I’m working with Scott Bourne on a project called GoingPro. Most of you have probably been to the website, www.GoingPro2010.com.   Part of the project involves a book, published by Random House next summer.  So the chapter I was working on yesterday was all about things you can do to refine your technical skills.   I started writing about the importance of attending workshops, conventions and trade shows and found myself taking a trip down memory lane…

Bambi Cantrell versus Don Blair at a program in Florida:  Don spent half an hour demonstrating a series of lighting set ups with one, two and three lights.  Bambi came up on stage with a lamp she took from her room and nailed down a couple of the same set ups in seconds.  There was so much respect between these two and Don was simply blown away by the idea that a table lamp could fill in when you were out of the studio!

Francesco Scavullo was doing a program for us (Hasselblad) at PhotoPlus Expo.  He was using our set prior to his program to photograph Brooke Shields for a children’s charity.  They were running late and I had 350 people waiting in the hallway, because Brooke’s mother wouldn’t allow anybody in the room.  I wound up in a fight with Brooke Shields mother and finally just opened the doors!   However, thanks to Denis Reggie’s ability to calmly negotiate, he got everybody calmed down and I got my first real lesson in negotiating technique.  Meanwhile watching Scavullo at work was amazing.

I once watched an entire room of photographers tear up, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place, as Lisa Jane talked about the importance of never compromising quality on an image.  It was so powerful that years later I did a blog on the topic and retold her story.

Last year at Skip’s Summer School, Scott Bourne talked for just 15 minutes about social media as part of my marketing program.  We all took notes on how to better utilize Twitter.   Six months later I decided it was time to get active in Twitter – I’m up to 2400 followers and finding it an incredible way to stay in touch with the industry.  Scott went from 24,000 followers to 75,000 in almost the same time period!

I got to witness first hand what it means to have something “go viral” in the photo industry as Ron Dawson produced a three part video spoof staring Joe Photo, worried about not hosting WPPI’s Awards Program.  Each video, literally pulled thousands of photographers into the story and helped to bring WPPI to record-breaking attendance that year.  Sorry, couldn’t find the link for you – but if somebody can find the series, send me an email and I’ll publish the URL!

At a program in Boston I heard one of the most amazing presentations I’ve ever seen by Arthur Rainville about creativity and our ability to truly be involved with imaging and our subject.   It remains the best program I’ve ever seen!

Here’s the only point this morning – if you don’t get involved in the industry; if you don’t attend every workshop you can and if you don’t attend every tradeshow and convention possible you’re simply going to miss out on a lot.  Every day there are memorable moments being made by today’s contemporary photographers and each time it’s another learning experience for all of us!

You snooze you lose!