It was the PPA convention in Orlando and I had a meeting with Dean and his right hand, Tony Corbell. We were all at the Peabody Hotel and I had spent the morning at the pool. I went straight to a meeting in the coffee shop still in bathing attire and t-shirt. It may not have seemed professional, but it was summer time and most of the photographic industry was poolside.

To this day, Tony and I still laugh about that first meeting. It was one of the only times in their lives that Dean and Tony had ever put on suits. They showed up, dreading a meeting with some knucklehead named “Skip” from Polaroid, imagining that Hasselblad was about to move to aisle 7 in Kmart. After all, what could a guy from Polaroid possibly have to offer the number one professional camera company in the world?

Well, they were there in jacket and tie and I was there in flip-flops, cut-offs and a tank top. I know I at least had a legal pad and pen with me to look professional.  Thank God first impressions don’t have to rule relationships the rest of our lives! In all honesty, I don’t remember a thing about that first meeting except I knew I’d just met two people who were going to become important in my life, but I could never have guessed they’d both become two of my very best friends.

This summer Tony Corbell is teaching two days at Skip’s Summer School’s Hands-on Intensive program. Since that first meeting, almost 25 years ago, there are few people I’ve learned more from. Tony is typically referred to as the King of Lighting and there’s nobody that teaches it better.

The video below really demonstrates Tony’s passion for photography, for lighting and for never compromising on quality. Even better is the way he teaches and the fact that he’s never said “no” to anybody who ever needed help. I love this short video on his philosophy, but there is an important qualifier. First, if you’re thinking about taking his hands-on workshop at Summer School, both days, August 6 and 7 are already half full. We will not allow any workshop to go over 20 people.  Second, Tony went to work on getting in shape and he’s back to his fighting weight, having dropped 140 lbs over the last three years. I couldn’t run this video without sharing a more up to date head-shot!

While a big part of the importance of Summer School is about improving your skill set, a bigger benefit is expanding your network with some of the finest instructors in professional photography today. Right at the top of the list of somebody who should be in your network is Tony Corbell!

This year’s program is in Chicago, August 5-8, and the instructors are outstanding. Tony Corbell, Clay Blackmore and Calvin Hayes, Roberto Valenzuela, Michele Celentano, Kevin Kubota, Jerry Ghionis, Bobbi Lane and those are just for the hands-on segment. Ross Hockrow and Jeff Medford will be doing film making and rounding out the platform programs are Catherine Hall, Scott Bourne, Melissa Ghionis, Sal Cincotta and a special panel discussion on couples working together in photography with Kevin and Clare Kubota, Vicki and Jed Taufer and Bob and Dawn Davis. Plus,there are two lunch programs featuring this year’s sponsors and the senior management team of Resource Magazine.

Everybody has lots to choose from when it comes to education these days, but there’s nothing that compares with Summer School. See you in Chicago!

This Year’s Programming:

Each attendee has their choice of two of seven different hands-on shooting programs, working with each instructor for an entire day in a maximum class size of just twenty people. Instructors include Clay Blackmore, Michele Celentano, Tony Corbell, Jerry Ghionis,  Kevin Kubota, Bobbi Lane and Roberto Valenzuela. Knowing each instructor like I do, I can promise you there won’t be anything “normal” about any of these classes. Each instructor is known for their uncompromising focus on quality and technique. Each one has in some way blazed their own path as an artist and set a standard for creative excellence. In short, they represent some of the most remarkable people in the photographic community.

An eighth special program will be all about film-making and storytelling. Video is one of today’s hottest products, not just something still photographers can offer their clients, but in mixed media and in self-promotional pieces for your own website. In this special intense two-day program attendees will be learning from two of the industry’s best, Jeff Medford and Ross Hockrow, founders of Cinestories. As part of the class project, you’ll actually be working on the techniques for creating your own self-promotional video.

