Quick Hit Monday: Imaging USA Update; I’m In Polish; 5 Questions; and Great Portrait Tips!

Good Morning Everybody,

We’ve been enjoying the last few days in the Big Easy and especially some great sunrises. It’s always a good time when your in New Orleans and the home team is in the playoffs. Alas, even though the Saints lost, it was still a blast to be cheering with the local fans who are about the most excitable and energetic group of sports fans you can hang with. 

The last time we were in New Orleans was the weekend the Saints won the Super Bowl – you talk about a town going wild!!!  Anyway, we always have a great time in this city.

Hey gang, I’ve got a convention to get to so let’s get right to today’s post.

Quick Imaging USA Update

The Imaging USA convention got off to a good start yesterday with packed speaker rooms and a lively tradeshow.  I poked my head into Jerry Ghionis’ room which was packed with about 800+ attendees listening to the wedding master. 

Oh, BTW, that the same Jerry Ghionis that’s coming to our PhotoPro Expo in two weeks.  So….. if you are reading this today and are NOT in New Orleans, then plan to hear Jerry and 15 other great speakers, including Scott Kelby, Joel Grimes, and Vincent LaForet February 3 – 5, 2012.  Click the link to the right for all the info.

Oh, then yesterday evening, we attended our friend, Drake Busath’s packed house program.  Soft spoken Drake is one of the top portrait photographers working today.  His studio does well over 2M a year. He is also one of the most humorous people we know.  You can even see a bit of that humor coming out in his photography like this family portrait below with the “run-a-way” baby – I love it!  His presentation was fabulous.

I Guess This Makes Me An International Author

The other day I received an envelope from Peachpit, my favorite book publisher.  Peachpit is the company that prints all the Kelby Media books and also printed my best selling “Captured By The Light” wedding book last year.

Anyway, I opened the envelope and found a brand new version of my book – in POLISH! It was a great surprise so, to any of our Polish readers out there, pick it up and give it a read – I think you’ll love it.  And if you already have a copy tell me what you think in the comment section below – I’d love to hear from you.

5 Questions For David Ziser

A few weeks ago, fellow blogging buddy, Rick Sammon asked me to do a guest blog post for him.  I was happy to oblige. Here is a quick excerpt from the interview:

“… I’m not surprised by remarks I hear from photographic labs across the country.  Most feel the quality of wedding photography is at a low watermark right now. But most feel that that will change in the not too distant future.  It's just that there are SOOOO many new shooters that the quality level is skewed in their direction.  As they adapt, continue to learn and grow in the profession, so will their skill set and the quality of their photography. 

I think part of the reason the quality of wedding photography has dropped so low is that the aspiring pro doesn't know where to go to get the education they need to really excel in their craft. 

Photographers today really want to learn and think the only place to get that much needed education is on the web.  Web education is good but only up to a point. There is something special about attending programs and learning from the top photographic masters in person, for example, Scott Kelby, Vincent Laforet, Joe McNally, Jay Maisel, and of course, Rick Sammon. I think that more intimate connect with the speaker in a live setting greatly enhances the learning experience.  You know, when you hear these programs in person, the message just sticks with you in a way that is not easily forgotten.”  Uhmmm… I guess that's why all of us, around 10,000 are at Imaging USA ;~)

You can catch all of my 5 answers over at Rick Sammon’s blog right here. 

5 Tips On How To Shoot Killer Portrait Photography

And speaking of education, check out this link right here.  It’s full of Jim Jordan’s  great images, and important tips on how to make your portraits looks great.

Jim Jordan is a widely sought-after fashion, celebrity, lifestyle, and kids photographer based out of Los Angeles and New York City. Some of his notable clients include Vogue, Elle, J.Crew, and Mercedes Benz. He’s also taken portraits for major celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Drew Berrymore, and Charlize Theron.

You’ll enjoy the read  at Photo Shelter right here.

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  I’ve got a convention to get to.  If you see me walking the trade show today, come on up and say HI, I’d love to visit.

Have a great rest of the day and I’ll plan to see you tomorrow for a very special Technique Tuesday.

Adios everybody,  David

Technique Tuesday: Photoshop Fashion With Suzette Allen

Good Morning Everybody,

We had a great time at my Dave Cross Workshop yesterday.  It was a small group which made it nice for all involved to really interact  making it a nice educational experience for all of us, me included.

