Recently in Webinar Category

onOne Software, Inc. has announced its upcoming schedule of free Pro Series Live Webinars. Acclaimed photographers and Photoshop Gurus will be hosting the live hour-long sessions, enabling participants to submit questions during the sessions. Topics will include lifestyle, landscape, portraiture, travel and HDR photography, with new sessions being added regularly.  Attendees who attend will not only be inspired by the amazing photography of the speakers but will also learn valuable tips and techniques on using onOne Software products.

"Our customers, and those evaluating our products, have told us they find our new webinar series incredibly valuable.  The webinars help customers quickly get up and running with our tools and they provide insight to those who are considering onOne Software Plug-Ins."  said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. "We have an exciting line up of speakers and we feel confident that photographers will find tremendous value in these free webinar sessions."

Webinar Registration
To register for the webinars visit: http://www.ononesoftware.com/webinars

Webinar Schedule

Creating Fine Art Children's Portraits with Kersti Malvre
August 11th at 1pm PDT and August 17th at 11am PDT
In this webinar, Kersti Malvre, Lifestyle Photographer, will be showing and enhancing images from a fun and lively photo shoot featuring a wonderful little girl. She will demonstrate from start to finish how she creates a beautiful Lifestyle book using onOne Software's PhotoTools, PhotoTune and PhotoFrame.

Creating Images with Impact by Scott Stulberg
August 25th at 11am PDT and September 8th at 11am PDT
Travel and stock photographer, educator and author, Scott Stulberg travels the world shooting stock photography that appears in many publications. In this webinar, Scott will show you how to make your images truly stand out using onOne's FocalPoint, PhotoTools and PhotoTune.

Live from Las Vegas with Vincent Versace at Photoshop World
September 2nd at 11am PDT
Join Vincent Versace, live from Photoshop World in Las Vegas as he demonstrates how he uses Plug-In Suite 5 to achieve an iconic look to his photos.

Enhancing Your Portraits, with Dave Cross
September 14th at 2pm PDT
Join NAPP instructor and professional photographer Dave Cross for this valuable webinar that's jam-packed with tips and tricks for getting the most out of your portrait images using PhotoFrame 4.5 Professional Edition.

Has working weddings become more of a chore than a passion for you? Jerry Borwick knows the lure of wedding photography...and he knows the pitfalls. And if you, like Borwick, think that wedding photography may not be for you after all, come and listen to some firsthand advice in his webinar: "Say Goodbye to Weddings: Making a Successful Switch to Portraiture" (August 26, 2:00pm ET).

"Several years ago, I realized I would be happier shooting portraits instead of weddings because I could spend more time with my four boys on the weekends," recalls Borwick. "Another good reason is less work but more money. Plain and simple, I can photograph more portraits than I can weddings because there are only 52 weekends in a year, but there are 240 weekdays!"

"What you are working on now influences how your business will be in three months," notes Lisa Crayford, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, ABI. That's a piece of advice that has helped her throughout the years. It's a reminder to look ahead and work ahead, which is what she'll be sharing in her own upcoming PPA webinar, "Family & Children's Promotions: Making Dough in a Photographer's World" (August 25th at 2:00 pm Eastern).

To Crayford, promotions are an important way to work ahead in your business, and they have paid off for her studio, Country Gallery Photography Inc. in Kimball, Minn. That city is so small it doesn't even have a ZIP code...but she's been able to raise enough awareness and desire for her photography. How?

"With the economy being in the shape that it is, we like to do special promotions that help drive in customers to us," adds Crayford. "We like to dangle that carrot in front of them."

One such "dangling carrot" that really works is their Santa Charity, which Crayford will be discussing in more detail during the webinar. "It's a huge hit, and every year we choose a different charity," she explains. "I believe very strongly that it is important to give back and that giving back will help your business grow and prosper."

If growing and prospering sound good to you, maybe you should register for this webinar. Crayford will be sharing her proven ideas for family and children's promotions for late summer, fall and the holidays, including ideas that you can implement right away!

Studio management software might best be described as every photographer's little helper--a solution that manages sales, marketing, client outreach, lead tracking, digital images and sales presentations, all in one neat package. (If they could only figure out a way to work in laundry and kitchen duty, we'd have to give this stuff a perfect 10.)

