If you keep trying to create a photograph like the ones you've seen in magazines but so far you've only ended up frustrated and disappointed by just average looking photographs, you must keep reading....
Discover How To Dramatically Improve Your Photography As Soon As Your Very First Lesson
FROM: Gene Rodman
Dear Fellow Photography Enthusiast,
Using Photoshop correctly is one of the best skills to have to create beautiful images like the ones you see in magazines and calendars.
If you are like me you've spent a lot of time researching and comparing camera equipment and all it's accessories trying to get the best quality and value for your buck. You've also probably spent a small fortune obtaining all your equipment with the thinking that NOW you're going to be able to get those great photographs.
Do you know that most people believe it's a professional photographer's camera equipment that is responsible for creating their stunning photographs?
Well let me tell you now....
That Is Totally Wrong !!!
Yep, I said it. It's the truth and any good photographer knows that it is the truth. It's not something the camera companies want you to know though!
The truth is a good photographer can create wonderful images with an average camera.
The Secret To Truly Stunning Images Is To Take A Good Image And Process It Correctly In Photoshop.
It doesn't matter if it's taken in film or digitally, it still can be made better in Photoshop.
And I'm not talking about doing a lot of weird and crazy things to it here.
I'm talking about taking your photograph and enhancing it just right until it looks exactly like you envisioned it should.
(My philosophy is that I like to enhance a photograph to bring out its best qualities but I personally don't like to totally change the photograph to where you can't recognize it)
It's All In The Details
So, here's another little secret I'll let you in on.....
Photoshop is very complicated!!!
OK, so if you have ever tried to use Photoshop you know that that's no secret.
Just Google Photoshop and you'll see tons of articles, videos and tutorials on the subject. Anything and everything you'd ever want to know is right there for you to learn and a lot of it is for FREE!
So Why On Earth Would You Want To Learn From Me And Pay Me For Something You Could Learn For Free?
Well, first let me tell you about my journey of learning Photoshop and you'll see very clearly why you should learn from me and not make the same mistakes I did.
I visited Yosemite when I was a teenager and took along my little 110mm camera (you'd have to be at least 40 to know what one of those are). I really wanted to take photographs of Yosemite like the ones I had seen on postcards.
I took lots of pictures and was so excited I couldn't wait to see my masterpieces. But...when I had my film developed I was extremely disappointed by what I saw.
My pictures weren't masterpieces, they were all washed out, dull, drab, and not very sharp! I really wanted to be able to capture the most beautiful place I'd ever been and share my experience with everyone through my photography. I was so frustrated.
So began my 20 year journey through college (yes you read that right) of learning how to become a better photographer. I'd still be going if I hadn't moved to Montana. One photography class led to another, then another. I was even helping the teachers teach I'd been there so long.
It wasn't until my guidance counselor suggested I get a degree in photography that I even realized I had completed all my courses.
That was in the early 90s when film was still King and developing in the dark room was our best option.
After moving to Montana, I remarried and found myself helping my wife raise two children after having raised two of my own. My stepson, Nick, was graduating from high school and we wanted to take a really nice senior portrait of him.
I had just bought my first digital camera, a Fuji, and took him down to our studio and photographed him. I opened his images up in Photoshop 6, which is what we had at the time, and realized I had a lot of work to do to retouch it. He had a lot of blemishes and the colors were all wrong. His skin was really red and the black background definitely wasn't black.
It Just Looked Horrible!
So I sat there and stared at the screen for awhile wondering how I was going to fix everything. I didn't even know where to start!
Well, I decided to try to fix the colors first since they were so bad. So how do I do that? I didn't have a clue.
I had dial-up internet at the time so even if I found tutorials I wouldn't have been able to watch them since it would've taken so long to download them. Honestly I don't even know if the thought entered my mind.
You had to pay for everything in those days, and I was determined to learn on my own.
I had a photography degree, I should be able to figure it out.
I checked out the help section but that didn't enlighten me. I just didn't know enough to know what to ask.
So I decided to just randomly click on buttons to try and figure out what to do. Aha, I found a color balance thingy - that should work. I tried moving the sliders to fix the colors, but everytime I got close to fixing the background, Nick's face would turn brighter red, or worse green!. I got so frustrated I did what I normally do.
