NOTES: Post-Wedding Workflow with Zack and Jody Gray

         This Friday I watch another CreativeLIVE workshop that was a one day event. It was all about  Zack and Jody  Gray's Post-wedding workflow, here are some highlights from the day.

• "Acquiring knowledge is the thing I want to spend a lot of my time doing."
• "Strive for greatness not perfection."
• "The future of the economy is not based on how goo  your photographs are, its based on how much knowledge you have."
• "Half of our success within us believing that we can do it." 
• "Know where your money is going, so you can make your money behave."
• "Money good for 3 things: spending, saving, giving."
• Don't make decisions when you are emotional charge."
• "Routine and schedules keep you sane, everyone need habit"
• "If you schedule it, it will happen."-Jody
• "Our business is part of what we do, not our identity."-Jody
• When building schedule: "More structure and routine is your day the more effective and better your business will be."
• Delegate out much as can as business grows, that don't require unique voices. For example: uploading blog images, linking in blogs, packing/shipping items, placing product order, edit.
• To find some great books he recommending in the workshop chick on book recommendations.
• "Business don't maintain, they either grow or die."

NOTES: CreativeLIVe Fundamentals of Digital Photography with John Greengo

This week I watched the Fundamentals of Digital Photography, It was a 5 day workshop with John Greengo!  The course was amazing with some really great graphics that make the process of  understanding photography very clear. I took 94 pages of notes and some screen shots.

• 10 thing every photographer need to know from  Wednesday.

1. Photography is not cheap
2. The best camera of tomorrow can't shoot a picture today
3. Quality is important...  up to an point
4. Nobody makes a living being just a photographer
5. An average photographer with great business skills beat a great photographer with average business skills.
6. Opinions matter, yours most of all.
7. Three years to three stars (Year 1 & 2: trash most photos and one and two only, Year 3: three stars)
8. The hardest part of photography is being in the right place at the right time
9. Good photographers are good problem solvers
10. The learning never stops

             Look, Shoot, Edit, Repeat!

• Here's John Greengo's formal for taking great photo from the creativeLIVE workshop on Thursday.
1.  You need a camera (least important)
2.  You need time, available light (to scout and be available)
3.  You need effort ( photography is not easy)
4. Your need knowledge (the more you know, the better you'll do)

• The Formula for what makes a great photo from John Greengo on Friday.
• Beautiful Light
• Beautiful Composition
• Beautiful Moment
• New Interesting Subject
• New Perspective
• A Little Mystery ( not tell whole story in a photo)
• Also
• Bring the camera
• Pack light/Pack smart
• Stand steady, shoot steady
• Bring a tripod
• Get closer, get closer, get closer
• Watch your foreground and background
• Get out there and shoot, shoot, shot

• Go through your images and critique yourself
• Back up your photos 

• Fill the frame
• If you're giving nothing to shoot just shoot nothingness

• Get down on your belly and get up in the tree
• Keep your balance and wait for the decisive moment
• Shoot what you know
• Shoot what don't know

• To be a great photographer.. you need to see what others do not, you need to know the fundamentals of photography, you need the ability to portray your subject in a way that is bold beautiful and simple.

Easter Snack!

What snack do you look forward to eating at Easter time?

Easter is the only time I can get my hands on Starburst jelly beans. They are so good!  I can eat the whole bag in one day! No joke they are delicious and you can not just have two. One of my nephews received some starburst jelly beans in is Easter Basket and I told him I will give him a dollar if be give me  the small bag of Starburst jelly beans. He was not having it, but he ended up giving me one jelly bean. I said, " How kind of you to sharing and thanks!

NOTES: from CreativeLIVE Lightroom 4 Workshop

I enjoyed watching CreativeLIVE workshop regarding Lightroom 4.  Here are some off my notes from Laura Shoes workshop on the new Lightroom 4:

• Why Lightroom
• Customizes for Photographers, their workflow to all our needs
• Library Develop for retouch and adjusting, want to get the most out of your photos, powerful
• Lightroom is forgiving ( means it is ok you can undo, never touch your own photo)
• You can do more faster ( can find photos), work multi photos at the same time
• Recommended to have 1 catalog for all your photos is recommended
• Catalog can be on external drive, NOT on network drive
• Organize photo, back them up and  photo library to
• Organize photo, Lightroom doesn't organize photos, don't car how you do it
• Lightroom catalog contains all data you have ever done, have backup folder on photo library, to protect from corruption
• Backup catalog only back up data, to photos you did in catalog, not the images it self.
• Have photo library folder with image files and backup folder inside the library folder and back up the folder to be safe on a external drive.
• During import you can pre set in develop setting save time, add keywords need commas, apply to every photo you are importing tell where to store image
• DON'T delete photos, thinking they are in Lightroom
• To CLICK all photos in Lightroom, click all images by pressing (Command and A)
• If need help in LIghtroom or in doubt, RIGHT click on a Mac for options.

Lighting

I need to make time to practice and understand light and how what I can do to improve my photo. I need to spend some time watching practicing lighting and review my work!