Matthew’s also got a Twitter contest going to win free registration to both days of the seminar series here in Akron.  This is going to be a terrific program – so if you’ve got an interest here’s the link to register!  Plus, there’s an added bonus…I’ll be Matthew’s opening act on the first night, doing an updated version of my marketing workshop an hour before Matthew.

See you in Akron!

On August 8th we’re going to kick off the second annual Skip’s Summer School.   Here’s an update on the key events and who’s going…

This a very different format from most things you’ve attended.  There are no lines to stand in, waiting and wondering if you’ll get a seat.  Everyone gets a seat at a table, because the room is set up classroom style.  There are no decisions to make about which programs to see – they all take place one after the other.  And, if you’re worried about staying in touch with your business, the entire ballroom will be set up with FREE wifi.

The sponsors/vendors have pretty much been hand-picked and yes, there are companies I turned down because a category was already full.  Here’s your chance to get to know some of the very best manufacturers and service providers in our industry.  Just look at the list: Album’s Inc, Asukabook, Azura Albums, B&H Photo Video, Big Folio, Boda Bags, DWF, Fujifilm, GhostRighters, GoingPro, Graphi Albums, H&H Color Lab, Jill-e Bags, Kubota Image Tools,  Marathon Press, The Mac Group (X-rite, Profoto Lighting, Sekonic and more), Midwest Photo Exchange, Nik Software, OnOne Software, Photodex, PhotoOne Software, Pictage, PWD Labs, Simply Canvas, Smug Mug Pro, Tamron, Triple Scoop Music, WHCC , WPPI and new to the team this week Graphic Authority!   Each of these companies will have representatives there to help you with the challenges in running and building your business! With many of the companies the principles themselves will be joining us – what an opportunity!

Here’s a fun one just being announced this morning - X-Rite Photo will be offering free monitor profiling!  Representatives will be onsite to profile your lapstop monitor using various X-Rite color management solutions. It’s easy and it’s fast.  Just bring your laptop to their booth in the program room and they’ll provide you with a demonstration of the software and hardware solutions working on your laptop to give you an accurate look at the color in your file based on your monitor capability.

This is about building your network and meeting new photographers as well as the manufacturers.  Don’t forget about the interaction time you’ll have with most of the speakers as well.  It’s an opportunity you don’t get very often at the bigger conventions. We’re even going to have some fun on Monday and test out a concept of speed networking, just to add a little organized chaos and laughs to the day. 

Last but not least is the diversity of this year’s speakers.  They’re offering you an opportunity to expand your skill set in wedding, portraiture, seniors, social media, pets, children, marketing, business and even lighting technique as Tony Corbell and Bobbi Lane offer their support in the Lighting Lab.

And if you’re wondering who else is coming, here are the demographics so far:

a) Male vs female is split at 50/50

b) We have photographers from 38 states and four countries currently registered

c) 32% of the attendees say they only attend Skip’s Summer School

d) 32% also say they’re just starting out with an additional 26% being in business less than two years.

e) 47% list wedding photography as their primary specialty, 38% list portraiture (children, family and seniors) and the remaining 15% are mostly commercial, fine art and outdoor/wildlife photographers.

f) 60% of the attendees are part time photographers with 40% full time.  That’s a great mix of emerging professionals looking to make the move to full time.

Value…

I know of no other program offering the value of this year’s programming.  We’ve actually reduced the price from last year to $239, giving you 13 different speakers on the platform and 2 experts in the Lighting Lab.  Plus, you’ll get 50% off registration to WPPI 2011. Last but not least is the $79 rate at the MGM Grand Las Vegas with a $25 per room dining/entertainment discount and their two for one dining card (information is on the MGM site).

And if you’re still on the fence about joining us how about the word “fun”.  It’s a word too often lost in business today and Summer School is a time to work hard and play hard – it’s a time to recharge your battery and get yourself in shape for the last quarter of the year.  No matter what kind of year you’ve had, there’s an opportunity to make changes and strengthen your business!

I can’t think of a better way to wrap up the blog this morning than with the latest round of entries in the current contest to win a free registration:

Bradley James:

Belinda Olson:

Rodney Yardley:

Dominick Washburn:

Mark Miller:

Dawn Norris:

Beatrice Kennedy:

The contest ends at midnight tonight and the winner will be drawn at random and announced tomorrow!

Good luck and thanks for all the great interest in Summer School!

