“Know the difference between image optimization and over-processing.”

Teaching the digital workflow has always been a major part of in the instruction in my workshops. However I don’t consider myself an ‘expert’ in that I have no formal tuition in retouching. What I pass on is self-taught material, supplemented with refinements added over the years from other sources. I teach what I know and do; what everyone else does is often a mystery to me. In fact all the heavy lifting is done in curves and levels and the tools I use are ridiculously simple. While many participants are looking for cool new state-of-the-art techniques and Photoshop ‘secrets’, most people seem to miss the fundamental aspect of good processing – knowing the line between optimized image and one that has overcooked contrast or colours. It’s a difficult skill to teach. Indeed it may be impossible as the best way of getting a feel for this is being a keen observer of light and colour. That all means more time in the field and becoming a student of light.

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