Make Light Real

Neil April 24th, 2009

I’m on my way to Boston in two weeks – register now for these two events:

Register online for two day intensive lighting workshop Boston May 5-6h

Two day workshop Workshop includes:

• Two full days of instruction
• Produce your own Lighting effects catalog
• 1 on 1 portfolio review with Neil
• Hands on instruction by Neil
• Shoe Flash Demos
• Strobe light a huge room
• Model shoot – free GTG May 5th <—see facebook event
• Live PhotoShop demonstration

Get a firm handle on your workflow with Neil in Boston May 7th

Facebook | LIGHTSPEED seminar Boston May 7th

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• Photography Lighting , Workshop

Neil April 16th, 2009

LIGHTSPEED Seminar New York May 4th

Register Now: 

The seminar will be held 9am to 4pm May 4th in Williston Park – just outside of Queens (click for facebook event).

The Lightroom training videos will prepare you for the personalized classroom instruction with Neil, Topics include:

• Getting your bearings in the interface: tweeking it for you, and for less distraction
• Starting an editing workflow: mindset and action
• Starting a color correction workflow: balancing action, and inspiration
• Starting a publishing export workflow: print medium, web medium with export presets and using the plugins

You will be ask to bring some images that present a tough color correction challenge for you and we will address them, and answer all of your questions personally so that you reach a state of high creativity working in lightroom.

Read more about the LIGHTSPEED workflow, watch Neil talk about it, or download only the training materials with this link…

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• Creativity , LIGHTSPEED , Lightroom , Workshop

Neil March 27th, 2009

20 Hours to Change Your Life Workshop

Heighten Your Art – Soothe Your Heart – add this event to your facebook calendar!

The Five Ateliers – (French for Workshop)

1. The first is Technical – obviously we need the technical skills to effectively translate feeling stirred.
2. The second is Aesthetic – incorporating a higher understanding of the lost intricacies of artistic design.
3. The third is Personal – bringing some of what is inside the artist to the table – your private vision. This is only achieved through going on a Journey to discover self – a personal archeological dig of sorts.
4. The fourth is Spiritual – connecting on a deeper plane to our true spirit and adding that holistic way of connection to your work.
5. The fifth is Alchemy – marrying all the Ateliers in a caldron of intrigue – as Francis Bacon put it “the Artists’ job is always to deepen the mystery.” In this day of modern marvel and hustle and bustle, the premier gift to heightening our art, and thus, growing our business is…..time – not ever time saved, but rather Time Savored. For in time, the true discoveries will be made, Nirvana created, and validation of our being – to leave a tender trail.

Total cost: $495 per person – Location: Holiday Inn Express – 1006 Marco Drive Apex, NC

As an added bonus, Arthur will also include 6 months of 1 on 1, private consulting for each workshop participant. This entails email, phone conversations, image and business reviews – anything that will aid in moving your new business model forward.

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• Workshop

Neil February 19th, 2009

Here is a podcast download of my presentation to the venerable Foundation Workshop attendees and staff Titled Techniques for Higher Creativity

If this podcast has opened your mind, please show your support by purchasing these two items in support of my creative communication – First the song by Delirium

Tectonic Shift - Delerium - Best Price $0.99 

Second, show your gratitude by purchasing the presentation through the create cart – to help make sure more presentations are availabe in the future:

If you would like more information from the speaker quoted in the presentation here is a link to his training materials titled “Doing Business Supernaturally 201″

 Creativity Techniques Lecture [23:03m]: Play in Popup | Download (614)

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• Creativity , Free stuff , How To: , Inspiration , Mind Like Water , Philosophy , Video , Workshop , audio/podcast , spirituality

Neil January 8th, 2009

fan MakeLightReal.com

Add yourself as a Fan of the Make Light Real experience and on January 15th you’ll receive a $19 gift certificate for photo products from the Create Cart – a resource for open minded photographers.

Act quickly as only the fans active as of January 15th 2009 will receive the discount code – if you become a fan later there will continue to be perks.

What will $19 get me?

Golden Touch Video Tutorial

1on1 Virtual Photoshop Training

1on1 Personalized Training with Neil Cowley the 1 hour computer to computer training using screen sharing software covers whatever topic is of interest to you…it’s $50/hr but you can get your first hour for 1/2 price.

