Photography Workshops Offered by Olga Strawberry Council

View from the Aerie, Maury Island, by Ray Pfortner

The Olga Strawberry Council is sponsoring 2 workshops by Ray Pfortner:

1.     Photography for non-photographer artists on  Tuesday July 10,  9 am-4 pm
2.     Turning your art into cards  – and cash, Wednesday July 11, 9 am-4 pm

The workshops will be held at Olga Community Hall; the Tuesday workshop will spend some time in the field as well. The cost is $50 per person per workshop.  For those taking both, there will be optional shoots in the field Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning.

Both workshops are meant to equip any visual artist to do more with their art, to make a return on their investment of time and funds.

The Tuesday workshop will focus on camera use by painters, print makers, fabric artists and any visual artist who uses photography (1) to create artist reference images and also (2) to copy their own work for submissions and merchandising.  The workshop will be specifically tailored to the needs of those who register for it from camera handling to settings including white balance and shutter speed to scanning and working with photographers who specialize in photographing art.

The Wednesday workshop will explain how cards are the perfect first product to make from one’s art – inexpensive, easy to make, perfect for promotion and to sell.  Ray will discuss making cards, but focus on making them the best possible promotion tool they can be plus how to price and sell them.  He will also explore the world of licensing art to commercial card companies.  Ray will bring a huge number of sample cards, including his own, to show a variety of approaches to making cards, good and bad

Woods Lane by Ray Pfortner

Participants are urged to bring questions and 7 samples of their art either as originals or as digital copies on a DVD or flash drive.  For the 2^nd workshop, participants are urged to bring their art on cards if they have already made them.  A feature of each workshop is personal coaching based on what each person shows.

For more information and to register for one or both workshops, contact Edith Thomsen at 376-2446 or rosecovers@interisland.net

Ray Pfortner has worked in the photo industry for over 25 years – as an educator, agent, editor, rep, consultant and photographer.  Originally from New York City, Ray has lived on Vashon Island for 18 years.  He teaches for 10 different education partners around the Sound, including Bellevue College, the Pacific Northwest Art School, Vashon Allied Arts and Daniel Smith Artist Supply.  He was Education Director at Seattle’s Photographic Center Northwest.

His teaching focus has moved from just photography and the business of photographer to the business of all visual art now that all the visual arts are increasingly in the same page in the digital age.  His primary interest is in coaching new talent.

Ray has exhibited his work widely, including in New York City.  He was a partner in the stock photography agency Peter Arnold, Inc.  His photography is represented by Getty Images.

To learn more about Ray and his work, visit RayPfortner.com