"101 Shades of Gray" presented by John Batdorff

I have great affection for the West which is renewed with every trip I make to Montana.  Even after 20 years of visiting Montana, I'm still caught off guard by it's vastness and endless beauty.  I never truly understood why people referred to Montana as Big Sky country until I saw it with my own eyes for the first time.

The large, open, mountain fields...

     The sweeping vistas...

There's a ruggedness to the land and the way people lived.  Before "tiny home" became a buzzword, a smaller homestead was a reality born of necessity.

But in the end, what draws me back to Montana is Yellowstone National Park.  It has an illusion of simplicity, but in reality nothing is simple in Yellowstone.  it's a complex ecosystem that pushes and pulls to find its balance.

It's this balance that I envy as it serves as a reminder that my own creativity can only thrive when family, friends, and work are in balance

This is just a little series to show why John likes black and white photography.  Pro-photographer John Batdorff is a respected black and white photographer. Join him to improve your black and white processing skills in Adobe's Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro 2. Starting at conversion and ending with a dynamic black and white photo, John will guide you step-by-step through his processing workflow for black and white images. He'll cover landscapes, street shots, and fine-art images to help you take your grayscale photos to the next level. You will learn how color impacts your black and whites, unique compositional tools for intentional black and white photography, how to use harsh light and shadows to your advantage, and when to choose black and white. Techniques will include using color sliders to selectively adjust tonal ranges, creating dynamic light with the use of radial filters and Nik Control Points, and advanced Tone Curve techniques for improved contrast control. He will also show you how to make your own presets once you've mastered your black and white technique. This will be an in-depth exploration of black and white photography with live, step-by-step processing examples and you'll walk away viewing black and white photography in a new light.

John Batdoff is an award-winning travel and street photographer based in Chicago. He is the author of "Black and White: From Snapshots to Great Shots," "Plug In with Nik: A Photographer’s Guide to Creating Dynamic Images with Nik Software," "Nikon D7100: From Snapshots to Great Shots," and "Street and Travel Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots," as well as his Learn by Video DVD "Master Lightroom Presets: Enhance Your Creativity and and Increase Efficiency." John leads destination workshops from New York City to Death Valley and more and he mentors other aspiring photographers in his Chicago studio. See his work and read his popular photography blog at johnbatdorff.com.  John Batdorff - Chicago Photographer, Author, Instructor

John will be teaching at CAPS-Chicago Area Photographic School on Saturday, November 21st.
To visit the CAPS website go to: Home
To register for CAPS go to:  Chicago Area Photographic School (CAPS) 2015 - RegOnline