I remember a challenge year’s ago when I was the regional manager at Polaroid.  We had a problem with the Kentucky Driver’s License program and it was my fault. Instead of trying to sweep it under the rug like most of the managers in those days used to do, I figured I was better off to just publish a memo on what went wrong. In the memo I explained why it was my fault and how I was going to fix the problem.  It was bizarre, because instead of getting beaten up for my mistakes, I got a lot of good press for being up front. I never expected the accolades. I was just trying to save my job!  

Well, here’s today’s issue. Last week I announced that registration was going live today for Skip’s Summer School. At that time I was absolutely sure I only needed a few more days to lock up some of the final details. The bottom line is that it’s taking me longer than anticipated and late yesterday I was forced to move registration to Monday. I simply ran out of bandwidth, chasing some of the last minute details. It’s sort of ironic that I also wrote a post about it on GoingPro.

Rather than post all the information on the site that’s half-baked, I decided to wait until everything was confirmed and in its place.  That means all program descriptions, the schedule of events, headshots of all the speakers, extra benefits for this year’s attendees, etc.

However, here’s one good one that I’m very excited about…WPPI just approved full registration for all Summer School attendees to WPPI 2013 for just $75.  That’s an incredible value to the biggest convention and trade show in professional photography!

I apologize for missing today’s go-live date, but I can promise you it will be worth it!

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!

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?

There are so many photographers, both new and old, who just don’t realize all the support possibilities right around them. Levi and I were talking about the strength in networking and it’s so apparent with the Skip’s Summer School crew. They’re just a 103 strong and every time somebody asks a question, everyone jumps in to help answer the challenge and it all started thanks to Brent Watkins, who after Summer School wanted to keep the momentum going and started a Facebook page.

Just over the last few weeks, “Jennifer” had a question about a photo shoot she went to, that wasn’t what she thought it would be. “Jim” had a question about insurance, looking for feedback on what’s out there for photographers, “Yusuf” had a great reminder for everybody on a limited time offer from AnimotoPro and “Gretchen” had a question about making a 16×20 canvas (There were 69 responses to her question!).

So, the bottom line is to remember there’s help out here all the time! Build your network with people who share your interests, integrity and goals. Feed your network by participating and being generous with your time. Stay in touch with new friends and old ones and above all, don’t be afraid to ask questions.

With DIMA, PMA, IUSA and WPPI coming up, along with some great state and regional shows like Photo Pro Expo coming up in early February, you’re going to have some great opportunities to expand your network. It’s not about collecting business cards, but building friendships!

My Dad gave me a book a short time ago called Wisdom from the Ancients. I found two great quotes for this Friday morning:

Two are better than one; a three-plied rope will not easily break.  Bible: Ecclesiastes

Wood burns brighter when joined with other wood. Saadi, a 13th century Persian poet

There are so many different opportunities out there for you to get help. And like both quotes, there’s no question you’ve got the potential to be so much stronger working together on the challenges than struggling by yourself.

Throughout the conversation, I learned about an organization I hadn’t heard about before, the Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation.  I don’t want to simplify the incredible work they do, but in regards to David’s assignment, think of it as Make a Wish for adults. 

The Hyde family is dealing with the mother’s fight with cancer and wanted to do a family vacation to San Diego. The Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation picked up the cost and made the arrangements for their family vacation. The Westin Gaslamp Quarter, where David works, was the hosting hotel. As part of their family wish, they wanted to have a series of family portraits done on the beach in La Jolla, CA. Knowing David was also a photographer, the hotel asked him if he wanted to donate his time and expertise.

David jumped at the chance to give back, identifying with the family’s challenge, having gone through so much of their pain when his own mother was fighting cancer.

“I actually got more out of the shoot than the Hyde family did,” David told me. “We’ve become great friends and being able to give back made this an experience that will remain a highlight of my career.”

I didn’t need to hear any more from David to know he had the privilege of experiencing something so many photographers miss, the opportunity to truly have your life enriched by an experience with a unique client.  This is about paying it forward and utilizing that almost magical skill set exclusive to photographers, the ability to capture memories!

In terms of feeling good about what you’re doing as a photographer, it doesn’t get any better than this!

We get home and realize we’ve underestimated jet-lag if we’ve traveled far. We’ve underestimated how tired we are from the trip, the convention and just hanging out with new and old friends. It’s justified procrastination, as we step back, all with good intentions, just to take a break for a day or two. 

Monday morning rolls around and we’re ready to jump on some of those new ideas to help grow our business. NOT – email and phone messages come first. After all, we’ve been away a few days and we need to follow up on messages and issues that came into play while we were gone.  Then, what starts out as just an hour or two to check email, becomes half the day and we still haven’t starting working on the new directions we wanted to take our business!

