This is an unsolicited plug for the Denis Reggie & Joe Buissink workshop that is taking place this September in Atlanta. I know there are tons of workshops out there these days... probably too many. But if you are serious about learning from the best of the best, you need to do whatever it takes to get to this workshop. It's next month, so you have to act fast, but I can guarantee you won't leave disappointed.
Denis is the reason I am a wedding photographer and Joe is one of the huge reasons that I share so much with the photo community. They both lead by example and know what they are talking about.
I've never been to a Buissink workshop, but I've seen Joe speak several times over the years and his passion is obvious and contagious. His work is breathtaking and his attitude is awesome.
I have been to two, multi day Denis Reggie workshops and each time I've been blown away by information he shares. His work is timeless... not all tweaked in Photoshop. Just excellent photography and a business mind like no other.
I originally became a wedding photographer after watching Denis' videos of his multi day workshop, then I went to Atlanta to see him in 2002 and then again in 2005. I'd go back this fall for a refresher course if I wasn't traveling that week.
Get more info and sign up here, you can thank me later!:
The WPPI Road Trip kicks off in a few weeks and I'll be hosting the very first stop on the tour in Irvine, California (August 23rd). I'm also speaking at the New Brunswick, NJ stop on September 27th. All in all, they are hitting 10 cities and sharing all kinds of great information for professional photographers. Irvine, Sacramento, Seattle, Dallas, Washington DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, New Brunswick and Detroit. FYI... if you buy a seat to the Road Trip, you get a free pass to WPPI 2011 in Las Vegas next February!
You can subscribe to these podcasts to here more about the Road Trip and what each of the speakers will be talking about (mine is the July 29 episode).
I have 5 seats to give away to the Irvine show on August 23rd. All you have to do to enter is "Like" The [ b ] School on Facebook and leave a comment on the wall. I'll be randomly choosing 5 lucky winners next Friday, August 6th.
Hey Kids... NEXT FRIDAY, July 2nd, I am going to be attending this workshop here in the OC. Check it out:
What is this Workshop all about? The Speedlites Workshop is geared towards photographer’s that want to learn and have a better understanding of working with off-camera flash. The Workshop is a long day (10+ hours) that will be jammed packed full of off-camera flash learning!
How much? Tuition for the Workshop is $500- and includes all meals, beverages and snacks throughout the day. Each Workshop is limited to a maximum of 15 photographer’s to ensure a solid learning environment.
Discounts? [b]school members will receive a $50- discount by using Promo Code "BSCHOOL" when registering here.
Additional discounts are available if two or more from your studio wish to attend! Promo code discounts made not be combined with any other offers.
What will I learn? The 1 Day Speedlites Workshop starts with the basics of working with off-camera Speedlites and we’ll have you shooting with three Speedlites by the days end. You will learn to shape your Speedlites with grids, umbrellas, gels, parabolic reflectors, ring flashes and beauty dishes designed specifically for Speedlites!
Bonus! You'll also receive our 30 page PDF containing detailed lighting diagrams of everything you’ll shoot along with a gear list that includes every piece of gear used!
Here are a few more shots from Escalate. I forgot I took some with my point & shoot camera. FYI... all of these images were download and edited on my iPad. I found a program called Photogene (just search for it in the App Store). You can adjust color temp, contrast, saturation and even levels and curves. It comes with some built in presets and even some border options. The only thing I couldn't do on the iPad was add my [ b ] logo and url (like on the rest of my blog shots). Sure... it's not going to replace my regular workflow, but for some personal photos... it was pretty fun and easy to do.
By the way, if you missed Escalate, you can watch the Video on Demand starting June 7th.
I used the 70's preset on Paul since he's old! ;-)
FYI... Paul is the [ b ] School's "Hall Monitor" and he's awesome. And he's not really THAT old!
Check out the fancy movie poster:
Here's Jed setting up the WHCC booth. If Shrek had glasses and a beard they'd be twins!
Dane makes some last minute tweeks just before the conference kicked off.
At the wrap party, Jerry & I were rocking the trampoline. I kept trying to bump into him hoping some of his mad skills rubbed off on me.
FYI... here's a video about the Photogene program:
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, I was privileged to be a part of the first ever Escalate Live conference that took place in Newport Beach, CA. My good friend Dane Sanders and his crew put on a pretty impressive event and from the feedback I've been getting... it seems like everyone had a great time and got a lot out of it. I worked really hard on a brand new presentation and I am grateful for all of the feedback I've already received.
Here's my take on each of the speakers in order of which they presented:
Dane Sanders kicked the whole thing off and talked about collaboration. Dane is a true leader in every sense of the world and has been known for his writing and teaching about the benefits of photographers coming together in community. He passionately shared the vision behind the Escalate project which is similar to his philosophy about photographers "being for each other".
I went next and talked about the ABC's of Success. Attitude, Branding and Connecting. I did my best to motivate people to have a better attitude and shared a bit on the power of a positive attitude. I also tried to explain the value of branding and explained how branding is really all about feelings. Good, bad or indifferent. Of course I've been preaching about connecting with other photographers for almost 15 years and I also talked about the value of connecting with your clients and other vendors.
Jasmine Star talked about the power of social media and how she uses it to her advantage. She also shared examples of how other companies are levering their online presence through social media. I think one of the most important points she makes is to be yourself online. The great thing about J* is that when you meet her in person she's exactly what she seems like online.
Julieanne Kost closed out day one talking about Photoshop CS 5. It was great to reconnect with Julieanne. I met her back in 2003 and she is thee Photoshop guru of the world. Not only did she show us some cool new tricks and feature of CS5, she was absolutely hilarious and got more laughs than the rest of us combined. Granted they were geeky nerd jokes, but being a nerd, I sure appreciated them as did the rest of the crowd.
