Quick Hit Monday: $25 B&H Gift Cards; CBTL Re-Broadcast; Inspiring Images; Facebook Freebies; and Backups

Good Morning Everybody,

What a beautiful few days we enjoyed  this past weekend in Cincy. I think the winter thaw has finally begun.  Hope you had some smilin' warm weather in your part of the world, too.

We head to Orlando in about an hour - I'm presenting my pre-conference wedding shootout tomorrow at Photoshop World and then have two programs later this week.  If you are in the area, please come on up and say HI.  If you have your copy of my new book, bring it on by the Tech Expo and I'll sign it for you.  We are located in booth #434.  -Hope to see you there.

Since we are heading for the plane, let me get right to today's post.

CBTL Web-Cast Is Back On The Air

What an adventure last Wednesday.  Presenting my CBTL presentation over the worldwide web and in front of our "live" studio audience was quite the experience.  I felt like one of those guys you see on TV trying to keep 10 plates spinning on the end of sticks for  2 1/2 hours;~)

From the audience view, everyone tells me all went great - thank you so much.  But, behind the scenes we were dealing with a few glitches which were resolved quickly and it was "on with the show."

Anyway, because of the few glitches, I decided to re-broadcast the entire 2 1/2 hour seminar and spent most of the weekend getting the web-cast online. That's another story - the length of the web-cast presented it own set of production issues but with a little (a lot) of persistence we resolved those issues also. 

Here is the good news - even if you weren't available to join us last Wednesday, you can still take advantage of the sponsors' special offers - and there were some great offers being made. 

Here is the link right here to the CBTL Web-cast, Sponsor Offers, and Winners.  Enjoy!

More Beautiful Inspiring Images

You know, when you are working on a frustrating project like I was this weekend, sometimes you just need a break.  As I was getting caught up on several emails this weekend, I saw Crash Taylor's note about new images hitting his fabulously inspiring "The Still Image" website [link]. 

I decided to take a break and give it a cruise.  Once again I was "blown away" by the images.  What’s exciting about the site is the fact that each image is posted complete with back-story, location, and camera and lighting details.  The visit is always a relaxing breath of fresh air.  Once again, here is the link.

And Beautiful Wedding Images Too

I made a remark in Friday's post entitled, "How Much Of A Professional Are You? Part 2" about a local photog that shot everything available light and mentioned that would not be my choice for shooting wedding receptions. Joe P, one of our DPT commenter's pointed me to Jeff Ascough [link], a wedding photographer from Great Britain, who shoots exclusively available light for weddings.

I have to admit, I was impressed with his style and his wedding photography.  Check out Jeff's site right here and see if you don't agree.  I still don't think I would want to shoot an entire wedding without flash, but Jeff is truly a master of this photographic style.

Facebook Freebies & $25 B&H Gift Card

Are you into the "social networking" scene.  I think most of us are to some extent.  Some people have it all figured out and some are struggling with it.  Hey, I think it's important for the success of our business so we need to grab the "bull by the horns" and get a grip on how to master all these social networking opportunities.

Here is a link to several "freebie" apps and add-ons for Facebook and Twitter right here.  A few look quite interesting.  Have you got a favorite app, add-on, website, or strategy/process that helps you embrace the Facebook and Twitter experience, leave your suggestions in the "Comments" section below. 

If we receive 20 or more solid suggestions and/or recommendations for sites, apps, and add-ons to enhance the social networking experience, I'll award the winner a $25 Gift Card from B & H Photo and Video and a copy of my CBTL wedding book - what a deal!  Get those suggestions started. I'll let this contest run for a few weeks and we'll see what happens - hopefully good tips and ideas for all our DPT readers.

And One More Thing - Backups

One more thing, gang, before I hit the road. Backing up out data is about the most important thing we photographers need to do without exception.  No body wants to be faced with hard drive failure and lose all the data. I recently come across a very good article on the subject.  It is well written and thorough.  It's worth the read - here is the link right here.

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Hey gang, I'm out of here. We are grabbing our bags and heading for the airport.  Have a great day today and I'll see ya' in Orlando tomorrow.

Adios, -David