In addition to these seven different hands-on shooting programs and the intense film-making workshop, we’ve got a terrific series of platform programs for 2012.

• Sunday, August 5 – Melissa Ghionis leads off Summer School with an outstanding program on Customer Service. Handling customer challenges is an art form. An upset consumer today, thanks to social media, has the ability to impact thousands of other potential clients.  I’ll kick off her program with my own ideas on things you can add to your sales tools.  Between the two of us we want to give you a series of ideas you can use to be proactive in developing an outstanding customer service program for your business.
• Monday, August 6 -Vendor Panel and lunch included: It’s a program we started last year and this year we want to expand it further. Your vendors need to be in your network. Think about it for just a second. They talk to hundreds of photographers every day. They know what’s going on in virtually every part of the country, not just with their products, but the challenges everybody is facing. They’re available to help, but you need to know who they are. In this lunch time panel, we’ll talk about the key challenges facing professional photographers today.

This year’s sponsors to date are Adorama, Cameras for Kids Foundation, The F.I.L.M. Project, GhostRighters, Marathon Press, Nik Software, Photofocus, Profoto, RETV, Resource Magazine, SmugMugPRo, SongFreedom, Tamron, WHCC and WPPI. Summer School becomes your chance to really get to know the people behind each company and their ability to help with so many of the day to day challenges.

• Monday evening, August 6 – Catherine Hall, Building Your Brand: Success is all about building top-of-mind awareness with your target audience. How do you get your message through all the noise out there? How do you make sure your potential client knows who you are?  Catherine will be helping you with solid ideas to expand your brand and make sure you’re on everybody’s radar!
• Tuesday, August 7 – Resource Magazine and lunch included: From the hottest new magazine on the photographic scene to two great websites, RETV and Resource Magazine, this is the crew setting the pace with great editorial,  but this isn’t about them, it’s about you.  They produced this year’s Summer School video shown below and they’ll be sharing ideas on what they look for in stories, images and new content.  Here’s your chance to get to know the team. Who knows, you just might find yourself published!

Skip’s Summer School 2011 from RETV from Resource Magazine on Vimeo.

Last on the list is the interaction summer school attendees always get with each other, the vendors and the instructors. Over the last three summers we’ve seen the community grow and the new network each attendee leaves with each year becomes an important part of their support and growth in the future. Year after year we see attendees staying in touch after Summer School and even getting together at WPPI, which is also one of the benefits with a $75 full registration fee to WPPI2013.

This year’s program has been moved to Oakbrook, Illinois, just ten miles from Ohare Airport, making it easily accessible and cost effective to attend. We’ve even managed to negotiate a $60 savings per day on the room rate.

Summer School started as a way for photographers to recharge their battery during mid-year when you need it most. This year’s program has been designed to go beyond that. There are no lines to wait in, no over-crowded seminars and nothing in your way to meet and get to know one of the finest groups of instructors we’ve ever had. You’ll leave with a series of new ideas on your technique, marketing and business.  And, oh yeah, you’ll have a lot of fun in the process!

See you at Summer School! Registration is just one click away. ]]> http://skipsphotonetwork.com/2012/03/skips-summer-school-2012-hands-on-intensive/feed/ 0 http://skipsphotonetwork.com/2012/02/time-doesnt-change-things-you-do/ http://skipsphotonetwork.com/2012/02/time-doesnt-change-things-you-do/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:00:10 +0000 http://skipsphotonetwork.com/?p=8686  I found a great quote from Andy Warhol that got me thinking…

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

Whether you’re just starting out as a professional photographer or aspiring to be one, there’s very little that happens in this industry by itself. You’ve got to be proactive and you’ve got to watch out and protect your own interests, especially in terms of changing, which in this case means growing as an artist and a business person.

Here’s a prime example. So often I’ve heard photographers comment about images published in magazines. The usual comment is, “My images are better than that!” or my favorite, “I could have done that!”  Well, the point is they didn’t. Another photographer made the effort to get their images positioned so somebody at a magazine saw them and they got published.

