Date: Sunday, July 10th - cost is $100

This workshop will focus on using your camera and tripod in the field. The workshop will cover the use of aperture priority mode to enhance depth of field, light metering, histogram interpretation, exposure compensation and filter use. We will also discuss what makes a good composition.

“A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” Ansel Adamas

“For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life - the light and the air which vary continually…” Claude Monet

Cathedral Park in Portland, Oregon

We will meet at 2pm in Cathedral Park which is under the north end of the St. Johns Bridge, park along Pittsburg Ave. (just east of the bridge) between Albany St. (the RR Track) and the river. Walk toward the river to the turnaround.

There are lots of compositional elements here:
- The bridges with its towers, cables abutments arches, deck and railings.
- The river with its sandy or rocky shore, pilings, boat ramp and piers.
- The park with its pathways, trees, plants and lampposts.
- The building to the east with it’s landscaping and outdoor furniture.

Pick a group of elements and work with them. Try vertical as well as horizontal framing. Try framing your subject with other natural or manmade elements. Include foreground and middle-ground objects centered or off-center. Move in and use a wide-angle lens or move away and use a telephoto lens.

At 5pm we will break for dinner, there are a couple restaurants within walking distance. After dinner we will continue making photographs until sunset at about 8pm.

Click here to see some images taken here

Date: July 31st 2011 - cost is $100

This workshop will focus on using your camera and tripod in the field.
The workshop will cover the use of:
-Aperture priority mode to enhance depth of field
-Shutter priority mode to enhance the motion of water
-Light metering, histogram interpretation, exposure compensation and filter use

We will also discuss what makes a good composition.

Time and Place: We will meet at Wahkeena Falls at 2:00pm. There we will photograph the falls with fast and slow shutter speeds to see the effect they have on the appearance of the water.

Directions from Portland: I-84 east to Bridal Veil, exit #28, at T intersection turn left onto the Scenic Highway to go east to Wahkeena Falls, it is about 30 miles from Portland. If you get to Multnomah Falls you have gone too far. If you get lost you can try to call my cell phone (503) 830-4481.

What to bring:
-Camera, manual, tripod, lenses, spare batteries, filters ect.
-Warm clothing since we may stay until sunset just before 8PM and it may be windy
-Flashlight, insect repellant
-Water

At Wahkeena Falls I will hand out directions to our other stops that will be:
1. Horsetail Falls: 3:30 to 4:30pm
2. Cascade Locks for dinner at Charburger next to the bridge 5:00 to 6:00
3. Rowena Crest 6:40 to 7:30pm
4. Memaloose & Mosier Overlooks 7:45 to 8:15pm

Rowena Crest is Between Hood River and The Dalles about 70 miles from Portland.

Click here to see some images taken here

Just as film photography required processing the film and then certain additional steps when printing from the negative, Digital Phtography too requires processing and certain steps when preparing to print.

Conventional wisdom in the digital realm says sharpening of the image should be the last thing you do prior to printing. There are other times you shold sharpen as well as other editing tasks.

Learn how to edit your images to maximize their printed impact.

Week 1: Workflow for printing images and color management settings

Week 2: Pre-Printing editing in Adobe Lightroom® and in Photoshop CS®

Week 3: Multi-purpose sharpening and print size sharpening

Week 4: Printer configuration and printing the final product

Class Details:

Format: Predominately hands-on practice with a dash of technical discussion

Location: In the same building as Advance Camera, Suite 8134, which is on the backside of the building

Class Size: Limited to 4-10 people

Bring: Your favorite images, your laptop if you have one with Adobe Photoshop Elements, Lightroom or CS installed.

If you are interested and want to know more about any of these classes, or want to sign up, please call (503.292.6996 x.21) or stop by the store. Class prices, dates and availability vary. All classes include hands on training and a handout on various techniques we cover in class. All classes require pre-payment.

Course Description:

This four-hour seminar focuses on the need for a color management workflow and the use of various tools for camera color calibration, monitor and projector calibration, and printer profiling. Learn the processes required to ensure accurate capture of light with your camera, display it properly on your computer monitor or projector, and sucessfully have your printer reproduces the image on paper that you see on your monitor.

