Images for a Cure

Have you heard about Images for a Cure? If not - you must check them out!

As artisans and creators, we may labor under the ideal that our work can effect change in our world - that what we do personally and creatively contributes to the betterment of humankind. But what if it were more than an ideal or seemingly elusive goal? What if you were given an opportunity to positively effect change through partnering with an organization that is already pursuing that goal? And all it would take was a click of the shutter..

This fall, countless photographers and creators are coming together for one purpose: a cure. On October 11, 2009 – a collection of photographers are donating their time and session fees to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. BCRF is actively searching for a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime - and your creativity and willingness to help is going to contribute to the cause.

You don't have to labor under the ideal anymore - you can make a difference. You can effect change in our world by doing what you do best - by utilizing your creativity, building relationships, and creating images...Images for a Cure.

Check Out the NEW Jamie Schultz Designs

I always love looking at other designers' work. Its fun to see the variety of templates and designs that are offered to photographers. From simple to modern to antique, I think there are designs available for every type of photographer and their clients. While I do check out others' work, I typically don't buy from other designers since I have such a strong graphic design background and my own style to offer my clients. But for those of you who aren't designers or just don't have the time, be sure to check out all the resources out there from other designers, and there sure are plenty!!

Back in January, when I closed my template store, I posted this short list of designers I would recommend to others. And Jamie of course, made that list. I've always been a fan of Jamie's work. She has such clean, fun designs. For those of you not familiar with Jamie, she's not only a designer but also a photographer. Jamie's site jamieschultzdesigns.com got a makeover from Kim over at kimtowndesign.com. If you're looking for some new album, card or marketing templates, head over to check out Jamie's work.

Mpix Pro Custom CD Cases!

I have to admit - I use WHCC for almost everything - prints, gallery wraps, cards, you name it. My prints are ALWAYS spot on! I've tried other vendors, some have been good, others have been blah with horrible colors from most.

I calibrate my monitor with the x-rite eye-one. Rarely do I have color issues with WHCC when I've properly calibrated before editing my images.

When I saw that Mpix Pro was offering custom CD cases, I decided to try them out. I'm going to be honest, I had ordered sample prints from Miller's in the past (Mpix's parent company) and I was not happy with the colors in both my corrected and uncorrected images I sent in. So I was very surprised when my test prints from Mpix Pro came back spot on. I decided to try out the custom CD cases for my digital collections. I just got in a CD case for a recent client order and I LOVE it! The best part is that you can design a custom cover for ever client order. Once I placed my order, I had my snazzy new case in about two days ... I love the quick turnaround too! To the left is a horrible photo I took with my Blackberry, but it gives you an idea of what the finished product looks like.

I'm trying out some new products from additional vendors right now. When those come in I'll let you know what I think!

How Good Is Your Insurance Coverage? Are You Really Protected?

I read an article from Art of the Image. A photographer had ALL of his equipment stolen after a wedding. That's $20,000 of equipment So do you have insurance coverage for your equipment? I do, there's no way I could buy all new equipment and not go into debt. Take a look at the article and if in doubt, give a call to your insurance company and make sure you really are covered!

The Savvy Photographer

I just found The Savvy Photographer this morning. What a great site!! It offers a ton of inspiration for those of us that work with kids. I've seen some great images, fab ideas for displays and even weekly giveaways!

Be sure to check them out if you're needing a little inspiration!!

Unleashed Follow-Up

I just wanted to follow-up on the Unleashed workshop I talked about the other week. They are sold-out for the Chicago workshop that I am attending!

If you missed out on getting in on the Chicago workshop, be sure to check out their website about the workshop in Dallas April 18-20, 2010! There is also a third workshop planned for the DC area in 2010, but no dates have been posted yet.

Professional Photographers of America

I just renewed my PPA membership and realized that I haven't talked about them. A membership to the Professional Photographers of America is a huge benefit to photographers! For the first two years as a PPA member, y ou can sign up as an "Aspiring Member" for $194 per year. Or you can also sign up as a Professional Active Member for $323 a year. It is a great investment in your business, that's for sure.

The inital reason I signed up for PPA was to get the discounted Business Liablility and Equipment Insurance. PPA helps to get a great group rate on these plans. The best part about their equipment insurance is that you cover what you want and the amount of equipment you cover determines your yearly rate. I checked with my homeowners plan, and they were about $400 more a year for both equipment and liablility than the plan I got through PPA!

Some of the other benefits of a PPA membership include discounts to various products and services, subscription to Professional Photographer Magazine, an online resources area that includes sample forms and contracts, and much, much more. PPA also has a full-time copyright staff. The staff works with members when any copyright infringements come up. That in itself is a huge bonus!

I haven't even tapped into half the resources that PPA offers members, but definately check them out to see how they can help build your business!!

PhotoVision

I absolutely LOVE PhotoVision Video Seminars. I'm not even sure how I found out about these DVDs, but they rock! The annual subscription fee is $149 (but if you're a PPA member is much, much less and there might be other discounts out there too) and well worth the money.

DVDs are sent bi-monthy to you for a year. Each DVD has six two-hour videos with various photographers giving you tips and showing you how they work. Everything from workflow to lighting to sales is covered in these DVDs. I've found that the senior and portrait work have been the biggest asset to me. Just being able to watch these fabulous photographers work on location with clients will give all kinds of new ideas. And a great thing about them is that the target all aspects of professional photography including portrait, commercial and event photography. I signed up late in 2008 and have been so busy that I'm not even through the entire year yet! The 2009 cd includes lessons from Sarah Petty, Lori Nordstrom, Parker Pfister and a ton more!

These are great DVDs for those just starting out and seasoned professions!

Unleashed | fine art pet photography workshop

I'm SO excited about Unleashed | fine art pet photography workshop! I just signed up for the September workshop in Chicago. Unleashed is a 2 1/2 day workshop put together by 3 wonderful photographers - Barbara Breitsameter, Teresa Berg and Bev Hollis.

Sit, Stay & Learn is the motto for this great weekend. This workshop is hands on and we'll actually have four legged friends to modeling for us! The number of attendees is limited so the gals can do personalized learning in break out sessions, talk about marketing and business practices and a lot more. For anyone even thinking about adding pet photography to their services, this workshop is a must!!

The cost is only $695 OR if you register before August 1st, you save $100 and it's only $595. Be sure to check out the Unleashed site for more information at unleashed2009.wordpress.com and hopefully I'll get to see a few of you there!

Photoshop Actions I Can't Live Without

There's some things you just can't live without. Totally Rad Actions are one of them for me. I invested in TRA before I even started my business. And when TRA 2 came out, I was quick to pickup that set as well. TRA has really changed my workflow. I typically have 4 of the actions that I use on a standard image. I've created keyboard shortcuts for those actions and can whip through an image pretty fast. When I have time, I like to play around with the different actions to come up with new effects for photos. I do believe that you can always over photoshop an image - so typically don't use the actions at 100%. I also believe in getting it right in camera and not trying to fix the exposure in photoshop!

If you are thinking about picking up TRA, be sure to visit the website and click ont he Try Em tab - you can download a few actions to try before you buy. And be sure to check out the new TRA Recipe site. Photographers have uploaded their images, along with their TRA recipes. Great combos to try out on your own images.

Below is a before and after of a photo that I used these actions on to give you an idea of before and after!