It finally happened and it's all your fault!...

We started the Weekly Photo Tips YouTube channel a year ago and today we nudged past 100,000 visitors.

One hundred thousand!

Incredible.

Of course (and as usual) when it comes to all the milestones we reach here it's you good people using your most precious resource, time, to visit us that drives our success, that makes us who we are.

So please accept my heartfelt thanks for visiting Weekly Photo Tips, for watching our videos, and (the most fun part for me) for taking the time to leave your comments and writing your emails.

It seems unfair because it feels like I get back far more than I give.

Thank You!

Inside jama masjid

Photographer: Anirudh Khusape

Speaking of the Maine Photographers Coalition...

This past Monday we had the second meeting of the Maine Photographer Coalition and it was a rousing success, in this case we measure success by sharing... sharing information, techniques, and ideas.

The Riley Brothers (Tim and Chris) were our guest speakers and presented an overview of their Lightroom workflow and even the most seasoned Lightroom users at the meeting were able to take home new tips in improving their own workflow.


On top of this we had some great photo gear to give away to those in attendance... things like:

1. RPG Keys (customizable keys that will help you speed through your Lightroom editing)

2. Kelly Moore Bags (beautiful and functional camera bags)

3. Epiphanie Bags (fabulous camera bags for women)

4. Shootsac (a great lens bag)

5. Spider Holster (a belt system for carrying 1 or 2 cameras while keeping your neck and shoulders strap-free)

6. Black Rapid Straps (stay-put straps that allow you to comfortably carry multiple cameras).

Our next meeting will be in March and I will share more details with you as the date gets closer.

If you are attending any of the following shows/gatherings - SWPP (in England), Imaging USA (in Texas), After Dark (in Vegas), WPPI (also in Vegas), or PPINE (Hyannis, MA) the Riley's will be teaching workshops on their Lightroom workflow techniques, so be sure to check them out.

In the mean time, below is video 1 (in a series of 5) that will give you a taste of what is contained in their classes, you can see all 5 videos by following this link.

(for those of you who subscribe you will need to return to the blog to see this video)

Taking pictures and helping others...

It doesn't get much better than doing something you love AND having the opportunity to help others.

Here's your chance to do just that.

Thirst Relief is running a mentor auction that includes a session with the top dogs in the fields of wedding and portrait photography.

From their website:

"The mission of the Mentor Auction is twofold, to save lives and change the world by tapping into the incredible talent and generosity of the wedding industry and to create better and more successful photographers. To accomplish this goal we've asked some of the best and brightest in the wedding and portrait world to donate 90 minutes of their time and anything else they feel like giving to be auctioned off to the highest bidder!

100% of the proceeds directly benefit Thirst Relief International, saving lives and changing the world! Add to that the incredible wisdom and talent that is being shared in the one-on-one mentors sessions and you have better and more successful photographers! So, not only are lives being saved but the lives of many photographers are being made better! It's truly a win win for everyone involved!"

So you will get to hang out with a phenomenal photographer, you will have a great learning experience, you will be helping others, AND you will get a tax write-off.... does it get any better?

There will be many names you will recognize participating in the auction like Jasmine Star, Mike Colon, David Jay, Kevin Kubota, and Sarah Petty but I want to draw attention to personal friend (photographer extraordinaire) and fellow Maine Photographer Coalition cofounder Michelle Turner.

Being a great photographer does not necessarily make you a good instructor, but with Michelle you get both (I have personally seen her teach a one hour course without ever inhaling, not even once). Below you will see just a few samples of her outstanding work.

You can head over to the auction page and browse through all of the photographers listed, or you can save some time and head directly to Michelle's auction page.

;)

But seriously, please consider participating in this worthy cause as it will not only help you and could very possibly save the life of another.

Insect

Photographer: Thomas Philip

Some Joel Grimes style sports images...

Here a couple shots I did recently of a local high school hockey player.

I used the techniques learned from Joel Grimes at the seminar he taught when he was here last year (here's a link to a seminar post, and here is our interview with Joel).



You may remember the football images I did in the fall (one is below, and here is the link to that post) and I decided to be more subtle, less dramatic with these hockey images.

Stamp Printing

Photographer: Anirudh Khusape