In the world of fine art photography, it’s often hard to figure out where the image capture ends and the printmaking begins. Many photographers begin visualizing the final print before their finger hits the shutter button. Others won’t begin to see the potential of their images until they’ve spent several hours in front of a computer monitor. The important point here is to understand that the process of creating a well-crafted, fine art photograph is a continuum and not a series of disconnected steps.

I attended The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshop in Santa Barbara last fall. So, I can personally attest to the fact that investing a week in FADP is an amazing way to catapult your printmaking skills forward. It’s a total immersion program — like Berlitz for photographers.

The headliners, Mac Holbert and John Paul Caponigro, are master digital printmakers who continue to advance the leading edge of the craft. FADP is about sharing. Mac and JP are willing to share every bit of knowledge that they possess. They balance group presentations with one-on-one time to keep the flow moving.

As a bonus, you never know who will drop in… Henry Wilhelm gave an insightful presentation on the longevity of digital prints at the beginning of our workshop. Vincent Versace sat in as “an assistant” and punctuated the week with many of his unique insights into the world of photography and digital printmaking. Larry Baca, a pioneer in the field of color management, provided one-on-one tutorials and created custom profiles for each student.

Many of my fellow students were newsworthy photographers from both the commercial and fine art worlds. Adventure photographer Chris Noble sat next to portraitist Gregory Heisler – both just in front of me – giving me the bird’s-eye view of the works of these amazing photographers. The cross-pollination between classmates and the resulting network of new friends is an asset that remains long after the end of the week.

Unlike 9 to 5 workshops, FADP keeps the lab open late every night so there is plenty of time to practice your new skills. The generous support of Epson makes this workshop an incredible value. FADP sells out fast. So if you are thinking about attending, stop what you’re doing and enroll today.

FADP has two sessions scheduled for 2008.

• July 20–28, 2008 / Hallmark Institute of Photography, Turner Falls, MA

• October 26-31, 2008 / Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, CA

One final thought. Figuring out which printer to buy for your studio is one challenge. Figuring out how to get it to print your vision again and again is a completely different challenge. Attending FADP will help you accomplish both.