“Tomorrow…I’ll get started tomorrow, if I can just use today to catch up on blogs, all my messages and email!”

Well gang, you’re only human and welcome to real time life! Life just gets in the way and like so many of us you’re never going to get to those new ideas. That excitement and momentum you came home with has been trumped by life, your family, your business and the routine you were in before you left!

If you’re in the same boat with me, then we’re going to explore a series of ideas to help you through the challenges of fighting off the outside world. Harry Chapin once talked about his definition of a good day. I’m paraphrasing, but a really good day was pretty much when he got to work on the things he loved to do most, as opposed to the things he had to do and putting out other people’s fires.

Let’s start building your arsenal of things you can do to stay focused and motivated:

• Isolation!  Okay, it’s normally a pretty negative word, but in this case you need to pick an hour every day when it’s absolutely YOUR time. Shut off the phone, your computer and just close the door to any room you can just be alone in. One hour of isolation with just your thoughts! Trust me on this one – it works!
• One step at a time! You can’t do it all at once, but you can make progress with everything you’ve learned. Start by taking one idea from each speaker you’d like to implement in your business.
• Low hanging fruit?  What are the new things you want to implement that are the easiest to do?
• Keeping Inspired! Blogs, podcasts, YouTube and webinars – there’s so much out there and it’s free. The only price you pay is your time.  Look for people writing about things you find inspiring.
• Join relevant forums to help you keep in touch with the new members of your network. For example, following Skip’s Summer School my good buddy, Brent Watkins,started a facebook page for the event.  In just a couple of days 60 people, all dealing with the same challenge of getting back into the routine, joined the new community.

Part II, tomorrow will focus on some specific Internet destinations to help you through the process. This is about changing more than just your business, it’s about you working to develop a new routine to stay creative!

For months I’ve written about the need to “recharge your battery”.  I probably talked about it so much that many of you simply got sick of it. “OMG – he’s talking about the intangible benefits of Summer School again!” The truth is that I underestimated how badly I needed a recharge myself!

We all need to take a break here and there or maybe a better play on words is take a brake! Growing as a photographer is about knowing when to stop the madness and feed your creative spirit. Growing as an artist is about stepping away from the worries of your business and testing the boundaries of talent, experimenting with new processes and techniques. And last but not least, you can’t grow your network when you’re too busy just working hard to survive and feed yourself and your family!

It’s been an incredible week and this morning when Scott Bourne and I share the stage and do our marketing program, I’ll be reminded again about the importance of one last ingredient when you take a brake…friendship.  The definition of a true friend is pretty simple in my opinion. It’s when somebody is in your life and you can’t remember a time when they weren’t!

Sure, everybody learned a lot this week, but there were a lot of new friendships started over the last 48 hours.  The fun of it all will be following those bonds and watching them grow as the influence of 15 different instructors, 25 sponsors and 300 people from all over the world create an unstoppable surge of artistic and business growth!

Okay, it’s 5:30 in the morning and Sheila’s laughing at the fact that I can’t wait to get to Summer School!

Last night “Open Forum” went into its second year with an even bigger cast. There were a dozen of this year’s faculty on hand along with a few special guests, Helen Yancy, Calvin Hayes and Kenny Kim rounding out the “team”.  There were two key things that hit me last night.

There’s a unique quality that’s universal with great photographers – it’s their well developed let’s-see-if-we-can-help gene. Whatever the questions asked last night, each member of the open forum panel was ready for the challenge.  This was an open invitation to all of them to participate – they weren’t being paid to add two more hours to an already long day, but they rallied at the chance to help new photographers realize my second observation.

Everybody, especially in photography, starts out the same way, hits the same hurdles and then, depending on the paths they choose, hopefully develop a rewarding career.  The insecurities along the way happen to everybody. Everybody has moments of doubt and concern, worrying about whether or not their work is good enough, will people pay for their services, can they honestly earn a living doing something they love?

The list goes on and on, but the support from this year’s instructors never slows down. The best advice for me remains from Matthew Jordan Smith…

Most photographers are so busy in the beginning trying to find somebody’s style to almost copy. Learn to be comfortable in your own skin with your own work.  When I started I was always asking for advice, then a photographer I was working for told me, “Stop looking for advice from everyone else.  Learn to see the value in your own work and be comfortable putting your work out there.” 

Don’t try and anticipate what people love and then use that to determine what you’re going to show.  Show your work through your heart.  It’s the only way you’ll ever be completely fulfilled.   

