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Man, have we leaped into 2020!
Nancy and I enjoyed a much needed break over the holidays – Nan from the rigors of keeping up with her metalsmith orders while completing the first semester of her senior year at IUPUI, and me from a hectic travel schedule in the fourth quarter that included trips to Cape Cod, Boston, Cuba, and Molola'i – but we both hit the ground running the first week in January! Nancy started her final semester headed for graduation in May (yippee!), and I set off for The Villages in central Florida for a series of presentations and workshops there.
My experience at The Villages – a 150,000-strong retirement community about an hour north of Orlando – was remarkable! I couldn't have received a warmer welcome from the event coordinators and the Villagers themselves. The week started with my 60-minute presentation, The Magic of Mobile, that attracted a record-breaking 350 attendees! We spent the evening extolling the virtues of mobile photography and the fact that mobile cameras now allow us to shoot and process RAW, create images with a narrow depth of field, make unbelievable night shots, and create "soft-water" images without the need for a DSLR, a tripod, or neutral density filters! I shared some Lightroom for Mobile tips, reviewed the new iPhone's Portrait Mode, shared images made with the new 13mm wide angle lens on the iPhone 11 Pro Max, and ran through the powerful image editing tools introduced with iOS 13. In the following two days, I delivered a half-day Art of the iPhone workshop, a "walkabout" iPhone session making images in the field, and a half-day Topaz Labs post-processing workshop. It was dizzying, but so much fun! Many thanks to my hosts, and to all the folks at The Villages who made the experience such a success!
After the presentation, our friend and Florida photographer, Eileen Sklon, invited me to her home for a glass of wine with her husband, and Jackie Kramer, our friend and talented photographer, known for her gorgeous floral photography. On the previous day, I also had the opportunity to meet Tom Haxby, president of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). I hope you get the opportunity to meet these photographers!
Up next is a series of workshops in Cuba with my friend and co-leader, Cuban Photographer, Ramses H. Batista. We'll kick off with a trip this week that will take us to tobacco and other farms in the picturesque Vinales Valley. Of course, before and after Vinales, there'll be time for street photography in Havana and a session photographing dancers from the renowned Cuban National Ballet.
In February and March, Ramses and I will lead two Beauty and Grace dance workshops with just a few days in between. (See Ramses' dynamic image of the leaping dancer, above.) We created this exclusive dance workshop last year after having so many requests for "more time with the dancers." On each of these trips we'll photograph dancers from ballet, contemporary, and Afro-Cuban disciplines, and we have a few surprises for this year, too! The second workshop is full, but we have one spot left in the February 26 - March 3 workshop. There's still time to get registered but we need to move quickly! You can see more details on our website and email me for registration information.
In the January issue...
- PhotoPXL.com's video, iPhone Photography – An Interview with Rad Drew
- Steve Koppel's new book, The Cape Cod National Seashore, available in May
- Saturday, March 14 Workshop, From iPhones to Traditional Cameras; The Role of Inspiration, Creativity, and Technology in Your Photography, for the Orlando Camera Club and surrounding area,
- Saturday, April 4 Workshop, Art of the iPhone, at the Pam Miller Downtown Art Center, Lexington
- PSA Post-Festival iPhone Workshop, Art of the iPhone, Sunday, October 4
- Webinars on iPhone 11 Pro and other iPhone topics with Jack Davis and Rad Drew coming soon!
- Join me in an Experiment! Invite me to do a Webinar for your camera club or business organization!
- In case you missed it ... My latest How I Did It!™ video on YouTube:
Lightroom for Mobile: Shoot and Process RAW!
- 2020 Workshops including three Cuba tours, The Palouse, Tuscany, Calabria, Moloka'i, and more!
- Topaz DeNoise AI now with Batch Processing on sale at $59.99 (down from $79.99)
Go here: https://topazlabs.com/denoise-ai/ref/8/
Use code RAD15 for double-dip discount through February 7! (That's right, get an additional 15% off the sale price!)
Thank you for reading and for all the ways you have been, and continue to be, supportive!
Enjoy learning and creating in 2020! I wish you great adventures, and, if we're lucky, our paths will cross this year!
Best,
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See my PhotoPXL Interview Video with Kevin Raber
iPhone Photography – An Interview with Rad Drew
One of the great things about living in Indianapolis, is that my good friend and adventure photographer, Kevin Raber lives here, too! That means we get to play every chance we get! And we always have a good time, whether we're out shooting in rural Indiana, on the quest for Indiana's best pork tenderloin, or sitting in Kevin's living room making a video like this one.
In this video interview, Kevin and I discuss our love affair with the iPhone, the exciting features of the iPhone 11 Pro, and wax philosophical about photography in general. I hope you enjoy!
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Speaking Engagements, Workshops, Presentations
Did you know that I speak, present, and deliver workshops on a variety of topics including iPhone Photography and processing using Topaz Labs software?
Here are a few of the workshops and presentations I have scheduled for this year:
- From iPhones to Traditional Cameras; The Role of Inspiration, Creativity, and Technology in Your Photography, a full-day workshop for the Orlando Camera Club and surrounding area, Saturday, March 14, 2020. We'll examine the role of each of these topics in relation to photographing and processing with the iPhone, as well as post-processing traditional camera images using Topaz Labs desktop software.
Registration is open only to club members until February 11, 2020, when it opens to everyone. Email me here if you'd like to be notified when registration opens to all!
- Art of the iPhone Workshop, at the Pam Miller Downtown Art Center, in Lexington. Saturday, April 4, 2020. This workshop is in conjunction with the photography exhibit, Abstraction 2020, Alternative Photography, at The Downtown Art Center, featuring five artists with varying styles, including 17 pieces of my work. Open to the public!
Details and registration for Lexington Workshop here!
Poppies in Olive Grove, Tuscany, is one of my images that will be exhibited at the Pam Miller Downtown Art Center in Lexington from February 3 through April 4.
- PSA Post-Festival iPhone Workshop, Art of the iPhone, Sunday, October 4, 2020. This workshop is sponsored by the Photography Society of America, and comes at the end of their annual Photography Festival. Open to the public. PSA members as well as the community in and around Colorado Springs, Colorado, are all welcome!
Details and registration for PSA Post-Festival iPhone Workshop here!
- Mickey's Camp 20th Anniversary, September 17-19, 2020. I'll be presenting four, two-hour iPhone workshops, two for the men and two for the women who participate in Mickey's Camp. I've done this for the past five years and look forward to it every year! The best way to describe Mickey's Camp is to quote from their website:
Mickey's camp was the long-time dream of local [Indianapolis] businessman, Mickey Mauer. In 2001, this dream came true with the inaugural Mickey's Camp. In the past 16 years, Mickey's Camp enabled adults to leave behind the daily pressures, explore new opportunities, perfect old skills and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow campers in a relaxed, informal atmosphere. Mickey's Camp is a charitable event, with net proceeds from camp fees donated to not-for-profit organizations selected by the campers.
- In addition to these "in-person" sessions, I'll be conducting a number of webinars over the next few months. Many will feature yours truly, but webinars I'm very excited about are some that I will host featuring my friend and teacher, photographer, and creative, Jack Davis. Jack has invited me to co-lead in Moloka'i for the past two years and we're looking forward to continuing that tradition over Thanksgiving next year!
Jack is about as knowledgeable as anyone I know about all things photography! He is one of the leading experts on Photoshop, Lightroom, and Mobile Photography, is an award-winning photographer, and a great teacher. Jack is the author of the Photoshop Wow! books and How to Wow: Photoshop for Photography, with more than a million and a half copies sold in 12 languages! One of the first inductees into the Photoshop Hall of Fame for his lifetime contributions, Jack is a designated Adobe Master Teacher and a renowned spokesperson on digital imagery. He routinely teaches at conferences and workshops around the world, including for National Geographic Linblad Expeditions. So, you can see why I'm excited to being hosting webinars with him! Email me here if you'd like to be notified when these webinars are scheduled!
So Far in 2020..
At the beginning of this month, I had the pleasure of presenting to 350 guests from The Villagers on the topic of mobile photography. It was a huge hit! Over the next two days I conducted two workshops – one on iPhone photography and the other on post-processing with Topaz Labs' desktop software – and an iPhone "walkabout," during which I coached a group as we wandered in one of the photogenic Town Squares in The Villages making iPhone images.
