Helms Creative Workshops

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How to Break into Entertainment Photography and What to Know Once You Get There

Hey friends!  

We are less than a week away from our next workshop, and it is an EXCITING one!

This Tuesday, Nov. 8th, 2011, from 7-10pm we will be hosting Michael Becker where he will go over "How to Break Into Entertainment Photography and What to Know Once You Get There".

Michael Becker is an established television and celebrity photographer with show credits that include American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, House, The Practice, Ellen DeGeneres, The Mentalist and many other hit TV shows. In this course, Michael will discuss how he broke in to this competitive field, and what it takes to stay there.

Subjects covered will include:

Equipment

Who’s hiring and how to get hired

Unions and the Industry Work Roster

Networks, production companies and their PR departments

The “Talent” and the Talent’s “People”

Unit production work and “setiquette”

Portrait Gallery and Key Art Gallery photo shoots

Lighting Techniques – hard and soft

Location shoots

Digital Media - file format, capture software, workflow, processing and delivery

Billing and ownership of images

The changing industry

Location:

HELMS DAYLIGHT STUDIO  3221 Hutchison Avenue #E, Los Angeles, CA 90034

Presentation Date: Tuesday. November 8, 2011, 7pm – 10pm

Instructor: Michael Becker

Workshop fees: $65

Register for this Event

More About Michael:

Michael Becker is a celebrity and entertainment photographer living in Los Angeles, California. He specializes in entertainment portraits for the television, music and commercial industries, as well as PR campaigns and editorial. People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Billboard, US Magazine, TV Guide and many other national magazines regularly publish his work. In addition to the many TV shows he shoots, he has been the lead photographer for American Idol for the past six seasons. He is responsible for the judge and contestant photography used for the billboard and advertising campaigns, as well as all the live show photos provided to Getty Images and Picture Group for worldwide distribution.

Michael has a special affinity for shooting singers and musicians, as he is also an Oscar and Grammy nominated songwriter and producer. He is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, with a BA in jazz guitar and composition. His songs have been featured in numerous films, including his Oscar nominated song “In the Deep” from the hit film Crash, as well as “Have No Fear” from Will Smith’s film Seven Pounds. Michael brings the same sensibilities to photography that have made him successful in music. “I find photography and music to be a perfect compliment to one another. The visual arts and the musical arts are very similar for me, in that all the elements have to work in harmony in order for the piece to successfully move someone. Color, composition and sound intertwine respectively to help create emotion.” When asked about his approach to shooting celebrities, Michael says “I always try to create a comfortable environment for the artist. Artists give their best performances when they are passionate and emotionally engaged. I’ve found one of the most important components in portrait photography, as well as in music, is trust.”

Recent credits for Michael Becker photography:

TV Shows

American Idol / FOX House / FOX So You Think You Can Dance / FOX The Practice / ABC The Mentalist / CBS Sons of Anarchy / FX Nip Tuck / FX Ellen DeGeneres / Telepictures The Emmy Awards The NAACP Awards

Recording Artists

Carrie Underwood Usher Lady Gaga Alicia Keys John Legend The Jonas Brothers Rihanna Jamie Foxx Justin Bieber Harry Connick Jr

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Conceptual Still Life with Pete McArthur Thursday, Nov 3, 2011, 7pm–10pm

There's Nothing Like a Great Idea-Especially if you're getting paid for it!

Still life photographer Pete McArthur shares his sources of inspiration and methods of developing concepts for advertising and editorial applications. This will be a lively and practical three-hour lecture that will demonstrate Pete's process of creating engaging photographs that need to communicate specific visual information and yet be artistically satisfying. A twenty-seven year veteran in commercial photography and seventeen years as a photographic educator gives McArthur a unique perspective and an opportunity to share techniques that he has refined over decades of working with both clients and students.

Pete’s course will consist of two 3 hr. meetings. The first class will be an informative presentation of Pete’s work, a brief discussion afterwards and an assignment will be given. The second meeting will consist of a critique of each students work and discussion.

