Last week I shared a post about Profoto USA's in-booth activity at the upcoming WPPI convention. If you think about the way most companies exhibit, Profoto's setting a new standard in education. Sure, they want you to check out their products, especially since they make what most consider some of the finest lighting gear in the world, but their presence at WPPI is far more.

This is about education...yours! The list of thirteen professional photographers, plus Profoto's own Chris Fain, represents some of the finest artists in the world.  These are the movers and shakers who set the pace over and over again for creativity, quality, diversity and perseverance.

It's Profoto Friday and I want to share one of those stories about perseverance and passion. Meet Jaleel King. I haven't met him, but he's on my bucket list, thanks to an incredible story by Mike Allebach on Brandsmash. You can count on me catching up to him in the Profoto booth. Mike sent me the link to the story and it pretty much sets the bar for inspiration. Just watch the video below and listen to Jaleel's comments. 

In Mike's original post he wrote...


"I first met Jaleel King at Help Portrait in 2009 an event that helps homeless and people who have had a hard year .   He rolled in on his wheelchair with and a pink photo backdrop and photographed homeless people with the rest of us.   I was amazed how he didn’t let anything get in his way. No obstacle was too big. He gave back despite having so much taken from him. That is who Jaleel is....read more.

Mike is no stranger to SCU and did an outstanding guest post last January, "Why I Photograph Tattooed Brides".
He's also a terrific writer and publishes "Brandsmash", which needs to be on your radar. Mike will be speaking in Profoto's booth as well as joining us on SPTV, which will be broadcast from Bay Photo's booth each day of WPPI.

Mike and Jaleel are two of those thirteen artists speaking in Profoto's booth. It's time both of them were on your radar. Click their images below to visit their sites. In the mean time, if you're headed to WPPI, put Profoto on your dance card! If you're not able to make the show this year, put Profoto's blog and site in your favorites list and then just stay tuned, there's a lot of excitement coming your way!

See you in Vegas!

Everybody always checks out the platform speakers at WPPI, but this year Profoto is setting the bar pretty high with some incredible programs right in their booth. They've got thirteen of the best photographers in our industry on the schedule.

You'll notice Chris Fain on the schedule. If you don't know Chris, you should. He's one of Profoto's technical experts and will be taking photographers through Profoto's lineup of products for 2015. If you want to find out more about any of these amazing speakers, just click on their head shot and you'll be on their site!

This is a remarkable opportunity for you to not only meet some of the movers and shakers in the industry, but check out how they're using Profoto's gear!

See you in Vegas!

It's Profoto Friday and I can't think of a better way to wrap up the week than to make sure I connect you to a story about one of my favorite photographers, Joe McNally. Actually, he's on everybody's list, but this post just added another element to the level of creativity Joe brings to every project.

For years, one of the items on my bucket list was to have dinner with Joe McNally. Two years ago he spoke at SCU's Summer School program in Chicago and we actually got out to dinner before his evening program. While we had shared a whole bunch of mutual friends for years, we'd never gotten any quality time together. What we all love about Joe is that he's just as open and frank in his presentation style as he is having a glass of wine over dinner.

This story, written by Rebecca Ahremark, was posted last week on the Profoto Blog and it's a classic demonstration of a creative vision Joe had, followed by the implementation and the reality of getting the shot.  The images below will give you a hint as to the degree of difficulty, but even better is the story behind the shoot. 

Profoto's Blog and Joe McNally need to be on your radar. Click either of the links below and then follow them both. You'll never be disappointed and you just might have a chance to raise the bar on your own creativity and the quality of your images.