While I can just about guarantee you’ll have a great time and learn a lot at Skip’s Summer School in August, if you can’t make it don’t worry about it – just make it a point to follow the activities of the speakers I’ve been profiling.  They’ve all got something to contribute and you need to have them on your radar on a regular basis.

Cliff Mautner:  About seven years ago Cliff was at WPPI and after attending a few of the seminars felt pretty strongly about having the skill set to teach and offer something to the community.  He contacted Bill Hurter, editor in chief of Rangefinder and me.  His work was terrific and he absolutely had the drive.  A few months later Cliff and I had breakfast in NYC during PhotoPlus Expo and that started an amazing friendship.

One of his greatest qualities is his persistent quest for the ultimate image.  He’s made it a point to absolutely know every aspect of his gear.  He knows Nikon so well, that I found a video he did not too long ago for Nikkor.  I’ve included it here on the blog, because it will give you a feel for his style and his comfort level teaching.  

But his passion for imaging is second to his passion for his friends.    He’s always there for everybody.  He takes his friendships very seriously.   When Joe Buissink was in the hospital a few years back and had a workshop to teach, Cliff along with Bambi Cantrell and Denis Reggie made sure it was covered.  If you’re in the industry you understand that loyalty, but if you’re new, it’s simply an amazing quality to have and it’s something that makes a limited number of photographers very special.

At Skip’s Summer School he’ll be spending a lot time helping you understand the key challenges to work through so you can handle just about every lighting situation.  He’s a perfectionist and takes no prisoners when it comes to understanding how to create the finest images.  The terrific thing about a speaker like Cliff is, even though his focus is on weddings, the principles he’ll be teaching are universal to virtually all the photograhic specialties.  This is about recognizing and understanding how much control you really do have!

You need to keep track of Cliff so check out his website and his blog.  If you’re active in DWF you’ll often find his comments on the forum.  He’s on facebook and you should follow him on Twitter too.

Now, sit back and enjoy this short clip I found on You Tube!

Tomorrow we’ll finish off the week with the only woman in history to receive Combat Photographer of the Year twice, Stacy Pearsall!  Now a portrait photographer in the Carolinas, she’s bringing an incredible new dimension to Skip’s Summer School!

Tony Corbell:  I guess instead of saying why Tony was chosen as an instructor this year, I should really be saying how could anybody have a workshop without this guy?  There are few instructors in our industry with Tony’s depth of experience in commercial work, weddings, portraits, table top, photojournalism and even fine art.   His passion though is lighting and with so many new photographers taking the wrong shortcut, I’ll-fix-it-in-Photoshop-later, understanding lighting is more important than ever.

Tony had a great idea he wanted to try at this year’s Summer School and it’s already getting incredible reviews and we haven’t even done it yet!  Together with Bobbi Lane, they’ll be running the Lighting Lab.  No structure, no real format, just a great room with a few lighting setups and models.  Attendees will be able to get very specific help throughout both full days of Summer School at any time from 9:00 – 12:00pm and 2:00 – 5:00 pm from both Tony and Bobbi.

The best part of Tony’s concept is that it utilizes one of his very best skills, teaching!  Everybody has something they do really well, but when it’s not just something you understand, but a passion, then you do it even better.  And, nobody does it better than Tony!

Want to learn more about Tony?  Check out the images and material on his website at Corbell Productions, you’ll find him on Facebook too.  And here’s a fun piece I found on YouTube of Tony demonstrating portraiture with just one light…but there’s a secondary fun component here – Tony’s worked hard over the past year to drop a ton of weight since this video was created and is officially back to his old fighting weight!

 Tomorrow we’ll give you some background on Kay Eskridge and all her links, so you can add her to your list of icons you should know!

I’ve told one of my favorite Don Blair stories before, but the short version is that I once found Don, he was then in his 70’s, in the back of the room at a presentation by Nick Vedros years ago.  Don, who literally wrote the book on portrait lighting and posing, was furiously taking notes on how Nick handled the lighting on a commercial shoot.  He was amazed by what he was learning!

Then, there’s Monte Zucker, who called me one night in the early 90’s.  He’d just been to a presentation on the future of “electronic imaging”. He was blown away by how he believed it would change the face of photography and wrote an email to every executive in the photographic industry.

Monte and Don, may only be with us in spirit today, but they set an amazing example and NEVER stopped learning.  As successful as they both were, they attended every possible workshop they could and never stopped discovering new techniques for creating the ultimate image.

