In the exciting world of retail art photography, a photographer has to keep on evolving; keep on experimenting; keep on creating new looks.

Like most serious photographers, I have a truckload of old images that are really top quality, but which needed to be given a breath of new life. For ten years now I have been trying to paint my images manually, one way or another. I tried it with a paintbrush and acrylics at first. Then I tried painting oils on to my fiber darkroom prints. Finally I tried watercolor paints mixed with colored pencils. I had limited success, and ruined a lot of prints.

I have tried a couple of digital painting programs lately, and found them a bit difficult to understand. The instruction manuals still sit in a stack on my special desk, which is dedicated to unfinished projects.

As a tester for the new Adobe Photoshop CS5, I started toying around with the new mixing brush tool. You’ll find it hidden under the paint brush tool. I love it! It is pretty understandable for those artists who already have a basic grasp of Photoshop. The image below was painted relatively simply, using just two different brushes on a single layer. Boy, I am really excited to dig further into the “wet brush” settings and develop a line that will really catch some attention when printed on large stretched canvases.

This image is of a champion hula dancer named Haunani. If you have ever wanted to photograph real hula on the beach in Hawai’i, you can join me and Rick Sammon, and Juan Pons, and a dozen other pros at the Maui Photo Festival in August! Rumor has it that the famous Adobe Photoshop Evangelist Russell Preston Brown will show up again this year to give us the inside scoop on CS5.  There is nothing better than shooting a digital camera while standing barefoot in the white, tropical sands of Maui!

If you are looking for a workshop even more intimate, then check out my Tropical Island Boot Camp for Creative Photography. Russell Brown and I will spend an adventure-packed week exploring the secret spots all around the island. This will max out at 10 students,. i have two openings left at this moment. Email me for more information!

Aloha,

Randy

After months of planning, it is finally time to announce my June photography workshop!

The workshop will be officially announced tomorrow morning to several thousand people on my email list. I expect it to sell out to all ten lucky students pretty quickly. This workshop is unique from all the others, as we will be living together, “boot camp” style, in a dormitory. This intensive 6 day, 6 night adventure will be all-inclusive! I have arranged for accomodations, meals, and all ground transportation!!!

To top this off, I have partnered up with the incredible Photoshop Evangelist Dr. Russell Brown from Adobe! Yes, this is the Emmy Award winning, Photoshop Hall-of-Fame inductee, world-famous mad scientist himself!

Maui Pro shooter Aubrey Hord will be our assistant. Her job is to keep us on track, and on schedule for the duration of the week.

Please download the brochure by clicking HERE.

~randy

Yesterday I was in Lahaina making my normal rounds of deliveries to the Front Street retail stores. There is a stand of coconut trees which have alwave captured my curiosity over the years, but I never really took the time to get my camera out and make an effort to photograph them.  Typically, Lahaina is too hot and sticky for me to actually walk with my camera bag, and set up a tripod. Yesterday I made the time and, yes, ended up sweating profusely. The image is cool, though. Sort of avant garde. Any thoughts?
~r

The new Humpback season us underway. For me, that means it is time to dust off my kayak and put the roof rack back on the car. I am hoping to get out once per week throughout February and March. I have yet another simple book concept called “Wednesdays with Whales”.

The first week of March will be exciting for me as I will get to go shooting with the very infamous Dr. Russell Brown — Senior Creative Director for Adobe. I am hoping for glassy seas and “whale soup” off of Maui’s south shore.

I continue to search for a WP Blog developer to help me make this blog more visitor-friendly. Hopefully soon. …and Rachael’s blog too. Her blog has all the loyal followers.

Tomorrow and the day after my days will be spent with a Photoshop Guru Ben Willmore. Ben is the homeless dude living in his little $350,000 bus. He criss-crosses the continent shooting, teaching, and doing other guru-things.

Christmas Eve on Maui…..

This afternoon was fantastic. I found my creative “zone” for a good hour, or more. Christmas Eve afternoon is sort of like the 2 hours before Thanksgiving dinner. There is anticipation, relaxation, and a sense of care-free-ness.

Today the wind was strong and steadily blowing the north shore mist around the mountains to the leeward side. From 7am till 6pm there was a rainbow; not just a rainbow, but a rainbow of legendary brilliance. It was there like a rock, all day long.

So at 4pm i finally heard the voice in my mind to out and shoot photos! I hiked up into the cow pasture behind my house and filled a 4 gig card completely.

As a professional, I need to grab my camera and got shoot as much as I can. But to tell your family that you are heading out to go “look for rainbows” sounds lame. Chasing rainbows for a living?

It works for me! Merry Christmas!