Thanksgiving is tomorrow and for most of you it's a day off away from the business. Sadly, because your work always puts a camera in your hands, you'll take the day off and forget about capturing your own memories. It's a shoemaker's kids need shoes scenario, and it's your family and friends who wind up barefoot!

Besides capturing memories and telling the story of your Thanksgiving holiday, here's one more terrific aspect of the event - this is your chance to give people a small glimpse of your personal life and create some great blog content. All of you are looking for content material on a regular basis, so why not put together a short slideshow of your family and friends this Thanksgiving and then share it on your blog?

Photodex never slows down in developing new programs to help you create dynamic presentations. If you haven't visited their YouTube channel, it's time to check it out. Get a cup of coffee this morning and kick back and watch a few short videos. Just click on the banner at the top. Or, if you want to be more event specific, click any of the banners below and wander in to a wealth of creative ideas by topic. I picked three of my favorites but there are more. In fact, there are hundreds of demo, technique and videos by your peers, each one demonstrating another aspect of creative storytelling.
 
And if you haven't checked out ProShow 9 yet, Photodex is still running their Skip's reader discount. Just click on the thumbnail to the right to find out more, and remember to use your code: SAVE20WITHSKIP for a 20% discount!

Thanksgiving kicks off the November/December holiday season. This year, don't let the holidays sneak by without capturing your own memories for you, your family, friends and readers! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Photodex/SCU search for the best self-promotional contest is over, and as promised for today, the winner is David Beckham with his video about the Senior Portrait Experience.

David covers all the bases of senior photography, making it a point to build relationships with the girls and the guys. Then he makes it a point to meet their needs whether the portraits are single subject, friends, formal, casual or even sports posters and senior yard banners. To see more of David's work click on any of his images below.

David's grand prize consists of:

• A Lumix GX85K complete with Vario 12-32mm lens from Panasonic
• A Tamron SP 45mm F/1.8 Di VC USD lens(available in Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts)
• A $250 credit towards Bella Art Prints from Marathon Press
• From Photodex a year subscription to ProShow Web Premium
• The industry's FIRST bluetooth light and color meter from Illuminati Instrument Corp.​

In addition, we chose a runner up, Margaret Goodwin, with her video, Pixels to Paint. Margaret will be receiving a one year subscription to ProShow Web Premium.

Congrats to both David and Margaret along with all the artists who entered videos in the search for great self-promotional videos. Technology along with great companies like Photodex have given photographers the best and most creative tools in the 175+ year history of photography!

Intro by Skip Cohen

​So often, in virtually every aspect of business, we develop a formula, a routine to get the job done. Before we know it, we're stuck in that routine and doing the same thing over and again. We do it because it just works, but that old line of "It ain't broke, don't fix it," should be "If it ain't broke you haven't looked hard enough!"

Suzette Allen is back this week with some excellent tips to remind you to change it up! No matter where you're located it's a competitive market and most important of all your images have to look different. It doesn't matter what your photographic specialty is, you want your target audience to look at your galleries or an album and be excited about what they see. You need to make yourself habit-forming!

This week Suzette is bringing a technique familiar to most of you, putting motion into your images. These images are all about changing the perspective of a typical photograph. It's not new to you, but in that formula/routine you developed for shooting so long ago, it's become a forgotten component in your skill set.

"Motion" is such an exciting element to a still image, and as Suzette shares in two videos, slowing that motion down is another great way to change it up.  Combining exciting still images together with short video clips creates a presentation guaranteed to exceed the expectations of your clients.

If you haven't checked out ProShow9 yet, just click on the thumbnail below. Photodex never slows down in developing products to raise the bar on all your presentations. Just click on the banner below to find out more, and remember to use your discount code: SAVE20WITHSKIP for a 20% discount!

by Suzette Allen
​
While we are exploring ways we can change up our perspective and make our images more compelling, I definitely must mention MOTION. And that can mean many different ways of adding motion to an image. I think the element of slight blur can add to the storytelling aspect, and even tons of blur can give emotional appeal. I often photograph the landscape from a moving car with a slow shutter on purpose for dynamic blur pictures!

