NoBs Digital Dogbowl
The NoBs Digital Dogbowl Newsletter:
Keeping you up to date and informed on the latest, coolest, and outrageous happenings inside the world of NoBS Photo Success.
Loaded with Free photography tips, Photoshop tutorials, photo reviews,
and other totally relevant essentials. Be sure to check out the whole thing!
Hungry for more? Visit our digital photography forum.
April 2007 Digital Dogbowl
From The Trenches by Rob Provencher
Greetings members! Welcome to our new newsletter format. We are excited and appreciative of those who helped pull it together, people such as Gabriella (Gabi) and Shawn (Riff). Without people like them pulling together, we would not be able to keep the No BS spirit alive.
One of our personal challenges, as always, is trying to maintain our own studios and stay on top in the forum. I know James is constantly in there and he contributes way more than I do. He does so passionately and with a sincere desire to help others. I, on the other hand, work diligently 'under the radar', organizing interviews, content, consulting, and 'stuff' to bring to the forum. More on that in a second.
Why NoBS Is Like No Other by James Hodgins
It seems to us that we've covered this, but it merits repeating every so often, especially since a naysayer and a critic are born every minute. Take a moment and think about why you joined NoBS. Was your business not where you wanted it to be? Were you finding it difficult, if not impossible, to find a one-stop shop website dedicated to developing well-rounded photographers without all the fluff? Yes? It's really not surprising. We've got something very special here and only a lucky few of you know it.
NoBS Member of the Month: Ricky
As some of you may know, Ricky is a Venezuelan photographer who came to NoBS a mere 8 months ago with little more than 8 months of experience under his belt as a professional photographer. In that short amount of time, his work has grown by leaps and bounds. He has inspired many of us here with his artistry and with his quick rise and it is fair to say he accomplished this success with a lot of practice and help from the NoBS family.
NoBS News
The 2007 NoBS Inferno has tentatively been scheduled for November 5, 6, and 7. The location, Niagara Falls, will remain the same as last year's event. Rob is spearheading the organization of this year's Inferno. If you have any feedbacks or questions about the Inferno email Rob.
More information on the Inferno will be forthcoming.
The Cozumel seminar was a great success. Click here to see James' images from the trip.
Industry News
WPPI is holding its annual show March 24-29, 2007 at Paris and Bally's, Las Vegas. NoBS' very own Rob and James have a booth (#712) at the show. If you're there, stop by and say hello!
The PMA International Convention and Tradeshow 2007 just wrapped up in Las Vegas. Check out the PMA 2007 report from Photographyblog.com for more details on the latest products introduced at the show.
NoBS Hot Topic on the Forum
We can all agree that The Secret has certainly stirred up some strong feelings, both positive and negative, in the past couple of months here at NoBS. What is The Secret, you ask? It is basically the law of attraction. For more info, check out the The Secret. Although not everyone saw eye to eye on the validity of the principles set forth in The Secret, a great discussion ensued and we got to find out a little about what drives and motivates us to be the best we can be.
Marketing Tips
If you are starting fresh in a new town, what better way to reach a large and receptive audience in a short period of time than at a bridal fair or a baby expo. If you are looking for ideas on booth setup, look no further than the forum. Many of you NoBS members have willingly shared your booth setup and strategies for successful shows on the NoBS forum.
Another great strategy for jumpstarting your business in a new town was presented by Doug Box in the latest Monthly Success Interview. Make the time to listen to the interview; it's worth it.
Do you have a marketing strategy that has worked for you? Is it something you learned on NoBS? Drop us a line and let us know so others may learn.
Vendor Spotlight: NSI
Niagara School of Imaging gives you the opportunity to glean real life knowledge, tips and ideas from top North American based photographic instructors. By bringing together an environment for learning (Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada), an environment that stimulates creativity (the beautiful Niagara Peninsula), topnotch instructors, and events that unite photographers and industry supporters/suppliers, Niagara School of Imaging is an intensive 5-day program that will make a positive impact on your personal and business skills as well as ignite your creativity.
"Who's Yer Daddy?!" - a note from Rob
So what's new and exciting with the forum? I have had some cool new ideas and thoughts, and now is as good a time as any to reveal some of my ideas. As you may know, I have my marketing manuals, MP3 coaching audios, reports, videos and more videos on shooting babies and children, interviews, and so much more. I am re-doing the marketing system soon enough and updating it.
NoBs Photo of the Month
NoBS founders Rob and James will be looking out for the NoBS member photo of the month for each month's newsletter. Your image could be it! If selected, you will be interroga... err... interviewed to find out what in the world you were thinking when you captured your work of art. Inquiring minds want to know what makes a winning image. Stay tuned for details.
This month features an image created by Jaco Fourie. To view the details for this image, go here: Photo of the Month
Focus On Technique
There's been quite a bit of talk about a technique used by photographer Dave Hill. Our very own Riff has come up with an action you can download to recreate this HDR look. It's called Over the "Hill". Give it a shot and send in your before and after pictures. We'll post it in the next edition of the newsletter.
New Actions - Exposed at WPPI
It's been an interesting time since I launched the Craig's Actions Site, especially so as I am still a full-time working photographer. There is much that I know I should do, many things that I would like to do, but ultimately - it comes down to what I am able to do.