And, one more example. We all read newspapers and magazines. There are always stories about local business people. There might be a picture in the paper of a local photographer interacting with the members of the community. Those pictures and stories don’t happen by accident either. Editors aren’t just driving by and jumping out of their cars looking for content. The story happened because the featured person made an effort with a publicity release, getting to know the staff at the local paper or being involved in the community.

So much of being a great artist and photographer is within your reach, but you have to take control of your own destiny. Kevin Kubota, Tony Corbell, Jerry Ghionis, Michelle Celentano, Doug Gordon, Lori Nordstrom, Catherine Hall, Michael Corsentino, Matthew Jordan Smith, just to name a few, haven’t become great photographers because they paid their dues and then waited for things to happen.  They chose a path and made the changes they needed to accomplish each goal along the way. They don’t compromise on quality at any level, in their images, with their gear or with their relationships.

Well, we’ve gone full circle, right back to Andy Warhol’s quote. Time will never change things as much as you can yourself!

There are still a few details to work out, but in keeping with my promise of a February 1 announcement, here’s what’s in place so far…  

Dates: August 5 – 8, 2012. Plan to arrive Sunday afternoon. The mini-trade show starts at 4:00 pm, the first presentation at 7:30 pm with Summer School ending Wednesday at noon.

Format: Let’s talk about more hands-on shooting first.  We’re going beyond the two hours of shooting with each photographer we incorporated last year and give everybody two full days and then some. Every attendee will have their choice of two of seven different outstanding photographers. In addition, there will be a two day film-making workshop in which participants will work on the skill set they need to create a marketing video for their own promotions and website.

Hands-0n Faculty: This year’s faculty is top shelf for hands-on shooting. Imagine being able to spend a full day with photographers like Clay Blackmore, Michele Celentano, Tony Corbell, Jerry Ghionis, Kevin Kubota, Bobbi Lane or Roberto Valenzuela. 

Film-making and Storytelling:It’s a special addition to Summer School with Ross Hockrow and Jeff Medford, along with a ton of video gear from the MAC Group. They’ll be teaching an intense film-making program for the full two days. Some of you may have met Ross and Jeff on their Get In Motion tour last year. They’re outstanding instructors and the founders Cinestories.  Attendees will not only be learning the techniques of video storytelling, but learn how to create their own personal promotional video. 

Class Size: Classes will NOT exceed twenty people. There will be no exceptions. This includes the video workshop as well. We will not allow more than twenty people in any hands-on program! This guarantees everyone a more intense experience and the ability to learn from the very best.

Marketing and Business:  It’s at the top of everyone’s list and we’ll kick off Summer School on Sunday night with my new program on marketing and business with special guest, Melissa Ghionis.   If you’ve never heard Melissa present, a key part of her background is the lost art of customer service. 

Catherine Hall will join us for a special key note program on Monday night. As co-host for TWIT Photo she’s taken branding and marketing to a completely new level. She’ll provide attendees with great ideas on how to expand their reach in their own communities.

Website Review: Many conferences offer portfolio review, but the minute you register for Summer School, we’re going to review your website and give you some solid suggestions on your galleries and your ”About” section. These are two of the most important elements on every photographer’s site. It’s the equivalent of a portfolio review, but done ahead of time, before you get to Summer School. This will give you a chance to identify more of what you need to grow your skill set prior to working with your instructors.

Sponsors and Mini-trade show: There will be some incredible products and services offered by this year’s vendors, including the sell-off off all the lighting and video gear used in the various workshops. It’s a terrific opportunity for you to pick up the additional gear you need at dramatically reduced costs. The first trade show session will start right out of the blocks on Sunday afternoon from 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm. 

