online workshop info

we have decided to combine BLOOM BEGINNINGS and BLOOM & CREATE into one continuous workshop. you have the option of just signing up for BEGINNINGS or signing up for both of them but both workshops will be held on the same board. it is a 9 week on-line workshop with one week break in between.

opening week:
welcome, introductions and getting yourself set up on the board
assignment #1 given out (think like a photographer and learning correct exposure and your sweet settings)
reading material given out (all about histograms and metering)
covering brenda’s indoor front lighting set-up
editing and post processing – getting a great b/w conversion
contest

week two:
assignment #1 due
assignment #2 given out (learning how to get those unique creative shots)
reading material given out (creative cropping, extending your canvas and working with seamless paper)
covering brenda’s indoor side lighting set-up
editing and post processing – getting good colors and building from it
contest

week three:
assignment #2 due
assignment #3 given out (editing and post-processing)
reading material given out (working with textures and color space)
learning about lifestyle photography
contest

week four:
assignment #3 due
our guest speaker joins the group
contest
answering questions and closing the first part of the workshop

week five:
BREAK WEEK
students that do not continue on will have this week to save and print the information from the board

week six and seven:
assignment #4 given out (evoking feelings to your photos)
reading material given out (seeing the beauty in everyday life)
discussing your personal style
optional assignment given out
assignment #4 due
two contests

week eight and nine:
assignment #5 given out (storytelling)
reading material given out
continue discussing your personal style (since it’s a hot topic)
optional assignment given out
assignment #5 due
two contests
answering questions and closing

please note this is a working description because we cater to the needs of each class so keep in mind it may vary a little from workshop to workshop. we also share a few actions created just for the BLOOM students as well as some videos of our favorite tools and tricks in Photoshop.

how much knowledge should I have with my camera and Photoshop if I decide to take your workshop? it’s best to have the basics down with your camera as well as in Photoshop. it’s not required but it’s good to have so you don’t fall behind. we have had quite a few people that are in business take the BEGINNINGS course and really enjoy it so it’s not just for beginners, it’s for everyone.

what version of Photoshop should I have? we both work in CS so anything that is Photoshop 7 and above is good. if you have Elements, you can always download a free trial version of CS4 at Adobe.com.

are there certain times that I need to be on the board? absolutely not, since it is conducted in a private online forum, it’s available to you 24/7 so you can jump on anytime. we do however require the assignments to be turned in on the assigned due date so we can discuss them and move on to the next assignment as a class.

how much does Brenda and Kristy participate in the workshop? we are on the board daily exept for the weekends. that’s a great time for you to work on your assignments. all of our past boards have been very active with AWESOME participation from us and the class.

can I save and/or print the information from the board? of course you can….we have a week break so the students that do not continue on to the second part of the workshop can gather all the information up and save it. the students that do continue through the entire workshop have a week to collect and save that information after the workshop ends. we do stress that it is best to save any information that you want throughout the workshop because we do cover a lot of ground.

why are there less assignments given out in the last four weeks? we want you to push the boundries with your photographs so these assignments require a lot of thinking on your part therefore we give you ample time to complete them. we do however give out optional assignments for you to do in case you get your assignment completed.

if I’ve already taken the BEGINNINGS course and I want to take the CREATE one, can I do that? yes you can but only for the September 2009 workshop. since we have a lot of students from our previous workshop wanting to take CREATE, we’ve decided to allow them to join the group at week 6. after that, we are not going to take any former students in the middle of the course. so if you are a past student and you want to take the CREATE portion, you MUST sign up for the September 2009 workshop.

how long is the workshop? the entire workshop runs for 9 weeks with one week break in between. students that choose not to continue on to the CREATE portion, the workshop lasts 5 weeks (that includes the break week to save and/or print the board information.

how much does it cost? for the ENTIRE workshop, the cost is $650.00. if you choose to ONLY take the first 4 weeks, the cost is $400.00. if you are a previous bloom beginner, you can join the group starting at week six to participate in the CREATE portion of the workshop for $250.00 (again this is only available for the September 2009 workshop). all the previous information from the first half of the workshop will be available for you to save and/or print.

what if I sign up and then I then something comes up and I can’t do the workshop, can I get a refund? what is great about our workshop is that you can work at your own pace so if something unexpected comes up, you can always jump back on the board when you are finished and start again. we do not however issue refunds but you are more than welcome to sell your place to someone else or apply it to a future workshop.

we have a section set up for you to chat with other students as well as a portfolio worthy section so you can post photos and get critics from others.

there is a resource guide from print labs, to book templates, to web services that is available to the students.

we have a fabulous guest speaker join us in answering any questions that the attendees might have. some of our previous quest speakers have been Mika Beth Edwards, Peta Mazey, Deb Schwedhelm, Mindy Johnson, Leah Zawadzki, Lisa Lucky and Gina Kolsrud

and don’t forget the contests! our students LOVE them and we always get a little giggle how competitive they get! thanks to our fantastic and generous sponser we give away lots of goodies! Peta Mazey donates a set of her Child’s Play and Twirl Actions, Ashley McNamara gives away a set of her wonderful actions (a definite hit with the past students), your choice of any Luxecetera item (can you say YUMMY), Angie lets you choose anything from her stunning collection at Simplicity Designs, Marie and her modern and sleek forms and templates are hard to choose from because you want ALL of them, Joyce from Wordsmith graciously gives away your pick of How to Sell, What to Write or What to Wear, Jeanine Linder (a former BEGINNINGS and CREATE student) will create a logo for you (how cool is that), and let’s not forget our newest sponser Jamie Schultz….you get your pickings from all of her goodies (and with Christmas just around the corner, you can never have enough Christmas templates….her cards are TDF)!