But education is only half the reason to attend these local programs.  This is all about networking!   Every program offers you an opportunity to meet and talk with other photographers in your area.  Other photographers, in this bizarre economy, can become allies instead of  just more competitors.    Everyone is in the same boat and dealing with similar challenges.

From Aesop to George Washington, a dozen people are credited with the expression, “United we stand, divided we fall!”  Well, it might seem melodramatic, but that’s what attending workshops, monthly guild meetings, national conventions etc. all means – it gives you a stronger reference point and framework to find more aggressive ideas in your marketing efforts, while picking up the added benefit of sharpening your skills.

Here are some programs either already in place or about to launch:

Now you didn’t think I was going to put Skip’s Summer School up last did you?  There are people who have told me this year’s line-up is even stronger than last year’s.  Personally, I’m pretty proud of the caliber of instructors for both years, but this year is definitely more diverse.  We’ve jam packed two and a half days with a dozen different topics, great information, terrific presentations and all at a great price thanks to dedicated sponsors and the MGM Grand. (The early bird $249 price is only out there for one more month.)  Here’s an opportunity to recharge your battery in August, before the craziness of the last quarter of the year.  You’ll get new ideas. from 15 different speakers, that you can implement quickly and still have an impact on your bottom line revenue before the year is over.

Two Shots of PhotoShop with Jack Davis and Jane Conner-ziser.  Here are two of the best photoshop instructors in the country, hitting the road.  With fourteen cities on the tour, this program is about solutions to the challenges of creative technique and work-flow.

Doug Gordon Workshops - How are you going to get a more professional feel to your bridal images if you don’t know how to blend in the look of high-fashion with great lighting and posing?  In this year’s new workshops, Doug is pulling out all the stops.  From larger workshops to smaller programs with just 25 photographers, Doug has put together an outstanding experience for building your skill set.

PDN’s Wedding and Virtual Trade Show:  It’s coming up in May and it’s going to be a kick and it’s FREE…but you can’t be online and attend if you’re not registered.  Registration takes only a few seconds and it’s just one click away.

Escalate Live:  The brain child of Dane Sanders, it’s coming up in May in Newport Beach, CA.  It’s two intense days in May with eight different speakers. 

Creative Live:  Free online education thanks to Chase Jarvis.  And if you miss a program there’s always an opportunity to go back and purchase the download at a reasonable cost.

Schrader Workshops:He may be a new face on the scene, but feedback on his previous workshops has been really good.  A lot of Greg Schrader’s focus is about networking.  For example, his Fireside chat series is just $20 and give you a chance to network with other photographers and that includes food and beverage!  Then, if you’re looking for a more intense workshop, check out his programs coming up in Chicago and Mackinac Island, MI.

Here’s the thing about education – you can’t be the best you can be if you’re not constantly taking advantage of the opportunities around you.  As I hear about more programs, I’ll do my best to get you the link and more information, but you’re the only one who can put aside the time and make it a point to be there.

This is about feeding the passion you have for photography and Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul said it best:

“One of the things that may get in the way of people being lifelong learners is that they’re not in touch with their passion. If you’re passionate about what it is you do, then you’re going to be looking for everything you can to get better at it.”  

First, check out a new program from Nik, The Nik Summit.  Put together by my good buddy Tony Corbell and the team at Nik Software, here’s an opportunity for some great programming and an excuse to spend some time in San Diego – as if anybody needed an excuse for that one!  It’s an all-star cast leading off with Joe McNally and Robert Beck.  Great programming, hands-on shooting and the opportunity to help build your portfolio and your network!

Then comes Skip’s Summer School - Okay, so it’s shameless self-promotion, but what a great program!  Check out Skip’s Summer School, especially with the early bird special of just $199 and 15 different speakers, but it’s not just about the quality of the programs and the diversity of the topics – it’s about the learning potential.

Scott Bourne talked about it yesterday in his blog - how great is it to not have to worry about getting seat?  We’ve locked in the entire third floor of MGM’s Conference Center and we will NOT over sell this program.   That means, no long lines every time a speaker starts a program.  And the programs are set up, one right after another – no decisions to make in terms of the balancing act between topic.

It means classroom seating, so that everybody not only has a seat, but a “desk” to work at.  And virtually unheard of at any program today, the room will be set up for WiFi – I know you need to get away from the office, but how many times have you wanted to do a quick check on email just to stay in touch?   Into Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon and headed home by mid-day Wednesday.  Short, high-impact and very sweet!

