Posts Tagged ‘Jim Heid’

Content inspiration and think-tank week at lynda.com

Published by | Monday, December 21st, 2009

Last week at lynda.com, all of our off-site staff authors, acquisitions managers, content managers, and the like were in town for the company holiday party and to take part in week-long think-tank meetings to plan the content for the lynda.com Online Training Library® in the coming months. It’s always inspiring to get everyone together, and admittedly, a bit exhausting to generate so many great ideas!

Counter clockwise from lower left: Laurie Burruss, George Maestri, Jan Kabili, Samara Iodice, Auriga Martin, Jim Heid, Toby Malina, Max Smith, Cynthia Scott, Joel Fugazzotto, Bonnie Bills, Kirk Werner, Garrick Chow, Joe Randeen, Tanya Staples, Megan O. Read.

Clockwise from lower left: Laurie Burruss (in checked shirt), George Maestri, Jan Kabili, Samara Iodice, Auriga Martin, Jim Heid, Toby Malina, Max Smith, Cynthia Scott, Joel Fugazzotto, Bonnie Bills, Kirk Werner, Garrick Chow, Joe Randeen, Tanya Staples, Megan O. Read.

To let off a little steam and relax, the entire content development team went to dinner and a movie. Not just any movie, though! One of our very own cinematographer/directors here at lynda.com, Jacob K. Cunningham, screened his first film Thy Will Be Done in downtown Ventura. It was great to see so many people at the screening, and to support one of our own talented people in their creative endeavors.

Jacob K. Cunningham at his film screening.

Jacob K. Cunningham at his film screening.

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Posted in Behind the scenes, lynda.com news | 7 Comments »

New Photo Assignment series teaches technique and urges collaboration

Published by | Thursday, October 8th, 2009
lynda.com producer Samara Iodice with instructor/photographer Derrick Story.

lynda.com producer Samara Iodice with instructor/photographer Derrick Story.

As Jim wrote yesterday, lynda.com has plans for a number of new photography related courses — and just by chance, we’ve just released the first course in a new series for aspiring photographers this week. Photo Assignment: Natural Light Portraits with author and photographer Derrick Story is a really cool new lynda.com course that shows us valuable techniques for shooting portraits in natural (i.e. unpredictable and sometimes unflattering) lighting. These tips are sure to bring your outdoor portrait photography to the next level.

But wait, there’s more…

Derrick has created a Flickr group dedicated to showcasing lynda.com members’ natural light portraits, too. So after you watch the course and pick up some new tips, grab your kid sister, neighbor, or better half, and start snapping shots. Then upload your pix to the public Natural Light Portrait Photo Assignment Flickr group for feedback and to see the photos other members have shot and uploaded.

Derrick shows you how to join the Flickr group within this course, but if you would like more training on Flickr, check out Derrick’s other lynda.com course entirely devoted to the photo-sharing website, Flickr Essential Training.

I’ll be uploading my own photos to Derrick’s Flickr group soon and hope you will join me.

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Posted in Behind the scenes, Photography | 1 Comment »

Hello from the new Content Manager for Photography: Jim Heid

Published by | Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
Meet Jim Heid, lynda.com's Content Manager for Photography

Meet Jim Heid, lynda.com's Content Manager for Photography

Smile, everybody! I’m Jim Heid, the new Content Manager for photography here at lynda.com.

Some of you may recognize my name from the pages of Macworld magazine, where I’ve been writing since the dawn of time. Or you might know me from my The Macintosh iLife series of books on Apple’s iLife suite. A handful of you might even be familiar with my photos on Flickr.

At lynda.com, my job is to help plan our photography-related courses. And we’ll be offering a lot more in the future. Of course, you’ll see new courses on Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, and other essential digital imaging tools. But you’ll also see courses on photographic technique: Lighting, composition, lenses, and more.

For anyone who loves photography, this is a great time to be alive. Cameras, lenses, and imaging software have never been better. But at least as important, the Internet has given each of us a global audience, a way to inspire and be inspired. At lynda.com, we’ll be taking advantage of this revolution in imaging, too.

You’ll be hearing from me frequently here on the lynda.com blog. In the meantime, I’d love your comments containing suggestions on the types of photography courses you’d like to see.

In 1944, Popular Photography magazine ran an article containing predictions for the future of photography. Among them:

  • “It is possible to perfect the camera to the point where it will become an automatic instrument which will focus, expose, and process the film by the mere push of a button.”
  • “I should like to see [the camera] develop until it takes its place with the pencil and the typewriter as an instrument of our everyday language.”
  • “Networks will make it possible for everyone in the world to see pictures of news events at the same time.”

Welcome to the future.

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Posted in Behind the scenes, Photography | 17 Comments »