Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Workshops by Chad Case

Award winning photographer and stock photo agency owner Chad Case is offering a weekend of workshops on the popular program Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.  This amazing application for both Mac and Window users has brought the two worlds of editing/ organizing and processing/ delivering into one efficient and powerful workflow.  Chad has been using Lightroom on a daily basis since its launch and brings 17 years experience working with Photoshop as well as various digital asset management software.

Lightroom 2 Workflow – The Big Picture

This 4 hour workshop will be an extensive overview of Adobe Lightroom and workshop participants will come away with a well rounded understanding about using this powerful application to organize, create and deliver photography in an efficient workflow.  Participants should bring their laptops with Lightroom already installed for this enlightening hands-on experience.  A free 30 day trial of Lightroom can be downloaded at http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom (do not download the trial version until 7 days before the workshop).

Lightroom 2 – Tips and Tricks That Work

This 4 hour workshop will dive deeper into Lightroom.  Chad will share what he has found most useful in the different modules to organize, create and deliver photography.  Some of the items discussed will be: creating your own identity plate, emailing photos from Lightroom, speedy editing, processing images in the powerful Develop module, using presets, creating custom web galleries with a personalized identity plate, setting up Lightroom to post web galleries directly to your web site, exporting images for end use, and many other tips and tricks to get the most out of this application.  Participants should bring their laptops with Lightroom already installed for this advanced look at Lightroom.  A free 30 day trial of Lightroom can be downloaded at http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom (do not download the trial version until 7 days before the workshop).

8:30 to 12:30 May 16th

Alison Wright
http://www.alisonwright.com

Carl Scheider, Master of Ceremonies, Shawn Brazell, Andrew Cortens, Gayle Chapman & Sandy Sanford, Marcus Eaton, Steve Eaton, The Frim Fram Fellas, Phil Garonzik, Justin Gause, Camden Hughes, John & Pat Hyneman, John Jones Trio, Kevin Kirk & Onomatopoeia, Jon Klein, Tom Moore, Wendi Phelps, Rebecca Scott, Mike Seifrit, The Sidemen, The Sally Tibbs Jazz Quintet, Tom Tomkins, and Janessa White.

Tulum Mayan Ruins on the Yucatan

Tulum Mayan Ruins on the Yucatan

Me taking a photo from the rocky point I managed to climb down on. Photo by Steve Bly.

4:00 AM wake up call at the The Royal Real Resort in Playa del Carmen to make it to the Mayan Ruins of Tulum at sunrise. Steve Bly and myself had attained special permission to photograph the ruins at sunrise instead of 8:00 AM when they opened….. or so we thought we had permission. Instead of an orange sunny sunrise we were treated with the ominous storm clouds of Hurricane Ida looming over the ruins. It really was an amazing site! We wondered around the ruins all by ourselves for an hour before the light turned completely grey and headed back to the car. We took cover at the entrance to let a torrential downpour pass and while waiting we were accosted by the park rangers wanting our official paperwork proving we had permission to photograph this historical treasure. Within the English / Spanish language barrier tensions built. I was asking for five minutes to make a call on my cell phone and they were pressing to delete all of our photos and said we would have to pay a penalty. One of the men tired of the communication process grabbed my camera. We both struggled in a tug-o-war before I succeeded and released my camera. He locked in a room and said he would be back in two hours. Long story short many phone calls and two hours later I was able to get my camera and keep all the photos taken. Lessons learned 1.) Get permission in writing or have the person with you who gave you the permission. 2.) Wear briefs instead of boxers so you have someplace to stash you camera cards.

Here’s some of the photos:

http://www.chadcasephotography.com/090616-Latina/index.html

The eyes of Miss Peru.

The concert was amazing! The full band plus a 24-piece orchestra aptly named the Cork-estra after the town. Cork and Ireland in general love this Idaho guy and the crowd roared back the lyrics of songs like “Kathleen,” “To the Dogs or Whoever,” “Right Moves” and “Empty Hearts.”

His smile was infectious and he was as tuned into the crowd as the crowd was to him. To top the night, off Josh introduced the world to his first violin performance of the “Star Spangled Banner” with the U.S. flag projected behind him.

Now from Ireland to Idaho we look forward to our next Ritter concert at the Egyptian this Wednesday night.

Check all the photos from the Ireland show here: http://www.chadcasephotography.com/090710-Ritter/index.html

The Owyhee Public Lands Management Act finally passed in the Senate this year classifying 517,000 acres of wilderness on public lands and 316 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers. See http://www.idahorivers.org for details.

Below is a story from seven heavenly days spent in the Owyhee Wilderness

Magical Owyhee
Journey to the Edge of the Earth
By Chad Case

Serpentine canyons of red and brown cut through the high desert in one of America’s most remote territories, the Owyhee Canyonlands. I expected another paddling adventure and was thankfully surprised to be awarded a true wilderness experience, drifting off the edge of the earth into a magical land.

