If you haven't checked out Tamron's new "My Photo Exhibits" you're missing one of the most fun experiences in a long time when it comes to sharing images. 

I've shared a couple of blog posts previously with information on the new Tamron contest, which brings together travel and My Photo Exhibits. However, until a couple days ago I hadn't taken the time to finish my own gallery and kept waiting to add more images. I decided this morning to just get it open, so I could share the concept with you. What's fun is that I can always go back and add more images, change the style of the gallery, the theme, virtually anything.

What a kick this is! I wanted to share some of my images and while I don't make a living as a professional photographer, that doesn't mean I don't share the same passion or pride when I capture/create something I really like.

So, it all started with trying to think of a theme for my images and rather than be very specific in the types of images, I chose to just put everything under one umbrella - playing with Tamron's new 14-150mm lens for my LUMIX GH3. Tamron has been making great glass for years, and this new lens, specifically for mirrorless cameras sets a standard every photographer will enjoy working with.

The next step is picking the style of the gallery.  From the ceiling, to the floor, the frames, walls and furniture, it's a lot of fun looking at your images and seeing how they might look in a real gallery. I love the fact that with every image I can add a more in-depth explanation.

If you haven't built your own gallery yet, have some fun. Remember the word "fun"? It's one of those very special words that's too often lost today in the pressure of business. I love the fact that Tamron is giving us all an opportunity to put a little fun back in our lives!

Check out My Photo Exhibits and also Tamron's new contest!  Plus, don't forget the Tailgate Tour is coming your way as some of the finest artists in the industry, also on Tamron's Tech Team, make their way across the US to help you raise the bar on your own images.

Welcome to a new feature at SCU, "Tamron Talks". We're going to be sharing some unique podcasts with some of the most creative artists in our industry today with several goals, to help you raise the bar on the quality of your images, your business and here and there maybe even a few pointers on chasing your dreams.

Earlier this week I shared a new "My Photo Exhibits" gallery belonging to Michael C. Snell. His images are as stunning as his passion for photography and travel. He shared some great advice and a little of his background as he identified the dream he had for his career path and then started his journey.

Michael needs to be on your radar... 

Check out his images, his blog and his website. (Notice the great way he's set up his galleries. It's a stellar design!) And, with one more click, swing by Tamron's Image Masters to keep track of some of the most talented and creative artists in the industry!

Michael  C. Snell is no stranger to SCU. His guest post last year hit on a great topic, using your images to bring out details that help to tell your story. It's a great post and we followed it up a few months later with a Spotlight Post about Michael.

Well, this morning's post gives you another introduction to Michael's work in his new Tamron "My Photo Exhibit" Gallery. I love these galleries, because each time, the only thing missing is the wine and cheese of an opening night celebration.  Plus, clicking on any image brings you to a level of even more detail, as Michael talks a little about each image and the remarkable detail he's capturing with Tamron's glass.

Michael needs to be on your radar. Check out his website for more stunning images and start following his blog. He's always sharing great content and images.

If you haven't been to "My Photo Exhibits", what are you waiting for?

"MyPhotoExhibits gives you the ability to create your very own virtual 3D photography exhibits in a personalized Soho-style exhibit space and share them with your friends, or the world! Membership is free, so sign up, and start showcasing those beautiful photographs of yours. Just click the link below to get started."

Check out Tamron's newest contest for their lens owners...it's a travel contest using "My Photo Exhibits" as the platform for sharing your images. Great prizes and a fun opportunity to show your creativity. 

And, as I've written before, remember the word "fun"? It so often gets loss in the hectic reality of our daily lives. Well, Tamron is putting it back into how we show and share our images!

Tamron's tech team is going to be all over the country again this year. Having worked with a few different members of the team, I'm doing my best to make sure you know when they're coming to a city near you. Whether you currently own any Tamron glass or not is irrelevant - you owe it to yourself to meet some of the most talented artists in the industry and check out all the help they're offering photographers to raise the bar on their skill set. Plus, you'll have a chance to "test drive" some outstanding optics for yourself. 