I think the location shoot at Philippe Park was my favorite.  I have shot a few Kelby Training videos in Philippe Park over the last few years including my soon to be released “couples” video. 

It is a beautiful, large sprawling park with Spanish Moss hanging from most of the trees, a beautiful water-walk right on the bay, along with several other wonderful locations that made it a real kick to work in yesterday.  I’ll share a few of the images with you over the next few days.

We wrapped the evening with a great dinner at our favorite restaurant, City Fish Seafood Grill, with our good friend R.C. Conception of Layers TV fame.  We were also joined by Kathy, one of our class members who also arranged the very beautiful Liz to be our model.  It was a great way to wrap the day.

Kicking Off Our Captured By The Light California 2011 Tour Tomorrow!

That’s right, early this afternoon, we board a jet to San Diego where tomorrow evening I’ll present my first program in our three city CBTL 2011 seminar series.  You can get all the info and register right here. 

What A Deal!

The very cool thing about this year’s series is that for only $59 you get the entire 4 1/2 hour program, $600 worth of real goodies, a DVD set with the entire presentation on it along with an additional 5 hours of info, the tour handbook, and a chance to win over $2,500, yes, $2,500 of door prizes just for showing up!!!

Can’t Make It – No Problem!

Can’t make it to one of the three locations, NO problem! You can still receive the 4 1/2 hour presentation DVD set, bonus 5 hour DVD of additional information and the valued $600 goodies. Simply go to THIS LINK RIGHT HERE and place your order for the Summer Success collection. It’s still only $59.00 (plus shipping).

Tons Of Info & Door Prizes!

This is a great program jammed packed with info on lighting and composition, I love to present it.  As usual, we have tons of door prizes to give away at each of the three cities – $2,500 per city!!!!

All the info is right here.  Hope to see you there!

Technique Tuesday: Photoshop Fashion With Suzette Allen

A few weeks ago DigitalProTalk and PhotoPro Network hosted a fabulous webcast with my good friend and Photoshop Fasionista, Suzette Allen.  Here are a few of the comments that come across during Suzette’s program:

“Fun,Fun,Fun!” Victoria H.

“Applause, Applause!!!” Dave D.

“This is an amazing presentation!” Lee E.

And from many others: “Great job!, Outstanding!, Fantastic!”

Anyway, you get the idea.  Everyone really loved the program.  I knew a lot of folks would not be able to make it at the scheduled time so I recorded it for re-broadcast today.

In this program, Suzette will walk you through some very clever, easy to understand, tips and techniques to really take your images to the next level with ease and aplomb.  I sat there mesmerized as I watched Suzette work.  I think you are really going to enjoy the webcast.  Why not hit the PLAY button below and enjoy the show!

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  We’ve got bags to pack, people to see and planes to catch.  How about I see everyone tomorrow in sunny California and hopefully at my program tomorrow evening.

Have a great rest of the day and I’ll see you then,  David

HELP WANTED! For San Diego, LA, & Napa/Sonoma

Hey gang, want a chance to take home some goodies from our Captured By The Light 2011 California tour starting this Wednesday in San Diego?  LaDawn wanted me to put out the call for volunteers to help her set the room, with registration and tear down.

Starting this Wednesday she needs help in San Diego 10/19, Las Angeles (Orange County) 10/21, and Napa/Sonoma 10/26.

Here is the link to the cities, dates, and times.  Please email LaDawn at ladawn@ziser.com for additional start times and information.

After the program wraps, the  beverages are on me in the hotel lounge ;~)

Friday Wrap Up: Webcast A Big Hit; Captured By The Light Only A Week Away; Awesome Retouching Tools!

Good Morning Everybody,

I just want to kick off today's post with a great big THANK YOU to Suzette Allen for her fabulous webcast yesterday.  I don't think I have ever seen so many great comments come across the wire while we were on the air - the attendees just loved it!

Suzette’s Webcast A Hit!

I think the secret to the success of Suzette’s program was her down to earth approach to teaching - no fluff, just solid, rapid fire tips you can use everyday in your Photoshop workflow.  I know, I know - everyone wants to know if it will be re-broadcast.  I'm planning to work on that over the weekend.  In the mean time, check out Suzette’s additional training materials right here.  Things are going to be super busy for me next week with my Master Class kicking off on Monday, but I'll do my best to find some time to get Suzette’s webcast and next week’s post up on line.

