What is your DWF Username? Rhonddas

What is your full name? Rhondda Scott Boutique Photography

What is your business Location? Located in the beautiful Glass House Mountains in Queensland Australia

What is your website URL? www.rscottphhotography.com (though I am working on a new face for my site with a whole rebranding)

What’s your facebook page URL? http://www.facebook.com/RhonddaScottBoutiquePhotography

How many years have you been in business? Been in business only about five years

Was there life before photography or has this been a lifelong passion for you? My life before photography was music. I was born in NZ and in the 80s after being the opening act for Little River Band on one of their tours, I moved to Nashville because that is where my heart was. I was signed with CBS as a writer and they also recorded an album with me. It’s weird coz I know the exact day I panicked and stopped being a singer but that is a long story. I then became a journalist interviewing the same people I had submitted songs to as a writer. This is when I really started to love clicking my camera. It wasn’t until we moved to Australia that I really got serious about photography and now I can’t imagine life without a camera in it.

Want great advice, tips, and honest feedback from a community of real professional photographers? Sign up for a trial membership to the DWF!

What is your DWF Username? Hilda

What is your Full Name? Hilda Burke

What is your business Location? Chicago Illinois USA

What is your website URL? http://www.angeleyesphotography.com my new work is on the blog http://www.angeleyesphotographyblog.com/

What’s your facebook page URL? https://www.facebook.com/AngelEyesPhotography

How many years have you been in business? Seven

Was there life before photography or has this been a lifelong passion for you? I always loved taking photos, but never really considered it as a career, until my husband encouraged me to pursue it…I’m happy I listened to him for once

How did you become a professional photographer? Quite by accident…a neighbor’s relative was getting married and they didn’t have a photographer. So I went because either it was me or no one, and even if I got 10 decent photos it was better than nothing. The bride was thrilled and started recommending me to her friends and so on. I booked 56 weddings my first year.

What’s been your biggest business challenge? How have you faced that challenge? Giving up control over editing my photos. I really want to hire someone, but I’m too much of a control freak when it comes to the final look of my photos. So I have not faced that challenge yet…working on it though.

What’s the most effective way you’ve found to market your studio? Blogging, keeping in touch with vendors and clients though Facebook.

If we needed a photographer today why would we book you? My charming personality and fun pictures!  ;)  Honestly though I hate ‘selling’ myself. The couples who are interested in hiring me, they either connect with me and my work or they don’t. It’s really that simple.

What makes you unique? My approach…I get excited every time I shoot a wedding, I’m thrilled to be there on their most important day and I think my couples love to see how much fun I’m having.

What is the one item used in your shooting or editing workflow you can’t live without? My Nikons, (D3, D700) I love them.

What makes it indispensable? They have never failed me during an important moment, ever!

What advice would you give to an aspiring photographer? Buying a fancy camera won’t make you a photographer, learn your craft, love your job, or you’re going to fail.

What has the DWF done for your business? It made me realize that whatever I’m stressing about, I’m not alone. Someone’s been though it and they are usually very helpful with their advice.

How do you use the DWF? Daily, if I don’t check in at least once I miss it.

Optional, but come on, be a sport: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? My superpower would be speed, especially when it comes to processing images. I’d love to have an entire wedding edited in an hour.

As Hilda says, whatever YOU are stressing about with regard to your photography business, you are not alone! Get helpful advice and candid discussion on the DWF. Try a free trial membership and see what we’re all about: http://bit.ly/tuoDPx.

What is your Full Name? Elise Wessell Beall
What is your business Location? Jacksonville, NC
What is your website URL? www.elisebeall.com
What’s your facebook page URL? https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elise-Beall-Photography/196086433793195
How many years have you been in business? 8

Was there life before photography or has this been a lifelong passion for you? While I have always loved photography, this is my second career. I taught in the dental programs (dental assisting and dental hygiene) on the community college level for 30 years.

How did you become a professional photographer? When my daughter left for college, I had an empty nest and lots of time for myself. I decided to devote some of that time to becoming a better photographer. Through online forums, DVDs, workshops, books and journals, I gradually improved to the point that people were contacting me to photograph weddings, portraits and events. I had accumulated a significant amount of equipment and knew that retirement was just a few years in my future, so I started a business with another professional photographer. After about 18 months, I went out on my own and have never looked back!