Specifications

Location:

HELMS DAYLIGHT STUDIO 3221 Hutchison Avenue #E, Los Angeles, CA 90034

Presentation Date: Thursday, November 3, 2011, 7pm-10pm

Follow-up & Critique Date: Thursday, November 17, 2011, 7pm-10pm

Instructor: Pete McArthur

Workshop fees: $175 / Limited Space! 25 Students Max.

Register For This Event!

More about Pete McArthur

Still Life photography with a colorful, conceptual twist is probably the best description of Pete's work. With a background in graphic art and photography, Pete McArthur brings the everyday items we sometimes overlook to new and special environments that are uniquely his own.

By combining his conceptual wit and distinctive, photographic style to numerous ad campaigns, magazine covers and posters he has left his mark on some of America's favorite brands and companies.

Honda, Sylvania, California Pizza Kitchen, Clorox, Nabisco, Hitachi, Microsoft, Kodak, Nabisco, Mead and Strathmore have incorporated Pete's work into magazine, outdoor and corporate media while Fortune, GQ, Business Week, Bloomberg and Harvard Business have used is editorial skills to bring punch to their features and covers.

In addition to his photographic career, Pete has enjoyed being a teacher and lecturer at numerous colleges over the past couple of decades. He is a past faculty at the Art Center in Pasadena and has been a frequent guest lecturer at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara since 1998.

Pete’s engaging images can be viewed at: http://www.petemcarthur.com

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The Art and Technique of Beauty with Richard Radstone

Our next workshop, The Art and Technique of Beauty with Richard Radstone, is only a week away!

Join us on Saturday, October 22, 2011, 9:30am–4:30pm with Richard as he shares some of his lighting, business and directing insights. This 6-hour program will get both your technical and creative gears turning, all while strengthening your understanding of what it takes to shoot beautiful skin, direct for emotional performance and develop a personal creative-point-of-view.

Richard’s energy is contagious and through live demonstration, mixed with a bit of fun, food and open discussion, you’ll walk away with an expanded knowledge of quality of light and it’s relationship to quality of skin, optics, color balance, composition, shooting rhythm, casting, styling, the psychology of beauty, and an enthusiasm to develop your own personal creative voice.

This is a highly interactive program in which you will be front and center to the production of a variety of actual beauty shoots with A-list models and stylists. 

Whether you shoot women, men, portraiture or fashion, or are just interested in expanding your horizons, this event is for you.

***There is a limited space in this workshop!  Register now before the event at Samys.com.***

This workshop will be held in the HELMS DAYLIGHT STUDIO, located at 3221 Hutchison Avenue #E, Los Angeles, CA 90034.

Upcoming Workshops:

Conceptual Still Life with Pete McArthur, November 3

How to Break into Entertainment Photography with Michael Becker, November 8

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How to Break Into Entertainment Photography and What to Know Once You Get There with Michael Becker, Tuesday, November 8, 2011, 7pm – 10pm

Michael Becker is an established television and celebrity photographer with show credits that include American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, House, The Practice, Ellen DeGeneres, The Mentalist and many other hit TV shows. In this course, Michael will discuss how he broke in to this competitive field, and what it takes to stay there. Subjects covered will include:

Equipment

Who’s hiring and how to get hired

Unions and the Industry Work Roster

Networks, production companies and their PR departments

The “Talent” and the Talent’s “People”

Unit production work and “setiquette”

Portrait Gallery and Key Art Gallery photo shoots

Lighting Techniques – hard and soft

Location shoots

Digital Media - file format, capture software, workflow, processing and delivery

Billing and ownership of images

The changing industry

Michael Becker is a celebrity and entertainment photographer living in Los Angeles, California. He specializes in entertainment portraits for the television, music and commercial industries, as well as PR campaigns and editorial. People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Billboard, US Magazine, TV Guide and many other national magazines regularly publish his work. In addition to the many TV shows he shoots, he has been the lead photographer for American Idol for the past six seasons. He is responsible for the judge and contestant photography used for the billboard and advertising campaigns, as well as all the live show photos provided to Getty Images and Picture Group for worldwide distribution.

