There is no doubt that Photoshop has forever changed the course of photography history. In the past, photographers had to be exceedingly patient – and lucky – to capture that single moment where something magical happens. Sunrise photographs required hours spent waiting before dawn day after day. Fashion photography required hours and days on end spent in the studio for a single shot.

All this changed when Photoshop came about, but that doesn't mean that photography is now easy and it's all smoke and mirrors. There still needs to be good material to work from and the photographer's art is now extended to post-production hours spent optimising and editing to create that perfect shot that creates a wow experience for the viewer.

“Photoshop changed the way we see the world,” says Holger Pooten, Founder and Director of the London Institute of Photography in Shoreditch, London. “Digital artists must know how to take a relatively ordinary photograph and turn it into something completely different and extraordinary that offers a unique and fresh perspective on the world around us.”

Photoshop skills have also had a profound influence on advertising. There are few images in modern advertising that have not felt the sweep of a Photoshop tool. In turn, this has changed the way viewers look at people and bodies. The image of the perfect person has changed forever to something quite unlike what was known before, perhaps profoundly unrealistic.

So how does the contemporary photographer use Photoshop to enhance their art without compromising the authenticity of the true art of digital photography? The answers are complex. “Photoshop skills are not about deception,” comments Pooten. “They're essential elements of any photographer's repertoire that adds to the art form rather than detracts from it.”

The London Institute of Photography is running a course on Photoshop for Photographers where beginners can learn to enhance their images to achieve professional quality, work with layers, adjustment layers and masks in Photoshop as well as perform sophisticated compositing techniques.

The course covers the Photoshop Workspace and basic set-up in Lightroom, using the Camera RAW Converter, non-destructive editing, retouching in layers, resolution and resizing, straightening, rotating and cropping, adjustment layers including curves and saturation, finalising the image, exporting files for print or web and linking Photoshop with Lightroom.

To participate in this course, students must have their own laptop with Adobe Photoshop CC, 6 or 5 installed in order to practise and complete the interactive activities and photo assignments.

“This is a four day intensive course,” says Pooten. “Students will be required to apply themselves fully to gain the best professional advantage from this course. We offer expert guidance to take students from novice to professional in as short a time as possible, but that also requires the student applying their mind and time fully to the task.”

The course can be taken over four consecutive weekday evenings or over two weekends on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekday courses will be offered from July to December 2018 while weekend courses will only be offered in July and November 2018. There are only eight places available on each course, so prospective students are advised to secure their booking early.

The London Institute of Photography was founded by award-winning advertising photographer Holger Pooten in London’s dynamic Shoreditch district. LIoP looks to nurture the creative talent of every student by building sound technical skills. Their courses look to take students to a professional level in the shortest possible time. LIoP offers a Professional Photography Course as well as 12 individual courses covering every aspect of modern photography. Taster Workshops cover the four key areas of photography. LIoP class sizes are limited to eight students to maximise individual attention and development and all training is carried out by award winning professional photographers. The Professional Photography Course is offered full time for ten weeks or flexi-time over a nine month period. Courses are offered weekdays, weekends and evenings. For more information or to book a course, please visit: https://www.liop.co.uk/.