Photo by our good buddy Bob Coates

Here’s what’s a kick for me living with Sheila.  We’re coming up on two years that we’ve been married and five years since we re-met at a high school reunion. During that time I’ve learned so much about life and dealing with the challenges.  Neither one of us are exactly easy to live with, but there’s something unique to an “older” couple like we are – you pretty much know which battles are worth fighting and which ones are best just left alone. There’s also a different way of looking at life.

It’s not much different than the confidence you find with a more established photographer who’s dealt with so many different challenges and doesn’t panic when a strobe misfires versus a newbie on their first assignment when something goes wrong.

What I really love are all the Sheilaisms I’ve picked up over the last few years…

• When it comes to looking back, “Don’t should on yourself!”
• “Ask for what you want. Ask for what you need.” Nobody is a mind-reader.
• When stressed and about to blow a gasket, I’ve learned to take a few deep breaths – it’s far more effective than counting to ten to cool down.
• “Don’t bomb and don’t respond to bombs.” Well, I’m not totally there yet and sometimes not even close, but it’s work in progress when I’m upset and responding via email.
• I slip now and then, but I’m learning to stop working in the evening and make the time to be together.
• When it comes to projects we’re working on together I’m slowly learning to delegate and then stay out of it!
• “There are no Mondays, only first and second Tuesdays!” Don’t ask me how, but it works!

So, to my bride of almost two years, Happy Birthday! You know I love you, but one of the things I’ve learned is that I like you even more!

GoingPro Bootcamp is a one day event on Saturday the 18th in Las Vegas. This is about everything but photography. Michele Celentano, Scott Bourne and I will be talking about marketing and how to build your brand and develop a healthy business strategy.

WPPI is the biggest and best convention and trade show in professional photography and it all kicks off this weekend. Here’s your chance to pick up great tips from dozens of incredible workshops, but you can’t get help if you’re sitting on the couch at home!

Photographer’s Ignite kicks off the WPPI convention on Sunday night in Las Vegas. Each presenter has a different topic and just five minutes to show twenty slides all pre-set at 15 seconds a slide. Talk about fast moving programs!

Registration for Skip’s Summer School kicked off this week. We’ve moved the program to a more centralized location this year, Chicago. Plus, we’ve changed the format to give you some of the very best in hands-on shooting from the very best photographers and educators in our industry. Need help with film-making? Check out the two day intensive film-making class and learn the techniques you need to create your own promotional video as well as become a better storyteller.

Just announced yesterday was my leg of the Sallee School. I’ll be teaching marketing ideas and easy to implement ideas to help build your brand and on the road with JB Sallee in September. The two of us will be working to help you build your business and strengthen your skill set. The entire program is going to be all over the country with instructors Richard Sturdevant, Jen Bebb, Joe Buissink, Me and of course JB! Enter “Skip” in the discount box and the program is yours for just $49!

I don’t remember a year this busy and as I hear about more programs I’ll do my best to make sure you have the links. I know Kevin Kubota has a new bootcamp coming up in April and the Akron Photo Series is going to hit Ohio with two programs later in the Spring!

I’m looking forward to catching up to many of you on the road at the various shows and conventions. Safe travels wherever you’re headed!

This year’s holiday cards were a kick, but two stood out as the best of the season, Bleu and Allison’s annual card and Catherine Hall’s. They’re two completely different approaches, but they each got the message across.

Bleu Cotton and Allison Pierce are photographers in Costa Mesa and we’ve been good friends for a lot of years. Every year they dress up with a holiday theme and this year was one of the best. They even managed to work in the baby-sitter as the Ghost of Christmas Future.

At the complete opposite in style and approach was Catherine Hall’s card which utilized one of her fine art images from a past trip.  Catherine, while a lot of her focus is about high-end weddings, much of her photography is stunning photojournalism with a fine art flair, or maybe it’s stunning fine art with a photo-journalism approach. You can be the judge.

Both cards represent an easy to understand concept – wishing people happy holidays and utilizing their own artwork. They both included a hand-written message inside the card and an additional message on the back, reminding you what business they’re in.

…and Catherine tied in more contact information.

As always, there’s a point I want to make. You’re a photographer and should never be sending out a store-bought holiday card. The same goes for your stationery. You’ve got ten months to get your act together for a holiday card featuring your own work for next December. Take advantage of the opportunity to show your own images.  If you don’t, nobody else will!

Twenty minutes into the service she came back with a question, showing me exactly what the mechanic had found. A few minutes later she gave me an update and also offered me shuttle service if I wanted to head home and return later when the car was completed. The experience of getting a car serviced is never at the top of the fun list for any of us, but every step of the way, they’ve exceeded my expectations. 