In 2019 I presented at conferences and camera clubs around the country, including:
- Rehoboth Photo Beach Bash
- New England Camera Club Conference
- Photographic Society of America (PSA) Palouse Tours
- Webinars for Topaz Labs and the Photographic Society of America
- Fort Wayne Camera Club, in Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Coastal Camera Club in Delaware
- Out Of Chicago's Out of Longwood Conference in Pennsylvania
- MIckey's Camp in Indiana
- Yellow '19 Event in Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Click! 2019 Photo Conference Presentations
- Click! 2019 Post-Conference Workshop
- Delaware Photographic Society
I would love to discuss speaking with your business organization or small group! Email me here to invite me to speak, present, or conduct a workshop for your work group or organization!
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I'm Looking for a Few
Good Camera Clubs or Business Groups...
and I have an offer!
I don't know if my offer will taste as good at that tray full of Coconut confections, but I think it might be pretty good.
I want to do an experiment to make sharing at camera clubs and business groups around the country more affordable and accessible to even the smallest groups.
I'm frequently asked to present for organizations, many of which are a long way from Indianapolis where I live. As much as I like to say "yes!" to these invitations, someone has to pay for the travel related expenses – plane ticket, rental car, hotel, meals – and that adds up pretty quickly, often making it impossible for organizations to afford. Sometimes a group will sponsor a workshop in conjunction to a club presentation. I can present to their club, then lead a workshop for the community, which generates funds to cover expenses and pay my fees. It's a great concept, but that doesn't work for everyone or always fit schedules.
Well, I think I have a solution!
What if we used webinar technology to bring me into your next meeting? I frequently do webinars for participants around the world. It's a great way to reach many people with low overhead. Why not do a webinar for your organization?
Here's how it would work:
You would meet as a group in your usual meeting location.
You'd need:
- a computer with external speakers (or a sound system in your meeting room)
- an internet connection,
- and either a projector and screen, or a big screen TV monitor.
You would login to the webinar I've set up and project the webinar on your projection screen. Everyone would be able to see and hear, and I can present on topics from iPhone processes and techniques to Topaz Labs desktop software. And it would all be a fraction of the cost of having to fly me out and put me up (not to mention feed me - NO ONE wants that expense!). I think this will work great.
I'm so confident in this idea that I'm offering a free hour-long webinar to the first two clubs who email me here with an invitation to do an iPhone or Topaz webinar. I'll work with you to get set up and test the system before hand to make sure everything's ready.
Think about it. Then email me! I love to share what I've learned about these subjects and this just might make it possible to do that more. This could be a great Win-Win solution!
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In Case You Missed It ...
I shared this link to my video, Lightroom for Mobile: Shoot and Process RAW! last month, but if you missed it, I encourage you to take a look. Lightroom for mobile is one of the most powerful cameras and editing tools available for our mobile phones. It's free and it doesn't require the use of desktop Lightroom (although you can subscribe to the Adobe Creative Cloud and sync your files created with Lightroom on your mobile phone with Lightroom CC on your desktop.)
The image below of Big Walnut Creek in my home state of Indiana was made with the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the Lightroom for mobile camera. I then processed it in Lightroom on the iPhone using a simple six-step workflow to create the result below.
Big Walnut Creek, Hendricks County, Indiana, © Rad A. Drew
iPhone 11 Pro Max with Lightroom Camera and Lightroom's RAW Processing Tools for mobile
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Brewster MA Photographer Steve Koppel's
2nd Book Available
at Steve Koppel.com in May
 
Steve Koppel and I have been friends for several years now. I'd heard of Steve and his work from my friend and mentor, John Barclay, and then, one day while photographing with my iPhone on the Cape, I heard a guy behind me.
"Why don't you get a real camera," he said.
I turned to see Steve, with his iPhone in hand, grinning at me. We introduced ourselves and then sat on a bench for a while talking. It didn't take us long to realize that John was a common friend. Since then Steve has focused on photographing what he loves: the seashore in his "neighborhood." He's developed a uniquely distinctive style that truly conveys the feeling of being on the seashore with two feet in the sand and the sun on your face!
Steve's love for the Cape Cod Seashore is evident in his photos as well as his words. In his introductory paragraph he writes:
The Cape Cod National Seashore is a place of exceptional and unspoiled beauty. I frequent its beaches in solitude throughout the year, often arriving in the pre-dawn darkness and remaining until well beyond daybreak. The images in this book are testimony of my experiences in this idyllic landscape during moments when it goes largely unseen.
