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I am SO excited for this week’s interview! Ever since the CS4 Missing Manual came out I have been on Lesa’s case to let me interview her. And if you don’t remember, this is the book that Scott Kelby himself called “the new Photoshop bible“!

On this interview, my apologies go out to Lesa’s other fans. I had actually sent Lesa a ton of questions months ago before the NAPP Interview Series ever came to my mind. Because Lesa had most of them answered already, we built her interview off of those questions. To make it all up to you though, Lesa has let me know that if you use THIS LINK you will receive 10 Free High Resolution Images from iStockPhoto.com! But if you do have a question for Lesa, don’t forget she is going to be in Florida, this March for the Photoshop World Conference! So if you are going, be sure to stop by her class and say Hi.

I hope you all enjoy this week’s installment of the NAPP Interview Series:

Lesa “Fumi” Snider

(click the pic to learn more about Lesa)

1. How did you first get started teaching Photoshop at PSW and with NAPP?

It’s always interesting to compare what kids wish for in a career to what actually happens! Growing up I wanted to be a test pilot like Chuck Yeager (I even wrote to my senator for help getting into the Air Force Academy), but I ended up needing glasses so that dream fizzled. I also wanted to be an astronaut, a jockey like Steve Cauthen, and a country-western singer. Ha!

Instead, I became an executive secretary my junior year in high school (I was in the work program), but discovered quickly that the boss gets all the credit *and* the money. In 1995 I started my own typing service (I’m freakishly fast and accurate), bought a Macintosh computer, had a fun year of typing everything from dissertations to naughty poetry to governmental training workbooks. As I began to get more requests for graphic design, I enrolled in the Art Institute of Dallas. However, before graduation, I began volunteering for Apple at Macworld Expo in January of 2000 (through a user group contact), and met Jeff and Scott Kelby. My “post” as a Macworld Expo Tour Guide was right across the aisle from the last-ever Mac Design Magazine booth, which Jeff and Scott manned. The three of us hit it off and I’ve been working with the Kelby’s ever since.

My first official job was moderating for Photoshop World (introducing other instructors), writing short Photoshop tips & tricks for the NAPP web site, and then I became a “booth-babe” for the one-day Photoshop Seminar Tours (which is crazy hard work!). Once they realized I was answering oodles and gobs of Photoshop questions at the sales tables during breaks — and after several class idea pitches — they gave me a whirl teaching on the expo show floor at a Photoshop World. I did very well, folks loved my voice and techniques, thus I scored an actual session in the regular track in 2006. I’ve been lucky enough to teach at every single Photoshop World since then! I also have a regular column in PhotoshopUser magazine called “Graphic Secrets”, record videos every other week for the NAPP member web site, and am a member of the KelbyTraining.com stable of authors.

I got into Photoshop specifically by sheer accident. Photoshop was what Scott was into and in spending time around the Kelby gang, I had more exposure to it. However, when I met them I’d been using Pagemaker and InDesign for years in my typing service (I created all the workbooks for the USDA/NRCS training courses nationwide). Though outside of my colleagues, nobody ever asked how to do anything in InDesign—it was always Photoshop questions, due largely to the explosion of digital photography. Everybody loves playing with pictures

2. With Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski, Dave Cross, Corey Barker, RC Concepcion, etc – Photoshop seems to be a bit of a “boy’s club” – do you ever find that to be challenging?

LOL If they weren’t so lovable I might, but honestly no, it suits me just fine. Being one of the very few female instructors is actually a tremendous asset because folks really seem to enjoy my voice and personality, and find it to be a nice change from all the boys. Plus I think folks are entertained by my Texas accent. Heck, if I didn’t have those things to make me stand out, I’d have to hunt for something else, like teaching in a Star Trek outfit (oh wait, I did that too!).

On a serious note, I do believe women are discriminated against in unimaginable ways in most every field to date. I’d quote a John Lennon song here if it wouldn’t cause an uproar

3. One of the things people love about your tutorials is that you delve into the “why” of things just as much as the “how”. Why do you do like to do this?

Learning the “why” is the only way I personally retain any piece of information (for however short a time), so I like to impart that to others in case they’re like me. I’m certain I’ve driven people nuts all my life asking “why this” or “why that,” but if I don’t, the info just doesn’t stick.

4. What went through your head when you first heard about the Missing Manual project?

Pure emotion: Excitement, incredible opportunity, and sheer terror. Remember, Photoshop: The Missing Manual had never been written by anyone; she was brand-spankin’ new. And since I’d worked closely with David Pogue for 6 or so years (he founded the Missing Manual series and I also met him at Macworld), I knew what kind of effort went into a book like that. Holy Thor, the level of detail is just unreal! For those who are unfamiliar with the series, the Missing Manuals include absolutely no tech-jargon–not even the word default or interface–and are written for absolutely every level of skill, and they spell out every single command and menu item.