I'm keeping it short and sweet today because LaDawn and I leave our friends, the Smith's, today and head to Toledo, OH for a family wedding this afternoon.  We head back to Cincy tomorrow and prep for my class on Monday.  I’m happy to say we have another full class with photographers coming in from all around the country once again.  I'm really looking forward to a great week.  I'll keep you updated as we progress thru the week.

Captured By The Light California 2012

I can't believe it!  We kicked off Captured By The Light California 2012 tour just last Thursday and we have quite a number of folks registered still with nearly 2 weeks to go before we hit the west coast. 

Once again, we’re giving away $600 worth of goodies to everyone walking through the door including a complete recording of the program with additional tutorials!  And YES, we’re giving away $1000’s worth of door prizes each night!  You’re going to love it!

We're trying something different this year with how we're getting the word out so if these three cities do as well as we hope, you just may get your wish and see us out next year at a city near you.

Retouching Salvation!

A quick note - you've heard me talk about OnOne's new Perfect Photo Suite 6, the next big tool to workflow success in my opinion, since we've sat in on two webcasts highlighting the latest features of the program. I have to tell you, I'm really stoked to see the the final release. 

I thought I would have a Beta release to be testing by now, but no luck for this lonely PC user.  I just spoke with OnOne the other day though and it looks like I may get a real peek shortly.  If you want a preview of some of those great new features, OnOne is posting a one a day video highlighting those features right here.  I really encourage you to check them out -WAY cool stuff.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  I'm going to try to get my 5 mile workout in today - OK, 3 mile workout ;~). and then it's off to Toledo and catching up with family and friends at tonight’s  wedding.

Everybody have a great weekend and I'll see you bright and early on Monday.  Keep your lenses polished, your CMOS sensors clean, and your pixels smilin',

See ya' next week everybody,  David

California, Here We Come!

Good Afternoon Everybody,

I’m excited to be announcing a very hot piece of news. I was going to let it wait till next week. OK, I’ll tell ya’.  Yesterday we just finished putting the finishing touches on our upcoming Captured By The Light 2011 California Road Trip. 

Details & Registration right here.

Save $20 - Use Promo Code CBLDZ11 when registering

That’s right, we’re heading to California for 3 cities only – San Diego, October 19; LA (Orange County) October 21; and Napa/Sonoma/San Francisco area October 26, 2011.  Seating is limited so you’ll want to book early.

And , you want to know the best news, everyone attending will receive our complete Summer Success Collection at NO CHARGE!  That makes it a real “no-brainer” to attend – the entire Summer Success Collection and me for only $59!

I’ll be honest, this is a test promotion and may be the only time we ever do anything like this. We missed so many cities last year and photographers were requesting that we come to their cities, we thought we would give it a try. Last year we missed San Diego and San Francisco area which is one of the reasons we’re making those locations a must stop.

Anyway, check out all the info right here.  Our trip begins in just a few weeks so don’t delay – I hope to see you there.  -David

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Hey gang, I’m bailing on the rest of today’s post. This weekend we have our – ##, no numbers please ;~) - high school year reunion. My good friend Terry, just arrived from Allentown, PA last evening and is staying the weekend with LaDawn and I.

We’re spending a good deal of the weekend catching up with old, but not that old, friends and just hanging out and relaxing.  I hope you get a chance to do the same this weekend.  How about I see everyone next Monday relaxed and rested.

See ya’ then, David

What’s Up Wednesday: Last Call - FREE Wedding Webcast: Easy As 1-2-3; Fall Workshop Announced

Good Morning Everybody,

Just a quick note about a few things happening today and a new series beginning tomorrow. Here we go…

Last Call - FREE Webcast Tomorrow: Super Bowls and Weddings

Don’t forget we have our FREE Webcast happening tomorrow with Lynn Michelle, one of the busiest photographers in Dallas. I talked with Lynn earlier today and it sounds like she has some great Super Bowl stories to tell – like how she literally ran into President George Bush!  She said it was one of the most insane, exciting times of her life.  I can’t wait to talk with her tomorrow about the entire experience.

That’s only part of the story.  As I said, Lynn is a fantastic and very popular wedding photographer in Dallas – she is booked up for the rest of the year!  I’ve asked her to share a few insights with us about what today’s bride is looking for in her wedding photography and how she keeps those bookings coming. 

