Quick Hit Monday: Thoughts On Conventions; Some Amazing Photography; & The New Social Marketing Wizard

Good Morning Everybody,

We had a great visit to the Professional Photographers of Ohio Convention in Sandusky, OH over the weekend.  It was good to see so many friends we have made over the years.  We also had a chance to see some great programs as well. 

Thoughts On Conventions

You know, one observation I made was that the attendance seemed to be down a bit which, by the way, is the story for state conventions around the country.  I was talking with my buddy, Chuck Zix, the owner of Madison Photo Works, about the situation.  We were both lamenting the fact that so many new photographers ARE NOT “joiners” these days.  They think that they can get all the info and training on-line, and many times for free.

Sure, I think DigitalProTalk is a great resource for the amateur, aspiring, part time, and seasoned pro, but there is still nothing like getting the information in person.  You get to feel the presenters passion, you get to absorb their images up close and personal.  On line training, free or otherwise, doesn’t hold a candle to the “live” learning experience! I’ve been to four conventions this year and loved every minute of them.

To get an idea what I’m talking about, just continue reading.

WOW!  Amazing Photography

While walking the tradeshow, we stopped by the Sigma booth to visit with my friend, Dave Metz. Assisting Dave at the Sigma booth was David Fitzsimmons, a fantastic wildlife/nature photographer showing some amazing images for his new children’s book coming out in July. He showed us several images/page layout presentations from the book titled Curious Critters. These included photographs of small fuzzy and not-so-fuzzy critters, bugs, birds, snakes against a white background away from their natural environment. The visual impact and detail in his images was amazing. Check out the image of a lightning bug below.

David is a photographer and writer whose works have appeared in Shutterbug, Popular Photography & Imaging, Ohio regional publications, and in recent Sigma ads.  You can get more info on David right here.  Be sure to check out his website right here – more great critter pics.

David has agreed to do a webcast for DPT later this summer to discuss his projects, books and his wonderful photography. I’m sure looking forward to the children’s book release and the time together to pick his brain during the webcast.

I’ve Never Seen High School Seniors Like This Before!

We also dropped in on the tail end of Kevin Mears high school senior/lighting program.  Wow!  I was blown away by Kevin’s work.  I’ve known Kevin for a number of years but never really knew his work.  To see it up close and personal was a visual treat!

Kevin, who is a very friendly, soft spoken individual is producing images that scream for the attention of the viewer.  You have the same reaction to many of his wedding images too.  Check out his website right here, spend some time in his galleries, and enjoy! He is a master of the small strobe and small strobe technique.  He too has agreed to do a webcast for us at DigitalProTalk – stay tuned, you won’t want to miss it.

It’s All About Social Media Marketing – We Heard One of The Best!

One of the true highlights of my visit to the PPO this weekend was catching up with my friend, Bruce Hudson.  He and his son, Josh, were presenting multiple programs on lighting, composition, Groupon sales, and social media marketing.

I’ll tell ya’ young, up and coming Josh Hudson had them nailed to their seats at his SRO 7:30 a.m. presentation on social media marketing.  It was literally a packed house for his program.

The day before, Josh co-presented with his dad and “teased” the audience with his knowledge of social media marketing – I was blown away by both his depth of knowledge on the subject but more importantly how he strategizes his efforts to promote Hudson’s Photography.  He is truly a master at what he does. Hey, I was sold and ended up purchasing his multi DVD series and can’t wait to dig in!

Bruce and Josh lecture all across the country and were on their way to Pittsburgh next week.  If you ever get a chance to see them, be sure you do!  You can get more info on their coaching and training materials right here. And, you can check out the studio website right here.

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  I’m spending a little time today going over all my weekend notes – like I said, there is no better way to learn than being there up close and personal with the speakers. 

Hope to see you at the next convention!

-David

Quick Hit Monday: Great Web-cast; Checking In With Photokina; Lighting Tutorials; Shooting Wirelessly To Your iPad; Photoshop Goodies; and More

Good Morning Everybody,

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  LaDawn and I got to just hang on our deck and enjoy a cool breeze, an adult beverage or two, and a beautiful sunset - ahhhh!

You know you are really “killing time” when you decide to clean out the kitchen pantry too - like on your first day off in several weeks, you decide to clean out a pantry!!??  Hey, it’s been a while, especially when the Campbell's soup can says “Used before 10/1997” ;~) Let’s just say that once I started checking dates, we just cleared it all out.

