I’m feeling like there’s a lot going on, because there is! And if I’ve learned nothing else in all my time on the planet, which Scott Bourne regularly jokes about my time here so far being extensive (Hey, I’m an old fart in this industry and proud of it!) I’ve learned that everything always does come together.  You can’t rush it, just take it one project at a time, finish each project and then before you know they’re off your plate!

I know it’s going to look like an infommercial, because it is. Just like so many of you, who send me updates on what you’re doing, I’m pretty excited about everything happening this month! Here are the events and links!

PhotoPro Expo: It starts on February 2 and I’m the last presentation before Super Bowl kick-off. I finish at 6:30 and kick-off is estimated to be at 6:40 or so. I promise I won’t run late! Hope to see a lot of you there – David Ziser, as the event chairman, has put together a great program!

Skip’s Summer School: I’m working hard to get the last minute changes into this year’s program and it’s going to be terrific. The three biggest things people have asked about in the past are for a more intense hands-on experience, more marketing and business and a different location. I took on more than I anticipated with trying to incorporate all three, but we’re going to do it and the announcement will be on the website on February 1st as promised.  Here’s a hint though – if summer school in the past was “under-graduate” work, then this year you’ll be working on your Masters!

Photographer’s Ignite: I’m honored and ecstatic to be included in this year’s line up of speakers, but all my slides are due on February 3, with the presentation on February 19. It’s five minutes and twenty slides (15 seconds per slide) to make a point! The hardest thing anybody can do in communicating is to be concise and it’s actually turning out to be harder to do this five minute presentation than it is to work on my two hour program for PhotoPro Expo.  What a kick to be involved!

GoingPro Bootcamp:If you’re not signed up yet, give it some thought. It’s not about being new to the industry or just starting out, but about building a solid foundation for your business.  Plus, the experience that Scott Bourne, Michele Celentano and I will be sharing will all be based on your input and the areas so many of you need help with.

WPPI:Having spent a good part of my life working with an incredible team to build the show up to what it is today, heading back to Vegas again for the convention is always a kick. It’s a great trade show, incredible educational venue, but the best part for me is always catching up to my network and the old and new faces that become part of the “family”. It all starts the day after Bootcamp. See you there!

Body Parts:We’re only a few weeks into the ordering process and it’s great to see so many people adding it to their list. If you’re thinking about it but just can’t decide, here’s something to consider. We’re only planning on this one print run. We’re not in the book business and don’t want to carry a lot of inventory, so while we’ll print a few additional copies, this is a classic opportunity for a classic publication. If it’s on your list, put your order in at the pre-publication price and save ten bucks, because we’re only going to do a very small overrun.

Cameras for Kids Foundation: My post last week says it all, but here’s a rare opportunity to get every photographer involved and you don’t have invest anything except the time to click your mouse and vote once a day for the next couple of weeks. Cars.com is giving away up to $100,000 to the charity who gets the most votes and CFKF needs our help! Voting is just a click away!

Resource Magazine: If you haven’t seen it yet, get yourself a subscription or look for it on the news stand. It’s becoming the fastest growing magazine in photo. The staff is top notch. Many of you met when Alex, Aurelie and Adam when they joined us at Summer School last year. But don’t just enjoy the magazine, check out their online presence for RescourceMag online and RETV.  I’m writing a column on the challenges of becoming a professional photographer and it’s a kick working with these guys…and oh yeah, it’s one more deadline on my plate this morning! LOL

Okay, that’s it for this Monday morning. Whatever happened to the first quarter of the year being the slow time?

Just a few weeks ago Scott Bourne and I announced GoingPro Bootcamp, February 18 in Las Vegas. We chose the date because it’s the day before WPPI kicks off. It’s a busy time and we know you have so many decisions and choices, but here’s what not only makes Bootcamp so different, but some things you want to look for in every program you attend.

You always want accessibility to the speakers. In any workshop or program, there are always questions that come up outside the content being presented.   Well, nobody teaches business and marketing in the format Scott, Clay Blackmore and I will be doing. This is about you getting the benefit of being in a smaller group and being able to capitalize on our experience.  We specifically refer to it as a “boutique conference”, because we don’t want it too big. We want to be able to answer your questions and get to know a little about each attendee.

