The Friedman Archives

Photo Clubs Only

• Computational Photography:  How our Smartphones are Beating the Big Cameras  – We are entering a new era in photography, one in which “lowly” smartphones are taking pictures that look as good as if you had shot in RAW and post-processed. Sure, nothing beats a big camera for image quality, resolution, and control, but for everyday use normal people are getting great results without any knowledge and without spending time at the computer. What tricks are the smartphone manufacturers using that the big camera companies aren’t? How do they get great results in Night View mode without needing a tripod? Why do they create a 3D map of the image in the phone? And how quickly might your traditional big camera become obsolete?  In this talk, Gary explains the clever secrets being employed behind the scenes, and offers impressive examples demonstrating that the quality gap between smartphones and traditional cameras continues to shrink.  (This talk was originally commissioned by the Royal Photographic Society in London.)

• How to “Wow!” with Wireless Flash – Gary demonstrates something else that smartphones can’t do – how to add great drama to your images with no need for technical knowledge. Think a new lens will improve your photography?  Learning to use light will have a dramatically greater impact on your images.

Sample Video – this gives you a feel for how Gary can explain a complex technical subject clearly:

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Testimonials

“Gary is an entertaining speaker, and came prepared with excellent slides, handouts to facilitate note taking, effective demos, and even some “freebies” that he provided for the attendees. He’s able to take complicated topics and present them to people who may not be technically proficient.  If you are considering hosting a seminar on any aspect of photography, I’d suggest you consider Gary’s program. I know anyone that attends will find much to learn, or re-learn, especially as it relates to controversial topics such as “RAW versus JPG”. – John Triebe, President, Digital Imaging Group, SaddleBrooke

“Gary has to be one of the very best in his field of knowledge and presentation that is interesting, informative, entertaining and inspiring.  Hard to beat and worth every penny.” – Bonneville from Dyxum.com

“I’ve been taking pictures for 30 years, and your demonstration of exposure principles was brilliant. Whereas I was fuzzy on the concepts before, I now intuitively understand them!” – Rod Schultz

“Your ability to explain things in “plain, understandable, English” borders on the unbelievable!  As president and founder of the Durango Photography Club I felt that I had to get you to Durango to present your seminars and workshops. I figured that if you were half as good in person as your books were, it would be great! You weren’t half as good, you were twice as good because we could ask questions, observe your demos and get personal attention where needed. Thank you for helping everyone from novices to semi-professionals learn a lot.” – Howard Rachlin

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Bio for Gary L. Friedman

Gary L. Friedman is a professional photographer who has traveled the world with his cameras and runs the stock image website FriedmanArchives.com.  He has also written several highly-acclaimed e-books on digital imaging, all aimed at demystifying the complexities of digital cameras.  His photography and writing has been published in magazines, newspapers, and books worldwide, and he is associate editor of CameraCraft magazine in the UK, the antithesis of your typical photo magazine.  He was also listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for building the world’s smallest telephone way back in 1980 (before cell phones or cordless phones were around).

Before graduating to photography he was a rocket scientist for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he patented the image authentication system now used in high-end digital cameras from Canon and Nikon.

Gary’s best-known photographic works are the 1988 “Peace Child in Latvia“, a photojournalistic documentary about a historic exchange between Soviet and American high-school student back in the days of the cold war, and his 2003 China Blog about his adventures teaching English in China.

Gary keeps busy now with photo assignments, image licensing, writing books, and acting as a distributor for a most unique musical instrument called a Xaphoon.  In his spare time (Ha!) he is traveling the world offering highly-acclaimed photography seminars to any photo club that wants them.  He can be reached at Gary@FriedmanArchives.com.

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