Hey gang, I’ve got a few juicy tidbits for you today so let’s get right to it.  Here we go...

KPPA Web-cast Was Great!

When our KPPA web-cast ended yesterday, I was on “Cloud 9”. Four hours  later it turned out the be the best and most diversified seminars I have ever attended. It was jammed packed with tons of great information on lighting, astoundingly beautiful images, and great marketing ideas from all three presenters.

- Matt showed how to take wedding photographs that not only sell, but also drive business to your door.

- Nancy showed how she is exciting her clients with the freshest high school senior photography in Oklahoma City and how she maintains a $1,500 average on all of her orders!

- Drake shared his beautiful and simple lighting techniques and how he booked over 1,000 sittings in one day!!! All the attendees were locked to their seats till the end.  It was just a wonderful educational experience!

We also gave away nearly $2,000 in door prizes! For those who didn’t attend you’re wondering, “Man, sounds like I missed something really special.” The answer would be a resounding, “YES, you did!”

Now the good news – I recorded the entire 4-hour webcast so that we could make it available for all those good folks that couldn’t make it to the presentation.  I just finished encoding the webcast into a WMV file for Windows users and a MP4 file for Mac users.  The MP4 file is sized to play conveniently on your iPad too.

For only $29 you will get both files on a DVD – 4 hours worth and hands down one of the best photography seminars you’ve ever watched!.  Folks, if you are serious about your photography, your lighting, and your business success, this DVD is a must have educational resource.  You can get all the Webcast DVD info and purchase it right here – don’t miss this opportunity!

Here are a few remarks from those attending:

“As a photographer for many years, a 1963 graduate of the Brooks Institute of Photography and a Past President of the Tennessee Professional Photographers Association, I felt this was one of the most innovated seminars that I have ever attended.”  Lee W.

“I just finished listening to the Webinar...it was great!!!! Enjoyed it tremendously and look forward to receiving the DVD of today's programs.  It was great listening to the different topics.” Rebecca S.

“Really enjoyed the 3 presentations, they were tremendous, lots of information and good tips!” Harold B.

“FABULOUS job today!!!!!” Laura R.

“Loved today's webinar.  Lots of great information.” Geneva B.

I’ve mentioned our Kentucky Professional Photographers web-cast [link] here at DPT for the last several weeks. As VP of our state association, I asked a big favor from three of the best photogs in the country - Matt McGraw from Wilmington, North Carolina, Nancy Emmerich from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Drake Busath from Salt Lake City, Utah. 

They all agreed to participate for the 4 hour web-cast and, I believe they hit it out of the park!  We had folks attending from around the country and around the world, even as fall away as Australia truly making it a worldwide web-cast. If you missed it you can pick up the recorded version right here - tons of information for a very small price!

Photokina 2010 Wraps

I was lucky enough to not just attend Photokina [link] several years ago, I was also one of the named presenters for Hasselblad Cameras - what a thrill and what a treat!  I stayed at the Meridien Dom Hotel right next to the historic DOM Cathedral - it was an amazing visit!

The exhibition is held in Cologne, Germany and is the biggest, best super exhibition of all things photographic in the world.  2008’s exhibition saw 1,523 exhibitors and over 169,000 people from over 161 nations attended! They expect 2010 to be even bigger!

Lots of blogs are reporting on the show.  My favorite Photokina news sources are 1001 Noisy Cameras [link], Rob Galbraith [link], and the ImagingInsider [link].  Check out the links here to see what’s new.

A Little On Lighting - 13 Tutorials

I have to say, with the web-cast going on and a little added relaxing happening this weekend, I thought I was going to come up dry for today’s post. But after scurrying around the net for a bit, I turned up a few gems for you.  DIYPhotography.com had a great collection of videos on lighting right here.  It a nice varied collection - worth the peak

Shooting Wireless Into The iPad

Here is another gem of a find from Rob Galbraith’s site.  I’ve heard about ShutterSnitch [link] for a while. It’s the $7.99 iPad app that let’s you shoot directly into to your iPad when using the Eye-Fi cards. 

This app can accept pictures from any camera transmitter that's capable of an FTP transfer, which includes all past and current Canon and Nikon digital SLR transmitter accessories. This article right here finally goes into plenty of detail into exactly how to set up the iPad for the best result. 

It’s the absolute best post I’ve seen on the topic. If you love your iPad and want to have some fun, this is the way to go.