I told my wife she had to figure it out because there was no way I could take it anymore.
She worked at it a few hours and came to the same conclusion. It was just too complicated.
We took the best digital image we could create, blemishes and all, and figured it had to look better after it was printed at Walmart. It didn't.
(Taking your masterpieces to a place like Walmart or someplace similar is definitely on the do not do list, unless they are snapshots. You'll learn why and what better options there are for you in your lessons by the way.)
They looked so bad we couldn't send them out to our friends and relatives. There was no way we wanted people to see them. We redid his portraits outside so we wouldn't have to worry about the black background and we did them far enough away so his skin wouldn't be as noticeable.
After That, We Decided We Needed To Know What We Were Doing.
We were professionals and people were going to depend on us to give them great photographs.
We went to the bookstore and bought some books on how to work in Photoshop. We each tackled a different book taping little pieces of paper to the outside of chapters we knew we would have to find easily.
We would open a book and go through it page by page following along with their lessons. When ever we discovered how to do something and it CLICKED, we would get so excited and teach each other how to do it.
But...a week or so later we would forget how to do that step and we would have to start learning it all over again.
We Quickly Realized 2 Things About Photoshop.
1. Photoshop can be AMAZING!!! I could do things in Photoshop so quickly where it would have taken me hours in the darkroom. And it gave me so many creative options, plus it let me change my mind constantly so I could go back and forth between options. I thought I was in heaven every time I learned something new.
2. Photshop can be HELL. If we didn't do things EXACTLY the way Photoshop wanted us to do them, we would get stuck for hours or days trying to figure out what it wanted.
We would try to follow the lessons step by step, eventually we would find that one teeny, tiny little step or piece of information would not be in the lesson and we would come to a screeching halt. We would become so frustrated because we wouldn't know what to do and something that should be so easy and quick to do would turn into frustratingly long wasted hours.
What we found out about learning from books is that we wouldn't know exactly where the lesson was taking us until we got to the end.
And a lot of times it's not where WE wanted to go so we were wasting a lot of time learning how the author wanted us to learn. But still not knowing how it applied to OUR situation.
We also went to seminars every chance we got and learned different ways to do things from different photographers. But being from a small town we didn't have a lot of opportunities to learn from other photographs.
We Loved When We Discovered How To Do Something More Efficiently And Effectively.
Saving time was really important to us because we didn't have a lot of it. Going to seminars and SEEING how something was done was very refreshing to us also. We tend to learn better when we can see it being done and we do it ourselves also.
Our brains were happier.
We have found out which techniques worked best for our situations.
Slowly and steadily we learned through more and more books, magazine articles, web sites, tutorials, and seminars. It all started coming together and now that we have opened our own photography gallery and studio we are learning how to apply everything we have learned to our business.
And Here In A Nutshell Are 8 Ways To Learn Photoshop The Hard Way
Just randomly click on a button to see if you can magically figure it out. Click on the HELP button to see if the Photoshop Fairies will magically help you on your specific problem. Especially when you don't know what the problem is. Go to a bookstore or online and hope you pick a good book out of the hundreds available that can teach you on your level and that you can understand easily. Open up your book and start to read contents. Realize you don't know where to start so just start at the beginning. Get to the 27th step on how to do something when you realize you don't have the same options as what the book says you should. Start back at the first step to see where you've gone wrong until you have the same problem where you proceed to step number 1 again. Repeat over and over til you just can't take it anymore and you want to smash you computer to smithereens. Please don't do that. It's not yours or your computers fault. You just weren't told what problems you might encounter along the way and how to fix them if you do. It's usually something really stupid that will take you hours to figure out only to have the same problem happen the following week where you'll have some faint recollection of having been through this before and how it all seems so familiar but for the life of you you can't remember how you fixed it. Repeat. Paste lots of little stickly notes on your computer and walls and desk so you'll remember how to do everything. Just make sure you don't lose any or do them in the wrong order. Surf the web for tutorials on how to do 1 thing in Photoshop. Go through millions of pages to find what you want without being distracted. Open, wait for it to download, watch and listen to how you can change a color photograph to black and white in only 120 steps! Get frustrated half way through, find another tutorial and repeat. Get distracted and forget what you were looking for in the first place. Give up and just let Photshop sit idly on your computer untouched for eternity vowing you will someday learn it. Ask 5 friends how they do something and get 5 different answers each one telling you the way they do it is the best and only way.
