Last November Sheila and I were invited to Riccione, Italy as guests of Album Epoca’s Empower Your Vision. Empower Your Vision was a two day seminar series that reminded me of the Hasselblad University programs Tony Corbell and I used to do. David Beckstead and Bambi Cantrell were guest speakers during the conference.

It had all the perfect ingredients of enthusiasm, education and without question the passion for imaging. While there I was asked to record a video about the importance of the wedding album. Album Epoca has some stunning albums in their line-up, making your work look that much more special, but that’s not what my video is about.

There are too many photographers out there who have failed to understand what the album really represents. It’s not a book of pictures, but the ultimate story of a unique adventure about two people, their families and friends…and the photographer is the ultimate storyteller. The story becomes that much better when the photographer refuses to compromise on the quality in every image and the presentation. It’s the first heirloom of a brand new family.

One fun little note, that’s one of Italy’s most famous wedding photographers, Flavio Bandiera in the background throughout my video. He’s an outstanding photographer and definitely one of the world’s best storytellers…but while we’d never get the time together when he comes to the US for a convention, Empower Your Vision gave us a chance to get to know him better. So, if this was a Mastercard commercial it would be:

A trip to Italy…meeting the Album Epoca crew…time with Flavio, Andrea and Federico…late dinners with new friends and coffee with Miche Cardello…priceless

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I know this seems basic, but I just heard a horror story about a new photographer who dropped a camera at a wedding and went into panic mode, so that makes this a short, but oh so relevant topic today.

There’s more than just your skill set that separates you from Uncle Harry. It’s the depth of gear in your camera bag! Uncle Harry just has that one camera and maybe two lenses. That’s all he’s got and even if it’s a better camera than you have, he doesn’t know what to do when things go wrong.

I’ve done a lot of scuba diving over the last twenty years and diving is a really easy relaxing sport. Nobody really teaches you how to dive, but they do teach you what to do when things go wrong. They teach you how to relax and be comfortable in the water, how to manage your buoyancy and take your time paying attention to your gear and your surroundings.

Well, calling yourself a professional photographer is no different. This is about being relaxed and knowing what to do when something goes wrong. It’s about being confident because confidence breeds more confidence versus fear that only breeds panic.

There’s always a point or two to each post I write. So, here’s a list of questions to answer if you’re going to be a success as a professional.

• Do you have a back-up camera body?

• You don’t need a lot of lenses, but you need the overlap in coverage so if for some reason a lens doesn’t work, gets dropped, jams, whatever, you can still complete the job.

• How’s your depth on lighting? It takes so little today to have an extra strobe with you.

• What about backing up your files during a wedding? Are you set up with a system to download save and then get back to shooting? Do you have back-up cards?

• If your gear was stolen while you were shooting or just before, do you have a back-up plan? Here’s where you want to get know your local camera store, rental house and even the sales rep for the company whose gear you shoot. They all need to be in your network.

Just like Who Wants to be a Millionaire – if you need to phone a friend, do you know who it’s going to be? This is also why going to your local Smugs, PPA Guilds etc. becomes so important. You need to know the community of photographers around you. It’s about building your network, so you’ve got somebody to throw you a life-line before you sink!

In diving one of the things they teach you is how to buddy breath, so if you’re on the bottom of the ocean and you lose your air supply you know how to signal your buddy and come up together breathing off of his extra regulator. In fact, one of the cardinal rules is you never dive alone.
Okay, the analogy couldn’t be better – you never take on a photographic assignment alone either. That doesn’t mean you have to have a second photographer physically there, just be tuned into how you’re going to get help if you need it.

P.S. And just for the record, I did run out of air on one of my first dives after getting certified. I was being stupid and not paying attention to my gauges while chasing an angel fish with a camera. I started to panic and then noticed my dive buddy twenty feet away. I signaled that I was almost out of air and we buddied up to the surface, me breathing from his octopus (his second regulator). He never let me forget what a screw-up I was, but the slight humiliation was so much better than the alternative! Plus, making me feel worse was the fact that I never did get the shot of that fish!

© Paha_l | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

With Summer School coming up everybody has their choice of eight different programs. If you’re doing hands-on for Monday and Tuesday you have your choice of seven different instructors. If you’re taking the film-making program you’ve only got one decision to make. You’ve got no decisions to make with all the platform programs since they’re in the evenings or over lunch. So, when making your choice, really think through where you need the most help. If you’ve already got a skill set you feel comfortable with, then head towards your weakest suit. Time is your most valuable commodity and while it feels good to get confirmation that you’re doing things right, take that leap into the unknown. Focus on an aspect of your skill set to expand your earning potential, not just secure it.

Tony Corbell is teaching at Summer School this year and is one of the top instructors in the industry on lighting. Tony, like most of the instructors in photography is very approachable. Don’t be afraid to talk to the speakers in every program you attend! photo by Kenny Kim

The same thing applies to conventions. Everybody attending Summer School qualifies for a HUGE savings for WPPI 2013 with just a $75 full registration price. Many attendees won’t take advantage of the offer and that’s a problem in itself, but for those who do, spend time on deciding which programs you’re going to attend. Take the time to really isolate those areas of your business where you need the most help. Use any convention to fortify your weaknesses, not just reconfirm your strengths.

Every speaker, even the ones that you might be disappointed in, has the potential to offer you something important and some new perspective. And, as I’ve written before, you only need to take away one key thing from each speaker. One piece of low-hanging fruit from each program, which you can implement right away to help you build the strength of your business.

Your education in photography is a never-ending process, but it all starts with you making the commitment to continue learning. Eddie Tapp is always experimenting with new techniques in Photoshop and the way he’s shooting. Michael Corsentino takes some time every day to practice a new technique. Roberto Valenzuela stresses the importance of constant practice. Ralph Romaguera talked about how a symphony warms up before every concert. Joe Buissink talks about how he’s always got an imaginary camera in his hand as he looks at any scene. Scott Bourne is constantly experimenting with new techniques, new gear and new subject matter. Bambi Cantrell attends every program she can at every convention. My list could go on and on.

Go to any major convention and you’ll see the icons you respect the most sitting in other photographer’s programs. The people who you think know it all, recognize the bar is constantly being raised and unless they stay on top of all the new ideas out there, their own growth will be stunted.

When you were a kid, your mother told you that smoking would stunt your growth! Well, guess what, thinking you don’t need any more help in expanding your skill set will stunt it even more!

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Let’s start off with the fact that I absolutely recognize times are really tough. I know the economy and technology have thrown more than their share of curveballs this year, but if Uncle Harry is really your competitor than you don’t deserve to be a professional photographer.

So, let’s see if we can get you out that rut you’re in…

• Look at your network versus Uncle Harry’s. If you’re brand new to the industry you’ve got the ability to network with some of the finest photographers in the country.

• You’ve got access to some of the finest suppliers. You’ve got amazing labs like WHCC and Bay Photo. You’ve got retailers like Adorama who stock just about everything you’d ever need. Uncle Harry doesn’t know to even ask for some of the things you’ve got access to.

• You’ve got the ability to provide every client with an amazing album, with some of the finest most contemporary albums in the world at your finger tips. Have you looked at the Album Epoca line lately?

• You’ve got programs and workshops that Uncle Harry is unlikely to even hear about. Look who’s on the road right now: Clay Blackmore, Sal Cincotta, JB Sallee, Sandy Puc and Jack Davis, Bobbi Lane, Bob Davis and the list goes on and on. And Summer School is coming up in August.

• You’ve got Creative Live and Kelby Training providing you with the best in education. Warning SPA…(Self-Promotion Alert) CreativeLive is hosting me on June 8-9 with a two day webinar on marketing.

• Then you’ve got great blogs, webinars, podcasts, videos and groups like Jerry Ghionis’ Ice Society with a long list of tools to help you grow.

• You’ve got monthly Smugs just about everywhere giving you a chance to meet other photographers and listen to great guest speakers to help you grow.

Yeah, Uncle Harry has great gear and he’s cheap, but you also need to remember that old line about , you get what you pay for. Stop worrying about Uncle Harry and get your marketing and your skill set as good as it can be. Uncle Harry won’t go away, but your real competition might just be that face looking back at you in the mirror each morning!

*© Blitzkrieg | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

The trout in the river didn’t stand a chance against the perfect cast!

The break was exactly what I needed to step away from worrying about life’s challenges. I took a decent camera along just to have the fun of shooting. I sat by the river and watched my step son fish for trout. We toured the area with absolutely no agenda and finished each day with a great dinner and terrific conversation, not about the photo-industry, but everything happening in our lives. The end result is that I came up with a half-dozen great ideas for some new projects. I figured out a few new things I want to do for my Creative Live presentation. I decided on some new podcasts for PhotoResourceHub.com. All because I had a chance to just kick back and relax.

It’s not earth-shaking, but just like those questions about Thanksgiving dinner, I’m asking myself the same thing, “Why don’t I take a break more often?” The reason is easy to answer, but not so easy to address. We all do the same thing – we get so obsessed with our lives that we honestly forget to live them! I’m into simplicity this morning and it doesn’t get any easier to understand than that. So, the bottom line is recognize the signs of becoming a grouch and catch the challenge before it becomes permanent. You’ve got too much to offer your friends and family to become so obsessed with the challenges in life that you forget to see those priceless moments.

I first met Mary Ellen Mark during my Hasselblad days. She’s a remarkable photographer with a never-ending passion to capture what Hasselblad’s Ernst Wildi calls the ultimate image.

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