A Purpose-Driven Approach to Post-Processing with Paul Zizka

Canon Ambassador Paul Zizka shares his personal approach to photo editing, sharing how to simplify and strengthen your creative process. Get behind the scenes with acclaimed landscape and adventure photographer and Canon Ambassador Paul Zizka as he shares some of his personal approach to the editing room—and explores how a more purposeful approach to post-processing can simplify and strengthen your creative process. Editing is an often-overlooked part of photography, yet it plays a significant role in shaping the final image. For many photographers, the sheer number of tools, techniques and possibilities available can make post-processing feel overwhelming. The result can be an editing process that becomes more complicated than it needs to be. This event takes a somewhat different approach. Rather than focusing on mastering every tool or technique, Paul will explore editing with purpose: understanding what an image needs, making deliberate decisions, and using the simplest tools necessary to achieve the desired result. His goal is to distill post-processing into a more approachable and intuitive part of the creative process. It doesn't have to be complicated. While Paul will demonstrate his workflow using Adobe applications, including Camera Raw, Lightroom and Photoshop, the principles and decision-making he discusses are transferable to virtually any editing ecosystem. Whether you work in Adobe, Capture One, Affinity, ON1, or another platform, the emphasis will be on how to think about editing, rather than simply which buttons to press. Topics include: • Paul’s editing workflow, step-by-step—from downloading and organizing images to basic global adjustments. • Making purposeful decisions about what an image needs before reaching for a tool. • Global and local adjustments, and the tools Paul finds most useful in Camera Raw and Lightroom. • How and when Paul uses Photoshop, including the power of blending. • Preparing images for web use, including sharpening and watermarking. • Throughout the process, keeping the approach simple, deliberate and efficient. Paul’s goal is to demonstrate how a purposeful approach to post-processing can make editing less daunting, more efficient and ultimately more creative—and help you bring an image closer to the vision you had when you made it. ITINERARY The workshop will run from 9:30am-4:30pm. Includes all-day coffee, tea and refreshments. Part 1: Fundamentals • General thoughts on editing • A different approach to processing images • Why edit, what to edit, and how much to edit? • Staying organized • My workflow, step by step: modules, browsers, and editing tools; global vs local adjustments, etc. • Demos Lunch (30 minutes) Part 2: Next steps • A glimpse into how Paul uses Photoshop and plug-ins • Demos - Part 2, with a main focus on blending • Preparing images for web use • Watermarking • Ethics • Q&A as time allows What Should I Bring with Me? • Pen & Paper or preferred note-taking device. • Laptop (optional if you'd like to follow along) with Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop and Bridge (or equivalent) installed. • Snacks • Water Bottle Thank you to our friends at Canon Canada for sponsoring this event. Because of their generous contributions, we've been able to offer Paul's in-depth course, valued at $350, for only $100! If you have any questions about the event, please contact us at [email protected]. Find more upcoming events at mcbaincamera.com or follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram).