Discuss this one on the DWF forums (trials are FREE)

How many years have you been in business?

I started my photography business a little over 10 years ago.I still can’t believe it has been that long! I guess time really does fly when your passionate about what you do for a living.

Was there life before photography or has this been a lifelong passion for you?

I did not discover photography until I was in college. I had taken a few film courses that were part of my major, but it never really stuck with me. Maybe because I could never get that film roll around the reel in a room with zero light haha. It was only, while attending college, that I ended up working for a local music store as their on-site web designer. I was forced to buy my first digital camera in order to take photographs of the instruments we had for sale in the showroom. That is when my journey started into photography.

How did you become a professional photographer?

I started up my own business right out of college and as time went by, more often then not, my clients had needs for digital photography. So more and more of my money went to investing in new lenses, cameras and lighting equipment in order to meet the needs of my growing client base. Pretty soon I found myself deeply entrenched in photography. Then I finally discovered wedding photography and I knew this was what I was destined to do. I love it more and more each day.

What’s been your biggest business challenge? How have you faced that challenge?

My biggest challenge has been balancing my time between my work and my family. Once the wedding is over it is easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of retouching photographs, putting galleries together and getting all of my client’s images ready for consumption. Knowing when to step away from the computer to spend time with my wife Melanie is very important to me. Family should always come before work.

What’s the most effective way you’ve found to market your studio?

I know this is going to sound corny, but the most effective way to market my services has just been to be myself.

I’m a bit of a goofball and overall a nice guy who really does enjoy working with people. In this business, like any other, there is no better marketing then word of mouth. People trust the judgement of their friends and family. Nothing in the world makes me happier then to receive a glowing review from a bride and groom.

If we needed a photographer today why would we book you? What makes you unique?

One of the comments I hear often about working with me is how laid back and genuine I am. I’m a very relaxed kind of guy and I think my brides and grooms appreciate how easy it is to work with me. I often get along so well with my clients that I have become great friends with several of them. Planning a wedding is hard enough and the last thing the bride and groom need on their special day is more stress. I think another thing that makes me unique is my age. Being only 29 years old makes me very relatable. Couple that with also being a newlywed myself and my clients become very relaxed with me.

What is the one item used in your shooting or editing workflow you can’t live without? What makes it indispensable?

Ok I didn’t even have to think for this question. It is by far my Canon 70-200 f2.8 L series lens. That thing is just magical. I’m a big fan of shooting with a long telephoto lens. It lets me capture moments without letting people know I’m capturing their moments. It also does a great job of flattening out facial features. Plus when shooting at f2.8 provides a gorgeous amount of background blur. This lens stays on my camera 80% of the time. I often find myself making up excuses about why I should be using it haha.

What advice would you give to an aspiring photographer?

Shoot what you love. Do not compromise. If you love photographing something strange like frogs then go ahead and shoot frogs! haha

If you love working with architecture, then save up your money, travel the world and photograph beautiful architecture. You will always do your best work when you shoot something you love. I love people and that is why I love shooting weddings.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

Again didn’t have to think too much for this one. Wolverine Claws! Do I even need to explain? Ummm…they are unbreakable adamantium claws. What else needs to be said?! haha

Location – Three Bridges, New Jersey (central jersey)

Business Name – Ryan Sands Photography

Websites - www.ryansandsphotography.com

This unique program increased sales dramatically with clients spending far more and excited to do so. Learn how this innovative pricing structure drastically changed Sandy’s income and how you can put it to work for you too.

Website: www.sandypuc.com

Bio: Sandy’s passion for connecting with people and her remarkable ability to capture her subjects’ personality make her one of the world’s premier portrait photographers. She holds the prestigious titles of Print Master and Explorer of Light from Canon USA and has served on the Board of Directors for the Professional Photographers of America.

She isn’t as concerned with those titles, though, as much as she is proud of her ability to transform a single moment in her studio into an invaluable, time-transcending work of art. Sandy first established herself and her studio with heart-touching children’s portraits and remains one of the world’s most-respected children’s portrait photographers to this day.

Charity and education play significant roles in Sandy’s life as well, as Sandy’s Littleton, Colorado-based studio, Sandy Puc’ Portrait Design, is consistently involved with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Locks of Love, Operation Smile, The Children’s Hospital, The Food Bank of the Rockies and The Denver Dumb Friends League. Sandy is also the co-founder of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, a non-profit organization that provides portraiture services to families whose babies will never leave the hospital.