So, thanks to Curley in City Slickers (if you never saw it, rent it – if you did see it, rent it again) here’s how to get the most out of every workshop:

There it is – the secret – JUST ONE THING! Every speaker at every convention, even the ones that aren’t very good, have something you can learn from. Instead of burying yourself in note taking, listen and look for that one tip that’s life-changing. Or, at the very least, business changing. Slow down on the note taking and just listen. You’ll know when the point gets made that hits you the hardest.  That light bulb goes off above your head just like a cartoon character!

And when you do find that point, in the words of PeeWee Herman, “Take a picture. It’ll last longer!”  (I think I’ve reached a new low – I’m quoting PeeWee Herman!) That picture might be of you and the instructor. Maybe that picture is a particular slide to help you remember the point. Maybe it’s not literally a picture, but one sentence you wrote down to remind you of the specific idea you just had.

Remember that you’re only one person and you can’t do it all. Don’t get so over-focused on note taking that you stop listening to what’s really being said. Learning to really listen is a skill-set all its own and one of the most difficult to learn.

“You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.” M. Scott Peck

We’ve got about 300 people coming as of this morning and to start it’s a 45/55 split between men and women. There are more women coming into the industry, especially on the portrait/wedding side of the business, so that fits with current trends we saw at WPPI year after year.

What a kick it is to see Christy and Beverly every year!

Attendees this year are from all over the world. We’ve got 33 states represented and six countries outside the US. Photographers from outside the US are from Kenya, Israel, Bulgaria, Canada, Australia and the UK. The biggest state attendance is the same every year, California, but coming in just behind CA are Nevada, Texas, Arizona and Utah.

I have my favorite questions I ask on the front end of registration and here’s how it all breaks out:

How much do you plan on spending on new equipment this year?  Almost 50% answered $2-5,000 and I’m surprised that even in a tough economy, 12% said over $5000 and 2% were over $10,000.

What photographic magazines do you read? Rangefinder was the big winner at 27%, but right on their heels was Professional Photographer at 25%.  All the other magazines were under 10%.

How did you hear about Skip’s Summer School?While 31% heard about it from a friend, social media (Skip’s Photo Network, facebook and twitter) came in at 26%.

This year Kevin Kubota is teaching a hands-on demo workshop  on lighting.

What’s your primary photographic specialty? 37% answered weddings, 18% family portraits, 12% children’s portraits and 5% underclass and seniors. But, it’s a more diverse group this year with 12% being outdoor/landscape and wildlife photographers, 5% commercial shooters and 12% “other” . The “other” category is usually fine art, industrial, architectural and we’ve even had a few forensic photographers over the years.

How long have you been a full time or part time professional photographer? 23% said they were just starting out with 18% being under two years in business. That’s 41% of the audience meeting my definition of a newbie. At the other end of the spectrum we’ve got 35% in business 2-5 years and 24% over five years. This makes for a terrific mix of people to network with and share information and experiences!

Are you a full time or part time photographer?42% said they were full time and 58% said part time.  This is pretty much the same as last year. What I enjoy most about this is that the 58% aren’t willing to be stereotyped as “Uncle Harry’s” just because they’re new to the industry. They’re coming to learn and fine tune their skill set, worrking to raise the bar on the quality of their images, presentation and marketing.

Bobbi Lane brings her expertise in commercial lighting to Summer School this year with her 2 hour workshop.

How many workshops/schools/conventions do you attend each year?  No surprises here, especially when you look at the mix between new and more established photographers. 32% list Summer School as their first experience with 35% hitting two programs a year and the rest of the group three or more.

Are you involved in Social Media? This is a heavy social media crowd with 62% on Facebook, 20% on Twitter and 13% having their own blog. 

It’s interesting that the largest number of questions I’ve had via phone calls and emails this year has been from relatively new photographers who are worried about fitting in. I’ve even been asked for suggestions on what to wear!

So, whether you’re coming to Summer School or about to attend your first convention or another workshop, it makes no difference. Attending programs like this is about networking along with education and fine-tuning your skill set. Everybody is in the same boat, without a lot of experience or they remember the challenges when they first started. More so than a lot of other career fields, photographers tend to help each other out and often work together on the challenges. This is the third year for Summer School and each year I’ve seen everyone leave with new friends in their networks, new experiences and new skills to take back and implement into their business.

I’ve talked about Don Blair dozens of times. He was coming up on 80 when he passed away, but right up to the day he died, he never stopped learning and went to every workshop he could, knowing he’d always learn something new!  Summer School is about learning something new. It’s about expanding your skill set and building your network, but it’s also about recharging your battery and having fun at the same time. 

You’ve heard me say it a dozen times, “Just because the media says it’s going to be a bad year doesn’t mean it has to be!”

See you in Vegas!

Note:  All images thanks to good buddy, Kenny Kim taken at Summer School 2010.