After Eight Years Of Research And Learning - These Are Some Of The Benefits We Found Of Using Photoshop To Enhance Your Photographs
Since a lot of my images were on slides and negatives I first scanned them to make them digital images. Then after processing them in Photoshop and printing them on my own printer I compared them to the color and black and white prints I had created in college. I thought my original prints were very good back in my college days, but after comparing them, the digital prints were much better.
These Are Just Some Of The Benefits I Saw To Using Photoshop On My Landscape Images:
They were sharper when I wanted them to be or softer when I wanted them to be. It didn't matter if I had used a filter or not. Some parts of the image, like the edge of a flower petal could be sharpened while leaving everything else out of focus. They had more contrast when I wanted them to or less when I wanted them to. The colors were more saturated or I could make them less saturated and give them a more old fashioned feel. Each image could be adjusted precisely in certain areas to bring out it's best qualities. The exposures could be precisely adjusted to make my whites more white and my blacks actually look black with a whole range of tones in between. I could adjust all the colors or just a few select ones to make them more true to life. I was in total control and could change my mind any time I wanted. I loved that! My black and whites could now look more sepia (brown toned) or more blue, whatever I felt like doing at the moment. I could print one image at a time and if I ever want to change anything about it I could.
I Have Never Been Happier :-)
I specialize in maternity and baby portraits at our studio so being able to consistently create beautful, emotional portraits is very important.
The Benefits I Saw To My Portraits Were Equally Amazing!
The babies skin looks soft and pink Their eyes have such a dimension to them. They are sharp and clear and sparkle, you just can't help but be drawn into them. I can retouch skin without it looking plastic or fake. Everyone can look healthy and relaxed but still look like themselves. I can make their teeth a little whiter without overdoing it. I can create soft, romantic images of mothers cuddling with their babies or make them sharp and colorful and full of energy. I can now create beautiful senior portraits that look like they belong on a magazine cover! And I'm so proud to show off!!!
BUT....
The biggest benefit I found was that I could save the image while I was working on it and come back to it another time to finish it. I didn't have to spend my whole day in the darkroom having to finish a print so the chemicals wouldn't go bad.
And that's just the benefits of film.
Digital images captured on a digital camera are equally impressive.
By the way, in case you were wondering, here's some things you might not know...
Your camera CAN NOT create the same quality images you want that Photoshop can.
Your camera CAN NOT create black and white images as good as Photoshop can.
Your camera CAN NOT sharpen an image as good as Photoshop can.
Why not get the full benefits of your camera equipment that you've spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on? Having a good quality camera is just the beginning. ..using Photoshop to enhance your photographs is what you need to actually see results.
So this leads me to some simple questions for you:
Do you believe learning how to use Photoshop correctly will help improve your photography?
Do you want to improve your photography?
Then when would be the best time to learn how to improve your photography?
There Is An Easier Way
For You To Learn Photoshop
But, like I said before, if you prefer to learn on your own like I did, there is plenty of information out there for you (and it's for FREE). If you don't mind sifting through it all to find what you want and if you already know which steps to do and in what order.
***Warning***
Also be very careful you don't damage your image if you are working on JPEG images! As you will learn in my Mentor Series if you do not know how to use Photoshop (or any digital imaging software out there) correctly you can damage your image beyond repair. Please, if you are learning on your own make sure that is the first lesson you learn.
However....
If you prefer to have someone (who's been where you are now) mentor you step-by step, without leaving anything out, from the beginning to the end in easy-to-understand lessons, where you will :
thoroughly learn each lesson before moving on to the next, easily know where to find information if you forget how to do something, watch the videos to see me do the lessons on my screen, while you're working on your own image on your screen so there will never be any miscommunication, know that if you do all the lessons from start to finish that you'll end up with a photograph that you'll be proud of.
