In late May, I went to the 2018 Photoshop World Conference in Orlando Florida. This conference is hosted by KelbyOne and is all about photography and design. I attended the conference with my dad since I want to learn more about design, and because he has always loved photography. He has his own photography business and takes courses online at KelbyOne.com, which is where he heard about this in-person conference.
The conference was mainly for photographers, but there were a lot of designers there as well. At the conference, we learned all about different programs that revolve around photography and design, as well as many tips and tricks from some of the best photographers and designers from all over the world.
The theme of this year’s Photoshop World Conference was The Beatles, and this picture is from the opening ceremony that was held on the first day of the conference.
I went to the design classes and learned about techniques that you can use with InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Lightroom. My dad went to the photography classes that focused on retouching and lighting, and he also went to classes that taught you how to capture the best headshot and landscape photos.
Some of my favorite classes at the conference were “Selections and Masks Demystified,” “How to Make the Most Out of Your Camera,” “Intro to Illustrator,” “Intro to InDesign” and “How to Create the Hottest Design Trends of 2018.” During these classes, I learned how to select objects in Photoshop, how to set up and create a brochure in InDesign, how to use typography in Photoshop, how to fully take advantage of my Canon camera, and how to do really cool design techniques that are popular this year. The “How to Create the Hottest Design Trends of 2018” was probably my favorite class, since we learned how to integrate text with images, make vintage looking posters, and how to create a “glitch” effect. This class was also taught by Scott Kelby, so I learned a lot.
At the end of the conference, I was awarded the 2018 Photoshop Guru Award for the “Student Work” category. Before attending Photoshop World, every attendee had the option to submit work in categories such as photography, illustration, design, student work, etc. I submitted two pieces from two of the advertising classes that I have taken in school, and one of my print pieces for a campaign that I did for Birkenstock won for the category. The campaign actually has my brother’s feet in it, and the concept behind the piece was that “everyone who wears Birkenstocks has a story to tell.” My brother is in the Marine Corps, and I thought that an image of him with his military gear, boots and Birkenstocks could emphasize that concept. I wanted each campaign to have a three-word story attached to it as well, so I thought that “Hell and Back” fit this image pretty well. Winning the student Guru award was such an awesome experience, and it topped off our time at the conference pretty well. My dad was very proud of me and was so happy that we got to experience something like this together.
The price of the conference varies, but right now there is an Early Bird discount for $699.00 (includes the entire 3-day pass). Students can attend the conference at a discounted price, and the earlier that you sign up the better the pricing is! My 3-day pass for this past Photoshop World was $250 and was definitely worth it in my opinion. I think that any creative student (especially if you’re studying Advertising, Photography or Graphic Design) would benefit from this, just because it teaches you really beneficial techniques that you can actually use in everyday life and school. I learned a lot of things that I haven’t yet learned in school and was able to have more of the basic design skills explained to me. I got familiar with design programs that I always find myself too scared to open, just because I never felt like I knew what I was doing. I think that Photoshop World gave me the confidence that I need to learn more about design and photography.
Since it’s been about a month since Photoshop World ended, I have made it my goal to practice all of the design and photography skills that I learned. I am still playing around with the techniques that I learned in the “How to Create the Hottest Design Trends of 2018” class, and am aiming to put these newly learned skills into practice in my school work and portfolio. I have really enjoyed practicing the “glitch” technique, as well as playing around with integrating text and images. I am hoping to get better as I practice more, and obviously, these are just rough starting points. Here are some examples of my attempts:
Thank you Photoshop World and KelbyOne for the experience of a lifetime! My dad and I are already looking into going to the 2019 Photoshop World Conference (this time it will be held in Orlando AND Las Vegas), and we think that it is something that any designer, photographer or creative should look into. My biggest takeaway from this conference is that you should always practice being creative and that there is always learning to do. I took away so many new skills and information just from this three-day conference, and I am so happy that I was able to experience something like this.
The online KelbyOne classes are extremely helpful and are a more extensive way to receive the information that we got at Photoshop World. Since the conference is only three days, a lot of the information and techniques taught on KelbyOne.com will go more in-depth about each technique that is taught at the conference. The same instructors that come to the in-person conference are also instructors for the online courses, so you can really get the full Photoshop World-feel online too. Online, you can get a membership at KelbyOne.com for $149 a year. This will give you access to all of the online courses, tutorials, webcasts and it will even get you access to the Photoshop User magazine that comes out every month. My dad really enjoys using the site to learn more about photography and thinks that it is worth it for anyone who prefers listening and learning online in a faster and less expensive way. My dad recommends taking any class taught by Scott Kelby – he is a hilarious guy with a lot of knowledge about photography and design.
Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or if you’re planning to go to the conference or take a course online!
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