Below, you find a description of my Lightroom-related services. Please also take a look at the many Lightroom articles on my blog, my Lightroom Classic Troubleshooting page and the Lightroom Classic Process & Version history page.
Individual Help & Support
Lightroom Workflow
If you need help with organizational tasks around your photo collection and Lightroom I can help with:
- Choosing Lightroom Classic or the Lightroom “Cloud” system (or both!)
- Migrating from Cloud to Classic, and vice versa
- Streamlining the import process in Lightroom Classic
- Deciding whether you should have one single or multiple Lightroom Classic catalogs
- Reorganizing your photos and cleaning up your photo archive
- Implementing best practices for catalog, photo storage, backup
- Integrating Publish Services into your workflow (upload directly from LR Classic to SmugMug, PhotoShelter, WordPress, Flickr, etc.)
- Consolidating multiple catalogs into one
- Cleanup of Lightroom’s catalog folders (old catalog versions, old backups, etc.)
- Solving general Lightroom riddles around catalogs, folders, metadata, tags, duplicates — and all that! :)
I worked IT for over 10 years before becoming a photographer, and I’ve been a “geek” for much longer still. I know my way around computers. I can help.
Developing Photos
The full potential of digital photos lies in developing one’s photos on the computer. I develop most of my photos in Lightroom Classic, and Lightroom Classic alone. When full utilizing its features, the software is way more powerful than many users realize. Local adjustments, or “masking” as they’re called now, have always been a part of my process, and the release of Lightroom Classic version 11 and later has made them so much more powerful that there’s less and less need to additionally use Photoshop.
More important than HOW to use Lightroom’s Develop features though is WHY to use them, WHEN to use them, and how to start. If you think that my photos look good, I’d be very happy to show you all this. My evaluative approach is logical and not just based purely on personal preference. There is logic to light and color, the concepts are easy to understand, and when applied, photos will improve while retaining and enhancing their natural look.
Experience
I’m using Adobe Lightroom since version 1 in 2007. I manage my entire landscape & nature photo archive in Lightroom, in a single, well-organized catalog. I process most of my photos in Lightroom, and Lightroom alone — I’m a prolific photographer, with well over 1000 blog posts online here now, and I need an efficient way to work with my photos. Lightroom does that for me, and much more.
Since 2016, I have been a Lightroom workshop instructor and teaching classes for the Sierra Club Photo Section. I cover both digital workflow and photo organization, as well as developing photos using Lightroom in these workshops and classes. I’ve taught over 80 students that way.
In addition to classroom workshops, I offer these services on an individual basis, as a personal Lightroom tutor. Thanks to screen sharing and remote support software, I can offer Lightroom tutoring around the globe. I work on my personal ABC of client locations: current and past clients are in Anchorage, Alaska; Barcelona, Spain; Colorado; Missouri; New York; Tel Aviv, Israel… all the way to Zurich, Switzerland.
No two photographers are alike, and it will have the most impact if we’re working together on your photos, your workflow, your image archive. If you think we’re a good fit, are keen to grow your own photography and think you could gain from my experience and knowledge, please get in touch to talk about details.
Building a Digital Archive
Good archiving begins right when you import your photos! And with so many photos on our hard drives, it’s essential to spend some extra time on the organizational aspects of building a useful digital archive. Lightroom is a fantastic tool to manage our digital photo assets – if you enrich your photos with good metadata (like keywords). I can show you how to streamline your workflow and track your progress. You’ll never return to a folder on your hard drive again wondering about the progress of any photo.
An Efficient Digital Workflow
Working with digital photographs means that we’re working with more, way more images than ever before. Digital photography allows us to work scenes more thoroughly, try different exposure settings, experiment with compositions, angles, techniques at no additional cost except time – and time is the most precious thing we have. Managing these images in an efficient workflow is essential to not get “lost in data” and use our time most efficiently to get results from our photos.
