Insight/On the Cover by Bill Hurter

This month’s issue is a celebration of new technology as well as the new technologists. One of the major leaders of the new technology is Julieanne Kost, whose official title at Adobe is “Senior Digital Imaging Evangelist for Adobe Photoshop.” Julieanne is both practitioner and teacher. She spends most of every month on the road, working with professional photographers and helping them optimize their efforts using Photoshop. But she’s also a fine artist, and John Iacovino’s profile of her (page 8) details this side of the enigmatic Kost. Fred Miranda, while not of evangelist status, is nonetheless a Photoshop wiz kid and has developed a series of Photoshop actions that take the place of a number of labor-intensive tasks. Michelle Perkins’ article (page 24) details Miranda’s SI Pro (SI stands for stair interpolation), which is a quick and painless way to increase image size in Photoshop. SI Pro maximizes the functionality of Photoshop’s bicubic interpolation algorithm by applying it in a sequence of small, progressive steps. Perkins’ article also looks at other more costly but not necessarily more efficient solutions to increasing image size. Mike Moreland is both a wedding photographer and a commercial photographer, and as the latter, he’s come up with a smooth-running and highly efficient digital workflow that is adaptable to both categories. CharMaine Beleele’s article (page 36) details Mike’s workflow in step-by-step fashion. Xenophon A. Beake has been a professional photographer for many years and just six years ago underwent his own digital reincarnation. As a successful commercial photographer, Beake was a highly skilled practitioner, which he now credits with making the transition to digital so painless. His article on page 42 details the transition process and his enthusiasm for the new medium. This issue marks the start of a series of articles on Photoshop CS that were first published in Photoshop User Magazine. Our goal in this venture is to bring you the finest, most accurate information on using Photoshop that is available. The features begin on page 62.

Bill Hurter, Editor

PHOTOGRAPHER: Julieanne Kost
TITLE: “Prison”
MODEL(S): Self-portrait
CAMERA(S): Kodak Pro Back (prison images); Epson Flatbed Scanner (steel textures); Nikon D100 (self-portrait)
MAIN LIGHT: Available light
FILL LIGHT: n/a
RETOUCHING: Adobe Photoshop CS
COMMENTS: The primary shots are of an abandoned prison in New Mexico, closed as a result of a riot in which a large number of inmates killed other inmates thought to be “snitches.” The prison shots were then combined with various images of wire, to convey the sense of being not just confined, but also trapped. “I wanted the overall image to portray the inherent dehumanization of prison life and how those on the outside tend to dismiss inmates as having deserved their punishment,” says Julieanne. While inmates may be able to separate themselves from the truth about their guilt, there is no “escaping” the reality of their surroundings.

In her work, Julieanne Kost combines a passion for photography with a mastery of digital imaging techniques, and with a degree in psychology, she finds within herself the raw components of visual emotion.

See the article about Julieanne Kost by John Iacovino beginning on page 8.