"With studio management software, photographers can know every detail about what product lines they're shooting and the average sales per session by product line. They can track where clients are coming from, integrate web leads and know exactly how each prospect is handled," says Bridget Jackson, PPA's Studio Management Services (SMS) manager. "In addition to the product management and marketing tools, there's also the benefit of managing workflow."

She also points out that studio management software helps photographers build comprehensive profiles of clients, which can help with up-selling, repeat business and those all-important referrals. "One of the most important aspects of successful selling is being able to consistently replicate what works, and the only way you'll be able to accomplish that is by keeping detailed records of what works and what doesn't," adds Jackson.

PPA member and studio owner Dave Huntsman, M.Photog.Cr., of Versailles, KY couldn't agree more. "Being able to track my numbers easily is so valuable. I can do comparisons to previous years, map trends and keep track of referrals...and it's so simple to use."

Spit-Shine Your Business Processes
If you want to learn more about a variety of studio management software solutions, there's no better time than the next two weeks. That's when PPA will feature guests representing PhotoOne, ShootQ, StudioPlus, StudioCloud and SuccessWare. In just an hour each day (at 2 p.m. ET, July 20th, 21st, 22nd, 27th and 30th), you can learn the basics of studio management software, including a detailed review of customer relationship management, online booking, total digital workflow and point-of-sale management tools, one of Huntsman's favorite features.

"Studio management software makes your whole process more professional when you're working with a client," he says. "During my presentations, I can quickly and easily include thumbnails of the images clients like and print them right on the order with the invoice, so there's no confusion about what's been ordered. I can use one product and button up all my marketing and selling into one nice package."

PPA members pay just $19 per webinar, or you can get all five for $39. Of course, if you have an online learning pass, you can get access to these valuable webinars, along with all other live and archived webinars for an entire year.

Sorry...you'll have to look elsewhere to get your socks washed, but if you're serious about cleaning up your sales, marketing and digital workflow processes to improve profitability, then don't miss this webinar series.

Being able to sum up a lighting situation and almost instinctively know what to do to improve it (or even if it needs improving) is one the most important lighting skills you can have, according to Neil van Niekerk in Wayne, N.J. While that is not something you can learn in one go, it's part of what he will help photographers work towards in his upcoming PPA webinar, "Just Give Me the F-stop" (June 21, 12:00pm Eastern).

Beautiful lighting is an art and a science, and Niekerk's point is that you can't depend on just the numerical equipment settings to get it right. You have to combine that with methods and with an artistic eye. And he should know. Niekerk has taught many workshops on flash photography and lighting, maintains a blog with education articles on the subject and has even written a book about flash!

In fact, Niekerk says his goal during his regular workshops are "a few 'ah, NOW I get it' moments" like he experienced himself.

"For myself, I had a breakthrough [in understanding light & flash] when I finally realized that TTL flash and manual flash are two completely different animals," recalls Niekerk. "All the rules and guidelines that we are taught about flash are steeped in the formalities of manual flash; but when you work with TTL flash, it all changes. The old guidelines fall away. Once you realize that (and learn to control TTL flash), you have a remarkably versatile lighting tool."

Would you like to learn some of the methods Niekerk uses, such as how gelling your flash for tungsten can make flash blend seamlessly with the available light? Perhaps Niekerk will even discuss his infamous "Black Foamie Thing," a device he fashioned to soften and be more unobtrusive with flash.

Regardless, you'll want to join Niekerk on June 21st because he won't just stop at the f-stop...he'll take you to beautiful light.

More and more people prefer to text or e-mail rather than call. Yes, this does offer a quicker response, but as Mara Blom Schantz, Cr.Photog., knows, something is missing. "One of the most important lessons that my mother (Chloe Beeson Blom, M.Photog.Cr., CPP) taught me is that you should be personable and friendly," she says. "By acting this way in your life, you make connections with everyone who could be a potential client or could refer a client to you. And it feels good."

Schantz has experienced the power and importance of human connections in her own life and photography business, and she's going to share her insight in the upcoming webinar: "Things I Learned from My Mother: Guide to a Successful Photography Business in the Digital Age" (June 7, 12:00pm Eastern).

