I am a regular reader of a blog called DesignLoveFest written by Bri Emery. It’s such a fun read and is always surprising. Sometimes it’s about clothing or decorating inspirations. Sometimes it shares a delicious recipe or a fun giveaway. But the consistent feature throughout is that the photos in the posts and the design of the blog are always beautiful. It’s just fun to look at.

When I like the look of a website, it’s most likely because of the photos. When looking at sites, I see over and over again how important photos are to the design process and online world. For bloggers, creating and sharing beautiful photographs is particularly important. Taking the photos is part of it, but cleaning them up and making them polished while maintaining their candid nature can take websites and blogs to another level.

So, when I saw the opportunity to better the professional profile pictures I take through Bri’s latest course, I jumped at the chance. My Photoshop skills are pretty good when it comes to naturally re-touching photos and minor adjustments. But I was looking forward to learning some new tips and tricks. I knew I had been doing many things the ‘long way’ and as my photography business in San Francisco is expanding, efficiency is becoming more valuable to me. Well worth my time, this class definitely did not disappoint!

Blogshop is a 2-day course designed for bloggers and creatives to enhance their Photoshop repertoire. I learned so much and am happy to be able to pass on the benefits of some of my new skills to my corporate photography and social media clients. Bri and Angela were the hosts and they worked hard to make it so much fun.

From the remarkable treat bags to the delicious and beautiful snacks from the Sugar Studio, I was amazed at all the little details that put this class above others I have taken. I could have done many of the exercises without their instruction, but it would have taken me much, much longer. From adding text and titles to photos, to re-touching, to little photo videos- I learned so much. And the whole thing took place in a beautiful natural light studio in the dog patch called Lux-SF.

It feels like these types of intensely focused classes are the future of creative learning. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who wants to improve their Photoshop skills, and by doing so, make their website or blog a little prettier.