So what is so special about this school?   MARS offers a one week all inclusive package that include your hotel room, most of your meals and a full week worth of training.

MARS has anywhere from 5 to 7 instructors each year that teach an assortment of topics related to photography.  Students sign up for one of the instructors and then spend the week with that instructor.  These classes are not sessions where you sit and look at power point slides all day long.  These classes are “see and do” session!  Most of the time the instructor covers a topic and then you break out into groups and try out what you were just shown.  Since classes are small with anywhere from 10 to 15 students in the class, your instructor is able to work with you during the session.  MARS also has models on hand so you have a chance to work with models to try out your skills.

But that is not all the training you get.  They offer additional sessions thought out the week, so you get even more exposure to many different aspects of photography.  Many of the speakers are on the cutting edge of photography and talk about things you may have never though of.  I have learned more in one week at these sessions then all of the little workshops I have attended combined.

My instructor last year was Dennis Craft.  Dennis is a well know portrait photographers who specializes in portraits of children.  He also happens to be the past president of the Professional Photography Association, and a great guy, I might add.  Dennis shared with us many great tips on photographing people in natural light.  As part of the class we had three field trips where we went out into the Cape May area and tried out the techniques he showed us.  Dennis then critiqued the work of each.  The learning experience was incredible.

The instructors are always icons in the world of Professional Photography.  Some of the past instructors were Eddie Tapp, Hanson Fong, Jane Connor, Suette Allen, Fuzzy Duenel, and Nancy Emmerich just to name a few.

You may be thinking that MARS is for “Professional Photographers” and someone from a “Camera Club” does not belong there.  NOT True!!!   The school is open to anyone who would like to advance their knowledge and skill in photography.

The 2011 program is the 15th year and the program looks awesome.  Check out the list of instructors for 2011:
* Mark Campbell – Photoshop –
“Turbo Charge Your Workflow. The Need For Speed” (beginner to intermediate)
* Paul Gero – Wedding/Portrait –
“IN THE MOMENT – Incredible Wedding and Portrait Images Using Simple Techniques and Tools” (all levels)
* Bruce and Josh Hudson – Portraiture –
“A Week With Hudson And Hudson” (all levels)
* Dave Newman – Portraiture –
“… With Dave Newman” (all levels)
* Garrett Nudd – Wedding –
“The Complete Wedding Photographer” (all levels)
* Art Rainville – Inspirational –
“An Artistic Journey Through Creative Expressionism” (intermediate to advanced)
* Tony Sweet – Environmental Art -
“Creative Nature and Outdoor Photography” (all levels)

If you are interested in advancing your photography and having a great time doing it, you should consider attending May 1 through May 6, 2011 classes.
If you do sign up please mention my name.  (Nath Kaplan)

You can find out more about the MARS program at their web site:

http://www.marsschool.com/courses.htm

http://essexnjblooms.org/NaturePhotographyWorkshop.aspx

My question to you: when was the last time you backed up your photos? By back up, I mean copied the photos to DVDs or external hard drives. Most people will answer this with one word, Never!

Not backing up your digital photos is a very dangerous thing. Computer hard drives fail. It does not matter if you are a “Mac Person” or a “PC Person”, hard drives will fail. If the hard drive fails you could lose ALL of your photos! All of those family memories will be needlessly lost.

You can prevent that disaster by backing up. External hard drives are about $100 and are connected to computers in minutes. You can copy all of your photos to the external hard drive in minutes. Many of the hard drives come with software that will let you set the computer up to back up the photos automatically.

If the external drive is not for you then you should at least make copes of the photos onto DVDs. This takes a little more time, but it could save you in the long run.

Backing up your photos now could prevent a tragedy later.

We will begin with a presentation on various techniques used to capture both flowers and gardens then we will head out into the Arboretum’s gardens to spend time putting these techniques to use. I will be working with each student to help them refine their skills.

This course will be offered on Saturday, June 6th from 9AM to 12PM. $35

Call 973-202-9579 to register!

We will begin indoors discussing various techniques used to capture both flowers and gardens then we will head outdoors into the Arboretum’s gardens to spend time putting these techniques to use. I will be working with each student to help them refine their skills.

This course will be offered on Saturday, May 16th from 9AM to 12PM. $45

Call (908) 273-8787 x15 to register!

Today, New Jersey was hit with a late winter storm. Schools were canceled and I did not have to work. So like any good photographer, I grabbed my equipment and went out shooting.

It was 18 degrees with a 20 mph wind. Here are a few of the photos. These are all from Verona Park.

Click on photo for a larger view.

Based on what I have done so far, I think the lens gives the best effect in portrait photography.
That being said, I am interested in trying the lens out in some garden photography.

Below are a few examples of the photos that I have done with the lens.  I also have a side-by-side photo of a regular photo and a Lensbaby photo.

Click on photo for a better view.

Here are some web sites with Free Plug-ins and Actions for Photoshop.  The web pages are packed full of information.

Free Photoshop Plug-ins Collection

Photoshop Actions for Photo Touch-Ups and Enhancements

60 Photoshop Tutorials for Photo Touch-Ups

Scott Kelby’s blog had a two part video interview with an attorney who specializes in Intellectual Property.  The interviews are short and very informative.  You can find this interview on Scott’s blog.

Hyperphocal.com has a nice simple web page that explains Copyrights and what you should know.  Go to Hyperphocal.com.

The Professional Photographers of America have a website Copyright Defense, this site has information on Copyrights and what is happing with Copyright laws.  Their web site states they “…are the imaging profession’s copyright watchdog”

And last, but not least is the US Copyright website.  The site has a lot of information and you can even file for copyrighting on the web site.

I hope this all helps to address your questions on Copyrights.