In this Photoshop Cafe/Software Cinema production they’ll share a wealth of information in under five minutes! It’s remarkable the power of these videos in such a short window.  This one is all about outdoor portraits, a key ingredient to great on-location work and essential to your success and growth as a professional photographer.

And if you like what you just watched here, imagine the amount of content in the full DVD. This is an exerpt from “Classical Portraiture Design” and available through Photoshop Cafe.  This is about expanding your skill set and fine-tuning your craft.  If you like what you saw here, the Software Cinema crew has worked hard to give all my readers a special discount code. Enter “nov20″ for 20% off  on all your purchases on both the Software Cinema and PhotoshopCAFE web sites. 

Software Cinema was founded by my old friend, Dean Collins. Dean wanted to establish an incredible educational resource for professional photographers. With the help of his staff and Photoshop Cafe, his legacy represents true leadership in photographic education. Expanding your skill set and becoming a stronger artist are all just a click away!

Dean may have passed away almost seven years ago, but the legacy he left us is one of the treasures of photography.  His dedication to producing great educational videos has continued with Software Cinema and through next Monday I want to highlight some of both Software Cinema and Photoshop Cafe’s productions.

Best of all, with every one of these short segments on the blog, there’s a more in-depth presentation in a full DVD. This is all about expanding your skill set and fine-tuning the craft.  If you like what you see here, the Software Cinema crew has worked hard to give all my readers a special discount code. Enter “nov20″ for 20% off  on all your purchases on both the Software Cinema and PhotoshopCAFE web sites. 

I can think of no better way to kick off Photoshop Cafe and Software Cinema Week than with a great clip from Jane Conner-Ziser.  Jane has constantly reinvented herself, staying on top of all the latest trends in image manipulation. She’s recognized as one of the finest artists in our industry and if you see Jane on the platform of any convention or workshop get there early for a seat!

Being a successful photographer is dependent on so many different variables. Even if you’re not directly involved in Photoshop or related activities of the artistic process, it’s important to understand the extent of what can and can’t be accomplished. Survival is no longer about the fittest, it’s for the most creativity and diverse.

This five minute clip is from “Photoshop CS5 Portrait Retouching Advanced Techniques”  which features many of Jane’s tips and will help you build the quality of your images.  The topic on this one is straightening crooked teeth. While it’s a specialized topic that would interest primarily a traditional portrait artist think about the technology it takes Jane to go from start to finish. Understanding that same technology is invaluable to helping you build your reputation as a photographer and artist.

I hope this video introduces you to two of my favorite companies, Software Cinema and Photoshop Cafe!

This video clip is a spin-off from the Capture and Creativity tour Clay did together with Jane Ziser and is loaded with idea after idea showing you examples of how Clay adds a solid dose of “fun” to every client relationship!  This is about event photography like sweet sixteen parties, bar and bat mitzvahs just to name a few. It’s loaded with ideas on how to utilize great images when you’re involved with virtually any kind of event. 

Clay Blackmore has been photographing Washington’s families for 25 years and is without question one of the most creative photographers we have in our industry.  His success is obviously about his skill set, but you can’t overlook his enthusiasm and his goal to always exceed every client’s expectations.

The challenge everyone has is making yourself different from your competitors. This is about going that extra mile, making yourself habit-forming and exceeding expectations! Few professional photographers do it as good as Clay!

I’ve written a few posts about the experiences of having both Tony and Dean as incredible friends in my life. In all honesty, they’ve both made a huge contribution to our industry. Tony simply never slows down. As a photographer, teacher, judge and artist there are few people who maintain this diverse a skill set who are such a kick to hang out with. 

Most of my favorite stories from the “far side” of this industry always involve Tony, Dean and too often mutual buddy Nick Vedros.  Sadly most of the stories aren’t suitable for a blog post, but just trust me that we’ve laughed far more times than any of them combined ever clicked a shutter!

e.e. cummings wrote: “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”   These guys have never wasted a day in their lives!  

It might seem strange to drop a head shot of Tony in with these videos, but I did the same thing a month ago with another post that featured his philosophy. Tony lost 130+ pounds over the last couple of years and there are so many of us proud to not only have him as a friend, but know his health is in great shape and we’re going to have him around for years more to abuse!

They might be infommercials, but what a great educational experience – thanks to Profoto. For the past two Summer School sessions, lighting has been the top request for help from everybody. Once you understand how to control the light, regardless of whether or not you’re in the studio environment or not, you’ll find yourself a better photographer in all aspects of the craft. This is all about your control over your environment.

Tune in tomorrow and I’ll post the three light and four light video.

