Okay, if nothing else I want points for having the nerve to once again publish  my senior head shot! Then I want points for my glasses hiding the unibrow and the fact that I could even get a knot out of a tie not much wider than a pair of Nike shoelaces today!
But here’s [...]

Ever had a friend who you wanted to help with a project, but you just couldn’t figure out what he/she needed? Well, meet my good buddy Matthew Jordan Smith and the challenge was his website. Matthew is one of the finest fashion and editorial photographers in the world, although there’s really nothing Matthew can’t shoot!
The [...]

Parts of this post are part of an encore from almost three years ago, but the real issue is that I just don’t get it. I completely understand everyone having their favorite things to photograph and their specialty, but in the hierarchy of why people hire a professional photographer the ranking is brides, babies and [...]

Over the last few years Roberto Valenzuela has become a very good friend, but the friendship came out of the respect I have for his refusal to ever compromise on the quality of his images.  He made a statement in the first workshop I ever heard him teach, “Practice doesn’t make perfect.  Only perfect practice [...]

I remember as a kid being pushed by my mother to get my thank-you notes written for birthday presents from family and friends. It was always an argument. I’d protest and scream, “Grandma knows I love her and I already thanked her.”  Little did I understand then how important the concept of a hand-written note [...]

I don’t remember where or when I first met Lou Jones, but we’ve had one of those friendships that pops up every year at a convention. I know we met in the mid 90’s, back in my Hasselblad days.  Lou’s based in Boston and I feel like I’ve lived just about everywhere but New England [...]

I’ve written a lot about charitable causes over the years for two primary reasons.  From a personal position it’s one of those things that just makes you feel good. It’s about being part of the human race and it really is that simple. From a business perspective, nothing is more effective in building your reputation [...]

Monday’s rant on photographers who think they can shortcut quality and their education created some terrific feedback, especially on Facebook. But, there was one email I received from a photographer who hit another aspect of the challenge. From her perspective it’s not just the lack of quality in the product but the lack of quality [...]

Yervant loves to get his audience involved in his programs as he did in this shot from Skip’s Summer School 2010. It’s a sure fire way to make the presentation more fun and at the same time demonstrate a point. Photograph by Kenny Kim
Okay, we’re down to the wire and it’s time to wrap up [...]

This is part two of an encore post from GoingPro a year and a half ago, but the point I made yesterday hasn’t changed – it’s that time of year. The major conventions are looking for speakers. I’m still getting requests from speakers who feel they should be teaching at Skip’s Summer School, and the [...]