You’ve been to an awesome photography workshop. Or on a road trip. You rose at 4am on your vacation every day to make photos while your family was still fast asleep. You’re back home with 500 new raw files. Now what? Where do you start? How do you assess them, cull and edit, create a selection, refine it, ultimately publish the pictures? I can show you a systematic approach and a clear path in Adobe Lightroom that will make your post processing more effective and enjoyable.
Post Processing beyond the Basics
I am convinced that developing digital photos on the computer is an integral part of the art of photography today, and I know of the new challenges and riddles on that path. But I still enjoy every minute of it. Let me share my excitement for digital photography, post processing and the digital workflow in Adobe Lightroom with you.
Beyond the basics, developing your photographs in the digital darkroom is not just a question of how, but much more so of what. Identifying what you need to work on “in post” is key to photographs that clearly convey your own, personal photographic vision.
Rates
My price for Lightroom tutoring and help is $90 per hour for on-site sessions or $66 per hour for on-line lessons (when possible). For more complex and time consuming work, like migrating and consolidating Lightroom installations, multiple catalogs, photo archives, I offer a 10% discount on 4 or more hours, and a full-day (8 hours) discount of $100.
I also offer a “Quick start to Lightroom” package, two hours with two sessions each (can be on different days, which I actually recommend), for a discounted flat rate of $300 (in person) / $200 (on-line). The first two hours are about Lightroom basics & organizations, the other two hours about the Develop module. You will learn a lot in these two sessions and it will cover everything you need to get started with Lightroom.
Please contact me directly to set up an appointment. You can also find & book me through Wyzant.
Availability
I’m in San Diego, on the US West Coast in Southern California, in the Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8). I’m generally available from 8 a.m. through 6 p.m. (18:00) PST, Monday through Saturday. Please reach out to me to make an appointment.
Please add 1 hour if you’re in MST (UTC-7), 2 hours for CST (UTC-6), 3 hours for EST (UTC-5), 9 hours for CET (UTC+1).
Testimonials
Below is feedback from workshop participants:
“Thank you very much, Alex. It was a great class. You pictures are awesome and you are a very talented instructor” (Marina B.)
“Thank you for the learning experience today! It would have taken me days, weeks or forever to stumble through all that you showed.” (Steve S.)
“Thanks so much for a terrific workshop. I am delighted with all the new LR tools you introduced me to, as well as the ones you reminded me that I already know. It was clear, well-presented and organized, and completely helpful!” (Janie A.)
“There is quite a bit I know about LR, but there is a whole lot I don’t know. Now I know a lot more after today!” (Phil R.)
“[Thanks] for a really great class! My photos are a mess on my hard drive and I was desperate for a way to organize them. This class taught me just about everything I need to do that. This will make a huge difference in my ability to catalog my photos. Looking forward to getting the notes/slides so I can read up on a few things I wasn’t clear on (there was a LOT of information which is great), and go over the whole method because I’m going to adopt the one you taught pretty much the same way. Thanks again!” (Mike P.)
“Thank you for sharing your knowledge so unselfishly! You are a wonderful presenter, patient, willing to repeat a step and most of all very down to earth and approachable. This is a wonderful combination that affords folks the ease of mind to learn something new and also the freedom to ask questions. Thank you for today!” (Gina S.)
“Thanks for a great class, Alex. I enjoyed it and learned a lot!” (Marsha K.)
“Thanks for a very informative Lightroom workshop today. Although there wasn’t enough time to cover everything in processing, you certainly succeeded in demystifying it for me – that’s half the battle. And I’m looking forward to receiving your notes. Please keep me on your mailing list for any upcoming photography seminars you have scheduled.” (Barbara W.)
“Thank you so much for sharing. I look forward to taking another class to further explore the possibilities of the program.” (Marv S.)
“Thanks very much for the great workshop. I was sorry that I had to leave a little early, but I got a lot out of the workshop and enjoyed your teaching. I look forward to receiving your notes, and to a future workshop.” (Cathy H.)