Then This Series Of Lessons Is For You
OK, so now that you have convinced yourself that learning Photoshop is the best way for you to create the photographs you want here's how we'll do it.....
You'll receive an e-mail from me each week with your written lesson and a video showing you how to do it and an assignment. You will read through the lesson if that's how you prefer to learn while you are working on Photoshop, and/or watch the video of me doing the lesson with you. You will be able to make the video small enough to view so that you can work on your project at the same time. I'll explain everything thoroughly so you will understand what we are going to be working on and why it's important. Also I will alert you to any problems you might encounter along the way and how to fix them. Each lesson I'll explain the lesson and show you how to do them correctly. Then at the conclusion of each lesson I will give you your weekly photography assignment so you'll have a good photograph to work on the following week. Each lesson I will be talking to you about the BIG PICTURE. Photoshop can get so detailed you might forget what you're trying to accomplish. I will be reminding you what your goals should be for each lesson to keep you from getting distracted. I will also have you keep a copy of your original image before it was processed so you will have a reminder of how far you've come in such a short period of time. I will show you some examples of my "before" photographs, what mine look like after a particular lesson, and how it will look at the conclusion of the 3 months of lessons so you can see where you're headed.
It's That Simple!
Plus It's A Lot Of Fun Seeing Your Photographs Transformed Right Before Your Eyes
You'll just be amazed at how good your photographs will look.
Here's Some Benefits Of Joining My
Photoshop CS4 Mentor Series:
You'll learn not only how to do things, you'll learn in what order you should do them. You'll get to learn at your own pace-Even though lessons are sent once a week you can take as long or go as fast as you want. You won't feel frustrated or overwhelmed with too much information at once. You will learn all the steps to enhance a photograph whether it's a landscape, portrait, architectural, or anything else. All my lessons will work on all your photographs. You won't feel guilty for spending so much money on your camera equipment and not have anything to show for it. You will gain confidence as a photographer because you'll be taught by a professional who makes money selling his photographs and portraits.
{Now you must realize there are a lot of ways to do the same thing in Photoshop. I'll show you my way that I process my own photographs to sell in my gallery. Some techniques will give you great results where others will actually damage your photographs. I will let you know what not to do so you don't accidentally damage your images.}
Introducing My Brand New
"Photoshop CS4 Mentor Series"
A Step-By-Step, 12 Week Program For Learning Photoshop and Improving Your Photography.
I developed the Photoshop CS4 Mentor Series to teach you Photoshop the easiest way possible.
Every week for 3 months you'll receive an e-mail with a special download link for that week's step-by-step lesson. Included in the lesson is an assignment for you to complete so you'll make progress every single week.
Over the 12 weeks we'll cover everything you need to know to enhance your photographs from their original state to being print ready.
Some of what you'll learn is:
What settings you should set your camera to so there's less work to do in Photoshop Will Photoshop be able to SAVE some of your problem photographs and if so which ones? What computer equipment and accessories would help you improve your photography? How to make the colors "POP" in your photographs. How to get rid of distractions in your photographs. What you have to do to your photographs before you can send them to a professional lab to be printed. How to convert your color photographs into black and white or sepia (brown toned). No you do not just click the greyscale button. How to retouch skin in portraits but still have them look natural.
And so much more....
Instead of simply publishing this information in a book like everyone else does, I'm making it available to you week after week in action-sized portions so you'll actually SEE results.
You won't be overwhelmed by too much information at once that'll clutter up your brain. What you need is a weekly "here's how you do it next" action step to complete. What you need is for someone to show you how to quickly get started and then keep teaching you week after week so you don't get stalled along the way.
And that's exactly what I'm going to do
when you join my
Photoshop CS4 Mentor Series Program
(Just Think! In Just 3 Short Months You'll Have Photographs You Actually Will Be Proud To Display On Your Walls!)
As a member you'll receive~
One weekly lesson for 12 weeks in downloadable .PDF format and videos. (If you don't know what .PDF is I'll help you to set up the free software on your computer below).
You'll learn how to do one or two particular things in Photoshop that'll make a huge difference in your photographs each and every week.
Each lesson is strategically created in such a way that you'll see continual progress in your photography.
Each lesson is based on how I actually do my own work that I sell to the public in my gallery so you know these techniques are used in real life and gallery worthy (not just theory).
