With the Wedding Palace Bridal Show around the corner, we thought it was a good time to revisit a post we made last year - Wedding Show Survival Guide, full of tips on how to get the most out of your day.
The Wedding Palace Bridal Show is this weekend (January 9 & 10 2010) at the Westin Hotel from 11am-5pm. Viva la wedding won't be there this year, but we have a free pair of tickets for the first five grooms-to-be that contact us. That's right, grooms-to-be!
Have a great weekend at the wedding show and happy planning!
ETA - Congratulations grooms-to-be Kevin, Mark, Jake, Scott & Luc who are all going to the Wedding Palace Bridal Show this weekend on Viva la wedding (or at least giving the tickets to their lovely future wives). Enjoy!!
I recently received a question from a reader and wanted to share it (and the answer) with you.
The question:
"Scott, have you always been so good looking?"... no wait, that wasn't it... this is...
"I actually own my own photography studio - YET - have never known how to set my D300 up to my computer so my clients can immediately see their pics (much as you did on your "Help Day"). Can you give me some tips? Or write about it?"
The Answer:
Nikon shooters can use Camera Control Pro, but it's not free (though you can download a fully functional free 30 day trial here). You can get Camera Control Pro 2 at Adorama for $145 (with free shipping) and in my humble opinion worth every single penny.
It was pretty cool the first time I used it and found out I had complete control of all of my camera settings while sitting in from of my laptop and now I can't imagine shooting products or food without Camera Control Pro.
There are other options.
StudioTether is a free application that (as the name implies) will allow you to tether your Nikon camera to your Mac (no Windows version is available)
From my earliest memories I looked up to my uncle Dick.
First, he played pro football (for the Patriots), what isn't cool about having an uncle that was a pro football player.
He always had a big new car, and the first in ground pool I ever saw was at his house.
But as I got older I began to pick up on the truly important things.
He spoke with a booming voice, had a laugh that could fill a room, and despite his impressive size it was obvious he was a kind and gentle man.
He would help you in any way he could, without you even asking, he was a "fixer".
While I was "away" in the service my grandfather was on his last days and I could not get me home to see him. Uncle Dick got wind of it and within 24 hours I was on a plane home.
Just last year I needed a new furnace, guess who got me a new top of the line furnace at wholesale cost?
It's like he knew everybody, and everybody respected him.
Regardless of how old I was he always called me "Scottie", but that was okay, I liked how it sounded when he said it.
He was a good man and the world was a better place with him in it.
I got a call early this morning from my mother, letting me know that last night my uncle Dick "went on ahead".
And I wanted people to know my uncle Dick was somebody.
I just received an email from Jed Taufer and really wanted to share this phenomenal opportunity with you:
"From here on out The Evolution collection will include FLO. Beginning January 1, 2010 the entire collection will be just $499, however, today and tomorrow (December 30 & 31), we are offering it for just $299 as an end of the year special."
The Evolution Collection with FLO is the most complete "studio in a box" that you can get and contains enough information (16 gigabytes of how to videos, templates, actions, presets, edges, overlays, marketing tips, workflow techniques, forms, price lists, relationship building with vendors and clients, fund raisers, and so, so much more...) that if you use the information contained on the 4 DVD's you will be assured of success.
Take a look at the results that Jed and Vicki have had in the small town of Morton Illinois (population 15,000) using the same information they've shared in their "studio in a box".
I love getting involved in fund raising events, it's a win for the studio, a win for the organization, and a win for the people they are trying to help. Jed and Vicki give you ten different plans (with action plans, ads, posters, brochures, sample images, press releases, and FAQ's) for getting involved, helping your community with the added (and secondary) benefit of helping yourself.
One of my favorites is "Dog Days of Summer". In exchange for a 25 pound bag of dog food (donated to local animal shelters) folks would receive a free mini portrait session and a free 5x7 print of their pet. The results of that day was over 125 bags (3,200 poinds) of dog food donated, cover stories in in three different newspapers, and because so many folks wanted more than the free 5x7 print they ended up with over $10,000 in sales!
So for doing something good for their community Jed and Vicki ended up with new clients, free advertising, and sales for one day of shooting that would make Donald Trump envious.
In my humble opinion, if you can't build and run a successful, profitable photography studio with The Evolution Collection with FLO chances are good you were probably meant to be do something else.
So, watch the video to get my full review, but this is not the last you will hear of it, this will be the longest review we have ever done. Once a month for the next year we'll report on how we've used The Evolution Collection, what new thing we've incorporated into our practice, and how it has improved our studio.
As usual, if you are a subscriber you'll need to return to the blog or head over to YouTube to watch the video as it does not get pushed through with your subscription.
With the Wedding Palace Bridal Show around the corner, we thought it was a good time to revisit a post we made last year - Wedding Show Survival Guide, full of tips on how to get the most out of your day. 
