Is there a photographer out there who doesn’t want to get better? Isn’t everyone looking for the ultimate learning platform for photography? Well, Trey Ratcliff of “Stuck in Customs” fame may have just found it! A few weeks ago, I was introduced to a new learning community called The Arcanum. Th...
A Week Of Inspiration I just returned from Altanta after spending the week at Gwinett Technical College judging at PPA’s International Photographic Competition. Every year, judges from around the country get together for a week to judge the best photography from around the world. It is truly an ex...
ImagingUSA is right around the corner! For those who don’t know, ImagingUSA is the once-a-year photography extravaganza, hosted by the Professional Photographers of America. This thing is HUGE with loads of great educational programs and a mind-blowing trade show. If you are anywhere near Nashvil...
OFF THE RECORD: Mamma Mia! This one has been in the work for months! I’ve been photographing Skyler her whole life and wanted to include her in the series, we just kept running into obstacles. We couldn’t decide on a cover, then couldn’t locate the right dress. Finally, the stars aligned and we ...
OTR- Nugent Style For this installment of the Off The Record Project, we are going all the way back to 1977 for the third album by guitarist/singer/songwriter Ted Nugent. Cat Scratch Fever was a big hit for Nugent, going multi-platinum. His crazed look helped to make the album cover very memorable...
Getting Modern Welcome back for another addition to the Off The Record Project. We’ve been doing a bunch of older album covers lately. This is probably due to the fact that the 80s produced so many iconic cover images. For this one, however, we decided to get a little more modern, with an homage ...
The Age of Glam Metal The 80s were know for a lot of things, but “heavy metal bands with big hair” would certainly be high on the list. For this addition to the Off The Record Project, we decided to explore the work of one of the biggest hair bands of the 80s – Motley Crue. Released in 1983, the ba...
Janet’s Control For the next installment of the Off The Record project, we are staying in the 80s for another memorable album cover- Janet Jackson’s “Control”. The album went to #1 in 1986 and sported a very memorable red cover. It even ranked #28 in Rolling Stone Magazines “Top 100 Albums of the ...
Off The Record We are entering the last few months of the Off The Record Project. If you are new to the project, you can read about it here. Back To The 80s The latest addition to the series is one of the most-recognized album covers from the 80s – Van Halen’s iconic 1984. The album went to #2 on t...
This project has produced some very emotional stories, but this is one you won't forget. Here is Marsha's story.
Guest Post by Brian Testa From a Renewed Bingo Setting to Instant Photo Sharing Capabilities Social media has already made its presence felt in the photo industry with more technologies that cater to portability and ease of access. Although the DSLRs are still a must for professional shutterbugs, ca...
Read moreI get a lot of emails asking which Photoshop filter plugins I use on my images. By far, my favorites are the Topaz filters. I like the fact that they offer easy-t0-use presets, but also allow you to go in and fine tune the look as much as you want. I don’t really endorse too many photography items...
Read moreEvery year, I teach a darkroom class to 8th graders at The Westwood School in Dallas. Although it is truly a dying art, I think there is still a lot to be learned from the whole development process. You have to work to get a nice image and can’t just shoot 1000 shots and hope to get a good one. Whi...
Read moreBack Where It Started Fifteen years ago, I joined the Dallas Professional Photographers Association. I didn’t really know anyone there and was just learning the ropes of photography. I knew so little, that I didn’t realize how far I had to go – if that makes sense. In hindsight, it turned out to ...
Read moreDon’t get me wrong- there are certainly days when I long for the “good old days” – when we used film and people didn’t stare at their phones all day. Technology can certainly be a nuisance. However, sometimes it comes in pretty darn handy! OFF TO THE ARCTIC This week I was scheduled to speak in Mi...
Read moreI am excited to be a part of the PROSPER eConference Summit January 14-23. This summit brings together 15 of the brightest minds in the industry — leading photography experts who will share proven strategies, real-world techniques, and hands-on tools designed to help you: • Attract, close, and thril...
Read moreAnyone Remember Records? The era of the vinyl LP is pretty much behind us. Sure, there are a few die-hard collectors and DJs who still covet records, but by-and-large, the music industry has left them behind. Remember when you were a kid and you got a cool new album for Christmas? It was always ob...
Read moreThe First Album The first official album cover for my “Off The Record” project has been completed and was unveiled today – appropriately enough – in London during my program at SWPP. I decided to start the project off with an iconic album cover from a British band that helped define 80s music – Dur...
Read moreOff The Record For this cover, I took on the album cover of one of my all-time favorite albums: Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits Vol 1 and 2. When photographer Cris Duncan suggested the cover, I knew it was one that I wanted to work on! How It Happened Cris is located in Lubbock, Texas – which would hav...
Read morePink Lady This next image in my Off The Record Project is a tribute to Pink’s “The Truth About Love” album cover. While it might not be quite as iconic as some of the other ones we will be tackling, it was certainly a fun one to create. After all- isn’t that what it is all about? The Concept When K...
Read moreBack From The UK Well, I’ve fallen a bit behind on my blogging lately and realized that I never really mentioned something BIG that happened to me earlier this year! I had the opportunity to speak in London at the Societies’ 2014 convention- which was a blast. The Society of Wedding and Portrait Ph...
Read moreWith The Beatles When I first started this Off The Record Project, I knew one of the albums I needed to include was the iconic cover of the Beatles first US album, “Meet The Beatles”. It is a very distinctive look that most rock and roll fans recognize instantly. I thought it would be fun to recre...
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