Hey everyone. I wanted to share a great opportunity with you from my friends at Metal Mural. They are right now looking for submissions for a photo contest that they are running. They will be selecting images to display at all of the trade shows they will be showing at this year. Imagine your image printed on an eye popping piece for all of your colleagues to drool over!! And if that wasn’t enough they will be handing out prizes to the top images of each category. If you have never seen your work printed on metal I can tell you first hand that you will be ecstatic about the results, and metal mural is the best at what they do. But for the contest all you need to do is go to their site and submit your best image. There is nothing to lose, and who knows your work may be touring the country this year!!

Here is a link to the the contest. Good Luck! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Metal-Mural/183748298329104?v=app_254553244581393&rest=1

Hey everyone. Tis the season, and Westcott is at it again with some holiday cheer and oh yeah, gifts too!!  You say you would like some new gear for Christmas? Well all you have to do is check out the Westcott giveaway  right here.http://bit.ly/uo1C9v

It was great meeting up with old friends and discovering new ones at the Photoshop World Expo in Orlando earlier this month. After leaving Orlando I was home for about 9 hours before leaving for my next job in Kansas City, and just now getting home so please pardon the delay. Once again the Westcott Shootout Booth was a huge success and drew a large crowd of photographers and general spectators every day of the event. For those of you unfamiliar with the shootout, it is a 4 stage set that we build full with props, models, and lighting setups so people can shoot and learn about lighting, and working with models. Once again we had several talented models, and the makeup artistry of Candace Corey to thank for the success. Several of the concepts proved to be a big hit including a fully dressed Samurai warrior, a Geisha, a pinup girl, an African warrior, Marie Antoinette, Harley Quinn, Rapunzel, Queen of Hearts, steampunk, and many more. As soon as I get some time to work some images up I’ll post them here, but I am sure you will find the net flooded with images from the event soon. For all of you that I got a chance to work with and talk to it was a pleasure, and I hope that I was able to help you whether it was understanding lighting and exposures, working with models, or any other bit of advice I could pass on. Anyone I met there feel free to send me a shout, I’d love to hear from you and even see some images from the booth.

Happy Shooting!

St. Louis Westcott Top Pro Tour

I would like to thank everyone who attended my leg of the 2010 Top Pro Tour and made it such a huge success. I hope you all left with a renewed drive to go out there and create works that mean something to you, are inspiring, and display your own passion for creativity. Also a huge thank you to my friends at Westcott,  Schiller’s, Metal Murals,  and  all others who contributed in making it a great evening for all of us. For those of you who are interested in learning more, or attending other educational seminars or training workshops, stop by  to keep posted on whats coming up. I am currently offering some one on one training time,  and am looking forward to having small group venues and destination shoots as well. Just send me an email for more info, or to be put on the list to stay informed and receive shouts about whats coming up next!

Westcott 2010 Top Pro Tour

I am proud to announce that I am among the 26 instructors selected to teach along the 2010 tour.  I hope you get the chance to come out and join us for a great night of learning,  lots of fun, with a little mix of inspiration.  Ok, yeah there will be prizes to!

The tour rolls through St. Louis  on Wednesday, October 6th, 2010.  There’s plenty of time so mark your calendars and don’t forget to use the coupon code on the banner below to save 20 bucks!!  There will also be some great deals on Westcott’s incredible products to help you take your photography to the next level.

Many themes will be covered during the evening including, lighting techniques, shooting styles, and that super scary subject; working with people.  A main focus of the evening will be shooting with inspiration.  During the night I hope to demystify some of photography’s not so hidden secrets.

My goal for most, if not all of you, is for you to leave with a feeling of confidence in your abilities, a renewed desire to create inspired works, and maybe remove a few walls that went up to guard against the unknown.

Don’t forget to sign up and remember to book it now with the code and save!!! Hope to see you there!

I am officially en route to Orlando for Photoshop World. Thanks to my Miami layover I have a quick second to throw out a quick shout for the photoshop guys.

If you haven’t made it out to PSW yet, what are you waiting for. All of the lessons, new friends, knowledge, and Scott Kelby’s unmatched witt are waiting for you there. And then there’s also that “V” guy. If you are sitting back saying you can’t afford to go, let me tell you I was that guy once, and I now say I can’t afford not to go. The software from Abobe is getting better and better every year, and what better way to keep up with the pace than to learn alongside of friends, and from friends.

Hey also if you are going to be in Orlando and see me walking around the expo or hanging around at the Westcott booth stop by and say hello, over the past 3 years I’ve met many great friends at PS World and I always have room for more.

See you there.

Michael