It’s a program jam packed with information from some of the finest instructors in photography today and we’re covering weddings, children’s portraiture, social media, high school seniors, creativity, lighting, photojournalism, business, marketing and even boudoir.   And the sponsor list is amazing with all of the following companies planning on being there, not just to pitch you on their products, but to meet and get to know you and your business.  It’s an all star lineup with:

Albums Inc www.albumsinc.com Asukabook www.asukabook.com Azura Albums www.azuraalbums.com B&H Photo Video www.bhphotovideo.com Big Folio www.bigfolio.com DWF http://www.digitalweddingforum.com
Fujifilm www.fujifilmusa.com GhostRighters www.GhostRighters.com GoingPro www.GoingPro2010.com GraphiStudio http://www.graphistudio.com/usa/index.html H&H Color Lab www.hhcolorlab.com Jill-e Designs www.Jill-E.com Kubota Image Tools www.kubotaimagetolls.com Marathon Press www.marathonpress.com Marketing Essentials International www.mei500.com The MAC Group www.macgroupus.com Midwest Photo Exchange www.mpex.com Nik Software www.niksoftware.com OnOne Software www.OnOneSoftware.com Photodex www.photodex.com PhotoOne Software www.photoonesoftware.com PhotoFocus www.photofocus.com Pictage www.pictage.com PWDlabs www.pwdlabs.com Simply Canvas www.simplycanvas.com SmugMug www.smugmug.com Tamron www.tamron.com TripleScoop www.triplescoopmusic.com WHCC www.whcc.com

Still undecided?  Check it out this week at www.mei500.com and we hope to see you in Las Vegas!

Why is it that we never really look like we do in our imagination?   My imagination says I look great in spandex.  Well, I look great in everything, don’t need any of that makeup, and my hair is always fluffy where it needs to be without being 80’s hair.  Then… reality.   Who is that woman who sort of looks like me, but is at least 20lbs heavier than I am, with 80’s bad hair, and a double chin!  Is it possible to stop the madness? 

OK.. the answer,  never under any circumstance wear spandex,  ignore the small voice that says makeup is not necessary,  and hire a really skilled photographer!  OH.. one more thing… hire one WITH a personality!    In our world of great cameras and the never ending supply of compact flash cards, many feel if one just takes a lot of photographs you will get “the shot.”  

It has been my experience both in front of and behind the camera, that good camera’s don’t take good photographs,  any more than a great oven guarantees a terrific meal.  Learning an F stop from a bus stop, understanding the quality of light needed for the job and the angle to use for a given subject are the nuts and bolts needed to capture a great shot. 

Photographing Scott was kick.  I chose to use as much available light as possible and keep the image natural.  Soft light, his trademark hat and I never pushed for a big toothy grin – just natural expressions.  If you know Scott, I definitely captured the essence of the man, but it wasn’t as much about the camera as him being relaxed working with me.  We simply had fun, that last key ingredient necessary to capture your best shot!

It’s a star-studded cast, in order of apperance, Dane Sanders, Scott Bourne, Jerry Weiner, Joe Buissink, Vicki Taufer, Jasmine Star, Kevin Kubota, Stacy Pearsall, Jonathan Canlas, Kirk Voclain, Yervant, Cliff Mautner and Kay Eskridge. And, there are a few fun surprises planned over the 2 1/2 day program! 

The theme for next summer is diversity.   You still need  to focus on your primary specialty, but in a tough economy you want to be able to take on every job that walks through your front door.   So, we’re going to talk a lot about weddings with a great collection of instructors specializing in children and family, pets, boudoir, high school senior and golden senior, marketing, business, social media, and lighting!   And, we’re going to have fun doing it! 

Remember “fun”?  It’s that too often forgotten word in business today.  Well, we’re going to work hard and play hard and thanks to MGM’s summer package, at $79 a night, it’s not going to break the bank for a great room in one of Las Vegas’ nicest hotels.  Plus, there will be a 2 for 1 dining and entertainment card similar to last year along with a one time entertainment and dining credit per room (details are on the MGM site).

Best of all, we’re going to own the entire third floor of the Conference Center, which is approximately 80,000 sqaure feet – that means everyone has a seat in all the programs.  They’ll all be set up classroom style, meaning, you’re sitting at a table, not in a chair like a theater.  It’s easier to listen, take notes and there will also be free wifi, so you can stay in touch with business while your away.