Location: We’re headed to Chicago this year! Chicago is one of the easiest and least expensive cities to fly in and out of in the country. Decent airfares make it an economical mecca for reasonable travel costs.  We’ll be at the Doubletree Hilton in Oakbrook, Illinois, just ten miles from the airport.  It’s a great property and we’re pretty much going to “own” the hotel, making the experience even better.

Everything else on this year’s educational event along with some additional surprises will be announced on February 9 when registration goes live! What a kick this year’s Summer School is going to be!

“Before the Internet I read five newspapers in the morning plus thumbed thru a few magazines or books on photography. Yes, it took a bit of time, usually about 90 minutes, but what a great way to supercharge the creative batteries! I preach this to all the young photographers who work with me and sadly I’ve found few, if any, do it and none do it daily. They’re always shocked when I say it only takes getting up an hour earlier to be inspired.”

I never really thought of it as a routine for inspiration, but that really is what more photographers need to do. You need a little breakfast to get things going every morning and feeding your mind for a little while is no different.  In GoingPro (the book, which starts shipping in a few weeks…sorry for the shameless promoting)  Ralph Romaguera makes a great point,

“So you want to go pro in the world’s greatest profession? First go to a baseball game, then go to a symphony! What happened before the game? What happened before the concert? They practiced infield, and batting basics; they played scales – the same thing they did the first day they picked up a bat or French horn!  I’ve made it for forty-two years as a photographer because of one daily routine – practice the basics.”

So what’s your routine? I do a lot of writing and in order to keep trying to build my skill set, I do a lot of reading, not of novels, but of various blogs and motivational material.  It’s the same as that ball player warming up before a game, except for you and me, there’s a new game virtually every morning. Every day is a new post, new email, new communications with different friends, associates and vendors.

For a professional photographer, it’s the potential for a new client, new files to work on, a new album or image to create virtually every morning. That means you need a warm-up routine and it should start with a little physical exercise just to get the blood flowing, followed by a little brain-food and then the start of your day.

• Start your day with something physical. Sheila and I started walking every morning and now it’s routine. I know a lot of you hit the health club or just jog, but whatever it is, you feel better after doing something more physical than just brushing your teeth.
• Isolate a few blogs from people who inspire you.  Some of my favorites in photography are Dane Sanders, Kevin Kubota, Matthew Jordan Smith, Joe McNally, Photofocus, Jerry Ghionis, Dustin Meyer, Bambi Cantrell, Roberto Valenzuela, Clay Blackmore, Doug Gordon, Jasmine Star,Joe Farace, David Ziser, Jose Villa,  Catherine Hall, and GoingPro, especially when Scott has a post, and the list goes on and on. These are just a few. Not everybody updates their blog every day, so it makes it easy to rotate through a fairly big list over a week of morning routines.
• Watch at least one video clip every morning! A number of publications have some great information being updated regularly. I mentioned RETV and Resource Magazine last week. Seriously, I can’t get enough of these short interviews, like Albert Watson from last week. I love content that brings great photographers right to my desktop! I’ve also mentioned just taking a trip through YouTube and searching for any photographer you enjoy by name. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ll find that’s previously been published.
• Last step of the routine…open your email and see what’s going on. This is more of a screening process and doesn’t necessarily mean you have to start answering. However, if you start answering emails and actually putting in the time to respond, then do your best to handle each email the first time. The greatest advice I was ever given in my career was “Handle each piece of paper only one time!” Okay, I’m dating myself, but this was before the Internet. Well, the same principle still applies – make decisions and move on. Don’t hang on to emails taking hours or days to answer. 

It doesn’t matter how you set up your routine as long as you at least establish one. You don’t necessarily need to get up an hour earlier as Terry suggested in the beginning of this post, just develop a routine that works for you and don’t let yourself go too long between feedings…of your head!

While the techniques of telling the story in a video format might be new, the importance of being a great storyteller has always been important to very photographer.  Award-winning albums by photographers likeJerry Ghionis,Yervant, Dawn Shields and Jim Garner have always been at the top of the charts, in part because of their amazing ability to tell the story.