As with his previous book, The Brewster Flats (available here), profits benefit the EDI Institute and the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC). Click the brands below for more information on these organizations. His new book is being printed now and will be available in May. I hope you'll check it out and be as inspired and moved as I am.
 
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Creative Photography for the Soul
Hui Ho'olana on Moloka'i
November 2020
Jack Davis and I will be co-leading Creative Photography for the Soul on Moloka'i over Thanksgiving for the third year in a row. Jack's been doing this workshop for nearly 20 years and I've been fortunate to be co-leading with him since 2018.
What
Creative Photography for the Soul Workshop with Jack Davis and Rad Drew, with special guests, Nat Geo Alumni, Dewitt Jones and Rikki Cooke.
When
November 21-28, 2020. It's over Thanksgiving! We share quite a feast and enjoy the Hui Hoolana (family) for a wonderful Thanksgiving together.
Where
Hui Hoolana, on Moloka'i
There are also opportunities for those who can't be away at Thanksgiving! Our dates for next year are:
- November 7 - 14, 2020, with Jack Davis, at the Hui Hoolana
- November 11 - 17, 2020, with Rad Drew at a 6 bdrm, 6 bathroom, private beach house on Moloka'i's Papohaku Beach!
For specifics, email me at RadDrew@gmail.com.
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Other Workshops & Tours in 2020
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Where the Wild Things Are ... and the Amish!
June 8 - 14, 2020
Limited to 12 (Only 3 spots left!)
Register now. This workshop always sells out!
Percheron Workhorse at Amish Farm, © Rad A. Drew
This will mark our fourth year offering our popular Where the Wild Things Are ... and the Amish! photo tour in Eastern Ohio. Each year we've either expanded the workshop or discovered new locations to include. We've also met families in the area who have been gracious in allowing us a look into the lifestyle of the Amish. And photographing the falls at Hocking Hills, and the Safari tour, just get better every year! Sally and I hope you'll join us next June for what has become an annual pilgrimage! Note: due to capacity of vehicles at one location, we are strictly limited to 12 participants on this trip. We are three-quarters full, so reserve your spot soon! (Details here)
Mare and Foal © Rad A. Drew
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Lush Palouse 2020
June 22 - 27, 2020
limited to 12
Cloud Shadows and Three Trees, Infrared © Rad A. Drew
I've been making photographs of the Palouse for about 6 years now, and it never disappoints. June is a colorful time to go, as winter wheat will be green, and there's often yellow canola and chocolate fallow fields that converge to create a beautiful color pallet for photos. (Details here.)
New Growth in The Palouse
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Italy in 2020
I'll be leading two trips to Italy in 2020, one in Tuscany and the other in Calabria in the "toe of the boot." These areas are very different yet, both beautiful in their unique way.
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Tuscany 2020!
October 8 - 15, 2020
Limited to only 7 participants
(Sold Out; email me here to be added to wait list)
Cortona, 2019
Our last two trips to Tuscany have been in the spring, but next year, for a change, and because my Italian friend, Gabriele, has insisted we come to see the fall color, we'll be going in the fall next season.
Pienza, 2019
(Details here.)
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Calabria 2020!
October 22 - 29, 2020
Limited to only 7 participants (only three spots left)
At long last, I have a web page up with a complete description of this trip!
Tropea, 2019, © Rad A. Drew
After Tuscany this past spring, I took a week to scout in the Calabria region for a trip in the fall of 2020. Wow! Incredible villages along the coast and dwellings like these along the cliffs in Tropea. There's so much to see! I'm excited to be going back with a small group next fall.
Calabria has a very different feel to it from Tuscany. To me it has an old world charm evident in the little villages, the architecture, and the coastline. We'll visit Scilla with its Medieval Castle (Castello Ruffo) that lies on a dominating position upon the Strait of Messina and its picturesque fisherman’s district called “CHIANALEA” where houses are built right at the edge of the coastline.
One of my favorite towns in the region is Diamante, where they maintain the centuries-old tradition of painting murals on the walls of the city. We'll see some murals that are a hundred years old and others that were painted more recently by contemporary artists.