The Lighting Lab is this year’s newest edition, run by the very best – Tony Corbell and Bobbi Lane.  We’ll have at least two sets with plenty of lights and they’ll be there all day Monday and Tuesday.  We’ll have a few models, backdrops and the very best Profoto has to offer in professional lighting.  The Lab will be open from 9-12:00 and 2:00 – 5:00 on both days, giving attendees a chance to ask their questions of the very best in a completely unstructured environment.

The sponsors this year are the very best in our industry, but we’ve intentionally limited the number of companies participating.  We don’t want you buried in decision-making, but we do want you to have a good feel of the support that’s out there to help you grow your business.  In alphabetical order…

Albums Inc, Asukabook, Azura Albums, B&H Photo Video, Big Folio, Fujifilm, DWF, GhostRighters, GoingPro, GraphiStudio, H&H Color Lab , Jill-e Designs, Kubota Image Tools, Marathon Press, Marketing Essentials International, The MAC Group, Midwest Photo Exchange, Nik Software, onOne Software, Photodex, PhotoOne Software, PhotoFocus, Pictage, PWDlabs, Simply Canvas, SmugMug, Triple Scoop and WHCC.

Last but not least – thanks to the support of the sponsors and the photographic community, we’re working hard to keep the cost to attend within everyone’s budget.  The cost for this year’s program is the same as last year at $279 per attendee and there’s even an early bird special of $199 until April 1st.  It then goes up to $249 for May and June.

Think about your experience in past summers.  Summer School is a great way to recharge your battery before the fall season kicks in.   Plus, for those of us who were a little less focused than others when we were kids and had to go to summer school – we never had an opportunity to learn this much or have this much fun! 

I’m looking forward to seeing you in Vegas!

The best part is putting a voice with images – email just doesn’t cut it when you want to check out somebody’s spirit and their passion for the craft.  Their images might look terrific, the ideas they present are exciting, but you need to either pick up the phone or meet them in person – that’s when the fun really begins. 

This morning, meet Nicole Wolf.  I saw her images, we talked on the phone, but I had no idea how her guest blog would become one my favorites to date.   What I’ve enjoyed most is learning how she’s influenced by other photographers and stays focused on special projects to keep her creative juices flowing. 

I wrote about Jason Groupp’s NYC project a few weeks ago.  In the next day or two, registration for the 2nd Annual Skip’s Summer School is going to launch and Kevin Kubota’s program is, “The Power of the Project”.  In PDN’s Focus on Weddings, I interviewed Jonathan Canlas, who talked about being influenced by photographers outside the wedding industry, commercial shooters like Chuck Close, Craig Cutler, Alec Soth, Stephen Shore and Andreas Gursky. 

Nicole’s guest post is a perfect example of a quote from Alfred Lord Tennyson, that I’ve paraphrased and butchered to death over the years…”I am a part of all that I have met!”   Time for me to shut up and just turn it over to Nicole!

One of my favorite quotes is by Cecil Beaton, “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”  How can you read this quote and there not be a fire under your butt to create work that is innovative and forward thinking?

I said a long time ago, when we took on wedding photography as part of our business, that I never wanted it to get to a point that we were stuck in the middle.  Mediocracy in my opinion is the easy way out.  It’s easy to have a formula. It’s easy to follow the crowd.  It’s easy to do the same shots week after week.  It’s easy to never experiment with light and it’s easy to play it safe. 

What isn’t easy is thinking for yourself, stretching the possibilities of your own imagination, creating a new way of being, pushing your limits, taking risks, to be thought provoking and inspiring.  Remember, you are only as good as your last shot!

The question always asked of me however, is “How do you do that?” “How did you think of that and what was your motivation?”  The answer is easy, look outside of your comfort zone and create work that exceeds your own expectations. 

I have worked in the commercial photography and design world for about 15 years. Since being a part of the wedding industry I have noticed something, wedding photographers create a bubble for themselves and stay inside that bubble.  You can’t expect growth if the only thing you are inspired by are other wedding photographers, if the only workshops you attend are lead by other wedding photographers, if the only photos you look at are by other wedding photographers and if the only imagery YOU shoot is wedding photography.  Don’t get me wrong, there is amazing talent out there and things to be inspired by in the wedding field, but that should not be our only outlet for creative thinking.

