Those of you who know me beyond the blog, know that Molly the Wonder Dog is a big piece of my life.  She’s the first dog I’ve ever had from puppy to adulthood and it’s been an amazing experience.  She’s pretty much the equivalent of a quiet 65 pound four year old!   Well, she turned five [...]

The movie was Field of Dreams for the quote and we’re going to take a shot at “building it”. 
Here’s the challenge:  There are a minimal number of speakers who come to Ohio, yet we’re in an area with thousands of photographers, being only a couple of hours from Detroit and Pittsburgh, a half an hour [...]

I’ve written a lot about things that make this industry so special – well, one of them is the way everybody watches each other’s backs.  Incredible friendships develop and it all starts with every one’s mutual love for the craft! 
At the end of last week I got a call from Vicki Taufer.  After a lot [...]

I just watched this short video on You Tube.  If you’re looking to develop a stronger presence with your photography, here’s an incredible program and it’s coming to Akron!  It’s Matthew Jordan Smith’s Creative Experience Tour and what I love most about it, is that it’s going to be kept small and personal, giving you [...]

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 [...]

I’ve been back living in Ohio for a year and can’t figure out why it’s so rare that any of the big names ever teach a program here.  Akron is only a few hours drive from Michigan, Indiana and straight west is Pittsburgh, south is Columbus and north, 20 minutes, is Cleveland.   Even Kentucky is only a [...]

Okay gang – get yourself over to PDN’s Virtual Expo – it’s FREE, it’s all on line and there are some great webinars later this morning and tomorrow.  Plus a bunch of great exhibitors and sponsors with some special offers.  See you there! 
But you’ve got to register to get in the door!

Yesterday there was an incredible launch of a new concept in education – creativeLIVE!  The brain child of Chase Jarvis, creativeLIVE will offer FREE online workshops in virtually every aspect of photography.  Chase hit the ground running with an all star lineup with Vincent LaForet, Scott Bourne, Art Wolf and Zack Arias – and that’s [...]

I’m wearing a lot of different hats these days and loving every one of them.  Last night I was wearing my “Guest Editor” hat for PDN’s upcoming Focus on Portraits supplement.  My assignment was to do a short interview with Kirk Voclain about what makes great senior portraits.  He’s doing some amazing work with high [...]

I’m a big fan of playing offense versus defense and right now, even if you haven’t done anything yet, you’ve still got time for some great offensive marketing plays, especially if your skill set is in portraiture.
1) Mother’s Day:  There isn’t a mother on the planet that doesn’t want new portraits of her family.  Even more [...]