The schedule for the rest of April is below. (Don't forget Charlotte on the 18th in my previous post.)

4/22 Raleigh, NC  Peace Camera
Event 12pm - 4pm
FREE Mini-seminars under the Tailgate Tent in specified location

  12:00 - 12:45pm
1:00 - 2:30pm
3:00 - 3:45pm

Achieving Perfect Exposure
Portfolio and Image Review
Understanding Your Digital Darkroom

Sign up for "The Field Guide to Inspired Photography: See It, Capture It, Work It" 
2-hour evening seminar with welcome bag only $25, Get details. Click to register >>

 4/25 Spartanburg, SC Spartan Photo Center
Event 12pm - 4pm
FREE Mini-seminars under the Tailgate Tent in specified location

  12:00 - 12:45pm
1:00 - 2:30pm
3:00 - 3:45pm

Achieving Perfect Exposure
Portfolio and Image Review
Understanding Your Digital Darkroom

Sign up for "The Field Guide to Inspired Photography: See It, Capture It, Work It" 
2-hour evening seminar with welcome bag only $25, Get details. Click to register >>

4/29 Savannah, GA WorldWide Camera
Event 12pm - 4pm
FREE Mini-seminars under the Tailgate Tent in specified location

  12:00 - 12:45pm
1:00 - 2:30pm
3:00 - 3:45pm

Achieving Perfect Exposure
Portfolio and Image Review
Understanding Your Digital Darkroom

Sign up for "The Field Guide to Inspired Photography: See It, Capture It, Work It" 
2-hour evening seminar with welcome bag only $25, Get details. Click to register >>

Just a few weeks ago I did a Spotlight Post about Tamron Image Master, Monica Royal. She's an incredibly talented artist, bringing us into the world of macro with one stunning image after another. She's got a new gallery in Tamron's "My Photo Exhibit" and it's almost as stunning as it would be live, walking into an exhibit in NYC's Soho.

My favorite feature of "My Photo Exhibit" is the ability to pick up an educational or background element on the image itself. With Monica there's some wonderful educational elements here, as she not only shares the specs on the image itself, but gives us a little more insight into what the image is. I pulled two of my favorites below.

Monica needs to be on your radar and if she's teaching a workshop, run, don't walk to get a seat! You'll find her on Facebook, Twitter and definitely take a stroll through her "My Photo Exhibit" gallery. Just click on any of the images in this post.  

If you haven't been to "My Photo Exhibits", you're overdue! I'm working on sharing my own gallery later in the week and it's a kick to select the images and then set up the gallery, right down to the colors, furniture, ceiling and frames.

"MyPhotoExhibits gives you the ability to create your very own virtual 3D photography exhibits in a personalized Soho-style exhibit space and share them with your friends, or the world! Membership is free, so sign up, and start showcasing those beautiful photographs of yours. Just click the link below to get started."

And, while you're there, check out Tamron's newest contest for their lens owners...it's a travel contest using "My Photo Exhibits" as the platform for sharing your images. Great prizes and a fun opportunity to show your creativity. 

Remember the word "fun"? It so often gets loss in the hectic reality of our daily lives. Well, Tamron is putting it back into how we show and share our images!

For the rest of the year, every Friday, I'm going to publish the following week's schedule for the Tamron team and the annual "Tailgate Tour". I'll be the first to admit this sounds like an infomercial, but this group of tech reps represent some of the finest artists and instructors in our industry. The Tailgate Tour, is all about getting you the additional help you need to raise the bar on the quality of your images.

At each program you'll have a chance to get your photo questions answered by an expert. The program is free, complete with mini-sessions on a variety of topics. You'll have a chance to test drive the latest Tamron lens technology; check out various specials on Tamron lenses and some cities will include a full evening seminar as well, for just $25.

Looking for the full published schedule to date?  Just click on the banner above!