Target Audience:

-Beginner to advanced photographer

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:

-Explain the need for Color Management in photography

-Determine their personal need for Color Management

-Select an appropriate Color Management solution based on their budget

-Explain the various steps to implement good Color Management workflow

-Implement a Color Management Workflow

If you are interested and want to know more about any of these classes, or want to sign up, please call (503.292.6996 x.21) or stop by the store. Class prices, dates and availability vary. All classes include hands on training and a handout on various techniques we cover in class. All classes require pre-payment.

This class is designed by Mel Huffman to show you a workflow that fits your photographic editing needs using Photoshop. Concepts presented are effective for users of PSE7, PSE8 and PSE9.

Capturing an image is only one step in the process of creating a piece of art with the system we call photography. Photographers must perform specific actions to capture an image – no matter what camera is used.

Processing the image for various end uses such as print, web, or LCD display also requires certain steps be performed – just as film had to be developed, so too must digital images be processed. This class shows you how to take your good images to a higher level using the powerful tools contained in Adobe Photoshop Elements®. Learn a workflow using Adobe Photoshop Elements® to simplify editing, and processing your images that fits your computer system and skill level.

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:
-Import images from the camera or memory card
-Create an image filing system that best fits their need
-Move Images from one folder to another within Adobe Photoshop Elements® Organizer
-Use the tools within Organizer to keyword and quickly enhance images
-Edit images using tools in the Editor to quickly enhance images
-Share images using the various functions available in Adobe Photoshop Elements®

Class Details:
This class meets 4x – Cost is $150
Format: Lecture & Project Demonstration. Hands-on if you have a laptop computer with Adobe Photoshop Elements installed. Note, a computer is not necessary.
Location: In the same building as Advance Camera, Suite 8134, which is located on the backside of the building.
Class size: Limited to 4-10 people
Bring: Images for example editing and questions you may have.
Registration: If you are interested and want to know more about any of these classes, or want to sign up, please call (503.292.6996 x.21) or stop by the store. Class prices, dates and availability vary. All classes include hands on training and a handout on various techniques we cover in class. All classes require pre-payment.

Week 1: Terminology, Camera Settings, Synchronization, In-Camera Flash & Various Flash Modifiers

Week 2: On/ Off-Camera Flash Units, On/ Off Camera Diffusers, Ring Flash Units, Flash Control Units, Balancing Mixed Light

Week 3: On & Off-camera Flash Combo’s, Master /Slave Operations, Multiple Off-Camera flash Units, Group Operations

Week 4: Putting it all together, Indoor Shooting, Outdoor Shooting

Class cost: For 12 hours of quality time spent learning $150

Location: Same building as Advance, but on the bottom end, in the center location.

Parking: There is plenty of available parking on the bottom end of the building.

Registration: If you are interested and want to know more about any of these classes, or want to sign up, please call (503.292.6996 x.21) or stop by the store. Class prices, dates and availability vary. All classes include hands on training and a handout on various techniques we cover in class. All classes require pre-payment.

This program is for photographers who want to create photographs with artistic lighting without buying or carrying lots of lighting equipment. Learn how to control the flash unit in your camera and accessory flash units available for your camera. Investigate and practice the operation and configuration of various flash units to achieve desired lighting in various photographic conditions.

This is not studio photography, instead it is dedicated to using on camera flash to enhance lighting conditions, in any situation, to creatively improve your photography and become a more versatile photographer in any lighting situation. Below, you will see a list of topics we cover, each week.

Almost every month Advance Camera offers a free workshop at the West Slope Community library, located just a mile down the road from Advance. The presentation is called and is based on “What you need to know about digital cameras.” This class covers topics that can be applied to both compact and D-SLR digital cameras, such as shutter speeds, F/stop’s, ISO, flash and composure.

In order to sign-up for this class, you must stop by or call the West Slope Library. The classroom can accommodate up to 25 people, but tends to fill up fast, so call and get on the list today!

You can find the West Slope Community Library on Facebook or on the world wide web.