​Adding Blur can be done in camera and also in post. This image was a still shot taken from a video and was tack-sharp because I used a fast shutter speed (broke the video-shutter rule). I added motion with Photoshop to simulate the blurring of her hands. I think it is quite effective!

​Motion can add a lot of energy to an image as well, when panning, so the subject is sharp and the background is blurred. This effect is great, but takes practice to literally pan at the same speed as the subject so it is sharp, while using a slow shutter speed which blurs the background. (This one was taken by my husband Jonny at the Toyota Grand Prix in Long Beach this year!)

​The most obvious [and becoming more popular] way to add motion is VIDEO, though. I see more and more need for shooting video and the technology keeps getting easier as well! Here is a simple but effective clip in slow motion that gets your attention because we never get to see life in slow motion! Great moments, relived over and over in Slow-MO!

​While learning to shoot and edit video is a true journey, Photodex makes it amazingly easy to get going on it right away by shooting short clips and combining with stills to make great HYBRID videos in minutes! Pro Show Web is the fastest way to make a dynamic show with video and virtually no learning curve! This beautiful love story was created with Pro Show Web this summer in a big hurry for a deadline and Photodex saved the day (and literally made it possible!)

by Kathy

​Love learning new photography skills and techniques? We do too! That’s why we’re listing out our top 10 favorite photography blogs (including the ProShow Blog…of course!) for easier scouting.
Need a tutorial, video, directions, in depth articles, or even quick and easy articles…these blogs have it all. Browse through these 10 blogs and see what sparks your creativity.

1. ProShow Blog: Find tons of tutorial videos on how to use ProShow features, get freebie FX sets, find photography tips and projects, and much more. Plus, get photography, business, and marketing tips directly from photographers and watch plenty of fun slideshows from our ProShow fans.
2. 500px: 500px is full of helpful articles by professional photographers on a range of topics for everyone and plenty of general photography tutorials to improve your skills or learn something new. You can also browse through a collection of photos for inspiration from a worldwide community.
3. Digital Photography School: Take your photography to the next level with DPS. “We offer daily tips, resources and free tutorials that will help you get the most out of your camera and create stunning photos.”
4. Lightroom Killer Tips: Even though photography isn’t the main focus…it is still a great resource to learn more about using Lightroom and Photoshop to edit your photos in post processing. These tools make it easy and the blog is full of tips and tricks to make it even easier. Check it out!
5. PetaPixel: Get everything you need to know about photography in one place. Petapixel has a variety of posts from education to informational posts in what’s going on in the photography and tech industry.
6. Skip Cohen University: Raise the bar on your photography with SCU. It’s loaded with tons advice from recognized professional photographers, businesses, marketing, and amazing content by Skip Cohen. Need help marketing your business, want to see what other photographers do in their business, need content for your blog or advice on your website…SCU has the answers.
7. Photofocus: A one-stop-shop with helpful articles for photography + video, Lightroom, Photoshop, business, and much more. This is a site for anyone…from aspiring beginners to professionals who are looking to brush up on their skills.
8. Light Stalking: In addition to spreading the word about photographers and their work they also share tons of photography technique posts, tips and advice, guides, and more.
9. Expert Photography: “Expert Photography is a tutorial blog packed full of useful information, aimed towards amateur photographers looking for the knowledge they need to improve their skills and become pro.”
10. Click it Up a Notch: A fun source that shares more than just photography tips. You can also find tech + camera information, articles about different styles of photography, lighting, editing, manual mode, and a couple of other helpful categories. Easily scroll through to find what you need.

Don’t forget to make a ProShow slideshow of your work. Share with us your favorite style, the progression of your improvement, a theme, or anything else you want.  

Intro by Skip Cohen

Photodex never slows down in raising the bar on the tools they give you for creating stunning presentations. If you haven't checked out the new ProShow9 just click on the banner below, but the software is only part of the story. You've got to  have great photographs and video to enhance your presentations.  Suzette Allen is back this week with another technique to help you change it up!

Her first post in the series was about changing your camera angle.  This week she's hitting on infrared, which is a kick to add to your skill set and technique.

In today's competitive market you need to make your work different from everybody else. Even a wedding photographer has the ability to add a couple of exciting infrared scene-setter images to an album or video and enhance the story. 