What’s been your biggest business challenge? Treating this business like a true business – not a glorified hobby. In the beginning my pricing was much too low and I gave too much away to friends and family.

How have you faced that challenge? By setting guidelines and making myself follow them. I have learned to value my time and my investment in my business, so it’s easier to charge a reasonable fee for my work. While my fees appear low to many photographers, I’m actually on the high end for my location. Also, I keep a list of my annual expenses close by and view it often so I always know where I stand.

What’s the most effective way you’ve found to market your studio? By
creating a positive experience, delivering a quality product with exceptional customer service, I have formed a base of clients who return over and over again. And, these clients often refer friends and family. Referrals from happy clients and good word of mouth continue to be my best marketing strategy. I also give back to the community several times a year by donating sessions/print credits for silent auctions to good causes. The main goal is to raise money for the charity, but keeping my name in front of the people in the community who are my target market is very beneficial to my business. I also blog every session I shoot and use social media.

If we needed a photographer today why would we book you? What makes you unique?I insure that my clients know that it’s all about them. I make an effort to never say no – to find a way to deliver what the client wants, if at all possible. My sessions are fun and stress free. I strive to learn new techniques to further my art and my business. I don’t follow fads. I deliver quality classic portraiture and wedding photographs that will stand the test of time.

What is the one item used in your shooting or editing workflow you can’t live without? What makes it indispensable? I love my 5D MK II with my 100mm 2.0 lens. I have used this camera longer than anyI have owned and the lens is the first non-kit lens I purchased. I have a variety of more expensive L zoom lenses, but still prefer my primes when shooting portraits – and the 100mm is a dream. I am sure I could live without either of these – but don’t want to try! As for editing, I edit every image in Photoshop before the client sees it. In my experience, most clients can not envision what an image can look like after editing, so I show them. They don’t see straight out of camera images – they see the finished product. This takes much more time, but I believe it has helped me improve sales and keep clients coming back for more.

What advice would you give to an aspiring photographer? A photography business is more than taking pretty pictures. Learn the technical and business aspects of photography before charging for your work. And don’t sell yourself cheaply. If you start too low, it’s difficult to raise your fees to a sustainable level without losing your client base.

What has the DWF done for your business? The DWF has really helped me with the
business aspect of my photography business. I make smarter decisions now based on sound business principles and don’t just fly by the seat of my pants. Creatively, seeing the talent on this board makes me work to improve what I deliver to my clients. In particular, the senior thread in the Portraits forum opened my eyes to so many possibilities. I am in awe of many of the photographers on the DWF. There is enormous talent and a willingness to share information.

How do you use the DWF? I spend the majority of my time on the Portraits, Business,
and Marketing and Sales forums. I have learned so much from these forums! Any time I have a question, I come to DWF and search the forums. Often I find that the question has already been answered. I also look through images produced by photographers here to get inspiration.

Optional, but come on, be a sport: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? I would love to be invisible. Just imagine the possibilities! I doubt seriously I would use my superpower for good – I would probably spend most of my time playing practical jokes on my husband.He has been playing them on me for over 37 years – it’s time I got him back.

Don’t just fly by the seat of your pants! Tap into the “enormous talent” that Elise is talking about on the DWF. Take a free trial membership here!

What is your DWF Username: Hannah Suh

What is your Full Name: Hannah Suh

What is your business Location: San Francisco Bay Area

What is your website URL: www.hannahsuh.com

What is your Facebook page URL: http://www.facebook.com/hannahsuhphotography

How many years have you been in business: 5 years

Was there life before photography or has this been a lifelong passion for you? How did you become a professional photographer?

I’ve always been into photography but always as a hobby. Growing up, I never knew that photography was a viable career option. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer, and I never personally knew of an adult who worked as a photographer so the idea of being one myself never occurred to me. I took my first black and white film class when I was in the 4th grade and I thought developing film was the most magical thing. I always had a camera with me, would take photos for the yearbook, acted as a school “Historian” and would take photos and create a slideshow at the end of the year. I even did my final high school project on photography. I joined the website Deviant Art when I was 16 years old and that was my first real exposure to a community of photographers and artists. I went to USC to pursue a career in the film industry, found that I sucked at it, and switched majors from print journalism, fine art, then Sociology. During all this switching about, I had people ask me to shoot their weddings, and so I did! I found DWF when I was a Sophomore in College and that was when I seriously began to work on doing wedding photography as a career.