Sandy is also a passionate photography educator. In 2008 she began Sandy Puc’ Tours, where professional photographers from around the world gain first-hand insight about the industry’s latest and greatest tips and techniques. Sandy is also the founder of SandyPucUniveristy.com and Ukandu.com, online resources for photographers looking to supercharge their studio through effective and innovative marketing templates and campaigns.

Hurry… There are less than two weeks left to register for DWF Convention 2012

Available in three versions – white, silver and translucent – the new Profoto Umbrella XL features a diameter of 65″ with a slightly parabolic shape that allows photographers to change the light distribution by simply sliding the umbrella shaft inside the flash head. In addition, the light spread can also be adjusted by moving the Zoom Reflector back or forth, creating an even more versatile look.

The Profoto Umbrella XL fits on all Profoto flash heads and monolights. It can also be mounted on Profoto’s Cine Reflector, and thereby can be used with the new line of continuous light sources – ProDaylight 800 Air and ProTungsten 1000 Air.

There is also an optional front diffuser available to soften the light and reduce the intensity by 1.5 f/stops, practically converting the white and silver models into a fully functioning Octabox. An optional stand adapter allows photographers to mount the umbrella on a light stand, or for use with other flash brands.

For more information visit: www.Profoto-USA.com

(click above to see the full gallery at Vogue)

Lauren Bush has married Ralph Lauren’s son David and now DWF members are talking about the timeless images that have been revealed in Vogue magazine. To quote one member…

Dear Norman Jean Roy (the photographer), you win!

See the full size photos in the December issue of Vogue and then join the discussion in this already 4 page long DWF Artistry Forum thread.

Be sure to tell us what you think.

Filmed with Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 7D.

Click here to view the embedded video.

New York, NY (October 13, 2011) – Award-winning online video creation service Animoto (www.animoto.com) announces today a new free webinar on October 20, 2011 for photographers interested in learning more about how to successfully add “Fusion” into their photography business.

“Fusion has become a rapidly growing force in the business and profit plans of professional photographers,” said Erik Bjornard, Animoto’s Vice President of Marketing. “This forward-thinking Fusion webinar will help professional photographers get the most out of their HDSLR cameras by teaching them how to incorporate not only still images but the high-quality video clips these powerful new cameras are capable of creating.”

Dive Into Fusion: a webinar with Vanessa Joy & Rob Adams, focuses on “Fusion” – the blending of short video clips with still photography. Fusion will inevitably change the landscape of the photography industry and New Jersey-based award-winning wedding photographer, Vanessa Joy, and her husband, award-winning wedding cinematographer, Rob Adams, are at the forefront of the Fusion movement. Together, they travel the country teaching fusion. During this one-hour webinar they will share insightful tips on the practical side of how to shoot compelling video, how to easily incorporate Fusion into a photographer’s workflow, how to price and how to market Fusion into a photography business.

To register for this webinar visit: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/985614654

Click here for all the details.

Photographers searching for Pro Photo Deals have been saving big with Photo Dough. So far professional photographers have saved nearly $700,000 in a little over 6 months. With over 9200 deals sold there is no question where you can find daily deals on items photographers use every day.

Get started today and save on your next Pro Photo Deal! www.photodough.com

OUCH! read on at PDN and discuss it on the DWF forums with our members.

Design Taxi via Allana Taranto.

Petaluma, CA – The TWiT netcast network, home to many of the world’s most popular shows
about technology, has added TWiT Photo to its stable of live shows.

Hosted by professional photographer Catherine Hall and Chief TWiT Leo Laporte, TWiT Photo
already features the best and most well-known photographers, such as Scott Kelby, Ed Kashi, Art
Wolfe. The flagship photography show promises to continue with a line up of other photography
luminaries, such as Zack Arias and Chase Jarvis.

“When I joined the show, my goal was to increase awareness of the artists who propel the art of
photography to greater heights and of course, to help people take amazing photographs,” says
Catherine. “The response has been overwhelming and beyond my expectations.”

In each episode, Catherine and Leo chat with a famous photographer about his/her work and
solicit invaluable tips that helps everyone to take better photographs. Whether viewers are more
comfortable with a point-and-shoot or are a seasoned pro, TWiT Photo offers a fun 1-hour show
that introduces viewers to the Masters of Photography and fulfills the educational needs of a
growing base of people interested in the craft of photography.