This webcast is a special feature for our DPT readers so I’ll hope you’ll join us for tomorrow's show at 2:00 p.m. EST.  You can hit the button above or register right here.

Captured By The Light DVD Set Receiving RAVE Reviews:

Since we released my CBTL DVD set of over 14 hours of training last week, folks have been lovin’ it.  A lot of photographers are opting for our SUPER SPECIAL Easy 1-2-3 Build A Bundle deal.  For only $40 more you get my 13 hour Digital Wake Up Call DVD set and your choice of my autographed CBTL book, a Zumbrella, Love Lightz, or Sun Spotz reflector! Not bad for only $99!

Remember, for everyone ordering the CBTL DVD set, we are throwing in the Tour DVD and the Tour Handbook.  It’s like being there all over again.  I did receive one very interesting comment from someone that purchased the DVD set.   They told me that they’ve watched the DVD over and over each time picking up some new tip and technique, but even after all the viewings they still didn’t win a door prize ;~)  Anyway, check it out right here – you’re going to love it.

Announcing My Fall 2011 Digital Lighting Workshop

This is BIG news gang.  I was holding off doing another week long workshop in the Fall.  But my team has convinced me to do at least one more.  Our Spring workshop has been sold out for month’s and photographers have been calling about when the Fall workshop would be scheduled.

Well, I can now tell ya’ – we have just set the dates so mark your calendars:  October 10-14, 2011 right here in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.  Cost is only $1195 for the week.  That  includes workbook, portfolio development (you keep the photos you take of our models), 50 solid hours of training by myself and my coaches, two meal functions at our home, and much, much more.

You’ll fly into the Greater Cincinnati airport (CVG).  We made arrangements with the 4-Star Homewood Suites hotel and were able to hold room rates to only $94/Single or $129 for a shared 2 bedroom suite (BEST deal).  We love this hotel, the staff is great and everyone loves the “Suites” accommodations.  Bring a friend, and share a 2 bedroom suite with a common living area and kitchen, 2 separate bedrooms and 2 separate bathrooms. What a deal for only $129!  BTW, the hotels offers complimentary breakfast every morning and a light dinner/snack with adult beverages available every night.  That really makes your stay a bargain!

Call the Studio 800.292.2994 or 859.341.5900 to reserve your space. EASY pay is available so don’t wait and miss a spot in my Fall Digital Workshop.

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Hey everybody, that’s it for me today.  I hope to see everybody same time, same place tomorrow of another episode of Business Day Thursday.  You don’t want to miss it.  I’m beginning a brand new series, “What Happens After The Wedding Shoot?”  I’ll give you a tour of our workflow/salesflow exactly as it  happens in my studio.  Be sure to tune in.

See ya’ tomorrow,  David

Top 10 2010 Posts Up; CBTL Tour DVD Set Now Available; and FREE Webcast Next Thursday!

Good Morning Everybody,

Well, this week turned out to be another 5 for 5 blogging week, didn’t it?  It’s hard to change old ways ;~)  If you were counting, you may have noticed that I crossed the 2,700th blog post on Monday – that’s a lot of typing. 

Anyway, today I just wanted to give you a few updates that have taken place at DPT this week and re-cap a few news items you may have missed.  Here we go..

DigitalProTalk Blog  – Top 10 Lists Updated

If you look closely at  the top tabs, you’ll see that I’ve updated the Top 10 lists.  Now all three tabs reflect the Top 10 posts for 2010 – that is most popular posts overall, your favorites in Videos, and my favorites in the Business posts. I’ve also kept the top posts listed for 2009 available for you as well. You never know – something new may catch your eye, stimulate some creative brain juices and stimulate a new technique or idea you missed the first time you read the post. Enjoy the re-read of ALL the posts.

Captured By The Light DVD Set Now Available!

My very popular 2010 tour is now available on a 4 DVD collection.  For the low cost of only $59, we are also throwing in the 9 hour Bonus DVD and the Tour handbook – it’s a steal of a deal!  Here is the link right here.

The video was professional recorded and edited – I love how it came out.  It really does capture the excitement of the evening.  If you missed this very popular program, there’s no excuse what you can’t make it now. Many LOVE revisiting all the information I covered during the live presentation.

Also, don’t forget to consider the Easy As 1-2-3 promo.  This is definitely the best bargain I’ve ever offered at my Resource Center.  You get both the 2009 Digital WakeUp Call DVD collection including BONUS DVD and workbook (while they last) and the 2010 Captured by the Light DVD collection also including BONUS DVD and workbook and your choice of my CBTL book, Zumbrella, Sun Spotz reflector, or Love Lightz for only $99! Once again, here is the link right here.

