Super Monday Speaker...Am I Ready?

[debbie_riggs]

I live in Abilene, TX which is at least three hours from the nearest Super Monday location and many times, it's a LOT more than three hours! I have been in business full time for five and a half years and work out of my home. Since I've only been at this a relative short time (considering I"m in my early 50's!) but I really want to work on my Masters and I'm a little over half way there. Slowly but surely.

Here's where I need your help! Someone at PPA asked if I might host a Super Monday here in Abilene. Great! But, I have NO idea what I would talk about or if anyone would even care or come if I did! I'm still in the "soaking" phase of learning myself from others and just cannot imagine someone learning from ME! Maybe I could title it, "Yes, You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks!" :)

As the judges say at print competition, "I'm listening!"

[Betsy_Finn]

When you talk with other photographers... what do you tend to talk about? I'm doing my first Super Monday this month... and it's on web-related stuff (blogging, websites, social networking). It took me a while to come up with something I was hands-down comfortable talking about for a full day... but I figured with my geeky/tech inclination, this would be the perfect topic for me to ease into full day programming :).

So... what you you know a lot about that could be relevant? What did you do before photography ...any concepts you could translate to the photography industry?

[mlphoto]

Betsy's advice is good. A couple other options -
1. Teach a basics class - basic lighting/basic weddings/basic, basic, basic. I've usually had better success in getting folks to attend a basics class than any of my more advanced classes.
2. Teach what you want to learn more about - What is one area that you wished that you could do better at? Dive in deep to learn from the best of the best and then consolidate all that information into some bite-sized pieces. Of course, that isn't something you can do overnight but over 6 to 12 months you might be able to pull off some really good info!

The main thing is to just do it! Trust in yourself enough to feel that you do have valuable information worthy of being shared. Martin Schembri told my wife and i that while we have mentors that we look up to, there are other photographers just starting out who look up to us.

[debbie_riggs]

Thanks, Betsy and also Mark! Great advice! Any other opinions out there?