If you have an appreciation for the technology that got us to where we are, then I believe you can be a better photographer. I’m in no way trying to turn back the clock. I love where imaging is going and the creative tools at every photographer’s disposal today.  I haven’t shot a roll of film myself in ten years and I love what I can do with a digital file. 

But, what if every time you picked up your camera you composed, exposed and shot as if there was no choice but to get it right, pretty much right out of the can – would you do things differently? Would you take more time to set up the shot? Would you pay more attention to the light, the shadows and your exposure? Would you compose differently?

I found this clip on YouTube of my old buddy Dean Collins.  Dean was only 51 when we lost him in 2005, but to this day he remains one of the finest presenters I’ve ever watched. He was an incredible commercial photographer, but there wasn’t anything he couldn’t shoot. His specialty was light – understanding it, controlling it and making it do anything he wanted.

I’ve attended hundreds of workshops and nobody compares to Dean’s style and comfort level when it came to being up in front of a crowd. He was quick on his return volleys too. Once being asked, “Dean, it’s no wonder all your images are stunning, look at how beautiful all your models are? Don’t you ever photograph any ugly people?”  There wasn’t one second of hesitation as he responded, “Of course I do and why don’t you get your family and come up here right now and we’ll do a portrait!”

Give yourself seven minutes and enjoy this clip I found on YouTube. It’s from 1998 and it was all about film and controlling the light. There was no Photoshop to do what Dean did with lights and reflectors. Again, this is about understanding the craft.  

Imagine if you had the same assignment today and there was no Photoshop, no Nik, no OnOne, no Kubota Image Tools; just you, your lights, a few reflectors and your camera gear.Would you know how to do what Dean did? When you get to the point in your career where you can answer, “YES!” you’ll truly be ready to take on just about any assignment!

The PPA convention was in Orlando that year and my first meeting with Dean and his right hand, Tony Corbell, was going to take place the day before the convention. We set up a time to meet at the hotel in the middle of the afternoon. It was pre-show time and I had little to do and wasn’t smart enough yet to know I should be using the time to network, so I spent it at the pool. It came time to head to the meeting and I slipped a pair of cut-offs (am I dating myself or what?) over my bathing suit along with a black “wife-beater” and headed to my meeting.  There stood Dean in the only suit he owned and Tony, along side him, also in jacket and tie!  They had dressed the part to meet the president of Hasselblad!

Tony would tell me in later years how all he and Dean could think about was “Who is this idiot from Polaroid that’s taking over Hasselblad? What kind of an adult has a name like Skip? How long will it be before Hasselblads are sold at Kmart?”  That started one of my oldest friendships in photography and we’ve been laughing ever since.

None of this is honestly relevant to Tony’s expertise on lighting, but for those of you relatively new to the industry there is a point. Cherish those new faces you meet today, because twenty years from now they’re going to be the core of your network. Look for friends who compliment your short suits.  Take advantage of every program you attend and meet as many people as you can at every workshop. The best part of this industry has nothing to do with photography, but the friendships that come out of everyone’s mutual love for the craft.

And yes, this is about Summer School. The networking aspect is one of the biggest parts of the program and I’ve watched friendships grow year after year. I’ve watched the chatter on Facebook and Twitter as this network of new friends support each other and build on the challenges of creating better images and marketing programs.  ”Three Buffet Brian”, Haley from Utah, Gokhan from Chicago, Brian P., Greg from Michigan, Melony from Vegas, Christy and Beverlee and the list goes on and on.  Every year the program has grown a little more and more photographers have been able to learn from the very best in the industry, picking up business and some times life-changing tips to help them grow.

Tony is teaching what he knows best and loves even more, lighting! He’ll be the first program, right out of the blocks on Tuesday, August 3, but he’ll be there throughout Summer School to answer questions and help you figure out the challenges in building your business. Just like the spirit he brought to that very first meeting with me and Dean in 1987, he’s never stopped giving back to the photographic community!

This image is directly out of the camera.  NO post production.  To produce the color I simply set my camera on tungsten (incandescent) color balance even though in a daylight or shade situation.  Then, I added a warm toned amber gel inside the softbox aimed at lighting my subject.  The daylight areas go blue and the face warms up.  Simple technique and doesn’t require time after the shoot to edit in post production. Tony Corbell

Tony Corbell is one of the finest lighting teachers in our industry and this year he’s joined by seven other spectacular instructors in the new hands-on programs. Hope you can join us at Summer School 2011. I can promise you a life-changing experience that will help build your skill set, expand your network, give you new ideas on marketing and diversity and recharge your battery!

This year at Summer School, thanks to requests from attendees over the last two years, we’re dedicating an entire day just to lighting and even a little posing. We’ve got eight great programs featuring some of the country’s very best photographers and teachers, all doing hands-on demo programs throughout the day.