FREE Webcast Next Thursday: Shooting Super Bowls and Weddings

My special guest will be Lynn Michelle [link] who is one of the top wedding photographers in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area of Texas.  She is renown for her unique style of how she photographs people. Lynn has been contracted for one of the major Super Bowl VIP parties this Sunday.

I’ve asked Lynn to join us next Thursday to share with us the Super Bowl excitement and also some of her wonderful ways to do business in the wedding market world of photography.  I’m really looking forward to Lynn’s insights.  Please register right here!

LaDawn and I Are Related To The Pittsburgh Steelers' Place Kicker

OK, it’s REALLY kind of a stretch to say that.  It’s sort of one of those 6 degrees of separation things.  Let’s see if I can get all the connects straight.  LaDawn’s nephew just married a beautiful young lady, Tiffany, who’s sister, Erin, is married to Shaun Suisham, the Steelers' place kicker. 

That’s Shaun walking his nephew and daughter down the aisle at Jason and Tiffany’s wedding rehearsal. Shawn and wife Erin’s  daughter (in the wagon) was the flower girl and that little guy the ring bearer.

The fact that Shaun has hit 14 of his last 15 field goals with the Steelers could put Pittsburgh in a position to win the Super Bowl.

OK, those six degrees of separation, not even these pics  were not enough for us to get tickets to the game but LaDawn’s nephew Jason and his wife Tiffany made the cut and are heading to Dallas – GREAT for them!

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  Have a great Super Bowl weekend!  Hope your team wins. I’ll plan to see you on the flip side with a fresh new week of tips, techniques and photographs.

Adios everybody,  -David

PhotoPro Expo Kicks Off; Imaging USA Wrap Up; Upcoming Webcasts; No More Workflow; Come To Italy With Me?; and More!

Good Afternoon Everybody,

We were up bright and early his morning - 4:00 a.m. wake up call - headed to the airport and arrived back in Cincy about 2:00 p.m. We could use a break but we head right into our PhotoPro Expo Convention tomorrow through Sunday. It's going to be great convention chock full of outstanding speakers. The learning opportunity is endless.

We should have about 250 excited photographers attending from around 6 states in the Midwest! I'm convention chairmen because I have so much spare time on my hands – right ;~) Anyway, it's fun and we're looking forward to being part of of this exciting weekend!

PhotoPro Expo Kicks Off In This Friday!

Hey, good news - you can still register for 10 fantastic speakers, 3 info packed days, 1 exceptional educational opportunity. Here is the link to register at the super great price of only $149 ….if you hurry.

We have over $8500 worth of door prizes were will be giving away over the three day event. Due to the number of door prizes we're giving away, you'll have a pretty good chance to win.

Coming in from out of town? Our convention is being held at the Marriott RiverCenter, one of the nicest hotels in the city and we've secured a room rate of only $99! Like they say on TV - Come on down!!!!

Imaging USA Wrap Up

Hey gang, this isn't a normal wrap up report - you can get all the latest, greatest news at the Imaging USA website right here. What I want to do is give you the low down on a few of the interesting things that happened at the show.

Bruce Hudson In Upcoming Webcast: Groupon - Making It Work For You.

That's right, my buddy, Bruce Hudson, who you saw earlier this week shooting the bad guys has agreed to do an hour long webcast on how to add the phenomenally successful Groupon mania to your marketing plans. Stay tuned as we lock down times and dates. It's going to be a great program!

Taking the Work Out Of Workflow

My good buddy and president of Zookbinders, Mark Zucker,  has also agreed to come on DPT and tell you about what I think is one of the greatest workflow time savers in the world.  What is the thing photographers hate to do most? For most it’s getting stuck behind their computers with album design instead behind their cameras shooting. It takes too much time. It pulls them from they're already too busy schedule. The chain around most photogs neck is workflow that takes way to much time in our digital age.

Zookbinders just introduced they're new Zookie book. I know, you're saying, "What in the world is that." Right? Here is the deal. Zookbinders will design, print and bind your clients favorite images into a beautiful album in less time than you can. I saw it happen in person at the show.

Zookbinders had a few customers drop off images at the first day of the Imaging USA show on Sunday. Sunday evening, Jen, one of they're designers went to work on the albums, got the final design looking great, FTP'd the final album design JPEGs up to Zookbinders in Chicago so they could get the album printed, bound, and shipped by Monday.

I was standing at Zookbinders booth on Tuesday when Sandra Ortiz - sandraortizphotography.com, took delivery of the album from Mark. She was ecstatic! I looked through the album and it was beautiful - color balance, density, binding - everything was perfect. I'll tell ya' - designing, printing, binding, shipping, and then delivering an album in 48 hours was an amazing thing to see. With Zookbinders new Zookie album service you just may to able to take an extra day or two off during the month. Wouldn't that be nice!

The Monster Lives!!!

Sandy Puc, a good friend and a person who has more energy than most people I know just introduced her brand new Ukandu website where you can bug a complete marketing plan for only $20 bucks! It includes templates, copy, and an entire marketing plan to help you increase your business. Here is the link.

Here is the cool thing - she's got lots and lots of marketing plans that you can choose from AND they are only $20. I can't wait to check out a few myself.

Sandy, by the way, puts on one of the best lecture tours every year. This year she is touring with the indomitable, Jerry Ghionis, an outstanding wedding photographer from Australia. They're tour, Power Of Passion is coming to a city near you very soon. I sure plan to catch them when they get near Cincy. Here is the link to their Power Of Passion tour for more info and to register. It will be the tour not to miss for 2011!

Lumapix:FotoFusion On A Mac Right Around The Corner!

When we do programs we are constantly asked when Lumapix is going to run on a Mac. Well, finally the good news - Mike Sheasby, the president of the company was showing the Mac version at Imaging USA. OK, it was the latest beta but it sure looked good to me.

Mike assures me that things are looking good for a release very, very soon - I can't wait. Mike and I also talked about him doing a webcast together when the new release ships. That should be a good time too. Once again, I'll keep you posted. THANKS for your patience to everyone who purchased during the Captured By the Light Tour. We are getting so close to delivering.

A Few More Highlights Of Our Visit

Like I said in an earlier post, part of the reason we attend these conventions is because we get a chance to see our friends whom we haven't seen throughout the year. On Sunday evening, we enjoyed a wonderful evening Bohanan's restaurant with our friends at Peachpit Press, the publishers of my book "Captured By The Light".

It was a nice discussing my new book and how to bring even greater value to my next book possibly by adding a bonus DVD with added content. Think Blu-Ray DVD with bonus features - way cool.

On Monday we had a great time at the Animoto party at the Enchanted Springs Ranch. From shooting six guns to riding the bull and everything in between, it was a hoot! Here's a shot of all of us who enjoyed the party. Remember, Animoto = Great Slide Shows. 

Last night we had a delightful Mexican dinner at Rosario's, a wonderful restaurant in San Antonio, with our friends Jeff and Ross. Jeff Medford and his business partner, Ross, had just finished their convention programs at the same time as ours so we decided to grab dinner together.

Jeff has been twisting my arm to do a week long workshop in Italy! He has organized it many times for the legendary Monte Zucker and thinks I should so the same. We would reserve a villa in Tuscany for about 15 photographers and spend 5 days shooting around the area, enjoying fine wine, and soaking up the culture.

Hey gang, what do you think? It sure sounds like fun to me. Why not hit the Comment section below and let me know if you would be interested. We are definitely thinking about it.

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Hey gang, that's it for be today. We are off and running getting things ready for PhotoPlus Expo. We have print competition happening tomorrow and the programs starting on Friday. I sure hope to see some of our DPT readers at the show.

Check back tomorrow for another episode of Business Day Thursday. I'm planning to hit my Top 10 favorite business posts of 2010.

Hope to see you then, David

Friday: Tour Wrap Up, Thank You’s, and A Few Stories Along The Way

Good Morning Everybody,

12,000+ miles, 4,400+ attendees, $125,000 in door prizes, and 20 cities later I can't believe our Captured By The Light 2010 tour is over. It seems like the time has simply flown by. Yep, we wrapped my CBTL tour last evening in Sacramento with over 260 photographers attending. That brings our total attendance to well over 4400 for the 20 cities we visited! From LaDawn and myself,  THANK YOU so much for making the tour one of the most successful digital photography seminars of the year!

Thanks, too, for all the wonderful emails, forum comments, blog and Facebook posts, about how much you enjoyed the program. We are truly grateful for all your positive comments.

