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John Reuter, Principle, 20×24 Holdings LLC and head of 20×24 Studio, Master Photoshop Instructor, and Artist joins host Scott Sheppard for an in-depth look at his background and experience with Photoshop and hybrid workflows in digital art. John’s journey in photography began in early college where one of his professors introduced him to the fine art aspect of solarization and reticulation including studio photography. He then began working for Polaroid as a Research Photographer which allowed him to work closely with their development team and field test a variety of their film formats.

While at Polaroid, John was able to work with their large format 20 x 24 camera, which literally captures Polaroid images 20" wide by 24" tall and soon learned to incorporate this medium into his art. John eventually became the studio manager for Polaroid’s 20×24 Studio and became involved in digital imaging since it’s inception working with film scanners, Photoshop, film recorders thereby starting his digital hybrid workflow experience. Digital image capture and scanning became an intregal part of his creative expression as did digital image transfers. John even experimented with digital prints using the early Iris and Epson inkjet printers onto watercolor paper.

Since 1995, John, teaches art-focused Photoshop classes, featuring digital collages and Polaroid scanning techniques. A series using Holga cameras and Polaroid, and created a podcast series last year, "Creative Photoshop Techniques with John Reuter" featuring tips and tutorials on using Photoshop for fine art.

After Polaroid stopped making their instant film, John formed 20×24 Holdings LLC and now manages the NYC based studio with Jennifer Trausch and continues to capture incredible 20×24 art images for talents that include William Wegman, David Leventhal, Mary Ellen Maher, and many others. The camera and studio are available for rent and offer a great experience for any art enthusiast.

Find out more about John’s background, work, and training classes at http://www.johnreuter.com or find out more about the studio at: http://www.20×24studio.com/

The McNamara Report on Inside Digital Photo with Michael J. McNamara
This week’s topic: Are we giving up our right to take scenic photographs?

The tragedy of 911 brings back haunting images of an unforgivable attack on innocent people, especially for those who lost loved ones and neighbors. In its aftermath, we all agreed that security had to be tightened to prevent such an act from reoccurring. But have we gone too far by adding laws that actually prevent nature and scenic photographers from taking pictures of lakes, bridges, dams, and other scenes that inspired previous generations of painters and photographers?

In this segment, Mike has some stories to tell about his latest encounters with growing photo restrictions in his rural home town area north of New York City.

Listen in on the McNamara Report segment or get more photo insights and analysis on a variety of topics from Mike McNamara at: http://www.mcnamarareport.com.

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Steve Anchell, Photographer, Trainer, and Author, Steve Anchell Workshops, joins host Scott Sheppard for a lively discussion on analog vs. hybrid workflows and his latest book "The Darkroom Cookbook". Steve and Scott discuss how to get the best results using both worlds by capturing the original image on film and then scanning the negatives into a digital environment. Steve explains details on his workflow which include tools such as the Epson Perfection V750-M Pro with a fluid mount accessory for wet mount film scanning to help reduce scratches and adjust grain. Once the negatives are prepared and scanned, Steve prepares them for output at 13 x 19 on his Epson 2400 for pleasing results very close to what you might see on standard film processed prints.

Steve shares some tips about digital color spaces and gamut in a hybrid workflow. Although he is considered a master in a darkroom, Steve discusses his experiences in working with scanned images and explains how a hybrid workflow can gain a larger range from your images seeing greater details in darker areas and shadows than working directly in film. He also advises rather than take a hard position that one method is "better" than another method, part of the beauty of photography and imaging is the range of options available and treating each method as part of the art involved in great printmaking. Steve prefers to shoot digital for his color work but again accepts each method for their inherent benefits and capabilities.

Since 1979, Steve has run a popular series of location based workshops including teaching courses at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, and the longest running workshop on figure photography in the world, The Nude at Big Sur. To find out more about his work and latest workshops visit: http://www.anchellworkshops.com/

The McNamara Report on Inside Digital Photo with Michael J. McNamara
This week’s topic: The paint never dries in photoshop and the ink never dries on the web.

In today’s economy keeping up with the latest versions of every software program you own can be a difficult decision, especially when some image retouching programs cost hundreds of dollars to upgrade and there are lower cost alternatives on the market. In this segment, Mike tackles the tough issue of “to upgrade or not to upgrade?”, sharing his own experience testing and using every version of Photoshop since it was a Beta version in 1989, and having witnessed every conceivable computer crash caused by new operating system software, corrupt printer drivers, and not-ready-for-prime-time releases. Bottom line? For best results, upgrading software often requires updating hardware, on both Macs and PCs.

In this segment, learn about options for getting what you need without paying for features you don’t. For example, Mike suggests trying to master Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 on your PC before emptying out your back account for the latest Photoshop CS4 version, or opting for the Adobe Photoshop Elements bundle that includes Premiere Elements 7.0 for movie editing.

Listen in on the McNamara Report segment or get more insights and analysis from Mike McNamara at: http://www.mcnamarareport.com