Michael has a special affinity for shooting singers and musicians, as he is also an Oscar and Grammy nominated songwriter and producer. He is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, with a BA in jazz guitar and composition. His songs have been featured in numerous films, including his Oscar nominated song “In the Deep” from the hit film Crash, as well as “Have No Fear” from Will Smith’s film Seven Pounds. Michael brings the same sensibilities to photography that have made him successful in music. “I find photography and music to be a perfect compliment to one another. The visual arts and the musical arts are very similar for me, in that all the elements have to work in harmony in order for the piece to successfully move someone. Color, composition and sound intertwine respectively to help create emotion.” When asked about his approach to shooting celebrities, Michael says “I always try to create a comfortable environment for the artist. Artists give their best performances when they are passionate and emotionally engaged. I’ve found one of the most important components in portrait photography, as well as in music, is trust.”

Register for this event here.

Recent credits for Michael Becker photography:

TV Shows

American Idol / FOX

House / FOX

So You Think You Can Dance / FOX

The Practice / ABC

The Mentalist / CBS

Sons of Anarchy / FX

Nip Tuck / FX

Ellen DeGeneres / Telepictures

The Emmy Awards

The NAACP Awards

Recording Artists

Carrie Underwood

Usher

Lady Gaga

Alicia Keys

John Legend

The Jonas Brothers

Rihanna

Jamie Foxx

Justin Bieber

Harry Connick Jr

[helmscreativeworkshops-blog]

Conceptual Still Life with Pete McArthur Thursday, November 3rd, 2011, 7pm–10pm

There's Nothing Like a Great Idea-Especially if you're getting paid for it!

Still life photographer Pete McArthur shares his sources of inspiration and methods of developing concepts for advertising and editorial applications. This will be a lively and practical three-hour lecture that will demonstrate Pete's process of creating engaging photographs that need to communicate specific visual information and yet be artistically satisfying. A twenty-seven year veteran in commercial photography and seventeen years as a photographic educator gives McArthur a unique perspective and an opportunity to share techniques that he has refined over decades of working with both clients and students.

Pete’s course will consist of two 3 hr. meetings. The first class will be an informative presentation of Pete’s work, a brief discussion afterwards and an assignment will be given. The second meeting will consist of a critique of each students work and discussion.

Presentation Date is Thursday, November 3, 2011, 7pm-10pm with the Follow-up & Critique Date on Thursday, November 17, 2011, 7pm-10pm.  Both will be held at HELMS DAYLIGHT STUDIO in Culver City, CA.

More about Pete McArthur:

Still Life photography with a colorful, conceptual twist is probably the best description of Pete's work. With a background in graphic art and photography, Pete McArthur brings the everyday items we sometimes overlook to new and special environments that are uniquely his own.

By combining his conceptual wit and distinctive, photographic style to numerous ad campaigns, magazine covers and posters he has left his mark on some of America's favorite brands and companies.

Honda, Sylvania, California Pizza Kitchen, Clorox, Nabisco, Hitachi, Microsoft, Kodak, Nabisco, Mead and Strathmore have incorporated Pete's work into magazine, outdoor and corporate media while Fortune, GQ, Business Week, Bloomberg and Harvard Business have used is editorial skills to bring punch to their features and covers.

In addition to his photographic career, Pete has enjoyed being a teacher and lecturer at numerous colleges over the past couple of decades. He is a past faculty at the Art Center in Pasadena and has been a frequent guest lecturer at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara since 1998.

Pete’s engaging images can be viewed at:

http://www.petemcarthur.com

[helmscreativeworkshops-blog]

More about Richard Radstone

For over 25-years, Richard Radstone has been a frequent choice of global and national advertisers, corporations, publishers, institutions and individuals who seek creative works, consulting and educational programs.

