Last summer at Summer School, Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, Vincent LaForet, talked about all the times he didn’t have the right equipment, but knew he needed to do a particular project regardless. When he did his short film, Reverie, he had none of the equipment he really needed to produce and edit the project, but that didn’t stop him.

Matthew’s post hits on the issue of how much gear you really need when it comes to lighting, but let’s look at some other options when you don’t have what you need:

• Rental gear is a great option. Cash flow is tough when you’re just starting out, so watch your budget and rent instead of fighting to buy gear. You can always buy it later on.
• Often, especially on commercial projects, build the cost of your lights into the shoot.
• Don’t forget about leasing versus buying. With leasing you get to utilize somebody elses assets without depleting yours. It’s worth checking out your local retailer to see what’s available.
• Use your network! Get to know photographers in the area and attend monthly Smugs, guild meetings, the local PPA chapter meetings. Often more seasoned photographers have used equipment they’re turning over and there’s your opportunity to pick up the gear you need.

The bottom line is you should never be sitting there saying to yourself, “If I only had the gear I need!” It’s not about the gear – it’s about your creativity and your skill set.  And, if you’re in need of a good dose of creativity and getting your mind in the right place, then put Matthew Jordan Smith on your radar. He writes a terrific blog and his videos focus on pure education, are reasonably priced and help you get the expertise you need to build a stronger skill set!

When I was seventeen I wanted every lens and light I could find.  I thought, if I only had one more lens or one more light I could do so much more.  I thought my photographs would be better if I simple had more.  I’m not sure when I snapped out of that mind-frame but I’m glad I finally saw the light, no pun intended.

Today, I often speak about the “power of less” in photography.  You don’t always need to have more photo equipment to make beautiful images.   Yes, today I have every lens and light I can afford, but I only use what I need for each shoot.   In my first instructional video Ten Ways To Use One Light Source I go over the many ways you can use one light to make great images.  I also often use one lens and for this months cover of Nail Pro magazine I use one light and one lens.  The camera used to make this image is the Sony A900 with a 85mm lens.  The lighting is also very simple in this image, just one  beauty dish.  To learn how to shoot images like this and more check out the videos in Photography Help Store.   They give you multiple examples and diagrams to help you learn everything from simple ways to shoot to complex.

Matthew Jordan Smith

It was the PPA convention in Orlando and I had a meeting with Dean and his right hand, Tony Corbell. We were all at the Peabody Hotel and I had spent the morning at the pool. I went straight to a meeting in the coffee shop still in bathing attire and t-shirt. It may not have seemed professional, but it was summer time and most of the photographic industry was poolside.

To this day, Tony and I still laugh about that first meeting. It was one of the only times in their lives that Dean and Tony had ever put on suits. They showed up, dreading a meeting with some knucklehead named “Skip” from Polaroid, imagining that Hasselblad was about to move to aisle 7 in Kmart. After all, what could a guy from Polaroid possibly have to offer the number one professional camera company in the world?

Well, they were there in jacket and tie and I was there in flip-flops, cut-offs and a tank top. I know I at least had a legal pad and pen with me to look professional.  Thank God first impressions don’t have to rule relationships the rest of our lives! In all honesty, I don’t remember a thing about that first meeting except I knew I’d just met two people who were going to become important in my life, but I could never have guessed they’d both become two of my very best friends.

This summer Tony Corbell is teaching two days at Skip’s Summer School’s Hands-on Intensive program. Since that first meeting, almost 25 years ago, there are few people I’ve learned more from. Tony is typically referred to as the King of Lighting and there’s nobody that teaches it better.

The video below really demonstrates Tony’s passion for photography, for lighting and for never compromising on quality. Even better is the way he teaches and the fact that he’s never said “no” to anybody who ever needed help. I love this short video on his philosophy, but there is an important qualifier. First, if you’re thinking about taking his hands-on workshop at Summer School, both days, August 6 and 7 are already half full. We will not allow any workshop to go over 20 people.  Second, Tony went to work on getting in shape and he’s back to his fighting weight, having dropped 140 lbs over the last three years. I couldn’t run this video without sharing a more up to date head-shot!

