Fast Food Friday - For Professional Photographers

It's the second Fast Food Friday of 2019, and the perfect time to talk about educational support in the new year. We've talked a little about it in past posts, especially about getting the most out of a convention. But today, I want to hit all the opportunities for you to expand your skill set in virtually every area of photography, business and here and there, even in life. 

Remember why I started this series - to give you short tips on how to make your business stronger in quick easy to "digest" topics each week. Well, this is number 42 in the series and with a little help from my buddy, Scott Kelby, let's talk about education for 2019.

One of the most diverse educational resources that should be on your radar is "The Grid." It's loaded with content shared by some of the finest educators in professional photography.

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Photography, Education and Support - On the Grid

Click on this photograph to watch this episode

This past Wednesday I was invited back to The Grid, hosted by Scott Kelby. Our topic was getting the most out of educational opportunities in 2019. We covered a lot of ground, including maximizing your time at conferences.

If you haven't checked out "The Grid" you're missing an opportunity to expand your skill set in just about everything to do with imaging including marketing, business, Lightroom, capture, printing and the list goes on and on.

There's a lot of great information in this episode. However, let's look at a bigger picture. This is the slow season and just because business might be slow doesn't mean you should be! Now is the time for you to fine-tune those areas you're not strong in and as Scott and I discuss, there's an endless supply of places to get help. ​

• Webcasts: I'm partial to The Grid. Take a scroll through all the episodes. There are over 350 in the archives offering photographers a long list of topic all presented to help you grow as an artist and business owner.
• Online Courses: Take a scroll through The Grid's selection. There are hundreds of topics ranging from short tips to full length multiple online presentations, each giving you the ability to learn at your own pace.
• Books and Magazines
• Blogs
• YouTube: So many of you have never taken the time to check out what videos have been shared online. For example, type any well-known photographer in the YouTube search box, and you'll more than likely find their channel loaded with help to make you a stronger artist. And, just as another great example, Scott Kelby has 124 videos on his channel, and there are 1459 on the Kelby Media Channel.
• Conventions and Trade Shows: You should be planning on attending every possible convention/conference you can in the new year.
• Manufacturers and Retailers Websites: Two of my favorite are Profoto's and Tamron's. You'll find them both on YouTube as well - always sharing great information and supporting the need photographers have to grow.
• Photographer Websites: You can learn so much looking through the galleries of photographers who you respect and paying attention to the way they tell their story.
• Live Workshops and Road Shows: Photographers and manufacturers alike are on the road each year with a series of workshops. You'll find Panasonic's LUMIX Ambassadors teaching at various retailers throughout the year, and Tamron's Tech Reps do a national tour each year, just to name a couple of companies who believe in education. 

​Here's my point with today's Fast Food Friday special - you've chosen a career field that's driven by creativity and technology. Our industry is continually changing, and if you keep doing things the same old way, you'll never grow. Remember, growth only occurs outside your comfort zone. 

One of the things Scott and I talked about was the importance of always taking at least one class completely outside your core specialty. Imaging has become a giant umbrella about helping people capture memories and tell their story. You never know how something you learned in what seemed like an off-topic class is going to help you later on.

One perfect example is video. Most of you are working with cameras that allow you to capture video as well as still images. However, only a handful of you are taking advantage of the technology that's right there at your fingertips.

Even if you have no interest in videography as a core specialty, understanding how to best capture video will give you better material to share in your own mixed media marketing presentation. There's very little that beats the impact of still images, short video clips and great music, all combined to tell your story as an artist, and presented to your target audience each time they visit your website.

And last on the list of educational resources are all of us in the industry here to help you grow. Scott and I talked about being educators, and while we might not always have the answers, we have networks of incredible people who do. But, you've got to let us know you need help. Got a question or a challenge you need help with? Just ask!

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