Richard has developed curriculum, guided discussions and conducted seminars for many schools and organizations. His mission is constant: to foster individualized creative point-of-view while strengthening technical expertise and business acumen. He has served on both Regional and National boards of APA (American Photographic Artists), is a recognized contributing author and owner of several educational and photographic blogs.

The warmth of his personality and his sense of humor allow his colleagues and students to open up and be receptive to new information and in pushing their own creativity. He has an innate ability to connect with those he works with in a way that inspires, informs and enlightens.

Elevating the level of photography that his students can produce is core to his teaching DNA and he thoroughly knows his craft. Whether it’s an intimate discussion or a lecture hall presentation, Richard always holds his audience’s interest and attention.

Richard’s commercial and portrait work is in demand and he has recently begun expanding into commercial production, short film and a series of publishing projects.

Richard resides in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter. To stay clear and fresh he can often be found mountain biking the trails that surround his home. To quote, “Riding is my 4th love, you’ll have to guess 1, 2 and 3.”

See Richards work at www.richardradstone.com

or

Read more about him at www.richardradstoneblog.com

Spend Saturday, October 22, 2011, 9:30am–4:30pm with us as Richard shares some of his lighting, business and directing insights. This 6-hour program will get both your technical and creative gears turning, all while strengthening your understanding of what it takes to shoot beautiful skin, direct for emotional performance and develop a personal creative-point-of-view.

Register for event here.

[helmscreativeworkshops-blog]

The Art and Technique of Beauty with Richard Radstone, Oct. 22, 2011

On Saturday, October 22nd, 2011, 9:30am–4:30pm, join veteran beauty/portrait photographer and filmmaker Richard Radstone as he shares some of his lighting, business and directing insights. This 6-hour program will get both your technical and creative gears turning, all while strengthening your understanding of what it takes to shoot beautiful skin, direct for emotional performance and develop a personal creative-point-of-view.

Richard’s energy is contagious and through live demonstration, mixed with a bit of fun, food and open discussion, you’ll walk away with an expanded knowledge of quality of light and it’s relationship to quality of skin, optics, color balance, composition, shooting rhythm, casting, styling, the psychology of beauty, and an enthusiasm to develop your own personal creative voice.

This is a highly interactive program in which you will be front and center to the production of a variety of actual beauty shoots with A-list models and stylists. 

Whether you shoot women, men, portraiture or fashion, or are just interested in expanding your horizons, this event is for you.

The presentation date is all-day Saturday, October 22, 2011, 9:30am–4:30pm.

Space is limited for this event!  Please click here to register.

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Developing Your Next Personal Project with Mark Berndt, Oct. 12, 2011

On Tuesday, October 12th, 2011, 7pm–10pm, we are very excited to have Mark Berndt with us to talk about developing your next personal project.

The daily discipline of professional photography means accessing creativity on demand, producing quality on a deadline, and making images in a tempest of budgets, logistics and committee opinions. After a while photography can seem like a job, and we forget the reason we started doing this in the first place. Reclaim your enthusiasm for photography in an evening of dialogue about personal photography and the synergy it should have with your commercial work. Not another lecture, not just a slideshow - join in a workshop of EXPLORATION and CHALLENGE.

THE EXPLORATION:

Prompted by his recent book project, Mark Berndt, LA-based photographer and teacher, wants to share his experience and help you define your desires, push your limits and inject new energy and goals into your work as a visual artist. In an evening that's as much dialogue as demonstration, we'll concentrate on the importance of defining your style and creating personal projects to charge your creative battery and send your photography in new directions.

THE CHALLENGE:

Even the most challenging assignment is in certain ways easy - there are defined goals, set schedules, and parameters that allow you to measure progress and success. Creating a self-assignment is much more intimidating. Personal work can seem frivolous, expensive or self-indulgent. Without the boundaries we complain about on a commissioned project, our concepts are often vague, parameters are undefined, and the tangible result of the finished project - illusive. So, we often avoid personal assignments, and in doing so miss out on the enlightenment, the benefits and the fun they can bring.