Also, writing for an established series is a huge challenge because it already has a unique voice and style. David set the bar extremely high with his ability to mix humor into clever, well-written, comprehensive prose and to compose gorgeous (and often hilarious) screen shots. I’m lucky in that I had been working with him on his own books for about 6 years—and my writing style is naturally similar—so I was able to slip into the Missing Manual voice fairly easily. I had also learned to make every single screen shot its own little work of art, so I had a ball putting those together (I refused to let anybody else do them).

5. How long did it take you to assemble that monster sized book?

Much less time than I would have liked! Due to circumstances beyond my control, I had 6 months to get it done from outline to finished tome (it’s 900 pages, if you count the three online appendices). Everything I wrote started with a big old honkin’ blank page—talk about intimidating!

6. Was there any point where you just wanted to kill the project?

Every frakkin’ day: That kind of life-consuming project has the ability to make or break you. Luckily, I had some really good friends who supported and believed in me, and who also sent flowers, Vodka, and chocolate when necessary. One amazing friend even stayed up on iChat with me during too many all-nighters to name; however, there were many times I just wanted to quit and go work at a bookstore.

7. What was the first thing you did once it was finished?

I tried to cry but couldn’t, so I went outside to see what the sky looked like, drank an entire bottle of really nice champagne, and then crawled back into bed to sleep more than three hours for the first time in months. It took a very long time to finally realize it was over, and then when the thing arrived in the mail (the day before I left for Macworld Expo in 1/09, where it was released), I just STARED at it as if it were an alien. To this day it’s extremely difficult for me to believe I wrote it. Stranger still is that I refer to it sometimes! I remember the first time I saw David Pogue reach for one of his own books to figure something out; it was such a bizarre concept for me. Then one day I did the same thing—though I can’t remember what I looked up—and it was an amazing feeling. That one moment made the whole project worthwhile.

8. Are teaching at PSW in March, if so what are you going to be covering in your sessions?

I’ve got some unique classes lined up including Totally Text, which covers most every text/paragraph formatting goodie you can imagine, packed with ten tons of keyboard shortcuts. I also cover how to add texture to text in a variety of non-destructive ways, how to create individually rotated letters, ideas for using the Type Mask tool, etc. Since the majority of time is spent focusing on images, I figured it was high time for some text!

Another class I’m teaching is called Quick Photo Fixes, where we focus on quick ways to fix images using tools you might not think of using like Variations, a non-destructive way to use the Shadow/Highlight adjustment, empty adjustment layers, blend modes, faux dodge and burn, etc. I also cover Levels in depth, giving you three very different ways of using it, along with some selected tips for using Curves. One of the many things I love about Photoshops is that you can do the same thing 100 different ways, so it’s all about finding the way you like best.

Combining Photos with Vectors is another class I do on the show floor which is always fun, wherein folks learn how to creatively combine illustrations with photos to make unique art. We dive into Smart Objects and learn how to use vectors as photo frames, create rounded edge photo templates, add fire to a Scooter’s exhaust, and more. Look for a KelbyTraining.com class on this soon!

This time I’m also teaching the beginners pre-conference class: A 4-hour, super-intense Photoshop bootcamp. We’ll cover all the basics including different kinds of layers and when to use them, Smart Objects, the truth about resolution, basic retouching, color correction, and more. For more info, visit http://www.photoshopworld.com/workshops.html and scroll to the bottom of the page. Even if you’ve been using Photoshop for years, this class will do you good!

9. Why do you love doing what you do? What would you be doing if you couldn’t be teaching Photoshop?

Teaching folks a useful skill makes me feel incredibly good, as if I’m doing something worthwhile. Also, folks who are learning can be amazingly appreciative. I didn’t find client work to be half as rewarding.

However, if I hadn’t gone the teaching route, I probably would have gotten into close-captioning because of my typing speed/accuracy, or perhaps broadcast graphics. I’m also still planning to become a novelist (stay tuned!), and I have a secret desire to race sportbikes. I’ve had one track day so far (Barber in AL) and it scared the fire out of me, though I’m itching to return. I love fast cars and bikes (I own three motorcycles, including a 2008 BMW F800ST named “Saphira”).

10. If you could have one thing custom designed for you, what would it be?

Black and yellow racing leathers with “The Nurse” in a Looney Tunes typeface stitched across the bootie. Along with, of course, an exact replica of Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha M1, complete with stickers, but lowered so I can actually touch the ground on the darn thing. This is why my Twitter handle is “lesafumi”; it’s an obscure reference to Rossi when, years ago, he dubbed himself “Rossifumi”—after another super fast rider who’s name ended with ‘fumi’—because he needed to go really, really fast. I took that Twitter name when I was finishing my book because I, too, had to go very fast

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BIG THANKS go out to Lesa for being part of the Interview Series! She can now rest easy that my hounding emails will no longer haunt her Inbox. Thanks Lesa! I can’t wait to meet you at PSW in March!!

Be sure to tune in next week when I get to turn the spotlight on Rafael Concepcion, better known as RC – from Layers Magazine!