Synergistic Visions Photography by Steve Traudt

Is your camera club, convention or other group looking for a dynamic and entertaining speaker? I have several informative and inspirational shows and can provide programs from 1 hour to all day.

I have presented programs for many groups in such cities as Albuquerque, Detroit, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Erie, Omaha, Lincoln, Amherst, Salt Lake City, Colorado Springs, San Francisco and others.

The seminar can be a good money maker for your club as well as giving your members lots of inspiration and new ideas.

The Magic Of HDR... High Dynamic Range. This is the hot topic and Steve demystifies the process. The program explains the methods of capturing the images and then the use of software to create the extended range.

Wide-Scapes…The Excitement of Panoramas...Until recently, making panorama images required specialized and expensive cameras. The advent of digital cameras now brings this exciting style of photography to everyone! By using software to “stitch” together multiple images, high quality enlargements can be made. This program examines the history of panoramas, tools and techniques, software, composition and more. The emphasis is on how easy and fun it can be, even with less expensive point & shoot digital cameras. 60 minutes.

Photoshop Workflow... The key to “taming” Photoshop is to work in a consistent and orderly fashion. A “workflow” provides a road map allowing the photographer to produce quality images in less time. I discuss such topics as: evaluating the image; adjustment layers; cropping; resizing; saving; sharpening & printing. 30-40 minutes.

Getting Great Prints... One of the frustrations of our digital darkroom is getting inkjet prints that match the monitor and look good. I explain the several factors are involved such as monitor calibration; using the right paper; your home digital darkroom environment; printer settings and Photoshop settings. Our current tools can produce amazing prints right at home; let me help you achieve this goal! 45 to 60 minutes.

Histograms & RAW... Two strange sounding terms and yet they allow us to get very high quality images from our digital cameras. First I show the value in using the histogram properly to get the perfect exposure. I also explain how to use and convert RAW image files for highest quality and latitude. 60 minutes. Could also do one or the other as a separate program of about 30 minutes if you did not want to do both.

The Birds of Bosque... Every winter, Bosque del Apache in New Mexico offers nature photographers world class photography when thousands of sandhill cranes and snow geese arrive in a cacophonic display of sound and color! In this program I explain the logistics of a photo trip to Bosque. I cover all aspects allowing you to maximize your photo ops in this avian wonderland. I also explain how the use of digital cameras let you learn and succeed in the fast paced world of bird photography. 60 minutes.

Digital Slide Shows... With simple software, photographers can now create amazing “slide shows” which can then be shared in many ways including the internet, email, CD and DVD. I explain all the elements, from start to finish including optimizing images; music; psychology and more. The lecture mostly features the use of ProShow Gold software but the knowledge applies to any other software as well. 60 minutes.

Creativity… Unleash the artist within!...A new inspirational and thought-provoking program that examines the artistic side of photography. I examine a variety of ideas and tricks to break out of a “photo rut”. 60 minutes.

Digital Enlightenment... A fun and fast-paced potpourri of tips and ideas to maximize the quality of your images. 30 minutes.

Entertaining Slide Shows... Throughout the day, I would intersperse several “slide shows” both to entertain and change the pace. These run from 3 minutes long to about 18 and cover many topics from Twinkies to Tuscany!

Dirty Pictures!... A new program that explains the issue of dust on the SLR sensor and examines the various methods to clean it off. Very practical information! 45 minutes

Optional Pre-Seminar Photoshop Class... On the day before the general seminar, I can teach a private Photoshop Elements 6/7/8 Class. Each person brings their own laptop computer (PC or Mac) with Elements 6.0,7.0 or 8.0 and I take up to 10 students. The content is "Photoshop Potpourri" and it includes tutorials on my favorite and most useful tricks and techniques. Each student receives a bound booklet and CD of the tutorials. Very reasonable cost when added to my basic seminar and a money-maker for the sponsor.

"This weekend was outstanding with your Friday program and Saturday seminar! The small group size on Friday provided a 1 on 1 teaching approach, which just left me wanting more….. Give me more!!!" M.W., Dearborn, MI

"Dear Steve, surely enjoyed your class last evening. As usual, your presentation was informative, humorous and so beautifully artistic. You are a great artist and I appreciate you and your abilities." M.T., Grand Junction, CO

"I want to express the appreciation of the entire Lincoln Camera Club for your fine presentations, audio-visuals and personal interaction with the participants. Everyone felt you were very down to earth, clear and informative and that you presented your concepts in a very understandable way. I don't think there was anyone who didn't take home a whole file of new ideas and approaches to their photography. All in all, a very great big Thank You from all of us at the Lincoln Camera Club!" C.S., President, Lincoln Camera Club.

"As a 68 year old photographer who has been making pictures for 52 years, I was afraid to open a picture in Photoshop. Although I had used Elements for 7 years, somehow Photoshop and layers were a big mystery that I could not make myself venture into. By noon of your Photoshop class, I was running layers and adjustments like an old friend! An eye opening class!" B.W., Lincoln, NE

“It was great meeting you at the Seminar. You did a great job of presenting your programs. And I liked that you seemed to really enjoy what you were doing. That showed.” L.C., Fresno, CA

“Thank you Steve, we enjoyed your programs. You are a very good teacher, kept things understandable. We learned a lot of new things and were inspired. I think this will be great for our camera club. I love it.” W.D., Concord, CA

“Steve is a great teacher: interesting, knowledgeable and good sense of humor. I learned a lot!” D.C., Grand Junction, CO

“We just returned from a one day seminar presented by Steve Traudt. His many lectures and various slide shows were outstanding. One highlight for us was his fabulous presentation on getting out of the box and finding your creativity. This was the most entertaining and enlightening photography experience we have had. If you ever have the opportunity to attend one of Steve’s seminars, don’t pass it up.” M.M., San Jose, CA

“Steve’s knowledge of technical aspects and his enthusiasm of the emotion of photography was contagious and his encouragement of each student reflected his philosophy of seeing and feeling a part of the environment.” G.E., Pagosa Springs, CO

“His humor, helpfulness and deep love for photography were constantly there, all day long.” B.V., Branford, CT

“I have immensely enjoyed your photo classes. Your attention to detail, humor and lateral thinking has been exhilarating. It has helped see my world in a more beautiful way.” S.C., Grand Junction, CO

“He is an accomplished photographer who has a knack for presenting his subject so that it is of interest to both the beginner and advanced photographer. His presentations are excellent and the members left with a feeling they not only learned but were entertained as well.” S.A., Tampa Bay, FL

“Steve’s classes are fantastic. He is always extremely well prepared and has a multitude of information and experience to share.” R.P., Grand Junction, CO

“Of the workshops I have attended I find Steve is the most responsive to the needs of the students. Steve makes his students feel immediately welcome and presents his information with a good sense of humor. His enthusiasm and professional style carry all the way through.” D.Z., Dakin, NE

“Just to let you know that I got more useful information out of your Photoshop class than I did by spending 3 days at the NAPP Conference. Learning how to dodge and burn using the layer masks technique was by itself worth the tuition and has already rescued several images. Thanks for a great class.” R.S., Grand Junction, CO

"Steve – I was fortunate to be able to attend the seminar you presented in Lincoln, Nebraska recently and just wanted to say thank you for the experience! I also was the lucky recipient of the Lensbaby gift certificate and I have to report that I have my Lensbaby in hand and, although still learning, LOVE IT! Thanks again for sharing your passion!" R.S., Lincoln, NE