CREATE A NEW PERSONAL PROJECT:

In our first evening session we'll examine a process to help you develop a new personal project, to inspire yourself to create new work, and develop a structure for your project that defines phases of your new work that can be measured and achieved. This workshop also includes a follow-up session. Two weeks later we'll host a second check-in session where you will share your progress, refine your concepts, and motivate completion! Engage your creativity and boost your enthusiasm about being a photographer! Join us for two unique evenings of conversation, collaboration and exploration.

Presentation Date is Wednesday, October 12th, 7pm – 10pm

Follow-up & Critique Date is Wednesday, October 26th, 7pm – 10pm

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More about Eric Poppleton

On Tuesday, October 11th, 2011, 7pm–10pm, we are very excited to have Eric Poppleton with us to talk about making the leap from still to motion.

Eric is based in Los Angeles, CA and has been a commercial photographer for 25 years. Initially his career was print advertising for entertainment clients and annual reports. In the mid 90’s as digital imaging techniques were in their infancy Eric turned his technical and creative skills into specialized digital imaging techniques developed for the Internet, commercial and film productions.

epop, inc. was established in 1996 and has become a leader in the digital imaging industry. epop is experienced in using a variety of digital panoramic and still camera systems. These high-resolution images are implemented into HDR and or Virtual Reality applications intended for on / offline use. To date epop has created thousands of digital images for clients worldwide.

epop has found success in the travel, automotive, real estate and entertainment industries for 360 panoramic imaging techniques. Select clients include: Lexus Mercedes Benz, Infiniti, Scion, Morgans Hotel Group, Ian Schrager Company, The Embassy VFX, Warner Brothers, Quietman VFX, Sehsucht VFX, Lions Gate Entertainment, and VR Way International.

To check out Eric’s work, please visit:

www.epop.com www.epopmotion.com

To register for our DSLR Motion Capture Event, please visit here.

Presentation Date is Tuesday, October 11, 2011, 7pm–10pm

Follow-up & Critique Date is Tuesday, November 1, 2011, 7pm–10pm

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DSLR Motion Capture with Eric Poppleton, Oct. 11, 2011

On Tuesday, October 11th, 2011, 7pm–10pm, we are very excited to have Eric Poppleton with us to talk about making the leap from still to motion.

The time is now to pick up your still cameras and make your images move. The age of digital film-making is upon us. With minimal gear and your creative eye you can do it.

Your instructor Eric Poppleton will take you through his personal experience in making this leap from still to motion. Eric’s past work in the still world consists of 360° panoramic’s for architecture and automotive products.

Eric’s course will consist of two 3 hour meetings. The initial class will go over gear necessary to create motion out of your current stable of still imaging gear. An assignment will be given to create a short motion piece of your own. The second meeting will be a critique session of everyone’s work. Final editing of the piece is not required due to time constraints.

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More about Ken Merfeld

The first of six Helms Creative Workshops will be on October 4th, and will be the Portrait Journey with Ken Merfeld.

Ken owns and operates a commercial studio in Culver City, CA where he photographs fashion, advertising, portrait, and celebrity assignments. His work has appeared in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Mademoiselle, Angeleno, Zoom, Black and White, and Los Angeles Magazine.Ken teaches photography at Art Center, College of Design in Pasadena, CA and also has degrees in Marketing Management and Psychology from San Diego State University.

Merfeld has worked for years on a black and white personal portrait project which includes dancers, bikers, autistic children, “little people”, people with their pets, transvestites, twins, women wearing masks, etc. Award winning documentary projects: Autistic Children, Vietnamese Refugees (Camp Pendleton), and Identical Twins.

Ken Merfeld needs to create on a daily basis, loves to see what he has never seen before, and appreciates the bent, broken, life on the edge, and imperfection. He believes that the exchange of energy is most important in life and is critical in art. He has an insatiable appetite for beautiful light, interesting people, strong images, emotional response, simple design, and a different point of view. Merfeld is an aficionado of photo history and the black & white darkroom, is opinionated, honest, and passionate. Ken will go to a five-star restaurant but prefers tacos and beer, loves to laugh, and loves to create images more than anything.

