PPA has some great online classes coming up in September and October, with topics including maternity photography and boudoir portraits.

Plus, the  previously canceled "Photographing and Interacting with Children of All Ages" class taught by Marianne Drenthe has now been re-scheduled for October 2.

You can find the complete upcoming online class schedule below. Remember that these classes are only $39 for PPA members or can be attended as part of the online learning pass.

Don't miss your chance to learn from these photographers, register today!

September 11, 2012
Maternity Portraits: Simple, Transitional Shooting & Selling
With Ana Brandt
$39 for PPA Members

September 18, 2012
Setting Yourself Up for Success in Maternity Sales
With Pete Wright, M.Photog.Cr.
$39 for PPA Members

September 25, 2012
Secrets to a High-End Boudoir Portrait Experience
With Jennifer Rozenbaum
$39 for PPA Members

October 2, 2012
Photographing & Interacting with Children of All Ages
With Marianne Drenthe
$39 for PPA Members

Who doesn't want to look their best in a photograph? It's a nearly universal desire--I challenge you to find someone who doesn't! It stands to reason, then, that if you can help your subjects look better than ever in their portraits, you'll likely wind up with better sales and much happier clients. And retouching skin is a very, very important step in that direction.

"No matter what else you might do to someone during the retouching process, the skin is what will make it believable or false," says Jane Conner-Ziser, Cr.Photog., API, one of the world's top retouching artists. That's why she's preparing a PPA webinar to share these skills: "Tips for Retouching Skin in Photoshop" (Aug. 28, 2:00pm Eastern).

Though it's not hard to retouch skin, it requires a variety of retouching tools for different purposes. After all, no two faces are alike. "We used to joke about wanting some kind of solution we could dip our negatives into that would know where to retouch and where not to," Jane laughs. "Today, we have auto-retouching software or brush-on retouching actions that STILL don't know what to remove, what to soften or shorten, and what to leave alone."

For example, Jane says that you need to be able to analyze the expression of each subject and bring out their best during the retouching process. "Some angles of light or character affect the way we see people. Is a person smiling in their eyes, but projecting anxiety in the face?" She'll show you how to handle this during the webinar, too.

In other words, it's up to you, my friend. Sure, there are great tools to use (and Jane will show you some), but you need control over the lighting, expression and visual appearance of your work from start to finish. Nothing replaces a master's touch!

So mark your calendar and register now for help getting those skin-tastic retouching results.

When you photograph children, you get the cute-as-a-button subjects. But you could also get the whining, crying, camera fear, people fear...and it's up to YOU to work around it if possible. So, how do you deal with a super-shy two-year-old who won't let go of mom's hands? How do you get real grins from a toddler vs. an eight-year-old?

Marianne Drenthe knows. And she's going to bare her knowledge via a PPA webinar: "Photographing & Interacting with Children of All Ages" (August 21, 2:00pm Eastern).

"There's a reason kids do what they do. So instead of just getting frustrated, find other ways to interact with them," she advises. "If Susie won't leave her mom, don't force it. Maybe you can treat the parents as props."

Pre-consultations with the parents are a big part of it, and she asks her parent clients to not treat the photo session as a "big deal." Rather, she asks them to talk about the session like it's a play date. Some pictures will be taken, but it's all about the fun. And remember: What's "fun" for one age, may be boring for another.

"This is probably the only PPA webinar where you'll hear the difference between bubbles and farts!" laughs Marianne. "Bubbles can make a one-year-old laugh, but an eight-year-old...not so much. Sometimes that's when I bring out the 'I think your dad just tooted' jokes!"

The point? Different ages require different interactions. As a former registered nurse and mom herself, Marianne knows the stages of child development AND she knows how to apply them to her clients and photo sessions.

The result? Awesome images and a stellar reputation. Learn how she does it on August 21!

The child portrait market may be a powerful thing--full of emotion and cute-as-a-button subjects--but as with all things, you have to know how to do it right. How do you handle the nervous mother of a newborn coming in for their first photo session? How do you get a shy three-year-old to open up in front of your camera?

PPA's recent and upcoming online classes may be able to help. After all, we did snag some of the top child and newborn portrait artists (and PPA members) to share their secrets!

• Learn how Keri Meyers prepares for and carries out her newborn sessions: "Setting Yourself Up for Success with Newborn Portraits" (live session August 7 at 2:00pm Eastern; archive available after)
• Learn about the stages of children's growth...and how Marianne Drenthe uses that knowledge to improve her sessions: "Photographing & Interacting with Children of All Ages" (coming up August 21 at 2:00pm Eastern)

It's probably safe to say that most of us have heard of Pinterest by now. With over a million "pins" per week, it's a pretty successful social media platform! But do you know how to use it legally? PPA has a free member webinar on that topic on July 31, so tune in and gather up safety tips for Pinterest.

Do you plan for the season...any season? Lori Nordstrom, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, ABI, does with great results, and she's going to share her strategies for cashing in on the holiday seasons (and planning for the year) via tomorrow's PPA webinar: "Cash In This Christmas" (July 24, 2:00pm Eastern).

Plan on learning both top-level ideas and specific how-to's as she shares details about her Thanksgiving promotion (called "I'm Thankful") and other holiday promos. She'll also discuss how to create different seasonal products and promotions that bring in both high-end clients AND the clients you usually wouldn't reach.