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

Not knowing ANYTHING about the business side of photography. I mean, I didn’t know the business side of *anything*. I started my rates at whatever people wanted to pay me. I hobbled together whatever information I could on operating a legit business and just struggled along for the first few years. I didn’t have regular office hours, because for one thing, I didn’t have an office. I would surreptitiously respond to emails during class lectures, and edit photos at night. And during Finals? Forget about it, my early clients would hardly get a peep out of me. It was a pretty crappy operation. It wasn’t until I graduated in 2008 that I started really putting things into order. I re-did all my contracts, got myself Tave to keep me organized, got an office and office hours, got myself a business banking account, etc. I think DWF was invaluable for me during those early years, when I was just trying to figure out what the hell I was doing.

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

I moved from LA to San Francisco after I graduated college, and so I had a whole new market that I had to wedge myself into. I only knew 2 people in the area, so I couldn’t rely on referrals from my immediate circle of friends and family either. I know people have issues with the site, but Yelp REALLY helped me out during those first few months in a new territory. I booked 10 weddings my first year in San Francisco just by utilizing Yelp. And also reaching out to other photographers in the area was immensely helpful. I owe a lot to my current success to the photographers who were willing to let me come second shoot and afterward by sending me referrals.

How has the DWF helped your business? How do you use the DWF? I think I mentioned this in one of my previous answers, but DWF has seriously been an invaluable resource for me, in so many different ways. First and foremost, DWF introduced me to a great community of photographers. A lot of those photographers offered me my very first second shooting gigs when I started out and that early experience was critical for me. I think being a wedding photographer can be a pretty solitary gig sometimes. You don’t have an office full of coworkers like other more traditional jobs and so it’s great to have this huge community of photographers all sharing and giving advice, tips, and even just chatting about random fun things. I’ve been able to turn to DWF whenever I’ve had client issues, or when I needed advice on taxes or album companies, or pretty much any other question that I might have regarding running a photography business. That kind of collective knowledge and sense of community is priceless.

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

Well for one thing, I never went vintage. That’s pretty unique! I decided a few years ago on some key words that I wanted to describe my work and I tried really hard to stick to those words and not allow myself to be swayed by new trends (although I can’t say that I’m immune, it’s just so tempting to jump on bandwagons). I keep my photos clean, vibrant, and romantic. And I think I have a well roundedness to my work that comes not sticking stridently to one school of thought as far as wedding photography goes. A lot of my work is photo journalistic, but I also really enjoy taking detail shots, the posed lifestyle-esque shots that brides today are so keen on, and as someone who comes from a large and picture-crazy family, I don’t mind doing lots of family portraits as well. And I really try and do all this while keeping my eye on the ball, which is to create timeless photographs that don’t age horribly, and that clients will love for decades.

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

I LOVE photomechanic. I cannot imagine culling without it, and culling is probably my least favorite thing to do in the whole post-production process.

What advice would you give to an aspiring photographer?

Make friends! Those photographers that might be viewed as competition can totally be your allies in this business.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? The ability to stop time. Although if I did that, I might be perpetually frozen in time, reading one book after another with a tub of cookie dough ice cream at my side.

What is your DWF Username? Lynn Michelle

What is your Full Name? Lynn Michelle

What is your business Location? Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas What is your website URL? www.lynnmichelle.com What’s your facebook page URL? www.facebook.com/lynnmichellephoto How many years have you been in business? 8 lovely years ——– Was there life before photography or has this been a lifelong passion for you? I was a telecom engineer in my previous life. Coding, project management, software upgrades… zzzzz.

How did you become a professional photographer? I’m feeling feisty today so my initial answer was “when I passed the certified professional photographer (CPP) exam earlier this year”. Actually, I officially picked up a camera my freshman year in college. I was being social against my better judgement (remember I was studing to be a people-hating cubicle dweller) and decided to join the newspaper staff. I wanted to be a writer and they needed a photographer. Arguing with the editor didn’t help my cause, she sent me out the door on my first assigment with a camera instead of a pen. From there, friends started getting married and offering me Dr. Pepper and film to photograph their weddings. One morning, I woke up with the realization that I had the client base and the equipment to go full time. And I did.