Think of the idea to change it up as if you're working to become a great chef. Suzette is giving you another seasoning - a spice to change the flavor of whatever dish you're making!

You've got two goals with every client - to exceed expectations and make you and your work habit-forming! What better ingredient than capturing images and creating presentations that leave them awestruck?

by Suzette Allen
 
While we are on the topic of Changing Perspective and showing people a fresh take on common scenes, we really have to cover the aspect of Infrared Photography! It gives us a view of the world (in black and white) with different light and uncommon drama!

What I love the most is the dramatic light in sunshine, the outrageous light emitting from all green living things (plants), and the black skies which make the clouds incredible. Faces of people are a bit ghostly, so I don’t do many portraits, though. I always joke about duct-taping my Infrared Lumix to my head so I can see the world that way all the time!
 
The trick is to take an old camera and send it to LifePixel and have it converted. It is permanent, and it transforms the sensor to only register Infrared light (which we cannot see with the naked eye). Using a mirrorless camera is the way to go because you get to see it all IN infrared before you shoot! Viola! It makes all the difference!

​The cost for converting my Lumix G7 was under $300 and sooooo worth it! Now I shoot in the sunshine and the middle of the day on a regular basis! My last trip to the Grand Tetons, was incredible and I found myself shooting IR as much or perhaps more than color! ( class was Land Sea and Sky by Joe Brady workshops! )

Here are a two of my favorites from Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. 

Sunshine and shadows bring drama, but usually contrasty, ugly drama! But not so with Infrared! All of a sudden, we have a whole new segment of our day to shoot with great light!
 
Once you shoot with IR for a while, you will learn to recognize scenes that will be dynamic, even if they are incredibly dull in color. Here is an example of a horribly dull color image that is gorgeous in IR! The key is visualizing the backlight sun, knowing that the black needles will be pure white in the sun and make the image come to life! 

Stay tuned for more ways to Change it Up with fresh perspectives and techniques to keep your photography and vision alive! 

Photodex never slows down in their goal to keep making your presentations easier to create and at the same time more professional and entertaining for your clients. While I've repeatedly shared links to the new ProShow 9, I realized this week that I hadn't shared the video they produced showing what's new!

But ProShow 9 is only part of the story I hope you'll think about. Over the years, working together with Photodex, we've created some pretty unique contests, and one of my favorites is back - our search for the best self-promotional video.

Thanks to technology in the hardware side of photography and Photodex's non-stop development of new features, you've got the most creative tools in the history of imaging to be a storyteller, and most important of all, share your own story! Today, one of your very most potent marketing tools is video, and we're searching for artists who tell their story the best using still images, video, and great music.

Go back just ten years ago, and you only had a few options - meet a client in person, speak on the phone or have them see your website. While meeting in person had the highest potential it was only realistic to a small percentage of your total target audience.

Today, everything has changed. Just to make my point I took a scroll through Google searching for the number of Internet active households in America. Pew Research Center had some really interesting data. In just the US alone, it's estimated nine out of ten American adults use the Internet.

​Now, put that into how it has an impact on your business. You can tell your story to thousands of potential clients. Even more important are the tools you have at your fingertips. While a face to face meeting is still the most reliable way to build trust with your client, you still have to plant that first seed of confidence. There's no better way to do it than a slideshow featuring a mix of your personality and your work.

We're coming down to the wire for the submission deadline, but you've still got plenty of time to tell your story!

​We'll be sharing the winning video just about everywhere, including a full press release. Plus, there's a better than good chance we'll share a few of the other entries as well. And, to make it worth the effort the winner is about to put in, there's a prize package worth close to $2000!

• A Lumix GX85K complete with Vario 12-32mm lens from Panasonic
• A Tamron SP 45mm F/1.8 Di VC USD lens (available in Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts)
• A $250 credit towards Bella Art Prints from Marathon Press
• From Photodex a year subscription to ProShow Web Premium
• The industry's FIRST bluetooth light and color meter from Illuminati Instrument Corp.

Some of you think of slideshows as old technology, but they're anything but that with your clients. A well done self-promotional video is the best way to introduce each potential client to who you are, especially on your website or blog. 