Next, we won’t be talking about photography. This is about marketing and business and the things you need to do to get started. Or, if you’ve been out there in business for a little while, we want to help you address those things you missed and should have done in the beginning.

Third, this isn’t just about Bootcamp, the event on that day.  You’ll find that through Twitter and Facebook, you’re going to be part of a new community. At past events the attendees have continued to support each other and help grow their businesses through their network of friends and associates.

We did our first Bootcamp a little over a year ago and we’re still in touch with so many of the attendees. If you follow me on Twitter you’ve even seen comments about me picking up the phone now and then and calling an attendee to answer a question or help with a concern.  The bottom line is that the three of us all share the same passion for eductation, business and marketing and most important of all, we simply enjoy working together.

Scott and Clay met years ago at a workshop. Clay and I met in the late 80’s when I was president of Hasselblad and he was just starting out working with the late great Monte Zucker. Scott and I met at a convention many years ago when he showed me his images taken with the then just introduced Hasselblad X-pan.  So, there’s an energy between us and a dedication to be able to answer your questions and meet your needs to the very best of our ability.

Last on the list – is the energy you’ll find in the room.  You always want programs where the instructors are as excited to be there as you are. Yeah, it’s about education, but it also has to be fun and the exchange has to go both ways. You won’t find us doing a lot of stuffy presentations, but giving you things to think about that you can implement the minute you’re back from the workshop.

This isn’t just about marketing and business, but about relationship building. Your goal is to develop enough of a relationship with the speakers at programs you attend to contact them at later dates. This is a relatively small industry and the fun of it is building your network. You’ll definitely have the team of Scott, Clay and Skip in your corner at the end of the day on the 18th.

Okay, end of pitch. If Bootcamp is right for you, we’d love to see you there. If not, then just remember how valuable your time is with every choice you make at any convention over the next few months. It’s going to be a busy first quarter and you want every live program you attend to give you more than you could get from a webinar!

See you in Vegas!

From the Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity:

Man.. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.

I don’t know about you, but that sure hits home with a lot of people in this industry! It’s Friday, we’re heading into the last quarter of the year. If you work hard it’s going to be a busy holiday season! It’s a great time to start worrying less about the future and just eat up the present!

A Great Opportunity, but with limited space left: 

Join Doug Gordon and Kevin Kubota for a workshop like you have never experienced before. If you have seen them separately, you know their energy. Now be prepared to take it up a notch with these two dynamic personalities coming together for an incredible program.

When: 5pm – 11pm, Monday Oct. 24th – Introduction and night shoot
              9am – 5pm, Tuesday Oct. 25th – Full day shooting + review

Where: Doug Gordon’s Studio Lindenhurst, NY Long Island

This spectacular workshop will be held at Doug’s beautiful State of the Art Photo Studio in Lindenhurst, NY; the perfect setting for education, inspiration and realism.  Class Size is very limited: This workshop is the ultimate opportunity for those who wish to take their photography to a new level, spending a day and a half with Doug Gordon and Kevin Kubota, completely focused on photography skills.

I’ve known Doug and Kevin for a lot of years and I can promise you at least one thing: nobody is going to leave this workshop without learning something new they can take back and immediately apply.

Here’s the link:  Register here! 

And speaking of Kevin Kubota:

There’s a free bonus offer of a set of Lightroom presets when you pre-order your copy of Kevin’s new Lighting Notebook. I wrote about it last week and I’m absolutely convinced this is going to be one of the all time great resources for photographers on lighting! But it’s a pre-order offer – so if you don’t get your order in before the book starts shipping you can’t take advantage of the bonus. Here’s the link!

Following the release of the book there will be an iPad and iPhone app for the Lighting Cookbook, making sure this resource is always at your fingertips.

PMA and CES: A Rare Opportunity for Professional Photographers:

I know everyone gets bombarded with information about  trade shows and conventions, especially as we approach the start of the new year, but here’s one you need to consider. All of the information is in the story that ran over the last few days in just about every major online publication, but here’s the inside scoop on why you should be there.

PMA in 2012 is working together with CES (Consumer Electronics Show) to bring you the largest imaging and electronics, educational and exhibits, event in the industry. Typically professional photographers have NOT been allowed to attend CES in the past. Now, with the PMA connection, you’ll have an opportunity to visit close to 3000 exhbitors in the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Venetian! Just to put it in perspective, I’m going to estimate that makes the CES/PMA show at least twenty times bigger than IUSA! There’s a reason why CES had over 140,000 attendees last year! 