Not all the murals in Diamante, Italy, have a dramatic story, but many do. This mural glorifies a wall in a courtyard in Diamante, where only a few years ago a young couple met and fell in love. After a short marriage, the husband was diagnosed with cancer and died soon after. His young widow returned to this courtyard to honor her husband and pay homage to their marriage by painting this mural. At first glance it appears to be a tree with intertwined trunk and limbs, an appropriate enough tribute, but look closer at the figure-ground relationship in the painting and you may see the two lovers themselves, close and facing each other, a symbol of their enduring gratitude for their fleeting union.
And, we'll venture to Sicily where we'll visit Taormina, considered to be Sicily's most beautiful town. I could go on and on!
Read more about this great trip here.
Email me here if you have any questions.
Diamante, 2019
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DeNoise AI by Topaz Labs
Now with Batch Processing
ON SALE through February 7
Regular price = $79.99
Current Sale Price = $59.99
Less Additional 15% with my code = $50.99
Here's How:
This image of a dried leaf shows the before DeNoise on the left, and after DeNoise on the right
This image of a beetle on a dahlia shows the before DeNoise on the left, and after DeNoise on the right
Other great Topaz tools include:
- Studio 2 with Clear AI
- DeNoise AI
- Gigapixel AI
- Sharpen AI
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Northern Indiana Stream
Photographed with the Lightroom for mobile app's long exposure setting using the iPhone XS Max, then
processed on the iPhone using the Lightroom RAW tools for mobile.
iMentoring Sessions!
Let Me Help You Harness the Power
of the New iPhone 11 Pro Max (or any iPhone!)
The latest iPhone, out for several months now, is transforming the way we make photos. With its improvements in depth effect and portraiture, a new 13mm wide angle lens, and fantastic Night Mode capabilities, it's getting the attention of DSLR pros and enthusiasts who previously dismissed the iPhone as not a real camera.
But how do you keep up with all the new apps, features, and operating system advances, and continue to get amazing photos with your iPhone?
Each session is customized to meet your needs. All sessions are conducted on-line using software that allows me to share my desktop and my phone, and demonstrate aspects of photographing and processing. No travel and expenses needed, and you can be anywhere in the world. We do it all online from the comfort of your home or office.
The latest iPhone has many new photography features and capabilities that are powerful, but in some cases cryptic. I have the luxury of exploring the features of the iPhone as they come out, and I use the iPhone to make images everyday! I have for 10 years! Take advantage of what I can share with you to improve your iPhone photography!
Here's an example of what we could do together!
We had a very foggy Christmas Eve morning in Indianapolis. I was out running errands, picking up things for our Christmas dinner, when I passed this scene in a nearby cemetery.
Using my iPhone 11 Pro Max and the native camera, I made this photograph:
I loved the graphic elements of the trees against the fog, and was delighted to catch a bird among the branches, but the foreground had some unattractive elements – the chainlink fence and the tombstones didn't add anything to the scene! It needed some work if it was to become anything special.
Using an assortment of apps for the iPhone, I removed the fence and tombstones, added a texture for ambiance, used another app to enhance the existing fog, and for a final touch, I added a star in the sky. It was, after all, Christmas Eve!
Here is the final image.
Other examples
Transform a graphic but dull image into one with mood, texture, and impact.
Remove a distracting background and isolate the remaining subject.
After making this image last summer, I found myself thinking about what I could do with it.
First I processed it to add textures and tonality for a more dramatic image.
Then I asked myself, "What if I was commissioned to do an album cover? What could I do with this?" I created this image using a variety of apps, all done on the iPhone.
Sign up for a Live, Customized, 1:1, iMentoring Session
Let me share with you how to...
- get the most from your new iPhone camera
- use the latest photo features and capabilities introduced with iOS 13
- process images for tone, texture, and mood to fulfill your creative vision
- get the highest quality possible by recording and processing RAW with your iPhone
- use the latest apps, alone and in combination, for great effects
These are just some of the things you can learn in an iMentoring session with me. And you can create your own curriculum!
Here's how it works:
- We have a conversation about how you use your iPhone,
- You share what you like to photograph, how you currently process, and, what you want to learn,
- Together, we craft a curriculum that is designed to meet your specific needs at the level you want to work.
We can work in 90-minute sessions that you select a la carte, or you can purchase a package of four sessions at a discount.
or email me at RadDrew@gmail.com to get started!
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