I want to share a very special video this morning, one that’s barely been seen, but thanks to Jeff and Ross, is entirely about storytelling. As you watch Birth Announcement, think about how the same story would have been told with still images in an album. Your ability to capture memories and tell the story hasn’t changed, but the number of techniques now available to you have skyrocketed! 

I don’t want to make this post into an infomercial. However, there’s a special code, SSS2011, for you to use which brings the cost of Get In Motion down to $49.  Whether you emerge yourself in new technology isn’t as important as fine-tuning your storytelling skills and never compromising on the quality of everything you deliver to your clients.

I love the creativity that went into this video and the way it tells the story. Even more important is how the client loved it and how it represents one of the first heirlooms of a new family!

This morning I found three videos I was missing. Pulitzer Prize winner Vincent LaForet, our closing speaker on Wednesday morning, August 3 was the first. It’s brought to you thanks toCreativeLive, the leader in online education and a must for you to stay on top of. 

The second, and also part of CreativeLive’s arsenal of terrific educational material features Tamara Lackey having some fun putting together props on a tight budget. Her point is perfect – you don’t need to spend a lot to build props to put your studio together. In this video she takes on the $250 challenge – that’s all she’s got in the budget as Creative Live puts Tamara to the test.

Finally, I found a great piece good buddy Scott Bourne did on using AnimotoPro in your selling efforts. You need to listen to this video – this is about developing your selling skills and in less than three minutes Scott hits the basics that so many photographers miss!

And just in case you’re still on the fence about joining us at Summer School, especially if you’re in the Las Vegas area, here’s the rest of the series.  From the stunning creativity of commercial photographer, Bobbi Lane, to the last video demonstrating the unstoppable humor of Jerry Ghionis, this collection makes an amazing point: These are photographers with unmatched passion for the craft, who are willing to share their techniques, help you to recharge your battery and grow your skill set and business!

Note: While our room block at the Mirage is sold out, Treasure Island, right next door has rooms at a great rate as well as lots of other hotels in the area.

Hope to see you in Las Vegas. 

Here’s a prime example: I was able to talk Jerry Ghionis into coming to Ohio. Those of you who have attended his programs, know what I mean when I say they’re life-changing.  I guess a better word would be business-changing, but the reality is, Jerry helps everybody see the world differently.

Well, here’s the point I’m missing. We had a really good crowd, but there are so many more photographers who should have been there. We’ve got one group of photographers here, who will remain nameless, only to protect the gulity! They meet on Monday nights and refused to change one of their meetings to encourage members to come to Jerry’s program. I even offered them free meeting space at the hotel prior to Jerry’s program if they wanted it.  I never heard back from them. They missed an incredible opportunity to learn from one of the best speakers in our industry and will be the first to complain when photographers who did attend start picking up more business.

So that leaves me with a point to ponder, what is that secret ingredient that so many of you have that helps you stay focused on your education and growth?  From the emails, tweets and posts I’ve read following Jerry’s program here’s what I think you all possess:

• Passion:  Nothing seems to get in the way of your love for photography or education. You’re like sponges, soaking up every educational opportunity that comes along.
• Optimism: You’re all looking for new ways to find more business and you know it’s out there. Unlike the pessimists who have already given up.
• Kindness: It’s seems to be universal. I’ve received dozens of emails and phone calls just thanking us for bringing great programs to Akron. Everybody’s busy and it’s so unexpected, but the additional effort to give me feedback is so appreciated.
• Leadership: While I suppose the act of being a student, some would consider to be a follower, the truth is you’re all leaders in one way or another. You’d rather be part of the crew setting the pace than waiting for things to happen and then chasing a new trend.

Well, there it is for Sunday morning. Not particular deep, but therapeutic for me to write! LOL I’ll be the first to admit, a Sunday morning post is more for my enjoyment than yours, but I welcome all feedback!  Enjoy your Sunday and Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there!

