The $49 photography infomercials…

I remember it well. It was 2008 and I had made the decision to transition to full-time photography. Until this point, I had been a freelance newspaper photographer and had also photographed weddings for several years. Now I was going to change my focus to studio photography. I decided to learn all I could before …

Let’s talk about “award-winning” photography

I see a lot of photographers advertise that they are “award-winning photographers.” Heck, I even say that. Furthermore, I also say I’m a published author. When folks read that, they’re going to assume that I’m good, that my photography for them will be on par with previous works that have won awards. And gee whiz, …

And now for a word from our sponsor…

I hate self-promotion. I really do, but I’m going to make a teeny-weeny exception today. I’m teaching a workshop at my studio in Dover, OH on May 14th. This is NOT a money-making venture on my part – it is sponsored by the PPA as part of their Super Monday series. The title of the …

An open letter to my fellow professionals

Suck it up. Seriously. Stop the bitching and whining and STFU. Competition is healthy, it’s normal, it’s an Economics 101 fact of life as a business-owner. Yes, the new sites that make fun of new photographers and/or their work can offer some light-hearted relief, but let’s not make them the focus of our every waking …

The tangled webs we weave…

“What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” I’m sure you’re all familiar with this little saying. And you’re probably going to think I’m crazy if I tell you to clean up your web-making habits. As we totter along on our photographic journey, we’re going to come across people who ask …

A Photographer Speaks to Tradeshow Vendors…

Sit right here ::patting seat beside me:: We need to have a chat. I haven’t been to a multitude of photographic tradeshows. I’ve never been to WPPI or IUSA. But, I have been to a variety of trade shows on a smaller scale – some with 5 vendors, some with 150. So if you frequent …

Maternity Photographers: STOP it with the crazy baby block colors!

It drives me absolutely crazy when I see a photo like this: Seriously, how HARD is it to change the color of the blocks so that they look nice? Don’t give me the blah blah about not knowing how to do it. The Photoshop technique for this is REALLY simple. Much more simple than the …

The Gospel according to Aperture

In the beginning, the camera gods created the kit lens. And it was good. Kind of. But soon, heretics began worshipping at the feet of the kit lens and its goodness and proclaimed its glory throughout the Kingdom of Photographic. The prophets confronted the existence of the kit lens and smote them. The heretics saw …

The best high key tutorial in the universe

So… remember my little rant about shooting on white bedsheets? If you don’t remember it, CLICK HERE and read, I’ll wait. Recently, a Wootness reader commented on that article: If the skill level is only at the bed sheet stage, then getting white seamless paper is going to be useless. They will have no clue …