I hope you can join us at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas from July 31 – August 3. If you can’t, at least check out Software Cinema. They’ve not only got the complete collection of all of Dean’s work, but educational videos from dozens of other photographers on just about every aspect of imaging!

Well, it’s amazing the things you find when you’re just surfing through cyberspace! Most of you probably didn’t know Dean, but his lessons on lighting were timeless. From his legendary road shows to founding Software Cinema, he set the standard for education. His contribution to the way so many photographers learned to see the light was so huge it’s hard to believe he was only 51 when he passed away.

Understanding lighting is one of the key things you can do to separate yourself from Uncle Harry! So, enjoy the next two minutes as you watch the master work his magic. And, if you’re looking for a more extensive trip through the mind of Dean Collins check out Software Cinema’s longer videos. They’ve got the full set and nobody does it better than Dean!

Sadly that look lasted way too long , but you have to admit, it takes nerve to publish my own senior head shot, right down to the horned rim glasses hiding the unibrow!  ( Once a year you guys can handle it!) Fortunately, this look finally died and in the last ten years the market for seniors has exploded.

From the senior’s perspective, a portrait session is about capturing their personality and their interests. It’s about a photograph that reveals their personality!  What happens too often though is the photographer forgets about Mom and Dad.  You still have to provide a beautiful image and often, as good buddy Dean Collins used to say, “Beauty is in the eyes of the checkbook holder!”

In this short video with Clay Blackmore, Software Cinema, (coincidentally founded by good buddy Dean Collins) takes us through some terrific bread and butter senior poses. Sure, you have to meet the mindset of the client and create outstanding images, but you still need to know the basics. You need to understand lighting, posing and composition when the situation calls for a good solid portrait.

And if you think Clay makes it look easy here, think about what it might be like to attend his four day workshop in April! I don’t know of anybody who can teach this stuff better than Clay, giving you a whole new resource in your skill set from which to draw!

Looking to learn more? Check out Software Cinema’s complete lineup of the very best educators in photography!

The following day, along with Scott Bourne, we were involved in our first GoingPro Bootcamp and what a trip! (Okay, it’s a dated expression, but I can’t find a better one to describe the enthusiasm of the attendees, the great questions and the excitement and willingness of the vendors to help launch this new program!)  There were almost a hundred people present with a mix of photographers completely new along with those who had been shooting for a while, but needed new ways to build their business.

But the questions were all in line with concerns we’ve heard for years in this industry.  How do I close the sale? Should I show prices on line?  How do people know I’m here?  Then there were great suggestions on insurance, promotions and the importance of never compromising on quality.  The response from attendees continues to be pretty amazing, but the more I think about it, the more I realized their concerns are the same issues the most established photographers have had for years, which brought me full circle to wondering if things really have changed that much.

• You still need to produce a quality product!  While there are those who will argue most consumers don’t know and don’t care, I’m convinced that’s a cop out.  Every time I hear a photographer say that I can trace back his/her actions to missing something in customer service in their own business.  Consumers do want quality and when you take the time to show them the difference the majority of the time they understand, but it’s all in your presentation.
• You still have to provide a respectable level of Customer Service!  You have to anticipate your customer’s needs.  You have to listen to your clients.  Most important of all, you need to meet their mindset and exceed expectations.
• You still have to provide a pleasing representation of the client, the products, whatever it is you’ve been hired to photograph.
• You still have to market yourself to get through the noise.  I’ll admit it’s harder than ever to build brand awareness, but the necessity to do it is still there.
• I don’t care what the capture is on, be it film, digital or with a Crayola – you’re still being hired as an artist.  Unfortunately, there are too many photographers who forget they’re an artist and feel threatened by “Uncle Harry”.  It’s not the gear that makes the photographer!
• As a professional you still have an incredible network of support companies – from labs to albums to marketing partners to frames and online hosting, in the history of photography there have never been more tools at your disposal!  But you have to take advantage of what these companies offer.  Marathon Press, WHCC, Animoto, Asukabook and Kubota Image Tools and Nik Software were all at Bootcamp for the entire day to help attendees find the solutions to a more successful business plan.
• Your work still requires a passionate eye, a great heart and a quest to always look for that decisive moment.

Ansel Adams once said, “Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.”

And that’s one more thing that hasn’t changed – as a professional photographer you’re still part of an incredible legacy of creative spirits like Ansel, Avedon, Scavullo, Karsh, Eddie Adams, Arnold Newman, Dean Collins, Don Blair and Monte Zucker, just to name a few.  They gave us a foundation that belongs to every professional photographer and while it might sometimes be challenged by technology and the economy, it remains a powerful tribute to pride, quality, creativity and art.

A big thanks to my two good buddies, Scott and Tony, for a terrific program that helped us all, me included, recharge our batteries!