The Radiant Vista

About a year or so ago I was looking on iTunes for Photoshop-related video podcasts to help me learn more about my craft and gain some inspiration for future projects. In my searching I came across The Photoshop Workbench, put together by the folks over at The Radiant Vista.

With my busy work schedule and sometimes not agreeing with the creative choices of the host I allowed it to slip out of my regular circulation of podcasts for a long time. A couple of months ago, though, while working on a large CD duplication project I needed some background noise to help keep me from going too nuts from the tedium of assembling CDs. So, I once again searched to see what The Radiant Vista had to offer.

Now, about a year older and more serious about photography and much farther along in my appreciation of varied creative points of view, I began watching The Photoshop Workbench once again. I didn't stop there, however, since I forgot what it was called, I did a search for "Radiant Vista" and discovered the other podcasts they put out. Now, I watch 3 of them on a regular basis:

• The Photoshop Workbench - Every couple of weeks Mark Johnson takes a viewer-submitted photo from start to finish in Photoshop. He walks you through tip after tip as he transforms the image from its original form into something that is, often, more vibrant and visually interesting.
• The Daily Critique - Everyday Craig Tanner looks at a finished viewer-submitted photo and outlines the strengths of the photographer's style including elements of light, line, composition, color, depth of field, subject matter, etc. Craig's goal is to be a supportive teacher and does a great job of affirming what the photographer is doing well before offering suggestions on how to improve.
• Video Tutorials - Covering a wide-range of topics, the video tutorials are used to discuss style, technical concepts, Photoshop techniques, workflow, and other essentials of the digital darkroom.

In all honesty, there are times when I don't agree with what is suggested and I think the original image presents a stronger message. However, with that said, I have taken a lot away from these podcasts and in the end I've grown quite a bit from them and I would recommend them highly to anyone who wants to perform at a higher level.

*Other podcasts to consider: Photoshop TV, Photoshop Killer Tips with Matt Kloskowski, The Adobe Creative Suite Podcast with Terry White.