And there’s the point this morning. Don’t accept delivering what you promised to your clients – shoot to deliver more and exceed their expectations! There are so many ways you can surprise them with a level of service they never expected.  While it’s not always easy, it’s really very simplistic. You just need to make them feel like they’re your most important client!

I found three great quotes making the point about customer service better than I can:

A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.
Mahatma Gandhi

Your customer doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Damon Richards

Loyal customers, they don’t just come back, they don’t simply recommend you, they insist that their friends do business with you.
Chip Bell, Founder Chip Bell 

Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer.  In high society, Labor Day is (or was) considered the last day of the year when it is fashionable for women to wear white.

While Labor Day was originally founded out of respect for the unions and the labor movement in the late 1800’s, today it really does mark that last big weekend of the summer. Women can wear white any time of year, especially when global warming has stretched summer out through October!

So, whether you’re tavelling this weekend or just saying home for a great barbecue; wearing white on Tuesday or putting your summer clothes into storage, I’ve got only one point.

Be safe - spend the time enjoying family and friends and give yourself a pat on the back! You made it through the summer and the kids are headed back to school, if they’re not there already!

Happy Labor Day and thanks for being part of Skip’s Photo Network!

Just prior to Summer School I got a call from Leah Hoskins, of F.I.L.M., asking about being involved in Summer School and exhibiting. As we talked I learned a little about them and I set them up with a booth as a non-profit, together with one of my other favorites, Cameras for Kids Foundation. If you’re a regular reader you know my feelings about being involved in programs that give back.  Having two non-profits involved in this year’s Summer School was a terrific way to get the attendees exposed to two relatively new organizations.

At some point in your life, if it hasn’t happened already, there’s going to be an event that pulls so hard at your heart strings it will leave you with no other option than to get more involved.  There are hundreds of new charitable projects started every year in our industry. Some of them do well, others start out strong and then the people involved lose interest and move on. It’s not an easy task to build a charitable organization from scratch, but it can be so rewarding!

In response to yesterday’s post, Betsy Chesler, founder of Cameras for Kids Foundation wrote,

I have found that there is nothing more powerful than “giving back” to those less fortunate! Personally my life has taken on new meaning since the birth of Cameras For Kids Foundation.

Leah Hoskins is the founder behind the F.I.L.M. Project and I know feels exactly the same way. They’re a young organization. They don’t have enough funding, but here’s where having heart trumps business logic!  Watch the video below, put together on a shoe string budget and then you’ll understand why I’m so proud to be part of an industry with people like Leah.

They’re only 300 photographers strong as of today, but there’s no doubt in my mind as more people get involved they’ll get their funding and while, like so many non-profits, they might always be short on cash, they’ll never be short on spirit. If you’re looking to find out how you can be more involved visit their home page and make contact at www.TheFilmProject.net.

Ruben Villamil, our AV guy, is absolutely one of the best in the business, but here’s what makes him unique. He’s a passionate photographer as well. So, after three years of Summer Schools, he not only knows how to get the job done, he knows so many of the speakers and even a few attendees.

Bambi Cantrell coordinated all of this year’s models. It wasn’t in her contract and she didn’t have to do it – she just took over and said, “Trust me!” Then she and Cate Alivekios got gowns for the wedding models and somehow it all worked out. Few photographers believe in education the way Bambi does and it shows in every class she teaches.

Clay Blackmore headed out to take on the Las Vegas strip. Many of you probably haven’t seen the video that follows, but it provided a rare opportunity for photographers to see Clay in action and fine tune some of their own skills. And again, this wasn’t part of his program, but something he just wanted to do. Most fun for me was that he talked good buddy, Calvin Hayes, into coming to Vegas for Summer School.

Alex, Aurelie and Adam from Resource Magazine gave us some great insight to how a story is put together. Doing an upcoming story on Summer School, Adam’s skills as a journalist really came shining through. I’m nuts about the magazine, but even more impressive are these key members of their staff! This is about passion and all you had to do was talk to them for a minute and you picked up on how much they love what they do. They loved talking to so many of you as well.

Brent Watkins, within a day or two of getting back to Ohio had a facebook page set up for Skip’s Summer School and then upgraded the music on Clay’s video so we could all continue to enjoy it. There’s a reason why I’m so excited to see him on the board of PPO. Brent just gets stuff done.

Tony Amat, new to summer school, probably holds the record for the most pictures ever taken of me at Summer School. You name it he captured it, but it’s the enthusiasm that’s come with each posting that has made it such a kick! Summer School is about new friends and expanding your network. What a kick to have Tony involved and so many of you new to the program.