1
Short And Easy To Digest
Each lesson goes through the steps in the most efficient ways possible. Why do something in 20 steps when you can get the same or better results in 5. I am thorough, so you will understand each topic-what you are doing and why you are doing it.
2
Includes An Assignment For You To Complete
At the end of each lesson I will give you an assignment on a certain type of photograph you will need to take that week in order to have it ready for the next lesson. This will keep you motivated and inspired and will help you become a better photographer.
3
Lessons Build As You Go
Every lesson builds on the others. Early on I will show you some basics to get you going quickly. Then I will go more and more into detail so you will fully understand each topic and be able to apply it to all your photography. You will start to see results with your first lesson, then every week from then on you will continue to see results. No matter how much of a beginner you are you will never be lost along the way.
4
Forces You To Succeed Long Term
Figuring it out on your own by reading books or buying tutorials can leave you feeling overwhelmed from all the information and having to fend for yourself. But that isn't how you'll learn in this program. By giving you information in bite-sized portions for 12 weeks you'll be more likely to actually do something with the content....and you'll be more likely to see real results consistently for yourself.
5
Helps You Make Real Progress
When you look back at your original photographs (which I'll have you keep for your records) you'll actually be able to see improvement by putting these lessons into practice.
Each weekly lesson is designed to be "to the point" and ready to put into action.
The first lesson is coming your way immediately upon completing your order.
Included in your first lesson...
Lesson #1
How to correct your exposures by using the levels and curves tools. These tools will help you correct your photograph right away so you can see results instantly. How to make your colors POP. You'll learn how to read histograms so you can get perfect exposures on every photograph. How to tell if you can save that photograph if the exposure wasn't perfect.
You'll get this information instantly after you join below. Everything you need to get started is included in written form and in videos.
The format is simple...
Lesson 1 will explain how to quickly improve your photographs. Then we'll tackle a different aspect of Photoshop in each following lesson to continually improve your photographs with some "secret tips" on how to improve your photography also. Also, we'll look at how to fix problem photographs. Then, we'll close the end of the series with a lesson that'll totally blow you away! By following this last lesson you'll be able to produce a work of art that'll really impress you, your friends, and your family. I can't wait for you to find out what it is... (but for right now it's a secret, so no peeking.)
Want to know the best part? Check this out....
No More Paying Hundreds Or Even Thousands Of Dollars To Learn This Information....Even If It's In "4 Easy Payments"!
I've been a professional photographer since 1992 and I have been learning and studying Photoshop since 2002. That's ages in internet years. And I know how important this information is to you. I considered charging my regular fees for this program, which means I would sell it for over $1000.00.
And, in doing so, I'd make a ton of money. But, I realize many talented aspiring photographers like yourself, might not be able to take advantage of this offer simply because it wouldn't be in their budget. Also I feel it is my mission to help promote photography and inspire other photographers to achieve their dreams.
Listen, I know what it's like to be totally frustrated.
I know what it's like to be disappointed.
I know what it's like to feel overwhelmed.
I've been there and I know.
Trust me, I know.
It is for those reasons that I am not going to charge a thousand dollars that I could charge for this program. Instead, I'm going to make it a "no-brainer", and I'm going to make it downright affordable for every budget.
The price for a subscription to the Photoshop CS4 Mentor Series Program is just a measely $27 per month. While the series is only 3 months long you can cancel anytime you like. If you're not seeing the results you were hoping for, then it won't cost you a penny.
"Gene, that's a bargain...seriously...what's the catch?"
We both know that $27 is a drop in the bucket. Especially compared to the amounts you've already paid for your equipment. So, in keeping your guard up with a "suspicious mind" you'd have to ask the question, right? Well, truthfully, there is a catch...
Only 1000 Members Will Be Accepted Into Photoshop CS4 Mentor Series. Total!
And...
I Will Also Be Raising The Price
(probably doubling it)
On July 1, 2010
I have placed a cap on this program at 1000 members. Once these initial memberships have been sold (and this will not take long) I will close the doors and no more memberships for this program will ever be available again.