While a big part of the importance of Summer School is about improving your skill set, a bigger benefit is expanding your network with some of the finest instructors in professional photography today. Right at the top of the list of somebody who should be in your network is Tony Corbell!

This year’s program is in Chicago, August 5-8, and the instructors are outstanding. Tony Corbell, Clay Blackmore and Calvin Hayes, Roberto Valenzuela, Michele Celentano, Kevin Kubota, Jerry Ghionis, Bobbi Lane and those are just for the hands-on segment. Ross Hockrow and Jeff Medford will be doing film making and rounding out the platform programs are Catherine Hall, Scott Bourne, Melissa Ghionis, Sal Cincotta and a special panel discussion on couples working together in photography with Kevin and Clare Kubota, Vicki and Jed Taufer and Bob and Dawn Davis. Plus,there are two lunch programs featuring this year’s sponsors and the senior management team of Resource Magazine.

Everybody has lots to choose from when it comes to education these days, but there’s nothing that compares with Summer School. See you in Chicago!

The first book of his I had a chance to read was Final Exposure, many years ago.  Lou doesn’t just capture images, he captures souls. The background description of Final Exposure from his website hits on at least two key points that I’ve talked about so often…

Giving himself the provocative task of capturing the candid expressions of death row inmates, Jones has used the power of his camera to present these inmates as real people and not just the dark side of humanity. His book, Final Exposure: Portraits from Death Row chronicles his six-year odyssey documenting these men and women incarcerated in the U.S.

The first key point is the power photographers have to use their camera to capture so much more than just images. In Final Exposure Lou captured personalities, taking us all to a place we will hopefully never be, death row. The second, is the importance of projects with a purpose.

Nicole Wolf wrote in a guest post two years ago:

We all have a responsibility when either educating about or participating in a “personal project”, to let ourselves go.  To create a place that others feel comfortable sharing that part of themselves with another human being.  It’s not an easy thing to open up and reveal the most intimate part of who you are, which is what a personal project should be.

Having a personal project helps keep you focused on why you became a professional photographer in the first place.  Your core business might be miles away from what you love to shoot the most or a topic you want to increase awareness about.  Having a personal project allows you to have a stronger emotional tie to your skill set while still having to “work for a living”.

I ran across this video clip recently from Lou’s new book, Dance. Obviously I love it, otherwise it wouldn’t be featured here today. However, what I love most is how much you can learn about Lou in less than three minutes.

As you watch it pay attention to the way he’s shooting, the number of people involved, the way his lighting is set up. And don’t be thrown off by those little commercial moments where he’s tagged the equipment he’s using. Giving back to his sponsors is another piece of who Lou is and what makes him so great to work with!  It’s all part of the formula that makes him one of the country’s greatest contemporary photographers.

One last thing to notice, the expressions on everyone’s face, not just when the strobes fire, but throughout the video. This is a group of people absolutely working as a team and they’re having fun doing it. I found a great quote that I used last week in reference to Resource Magazine’s new digital magazine,

Visions are made by individuals.Accomplishments are made by team work.

Lou is somebody who should be on your radar! His most recent book, Saint Petersburg Russia is available through the Blurb Bookstore. You’ll find more of his work and an occasional blog on his blogspot site.

I’ve said it dozens of times in the past:  The best part of this industry has nothing to do with photography, but the friendships that come out of everyone’s love for the craft!

This Year’s Programming:

Each attendee has their choice of two of seven different hands-on shooting programs, working with each instructor for an entire day in a maximum class size of just twenty people. Instructors include Clay Blackmore, Michele Celentano, Tony Corbell, Jerry Ghionis,  Kevin Kubota, Bobbi Lane and Roberto Valenzuela. Knowing each instructor like I do, I can promise you there won’t be anything “normal” about any of these classes. Each instructor is known for their uncompromising focus on quality and technique. Each one has in some way blazed their own path as an artist and set a standard for creative excellence. In short, they represent some of the most remarkable people in the photographic community.

An eighth special program will be all about film-making and storytelling. Video is one of today’s hottest products, not just something still photographers can offer their clients, but in mixed media and in self-promotional pieces for your own website. In this special intense two-day program attendees will be learning from two of the industry’s best, Jeff Medford and Ross Hockrow, founders of Cinestories. As part of the class project, you’ll actually be working on the techniques for creating your own self-promotional video.