What’s been your biggest business challenge? Not strangling other photographers.
How have you faced that challenge? The photographers in our region have built a wonderfully supportive community to educate our new peers. We have headed free lighting, posing and business workshops to help them mature in their craft and understand what price undercutting, stealing images/verbiage, delivering shoddy work and not setting up a proper business does to lower the repuation of all photographers. Knowledge is definitely power.
What three words best describe your shooting style? happy, happy, joy joy
What’s the most effective way you’ve found to market your studio? My blog. I actually have stalkers – clients who know every personal detail I devulge and every person that I photograph by name. I love it, it’s instant conversation and the easiest way to constantly showcase my most current work. I started blogging Monday through Friday and I thought it would wear me out, but I have gotten such amazing feedback that I want to keep posting.

What has the DWF done for your business?

It’s impossible for me to put into words exactly what the DWF has done for me. First and foremost, it has been an amazing support system; a real community of skilled professionals who brought together their own experiences and personalities and helped me make some tough decisions when I needed a helping hand. They brought incredible smiles to my face when I thought I was the only one out there starting from nothing and struggling through the business.

Looking back, the members that said the meanest things back then are the ones that I respect they most because they cared enough to tell the truth. Even when I wasn’t ready to hear it. And those bonds that I have formed are so incredible to me. I know I can call up a group of real friends in the business and they will be there to guide me, support me and lift me up when I feel like I am the only one out there.

If we needed a photographer today why would we book you? I pink puffy heart love formal portraits and I make them oooo so fun.

What makes you unique?: I shoot fabulous people ™.

What is the one item used in your shooting or editing workflow you can’t live without? Compact flash cards. Those buggers are freaking important to this whole operation!
Right, a serious answer. One item? Just one? Really?

Alright, Lightroom. It’s everything and a bag of chips. I never want to do batch editing in Photoshop again. I love you, Lightroom, yes I do.

What makes it indispensible? two words: batch straightning. I have days where I am just off by anything from 2 to 10 degrees, always to the right.

What advice would you give to an aspiring photographer? Some days I want to scream “don’t do it!” other days I want to sit them and give them a cheat sheet. Laying the right groundwork in place before going full time is so essential. What would my cheat sheet say?
- have a solid business plan
- specialize
- know when to say no and how to say it
- know when it is time to outsource
- never stop learning
- be fearless. make mistakes.
- always wear sunscreen

Optional but come on be a sport: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? Elasticity. I’m 5 feet tall. I could use an inch here and there without having to carry around a stepstool.

Do you have a group of real friends in the business? A community and support system you can turn to for help making tough decisions? Take a trial in the DWF and find out what we’re all about. It’s free and easy to sign up here.

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

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

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!

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

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

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

Guinness Book of Worlds Records attempt @ After Dark! from Jason Groupp on Vimeo.

I will call you….. Guinness book of world records Part II. from Jason Groupp on Vimeo.

What a difference a few months make as today you’ll find DWF members speculating about the current status of this controversial project.

Was it all ‘much ado about nothing’ as links to the DRex now appear to be missing from the Bella Pictures website? Also, the DRex page itself is now titled “Access Denied – Wedding Photography.”

Discuss the DRex in the DWF Pro Business Forum now. (Not a DWF pro member? Grab a free 14-day trial now)

I encourage you all to visit Funy’s blog. He’s hold a contest to raise money for Japan Relief.

You may have seen the news footage of the significant flooding that occurred throughout Queensland Australia during late December 2010 and January 2011.Many lost their lives, many more lost their homes. Three quarters of the state was declared a disaster zone. This is an area roughly the size of Texas.

A resident of Brisbane Queensland, award-winning photographer Marcus Bell is raising money to help flood victims, by placing ten of his own classic images up for sale. All proceeds from each sale will be going to the Queensland Governments Flood disaster relief fund. Each signed Artist Proof print is an original award winning photographic work. Each unframed 24 inch print for sale for $950 (plus postage) and is printed to the highestquality 300GSM Archival cotton paper. Many of these prints represents a saving of between 50 to 75% off the normal edition print price.