We're coming into the seasonality of the fourth quarter and it's the perfect time to share a self-promotional video with your target audience! November 1 is just ten days away. You snooze, you lose! 

Intro by Skip Cohen

Suzette Allen is back with the perfect post to head into the last quarter of the year and the seasonality of 2017 - a solid reminder of how important it is to change it up and look at capturing images from a different perspective.

Whether you're a relatively new photographer or a veteran artist, everyone tends to get too comfortable in their technique. You forget to change the recipe and experiment with the way you capture images.

It's only natural since so many people live by that old line of, "If it ain't broke don't fix it!" Well, years ago business author Tom Peters said, "If it ain't broke, you haven't looked hard enough!"

For most of you, Suzette's suggestions are pretty basic, but she's not sharing the ideas to teach you photography, but remind you to step away from the routine, and work to give your images a different perspective.

That same philosophy is the backbone of Photodex! Slideshows are hardly a new idea, but the creative tools they've developed together with today's camera technology has given thousands of artists the ability to change it up with their presentations to clients, new products for their clients and an incredible tool for self-promotional marketing. They never slow down in their efforts to help you raise the bar on the quality of your storytelling.
 
Click on either of the banners below for an introduction to all the new features in ProShow9 and the Photodex/SCU contest to search for the best self-promotional video.

by Skip Cohen

Two of the most fun aspects of this industry are the companies and people you work with along the way. Over the years Photodex and SCU have worked on a lot of different projects together, always with the same purpose, finding ways to help artists build a stronger business. 

"Building Your Business" is an exchange of ideas thanks to some of the most successful, passionate and creative people in photography. I'm always surprised at the diversity behind each photographer's story and their dedication to education and sharing what they've learned on their journey.

Mike Moats joins me on today's podcast. He's no stranger to SCU and last year shared one of his images on an episode of "Why?" There's probably nothing Mike can't photograph, but his passion lies in the closeup and macro world. So many of his most beautiful images are things we see all the time, but rarely look close enough to appreciate. Click on any image below to visit Mike's website and his galleries. 

In the podcast, he talked about the image that launched his career, which is the first photograph below. He also talked about the new Macro Photo Club. It's just a click away if you'd like to find out more. 

Today, whether creating your own marketing video or slideshows for clients, you can make sharing images a memorable experience. Take the time to check out Photodex and the NEW ProShow 9 with a click on the thumbnail to the right.

And, don't miss the new Photodex/SCU contest - we're in search of the best marketing/self-promotional video, and there's a grand prize worth close to $2000! Click for more information.

Photodex is always focused on education to help you build a stronger business, and ways to help you raise the bar on your presentations.

Obviously, Photodex is an SCU partner, but my relationship with them and the respect I have for terrific software and presentations started years before SCU.  I first met the team at WPPI. As an exhibitor fifteen or more years ago they were fundamental in helping photographers understand the power they had in developing their storytelling skills.

Now fast forward to today! With the recent introduction of ProShow 9, they've brought a new level of creativity, designed to enhance your abilities to consistently exceed client expectations. Put your skill set for capture stunning images and video together with technology and great music, and you have the perfect recipe to get every client talking about you.

And that brings me to the same place I hit with every Photodex Friday post. We're a word-of-mouth business, and you want people talking about you! But, let's go one step further. Wandering through cyberspace, I found an article on SmallBizTrends.com from three years ago about consumer purchase decisions and the influence of social media. I pulled four highlights: 

• Forbes conducted research to see how consumers engaged with different industries - 81% indicated posts from their friends and family directly influence their purchase decisions.
• 38 percent of moms are more likely to buy products from brands other women ‘Like’ on Facebook.
• 78 percent of people say that a company’s social media posts impact their purchase decision.
• After marking an item as a favorite – 50 percent of social media purchases take place within a week, and 80 percent of purchases take place within 3 weeks. 

Great presentations need to be a part of your business model and now, just ahead of the holiday seasonality is the time for you to be sharing terrific content on your blog and website.

​And, don't forget ​the Photodex/SCU search for the best self-promotional video. We're in search of creative promotional slideshows and thanks to Photodex, Panasonic's Lumix Cameras, Marathon Press, Tamron and Illuminati the contest comes with a prize package valued at close to $2000!