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?

A trip to Las Vegas in February isn’t just about WPPI anymore. It’s about adding new building blocks to your business and some of them are outside WPPI programming. For two years I’ve started every marketing presentation with the same statement.

Just because the media says it’s going to be a bad year, doesn’t mean it has to be!

That’s a big part of the GoingPro theme and Bootcamp. We started the project because there are so many aspiring photographers interested in going pro and missing the boat on the right way to get started. Frustrated, they jump into the market with lousy quality and low-ball pricing. Instead of building a business on a solid foundation, they try and build it on the word “professional”, having no understanding of the importance of how to sustain a business.

Well, it’s been two years since we started the GoingPro, which originally was just a book with Random House. Now it’s a blog with an estimated 50,000 followers and sixty-four podcasts, resulting in 120-150,000 downloads a month. Last but not least, it’s our second Bootcamp, an all day event helping you with everything, but photography.

George missed the last GoingPro Bootcamp, but we didn’t and neither did a 100+ aspiring and working professional photographers. He’s got another chance and so do you! With the combination of Michele Celentano, Scott Bourne and me we’ll help you with ideas on marketing, pricing, building your business, insurance, social media, community involvement and local networking, just to name a few. Most important of all, we’ll help you figure out how to promote yourself and your work so you can get your second customer.

Anybody can get their first customer. The trick of building a solid business is getting your second customer and even better, getting the first customer to come back a second time. You know how to focus your camera. Well, we’re going to help you focus on concepts like quality, value, integrity and the ability to exceed customer expectations. Those are the key attributes of any business that brings customers back!

And speaking of exceeding expectations – that’s just what we intend to do on February 18. It’s only $99 for the day. So, whether you’re just getting ready to take the plunge into the pro side of the business or you’ve been out there for a few years and need some help – we intend to exceed your expectations. 

See you in Vegas! Signing up for GoingPro Bootcamp is just a click away!

But, there’s hope for truth in advertising. Every now and then there’s a company that not only steps up to the plate, but actually gives you something to hang on to by sharing who, why and what they stand for.  Well gang, I ran across this short video from SmugMug Pro and really enjoyed the sincerity behind it.

What hit me was what everybody is saying in this three minute piece and you really need to listen to the words.  For example, I love photographer, Michael Soo’s comment,

I’m a photographer because I have to be!

Those of you who know me personally know that I absolutely love this industry. I’ve been in it my entire adult life and cannot imagine anything else I’d be happier doing. Like so many of you, it’s a part of who I am and why I wake up every morning smiling. I honestly don’t believe there’s another career field quite like the photographic industry. So, like Michael Soo, I’m in this industry because I have to be!

I loved John Harrison’s comment about his images, “If nobody sees them, then what’s the point?”  There it is Marketing 101 for photographers, all in eight words! Leaving me to ask so many of you, do people know who you are? Are they seeing your images in the very best presentation? Are the images you present your very best work?

Last on my list of why I love this video – the founders and staff members of two great companies are putting themselves out there for you to meet.  SmugMug is about relationships, listening to the market and as Bay Photo founder, Larry Abitbol says, ”We’re proud to be providing the professional print services for SmugMug.”  If you know Larry you know this isn’t just about SmugMug, he’s doesn’t take on relationships he’s not proud of.

Here’s my suggestion to get the most out of this video. Watch the video and just listen to what’s being said. Then go back and watch it one more time, while thinking about how you relate to your own customers. If you were to shoot your own video about your business tomorrow, what would be the message you’d want to present?

I won’t deny that SmugMug is a sponsor of this blog, in fact, I’m proud to be working with them, but me sharing this video with you wasn’t on their request list. In fact, I found it on YouTube, entirely by accident.  We’re coming up to at least two major shows where SmugMug will be exhibiting, IUSA and WPPI. Take the time to wander over and introduce yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

For me, time is always my most valuable commodity and there’s never enough of it. All of us are in the same boat and for many of you an upcoming convention may be your first venture out as an aspiring or professional photographer. Regardless, do a little planning so you’re sure to make each dollar spent on every minute away from your business well worth the trip.