Here’s your chance to get up to date on what’s new with all the imaging companies and at the same time check out what’s going on in the electronics world with all the major players in technology!  And check out PMA’s program for DIMA with some great tracks for professional photographers. 

This is a you-snooze-you-lose scenario…don’t wait until the last minute to register or make hotel and flight reservations. Las Vegas fills up fast when CES is in town, but now, with PMA at the same time, it’ll be even busier!

Okay, that’s it for this beautiful Friday! Wishing everybody a terrific weekend. For us, we’ve got tickets to Blossom Music Festival to hear the Cleveland Symphony tomorrow night.  But here’s a fun little piece of trivia. We’ll be back stage after the concert with Jahja Ling, the maestro, himself.  The connection?  He’s a die hard photographer, a Hasselblad shooter and the friendship came out of his passion for photography, meeting him after a concert many years ago. He’s full time conductor for the San Diego symphony when he’s not guest conducting and has owned Hasseblad gear for at least fifteen years.

And there’s my closing point…there’s so much we take for granted as part of the photographic industry. Everybody has something about imaging they love, whether they’re in the industry or not and you guys are the magicians who make capturing memories a reality!

Happy Friday everybody! Make it a great weekend! 

1) At every program you attend you should always have a point and shoot in your pocket!  I know most of you are making more money than you need and have huge budgets to create publicity, but for those of you with limited funding – what are you doing to create awareness for your own business?   It’s such a simple concept – get a picture of yourself with somebody at the convention like a speaker, a vendor or even the person sitting next to you at a program.  Next, talk it up – you’re at an international event, learning about new technologies, all of which are going to make you a better photographer than your competitor who stayed home!  Write a short press  release and send it out with a print of you at the conference to your local paper, post it on your blog – in short, put it everywhere it might create more awareness for your role as a photographer.   (Need a template for a press release?)

2) Before you go to any convention, workshop or trade show, check out the sponsors and exhibitors.  Who are the companies who are likely to be there?  Get to know their products and how they might fit into your mix to make your life easier, the quality of your images better and your photography stand out.  Then, and this is especially great when you’re at a smaller conference, get to know the staff working the booth.  You’re not just collecting business cards, you’re getting to know the people involved and even more important, letting them get to know you.  

If you’re lucky enough to get some one-0n-one time with a particular vendor, when you get back to your office/studio, send them a short thank-you note for their time with an image of yours – this is about contributing to their network as well.  You never know when a vendor is going to be looking for a new face or a new style of work to represent their products.

3) Keep your Iphone or Blackberry on and check messages frequently.   First, there’s always the possibility that somebody is going to be looking for you at the convention.  Second, your business doesn’t stop just because you’re out of town.  Being on the other side of the planet is no excuse for not getting back to a potential client who’s trying to contact you.

4) Network, network, network!  It’s not about collecting business cards it’s about the opportunity to find another brain out there that’s just as frustrated as you are!    Sorry, that assumes you’re all walking around frustrated, but the truth is, new faces and ideas are what help us grow and just collecting a biz card of the person sitting next to you isn’t enough.  But, talking to them about how their business is versus yours, sharing the challenges you’re both experiencing and then drawing from the knowledge you both have will get you through the toughest of times.  

5) Never go to lunch or dinner by yourself!  Okay, I’ve said it dozens of times before – I hold the title for being the ultimate lunch slut, but the greatest ideas seem to come out when you’re eating lunch or dinner!  The best projects I’ve ever been involved in started with concepts scribbled out on cocktail napkins.  If you’re at a conference and you’re staying overnight, never go to dinner by yourself and never go with the same old crowd you always hang out with.  I’m not saying you should abandon your friends, just  bring one new person to dinner with you!  

6) What’s your calling card?  Business cards are great, but one of the best vehicles is a postcard with one or more of your images on it. Joe and JP Elario in the past have had a great 5×7 (or it might even be a bigger) post card they’ve used for mailings with a whole series of wedding images.  I’m not asking you to stand in the aisle and hand them out, but when you’re talking to somebody what a kick to ask be put on their mailing list and hand them a card that shows your work.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, they’ll remember you a whole lot longer because of your images!  And, companies like Marathon Press  and WHCC make it so easy to design and order them in large or small quantities.

7) If you need new gear, get yourself approved for leasing before you go to the convention.  I know I’ve said this before, but here’s a way for you to utilize somebody else’s assets without depleting yours.  This is a Photokina year and last month in Germany, most of the major manufacturers introduced new products.  That makes Photo Plus Expo a great opportunity to see these products and consider some new purchases as the prices on previous models start dropping with the new ones being introduced.  If you need new equipment, then wouldn’t it be great to know exactly what you’ve got to spend before you start drooling?

 8) Check out the educational programs and decide now which ones you want to attend.  Try and always pick at least one program completely out of your element.  Make it something that might help you diversify your business or pick up on a skill set that’s your weakest.  Always get to the program early if you can.  This is a great opportunity to network and often meet the speaker and talk before the program starts.

Going to conventions is about your education as a photographer.  It’s one of the fastest ways to help you grow and expand your network, but it doesn’t do any good if you just stay home, rationalizing that times are tough and you just can’t afford the trip or time out of the office.   I know times are tough, but I’ve said this a few hundred times over the last year:  Just because the media says it’s going to be a bad year doesn’t mean it has to be!  And for those of you who think there’s nothing left for you to learn in imaging and attending a convention is just  a waste of time.  This one is thanks to Harry Truman:

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. 

See you in New York at GoingPro Bootcamp or PhotoPlus Expo.   Safe travels!

After all the years I’ve known Clay, I’m still amazed at how much information he packs into every program.   But here’s the point you need to pick up on when PhotoFusion Revolution comes to your area:  Clay and Ross Hockrow are embracing each other’s technology.  For years I’ve seen photographers and videographers fighting in the same “space”.  I’m not saying it happens all the time, but so often there’s a battle over who’s going to get the first imaging piece of the wedding/event budget.

Technology is constantly changing.  Every paradigm in photography has shifted.  In short, nothing is like it used to be.  Clay and Ross are a microcosm of the technology universe in imaging. This is the way it should be with both their skill sets complementing each other.  As a result, they’re able to take the best of both worlds and produce an incredible finished product.   In fact, I was drooling to have my own family story told by the two of them!

Here’s an additional benefit to making sure you hit this tour.  Ross is an amazing storyteller.  He’s a die hard film buff with the ability to tell even the simplest story, leaving you saying “wow” right after you pick your jaw up off the floor.  I found myself thinking about how I photograph and the story I’m trying to tell, even without video.

I’ve also got a big thanks to everyone for their support of Akron Children’s Hospital last night as the group, thanks to Clay’s spontaneous generosity, raised almost $1500.  Clay raffled off free attendance to his four day workshop in Rockville, MD next April to raise additional funds for the hospital.  In addition, ten percent of the ticket price for every Akron Photo Series workshop goes to Akron Children’s Hospital.

Ross Hockrow, Skip Cohen and Clay Blackmore        Photo by Nathalie Snyder

Okay gang, so if you’re in the Midwest, registration for the Akron Photo Series is now live, with the next big program only a month away when Doug Gordon comes to town!  (Sorry, the crew is still working on the site – my apologies for some of the components not yet activated!)  He’ll be here on November 9 with a program from 6:30 – 9:30 pm.  Registration for all the other monthly programs, starting with Tony Corbell on December 6 and 7 will be live towards the end of this week.

Only time will tell if we can really turn the Akron/Cleveland area into a photo-educational hub.  We’ve got a great schedule over the next few months and Clay and Ross helped launch the first big event.  So, the next step is up to you!

Technology, the Internet and the economy are changing everything around us.  Each program we’re bringing to the area is your chance to fine-tune your skill set and add some new components to your business.   And if you’re not in the Midwest, PhotoFusion Revolution has a pretty extensive tour schedule.  Plus, GoingPro Bootcamp is coming up on October 24, PhotoPlus Expo follows in New York and Imaging USA hits San Antonio in January.

The secret to growth in photography?  Never stop learning and in turn you’ll never stop growing!

I hope to see many of you on the 9th at Doug Gordon’s program!

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 from Cleveland and 90 minutes from Columbus.   Ohio also has one of the largest and strongest professional photographer associations.