Our exotic journey to the brink of civilization began at a local hotel parking lot in Boise, Idaho, loading trucks, suburbans, and trailers with gear, food and people. As I sipped my coffee and chatted with my fellow paddlers, I gazed out the window at the flat sagebrush step and snow capped Owyhee Mountains beyond as we rumbled down the highway through Mountain Home, Bruneau and Duck Valley Indian Reservation. It was mid May and we were embarking on a 7 day expeditionary style float trip down the South Fork of the Owyhee River.

It had rained the night before and Marvin, a cowboy that grew up ranching in these parts, gently guided our fully loaded suburban with trailer attached down the slippery muddy road with one hand draped over the top of the wheel. As we started to slide off the road Marvin stopped, kicked the vintage suburban into 4 low and crept up the hill fish tailing from side to side.

Floating rivers in the Owyhee Canyonlands is challenging to say the least. Unpredictable river flows, a short season, and washed our roads make the Owyhee an intimidating landscape. It is these very reasons that have kept this land a hidden jewel from droves of people and where you can experience isolation and the magic of a last true wilderness.

After we aired up the kayaks and lashed down the gear, we wiggled into our neoprene bibs, cinched up our personal floatation device, and put on our helmets. Dustin Aherin, our lead guide, proceeded with the safety talk in which he told us everything that could go wrong and what to do to prevent or survive those situations. It began to sink in that we were alone in an isolated land of 2.5 million acres. A satellite phone and a long lifeflight were the only options if something were to go wrong.

With the safety talk fresh on my mind I launched my kayak loaded with my personal gear into the current. There was not a cloud in the sky and we had little time to get used to the kayaks before our whitewater initiation on “Devils Pinball”, a succession of eight Class III rapids.

Anxiety and excitement began to build along with the sound of the whitewater in the distance. Dustin went through first with the supply raft and barked back orders on which line to follow. Two additional guides in kayaks, Lexie and Tyler, took us into the frothy roller coaster. My heart raced and my hands gripped my paddle with adrenalin as I feverishly paddled through wave after wave. The cold water rushed over my face and body taking my breath away at times. I could hear whoops, hollers and wee hees over the churning of the whitewater from the rest of the group.

That night there were big smiles on a lot of faces as the magic of this land started to sink in. After thunderstorm raged through camp nearly taking some tents with it, we enjoyed a prime rib dinner, then kicked back around the sagebrush fire with nothing to hear but the pops and cracks of the flames, the song of a bird and the gentle hush of the river flowing near by.

The next morning the green slopes of grass, sagebrush and willow transformed into thousand foot high red and brown cliffs characteristic of Bryce and Zion Parks in southern Utah. Jaws dropped and necks craned as a mystical silence blanketed the group while we paddled slowly down river being pulled further into the heart of this land.

Time melted away from day to day. The tranquility and serenity of the canyons occasionally gave way to the exhilaration of whitewater. Some whitewater broke the stillness of the canyon with a deafening roar. Cabin and Cable Rapids were both so mammoth we portaged our gear and boats around the rapids and put in downstream. The Cable Rapids portage was a character building experience; climbing up steep slopes with shifting rocks and working as a group to get the support raft through the dangerous, frothy water.

Seven days, eighty miles and no shower made our final day soak at the hot springs near Three Forks extra special. Lush green vegetation and the cascading waterfalls contrasted the desert environment as we nosed our boats into shore. After a “power shower” in the pounding waterfall, we soaked in the deep pools above and stared up at a cobalt blue sky with a sigh of accomplishment and melancholy as we finished the trip and headed back to civilization.

After one week on the river, the unique power of this rarely visited place had sank into my soul. I pondered the current state of the Owyhee Canyonlands and the proposed wilderness area. Native Americans, ranchers, the military and conservationists are working together with the Bureau of Land Management on this multi-use land. Off-road vehicle use, overgrazing and the bombing range threaten the purity of this awesome place. As an individual who has done a fair amount of world travel, the Owyhee is the first place I truly felt like I had dropped of the edge of the earth and I sincerely hope we can preserve and pass on this pristine area and its rugged isolation to future generations.

If you go:
ROW Adventures 800-451-6034, www.rowadventures.com

When: April to late May

Look for:
Big Horn Sheep
Antelope
Eagles
Mule Deer
Otter
Rattlesnake

The Nitty Gritty:
Seven days and 80 miles of river
Paddle through one of the lower 48’s most remote open spaces
Plenty of Class I to Class III rapids to get your blood pumping
Two monster rapids to admire and portage around
Thousand foot high canyon cliffs
Variety of topography from canyon floor to desert plain