In addition 20% of ALL of Marcus Bell Photographer Resources Products sold during January and February will also be donated to the fund. This also includes the 5 new Instant Effect Presets products recently released after a year in development.

For more information in relation to the floods and how you can help please visit Marcus Bell’s Blog where you will find links to both the Fine Art Gallery and the Resources site. You might also like to donate directly to the Queensland Premiers Flood Disaster Relief Fund by going to this link..

Please help to share this link and information with your friends on your twitter, facebook and blog. Your help is greatly appreciated and together we can make a difference. Warmest regards, Marcus

Within the frame, within any composition, balance is addressed.  There’s the literal weight and visual or implied weight – at least that’s what we are dealing with in 2-d – the implied weight of line/color/shape/etc. In general terms we’ve got symmetrical balance and it’s counterpart asymmetrical balance.

A great way to look for unity and balance in your images is to rotate them upside-down.  Do they still look good?  Does it balance on it’s head?  Is the image too heavy on one side?  The Top?  The Bottom? I also will rotate album spreads to check for proper balance and proportion frame to frame.

DWF – Let’s start off with a little bio, tell us a little bit about yourself.

NICK - Photography was something I was intrigued by, but didn’t try until my late teens.  At university I was able to borrow cameras from the photographic society and my interest built up from there.  My involvement in photography now spans 3 decades.  I have a wide variety of photgraphic interests, in fact I used to photograph everything, except people!  My love of the outdoors led me to doing a lot of landscape photography, but this had to compete with my sporting interests too, mainly cycling, also running and sailing.  I became a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society for my landscape work back in 1993.  I was a little late to the digital changeover, this means I have a lot of catching up to do on digital processing skills.  I haven’t managed to go into my darkroom for 2 years now and do miss this side of things, there is little time now to pursue personal work.

I have been married for 22 years to my wife Karen, she is a very good photographer who second shoots with me where necessary.  We have 3 daughters.

DWF – How did you become a photographer?

NICK- About a dozen years ago, I attended a cousin’s wedding and produced an album of prints for her.  Then mainly due to lack of time, I would pass on most wedding enquiries to a friend, but gradually took on more myself.  Wedding photography now forms the majority of my income.

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

NICK - I want to create great pictures and I will work with enthusiasm to make a true record of your wedding.  My style is very unobtrusive and I concentrate on capturing the precious moments that mean so much.  However I can also use my experience and eye to create a beautiful picture on location if you desire.  If people connect with my style and value their photography, I am keen to work with them.

Every couple are special to me and I want to do the best I can for them.

DWF- Who or What inspires you as an artist?

NICK - I feel under pressure to produce pictures I am happy with and want to produce exciting work for my clients.  This is what drives me.

DWF- If you had to pick a favorite “Tool of the Trade” what would it be? and why?

NICK - My D3 cameras are wonderful.  I love low light and feel these help to make use of conditions that excite me.

DWF – Care to share your favorite photographs?

NICK -

DWF – How about some final words to live by?

NICK – There is so much to do and learn, I am keen to keep improving.

Location - Guernsey, Channel Islands, British Isles

Business Name – Nick Despres Photography

Websites - www.nickdespres.com

DWF – Let’s start off with a little bio, tell us a little bit about yourself.

CHRIS -I was born in Coventry, England, and studied Archaeology and Ancient History at Birmingham University. There being no money in archaeology, I worked in retailing for a few years, ending up as Sales & Marketing Manager for a chain of nine stores selling fireplaces. I also pursued a sideline as a freelance writer, writing comedy sketches for BBC Radio and plays and poetry for kids – my work was featured in several anthologies, now alas out of print! After that I had my own business doing software training on graphics and web design applications, before moving to the Turks & Caicos Islands in 2003 to join my brother Andy’s photo/video business.

Since May 2010 I’ve been back in the UK building up my business in both stills and video as Chris Mann Photography and Lumière Films. Originally I was going to concentrate on stills only, but I had requests for video so ended up doing both!

DWF – How did you become a photographer?