So, here are the first two programs to come to Akron, Clay Blackmore on Sunday, October 10 from 2-7:00 PM and one of the best lighting instructors in the country, Tony Corbell on December 6/7.  For right now let’s just talk about Clay’s program.

Clay says it all at the end of this video, digital took off like a rocket and fusion technology is the next rocket, about to take off again!   But, this program is far from being just about mixed media – this is about posing, lighting and raising the bar with your clients.  Sponsors like Canon, Adobe, Marathon, Westcott, Nik, Profoto, X-Rite and Sekonic, just to name a few, are all involved because Clay’s message is so strong!

Even better are two additions to his Akron program…use “SSS2010″ and take $15 off the registration price.  That’s $64 for five hours with one of the finest wedding and portrait photographers in the country.   And here’s one more great reason to attend this Akron program – 10% of every paid ticket goes to Akron Children’s Hospital!  This is one of the finest children’s hospitals in the world and here’s our chance to give a little back.

In the year ahead Skip’s Photo Network is bringing a whole series of speakers to Akron, all with a portion of the proceed going to Akron Children’s Hospital.  The programs will be at the John S. Knight Center or right across the street at Greystone Hall, both are outstanding locations for workshops – easy to find, easy to park and terrific facilities.  

This is a rare opportunity and our chance to show more speakers there’s a lot going on in Ohio.  I understand why they always go west and east of us with Chicago or New York, but it’s time we brought some great talent to the Cleveland area, with Clay helping us launch this new series!

“The mark great photographers leave in our minds and hearts is far more than just about being able to constantly create incredible images – it’s about their ability to share, teach and motivate. Clay Blackmore, became an industry icon at a very early age and has never stopped giving to the industry and helping photographers to continuously raise the bar. His images are stunning…his ability to teach is amazing, but even more impressive is his passion for the craft!”

Registration is just a click away at www.PhotoFusionRevolution.com.  See you on the 10th!

Postcard Mailing: How about a new promotional piece?  WHCC and Marathon Press both offer some terrific support in designing a postcard mailer.   This is such a simple thing to do, starting with selecting 2-3 outstanding images.  Copy on the back can be anything from a special offer for the next few months to just an announcement of you being available – new contact information, etc.    And the list of who to mail it to?  Try www.listservicedirect.com and pull demographics based on your target audience by zip code. 

Partnerships with non-competing companies: As an extension of a direct mail campaign, how about designing an over-sized postcard and include another company to share the cost.  A wedding photographer fits together with a florist.  A limo company is great with a portrait photographer targeting high school seniors and homecoming events.  A commercial shooter would work well with a local printer. 

Fall Promotions:  You have to plant the seed to get people thinking about photography, but the fall is perfect.  You’ve got all the best holidays in the back half of the year.  The kids are finally going back to school and Mom is ready for some time to herself.  Mom is also the decision maker when it comes to professional photography, but you have to get her thinking about the idea of a new family portrait as a holiday gift idea this season.

Special Offers:  Talk to your lab and see what makes sense in putting together a great offer.  Personally I hate discounts, but I love free goods.  Look for ways to add on value rather than just discount the pricing.  For example, it’s stronger in my opinion to give an additional 8×10 than it is to put out a 15% discount.  Better yet, many of the labs and album companies also offer framing opportunities or special albums and you should be able to actually create something unique.  And if you need help writing this stuff up, or for that matter with anything on your website, marketing support, etc. check out Ghostrighters!

Canvas Prints:  I’m a huge fan of canvas prints, but in my case they’re more fine art.  I have two 20 x 50 panoramics in my living room that were done by Simply Canvas.  What I love is people’s reactions, because most people outside our profession have no idea what they’re looking at.  Well, August is a good time to look at your entire fall selection of products and what you’re offering your clients this holiday season!  Does your own product line need a face lift?

Diversity:  Maybe it’s finally time you announced your ability to photograph kids as well as weddings.  It’s just one example, but if your skillset is solid is it time to let people know you’re ready to handle more of their photographic needs?