Let me share just a Few Highlights

We wrapped the Photoshop World Convention in Las Vegas on Friday, September 3 and decided to spend the weekend in Palm Springs taking in Joshua Tree National Park while we were in the area. We figured that we  could recharge our batteries before heading to Phoenix on Tuesday.   Driving across the Mojave Dessert temperatures reached 114 degrees. Something, thankfully, we don’t experience in the Greater Cincinnati area. The weekend did just what we needed, rested, rejuvenated we were ready to get started on Tuesday.

I still remember our first stop in Phoenix, what a great way to begin the tour with such a friendly and enthusiastic group of photographers. The die was cast and we had great audiences in each city for the entire tour.

Dallas offered it's own brand of excitement. Our flight from Phoenix was delayed a few hours. LaDawn needs several hours of preparation time prior to the program. Her timeline was disappearing. Texas size storms had hit the area and we almost had to evacuate into the back hallways of the hotel.

While I was in the middle of the program, tornadoes were spotted within 3 miles of our hotel.  LaDawn along with hotel management and hotel security were literally watching the weather reports just in case the weather conditions became anymore threatening. Luckily I was able to finish the program without incident - that was close.

On to Houston. We arrived in plenty of time to set-up properly. LaDawn is MUCH happier. Just minutes to the start of the program LaDawn receives a phone call that her Mother has passed away after a long extended illness.

Next it was off to the 2nd and 3rd legs of our trip beginning in Detroit where I gave the program in a former Jewish synagogue now turned event center and then ending the week in Minneapolis. While in Detroit, I did fulfilled my dream of preaching from the pulpit ;~)

LaDawn flies home early Tuesday morning from Detroit to be with family for the funeral of her Mother on Wednesday. Damien and Sharon from my staff make the long drive to Chicago to help with the Chicago presentation. Thanks for their help, the presentation went smoothly.

I made the long 2 day drive from Chicago to Minneapolis and LaDawn flew back to Minneapolis on Thursday morning. I missed looking at the back of the room and seeing LaDawn’s smiling face during the seminar in Chicago and I’m glad we are together in Minneapolis.

Friday morning I fly home for a big wedding weekend celebration. LaDawn had the responsibility of getting our trusty minivan and supplies to Denver – another two day drive away.  I caught up with her in Denver on Sunday afternoon, chilled Sunday evening and kicked things off again Monday night in the mile high city.

We took Tuesday off so we could make the long drive from Denver to Kansas City. What a drive it was seeing the wonderful desolation of the countryside for a good deal of that long journey. Kansas City  again was filled with excited photographers eager to learn including our youngest attendees, 16 year olds, Austin and Greg.

Next onto St. Louis. There was one mishap in St. Louis. I managed to fall off the stage during the presentation. Don't worry, landing on my feet I was OK - just a misstep because of the patterned carpet on the stage was the exact same carpet as on the floor. It was hard to spot the edge of the stage in the dim lighting conditions during the presentation.The inherent dangers of presenting programs, I guess ;~)

We headed back home on Friday finishing the two week journey with six seminars completed and over 3,000 miles on the odometer. I was the MC and host for my Kentucky Professional Photographers Association, KPPA, 4 hour webcast on Sunday.  We  regrouped, packed new supplies and caught up on studio chores the remainder of the week.

Then Monday, October 4, we headed to Nashville where I presented the program in a Marriott meeting space that looked like an airplane hanger - really a unique and even STRANGER space.

From Nashville it was on to Atlanta. To our surprise, the Double Tree hotel has a meeting going on till 5:00 p.m. – the time we need to be set up for our program!  The staff thought it would be NO big deal to rearrange the room - HA - and LaDawn went into over-drive to be sure things were perfect come show time.

The real excitement begins anew in Charlotte. We arrive at the hotel only to find that the  hotel staff had set the room completely the wrong way. Yes, we do send the hotel detailed diagrams, several photos, and descriptions of EXACTLY how the room needs to be set. But as the Bible says, "They have eyes but do not see....". We had to reset and turn the entire room and staging 90 degrees.

Wait, there's more. This was the location where the fire alarm went off not once, but twice during my program with the entire hotel including me, LaDawn and all of our  190 attendees evacuating to the parking lot in the process! You thought I talked fast in your city, you should have heard me in Charlotte trying to complete the program after several delays!