This weekend all the local camera clubs in Oregon and Washington come together @ Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham. There are 7+ workshops throughout the two day convention. It’s sponsored by Canon and Lewis Kemper will be discussing “Light & Composition” and “Landscapes of Iceland.” Friday nights keynote presentation is free to the public and starts at 7:30. Anyone interested in learning should come! Advance Camera will be there Saturday cleaning cameras and offering 1/2 price sensor cleanings! Which means, bring your camera! If you have questions, or want to see a list of events, check out the 4C’s website listed below. Hope to see you there! http://www.columbiacameraclubs.org

The Presenters
You can check out the work of many of the speakers on their websites:

Sean Bagshaw – www.outdoorexposurephoto.com

Jon Canfield – www.joncanfield.com

Michael Durham – www.durmphoto.com

Michael Henley – www.contimages.com

Ron Kaplan – www.ronkaplanphotography.com

Lewis Kemper – www.lewiskemper.com

Don Lyon – www.cuephoto.com

George Ostertag – www.ostertagphoto.com

Terry Tallis – www.terrytallis.com

Nature Photographers of the Pacific Northwest Spring Meeting

On April 4th, over 200 members from both Oregon and Washington congregate at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham for the biannual spring meeting. Tamron, ProPhoto, Advance Camera and Trek-Tech helped support this event while Don Gale, a successful commercial and industrial photographer taught various techniques that have earned him national recognition. If you care to see Don’s work, check out his website www.photographybydon.com. In addition, there is a photo contest that consists of up to 4 of your favorite images consisting of scenic’s, wildlife, and plan life. Members were allowed to bring up to two prints, 48’’ in size to the event to be judged by If you are interested in becoming a member of this group, or want to know more about the organization, check out their site. www.nppnw.org

Prior to the even, registered members were reminded to bring there cameras in for cleaning. Members started arriving promptly at 9am to drop off there camera with Dave for cleaning, and by the end of the day all of the cameras had been cleaned, tested and if needed the firmware was updated. This year, Dave cleaned almost 50 DSLR’s and helped many with various technical questions. With that said, when problems or questions arise, feel free and stop by Advance Camera for help. Everyone here wants to help.

Below are pictures taken at the NPPNW biannual meeting. The main photo shows the Advance Camera booth with owner Dave Sleeth in front. You’ll also see him smiling, busy at work cleaning cameras and checking them out. The bottom right picture is of the Tamron booth, shared with ProPhoto. Tamron had several knowledgeable reps showing off their latest high-end lenses.

The Sportsman show is an event where hunters, fisherman and anglers come to congregate to look at the latest equipment as well as buy product at the right price. This is also a place where many may not expect to see a local camera store, but for the last 4 years Advance Camera continues to grow with the support of the locals and the vendors whom contribute.

This year Advance Camera brought two new product lines to the show which were quite successful. Zen-Ray, a locally based company in Beaverton that makes high end, low cost binoculars and accessories helped us bring in a large amount of there product, which sold beyond what we had predicted. This start up company is new to the industry and currently only has an online presence. However, that is changing, since they are locally owned, they are able to drive there product over, rather than ship it which means you can come into Advance Camera to see and or purchase Zen-Ray products. In addition to there nitrogen filled 8X42’s (water proof, fog proof, phase coated) binoculars that start around $150. To my knowledge there is no vendor on the market that has this much product, at this price point, which is why we sell them. Though, there is no question that this year, the digital camera spotting scope adapter was the most popular item! We sold out with two days left in the show (Saturday and Sunday). Next year, this wont happen.

Samsung also contributed generously, though we did not sell as many digital cameras as binoculars, they had great show presence and better support from the local rep Ken Long, whom is seen in the picture below. This next year will be significantly better for them as there product line has increased, the price points have dropped below there competitors and there new innovations set them apart from all the other manufacturers.

Below are a couple pictures of this years Oregon Sportsman Show. If you have any questions, or want to see any of these new products, please stop by the store, call or shoot us an email. To contact us, go to…
advancecamera.com

Steve and myself (Jordan) showing off our booth, with product all around.

Both the Zen-Ray rep and the Samsung rep working the booth with Steve Haning

Steve Haning and Ken Long

Just a glimpse of how many people come to this show… on a constant basis. There must be a reason?