Although winter is not a popular time to take dog pictures outside, winter in Wisconsin does have it's own unique beauty. Some dogs hate snow so they are probably a write-off for this time of year but indoor shoots are still a lot of fun. And, there are still plenty of outdoor dogs at the dog park having fun as I saw during a recent beagle session. Still, most people prefer to wait until warmer weather to have their dog photographed - when the greenness returns.
So with a lull in photo shoots, I decided it was high time to take on the new kid on the software block... the Lightroom 2 that Santa brought for me. It's always fun to get new software (I'm a geek) but I haven't run into anybody yet who likes to tackle that giant, boring, software manual. Adobe figured that out so they just decided not to ship a manual with the software. They know it'll just sit on your shelf next to your Windows 95 manual. While there are plenty of sites online offering help and instruction - which one to choose?
A co-worker of mine (when I worked at the Apple Store) suggested a web site called lynda.com and I decided to give it a try. In a nutshell, they offer training in many, many different software programs. Everything from Excel and Outlook to iTunes, Windows 7 and, of course, Lightroom 2. They have an expert walk you through the program while you follow along in your software. The instruction is done via online video so you can progress at your own pace and repeat things if you need to. The Lightroom 2 module is taught by Chris Orwig, an instructor at Brooks Institute of Photography. You see his computer screen in the video and hear him describe features as you follow along.
Some of the chapters in the class are available for free so you can see if it's to your liking. After that, you pay by the month for unlimited access to all of the educational videos you can watch. The pricing is $25/month or $250/year. There is an option to purchase a DVD so you can learn without having an internet connection. Having two monitors, while not necessary, is very helpful so you can put the video in one screen and have the other screen full sized with your software.
I'm currently on chapter 2 of 24 so I wouldn't classify myself as an expert quite yet. I'll let you know at the end of my month trial how it's going.