CHRIS- My brother Andy invited me to come out to the Turks & Caicos Islands to join his photo & video company, Tropical Imaging – they were expanding and having recently gone digital they needed help with the computer side of things. So I joined the team and ended up shooting weddings, portraits, and commercial jobs in both stills and video.

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

CHRIS - Always hard to analyse yourself in that way, but I think my strengths are that I’m quite versatile – working on a small Caribbean island had to be adaptable and take on all kinds of different jobs – and I have an eye for colour – I do shoot black and white but often I think my colour images are more successful. And I’m happy shooting formals, posed images or PJ stuff, so can adapt my coverage to whatever the client prefers.

DWF- Who or What inspires you as an artist?

CHRIS - Like most of us I’m inspired by the leading photographers of past and present – people like Avedon, Bill Brandt, Stieglitz, Salgado, Cartier-Bresson and so on. But increasingly these days I’m looking to movies and (to a lesser extent) TV for ideas and inspiration – not only because I’m shooting wedding and promotional films myself but because there’s such a huge variety of style to draw on, in terms of lighting, composition, camera movement, and so on.

DWF- If you had to pick a favorite “Tool of the Trade” what would it be? and why?

CHRIS - Can I have two?

For stills I would have to say my Canon 135mm F2 L lens. I love its sharpness, its beautiful bokeh, and how it allows me to stand back and observe and catch moments. In some situations I feel it’s a tad long, but I would be reluctant to part with it.

And on the movie side of things it’s my Steadicam Merlin – that’s a really neat and lightweight camera stabilizer that lets me float the camera and create smooth moving shots that are impossible to do handheld, and it’s much less obtrusive than a slider or dolly and track system.

DWF – Care to share your favorite photographs?

CHRIS - My favourite photo is probably this one – the bride’s veil floating in the breeze. It’s really a grab-shot, not directly posed or planned; actually the couple were posing for my Tropical Imaging colleague Ileana and I was moving around looking for alternate angles and just saw this shot as the breeze lifted the veil and the bride happened to move her arm out. I think it’s the balletic curve of her arm, and the perfect way the veil happened to curl around and echo that shape, that make it my favourite. It bothers some people that their heads are cut off, but I like it that way.

DWF – How about some final words to live by?

CHRIS- Keep looking, listening and learning! My hope is that I never get to feel as if I “know it all” – there is always something new to discover and learn – not just from books or workshops or seminars, but from colleagues, friends, clients, and the world around us.

Location – Guildford, Surrey UK

Business Name РChris Mann Photography & Lumi̬re Films

Websites - www.cjmann.com and www.lumierefilms.co.uk

(image by Dawn Shields – WPPI Grand Album Award Winner)

1. Lightroom 3 Serial Number Issues? (I’m willing to bet these hits are all from people trying to “FIND” a lightroom serial number)
2. A Facebook Warning for Photographers
3. Johnny Tran is the Man
4. An Amazing Storytelling Experience WPPI Grand Album Award Winner
5. The Top 10 Sites for FREE Textures (photoshop must have)
6. DWF Featured Member Boudoir/Pinup Photographer Robert Alvarado
7. Building a Better Bridal Show Booth
8. Shoot for FREE and Next Time We’ll Pay You!
9. Facebook is Printing Your Photos!
10. Our Interview with Marketing Guru and Author Seth Godin

Joe Bussink’s new book is about how to focus on clients, how to connect with them, and how to capture perfect moments (not perfect pictures).It is not a how-to take pictures book, about apertures and sync speeds and stuff like that, though he usually does give the technical details for each photograph he shows.

Joe loves himself some photojournalistic action, which shows in his writing and in his mantra throughout the book: there is no such thing as a perfect photo, only perfect moments. I’m not quite sure if he’s saying you can’t capture those moments if you are actively posing your clients, but he certainly isn’t afraid to express his preference for unposed shots. Even the staged shots he shows are often fired on the sly, while people are still getting ready.

This is not an educational book in the strictest sense of the word. His concern is more with the heart, and with feeling and with learning to be sensitive for recognizing moments, without really covering off how to learn these skills.

Which is not to say that there aren’t a lot of helpful tips to be found, especially in the first chapter, just that this isn’t the main concern of the book.

