8-Week Beverage Photography Workshop
This is one of the most popular classes I offer. You will learn so much about how to see a shot before you make it, then find details that will help push your photography to a higher level. Beverage photography is a combination of art and technology with a bit of magic inspiration. If you are a tabletop, product, or food photographer, you will benefit from taking this class.
SPECIAL OFFER: A free workshop to help you find clients for your work will be held two weeks after this class ends. It is specifically for the members of this 8 Week class.
The Collective is a large format book of photography designed to show photographs from members of Project 52. This is our 2024 Edition. If you want to download it, this is a link for the PDF. Download the two previous versions below.
THESE PDF COPIES ARE FREE COURTESY LIGHTING ESSENTIALS AND THE TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHERS FEATURED INSIDE.
A Few Words on that “Unphotoshopped Cindy Crawford Photo” Crap
A few days ago, this was making big news online... wow. Imagine Cindy Crawford having the guts to go public in a photograph that was un-retouched in Photoshop. Yeah... wow. Big F'n Deal. Of course she did that for two decades and more. You know that, right? Of this I...
New Camera Announcements from Canon
Some amazing new cameras from Canon. I don't get involved in new gear releases, but this stuff is starting to get exciting now. Canon D5 PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS 50.6MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor Dual DIGIC 6 Image Processors 3.2" 1,040K-Dot ClearView II LCD Monitor Full HD...
Going North – Taking a Photo Trek
Every year I host a meet-up of Project 52 members. Part workshop, part social, full on fun. There is no fee for this, we share all expenses, so it is a very comfortable and relaxing time with the tribe. This year we will also be doing a road trip to the north country....
A Simple Photo of a Red Balloon
The recent assignment in Project 52 was to shoot a single red balloon and make it the focal point. The students made some amazing images. And shooting a red balloon is not the easiest thing to do. Give it a try - all you need is a camera and a red balloon. Here...
Portraits Inspired by Peter Lindbergh
This week we looked at the work of Peter Lindbergh. These are the images that the students in the 8 Week Portrait Class did after studying Lindbergh. The workshop is designed for inspiration, not copying. "Imitate. Assimilate. Innovate." - Clark Terry, jazz trumpet...
New Photography Books
New Photography books on Amazon.
“What Do You Charge For? EBook
Last summer I wrote four articles based on the five scariest words a beginning photographer can hear... "What do you charge for..." It ended up being nearly 20 pages, and it can definitely help you work through some of the myriad questions that haunt us when we don't...
Peta Pixel Article on “Professional Photography”
PetaPixel printed my article on changing the brand for photographers. I titled it "What If Clients Don't Need Professional Photography" as a way of saying that the picture centric medium has changed to brand centric. Photographers must engage with the clients at a...
Inspired by Sarah Moon: 8 Week Portrait Class Student Work
This week we studied the work of Sarah Moon for inspiration. The students looked at Ms Moon's work, analyzed it, found what they liked and used it for inspiration. The goal is not to copy the masters, it is to understand them and let that understanding inspire the...
“Protectionism” is NOT The Way of Professional Photographers
The "Protectionist" Attitude Among Photographers Well, not all photographers, but a considerable few. Enough that they can make a lot of noise and bluster. I don't suffer that attitude well, never have. The whining about how there are too many photographers and how we...
Lighting Essentials Place Among Photography Blogs
Very excited to see that Lighting Essentials is the number 16 highest rated photography blog, overall. There is a whole lot of information on the page about designations for certain criteria that LE can certainly improve on. But heck... I am very happy to be up there...
Portraits Inspired by Yousef Karsh
This past week we looked at the work of Yousef Karsh. The students in the 8 Week Portrait Workshop are learning a ton and putting it to practical use. Here are their images from last weeks assignment. [gallery link="file" columns="6"...
Creating a Photo Portfolio That Represents Your Work
“What makes a photograph “Portfolio Worthy” I want to talk about what makes an image worthy of your portfolio today, and have you think about your work in possibly a different sort of way. What is your portfolio, anyway? It is the repository of the work you have made,...
6 New Books I Have Ordered
From Amazon: "W magazine is renowned for its avant-garde fashion stories, those elaborate confections of magic and mystery that have inspired and captivated readers for more than two decades. This volume gathers 10 of the most remarkable stories, each in its entirety,...
A Simple Tool for Shooting To Layout
Shooting for the web has created some interesting configured imagery. From very wide and narrow images for banners to tall and skinny images for side bars, shooting to layout is as important as ever. Here is a simple video for making a viewing tool that can help you...
Portraits Inspired by Victor Skrebneski
In the 8 week portrait class we looked at the work of famed Chicago photographer Victor Skrebneski. The students were asked to make a photograph inspired by what they saw in Skrebneski's work. Not to copy it, but to be inspired by it. Here are the remarkable expamples...
Distraction, Discontent and Distruption (Part One)
Distractions, Discontent, and Disruption The three “D’s” of the new daily discomforts. Wait, is that a fourth? We are constantly being distracted from our work, made to feel discontent at every turn and facing disruption in our business like never before....
Trends to Watch in 2015
Trends I am noticing: Social Media Thinning. Photographers are becoming more selective in where and how they spend their time in social media. This is a good thing. Not every SM platform is right for you and what you do.Facebook may be find for consumer shooters, but...
Providing Cover – Keeping Clients
Finding someone to “cover” for you on a photography assignment can be tricky business. Not just for your client, but for you AND the person who you hire to do the shoot in your place. Look, stuff happens. We all get sick or a relative passes away or there is emergency...
What I’ve Learned So Far: Thirty One; “I Love Photography… I Always Have”
{This is the final post of the "What I've Learned So Far" series and it will become a book very soon. All of you may download it for free if you are interested. I hope you enjoyed the series. I've learned more than just this, but I figured wrapping it in a month long...
What I’ve Learned So Far: Thirty; “The Overwhelming Mystique of Negativity”
"You can't do that anymore. The market is full of photographers." "Nobody is making any money in this business." "Why the hell would anyone want to go into the professional photography now, all the clients have dried up." I know. We hear that all the time. Nothing new...
What I’ve Learned So Far: Twenty Nine; “Overnight Success? I’ve Got Your Overnight Success Right Here!”
I read all about "overnight success" and usually I just smile to myself. Of course I do not believe them, but that's OK - they are always great entertainment. I remember an interview with the band "Foreigner" where the gushing interviewer mentioned their meteoric rise...
What I’ve Learned So Far: Twenty Seven; “Baggage Sucks”
What do I mean by "baggage"? I mean the crap we think about when we are making our work, the stuff that goes on between our ears that may have NOTHING at all to do with reality, but begins to weigh on us with false intentions and ruinous decisions. When I was younger...
What I’ve Learned So Far: Twenty Six; “Be Deliberate”
Be certain. Be sure. Be deliberate. Now this may sound strange coming from someone who advocates challenging everything, finding new solutions, and experimenting, but they actually go very well together. When I say be deliberate, I am talking about a process from 0 -...
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