I know I’ve written about this a lot over the years, but they’re all points, even the seasoned pros, seem to forget:

1. Look at every aspect of your business, from gear to software and services, before you leave. Analyze where you really need the most help.
2. Review the list of vendors exhibiting and highlight those companies you need to see the most.
3. Read through all the program descriptions so you can schedule those programs and workshops you need to expand your skill set.
4. Pick at least one program completely outside your comfort zone. You need to get exposed to every aspect of the business and there’s a great saying, “You’ll never learn to sail on calm seas!” Make it a point to attend programs that will challenge you.
5. When walking the trade show, start in one aisle and walk the entire show. There are so many exhibitors who might have services or products you know little about. You don’t want to miss anything!
6. Have a supply of business cards with you, but even better, put together something that shows your work. Personally, I love a creative looking postcard that’s a little bigger than a business card and shows at least three different images along with all your contact information.
7. It’s the Golden Rule of trade shows and conventions: NEVER have lunch or dinner alone! This is where you can build your network and ideally grab a meal with somebody you don’t really know. It’s easy to do – just talk to the people around you at every program you attend.
8. If there are special vendors you want to see at any convention, call them NOW! Introduce yourself and set up an appointment. If nothing else it will put you on their radar, so when you stop by their booth they already have an idea who you are.

Last on the list, and this is where I really sound like an old fart…if you can’t party with the big kids then don’t party. Over the years I’ve seen so many careers slow down simply because somebody partied too hard the night before and missed the bell in the morning.  In this case the “bell” is defined as everything from a meeting to a workshop you wanted to attend.  If you schedule meetings with vendors, sign up for workshops in the morning or simply make plans to meet people for breakfast then be there!

My favorites for the next few months?

DIMA and PMA in Las Vegas, IUSA in New Orleans, PhotoProExpo in Cincinnati, GoingPro Bootcamp in Las Vegas and WPPI in Las Vegas.  The next sixty days are going to be incredible!

Safe travels and I’ll see you on the road!

How about a Las Vegas Photo Adventurewith professional photographer, Mark Comon as your tour guide? It all starts on Friday evening with a “how to” presentation and dinner is included. Then you’ll head into a night time shooting session followed by a tour of the Neon Boneyard on Saturday, people on location shooting that afternoon and wrap it all up with one more evening of night shooting on the strip. This is absolutely the only way to see Las Vegas! Registration is just a click away!

Next on the list, check out WEVA’s Getting Into Wedding and Event Filmmaking 101. Technology continues to blur the lines between the specialties.  Even if you’re not interested in getting into film-making, WEVA can help you become a better storyteller. It’s a full day conference on film-making and event videography.  It’s all part of the action for this year’s PMA @ CES programming.

On the book scene, thanks so much for all the great comments on GoingPro. It continues to do really well on all of the major book store sites and if you’ve seen it, you already understand what a labor of love it was. GoingPro Bootcamp is coming up on February 18 in Las Veagas the day before WPPI officially kicks off their platform programs and trade show.

Don Blair’s Guide to Lighting and Posing Body Parts is about to be reprinted. We’ve had hundreds of requests over the years for this must-have-fits-in-your-camera-bag reference book.  This book continues to be one of the best ever written to help you deal with Mother Nature’s challenges. There’s even a touch of basic lighting, giving photographers the ability to create better portraits. And seriously, how do you pose a 6′10″ groom and a 4″9″ bride?

So, working together with Marathon Press we’re going to do one print run based on pre-booked orders.  More information and how to order will be available within the next couple weeks!

PMA’s online magazine is out and along with a number of different stories, there’s a profile story about photographer buddy, Catherine Hall. There’s also an article about Kevin Kubota’s new book, The Lighting Notebook and yes, I’m guilty of shameless self-promotion here, since I wrote it! Just click on the magazine and you’re there.