If it isn’t a how-to book, and it isn’t educational, then what is it? Well, at its heart, it is a collection of images—more than 150—presented with some tips and tricks, but mostly with Joe’s ruminations on the nature of wedding photography: how to see with the “eyes of your heart”. How to build relationships with the clients at the engagement session. How to tell the story of the wedding day.

By the end of the book, you will have learned something about the way Joe shoots, and hopefully, picked up a couple or three tips or tricks, either from the text or from the images, that you can apply to your own weddings.

Is this the essential guide to wedding photography? No. Should it be on every wedding photographer’s bookshelf? Nope. But it is a well written, thoughtful book on wedding photography that says what it has to say, as much, or more, through the images presented than through the text itself. Which, considering the book is about photography, is not really such a bad thing.

Wedding Photography From the Heart

That said there is nothing wrong with celebrating success and that is exactly what we’ve done with the DWF success forum. It’s stuffed full of photographer success stories that range from “I just got a $750 tip!” to “I’ve made the pages of Playboy!”

Members can click here to dig in (be sure to view all the pages not just the first one or two) and any professional photographer can trial in for FREE and enjoy some business inspiration.

Way back in the day all you needed was a yellowpages ad and you were off and running. Your phone would start to ring. You’d do a few weddings, shoot for a few clients, build some relationships with venues and vendors and then word of mouth advertising would kick-in and what can I say… LIFE WAS GOOD!

<insert dramatic pause for glory day memories here>

Then came the internet and all it’s pixelated glory. The economy was booming and brides began using “portals” to find their photographers and wedding vendors. The brides were plenty and LIFE SEEMED GOOD!

Sure as the day is long this infinite resource of brides was here to stay.  It was perfect, you paid one or two portals between $50-150 a month and your phone rang and your email inbox was full.  I believe it was during this “golden age of the bride portal” that some photographers got lazy. It’s also a time when many new photographers entered the fold. They all neglected the tried and true methods of  nurturing their business to business and business to past client relationships. It was just too simple to just pay money to a portal and have brides come to you. Networking, after all, requires effort.

Then at the beginning of  our recession the portal “system” dried up leaving some photographers with no eggs left in their basket. Portals which once brought in bride after bride all of the sudden ceased to produce. Was it portal overload? Was it that the brides moved on to other resources ala Facebook? Who knows why it changed, all I know is that it changed and that your monthly investment in “portal” advertising was looking worse for wear.

Great observation Mark you’re saying “So where does that leave us?” well I’ve found that we’ve pretty much come full circle in our never-ending search for brides.

• Photographers can benefit by going back to our roots. Build a referral network, make friends in the wedding community and spend some actual facetime (not iPhone facetime real person to person interaction) with your peers.
• Keep in touch with your past clients. Be it email, or Facebook or Twitter or hell even snail mail. Remind them you’re there and remind them of all the services you offer. Sit down and build a contact list. Write a little newsletter and send it.
• Watch your marketing dollars closely. If a portal or ad is not producing any longer drop them or at least try to negotiate a lower rate which better suits their current return on investment.  Move those marketing dollars around, don’t be afraid to try new advertising but be sure to give it time to work before calling it a bust.
• Modify your marketing message. In these days of tightened purse strings being opulent is out. People are in a down to earth, value state of mind. Offer products and services that are inline these values. And no I don’t mean charge less for them, I mean choose your words wisely and describe your current offerings as such.

Do you have an idea for finding brides? I’d love to hear them. Share them here or in the Private DWF Photography Marketing Forum. Trials are FREE!

Chuck Arlund has done a guest post over on Neil vN’s Tangents blog about one of his most popular images of the last month or so (shown above). It started as just a personal project, and wound up on a billboard in Berlin, and now, he explains (complete with video and really crappy hand-drawn lighting chart) how he made the image.

The Lustre Book appears to sit somewhere between a press product and a full on custom album. I haven’t seen one in person as of yet but I do like the idea of this type of book especially in todays wedding economy.

Full Press Release:

DEERFIELD, ILLINOIS – Zookbinders (www.zookbinders.com) has introduced The Lustre Book…the happy union of premium album features and cost-saving photo book features. The Lustre Book is distinguished by gorgeous silver halide photographic paper with a lustre finish, lay-flat pages lacquer coated for added protection, and custom leather and wraparound photo covers at a price that’s just right.