The dark grungy effects, ready for you to apply to your images

A set of 20 dark, moody and grungy texture files and overlay images to artfully impact your images.  Available for immediate download

And $19 off any of the other products in the Create Cart

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• Free stuff , Inspiration , Workshop

Neil December 9th, 2008

Complimentary Webinar: >>register here<<

Sponsored by liveBooks

Part Three:
What if Everything You Have Learned
About Marketing Creative Services is Wrong?
Is Photography Your Calling?
Thursday, December 11th
Duration – 1 Hour
Start Time
11 AM PST
12 PM MST
1 PM CST
2 PM EST

You Must Register to Participate
 

Calling and Talent

Vision is a calling. A calling is an inner urge or a strong impulse, a passion, some believe a calling may be divinely inspired. How will the world be a different place as a result of your visit on the planet? What is your calling? What is it that you feel the urge and passion to bring into being no matter what?

Do you have a natural marked innate ability, for artistic accomplishment? That is a definition of talent. Talent and calling must be present to sustain a career as a professional photographer in the first decade of this new century.

• Learn How to Set Goals that Don’t End Up in the Back of a Drawer.
• Take Back Your Power to Create.
• I will help you articulate your calling
• and find ways to stay on your path.
• You will learn how to identify what you want
• and how to set priorities that will help you stay focused.

Or Call at 610-438-5707 

Gratefully,

Ian Summers

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• Creativity , Free stuff , Inspiration , Motivation , Workshop

Neil November 11th, 2008

planet neil – tangents » workshops and seminars

Miami, FL - Nov 11, 2008 (Tue)
St Petersburg / Tampa, FL – Nov 12, 2008 (Wed)

Dallas, TX – Dec 08, 2008 (Mon)
Austin, TX – Dec 09, 2008 (Tue)
Houston, TX - Dec 10, 2008 (Wed)

Register for a workshop with Neil VanNeikerk.  

ONE LIGHT WORKSHOP – WHEN AND WHERE

This is it for the year.  We do not foresee any other dates being announced for 2008.  We are changing the workshop for 2009.  Expect to hear information about that here and on the forums.  See the Hosting page for our current target cities for 2009.  Things aren’t set in stone just yet but they will be soon!

Thursday November 13

Lighting Essentials workshop

Cleveland / Akron, OH 
November 15 & 16, 2008

Learn How to Light and Create the Images You Want, In Any Light or Situation
This Two Day workshop will introduce you to lighting by learning the basics and then working with the tools of the trade to make the images you see in your head. We start with basics and move through the amazing world of lighting. We aren’t interested in auto settings, or sticking a flash on your camera and clicking away. We do it with manual strobes, manual settings and attention to detail that is the mark of a professional photographer.

Small Strobes Big Results

Indianapolis, Indiana – November 10, 2008

Our host is Polina Osherov her studio is located in downtown Indianapolis in the Stutz Building, 212 W. 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Suite B-420. SOLD OUT

Denver, Colorado – Saturday January 10, 2009

The workshop will be held at MaryLynn Gillaspie’s CoOp photo studio located in the historic Taxi Dispatch Building just 5 minutes north of downtown Denver, 3455 Ringsby Ct., Studio 99, Denver CO 80216

Mentor Series, Death Valley – February 18-22, 2009

Join Nikon professional photographers Bill Durrence and David Tejada on a sizzling Mentor Series trek to California’s Death Valley National Park! You will encounter one photo op after another as you travel amid the Park’s diverse geography, unique desert wildlife, historic sites and clear night skies.

Santa Fe Workshops – March 29-April 4, 2009

Small Strobes/Big Results: The course description and complete details will be posted by the end of September. If you would like to register for this course or if you have any specific questions, please call (505) 983-1400, ext. 11 and Sante Fe Workshops will be happy to help you.

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• Workshop

Neil September 19th, 2008

Off Camera Flash by JVS » 2 Day Lighting & Portrait Workshop with JVS & Anne – October 7th & 8th

Ok so you ask who is JVS – that’s ok, I know you may not have heard about him, since he’s been living the happy life in Dallas ever since getting married and retiring to oh, 20-30 weddings a year.  Regrettably, the industry doesn’t reward true visionaries – it rewards self-promoters.  He’s the former…

Joseph Victor Stephanchek was there at the beginning.

The beginning of the cultural revolution of wedding photography, like circa 2000-2003.  And he did a good bit of the Sisyphean task of getting the wedding imagery market out of the doldrums.  