April 13 - NYC- B & H Photo
Event 11am - 5pm
FREE Mini-seminars under the Tailgate Tent in specified location
  11:00 - 12:00pm
1:00 - 3:00pm
4:00 - 5:00pm

Achieving Perfect Exposure
Portfolio and Image Review
Understanding Your Digital Darkroom

Sign up for "The Field Guide to Inspired Photography: See It, Capture It, Work It" 
2-hour evening seminar with welcome bag only $25, 
Get details. Click to register  

April 14 - Easton, PA - Dan's Camera City
Event 12pm - 4pm
FREE Mini-seminars under the Tailgate Tent in specified location

  12:00 - 12:45pm
1:00 - 2:30pm
3:00 - 3:45pm

Achieving Perfect Exposure
Portfolio and Image Review
Understanding Your Digital Darkroom

Sign up for "The Field Guide to Inspired Photography: See It, Capture It, Work It" 
2-hour evening seminar with welcome bag only $25, 
Get details. Click to register 
 
April 18 - Charlotte, NC - Cardinal Camera 
Event 12pm - 4pm
FREE Mini-seminars under the Tailgate Tent in specified location

  12:00 - 12:45pm
1:00 - 2:30pm
3:00 - 3:45pm

Achieving Perfect Exposure
Portfolio and Image Review
Understanding Your Digital Darkroom

Sign up for "The Field Guide to Inspired Photography: See It, Capture It, Work It" 
2-hour evening seminar with welcome bag only $25, 
Get details. Click to register 

Jonathan Thorpe is no stranger at SCU. His Valentine's Day image from 2014 is still one of my favorites along with his behind the scenes video about the image.  Well, it's a lot of fun this morning to share Jonathan's gallery opening at Tamron's new "My Photo Exhibits".

What a kick to wander through his gallery. The fun of seeing images displayed in the same way they might look if walked into a gallery opening is a kick. The only thing missing is the wine and cheese! It becomes even more fun when you click on an individual image. You're able to get more information about the image itself, which lens the artist used and the location.  

There are a number of artists whose work I'll be sharing with you over the next few weeks along with a podcast here and there to get more insight into their images, style, new projects and maybe even a few guest posts.

In the mean time, isn't time you set up your own gallery? 

MyPhotoExhibits gives you the ability to create your very own virtual 3D photography exhibits in a personalized Soho-style exhibit space and share them with your friends, or the world! Membership is free, so sign up, and start showcasing those beautiful photographs of yours. Just click the link below to get started.

And, while you're there, check out an amazing new contest as Tamron searches for great travel images, displayed in your own gallery in My Photo Exhibits!

Intro by Skip Cohen

I'm a huge fan of photographic contests because first, they're fun to do and second, they give you a chance to fine tune your skills. While not every image you might enter was captured with a contest in mind, you tend to shoot just a differently when hoping to get a little well-deserved recognition for your skill set. You take a little more time; analyze the final image more and most important of all, unleash more of your creative spirit.

This week Tamron announced the launch of their "My Travel Exhibit" photo contest and your opportunity to win one of three outstanding Tamron lenses. Click on any of the three lenses for more information.

Plus, the winner will be featured in Tamron's newsletter, website and we'll tie it into your own Spotlight Image guest post with a link to more your work here on the SCU site.

The contest details couldn't be easier to follow...

                  Theme: Travel Photography 
                  Submission: Build your 3D virtual exhibit with your best travel shots taken with a Tamron lens. 
                                          The  winning exhibit will be selected based on overall image quality of the collection. 
                  Deadline: August 31, 2015

Everything starts with a visit and FREE registration to Tamron's My Photo Exhibits, where you can build a 3D exhibit in your own New York Soho style gallery. It's a great way to show your work and compete for recognition and grand prizes. Here's just one example by Tsotofoto, from the My Photo Exhibits site. Click on any of Tsotofoto's images and you'll be able to view the entire gallery.

Plus over the next few weeks, several of Tamron's Image Masters are going to join us here at SCU with their images, a podcast or two and great advice to help you capture and create, not only stronger images for the contest, but for your own personal gallery as well.

And, here's a perfect example of why I enjoy Tamron's support for the industry so much. The don't just launch an enter a picture photo contest, but give you the chance to build your own gallery.

What a kick!