I told you I was studying... :)

For those of you wondering about the results of yesterday's Lightroom ACE, here are the results:


So, it's taken a few weeks, but I'm finally certified in both Photoshop and Lightroom. Of course, some have said that I'm "certifiable" for many years, but I don't know that we're talking about the same thing.

Now that the certification process is complete, I'll be getting ready to start teaching these applications - along with basic and intermediate digital photography - very soon. Expect to see some significant changes in this blog - both format and content will be changing, as I plan to use this blog as an opportunity to hone my ability to instruct and to continue to offer basic tips and tricks.

Thanks for your patience - and start looking for more content here next week!

Where'd I go?

Alright, I swore I wouldn't go a month between posts anymore, but I've been so busy studying for the Photoshop ACE that I almost forgot I had a blog! So here's the deal... I missed the cutoff for a passing grade by one question when I took the test last Thursday. As soon as I got home, I scheduled a retest for Monday morning and spent most of the weekend studying.

(An aside: being a Raiders fan has one advantage - even when the game is televised, you often turn it off in frustration after two hours instead of three.)

"So," I hear you asking me, "what happened?" Maybe this will help:



YEAH!!!

Of course, I just loved studying so much {that's sarcasm for those of you unfamiliar with me} that I decided to schedule the Lightroom ACE exam as soon as I got home from the Photoshop ACE. I'll be taking that next Friday, 10/24 and I frankly expect to pass it the first time. It's a less-complicated application and I use just about everything in it - whereas in Photoshop, there were many tools and features I've never used.

These are just the first steps towards becoming a full-fledged Photoshop and Lightroom instructor - but they're necessary steps, and I'm glad to be under way!

Expert? Maybe... maybe not.

Many of you know that I've been tossing an idea around in my mind for the past few months. That idea? Teaching people, primarily amateur digital photographers, how to use Adobe Photoshop. Now I know there are hundreds - if not thousands - of websites out there that people can visit to get tips & tricks... I know, because I scour a bunch of them pretty regularly. But there aren't too many opportunities for people to get focused classroom time with a certified expert in Photoshop - someone to help them really get their minds around the tools available to them in Photoshop. So, that's where I come in.

But am I an expert? Ah, not yet, says Adobe... I'll be taking the Adobe Certified Expert exam in Photoshop CS3 early in October - then I can say I'm an expert. So I've been studying for the exam and I have to tell you a little secret...

Here it is.


I don't like studying anymore than I did when I was in school.


There, I said it.

So even though I'm having flashbacks of all-nighters powered by caffeine and the foolishness of youth, I'm going to keep studying and getting ready for the ACE exam. Stay tuned for the results... and what happens next!