Free Action from Craig
Get the action here: Right-Click and Save As
Photoshop Mechanic by Bill Guy
Photoshop vs Photoshop Elements for Pros
Adobe puts out two image processing programs, Adobe Photoshop Elements, a consumer directed program and Photoshop the big dog in the image processing world. Many pros, who are now into digital, think that with expensive cameras they should also purchase the most expensive and powerful software to go with it. The only problem with this is Photoshop has a very steep learning curve which leads to even more frustration than the whole digital crossover.
Judy's Get Serious Workshop
Judy's upcoming workshop is called "Get Serious ... Have Fun Doing It". Its going to be 3 days of intense instruction and shooting. She promises that no one will go home without something they can use from this workshop.
Dates: May 29, 30 and 31. Location: Toronto Ontario
Go to her website www.elementzoffoto.com and look under the new menu selection called "Workshops".
Appreciation: Monte Zucker: 1929-2007
It is with great sadness that we announce that Monte Zucker, M.Photog.Cr.Hon.M.Photog., of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, passed away March 15, 2007 from pancreatic cancer. Monte was a master and teacher of classical portraiture and wedding photography. He touched many lives and helped jumpstart many photographic careers with his wildly popular seminars and educational materials. For more information go to www.montezucker.com.
Inside This Month
- Message from Rob
- Message from James
- MacGyver's Corner
- Lighting 101
- NoBS Member of the Month
- NoBS Photo of the Month
- NoBS Forum Hot Topic
- Marketing Tips
- NoBS News
- Industry News
- Focus On Technique
- Who's Your Daddy?!
- Mud, Sweat, and Gears
- Fuji S5 Replacing Nikon?
- NoBS Success Interviews
- Photoshop Mechanic
- Vendor Spotlight
- Quick Workflow Tutorial
- Using the Pen Tool
- Thought for the Day
- Farewell to Monte
MacGyver's Corner - DIY Battery Pack
Professional photography equipment can get pretty pricey and if there is an equally effective and cheaper alternative, we'll use it right?! Well, as luck would have it, NoBSers are a rather resourceful group. Each month we will feature a DIY item from the MacGyver thread. This month, we're happy to pass along to you the link to the post on building your own battery pack for your flash. This comes to us courtesy of Marquis. Check it out here
Lighting 101
Are you trying to master studio lighting? The download section has a ton of great videos featuring Rob and James demonstrating their techniques. If you are looking for critique from your peers, then check out the thread one light portraits. Start off with one light and post your results for critique.
Freestyle Wedding Success System
Discover how to create stunning wedding images that brides love and will beat a path to your door eager to book you out every season, year after year. NoBS members get a special discount on the Freestyle Wedding Success System. Click for the system.
New Forums
Two new forums have been added to NoBS:
Is there a topic you'd like to see covered here?
Send us your suggestions and we'll see what we can do.
Mud, Sweat & Gears
Shooting big rig machinery with greased up muddy workers is a far cry from my other photographic passion (Wedding Photography) but there is a real sense of accomplishment when you get that perfect, crisp, clean, high impact image of something cold, lifeless, and well........boring.
Read the entire story HERE
Fuji S5: Will It Replace The Nikon?
"I decided to take my Fuji out to play today, trying different lighting and shooting scenarios somewhat comparable to those I encounter at weddings. The camera settings were at aperture priority. In the piano shot, I am holding the SB 800 in my left hand. The camera flash is set as 'commander'.... My D2X is outta here!. I am getting another S5." - Rob P
Read what others are saying about the Fuji S5 in the Fuji DSLR Forum.
NoBs Success Interviews
If you are not yet aware of our NoBs Success Interviews, then you are missing out on a major benefit of NoBs. Every month Rob interviews a different photographer to learn about their success, marketing, influences, and studio procedures so that we can better our own photography business. Some of the past interviews are with Doug Box, Julie & Guy Martin, Bruce Hudson, and Judy Cormier to just name a few. Check them all out HERE
Thought For The Day
"What will you do today, that will matter tomorrow? Excitement and thrills fade, and become fond memories. Pleasure and comfort become monotonous. What endures? Accomplishment. Get something done today, something that makes a difference, and you'll reap the benefits for a long time to come. Accomplishment brings many things: money, satisfaction, confidence, skills, respect, influence, knowledge, and more. These are things that last long after you're finished. And they'll help you to build one accomplishment on top of another, on top of another, and so on..." by Ralph Marston
Creative Selection With The Pen Tool - By ACArmstrong
Watch and learn as Andy takes you through a step by step tutorial on how to easily use the Pen Tool for proper extraction of a subject. Right Click Save-As Here To Download. This video is in a Quicktime format for easy download. This video and many more are also located in the Downloads Forum of the Community. Thanks again to AC for creating this one, we look forward to more.
NoBs Quick Workflow Tutorial
Download and watch a quicktime video on the workflow of this windowlight image. These techniques are very straight forward, and applied to nearly 99% of our images.Right Click Save-As HERE. Cheers - Hodgy
Next Month
- WPPI In-depth Report From Rob and James
- MacGyver's Corner: DIY Ringflash
- NoBs Get Togethers
- Inferno 2007 Update
- James' Monthly Insight
- And so much more!
Remember, if there is something you'd like to see here next time, let us know!