In addition to these seven different hands-on shooting programs and the intense film-making workshop, we’ve got a terrific series of platform programs for 2012.

• Sunday, August 5 – Melissa Ghionis leads off Summer School with an outstanding program on Customer Service. Handling customer challenges is an art form. An upset consumer today, thanks to social media, has the ability to impact thousands of other potential clients.  I’ll kick off her program with my own ideas on things you can add to your sales tools.  Between the two of us we want to give you a series of ideas you can use to be proactive in developing an outstanding customer service program for your business.
• Monday, August 6 -Vendor Panel and lunch included: It’s a program we started last year and this year we want to expand it further. Your vendors need to be in your network. Think about it for just a second. They talk to hundreds of photographers every day. They know what’s going on in virtually every part of the country, not just with their products, but the challenges everybody is facing. They’re available to help, but you need to know who they are. In this lunch time panel, we’ll talk about the key challenges facing professional photographers today.

This year’s sponsors to date are Adorama, Cameras for Kids Foundation, The F.I.L.M. Project, GhostRighters, Marathon Press, Nik Software, Photofocus, Profoto, RETV, Resource Magazine, SmugMugPRo, SongFreedom, Tamron, WHCC and WPPI. Summer School becomes your chance to really get to know the people behind each company and their ability to help with so many of the day to day challenges.

• Monday evening, August 6 – Catherine Hall, Building Your Brand: Success is all about building top-of-mind awareness with your target audience. How do you get your message through all the noise out there? How do you make sure your potential client knows who you are?  Catherine will be helping you with solid ideas to expand your brand and make sure you’re on everybody’s radar!
• Tuesday, August 7 – Resource Magazine and lunch included: From the hottest new magazine on the photographic scene to two great websites, RETV and Resource Magazine, this is the crew setting the pace with great editorial,  but this isn’t about them, it’s about you.  They produced this year’s Summer School video shown below and they’ll be sharing ideas on what they look for in stories, images and new content.  Here’s your chance to get to know the team. Who knows, you just might find yourself published!

Skip’s Summer School 2011 from RETV from Resource Magazine on Vimeo.

Last on the list is the interaction summer school attendees always get with each other, the vendors and the instructors. Over the last three summers we’ve seen the community grow and the new network each attendee leaves with each year becomes an important part of their support and growth in the future. Year after year we see attendees staying in touch after Summer School and even getting together at WPPI, which is also one of the benefits with a $75 full registration fee to WPPI2013.

This year’s program has been moved to Oakbrook, Illinois, just ten miles from Ohare Airport, making it easily accessible and cost effective to attend. We’ve even managed to negotiate a $60 savings per day on the room rate.

Summer School started as a way for photographers to recharge their battery during mid-year when you need it most. This year’s program has been designed to go beyond that. There are no lines to wait in, no over-crowded seminars and nothing in your way to meet and get to know one of the finest groups of instructors we’ve ever had. You’ll leave with a series of new ideas on your technique, marketing and business.  And, oh yeah, you’ll have a lot of fun in the process!

See you at Summer School! Registration is just one click away. ]]> http://skipsphotonetwork.com/2012/03/skips-summer-school-2012-hands-on-intensive/feed/ 0 http://skipsphotonetwork.com/2012/01/how2-series-wtf-a-winter-challenge-guest-post-by-bob-davis/ http://skipsphotonetwork.com/2012/01/how2-series-wtf-a-winter-challenge-guest-post-by-bob-davis/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:57:48 +0000 http://skipsphotonetwork.com/?p=8536 WTF stands for “What the Flash” and a special guest post thanks to good buddy, Bob Davis. I’m really having fun sharing this guest post this morning, because it’s completely different from anything I’ve ever run on the blog. This couldn’t be more “how2″ and I love the way Bob put it together. 

I first met Bob and Dawn Davis at Photo Plus Expo in New York when I was asked to look at an album they shot for Oprah. They were hired to document Oprah’s recognition of African-American Women Who Changed the World. The event took place at Oprah’s estate outside Chicago.  The images were incredible and the way they told the story of the day in the album was even more impressive.  Over the years the friendship just naturally grew. We’d see each other at various conventions, were involved in some of the same charity events and then Bob joined us last summer, teaching at Skip’s Summer School. 