You need to understand something about this-
I'm not just pretending to raise my prices or pretending to remove this program. It will happen. Anyone who comes back to this site after July 1 , 2010 will see the $27 price gone and replaced with at least $47 maybe more unless all the memberships are taken before then, in which case this program will no longer be available for any price.
After the 1000th person signs up this program will be taken down permanently.
Don't kick yourself for not taking action immediately!
If you want to join, the time to do it is right now before the big SOLD OUT sign goes up in the box below.
Your Money Will Be Returned By Clickbank At the Click Of A Mouse Button If You're Unhappy For Any Reason.
Listen, here's the deal: I sell these memberships through Clickbank, which means I have to go by their rules. Their rules state that I have to offer you an 8 week, money-back guarantee. Which is totally fine with me, I'd be offering it to you whether they required me to or not. I'm totally confident in my materials and my ability to teach you and I know you'll be completely thrilled with the content and especially the results.
But, I also understand that you need peace of mind, and I don't want you to worry that you're making a bad decision, so if for any reason you are not happy with my Photoshop CS4 Mentor Series Program within the first 8 weeks then you can e-mail me or Clickbank and request a refund.
NOTE: You will need to have Photoshop CS4 installed on your computer NOT Photoshop Elements.
You will also need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer so you can read the lessons. If you don't have it already click the button below to download it to your computer. Don't worry it's free.
[](http://get.adobe.com/reader/)
Join Now While Memberships Are Still Available...
Yes, Gene, I want my weekly lessons to learn how to use Photoshop CS4 to improve my photography. (I have read and agree to the legal disclaimers below.)
Your initial charge will be $27.00. You will then be charged $27.00/month for 2 months after your initial charge has been made.
[](http://1.generodman.pay.clickbank.net)
[Click Here to Join Now](http://1.generodman.pay.clickbank.net)
YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR FIRST LESSON INSTANTLY
(NO MATTER WHAT DAY OR WHAT TIME IT IS)
You will receive an email every week with a download link for your weekly .PDF and Video lessons.
Every effort has been made to accurately describe this product and your potential outcome. Results will largely depend on your ability to follow and apply the lessons. My intention is for you to dramatically improve your photography through my lessons but the final results will depend on your desire and motivation.
Legal Information
[Disclaimer](pages/disclaimer.html) l [Terms of Service](pages/terms_of-service.html) l [Privacy Notice](pages/privacy_notice.html)
I mentioned this earlier, but I just want to stress it one last time because I think it's one of the most important benefits to you by using the "Photoshop CS4 Mentor Series" program.
Spending a lot of money on your camera equipment only gets you so far. I know you want to be able to produce the best photographs you can. Don't live with the frustration any more of having good equipment but still not being able to produce great photographs.
Imagine this for just a moment -
You see a spectacular sight in front of you and you are so excited because you have your camera ready! You're so careful to make sure you capture the beauty in front of you. You rush home and upload your image on your computer. Looking at it you realize it's nowhere near the actual experience but since you know how to use Photoshop, you have the confidence to start working on it. You know the routine because you have practiced it so many times and have gotten consistent results in the past. As you perform the final touches on it you're beaming because you finally get it! Then you start to wonder... who am I going to share this with? Where's the best place to show this off? How large do I want to print this?
If that doesn't excite you, it's probably time to start gathering your equipment and posting stuff on an online auction ... because this ain't for you.
But, if this does sound exactly like what you're looking for, let's get started [right now.](http://1.generodman.pay.clickbank.net)
All you need is ONE image to start,
(Actually, you don't even need that because I'll even provide
you some of my images to work on if you want.)
To Your Creative Success!
P.S. If you are still undecided about joining, [Click Here](pages/faq.html).
7541 US HWY 212...Roberts, Montana...59070/gene@photoshopmentorseries.com
Copyright © 2010 Montana Photographic Arts, Inc.- All Rights Reserved
[](pages/faq.html)
[](mailto:gene@photoshopmentorseries.com)
[](http://1.generodman.pay.clickbank.net)
Plus I'll send you weekly assignments for 3 months to help you step-by-step increase your confidence and improve your photography. At the end of the 3 month session you'll be able to enhance your photographs so well you'll be thrilled to show them off to everyone.