A Few Photoshop Goodies

A “Blow Your Mind” P/S Tutorial

Every now and then I find a Photoshop tutorial that just blows me away with what I see in the final result. 

This is one of those tutorials.  This is something you will never use in your life, unless you are a graphic designer, but it is still fun to see how the finished image comes together.  Here is the link to the tutorial right here.

And Now Something For The Rest Of Us – Gimme Some Action(s)

Photoshop action, that is. Hey, a lot of us are Photoshop action junkies – me included.  Every now and then I stumble upon a site or two that points to some pretty cool FREE actions.

I’m pointing you towards one of those sites right here. Have fun and dig in.  There are approximately 100 actions to check out.  No need to say thank you ;~)

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  It’s the first day back in the studio and you know what that means – it’s catch up day.

How about I see everybody back here tomorrow for a new episode of Technique Tuesday.  I promise, you’re going to like it.

See ya’ then,  David

Business Day Thursday: Is Your iPad Making You Money Yet?

Good Morning Everybody,

Since announcing my brand new FREE worldwide webcast, "Fast and Easy Digital Design - Part 2" [link] on Tuesday, we have had over 950 folks sign up so far. We only have about 50 seats left! It's only 5 days away but you still have time to sign up right here.  Remember, only the first 1,000 registered will be guaranteed seats!

Hey gang, let's get right to today's post.  Here we go.

Business Day Thursday: Is Your iPad Making You Money Yet?

3 million sold already with predictions that 1 in 5 people want to own an iPad.  That sure makes the iPad one "HOT" product, doesn't it?  I just read that Fidelity Investments ordered 3,000 units for the investment counselors.  Looks like Fidelity is planning to make money with the iPad, are you?

Folks, owning the iPad for the simple reason of making money for your business is a "no brainer".  I was just talking with my friend Damien, a huge iPad fan.  Damien just started his photography business about a year ago.  He was telling me that his high school senior average was hovering around $300-400 dollars. 

Maybe that sounds good to lots of our readers, but in reality, that is not a big average in the senior market.  Damien proceeds to tell me how he raised his average significantly since getting his iPad.  Damien shoots his seniors sessions tethered to his Mac Book Pro with his images dropping right into Lightroom 3.  Yes, he does take his Mac Book Pro with him on his shoots - indoor and outdoor shoots.

His clients love seeing the images right away - yes, that's a great sizzle.  It’s what he does next that starts kicking his sales into high gear. He pulls out his iPad and begins showing his client some cool senior product designs.  He starts building their expectations early about the cool products he has to offer them.

The most important item he shows though, is a senior portrait album just like I discussed on my webcast last week [link].  Not many photographers even show senior albums as a possibility to their clients.  Too many photogs are still in 8x10 and 5x7 mode. 

Damien has taken it to the next level by building a client expectation of ownership of a senior album - they can see exactly what it looks like right now during their shoot.  Folks, that's called  "proactive selling" which, by the way, is the only way to sell if you ever expect to experience success in the photography business.

A few days later, during the actual sales presentation to the client, Damien shows the senior album one more time - on his iPad, of course.  The second showing usually cinches the sale.  He tells me his senior average this season is around $1,100 – WOW what an increase!

It’s just way too easy to make money and increase sales with your iPad!  So are you using your iPad to make you money?  If you are not, you may be missing the boat on a lot of golden sales opportunities.

p.s. I didn’t have access to Damien’s iPad so I used my images to illustrate the article. -David

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  I hope you'll stop by tomorrow for Friday's editorial post.  That's as much as I'm going to say about it, but I promise it just may give you pause to think about what I plan to discuss.

Hope to see you then,  David

"Autumn Beauty"

"Autumn Beauty"
©David A. Ziser

I went back into the archives for this one, but it is still one of my favorite high school senior portraits.  The weather was absolutely fabulous with the fall colors in "full bloom".  Our clothing consultation with the client resulted in a perfect blend of fall colors and wardrobe.  It still surprises me that more photographers don't take a bit more time with their clients and work with them on wardrobe suggestions to get the best photographic result.  Anyway, all the elements came together for this image.  Lighting is coming from the left from my Quantum T5d through my umbrella at 1/4 power to give that beautiful soft light on the subject's face.  Adjusting the shutter speed to balance with the background and larger aperture resulted in a beautiful image.  Camera specs:  Canon 20D fitted with 70-200mm IS lens at 120mm, F 3.5 @ 1/250 second,  ISO 400. Enjoy!  -David

Quick Hit Monday: Magic B&W; Special Deals: Great Surfs; and A Giggle For The Day

Good Morning Everybody,
I hope everybody enjoyed the weekend. We are off and running around here again today - final tweaks on a few projects, and - I'm off to a meeting in Lexington, KY in just a few minutes.  We've got our KPPA (KY Prof Photog Assoc) Summer School coming up and are putting the finishing touches on the program.  I’ll tell you, it looks like a great two days with some exciting, informative programs – check it out right here.