Okay, so admit it, it was the “WTF” that got you reading this morning, so I’m turning this over to Bob…

The goal: Shoot a twilight portrait in a snowstorm using Speedlights.

The challenge: Photograph Kelly during a winter storm with blistering wind chills and huge snowflakes falling at the rate of one inch per hour.  Who’s crazy enough to do this?  I knew the storm was coming, the weatherman was right this time, called my buddy Ed Weiland, he’s always up for my crazy ideas, we loaded up our gear and headed out into the tundra. 

The Gear: Camera: EOS 1D Mark IV

Lenses: 16 – 35 F/2.8 L & 70 – 200 F/2.8 II L

Lighting: 3 Canon 580 EXII Speedlights & STE2 Wireless Speedlight Transmitter in combination with Radiopopper transmitter & receivers.  Calumet 9′ Light Stands, large Rogue FlashBender & Rogue Diffusion Panel and Westcott Apollo Strip & Orb along with a few plastic bags to keep the Speedlights and Radiopoppers protected from the elements.

The Settings: Manual mode on camera, ETTL mode and forced manual mode on the Speedlights,

ISO ranged from 200 to 1600 as the night grew darker, Aperture f/4, shutter speed varied from 1/160^th to 1/8^th, slowing as the night grew darker to allow for some ambient light.

Note for Canon users: I have found a way to combine ETTL mode and Manual flash mode.  With the Speedlight in slave mode, hold the mode button on the rear of any Canon Speedlight for a good long second, say to yourself “one thousand and one thousand and two”!  Magically the flash drops out of ETTL mode and into Manual mode.  The Speedlight is still dedicated to you, can’t control it from camera, you have to manually dial in the power you want.  I usually start around ¼ power and go from there. 

Remember! Shutter Speed = ambient light     Aperture = flash output

Kelly, our adventurous model, was brave enough to go along with this craziness and keep smiling during the shoot all while the wind chill dipped below zero.  In-between shots she would run to the car to warm up.  It was so cold the rear command dial on Ed’s Mark IV froze from him breathing on it.  I learned a long time during my photojournalism days to hold your breath when your eye is to the viewfinder in extreme cold.  Once while covering a fire I fogged the viewfinder and it frosted over with ice and froze the controls on back of my camera, boy that camera was cold!  I tucked it inside my coat next to my body to thaw it out.

I always say to myself, slow down, breathe and think!  This always helps me during a tough shooting situation.  If I were to use on camera or direct flash (on axis) the light would reflect off of the white snowflakes preventing a clean shot.  This is known as the angel of reflectance.  Getting the flash off camera will sidelight the snowflakes allowing for a clean view of Kelly. 

Using one off camera flash either camera right or left would make a nice portrait, always be careful where that shadow falls, you don’t a long unflattering shadow across your subject’s face.  Good lighting will have the shadow fall right into the crease where the nose meets the cheek.  I chose to use two Speedlights.  One as a back light to separate Kelly from the background and highlight the snow, creating depth and one off camera right, (see lighting diagram). 

Since we were shooting in an open field and the wind was blowing I choose to use small light modifiers.  I didn’t want my Speedlights sailing away like Auntie Em’s house in the Wizard of Oz.  Toto we’re not in Kansas anymore, this feels like the Arctic.  The Light modifiers on this shot were the Rogue FlashBender large as a snoot for the back light and the RogueFlash Bender large with the new Rogue Diffusion Panel for the main light. 

I always like to say the right tool for the right job; in this situation anything bigger would need a team of circus carneys to keep them grounded.  I was totally impressed with the quality of light from the Rogue Diffusion Panel.

In this first image you can see how direct flash, with a back light, lights the snowflakes, very distracting.  The direct flash is on axis with the lens causing the light to reflect off the snowflakes.

Settings: ISO 1250 f/4 @ 1/30^th sec, lens @200mm, main light in ETTL mode, rim light in forced manual 1/16^th power.

Off camera flash, camera right, using large Rogue FlashBender and Diffusion Panel.Settings: ISO 200 f/4 @1/80^th sec, lens @75mm, main in ETTL mode.

