The number of photographers who now use Photoshop has boomed. Even those cynics who once regarded digital imaging as the end of photography as we know it, had to revise their opinions once they saw how much one can remain in creative control of the imaging process.

My own involvement with digital imagng began some 14 years ago. And it was a combination of things, such as my involvement in the UK Digital Imaging Group, plus experience gained writing for magazines like 'MacUser' and the 'British Journal of Photography', which led me to the idea of writing a book about Photoshop specifically for photographers.

I am lucky to have a close relationship with the Photoshop engineering team and have been a Photoshop alpha tester since version 6.0 of the program. This means that I am one of the select few authors who are able to have an active role in the development of each new version of Photoshop from the early stages, and offer feedback and suggestions on new features, long before the program hits the shelves.

Adobe Photoshop 5.0 for Photographer, was first published in August 1998. The Adobe Photoshop for Photographers series has already sold over 250,000 copies worldwide and been translated into Finnish, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Plus the Adobe Photoshop 6.0 for Photographers gained a COOL 2 Award from PEI magazine and has also been given an Editor's Choice Award by The Designer's Bookshelf .

I often get invited to present seminars on Photoshop and now also the new Lightroom program all over the world, but mainly in the US and Europe. For example, I am a regular speaker at the Photo Plus East Expo in New York City which takes place around the end of October each year.

I am also a member of 'Pixel Genius', which is a company that was set up by Jeff Schewe, Bruce Fraser, Andrew Rodney, Mike Skurski and myself with the aim of designing plug-ins for Photoshop. Pixel Genius is more than a software company though, it is a collective of Photoshop experts who are able to share their expertise. Sadly both Bruce and Mike have passed away, but the products they helped create such as Photokit Sharpener and PhotoKit Color have continued to evolve. Pixel genius is also responsible for the Photoshop News website, that was setup by founding member, Jeff Schewe as well as the Lightroom-news website that I help edit.

Before all this, I was mainly a London-based professional photographer working mainly for fashion and beauty clients. I am still first and foremost a professional photographer and the writing I do is something that I fit into the spare hours. I would say that it is my experience as a working photographer that has given my books a unique edge over other Photoshop photography books because I shoot most weeks and primarily use Photoshop in a commercial work environment. Digital imaging has extended the number of skills I am able to offer to clients and greatly increased my annual turnover. And I like to think that the advice and the photography examples I provide in the book have some relevance to fellow photographers -- amateurs and professionals alike.

For those who are interested in biographical details, I was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire and studied photography at the local Salisbury College of Art. I moved to London in the early eighties, where I full-time assisted photographers such as Serge Krouglikoff, Kenneth Bieber, Bill Ling and James Wedge. Working with James was a particularly rewarding experience as this provided lots of opportunities for foreign travel. After leaving James's studio, I built up my own freelance career. Today, I live in Willesden Green, London and work from a studio in Stoke Newington. Clients include: Andrew Collinge, Anita Cox, Fame Team, Goldwell, Harmony, Hitachi, Indola, Make Believe, Pantene Pro-V, Rainbow Room, Remington, Three.Six.Five and Wella. I am also a regular contributor to What Digital Camera magazine, where I write a series of regular monthly columns and review photographs that have been sent in by readers.

These days, the Digital Imaging Group rarely holds any meetings, but the spirit of DIG lives on in the Prodig mailing list, owned by Ed Horwich. If you would like to find out how to join this mail list, visit the Prodig web site www.prodig.org.

My interests outside of photography and computers include outdoor activities like hiking and travel. But there have also been some amazing changes that have taken place in my life over the last two years. I got married to my wife Camilla in October 2005 at a civil ceremony in City Hall, New York. Jeff Schewe was there as the ring bearer as well as official photographer and the whole event was documented as a 'wedding story' on Photoshop News! And then earlier this year on the 9th April our daughter Angelica was born. I managed to finish writing Photoshop CS3 for Photographers just 4 hours before Camilla was due to go into labour. Like all proud dads I can't resist showing off a picture. So here is young Angelica at 30 days old:

I like reading modern novels and listening to all types of contemporary music, but especially indie, dance, ambient, jazz, soul and R&B blues music. Whenever I get the opportunity to visit the United States, I love to take time out to drive around, explore small towns and investigate the local music scene.

It is hard to say which photographers have influenced me most. With so many good photographers out there providing inspiration, I am inclined to think first of pictures I've recently seen in magazines, exhibitions, books or posters. It is the unsung heroes who through organizations like the Association of Photographers, have helped defend photographers' rights and championed their cause. People like Janet Ibbotson, Gwen Thomas, Mike Laye, Martin Beckett, Adam Woolfitt and Jonathan Trapman. In this intensely competitive business, the contribution these people (and many others) have made to protecting the rights of UK and European photographers is sometimes easily forgotten.

The photographic industry has gone through many changes. The advent of digital imaging has made high-quality digital imaging an affordable reality for many. It has also brought about less welcome changes, such as the way clients are able to purchase and commission original photography. Such changes are inevitable, yet I believe there are also many ways in which photographers are able to adapt and take advantage of new technologies and thrive from this digital revolution. Never before has it been so easy to communicate with so many people across the world through visual images.

Martin Evening 2007