Interview with Scott Kelby

Bostonist: What originally got you interested in not just photography, but subsequently Photoshop and writing and all the things you’re doing?
Scott Kelby: I started off running a small graphic design shop and that’s when I started using Photoshop. I actually one day paid a consultant to come in and teach me how to use the pen tool. And that’s the thing that kind of launched me into being a Photoshop freak. From there we started a local Macintosh newspaper in Tampa Bay. It started off as Tampa’s premier Macintosh magazine, then became central Florida’s premier, then Florida’s premier, then the Southeast’s premier, then the East Coast’s, and then we went nationwide in 1993. And now it lives as Layers magazine which is now an all Adobe how-to magazine, it’s not just Mac anymore and it’s sold on newsstands nationwide.

Bostonist: On Photoshop, you said you brought in a consultant who got you started, from there did you take classes or was it more being self taught?
Scott Kelby: Self taught. The only training I’ve had in Photoshop is the guy that taught me the pen tool.

Bostonist: That’s amazing.
Scott Kelby: Everything else has been out of necessity. I taught my first class in 1993, and that’s kind of how it just grew from there. One thing lead to another and now I do about 80 seminars a year. And I love doing them because it’s a great way for me to find out what people are struggling with, answer their questions. I stay pretty busy with all of it.

Bostonist: Moving on to Photoshop World, some of our readers won’t be familiar with Photoshop World. Can you give us an overview of what it is?
Scott Kelby: Sure (laughing). It is a 3 day Photoshop love fest. It’s basically the world’s best instructors coming together and showing you their favorite stuff, the latest techniques and what they’ve learned. I handpicked the instructors and I handpicked people that I would love to learn from myself. I handpicked speakers who are crazy passionate and who absolutely love it; this is what they want to do. They’re not in it for the money; they’re not in it for anything else other than... what excites them is to see your lightbulb go off. The trainers we have are unbelievable, the best of the best. You can just walk up, ask them a question, and they couldn’t be happier to help you.

Because of that, the same vibe runs through the entire conference. And everybody needs Photoshop friends—someone you can call up if you’re stuck. Photoshop World is where a lot of those friendships are formed, which is why we have so many social aspects to it. Parties, get-togethers, late night photo walks just for fun. I can’t tell you how many friends I’ve made through it. Also the thing is most conferences are built around a trade show, where ours is about the over 100 training classes so that’s our focus. Our focus is lots of education with a small trade show. Our education is the show.

Bostonist: What is there at Photoshop World for the first timer, and the veteran Photoshop user? I’m sure there is something for everybody.
Scott Kelby: You can read the descriptions and figure out if “Hey this is me; I’m more of a beginner”. The main thing I tell beginners to do, and I’d tell veterans as well, is don’t just go to all classes on Photoshop. There are some classes on photography that are inspirational. They’re so inspirational that they just make you want to create. Like Jay Maisel, or Joe McNally. Their classes are amazing. They’re fun, you’ll laugh. If you take Jay Maisel’s you’ll cry. It’s such an amazing experience. Everybody should take one of those, I mean you’re there for three days, take at least one of those classes that are more inspirational in nature. The other thing I tell people is don’t go to a class on something you’re already fairly proficient in. People sometimes choose classes where they’re already familiar with the topic, they’re better off choosing classes that can open your eyes to a new part of Photoshop instead of just relearning something you already know.

Bostonist: I know there’s an entire Lightroom track at Photoshop World. With the expanded capabilities of Lightroom, do you see photographers shifting the majority or their workflow to Lightroom and using Photoshop itself less and less?
Scott Kelby: Absolutely, I do about 80% of my work in Lightroom so I use Photoshop when I need to, but my Lightroom has made it to where I can do just about everything I need in Lightroom. You still need Photoshop—it’s still an important part of the workflow—but I don’t take every photo into Photoshop anymore.

Bostonist: Is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to coming here to Boston?
Scott Kelby: Boston is one of our favorite places to do Photoshop World. It’s one of the places our attendees say they like the best. Part of the reason why is the Hynes Convention Center is in the middle of everything. You know, you walk out the door and Newbury street is close by, there’s great restaurants, there’s great shopping, there’s a buzz about Boston. I’ve always thought it was a town of tremendous character. It’s a huge sports town. It’s everything you could want, and it’s pretty compressed. Like I’m from Tampa Bay and anything you want is a half hour away. But since Boston is very compressed, there are so many cool things in such a small area. You can do a photo walk and get completely different imagery just 15 minutes away, it’s just a great place to get out, walk around and shoot. The only roll of the dice is what the weather’s going to be.

Scott Kelby: You know what I want to mention too is you can get a free expo pass so you can at least come see the expo. Just go to http://www.photoshopworld.com, you register and you’ll get a free pass to get in. If you just show up at the door it’s $25 to come see the expo. There are all kinds of training by big name instructors on everything from photography to Photoshop to lighting. I definitely think that really shocks people how much training and excitement there is on the show floor.

Bostonist: Thanks for your time Scott, we greatly appreciate it.

Check out Scott Kelby's website or peruse the options at Photoshop World.