"I love the ability that photography gives me to make those connections every day," adds Schantz. "When I am talking with a mother during a design appointment and she is describing what is special about her child--and I see that look of pride she has at being a mother--it makes me happy. When I am photographing that child and we are laughing and making silly sounds together--or the child gives me a hug--that makes me happy. Being happy is something most people strive for their entire lives, and I get it almost every day through my connections with people."

The weather's warmer and your outdoor sessions are probably increasing. But are you as prepared as you think? When it comes to shooting on location at different public places, you might be fined if you don't have a permit. That's why PPA's Member Value and Experience department is sharing the webinar "Do You Have a Permit for That?: Photographing on Public Lands" (May 26th at 4pm Eastern), which offers information on when and how to get one.

Maria Matthews, PPA's Copyright and Government Affairs Manager, often hears about the problems photographers have with permits. "Most of what we hear from members relates to federal park land," she explains. "In these cases, it's a photographer and their clients being caught by a park ranger or other park official while in the middle of the shoot. Rangers will typically ask the photographer to produce a permit. If you aren't able to do so, they may fine you. And in the case of national park land, you're talking about a federal fine."

onOne Software has announced the second in onOne University's live webinar series - Bokeh: The Science of Focus and the Art of Blur with Vincent Versace.  

Vincent will discuss the science of lens blur and why focus is overrated in photography. With new software like FocalPoint 2, it's now possible to realistically replicate the quality of lens blur, or Bokeh, after the fact. He'll take you through when and where photographers deploy blur and how to achieve the desired results.  With your DSLR camera it's now possible to create the look of a Hollywood Glamour shot that previously required an 8 x 10 view camera and Vincent will show you how.

This will be a live webinar so photographers are invited to come, learn and get inspired and interact with Vincent Versace and the onOne team.  

Webinar Details

• Monday, May 24th, 11am PST (1 hour)
• Free of charge
• Register at www.ononesoftware.com/webinars
• FocalPoint 2 is available as a 30 day trial at www.ononesoftware.com/downloads

onOne University's mission is to provide relevant and educational learning resources to the professional and advanced amateur photography communities.  The onOne University Pro Webinar Series will feature well known photographers showing how they work and how they make the most out of onOne Software.  Currently, onOne University has over 100 free videos to help customers get the most out of onOne Software products and can be found at www.ononesoftware.com/university.

Take advantage of PPA's Member Essentials webinar series. These free monthly webinars cover topics that can help you add more value to your business, expand your opportunities, and make the most of your membership. Only available to PPA members, these webinars are also archived after the live event so you can view them anytime.

• Maximize Your Membership
  May 25, 2010 at 7:00 pm ET
  PPA Staff
• "Do You Have a Permit for That?": Photographing on Public Lands
  May 26, 2010 at 4pm ET
  Panelist: Maria Matthews, PPA Copyright and Government Affairs Manager
  
• Get Recognized: PPA's Merits & Degree Program
  June 23, 2010 at 7pm ET
  Panelists: Michael Barton, M.Photog.MEI.Cr., CPP, Tina Timmons, M.Photog.Cr.
• Certification: A Complete Explanation
  July 21, 2010 at 4pm ET
  Panelists: Christel Aprigliano, PPA Director of Member Value & Experience, Roger Daines, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API, Eric Richards, M.Photog.Cr.,CPP, Heather Smith, Cr.Photog., CPP

Visit our PPA Webinars page to view even more Member Essentials Webinars On Demand.

You often hear parents and teachers bemoan the challenges of dealing with teenagers. But Rod Evans loves a good artistic challenge and thrives on his senior photography. And he's willing to share how he does so (lucratively) during his PPA webinar, "Give Seniors What They Want: Fame," (April 19, noon EST).

Ironically, Evans wasn't even interested in the senior market when he entered professional photography...until he saw Fuzzy Duenkel, M.Photog.Cr., teach at a state convention. "Up to then, all I had seen in senior photography were ladders and numbers in the background. I was so inspired by Fuzzy's style and the way he worked with seniors almost like models," explains Evans.

With practice and education, Evans discovered his own ability to bring out the model in each high school senior, according to his/her personality. In fact, two of his favorite things about photographing seniors are the variety of personalities he comes across and the challenge that presents (a challenge to bring out the most from each person).

Seniors are flocking to Evans for this experience. They want to feel like models. "This market is looking for fame, and you have to offer some type of that fame to attract them," he comments.