Once again, Zookbinders delivers uncompromising quality, innovation and style with affordability…

Exceptional Quality. The Lustre Book offers the ultimate in page presentation – gorgeous silver halide photographic paper with a lustre finish on pages that lie flat. An equally impressive cover statement is achieved with choice of premium leather covers or standard wraparound photo cover. As is the case with all Zookbinders products, The Lustre Book is custom created in the company’s Chicago facility to maintain superb quality control.

Delivering Innovation. Pro photographers expressed a strong desire for a product with photographic paper and mid-level pricing; better than a press book, but not a high-end album. Zookbinders responded with the perfect marriage of quality craftsmanship, contemporary style and premium features at a tremendous value.

Different by Design. The hallmark of The Lustre Book is the superior finish and craftsmanship of the pages. Panoramic spreads lie flat in showcase style thanks to 30 pt. page thickness in the larger books and 24 pt. in the smaller replica books. The design possibilities are limitless with 4 custom cover options, 4 leather styles, 30 leather colors, and more than a dozen sizes ranging from 8×8 to 12×12 for main books and 4×4 to 9×6 for companion books.

Proven Performance. Zookbinders is known for creating the finest quality albums and photo books that stand the test of time. The Lustre Book draws on two key performance standards: the proven technology of non-warping lay-flat pages in the award-winning Zook Book® all-panorama-style album and extensive environmental testing to achieve stability and longevity with Fuji photographic paper. The Lustre Book’s pages are lacquer coated for added protection.

Value for Price. Large sizes, breathtaking pages and premium covers deliver triple the impact and durability of typical photo books while square-cut non-gilded pages save one-third the cost of the best leather albums. Wholesale pricing starts at just $130. The most popular size and cover combinations range from $215-$295 wholesale. Zookbinders’ online ordering system, product collections and two-week turnaround empower photographers to work efficiently and profitably; simply upload a Lustre Book design once and sell it multiple times – in a main book, replica books, panorama frames, soft cover press books and more!

Stay Connected. For the latest tips, inspirations and observations designed to help professional photographers save time, energy and money, subscribe to Z-Blog at www.zookbinders.com/blog; follow Zookbinders on Twitter at http://twitter.com/zookbinders; or become a fan of Zookbinders on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zookbinders.

Learn More. For prices, sizes, samples or other info, e-mail customerservice@zookbinders.com, visit www.zookbinders.com, or call 800-810-5745. Zookbinders Inc., a Chicago-based company serving the professional photography trade, is a leading provider of complete presentation solutions featuring the award-winning Zook Book® panorama-style album, The Lustre Book by Zookbinders, PhotoBook PLUS™, The PhotoBook by Zookbinders®, Print to Bind service, Framed Album Panoramas, and more!

Image: 12×12 and 10×10 Lustre Books with Leather Spine; 8×8, 6×6 and 4×4 Digital Replica Books.

There is a part of our brain that is deliberate when we compose an image. Really, somewhere in there, I swear.  What we see, how we see and how we use what we see (the elements inside of the frame) is what makes our images unique.  It’s what makes up our point of view.

Actual things within this frame are called positive space, the area around them is called negative space. Negative and positive space combine to create an image and should be in a nice happy dialogue with each other.  We can easily see it in a silhouette, right?   Dark (figure) against a light background (ground) is easy to see as positive and negative space.

Here is an image that shows figure/ground relationship with negative and positive space. We can easily see it in a silhouette, right?  I shot a ton of images as the wind was whipping around this long veil – in editing, I really liked the images where the focus was on the texture of the veil itself, leaving the profiles behind in a softer focus.  The couple becomes a bit more anonymous now, and the white space between their profiles visually advances to the forefront.  The veiled couple in this image reminded me a little of Magritte’s The Lovers (which is at the MoMA in New York – you should go look at it, and see it.  For real).

I love highlighting the negative space that I see within the frame.  In photographs, in album designs, in arranging and rearranging artwork on the walls of my apartment, most often seen in my propensity for large areas of solid color.

But enough about me, already/  Show off your take on negative and positive space!  Even better post some examples of the way you see the eternal love affair of figure/ground.

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