• Saturday, February 12, 2011 (9 am – 5 pm)
• Join me in this exciting introduction to Adobe Photoshop.  Designed for beginning students who are just getting started in Photoshop or have some background with the program but seek to expand their knowledge and understanding.  This one day course will provide you with the tools you need to take your digital images to the next level.  Topics covered include the tools of Photoshop, layers and layer masks, tonal adjustments, and color correction.  We will also spend time discussing the key steps to making your images look their best.  Cost of the course is $125.  To enroll in the class, or for additional information, contact me at info@chrisgamel.com or (210) 723-5999.
• Enrollment is limited to 11 participants.
• Each participant will be provided their own iMAC digital workstation with Adobe Photoshop CS4 to use during the course.

• Saturday, March 19, 2011 (9 am – 5 pm)
• Building on the material covered in Photoshop – Level 1, this class will focus on selections and some of the more advanced features of Photoshop.  Topics covered include making and refining selections, digital compositing, advanced imaging techniques, and an introduction to portrait retouching.  Cost of the course is $125.  To enroll in the class, or for additional information, contact me at info@chrisgamel.com or (210) 723-5999.
• Enrollment is limited to 11 participants.
• Each participant will be provided their own iMAC digital workstation with Adobe Photoshop CS4 to use during the course.

This weekend (January 16-18, 2011) my home town of San Antonio, TX will be hosting Imaging USA.  Imaging USA is the annual conference for theProfessional Photographers of America (PPA) and a great place to go if you are into photography.  I attended this conference four years ago and the amount of stuff going on was overwhelming.  The presentations are highly educational, the tradeshow is huge, and the print display is enormous (over 2,000 images will be displayed this year).  Don’t be discouraged if you are not a people photographer.  The quality of the presentations and the work on display is outstanding and it is always a good idea to explore various forms of photography.  You never know where inspiration will come from.

Upcoming Conference - North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA)

In March (March 9-12, 2011), the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) will hold their annual summit in McAllen, TX.  The NANPA summit is a great educational experience with a focus on wildlife and nature photography.  I am also happy to announce the I will be presenting one of the breakout sessions this year: Wildlife Filmmaking for Still Photographers.  So join me in McAllen for a few days and don’t forget your camera, the Rio Grande Valley (south Texas for non Texans) is one of the best bird hotspots in the world.