As soon as things are firmed up, I'll give you an update. I hope everyone nearby will try to stop on by, learn a new tip or two and be inspired by the terrific line-up of presentations. 
Since I'm on the road early this morning, let's get right to Quick Hit Monday.  Here we go.

Making Black & White Images That Surpass Silver Gelatin Images
Hey gang, I just got a note from Vincent Versace telling me about his NIK Software sponsored one hour free webinar this Thursday at 10:00 a.m. PST.  That's a 1:00 p.m. afternoon pick-me-up for us East Coasters. 

Vincent is a legendary digital fine art photographer having been honored as a Computerworld Smithsonian Award Laureate.  Shutterbug Magazine also named his book on B&W photography, "Welcome To Oz", the best of the year [link].  Looks  like a fantastic webcast with lots of great deals on NIK goodies too.  You can register right here. Just go do it, Vinnie's an outstanding photographer ….and a really nice guy:~)

25% Off SpiderPro - Almost Forgot This
Two weeks ago, I did a post [link] on the new SpiderPro Camera Holster - remember the gunfight video - "How To Shoot A Wedding Cowboy Style"?[link] Well, during the day I was on the phone with the company to see if they would offer our DPT readers a special discount on the Spider. 

Well, GREAT NEWS - anyone visiting the SpiderPro website can get a FULL 25% off any product offered. Use  CODE: Ziser25 to obtain your discount. What a deal!  I have to tell you, I love the SpiderPro because it doesn't have a bunch of straps I have to wear. If you plan on shooting really heavy glass, check out the belt too. Thanks to the Spider guys for the great offer!

A Few Websites I Stumbled On Over The Weekend
I found this website completely by accident over the weekend.  A quick tour of the links showed me it was pretty rich with good content. The name - NewPhotoDigest [link]. I linked the documentary video on Edward Weston - really different, and worth the visit. 

Hey gang, while you are visiting websites, check out this list compiled by DPT reader Noel Hannan [link].  He listed some sites you've heard about but a few you haven't.  So check it out and enjoy the surf.  Thanks Noel for the list - and including DPT in the listing.

And Finally, Your Giggle For The Day
I had one of our attendees point me to this hilarious video [link] of Joe McNally confessing his digital sins to Father Bob.  If you haven't seen it, it is a hoot.  Joe McNally, who wrote the huge best selling book on photograph, "The Moment It Clicks" and fellow National Geographic photographer, Bob Krist, perform this skit flawlessly. You will have tears running down your cheeks by the end of it.  A great way to begin the week ;~)
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Hey gang, I've run a little short of time this morning.  I've got a few more Quick Hits coming your way again tomorrow. I've got to head out for my meeting right about now.  Plan to stop by tomorrow for the quick hits and my Technique Tuesday episode entitled, "The Making Of Cabo Smiles" - a photography and Lightroom 3 tutorial.  I posted this photograph as a photo of the day last week [link] and many have asked for an in depth "exposure to finished image" discussion of the print. 

You've got it - see you then.
-David

Business Day Thursday: Doing It Right - Part 2

Good Morning Everybody,

We made the short drive into Cabo San Lucas yesterday and had a really easy day.  LaDawn's wrist is doing fine, not much pain, especially after a margarita at the Office ;~)

The interesting thing we've noticed on this trip is that we have not seen any of the gorgeous sunrises or sunsets that we see down here in November/December - uhmmm, no explanation. Nevertheless, the weather is perfect and the setting is relaxing.  I just hope I'm not too relaxed to begin my Master Class on Monday.

OK, time to get on with today's Business Day Thursday post.  Here we go...

Doing It Right - Part 2

Today's post is the second part of my conversation with Kent and Sarah Smith who own Kent Smith Photography. Last week they covered what they do to stay current in the ever changing senior market [link]  This week they'll discuss how they shoot and how they sell.  They have close to an $1,800 average on their senior sales, so they really know what they're talking about.

