About Me - Marlene Hielema - ImageMaven

I teach people. I am a photographer.

A popular educator, I like to research and openly share my knowledge. I am an imaging and Internet technology expert. I am a natural troubleshooter. I like to solve problems as they relate to technology. Introverted by nature, I generally like to work alone and have been self-employed on a full- or part-time basis since 1998. I am not a 9 to 5er, because of other commitments in my life. I can usually do 9-3 and 6-11 and weekends. I am not looking for a job, but I am always looking for projects.

Education wise, I have a Bachelor of Applied Arts from Ryerson University (1990) where I gained a formal education in photography, and a Master of Communications Studies degree from the University of Calgary (2004) where I researched the effects of the Internet and digital technologies on commercial photographers. I am self taught in computer imaging technology, but have taken formal classes in HTML, magazine writing, and filmmaking, and I have attended many Adobe software seminars over the years. I am a voracious reader of magazines, books, and blogs on the technical, social and design aspects of technology.

I have current H2S and WHMIS safety certification, and I am a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP).

About You

You are a person of any age who wishes to master your technology whether it is your camera, your imaging software, your computer, the Internet, or your blog.
OR
You need photographs of yourself, your business, your people, your artwork, your gadget, your products, your equipment or ______, (fill in the blank), for your website, your brochure, your magazine, your advertisement, your blog, your ______ (fill in the blank), or to hang on your wall.
OR
You just happened upon my site for whatever reason. In that case, this may or may not interest you. I won't be offended if you leave.

What Services I Offer To You

Like I said in the beginning, I teach people. I do both formal institution-based teaching, and informal small group, or one-on-one consulting on digital photography, Photoshop, the Internet, blogs, and technology in general. I have a deep specific knowledge in my subject areas and a big picture sense of the interconnectivity of digital technology in photography, printing, publishing and Web 2.0. I have taught children, teens, post secondary, adults and seniors. I have taught artists, crafts people, designers, educators, photographers, writers, editors, oil & gas workers, and hobbyists.

I also do a lot of digital input and output (i/o)

What sorts of Input? Corporate, editorial, and stock photography, and the occasional family portrait; Helping you understand the software to create brochures, presentations and other marketing material.

What sorts of Output? At some point you'll want to do something with your images besides looking at them on your camera or computer. I can help you with that. Maybe it's just getting your web site or blog established, or getting great photographs printed for your walls. I have worked in photo labs and digital service bureaus as both an employee and freelancer since 1988, so I understand what they have to offer in terms of quality vs. cost. I have been a consultant for magazines that were transitioning from traditional production methods to digital design and output technology so have a pretty good idea about what file formats are needed when going to print. I can definitely get you started in the right direction if you are new at the output side of things.

Samples

If you'd like some samples of the sorts of things I do, have a look at my education page, my photo portfolio, my blog, my other blog, and my stock photography archive. I have several free presentations and papers to share with you, and you can even grab some embedded photos. All of the presentations have been used in my teaching sessions, so are a good review for my students and clients as well.

My Network

Although I would love to help solve the world's digital dilemmas and photograph every great assignment, I can't help everyone. If that is the case in your situation, I will either research an alternative solution for you, or find someone else more suitable for the job. I have a network of people who work in design, writing, editing, high-end commercial photography and web programming for a living, who would be happy for a referral from me.

Having said that, I had one client ask me to help her design and build a web site. As a non-designer I said I wasn't the best person for the job, but she wanted to work with me anyway because she liked me and had faith that I could help her. In our initial conversation I realized that she would be better served by establishing a blog or a CMS site, as she is a very prolific writer. It was also best, and more cost effective, if she did her own updates. Her son recommended WordPress but he lived out of town and couldn't be hands-on to help her set it up. WordPress was a new thing for me. I worked with her only a few hours and found that she had a great aptitude for the blogging platform. She also had lots of content, she just needed me to fill in a few blanks to get her started. I think I got more out of working with her than she did, as she inspired me and encouraged me to keep working on my photography, and my own writing and educational presentations. Oh, did I mention that she is 74 years old?

So with that experience in mind, I will consider every project, even ones that don't seem to fit me at first. Let's start a conversation about what you need and go from there.

What I don't do

I am not a designer, though I wish I was. I have learned a great deal about design from teaching photography to Alberta College of Art+Design (ACAD) design students for 5 years, and I research this area constantly. I use the basic principles of design to teach photographic composition.

I don't shoot film, nor will I engage in the film vs. digital debate. There's nothing wrong with shooting film, it's just not for me anymore. It doesn't fit into my business plan. Oh, and I don't do weddings either, but I know several talented wedding photographers in western Canada, most of them former photography students of mine at the Alberta College of Art+Design.

How can I help you?

What do you wish to see on this site? Your feedback is always welcome either on my blog or via email. I will strive to answer your email within a few days. info(at)imagemaven(dot)com

 

EVENT PHOTOS:
Files available for download. Prints + custom designs.

Grizzly Hare Scramble - MotoCross July 19.08

Coral Springs Triathlon July 13.08

 

TEACHING INFO:

My next SAIT PHOT-200 classes start: Sept. 17, and Oct. 22, 2009. This class is offered 4 nights a week.

PHOT-200 Photography - Basic Film and Digital Photography - Basic Film and Digital is a core photography course. Students will develop a working knowledge of their adjustable (SLR) film or digital camera including: exposure control, composition, lenses, flash photography, filters, camera care and night photography. Students must supply their own Digital or Film SLR camera.

 

BOOKS from my library that I recommend:

Marlene Hielema - ImageMaven Inc. Calgary, AB, Canada (403) 283-9500 - info(at)imagemaven(dot)com

PLEASE READ BEFORE PROCEEDING: Images presented for display purposes only. All images on this web site copyrighted by the photographer MARLENE HIELEMA. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. If you want to use any of these images in any way, please contact the photographer, MARLENE HIELEMA, to discuss terms prior to usage. Last update of this page: 19 June 2009.