Special friends, who I’ve hung around with for years, jumped into the attendee list with Helen Yancy and Nancy Carr. Brian Palmer bailed me out a few times with some extra needed help and then there’s Gokhan, Elena, Matt, Levi, Christy, Beverlee, Yasmin, Kellie and Yusuf, who all did their share to tweet about the event, before, during and after!

And no program could ever wrap up without a big thanks to Scott Bourne. The Summer School concept has grown thanks to Scott. He’s pushed me to think outside the box so many times and continues to help me think through so many different challenges in this industry. GoingProgets a few hundred thousand page views a month and 150,000 downloads a month on the podcasts. It’s been a remarkable journey, with the book due out in late October. Scott attacked the challenges of getting the word out on Summer School the same way he does everything – there’s never a compromise!

The sponsors this year were remarkable, especially with the panel discussion on Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. Just the fact that they were up that early without a table to sell anything says it all. I wanted the attendees to understand the level of expertise from the vendors and they shined with great ideas on customer service, staying focused and marketing, just to name a few.   It’s so important to include these vendors in your network, because they can help you in so many different areas, NOT just with the service or products they provide.

Last on the list is Michael Pishnery who helped with so many different aspects. It’s a challenge for any program when you hit a new hotel, but over and over again, he was behind the scenes helping to fine-tune the set up so that everyone got the very most out of each program.

Then there’s that one person, but really this “thanks” post is from both of us. Sheila is as much a part of Summer School as she is part of my life. So, while I want to remind her that so many projects of mine wouldn’t happen without her support, she’s also part of the team thanking all of you for your support and sharing so much of your photo-lives with us.

That’s it until next year, although there just might be a few surprises before then!

Thanks again to so many people who made Summer School the best one yet! We get by with lots of help from our friends!

Skip and Sheila

But here’s the point, I have absolutely no complaints. Being on my own has given me the opportunity to work on the things I love doing the most. I can’t deny, when things were getting started I had all the same fears many of you have had starting a new business. Yesterday I found a quote by Melody Beattie that just hit home:

Do not allow fear of what if to ruin the joy of what is!

So here’s an update on what is!

• I was just asked to join the Board of Cameras for Kids Foundation. It’s a non-profit, founded by Betsey Chesler who’s doing some amazing work using photography to help underprivileged kids. You’ll be hearing lots more about this wonderful concept in the months ahead.
• GoingPro is growing more and more ever day.  The book, co-authored with good friend, Scott Bourne, hits the bookstores in mid-October. Nobody could be more excited than the two of us.
• Summer School is going into its third year with an incredible group of sponsors, many of them new to the program. Adorama, Album Epoca, Animoto, Asukabook, BayPhoto, Canon, Cameras for Kids, DWF, Finao, David Maheu , H&H Color Lab, ImageQuix, Kubota Image Tools, Marathon Press, Nik Software, OnOne Software, Photodex,Porter Case, Profoto, SmugMug, Tamron, WHCC, and X-rite.
• Another update on Summer School: The Tuesday programs are starting to fill up. Remember you can pick three of the eight instructors for your hands-on demo programs.
• The last program for the season for the Akron Photo Series is right around the corner with Jerry Ghionis coming to Ohio for an evening program on June 13 and an all day hands-on workshop on June 14. Remember, this is about Akron Children’s Hospital!
• Speaking of Akron Children’s Hospital: The money we raise now goes to their new Expressive Therapy Center. Sheila and I were there for a reception last week and it’s going to be amazing. They’re using the arts to help kids heal and photography will be one of the leading programs. This is an incredible way for local photographers to help kids and give back! And another event, Paws for a Cause is coming up on June 5 – hope you local guys will join Sheila, Molly and me for a great afternoon and the puppy walk!
• Skip’s Photo Network, the blog that a few friends and family members thought I was nuts to start, now has almost 700 posts and at least 50 guest posts from some of the finest photographers in our industry. It’ll be two years in July that it all started! Still, the most widely read post was by my friend Aurora in CT about her experience with NILMDTS. There were over 5000 reads over a 24 hour period of just this one poignant story.

Okay, no complaints whatsoever on limited free time.  Thank you for your continued support, your encouragement and your help! Damn, I love this industry!

“This kind of photography, like making movies, is collaborative and the more the model in involved in the process the better the results will be.”

Think about the power of that statement with any subject, not just Joe’s model. Bambi Cantrell, in an engagement session, gets her subjects talking about how they met or how he proposed and then she just waits for that unique expression. Kirk Voclain talks about his secret in photographing seniors: get them talking about their hobbies, interests, friends and goals…and again, just wait for the most natural expression. There are never any cheesy “1-2-3 SMILE” prompts.

