Anyone here ever attend a Scott Kelby course?

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
I'm a fan of his Lightroom and PSE books and I see he's doing a one day seminar in Philly in April. I love Philly and just the excuse to go there and grab lunch at Reading Terminal Market is enough. For $89 and the price of gas I expect that I'm bound to pick up more than a few things. But when I read course descriptions like this...

[h=2]How to Take Better Pictures Starting Right Now!
[/h] What is the one thing we all really want to do? We just want to take better pictures, right? Right! We want to move to the next level where we really enjoy the process, sidestep the frustration and start taking the kind of photos we know are inside us — we just need to know the techniques that let us focus on the images, and stop getting bogged down in all the technical stuff, and that’s exactly what you’re going to learn in this session. This class is filled with those “ah-ha!” moments that make the light-bulb come on for you so you can start taking better photos. Not in a few months, not in a year—starting tonight!




... I can't help but wonder if I'll be sitting there wondering why I paid for fluff (though I'll walk away with $99 worth of software I may never use, so I guess it's technically "free")? It'll give me a day off from work, and a chance to wander the city and shoot some (haven't been there since I got back into DSLR photography), so I don't need arm twisting. But I can just take a day off and go shoot and eat.

Anyway, just curious if anyone has ever attending one of his seminars?
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Should have included a link to his blog post...

Announcing My New “Shoot Like a Pro” Tour | Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider

I watched the video and a couple things in there are outside of the box I've currently been shooting in, flash photography in particular. I'm almost thinking that sitting there for that alone could justify making the trip, even though I could likely read and absorb all that myself. Just need to make sure I can grab the day off.
 

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
If I wasn't leaving on vacation the next day, I'd meet you there! I've been to a Joe McNally class sponsored by Kelby at the Convention Center. At the time I thought it was good. You should expect it to be lecture format. In retrospect, it was very interesting but I'm not so sure how much value I received.
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
It seems like it's a live-action walkthru of parts of his book, which for me can often be more helpful than reading it. I'm a visual and auditory learner - never been good with textbooks. I love reading, but reading with comprehension was never a strongpoint growing up. I'll only learn if I'm putting into practice what I read immediately.

I rolled the dice and signed up. Been too long since I had a DiNic's sandwich anyway. LOL
 

LouCioccio

Senior Member
Long story short I have been riding my stationary bike for two years (1 hour = 12miles) and finally catching up on my podcasts and webinars. Anyway I have a Sekonic L358 I used it to get my light ratios with my strobes. I also used it out doors but never using a feature I never knew I had.It was one of those webinars that Joe Brady and Sekonic gave about Ambient to flash and you have control because sometimes TTL may fail at look at a scene. He does give a tip don't let the camera control the scene you can do the controlling as you know what you want to photograph. Also catch Andy and Mike at Lightenup and shoot on the web.
Any seminar you do pick up. My daughter and I went to a Joe McNally in Washington DC but there was a lot of people. The more expensive ones are the hands on and a couple of them I attended was the original Bill Stockwell 3 day in Cleveland Ohio and a Rocky Gunn one day.

If can catch the webinars or podcasts (you can save those in iTunes) and the webinars I used to be able to save them in an earlier Safari but Apple changed the interface makes it more difficult to find the cache.

Here is one with 30% flash all manual flash and camera
PA042212.jpg

Lou Cioccio
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Thanks, Lou. My mention of flash is just because it's one segment where I'm really an absolute novice. I've read very little on using a hotshoe flash, and haven't even bothered looking for one after getting a decent Bowen as a throw-in on another deal I made (I think I've used it 3 times). So even if all I get is how to use the damn thing properly, I'll at least look smarter when I need to put it on there. LOL

I'm all about free webinars, and if this was somewhere else, like NYC, I'd likely take a pass since I need to think about the hassle factor and cost of just getting there. Philly is 75 minutes away with no tolls and the town I spent my college and "rock band" days, so it's always great to get back there.
 

LouCioccio

Senior Member
I spent 28 weeks at Ft. Monmouth and would either get to Newark fly home on Mohawk or we'd hitch hike across the PA turnpike. I would get to Pittsburgh and have to take a bus (before I79) no one is driving North on PA19.
And when I could not get home we go to New York City thats back in '66 as long as you were in uniform you could get in Museums and such. At that time I had an Agfa 35 point and shoot.


Lou Cioccio
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
It was well worth my time and $89 (plus $12 for lunch, $11 for parking...). Scott is a terrific speaker, and he kept my attention even through some technical glitches and a cold that both he and I were fighting. Very salt of the earth guy who had some very interesting pieces of advice for practical photography. I'll post a couple things in a different thread.
 

RockyNH_RIP

Senior Member
It was well worth my time and $89 (plus $12 for lunch, $11 for parking...). Scott is a terrific speaker, and he kept my attention even through some technical glitches and a cold that both he and I were fighting. Very salt of the earth guy who had some very interesting pieces of advice for practical photography. I'll post a couple things in a different thread.

Very Good!! Glad that you enjoyed and that it was worthwhile!

Pat in NH
 
Top