There are only a handful of photographers in our industry who really understand how to use light and today Matthew is taking us outside. In just eight minutes, if you really pay attention, you’ll pick up more information than in many of the platform programs you’ve attended at the various conventions! It’s not that there’s anything wrong with live workshops, in fact, I’m a huge fan, but it’s not the same as you being able to just watch, listen and learn in the privacy of your home, studio or office right now.

This video is from the full length DVD, Inspiring Beauty. If you think there’s a lot of great content here, now picture what’s on the 2.5 hour feature. Nobody does it better than Matthew.

Okay gang, there’s a theme here this week. This is about expanding your skill set and fine-tuning your craft and I don’t own stock in Software Cinema or Photoshop Cafe.  There is absolutely no bounce back to me if you make any purchases. I just love what they’re doing and the educational resource they’re building for photographers! 

Software Cinema and Photoshop Cafe have worked hard to give all my readers a special discount code. Enter “nov20″ for 20% off  on all your purchases on both the Software Cinema and PhotoshopCAFE web sites.

“Sklooty” is one of the best instructors in the country.  There’s a reason why he’s a Canon Explorer of Light and a regular instructor in the Canon booth at so many different conventions.  It’s one thing to understand lighting, but another to be able to help photographers understand the importance of being able to visualize each step in creating outstanding images.

And if you’re looking for more great “how to” videos on virtually every aspect of professional photography, check out the rest of Software-Cinema’s lineup!

Here’s the background behind the photograph. Nick wanted to make the equipment look the way articles of antiquity show up at a museum. He wanted to instill a little mystery along with value and intrigue. The image he created says it all and remember, this is all before Photoshop.  This was done in the studio and on film.

There’s a reason why so many of us consider Nick one of the finest commercial photographers in the country. There’s nobody who knows photography better.  In order to create this image he had to understand every aspect of lighting, composition and exposure. Last on the list was his ability to interpret a concept and take his idea and turn it into reality.

But the support for the program and charity didn’t end with Nick. It had actually started thanks to Rod Dresser, who returned the gear to Hasselblad. Rod’s work is pretty remarkable. He had been an assistant to Ansel, when the equipment, originally on loan, was given to him by Ansel to use. Well, Victor Hasselblad passed away, Ansel passed away and the consignment was pretty much forgotten. Rod helped us promote the gear, Ansel’s images and was a big part of this small chapter in photographic history.

All of the magazines came through with publicity about the story. Virtually every editor ran something on the sale of the gear and the history behind it. PPE, then known as PhotoEast, helped us exhibit the gear in NYC that year, again adding to the promotion.

Last but absolutely not least, Don Imus put it all on the map in front of fourteen million listeners when he announced his bid of $100,000. Even better was the way he described the gear. “This is like finding Babe Ruth’s bat!”

So, the next time you attend a great workshop, see some terrific images or watch a great webcast – whoever is the “star” of the show deserves lots of credit, but don’t forget to notice all the people in the star’s network who have worked to create that moment for you. You’ll always find an incredible team behind every great event!

There’s an incredible amount of material out today and so much of it is free. Best of all, you can take it in small doses, watching, listening and then practicing on your own.  The are so many techniques you can pick up from Internet, this morning from my long time friend Cliff Mautner.  Cliff and I have been friends going back to my early WPPI days, but that great friendship all started with my respect for his talent as a teacher as well as a photographer.

This clip came from YouTube and ties together Nikon and Pocket Wizard. It’s a terrific five minute tutorial that can help you expand your skills and help you create better images for minimal cost and virtually no extra time.  This is about the most important aspect of succeeding as a professional photographer, exceeding the expectations of your clients!

Cliff Mautner should definitely be on your list of photographers to follow. Add his blog to your list and if you’re really up for a terrific workshop, while his October program is already sold out, check out what he’s got coming up November 8-10. If you’re not a wedding photographer, don’t let it stop you from developing your skills and a better understanding of the craft. Cliff can shoot anything and diversity, especially in a tough economy, trumps being a specialist.

Think about your images and the quality in your final presentation to each client. It’s the army’s slogan, but I’m stealing it today…”Are you all you can be?”