So that puts me in a great position to hit on a topic near and dear to my heart and just have a little fun - helping photographers think about ways to give back…

This week we raised just over $3500, thanks to Jerry Ghionis (and Melissa too) helping us focus on Akron Children’s Hospital. That puts us over $10,000 since the Akron Photo Series started with Clay Blackmore, Doug Gordon, Bambi Cantrell and Jasmine Star. Thanks to a small group of photographers we raised a little money and everybody got the benefit of five outstanding programs that have helped each attendee be a stronger photographer and business owner.

While at Jerry’s program the other night, Bob Srdoch, a local photographer, asked if at the next program he could talk a little about NILMDTS, another great charity. I’m jumping the gun a little early, but they need help now and need photographers to get involved.  If you’re in the Akron/Cleveland area give Bob a call at 330-475-7166! Or, if you’re just looking for more information about NILMDTS and how to get involved in your community, Bob can get you to the right person at NILMDTS.

Get a bunch of people together with a common interest and it’s like a bunch of friends at a party, when one person tells the first joke. It sparks a memory for another and another.  Within a few minutes there’s a volley going of new and old jokes, as each story ignites another chuckle. Well, photographers are no different and in this case, had time allowed the other night and had I known Bob was active with NILMDTS, we could have gotten that volley going over charitable ideas.

So, what are you doing to give back in your community? The importance here is to just be involved. There’s no such thing as any project that’s too small, as long as it raises awareness. This is about you giving back, and I’ve written about it a number of times.

For me personally, I love projects that involve kids and it all probably started at the Lake County YMCA when I was in my early teens, helping to teach swim classes, which lead to being a camp counselor in the summers, (I was Bill Murray in Meatballs, before he even read the script!)

Hey, I warned you in the beginning, I had no plan this morning except to have some fun with the blog. The point is that it doesn’t matter where you get your inspiration from, as long as you’re doing something to give back to your community. You’re looking for your community to be good to you, so you need to be good to them.

And, if you’re stumped in trying to find a charity to tie in with, when I started doing this there really wasn’t very much going on in the photographic industry itself. Now you’ve got NILMDTS, Thirst Relief, Special Kids Photography and the latest new non-profit on the scene and a personal favorite, Cameras For Kids Foundation. CFKF was founded by fine art photographer, Betsey Chesler who’s dedicated to making a difference in the lives of the abandoned children by exposing the teens to the process of creating art through a camera’s lens.

Remember, the importance is to just be involved in giving back. Look for opportunities to help raise awareness in your community. There’s that old line about life not being a spectator sport – you need to be involved.  When your head hits the pillow at the end of the day, after doing something to help your community, you just feel great!

I respect generosity in people, and I respect it in companies too, I don’t look at it as philanthropy; I see it as an investment in the community. Paul Newman

My first six years in the business were hopeless. There are a lot of times when you sit and you say “Why am I doing this? I’ll never make it. It’s just not going to happen. I should go out and get a real job, and try to survive.

Things are ramping up for Summer School  and I’m seeing a lot of great comments from new and old photographers alike.  I also met a lot of new artists along with seasoned veterans this week when Jerry Ghionis came to town.  Seeing that quote got me thinking about how, regardless of our experience level, we all have our moments of doubt. That thought in turn got me thinking about the importance of community, networking and education to help stay focused.

There is no auto-focus button on life. We own the paths we choose.  While we might love to think everything is the result of devine intervention, we own our choices and the only true failure is when we don’t take the time to learn from our mistakes.

The point is, if we didn’t have moments of doubt that challenged and tested our conviction, we wouldn’t be human.  I’m reminded over and over again that without the challenges in life and losing a few “battles” here and there, we’d never develop a true appreciation for winning!

Just a short thought for this morning. Happy Wednesday!

…and oh yeah, the quote was from George Lucas!