Workshops and Conventions:  Maybe August is just a great time to figure out what you need in new gear and decide what workshops, trade shows and conventions you’re going to attend in the next six months.  The clock is ticking on being able to attend Skip’s Summer School, but coming up you’ve got WPPI’s Road Show,PhotoPlus East in New York, Pictage’s Partner Con in New Orleans, Clay Blackmore’s new road show, Matthew Jordan Smith in Dallas, the Akron Photo Series and there’s a rumor thatJane Conner-ziser and Jack Davis  are about to hit the road for a command performance of their program in additional cities.

Getting extra help: August is a great time to consider all those photographers and instructors out there who also offer programs, DVDs, podcasts and webinars to help you grow your business.  Check out Dane Sanders and his Ask Dane resource, Sarah Petty, Kevin Kubota, Doug Gordon, Bambi Cantrell, Jerry Ghionis, Yervant, Mitche Graf, Ken Sklute, Jim Garner and for anybody I left out – cut me a little slack -  it’s 6:00 am as I’m writing this – email me with your link and I’ll add your program in tomorrow! 

Podcasts:  We’ve gotten great feedback on the podcasts we’ve been doing at GoingPro.  Here’s a chance to take advantage of the free downloads and just listen to suggestions from me and Scott Bourne on ideas related to building your business.  We’re now doing three a month on the 1st, 10th and 20th!  It’s FREE guys, but you have to hit the download button to be able to listen to our suggestions and we’re about to expand the series with a few surprise guests!  There’s also a ton of helpful information on Scott’s blog, PhotoFocus!

The point is, summer is coming to a close, but your business is about to potentially blossom with an opportunity to take advantage of fall and holiday seasonality, but you’re the only one who can make something happen!

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!

Well, it’s time to start getting some great talent in Akron!   With a lot of help from Shauna Harris, previously from WPPI and now a big part of GhostRighters, we put out the word to a whole bunch of great photographers.  In the months ahead we’re working on getting Tony Corbell, Jerry Ghionis, Dane Sanders, Julieanne Kost, Bambi Cantrell, Eddie Tapp and Judy Host into Ohio!  I’m going to talk my GoingPro partner, Scott Bourne, into doing a program on social media – and I know we can get him to Ohio!   Maybe I’ll even talk him into doing one of his incredible bird workshops since Arkon, believe it or not has a huge blue heron population.   And this is only the beginning!

We’re planning on having the programs take place once a month at Greystone – an incredible old building in downtown Akron.   The building has all kinds of corners and stairwells with great light and it’s right across the street from the John S. Knight Center, also with some great shooting locations.  I’ve also contacted Akron Children’s Hospital and I’m trying to find a way a portion of the proceeds could go back their way as well.  How great would it be if we could develop an educational program that gave photographers a chance to take and give back all at the same time!

Call me crazy, but I honestly think Akron can be turned into another center for photographic education and we’re going to give it our best shot!

Kicking off the concept, Matthew Jordan Smith has agreed to bring his new workshop to Akron on July 19 and 20th.  It’ll start with a an evening program on the 19th.  I’ll be Matthew’s “opening act”, with a great marketing workshop and some ideas to help you get out of the rut and then we’ll turn it over to Matthew.   The following day, reserved strictly for a much smaller group, will be Matthew and no more than 30 photographers working together for the day.  

You”ll be shooting in an educational venue that only a few people have ever had a chance to experience.  The day will finish with dinner together and the exchange of great ideas will continue.  Plus, each attendee will receive a pre-seminar online portfolio review from Matthew, helping you develop a customized program to fine-tune your skill set.

A few years ago I talked Matthew into teaching a WPPI Plus class.  When it came to lunch time, his 20 students refused to leave unless everybody did – at the same time!  The program was intense and filled with useful information that everybody could implement in order to bring a stronger look and feel to their images.

If you don’t know Matthew, check out this video interview with Scott Sheppard during that same WPPI Plus class.  Matthew is truly one of those photographers whose work is simply magic, but it goes much deeper than just his understanding of lighting and photography.  He’s learned how to get his subjects to relax.   The end results are stunning natural expressions without posing.  There’s a reason why his photographs have appeared on the covers of magazines and in countless editorial pieces around the world.

Under normal circumstances this would be too late to get the word out on a program like this, but thanks to social media and with a little help from all of you, we’ve got enough time!  Matthew’s got a 20% savings with an early bird discount if you’re interested in joining us!  Hope to see you in Akron on July 19th!

Registration is just a click away at www.YourCreativeExperience.com!