TWiT Photo is recorded live on Tuesdays at 1:00pm PT/4:00pm ET on http://live.twit.tv, part of the
TWiT Netcast Network. Listeners can also find episodes of TWiT Photo on http://twit.tv/photo or
on iTunes.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

From The Ragin’ Cajun Floatin’ Finao Party around New Orleans, to the DWF KaREs Katrina Shoot.. DWF 2012 will feature meaningful, exciting events that span 4 exciting days as well as a speaker lineup second to none!

Get All the Details!

Press Release

M-ROCK camera bag includes a range of five top load holster SLR bags sized to hold all SLR cameras from the compact dSLR with a standard zoom lens attached up to the professional SLR body with a telephoto zoom lens attached. The bags feature and include a rock-solid build with thin plastic panels reinforcing the closed cell foam for an extra layer of impact absorption, two shoulder straps and 4 d-rings so the bags can be carried as a backpack or front harness style, a user-friendly modular attachment system for carrying additional lenses and accessories, sealed water resistant exterior zippers and a weather jacket that can cover the entire bag or be used as a protective lens changing sack. The bags are protected by M-ROCK’s life time defect warranty and can all be viewed at http://www.m-rock.com/catalog/holster-camera-bags.php

Verbatim: USB 2.0 Wallet Drive™
Executive-inspired leather encased portable hard drive offers distinctive style and premium storage

• Hand-stitched, genuine brown leather enclosure keeps data safe, and stylish
• Portable hard drive features USB 2.0 interface
• Compatible with both USB 2.0 ports
• Includes Nero BackItUp & Burn software (compatible with Windows OS) for data back-up and recovery
• Available in 640GB storage capacity
• 7 year warranty
• Windows and Mac compatible

Available at: Verbatim.com

via|Press Release

Elmsford NY – May 24, 2011 - Leading the way in carrying solutions for over 30 years, Tenba announces the new Discovery collection of incredibly lightweight bags for photographers with an active outdoor lifestyle. This new collection includes an adventure-friendly Photo/Hydration Daypack that’s compatible with a hydration reservoir, and a camera Shoulder Bag that provides quick access to a large camera system. The Discovery collection features water-repellant fabrics, heavy-duty hardware and professional-level protection and construction that meet Tenba’s “Crafted Without Compromise” standard. Both bags are available in black/gray and sage/khaki color combinations.

See more…

Photo Dough is giving away an M-ROCK camera bag to two lucky winners and all you have to do is subscribe for your chance to win!

When you register at Photo Dough (it’s free) you’re automatically entered to win an M-ROCK Camera Bag. We will be giving away (2) of M-ROCK’s super versatile 654 Wasatch Pro Holster SLR Camera Bags to two lucky Photo Dough subscribers.

The deadline for entry is 9:30am Eastern on May 26th, 2011.

Visit Photo Dough & Subscribe to Win

This short documentary follows Darren as he ventures out to San Francisco’s Lands End to try his giant homemade camera out. It shoots on 14×36-inch negatives! This is the ultimate application of a DIY mind.

 

www.darrensgreatbigcamera.com

Discuss this one on the forum. Link (login required/trials free)

Photojojo

The very next time someone asks me to teach them how to use their DSLR I’m sending them this link! Love, Love, Love…

camera sim/via the awesomer

The 2011 Program

In 2011 we’re taking the programming up to a completely different level. The number one request after last year was for more hands-on training. So, we’re making a huge change.

Sunday night’s program and all day Monday will be classroom style teaching in the Grand Ballroom of the Mirage Hotel. Similar to past years, we have a terrific lineup of speakers with outstanding presentations to help get you thinking about concepts in working with your clients, creativity, diversification covering children, family, weddings and even special projects.

On Tuesday, everything changes. We’ll have eight different instructors teaching lighting and posing for weddings, portraits, boudoir and even ways to bring a commercial fashion look to your images. Each program will be two hours long and you’ll be able to pick three different classes to attend! These are hands on classes with no more than 50-70 people in each workshop. We’ll have models, professional lighting setups, complete with backdrops and the feel of a real studio setting to help you get the very most out of each instructor’s style.

On Wednesday we’ll go back to classroom style programming, finishing this year’s Summer School at approximately 12:30 on Wednesday, August 3.

One important quality in any Skip’s Summer School program…everybody always gets a seat. There are no lines to wait in, unless you hit the buffet in the hotel! You never have to pay extra for the seat you already paid for! Even the Tuesday hands-on workshops, while they do have a maximum capacity in each one, there are eight different programs to choose from and each one is being taught by an outstanding instructor!