Hit the PLAY button below for the rest of their story.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  I can't believe we are nearly at the end of our stay.  I’m taking it easy at the house today while the rest of the gang head out to do some snorkeling.  I haven't taken many photographs on this trip which I've been missing so I may get out later today to survey the sights.

Have a good one and I'll see ya' tomorrow for another installment of “Keeping The Faith."

See ya’ then,  -David

Related link: Doing It Right - Part 1 - [link]

One For The Road: A Senior Photography Guide ( and I don't mean gram and gramps)

OK, every now and then a site comes along that answers a lot of questions the aspiring pro is longing to know. SeniorSolutionsGuide.com is one of those sites.

What I like about the site are the photog interviews. The questions for example, "How to stay current with today's trends?" "What's the biggest mistake you've made and how did you fix it?" or "What's your best selling product?" - are a great source of insight for fine tuning your own business, whether it is weddings, portraits, or seniors - although the site is targeted to senior shooters. Most of the information is an easy read and I think worthwhile.

Hey gang, that's it for me today - again, sorry for the way too late post. Still better late than never. The day is not over yet for me - I'm doing a podcast for PhotoNetCast.com late this evening - like at midnight. It brings about 5 photographers together from around the world discussing the topic of the day. This evening, I'm appearing as a special guest.

I'll give you the entire low-down next week with info about the show and where you can listen and download the program. I'm out of here for now, but I'll check in with everybody tomorrow, probably in the afternoon as LaDawn and I are flying to Baltimore for the week. See you then, -David

Heading to SPA, That's SPA - Senior Portrait Artists Meeting

Speaking of creativity - this convention is one of the best opportunities for just a thing to happen. The SPA EVENT brings together some of the most creative Senior Portrait photographers in the country. The meeting this year is held in Tuscon, Arizona from January 20 - 23, 2008. You can get all the SPA info right here. Also, check out this wonderful gallery of images right here to get a feeling about what I'm talking about - for the portrait photographer, inspiring!

That's it for today, Gang - hope you are having a good one wherever you happen to be. Until tomorrow, Adios! --David

Ralph’s Best Marketing Advice - 5+5+5 A-days.

Ralph put on a great program yesterday at the KPPA fall Conference in Louisville, KY. He covered a lot of topics including some big time marketing concepts for Seniors and underclass contracts. It was easy to see from his outstanding photography why he remains the top “Senior" Photography Studio in New Orleans. I think Ralph's team does about the best job on sports collages of anyone in the country. Check out the one here with this post. Here is the link to his studio's website .

One of my favorite things I was able to bring from the program was his story about a very successful car dealer that incorporated his “5+5+5 a Days” success program to build a hugely successful car dealership. Here is a quick recap of this very simple success plan. The car salesman would make Five “Cool” calls – To potential car buyers offering a free oil change just to get them to come in to the dealership. Then he would make Five “Warm” calls to those customers who had purchased a car from him a few years ago and might be ready to again consider another new car. He again would offer these warm callers a complementary oil change, bringing them back to the dealership. Then he would write five “Thank You” notes to five customers, community businesses... thanking them for their loyalty and support. The personal touch always works, especially in this day and age of millions of phone menu choices, and the operator-less world of business. Thanks for the great tip, Ralph.

Friday Quicknotes

Good Morning Everybody,

Well, we made it thru another week around here - whew! Yesterday we hired a new employee for the studio. Michelle will be coming on board as are new Studio Manager. She will be responsible for Sales, Marketing, Photoshop, album design, raising gross sales by $1,000,000, and adding the new room addition to the current location - just kidding!! All kidding aside, we truly welcome Michelle on board. As we sadly say goodbye to Susan.

We are heading down to the Kentucky Professional Photographers Fall meeting the weekend where my friend, Ralph Romaguera from Nawlin's, will be giving a program on seniors and Photoshop. Ralph is a dynamite Senior and Portrait photographer Sandy Puc, another outstanding "Senior" shooter will also be presenting and my buddy, Dave Huntsman along with Jessica Vogel, are also part of the line up. It looks like a great conference. If you are a KY photographer, or any surrounding states you need to be there. LaDawn and I are looking forward to catching up with friends and learning a new trick or two from the outstanding line-up of speakers. Don't forget - tomorrow - I'll be on PhotoTalkRadio from 11 A.M. till noon. Hope to see you there.

Hey, it's a light day today so on with some news and tips....