The goal is extra income without sacrificing your precious family time. So tune in and learn how to make the holidays merry for you as well as your clients!

You know what networking is, right? Of course you do. But the majority of people don't quite understand how it works, says Lara White, founder of PhotoMint, an online resource for photography business owners. "Networking is merely the way to meet potential partners," she explains. "In order to get results, you need to follow up."

Lara's going to share how to get those results in her upcoming PPA webinar, "Book More Weddings: Building Vendor Relationships to Drive Your Business" (July 17, 2:00pm Eastern). Luckily for us, she's sharing a few tips right now!

• Make the call. "Once I actually began taking action--following up with people I met--things started building slowly," says Lara about her experience in running a successful photography business (Geoff White Photography) with her husband. "Over time, I began to develop relationships with vendors that led to marketing partnerships and many referrals for my business."
• Build referral relationships all over town (with wedding vendors, for example). Say the bride asks her florist for photographer referrals and is provided a list that includes your name. Next, she asks her venue for recommendations and is shown your sample album as the facility coordinator says you work there frequently and clients love you. Finally, she asks her makeup artist if she has heard of your studio, and she gushes about how awesome you are.  The referrals build on each other, making you look better than ever to the prospect.
• Work on several relationships at once. Some of your relationships will flourish right away while others may take months or years to build.
• Be patient & maintain contact. Lara was afraid that her very first networking event for the wedding industry was a total waste: "I'd only met one person, spent three hours out of the office and paid for the luncheon. But that single meeting led to one of the big breaks in my career." She built a business relationship with that contact, and when he booked a celebrity wedding, he referred Lara and her husband. "That particular wedding got so much press and industry recognition, it was a turning point in our career," she adds.  Plus, the couple purchased two multiple-volume album sets and four parent albums!
• Don't dismiss new vendors. It's often easier to connect with those who are new to the events industry (especially if you're just getting started in photography yourself!) because they will likely have more time available to meet new people, will need images for marketing, and will be eager to get their businesses off the ground as well.

Done right, networking can give you a flood of referrals and bookings. Want to get those kinds of results? Start with Lara's webinar on July 17!

Sports photography is just as competitive a field as all the rest. So if you want to make your images excel--in creativity and sales--come listen to what award-winning photographer Richard Sturdevant has to say on June 28 at 2:00pm Eastern.

"I have a passion for high school sports. I was an athlete (long ago!) and my son currently plays sports, so I decided to apply my art skills to sports photography, too," explains Richard. "The response was huge!"

Chief among what differentiates his work are his sport composites. "These have become top-sellers at the studio," Richard says. "Everyone wants to be amazed, and composites can deliver that kind of impact. The public is getting used to seeing great sports action images, but composites still stand out. They tell a story of that moment in such an artistic way."

Richard will take you through the creative process of creating such sport composites and how to sell them for a profit. As he says, "Amaze the client, and your studio will be rewarded."

Join him for his PPA webinar, "Sport Composites That Sell" and get ready to amaze YOUR clients!

See a gallery of Richard's sport composite images.

There's no better job than one that allows you to join two of your passions together. That's why Gregg Martin, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, loves his sports photography time. "This is my element," he adds. "If I didn't have a house payment, I would do this every day for free!" And he's darn good at it too. In fact, he's been shooting on the sidelines for the South Carolina Gamecocks for 23 years!

All that experience means Gregg has figured out a number of ways to get the best shots for his clients...and he's ready to share them with you! Catch his tips via his PPA online class next week: "Fundamentals of Sports Action Photography" (June 19, 2:00pm Eastern).

Why can't you miss it? Gregg will be sharing more than just the equipment and clothes you need. He'll be sharing behind-the-scenes strategies for getting the money shots, like the one-second fist pump of celebration after a play is made.

"Sometimes it takes bending the rules a bit--not putting yourself in a dangerous position, just being open for the opportunities," he explains. "When players warm up pre-game, they often get in a big huddle and pump each other up. I'll run up behind them and hold a camera way up to get a bird's eye view image. I've never been told I couldn't do it, but I've also never been told I could!"

Gregg adds that you have to be ready to take the shots when they come. In the stadium where he often photographs, photographers cannot stand in the end zone, but they can walk across it to get to the other side. "If you're walking across the end zone, always have your camera at the ready," he says. "If a play happens as you walk by, you could capture it and have an end zone image no one else has."

Are sports and photography two of your passions? Do you want to break into the sports photography field or make your images better? Then don't miss Gregg's PPA online class next week!

IMAGE © GREGG MARTIN

The sports photography field is full of great opportunities for pro photographers, from team images of youth sports to action shots that capture the moment. If you are looking to break into this specialty--or improve your results in it--tune in for PPA's June webinars, featuring tips and advice from masters of the field:

June 12 - 2:00pm
More Business & Profit with Youth Sports Photography
Dave Stock

June 19 - 2:00pm
Fundamentals of Sports Action Photography
Gregg Martin, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

June 28 - 2:00pm
Sport Composites That Sell
Richard Sturdevant, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr.

(Image "Not Today Boys", ©Gregg Martin, 2011 PPA Loan Collection)