If you’re headed to PMA, CES, IUSA, PhotoPro Expo or WPPI it’s really important to plan each trip so you don’t miss anything and get the most bang for your buck. Time is the one element we never have enough of and when you’re away at an important convention it’s important to plan things out.

There’s a great expression in scuba diving, “Plan your dive, dive your plan.” In diving you have a limited supply of air and your depth and ability to relax underwater are going to determine how long you’re down. Well, any trip to a major convention is the same. You have limited time, limited funding and limited bandwidth, because there’s only so much you can absorb. Take some time and plan each trip, paying careful attention to vendors you want to see, photographers in your network you want to catch up to and programs to expand and develop your skill set.

Most important of all, pay attention to the websites for each convention you’re attending. Updates are usually posted on the home sites first.

I hope to catch up to so many of you in the next couple of months – see you in Vegas or New Orleans or Cincinnati or Vegas again!

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.

As a combination of the tough economy and advances in technology, virtually anybody can call themselves a professional photographer these days. The market is filled with “wannabe” professionals who have absolutely no right to call themselves photographers, let alone professionals.  Every day we hear more horror stories of “professionals” charging too little, not delivering images on a timely basis and presenting images that aren’t any better than Uncle Harry would have captured.

The sad thing is there are so many places to get help and elevate the quality of their work.  Scott Bourne and I started the GoingPro project to provide new photographers with material to help them address the business and marketing side of photography. WPPI and IUSA, both coming up in the next ninety days, offer photographers dozens of workshops and programs to expand their skill set.  DIMA, sponsored by PMAis offering attendees two days of intense programming, including Kevin Kubota teaching a series of lighting techniques.

Then there are books and DVDs published by some of the finest photo educators in our industry, all available to everybody. Software Cinema and Photoshop Cafe offer great videos at reasonable costs. Kevin Kubota’s new Lighting Notebook is destined to be a best seller. Kenny Kim, Dane Sanders, David Ziser, Eddie Tapp, Jerry Ghionis, Doug Gordon, Matthew Jordan Smith, Bambi Cantrell andSandy Puc are just a few who come to mind with books, DVDs and que cards all designed to give you help.

Last on the list, are webinars, many of them absolutely free,  from companies like Profoto, X-rite and Creative Live, again, just to name a few.  And there’s even more from magazines like my favorite, RETV, with an entire series of interviews with great photographers, all designed to help you grow in the craft.

We can’t do anything about those people who jump into the industry claiming to be professionals and only looking for a fast buck. Every industry has them.  What we can do is encourage new photographers and established ones as well to take advantage of every opportunity to raise the bar on the quality of their images and their presentations.

There are more educational tools available today than at any time in the history of photography.  Are you taking advantage of all the opportunities?

Everyone reading this blog knows that I’ve been doing wedding photography for quite a while. I’ve seen lots of changes in our profession over the many years, but none have been so game changing as with the introduction of digital cameras.

In the wedding business, it even took a few years for many of the pros to make the switch.  I personally made the switch to digital in 2000. It was scary just like anything else you try that is new.  No problem, we made the switch, and I have to tell you, I would never go back to film.  

In the wedding industry, in the early days of digital, things were pretty calm.  Many were making their switch and the competition from  new photographers was a little more even keeled than in today’s market.

But things started to change about two years ago. Cameras got cheaper, Facebook got famous, everybody started blogging, Craig’s List became popular, and cameras got even cheaper still. Now everyone with a new Digital Rebel or Nikon D3000 wanted a piece of the wedding market.

Don’t leave yet – it gets even more interesting, hence the topic of today’s post – “How Much Of A Professional Are You?”

Last week a friend of mine sent me a link to a YouTube video of Judge Joe Brown lambasting into a so called “professional photographer”.  The bride booked a photographer and after seeing their images from their wedding, felt they were not representative of what the photographer showed as her samples. 

The bridal plaintiff basically wanted a refund of $1000 of the $1300 she paid to the “professional photog”. The judge awarded the bride, not the $1000 she asked for, but $2500 in damages!!!

