimate the true value of photography and our photos? When a fire happens, the first thing that people usually grab after their family and pets is their photos. Why? They're just pieces of paper with images on them, right? Well, maybe to some. But for those that value them, they are like little time capsules that hold the treasures to the past. The are like little stepping stones that built the life of the holder. They are memories--cherished ones.


Well, what about the difference of cost? People often ask me, "Why should I go to you and not to JC Penny or Walmart? Because really, it's true--they're right. You can get so much more materially at mall or local places than you can with a professional photographer.


You get more materially, but less substantially.


You'll be getting a photographer with less experience and a product that's not quite as high in caliber. I make sure to hand touch and hand edit every one of my photos. I bring artistic touches to them. You're not going to get that with Wal Mart, JCPenny, Sears, Picture People or Portrait Innovations. Clients pay for the art that goes into a professional's work and not just the photos--the pieces of paper with images--themselves. They pay for the hours that go into making sure that photos are beautiful and capture your family in an artistic way. That's where your price comes from. And for those that value that artistic representation of them and their loved ones--those are the ones that hire me as a photographer.


I feel confident in charging my clients what I do because I believe in the price itself--I know the time that is invested into each one to make sure that they are artistic and lovely and I know the value I'm giving my clients in memories of their loved ones. The second a person passes away, the value of the photos I took multiply 100 fold.


We value memories so much--why *not* invest into them? ♥


I believe in their power and for those of you who value the preciousness of memories, I know that you do too.