I know, you probably weren’t in the industry yet – but he’s not an old timer, he’s an innovator.  He’s a visionary – there’s nothing like the work he produces and shows. Pick a gallery from his documentary weddings portfolio and see if you’ve ever seen such an intense vision?

And lighting is not about technique.

It’s about vision!

Technique follows the vision, and so I recommend that you take a chance with your time and money, have a trip to Dallas and meet the man (and his woman).  Dallas really rocks the photography world, making NY jealous!  So all you New Yorkers better hop a plane and get some lessons to get yourselves back in the game!

2 Day Lighting & Portrait Workshop with JVS & Anne – October 7th & 8th

Now a little more about JVS:

The man can balance a handheld flash, with ambient like nobody’s business.  Which is just a statement that words don’t do justice to the creativity he can pull off with a 24mm lens and a shoe flash.  Proving the point lighting comes from vision – all the way up to the big guns, he can stun you with a powerpack as well!  So go to the workshop and get some info on anything from a Vivitar to a Profoto Pack.

Did I mention I wish I could go?  Tough thing is with my schedule, it’s hard to get an opening less than three months out.  This workshop is just three weeks out!  jump on it, 

And tell him Neil sent ya!

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• Photographic Flash , Photography Lighting , Shoe Flash Technique , Workshop

Neil July 18th, 2008

My thanks go out to the Professional Photographers of Ontario for hosting a wonderful half day workshop for their members with me as their speaker at the Ashbridges Bay Yacht club in Toronto.

I was able to present to the group a motivational lecture, an on-location shoot, and an image review and quick post processing example after dinner.  However to extend your experience, I’m going to provide you with some original Canon 1Ds raw files shot that day to try your hand at lab color mode post processing, as well as altering the mood of the photo with a lighting overlay image you can download from the Create Cart:

Have a brand new free texture from me as you check out from the cart – there are a few more free ones and several sets of high resolution texture and lighting files if you are interested.

Now on to the full raw file downloads:

Download Test file one (13mb Canon CR2 raw file): Blue background accentuated by a tungsten gelled main flash, if you weren’t there you can download this screen cast movie file to learn to process your files for rich and vibrant blues : or view this post page on photoshop manipulating the blue in images.  This image would be a fun one to try out the texture – if you try it – post a link in the comments to your blog page, flickr page, or other way to see your results. In this image we use the principles of Make Light Real:

• provide a clear subject – by making the subject brighter than the background
• create compelling color and contrast – by altering the flash color temperature with a gel to warm it
• compose the unexpected – I waited until the boat was in the right place to add the added ’story line’ to the photo

Download Test file two (13mb Canon CR2 raw file): another gelled image of the model on the rock, this is would be a great candidate for the lighting overlay you downloaded from above.

Download Test file three (13mb Canon CR2 raw file): a strong test of balancing the very dark nigerian model with the bright summer sky on the lakefront.

Have your fun with these images and post your versions to the comments and I’ll do my photoshop edits and post back in about a week.

• Comments(2)
• Free stuff , Hear the Shadows , Inspiration , Motivation , Photography Lighting , Photoshop Retouching , Real-light Overlays , Tutorials , Workshop , learning

Neil July 10th, 2008

Here’s the program description:

Lighting for Creativity – click here to register!

Part1: Listen to Neil’s personal journey. And share his understanding the creative power light has brought to his image making process.  Make the visual connection between creativity and light on many planes as we discuss the implications for our spirits, our businesses, and our cameras.  You will be personally challenged to break through your own personal psychological limits before moving on to part two – in the field.

Part2: Light with Neil in the field.  Neil will approach a location he has never been before, with a subject he’s never shot before and attempt to share with you the running dialog in his head as he ‘lights for creativity’ in bringing out the qualities of the location, subject and mood.  His challenge will be to transform the location with creative and expressive power.

Part3: Finish with flair. Neil will download and photoshop his raw captures live while taking questions from the audience as he goes.  If you think there’s some kind of dark magic locked up inside your computer, come check inside Neil’s as he accentuates the visual phenomenon in his photographs using Photoshop. 

Sponsored by:
Central Portrait Branch – Professional Photographers of Ontario
Professional Photographers of Ontario

Click here to register. We welcome all skill levels, you’ll get something out of it! 

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• Photographic Flash , Photography Lighting , Workshop