We  spent the weekend in Washington, D.C. area catching our breath and doing the tourist thing - all good fun and then kicked off leg 5 on Monday October 11 in Rockville Maryland,  hitting the four busiest cites along the East coast, Philadelphia PA, Newark NJ and Boston MA. Always an adventure.

Our Newark location, actually the Sheraton at the Meadowlands, offered a great view of NYC, but proved to be a driving nightmare for some of our attendees as traffic caused many to arrive late. East coast traffic ;~(

Philadelphia is a unique hotel as LaDawn can actually load and unload the van from inside the hotel. The loading dock was behind my staging. A really nice group of attendees too.

We wrapped the week in Boston on Thursday and left the next day for the long 2-day drive back home to the Northern KY.  Boy, the drive back was the highlight of the entire tour for me. We stopped about half way home and stayed in Dubois, PA, where it turns out, they had recently discovered natural gas reserves. The entire town was abuzz with drilling activity.

But that wasn't the best part of the trip. The best part was finding out that Punxsutawney, PA - home of legendary Punxsutawney Phil, the best groundhog weather prognosticator in the world  was only 20 minutes away! This was also the town in which Groundhog Day was filmed. I was bubbling over with excitement ;~) ld-says…DAZ is such a cornball geek! ;~)

The big upside of this detour was the utterly breathtaking beautiful drive through rural Pennsylvania and Amish country at the height of fall color. We finally landed back in good ol' KY on Saturday evening, prepped for my Master Class on Sunday and kicked off the  week-long class on Monday morning. No rest for the wicked, as they say. The "wicked" - that can't be me. It must be LaDawn. Let's see if she deletes this on her edit ;~) ld- Ha, ha, ha!

We are home for another week. We added a quick trip to Columbus, OH for my CBTL presentation on Tuesday and again Mother Nature decided to bless us with exciting weather conditions. Nothing as big as Dallas, but always a concern.

It was after my overly enthusiastic presentation, mostly at door prize time, that I strained my voice. I was still a little "froggy" for the rest of the week. A BIG Bat Mitzvah celebration completed my week’s activities and worsened the conditions of my voice after shouting all weekend over the loud music.

While I’m shooting, LaDawn packs the bags for the West Coast and final leg of the trip. We leave early Sunday morning for Los Angeles CA.

Monday we are in Ontario CA, Tuesday, Woodland Hills, CA where we recorded my entire presentation, froggy voice and all. We made the pretty long drive to Sacramento, CA on Wednesday. Actually LaDawn does almost all the driving so I can blog, take phone calls, check in with our staff at home and grab some drive-by-shooting images.

We had a great run up the West Coast this week with large crowds in every city. I have to admit, as I got closer to the end of the program last evening, I was really looking forward to our short vacation these next six days.

I said it before and I'll say it again. LaDawn and I thoroughly enjoy our scenic cross country drives, but more importantly, seeing old friends and making new friends along the way is truly a highlight of the tour.

We also had the good fortune of traveling with our friends and VIP sponsor reps. That has included Steve, Jim, Rick, and Pat from ACI; Jesica and Gabe from B&H Photo and Video; Charlie and Jerome from Graphic Authority; Zak and Harry from MorePhotos; Bill and John from Marathon Press; and Peter and Mike from Quantum.

It goes without saying that I owe our 26 sponsors a giant THANK YOU for being part of the tour and I'll say it right now - THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!! My thanks also to our dozens of volunteers who helped in getting the rooms organized, Welcome Packets assembled and were wonderful assistants to LaDawn during the breaks.

Also, my thanks go out to my team back home that helped with any registration and customer service over the course of the tour, packed and shipped supplies, coordinated door-prizes and kept my studio clients well taken care of during the Tour.

And finally my heartfelt thanks to my wife, LaDawn, who kept the "wheels on the wagon" as we traveled throughout the country. She's really the one that pulls everything together for the tour and keeps it running smoothly till the end. Thanks Sweetie!

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  We got a few hours sleep last night, woke to an early morning wake-up call, and are off to jump on the Napa Valley Wine train by 10:30 a.m. – we can’t wait.

We’re hangin’ out in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys over the weekend and then moving down to San Jose on Sunday.  Next week I’m presenting a program for the good folks at Google.  We’ve visited Google last year and are looking forward to our second visit on Monday.

How about I see everyone next week – same time, same place.  Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you then.

-David