While embracing the new world of electronic imaging in commercial photography, Merfeld has also chosen to step back in time into the process of Wet-Plate Collodion from the 1860’s. This new body of work is attracting world-wide attention as Merfeld combines 19th Century technique with 21st Century technology in re-defining his provocative, emotional portrait series. For more information, refer to: http://merfeldcollodion.com.

To register for this event and to see other upcoming workshops, please visit us at helmscreativeworkshops.com.

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The Portrait Journey with Ken Merfeld, Oct. 4, 2011

We are very excited to announce the first of six upcoming workshops, October 4th, 2011 7pm-10pm.

To kick off this new series, we start with The Portrait Journey with Ken Merfeld.

For more than 20 years Ken Merfeld has been one of the most prolific people shooters in Los Angeles. Ken has photographed a myriad of commercial, fashion, fine art, and personal portrait projects with a variety of lighting styles, printing techniques, and aesthetic approaches. Enjoy a journey through Merfeld’s enigmatic world of portraiture and learn how one artist has managed to survive, and continually reinvent himself, in this rapidly changing world of art and commerce.

Ken’s course will consist of two 3 hr. meetings. The first class will be an inspiring presentation of Ken’s work, a brief discussion afterwards and an assignment will be given. The second meeting will consist of a critique of each students work and discussion.

Head over to helmscreativeworkshops.com for more information and to register.  There is limited space!  25 Students Max.  

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6 New Workshops Announced!

We are very excited to announce SIX new workshops!

Still life, beauty, conceptual portraiture, unit/gallery, and motion all on the slate.

For details and dates, stay tuned here.

Early registration is highly suggested, as our workshops have limited space.  Register at helmscreativeworkshops.com.

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Helms Creative Workshops, Building your reel on Oct. 2nd

Hello Everyone-

Last weekend's PhotoCine News Expo 2010 at the Los Angeles Film School was extremely informative and exciting!  The turnout was great and the crowd was very much into the new direction in digital image capture-MOTION!  Thanks to Michael Britt, Lou Lesko and Tom Stratton for creating such a fantastic event!

The excitement over shooting motion continues this coming weekend as the Helms Creative Workshops invite Lou Lesko and Michael Britt to conduct a workshop on how to create a Public Service Announcement.  This interactive workshop will cover writing a treatment, storyboarding, pre-production, setting up the camera, shooting parts of a PSA and some pointers on post production.  Everything you need to start building your director's reel.  See our website for more information.

http://www.helmscreativeworkshops.com/index.html

Take advantage of early registration and professional association discounts, sign up now.

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Helms Creative Workshops Series, new class Oct. 2nd

Hello Everyone-

We are happy to report that our first workshop, Photoshop CS5 with Lisa Carney, was a resounding success!  There was a great turnout of eager attendees and Lisa was a dynamic speaker that kept us all entertained with pertinent information.  For anyone who wanted to attend and missed it, we are bringing her back for more in February, 2011.

The next installment in our workshop series will be, "The Next Step: Building a Director's Reel with Your DSLR" on Saturday Oct. 2nd, 9:30am-4pm.  It will be held at Helms Daylight Studio, see our website for details.  

http://www.helmscreativeworkshops.com/index.html

Take advantage of early registration and professional association discounts! 

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Helms Creative Workshops Series continues

Our first workshop is now less than two weeks away.  Register now and take advantage of the early bird discount.  Epson has signed on as a sponsor for our first workshop, Adobe Photoshop CS5 with Lisa Carney.  Saturday August 14, 2010.  9:30am-4pm.

The next workshop in our series will be Stills to Motion; how to develop your reel and shoot motion with the new HDSLRs.  Saturday October 2, 2010.  Sign up now for more information about future HCW events.  Helms Creative Workshops

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Don't forget to take advantage of early bird pricing for the August 14th workshop - only two weeks away! Register here:

Helms Creative Workshops

Email us at [email protected] with any questions you may have.