The relationship between photographers and their subjects is critical to capturing the image you envision and in this case the final result says it all! It’s a stunning image capturing exactly the effect Joe set out to create, but I’d expect no less from a photographer out to save the world, one pixel at a time!

Photographers get inspiration for their work from many places. My friend Ralph finds it in old world master’s paintings; I get a lot the inspiration for many of my images from the movies. Recently I watched Frank Capra’s overlooked 1937 classic “Lost Horizon” and was struck not just by the cinematography but by all of the still images used to illustrate a “making-of” video on the DVD. This was truly the golden age of Hollywood still photography. 

All this was going through my head when I was making some images of model Tia Stoneman who has the classic look of a 1940’s film star. Canon’s EOS 50D digital SLR not only lets you shoot directly in black and white but you can apply digital filters to the image, much as you might use glass filters in front of the lens. Advantage? There’s no filter factor and you don’t have to view the subject through a colored filter.

A Westcott Spiderlite TD5 with five 23-watt fluorescent bulbs installed was the main. A medium (24”x32”) Westcott Box was attached, although a larger light-bank one might produce softer lighting. Fill was provide by a 32-inch Sunlight Westcott Illuminator placed on camera left to kick back some light into the shadow side of the model’s face. Although my previous experience with the 5100K fluorescent bulbs in the Spiderlite showed that color balance was perfect with my Canon EOS digital SLRs set in Auto White Balance, although that was not a concern for this session, since it was shot in black and white.

The Spiderlite provides smooth continuous light so that all of my exposures in this session were made in (gasp!) Program mode at ISO 800. I used the EOS 50D’s Exposure Compensation feature to increase the exposure in one-third stop increments by looking at each image file’s histogram on the camera’s preview screen and made sure exposure was balanced. To keep the background soft and focus the viewer’s attention on the model, exposure for this particular sequence of images was 1/100th of a second at f/4.5 using a Canon EF 85mm f1.8 lens. 

I wanted the pose to be somewhat stagy, like movie production shots of the ‘30s and 40s but gently guided Tia into this pose with suggestions rather than directions. I like to show the model the photographs (on the camera’s preview screen) as we work, so she can see how she looks, which invites suggestions to improve the pose. This kind of photography, like making movies, is collaborative and the more the model in involved in the process the better the results will be. All of the photographs in the session were made with a hand-held camera. I almost never use a tripod for fashion and glamour assignments, because a handheld camera provides me with freedom to move around and put myself in whatever position necessary to get the “right” picture.

In postproduction, I added a warm tone to the image and just a bit of soft focus using Nik’s Vignette Blur (www.niksoftware.com) that’s part of the Select and Complete editions of Color Efex Pro.

A while back my daughter asked about the lighting set up that Gregory Heisler used for my head shot. He used one of those long narrow softboxes set up vertically about six inches from the left side of my face.  In fact, I later wrote about it on this blog. What I forgot to tell her was, he only used the modelling light, never turning on the strobe.  As a new photographer, she eventually figured it out, but not until she’d fried a few subjects!

Well, I found an incredible image of Doug Gordon’s. The image is stunning and definitely a classic. It’s important you understand the process.  Doug does a far better job explaining it than I did for my daughter, but that’s why he’s Doug Gordon and capable of meeting the mindset of every client.

So often photographers don’t take the time to learn a technique because they “don’t shoot that way”.  Well, what happens when you don’t have a choice? What happens when your client wants a certain look and feel to their images? Will you have the skill set to meet their needs?

Looking for more tips on lighting, posing and bringing intimacy into your portraits? Follow Doug’s blog, attend his workshops or join us at Summer School, where Doug will be one of sixteen different instructors in August.  And, if you’re at WPPI next weekend, he’s the opening act on Sunday!

As part of every session I love the bare skin look on a black background. The key here is lighting and being precise. Great lighting creates shadows and illusion and intimacy.

 Details:

Camera: 1ds Mark III

Lens: 70-200mm AP 2.8

Iso: 400

Exposure: 1/120 sec AP 2.8 

Lighting: 1 – torch light into the face from camera left with a tungsten filter. The light is roughly 45 degrees behind the female’s face

Camera Height: Slightly above Eye Level

Camera Tilt: Camera left (direction she is looking)

Actions Used: Mocha, Lab Sharp. Power Soft

Keys to Creation: In this image it is  about lighting precise posing and great control of  expression. The female is in a perfect profile to the camera. The male is in a 2/3 view of the face. By bringing the light from behind, it creates a beautiful wrap around light on the female face, while creating a split lighting of the male. This lighting helps to create mood and curiosity.