Everyone, including our speakers, is coping with the challenges in today’s economy. As a result, there’s one unified goal from the entire Skip’s Summer School Team – to help you find new ways to strengthen your business, your skill set and increase revenue for the future.

Hands-on Demonstration Workshops

There are eight different workshops to choose from on Tuesday, August 2. Each workshop will primarily focus on lighting, posing and the techniques/style of the instructor. All of the instructors have been chosen because of their incredible skills and ability to teach in an informal environment. As an attendee, you’ll be able to choose three of these programs for the day. In addition, most of the instructors will be available at Summer School during the rest of the schedule.

In the past that’s been part of the fun and secret of Summer School, networking! There are very few other workshops you could ever attend where you could have the time to really meet and talk with some of the greatest instructors in our industry, not to mention build your network meeting other photographers from all over the world!

http://mei500.com/

DWF CONVENTION  2012 UPDATE

We’ve secured the beautiful Loews New Orleans as the site for a major convention built around one important concept: Photographers need to network with each other! We’ll have a host of non-stop DWF community events, top speakers, and intimate classes in one of the world’s most exciting cities, plus admission to PPA’s ImagingUSA trade show.

Click on over to your calendar and block out January 15-18th, 2012 because this is one DWF convention you won’t want to miss!

PRESS RELEASE -

April 8, 2011 -
Recently a finalist for BC Photographer of the Year, Melissa Welsh has combined her specialties and created a new portrait niche. The Adventure Portrait Session.

“The idea started with a lot of my wedding clients. During their engagement sessions I would incorporate their lifestyle into the imagery we were creating. It just so happened that many of them spent their free time in the mountains, so that’s where I often found myself shooting,” she says.

Which is to Melissa’s delight. Being an outdoor enthusiast herself, hiking, climbing and skiing with her clients comes naturally.

“Creating photographs while people are doing what they love is much more rewarding then shooting them in matching outfits on the couch,” Melissa says. “I believe in the long term, this type of imagery will hold more meaning to people and their families, because it incorporates an important dimension of their life.”

The adventure portrait session includes a pre-adventure consultation and then an hour or two of hiking, biking, climbing, skiing or whatever activity her clients enjoy doing with their partner, dog or family. The resulting collection of images are often laid out in a coffee table album or printed onto fine-art canvas.

Melissa Welsh has been photographing weddings, families and outdoor pursuits for 16 years and her work can be found in private collections around the world as well as in regional, national and international publications including BC Business, Westworld, Climbing and Explore Magazine.  You can see more of Melissa’s work at www.melissawelsh.com or reach her at 604.354.6046

Marco Fine Arts is honored to have been chosen as a beta-site for Epson to test and approve their latest generation of equipment. Which means that you are purchasing the best available canvas prints in the market today.

Reviews

Marco Fine Arts has fantastic quality and has allowed me to almost double my margins on canvas prints. – Justine Maccario Photography

Using the acrylic as a way to showcase my fine art has been an amazing presentation; feedback is out of this world and I couldn’t be happier with the final product as well as professionalism + care from the team!!! –Danielle, Skye Blu Photography

PRESS RELEASE -

Beaverton, OR (PRWEB) April 26, 2011

Fundy Software, Inc. has released a major upgrade toAlbum Proofer™ with amazing new features that add functionality and a cleaner design, both of which make for an amazing proofing tool for photographers to run successful businesses.

Album Proofer v4 includes new features such as:

–A brand new dashboard with a cleaner user interface that increases photographers’ productivity.

–A brand new client list with quick access to client information and galleries to keep photographers organized.

–Brand new options for soft pages or hard pages in clients’ slideshow galleries, which add elegance and value to a photography studio.

–A new, cleaner comments section that creates better communication between photographers and their clients.

Photographers will see the benefits of using Album Proofer as part of their business work flow immediately. Their clients easily can share album slideshows with friends and family via email or Facebook with the click of a button–everything is automated for quick and simple use.

The comments section functions a little like Facebook and photographers’ clients can tag and write up changes with fantastic visual guides, eliminating those back and forth emails. This will save studios time and make them more professional.

Fundy Software also is allowing anyone to use Album Proofer for free forever with a maximum of two albums. If photographers need more galleries, they can upgrade for a reasonable fee of $15 a month, $79 for six months or $129 for a year’s subscription to unlimited galleries as their businesses see growth.