Jerry Ghionis kicked off day 2 and is my new hero. I've actually seen him speak before in the past, and I've obviously seen his work and I've always been a fan. But he just knocked it out of the park. I think it was amazing that he flew all the way from Australia just to come speak for an hour and a half because he believed in what we were doing at Escalate. It was also great to just hang with Jerry for a bit. He is crazy talented and also an incredible speaker. So inspiring. I am looking forward to attending his workshop next January which 100% of the tuition will be benefitting his charity, The Soul Society.
Jessica Claire had a tough act to follow, but as per usual... she just lays it all out on the line and did a wonderful job. I love how direct and honest Jessica's presentations are. She just tells you what is going on her head and why she does what she does. She shared some wonderful images, and even some not so great images to demonstrate her points. Good stuff!
David Jay is another hero of mine. He has a gift for story telling and inspiring others. I've seen DJ speak several times in the past and I am always impressed with what he shares. Unfortunately I had a long lunch and only caught the tail end of his presentation, but I'm looking forward to watching it on demand.
Jeremy Cowart anchored the entire event and brought the crowd to their feet. Admittedly, he hasn't had a lot of experience speaking in front of large crowds, but he was just so honest and authentic. He's a commercial photographer from Nashville and his work is amazing. You have to check out his Voice of Haiti project and I am looking forward to getting involved with his Help Portrait project this coming December.
Once again I want to thank all of you who tuned in online, and especially those who made the effort and paid the $ to be their in person. We all really appreciate it. I hope you will put my advice into practice and actually do something about it. Please keep in touch and let me know what you've implemented and if I can help out in any other way.
If you missed the conference and would like to watch it, it will be available through a video on demand service in just a couple of weeks. The low rez rough cut will be available June 7th and the HD fully edited version will be available June 7th. Sign up here:
I also want to thank my friend Regis Chen for capturing a few shots for me. Regis is awesome!:
Dane was no doubt hanging on my every word:
... then of course he was laughing at my funny funny jokes.
I am so excited that Escalate is almost here. There are still tickets left if you want to join us in Newport Beach next Monday and Tuesday. You can get your tickets here:
Also, because Dane Sanders, the events organizer, is such a cool cat, he's allowing anyone to watch it live for FREE! All you have to do is REGISTER. If you miss the live broadcast, you can download the videos and watch them on a pay per view basis after the event for a nominal fee.
Lastly, if you have any questions about Escalate or are on the fence about coming, be sure to tune into Ask Dane tomorrow (Wednesday, May 12th) at 4pm PST. I'll be on the show and Dane & I will both be answering any and all of your questions.
Here are a few images from our night shoot that took place during WPPI. I want to extend a huge thank you to Joe Photo, Nick Adams & JVS for donating their time & talent to teach some [ b ] Schoolers about flash photography.
Here are a few from JVS:
A couple from Nick Adams:
And finally a couple from Joe Photo:
BTW, JVS has some workshops coming up and he's offering $50 to any [ b ] Schoolers who'd like to attend. If you want to learn about flash photography from one of the very best... you've gotta go see JVS next month:
April 6th – Dallas, Texas
April 19th – Ann Arbor, Michigan
April 26th – Denver, Colorado
November 11th – Kansas City, Missouri
“The Speedlites Workshop is a long, 12 hour day that will be jammed packed full of learning, eating, shooting and more eating:) By the end of the day you’ll be beyond excited about shooting with your Speedlites. You’ll learn to shape your Speedlites with grids, para reflectors, umbrellas, snoots, gels, soft boxes and a beauty dish made specifically for Speedlites.” - JVS
...and more dates are coming:)
More info about the Speedlites Workshop can be found at JVS Workshops
Hey party people... the photo booth photos are finally available for your viewing (and ordering) pleasure! I first want to thank Jennifer Domenick from Snapshot Studio for providing the super fun photo booth for the 10th annual [ b ] party. She was so nice to offer to loan us a booth for the night, but she also came over, set it up and then broke it down at the end of the night. The thing is so easy to set up and break down, and it all fits in a convenient carrying case. Check it out at:
I also want to thank the good people at WHCC for not only being the exclusive sponsor for our party, but also for offering all of you wonderful folks a free print of the party pics. Just use PARTYPIC10 at check out before the end of April to claim your print.
Where do you enter that coupon code you ask, why at the check out stage of the shopping cart of course! When you are done browsing through the party pics, make sure you check out the demo of the soon to be released Pick Pic Proof Pro. It's hands down the absolute best online proofing solution on the planet. If you don't agree... go see you doctor and ask him to adjust your meds. I am serious folks... I am so excited for Proof Pro and I will be making many videos showing you how we are using it to make tons of money in the coming months! Stay tuned!
Without further adieu... here are a few of my favorite images from the party. Click on any of them to be taken to the gallery to browse the rest.
In case y'all missed the Photographers Ignite presentation at WPPI, you can watch mine here. But before you do, I want to tell you that this was one of the hardest speaking engagements I've ever had to do. I have no problems going on and on for hours on end, chatting, telling stories and sharing my experiences. But when you only give me 5 minutes, and not just any 5 minutes, but 20, 15 seconds slots to fill... that was quite a challenge. Add that to the fact that my voice was pretty much shot (still is) and the lack of sleep that I had leading to the last day of WPPI... well... no more excuses... here it is...
I hope that next year Photographers Ignite will kick off WPPI. You can also watch the rest of the incredible performances here:
