Calendar
The meeting will start promptly at 7 pm, but we’ll open the building at 6 pm for setup and social hour.
Join us for our Monthly Critique Night!
Our judge for March will be Stephen Burns.
Members bring prints for critique on the third Wednesday of each month. Prints accepted by the Judge will hang for up to 2 months in the Photographic Arts Building gallery.
Visitors are welcome; however, submitting images for critique is available for members only. If you’d like more information about joining Darkroomers, please check out our membership page and email us if you have any questions.
About Stephen
Stephen Burns is a digital artist, photographer, and educator with nearly three decades of experience in creative imaging. He began his career as a photographer and gradually expanded into digital art, where he is widely recognized for his imaginative compositing and visual storytelling. Stephen is an Adobe Educational Leader and has spent many years teaching digital art and design, focusing on practical, real-world workflows using tools like Photoshop.
In addition to teaching, Stephen is the author of multiple books on Photoshop and digital creativity and is a frequent speaker at workshops, conferences, and photography events. He also leads the San Diego Photoshop Users Group and produces educational tutorials that help photographers and artists expand their creative possibilities. As a judge, Stephen brings a thoughtful, experienced perspective that balances technical skill with creative vision.
Discover the ultimate Photoshop workflow designed exclusively for professional artists—an award-winning system that transforms your creative process. This course unlocks insider secrets, time-saving techniques, and advanced tools used by top-tier designers to elevate your artwork to new heights. Whether you’re aiming to refine your skills, boost productivity, or create stunning, polished projects, this class will empower you with the knowledge and confidence to excel. Sign up now and join a community of passionate artists mastering the art of digital creation—because your next masterpiece deserves the best workflow!
About Stephen Burns
Stephen Burns (www.chromeallusion.com) is a digital artist and author of books on being creative with your digital tools. He is an Adobe AEL (Adobe Educational Leader) as well as an Adobe Community Expert and has taught digital creativity internationally. He is an Instructor at Goldenwest College and Santa Monica College and Coast College and Studio Arts of Los Angeles. He worked as a Pro-Artist for WACOM Technologies and he is the president Of Photoshop Users Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/photoshopusersgroup) which is currently the largest Adobe Photoshop Users group in the country.
He is guest writer for a number of magazines to include the feature article and front cover of Photoshop User Magazine (http://www.chromeallusion.com/articles_index.htm). In addition, Stephen is the author of the following books (http://www.chromeallusion.com/books.htm):
- “3D Photoshop For Creative Professionals”
- “Photoshop CS5 Trickery & FX”
- “The Art Of Poser & Photoshop”
- “Advanced Photoshop CS4 Trickery & FX”
- “Advanced Photoshop CS3 Trickery & FX”
- “Advanced Photoshop CS2 Trickery & FX”
- “Photoshop CS Trickery & FX”
He has discovered the same passion for the digital medium as he has for photography as an art form. His background began as a photographer 28 year ago and in time, progressed toward the digital medium. His artistic influences include the great Abstractionists & the Surrealists including Jackson Pollock, Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Franz Kline, Mark Rothko, Mark Tobey, and Lenore Fini, to name a few.
Stephen Burns has been a corporate instructor and lecturer in the application of digital art and design for the past 29 years internationally. He has been exhibiting digital fine art around the world at galleries such as Durban Art Museum in South Africa, Citizens Gallery in Yokahama, Japan, and CECUT Museum Of Mexico to name a few. Part of his exhibiting won him 1st place in the prestigious Seybold International digital arts contest.
He teaches Digital Manipulation Workshops online and privately. He is an instructor on http://training.xtrain.com/faculty/show/Stephen+Burns , Photoshop Café (http://www.chromeallusion.com/dvd_index.html), Layers Magazine (http://www.chromeallusion.com/tutorials_3d_layersmag.html).
Join us for a morning of photography in Oceanside as we explore a mix of urban color and historic architecture.
We’ll meet at 8:30 AM at Camp Coffee Company (101 N Cleveland St, Oceanside, CA 92054) for a light breakfast and a chance to connect before we head out.
From there, we’ll walk through downtown Oceanside to photograph murals and other interesting sights around the area. Once the streets get busier and the light gets harsher, we’ll drive over to Mission San Luis Rey (4050 Mission Avenue, Oceanside, CA 92057) to spend time photographing the mission and its beautiful grounds.
This outing offers a nice mix of street, travel, and architectural photography, with plenty of opportunities to look for color, texture, details, and composition.
A strong portfolio is more than a collection of good images—it’s a body of work with purpose and intent.
In this presentation, Andrew Hertel explores how photographers can build clear, cohesive portfolios across multiple formats, including websites, print portfolios, books, and smaller, goal-specific collections. Rather than focusing on trends or specific platforms, the talk looks at why portfolios matter, how galleries and portfolios serve different roles, and how thoughtful editing shapes the way work is seen and understood.
This session is practical, approachable, and relevant for photographers at many stages. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how to evaluate their own work, make stronger editing choices, and create portfolios that communicate clearly—no matter the format.
About Andrew
Andrew Hertel is a fine art photographer specializing in black and white landscapes, wildlife, and nature photography. He is drawn to the way light, shadow, shape, and texture come together to define a scene, creating images that reflect the quiet beauty of the natural world.
Beyond photography, Andrew has a deep love for adventure and exploring remote landscapes. Whether on foot, motorcycle, or bicycle, he finds inspiration in the wild places he visits and the ever-changing conditions that shape them. His work has been exhibited at fine art shows and galleries, and he leads photography workshops in places like Death Valley and Kyrgyzstan, helping others experience and capture the landscapes in their own way.
For Andrew, photography is more than just creating images—it’s about being out in nature, embracing the journey, and sharing that experience with others.