Says Jason Groupp of The Jason Groupp, “I’ve been searching for something like this for a LONG time! My clients LOVE the Album Proofer. It gives them a ton of freedom. Happy clients like to spend money.”

Fundy Software was founded in 2008 and since then has become known as a leader in software solutions for professional wedding and portrait photographers. Fundy offers a variety of other products such as its 2011 HotOne award winning Album Builder™, Workflow™, Prosper™, Image Brander™, Fundy-Mentals™ and Action-o-Matic™. The products are unmatched and top photographers in the industry have much praise for the support services that Fundy Software offers its users.

For more information, see http://www.fundysoftware.com.

PRESS RELEASE…

Elmsford, NY (May 2, 2011) – MAC Group, a leading manufacturer and distributor of professional photographic equipment, has announced significant developments and future plans for its TENBA® bag division.  After several years of partnership, MAC Group recently completed the final phase of fully acquiring the TENBA photo bag business and its worldwide patent and trademark portfolio from Robert Weinreb, who founded the pioneering company 35 years ago. MAC Group says it will dramatically increase its already-significant investment in the growth of the company in the U.S. and abroad, and has plans in place to expand substantially in both product scope and market share.

“We’ve grown our bag business over fourfold in as many years,” said TENBA and MAC Group President Jan Lederman. “The company is forecasting 2011 to be its biggest year by far, and is expecting the business to double over the next two years. This has been building for some time and, especially given the highly competitive nature of this category, is very exciting for us,” added Lederman.

TENBA is now in the midst of its first complete re-branding in its three-decade history. Logos, product aesthetics, packaging, websites and videos have all been changed to reflect the new direction and growth of the company.

Going forward, MAC’s product, marketing and distribution plans will put TENBA bags into the hands of a much broader worldwide audience, while staying true to TENBA’s and MAC’s core of working pros and the quality and innovations they have come to expect from TENBA bags.

TENBA’s ambitious growth initiative revolves around key elements, first and foremost of which are new products. The company—with the benefit of its own full-time design center—has dozens of products launching in the first half of the year, addressing the pro photo, serious photo enthusiast, video/HDSLR, and laptop/electronic categories.

Pulling out all the stops, the company just launched its new Roadies II line of rolling photo/video bags as well as the colorful Vector™ collection, which TENBA promises “looks like nothing the industry has seen before.” Fast on the heels of these introductions will be the launch of its Discovery™ lightweight outdoor collection, a pro video line, and much more.

On the sales and distribution side, the company is in the middle of a dramatic expansion of its U.S. and overseas retail presence, with display programs and even complete TENBA departments rolling out in retail locations around the World. Finally, TENBA will continue its trend of major overseas growth that began for the company approximately four years ago. “TENBA has always had particularly meaningful status appeal outside the U.S.,” says Lederman. “And with all of the new product and branding initiatives, it’s reached an entirely new level.” The company has a well-respected network of U.S. retailers and over 25 active and growing distributors worldwide with more being added each year.

About TENBA

TENBA provides innovative carrying case solutions to passionate and professional photographers, and their full equipment arsenal. TENBA introduced the world to soft-sided, professional camera bags in 1977, and has been an innovation and quality leader in the decades since. With so many years of experience in bag development and construction, along with a unique level of closeness and – literally – daily connection to the professional imaging community, TENBA is truly dialed-in to both the real-world needs of its customers and the latest in design trends, materials and manufacturing. With its own, U.S.-based, dedicated “bag lab” product development center and manufacturing facilities, both domestic and abroad, TENBA’s resources and capabilities allow the company to create unique and exceptional carrying and transport solutions for serious shooters.

TENBA (www.tenba.com) products are designed and marketed exclusively by MAC Group (www.MACGroupUS.com) in the USA, and sold by distributors around the world.

AlbumExposure is a comprehensive online album proofing solution that makes presenting and selling your designed albums easy and effective. Present in a realistic and interactive format while effortlessly receiving client feedback with chat style conversations.  Maintain a history of all revisions for clarity and protecting yourself from any misunderstandings with the final client album.  Up-sell pages. Streamline your workflow by creating a seamless process with our design partners and our killer Send to Print feature.  No more multiple uploads and timely steps, AlbumExposure makes it simple. Maintain your brand at all times and use the public embed option to promote and sell more albums.

Want to learn more? Visit Photo Dough now.