My first intent was to post this as kind of a “humor” piece – lousy photographer gets what she deserves.  But, upon reflecting on it I decided it was a much more serious issue that that.  Here’s why…

The “pro photographer” was shooting the wedding with a Canon Rebel with a “kit” lens, had the images processed at WalMart, and delivered then to the bride in the WalMart parking lot.  The sign of a true “professional” – right? Wrong!!!

Judge Joe Brown didn’t see it that way either asking the photographer why she wasn’t shooting with a pro camera like a Canon 1D, 5D, or 7D.  It seems the judge knows his cameras and a little something about wedding photography, too. He didn’t come right out and say it, but it looked to me like the judge may  have shot a wedding or two.

OK, like I said, I planned to just post it for the “giggle” but then some thing happened while at WPPI.  I attended a program by one of the presenters and was surprised by what I heard.  Not by what the presenter said, but what I heard after she said it.

She mentioned that in her early days of shooting she used a Canon Rebel.  About 25% of the room cheered her remark – they must be Canon Rebel shooters too – at least that was my impression of their response.  It seems to me that this section of the audience felt vindicated by their use of this amateur camera for shooting events that should be shot with professional gear.

That seems both scary and sad to me. A wedding is a once in a lifetime event for most folks out there. When a photographer books a wedding, they assume a lot of responsibility for the outcome of their photographic result. How is it they can feel they are delivering “pro” results with “amateur” cameras.

DAZNOTE:

That presenter by the way, now shoots with Canon’s top line EOS Canon 1D cameras.

This whole attitude; “I’ve got my Canon Rebel or Nikon D50 and some business cards. I’ve got my Facebook page, I like shooting pictures, I’ve got my blog, etc. , etc., etc. I must be a professional.” To me it shows a total lack of professionalism when any photographer engages a client for the job of shooting the wedding and shows up as “Amateur Anne or Andy”.

We have been witnessing the “cheapening” of wedding photography over the last 2 – 3 years.  It has put good studios out of business, sacrificed quality photography for brides, created an entire era of paperless, picture-less couples, given wedding photographers and wedding photography a bad name, and does a major disservice to all the real “pros” in our business.

So to those who cheered the use on the Rebel as a wedding camera, I suggest you think twice before booking you next wedding.  I suggest you ask yourself just how much of a real “pro” you are. Do you really know your gear, your lenses, your lighting? Do you really know what shots to capture at the wedding? Do you know how to handle yourself in an emergency situation like when your gear fails?  Can you still capture the images? These are just a few of the questions real professionals know how to answer.

If you are having trouble answering any part of them, you may want to change that or you too just may find yourself in front of Judge Joe Brown.

-’Nough said          David Ziser

Our home is like a gallery, filled with prints that span my entire career, but I don’t have one of Bob’s.   We sat down with his Ipad and started looking for a new addition last night. Like so many of us with friends, while we stay in touch, we lose track of what we’re all actually working on and doing. I hadn’t looked at Bob’s images in a long time and was simply blown away by what he’s been creating.

I’ve written so much about the importance of personal projects, never compromising on quality, listening to your heart and expanding your skill set. As we looked at image after image it was incredible to see Bob’s done just that. The images were stunning, many demonstrating new technology he’s been experimenting with. In fact, one image of an iris was the result of 43 different shots.

Talking about that image led us into a discussion about how you can never stop learning and that took us to a conversation about Ansel Adams and a comment he made.  I’m para-phrasing a lot, but in ‘84 he made a comment about wondering what people will be able to do with his negatives electronically in twenty years!

So, here’s the point this morning – as you look at your own portfolio are you producing images that are truly great? Can you look back at a year or two of your images and see your growth in the craft? Do your images represent a continuous expansion of your skill set? Most important of all, every time you click the shutter are you keeping your dream alive?

Motivational writer Jack Canfield wrote, I’m a big believer in growth. Life is not about achievement, it’s about learning and growth, and developing qualities like compassion, patience, perseverance, love, and joy, and so forth. And so if that is the case, then I think our goals should include something which stretches us.

And one more that hits home from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg:

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!