It is so important to create work that relates to another part of yourself.  At SOTA Dzine, the work we do commercially pushes the boundaries with lighting and concept.  I think it is so important for wedding photographers to not just shoot available light!  So what if you have never studied it or taken a class. You can learn by experimentation, assisting for a photographer that does and READ.  The only way to move forward, especially in this day and age, is to push yourself with your lighting techniques.  Take advantage at WPPI and the other trade shows to talk to some of the lighting vendors and invest in something new.  Also, concept is key. Study and research movement, fashion, expression, composition. Then implement those learned skills in a new way of seeing into your own work.

Ever since grad school I have also understood the importance of a personal body of work.  This is not a paid gig. There are no clients involved. You may or may not ever show it to anybody else, but it is yours!  It allows you to take your work to a place that is vulnerable.  Where you are not being judged on whether you got the right shot or produced the perfect photograph. It is raw, organic and real.  Figure out what you want to say. Tell a story or discover a new way of seeing. Allow yourself to make mistakes so that you can in turn create something inspired. 

We, as artists, need to be open to the possibility of failure and from this nourishing ourselves. You have to  recognize your need for growth.  This is an amazing way to grow through your work and in turn apply this to your paid gigs!  SOTA has seen this play out many times with booking commercial clients who hired us for their wedding photography and visa versa. One of my new favorite outlets for wedding photographers is Will Jacks, Chris Williams and Sarah Hodzic workshop called “Rebirth.”

All in all, don’t get stuck in the middle.  When you look back 25 years from now at your body of work, you want to be elated by what you accomplished and how you never let yourself be commonplace. You pushed the envelope, never rode on anyone’s coattails, and made your own mistakes. You earned your own successes!

Make an imprint in the industry, take risks, do it for yourself and for your clients!

Nicole Wolf

The images shown represent Sota Dzine well and the style offered to their wedding clients, commercial clients and a personal art image from Nicole’s project on lobster fisherman.   But for me personally, the most fun comes out of Nicole’s constant quest to make her work look different and push that edge of the envelope she wrote about!

But one thing I thought about when I was looking at the two final images Heidi included with her guest post.  Cropped differently I’m not sure her “flop” really was a flop.  The two images are completely different and it brought back my favorite Dean Collins’ saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the checkbook holder!”  So, while you may not always love an image, it’s your client who really matters.  That also means you need the skills to give you the ability to meet your client’s mindset, even if you’re not shooting the way you love to photograph the most!

It’s a great post Ms Heidi – thanks for being here this morning!

I decided in the last year “Fear is a lame excuse” would be my new mantra. We let fear stop us from doing so many things in our life, whether it be sky-diving or becoming successful. Failure is scary and we let it too often stop us from even trying. If we let it, failure can be a springboard to success, so why not embrace it, instead of fear it? You can learn just as much or more from failure as you can from success.

I spent so much time thinking I didn’t know enough about photography to go out and make the kind of pictures I wanted to. I was afraid of falling on my face and looking stupid. Finally with a little friendly pressure and lots of support from my  husband and best friend, Tim, I decided to give it a try.  I came up with a concept, gathered my gear and headed out to shoot. 

I had this grand idea in my head that I had sketched out on paper and perfected in my mind. We got to the location and went to work. After completing what I thought I came for, Tim suggested trying one more set-up before we left. He had explored a little and found an interesting area.  It was freezing and a lot of work moving generators, lights, etc. in the end, absolutely worth it.

The outcome of my grand idea? A total flop. The outcome of the other shots taken that day? Success. I learned so much from one shoot.   I know what I needed to change to make the flop a success and amidst one flop another success emerged. Most importantly, I learned not to be afraid to try.  Have I failed since then? Absolutely. Will I fail again in the future? Absolutely, but as long as I embrace it, I can learn from it.

Since then I have shot the kind of work I want to shoot.   Because of letting go of that fear I was able to grow technically and artistically. I really began to grow my personal style, and with that have been hired to shoot a few ad campaigns for bridal boutiques and stylists, and even had my first editorial piece published. Free advertising….

Here is the set-up for the picture that I considered a success.

I am going to show you the outcome of my flop as well  in hopes that someone else’s blunder might inspire you to get out there and make some mistakes yourself.  I had envisioned a dramatic “moonlit” scene that was very cinematic. I knew I would need to take multiple frames and merge them in post to get the look I hoped for. In the end, it just wasn’t anything like what I was going for.

The final image had the look and drama I wanted to have in the first place.  It has a completely different feel, but is far closer to what I had envisioned.