Come and shoot some of the most Beautiful Models all in one day!
American Photo and Sigma are sponsoring another Model Shoot that allows you to visit an area nearby to take photos of some of the most beautiful models around.
California Photographers –
Los Angeles Area, CA – August 18th
San Francisco, CA – October 6th
The event will sell out so signup today and get registered.
The Cost is only $279
The American Photo Model Shoot is beginning!
Come and shoot beautiful models!
Early Bird Special! $249 For A Limited Time Only! Enter Code CLUB30 At Checkout!
Seattle, WA – June 16th
St. Louis, MO – July 21st
Los Angeles Area, CA – August 18th
Austin, TX – September 15th
San Francisco, CA – October 6th
New York City, NY – November 17th
Ft. Lauderdale, FL – December 1st
Final Dates and Cities!
Shoot Beautiful Models In One Day!
American Photo and Model Mayhem are giving photographers a chance to build up their portfolios by allowing them to photograph real models. For one day there will be 20+ models in Los Angeles, CA. All you need to do is bring your camera. Everything else is taken care of. The cost to attend the shoot is $279 and the event will be sold out so hurry up and register.
The event will be on March 26th, 2011 from 9am – 5pm.
This morning I was looking on ebay for some items and I saw some photographs for sale by artists. I was curious on how this type of sale worked out for the artist and if it was worth it. I had written an article about this same topic a while back and well…since I hadn’t got any feedback, I thought I would try again. I sent an email to the artist for one item I found and am awaiting a reply back but I was curious if it paid to sell your photographs on ebay if you weren’t that famous. I know that there are some very beautiful photos on ebay but how do you know if they are legitimately printed by the artist? I have been trying to sell my work for some time and I even created a page on my site that allows viewers to purchase some of my work directly from me with different sizes and options. I have gotten most of my purchases from word of mouth and directly dealing with the customer.
So, I am curious. How do you sell your photographs? Do you sell on ebay? If you do then I want to get some feedback on if it was worth it or how has it been going for you. Do you sell in an art gallery? If so, how does that work?
I am awaiting responses from you all and cant wait to hear the details on how you have been working to sell your photographs.
Thanks for reading!
Semper Fidelis,
Manuel Perez
I came across an article today when I was getting caught up on some RSS feeds and one that got my attention was from the Digital Photography School. It mentions the fact that today, photographers cant just be photographers. They have to master so many different areas in order to stay in the game and keep up with the rest of the competition. I, myself try to keep up with things and it seems to overwhelm me with my full-time job and my part-time life.
I thought this article was a great read and I recommend you all read it as well.
Here is the link to the article.
Thanks for reading!
Semper Fidelis,
Manuel Perez
Today, I have the honor to interview a very talented photographer from Minnesota. Jenna Stevens will be joining us and I must say it is truly a pleasure to have her here on my blog. Jenna, I love your work.
Perez Studios: Do you like to talk about yourself or your pictures? If yes, about what aspects of photography? If no, why?
Jenna Stevens: Photography is a large part of my life and I’m typically thinking/learning about it but talking about it depends upon who I’m with. If they’ve shown true interest in my work, I’m more open.
Perez Studios: How would you describe your attention span?
Jenna Stevens: I have a long attention span but it is frequently disrupted by my munchkins! 
When I am able, I am a very focused individual.
Perez Studios: When did you decide to become a photographer?
Jenna Stevens: I decided to become a photographer in 5th grade. Then I was detoured from doing so by a family friend who was a pro photographer. I mean, what do you do with that when you’re 10? For me, I took their word and crossed it off my list. It wasn’t until a few years ago that the bug hit me again and my husband encouraged me to follow my childhood dream. It’s been an amazing ride and I’m loving every minute of it. I believe that God has given me a talent and I’m blessed to be able to use it to His glory.
Perez Studios: What does photography mean to you?
Jenna Stevens: Photography is priceless. It captures a moment in time and keeps it forever, for our own memories and for the future generations. It is irreplaceable.
Perez Studios: Do you have any formal training regarding photography?
Jenna Stevens: No formal training … Unless you count the few classes that were required for me to take for my bachelor’s degree in graphic design in college. 
Perez Studios: How technical is your photography?
Jenna Stevens: I’m still learning all the technical aspects of photography. There’s always something to learn and push yourself forward towards. However, my style is definitely more artistic than technical. I think there are rules meant to be broken but only once you learn the rules and know why you’re breaking them!!
Perez Studios: How do you feel about cropping?
Jenna Stevens: I always try to frame my shot the way I want it in the camera but sometimes cropping helps remove unwanted and distracting details around the subject. I crop sparingly.
Perez Studios: Where is your favorite place to live and work as a photographer in the World and why?
Jenna Stevens: I will always say my favorite place to live and work is wherever I am. When my family lived in Arizona, that was my favorite place. We’re currently in Minnesota and it’s now my favorite. My philosophy on life is to take it as it comes. I try to be content in all circumstances that God gives me and to look for the positive in them. If you spend your life dreaming and wishing, it will be wasted. Every place has it’s beauty, even if it may not seem like it on the surface.
Perez Studios: Define the word "beauty"! 
Jenna Stevens: Natural, true expressions and emotions. Our world is tough and requires us to build thick skin in order to survive. If you can reach beyond the surface, there lies the true beauty of someone.
Perez Studios: What is your most favorite and least favorite word in photography or life? How do they make you feel?
Jenna Stevens: My least favorite is “actionsâ€, as in Photoshop actions. It opens up a can of worms in the photography world. I don’t have any issues with people using actions as long as they know what they’re doing and why. My simple rule of thumb is, if you can do what the action does without the action and you use it to speed up your post processing time, then it’s fine. There are a lot of people out there just clicking a button without knowing why or knowing what they are doing to a photo. My most favorite is “family†because that’s what my life is about. My family is my support, my encouragement, and my reason. They bring me peace and joy.
Perez Studios: How does your personality change when you look through the camera?
Jenna Stevens: Quite honestly, I become more confident. My lens is my heart and I use it with every picture and session.
Perez Studios: How do you feel about missed shots which cannot be recreated?
Jenna Stevens: There are always those “could have been†captured moments but I try to live in the now moment and take things as they come. Recreating is forced emotions, expressions. I love the natural beauty in people and you only get that if you are focused in the present moment. For example, I take out my camera {with my family} only if I’ve never shot at the location we’re at before and if we’re doing something new. There are some occasions when a “moment†happens and I snap a few. However, I do not spend the majority of my time with my family behind the lens. I feel that there needs to be a balance of capturing those moments together and being in those moments with them. But please note that the camera is always on the ready!
Perez Studios: Ever concerned about failure?
Jenna Stevens: Not really because I do this because I love it and do it for myself. Sure, I always want my clients to fall in love with their images and in that sense I get nervous that I might fail them. But I am always confident in what I create and hope that my clients come to me because they like what I produce and the style that I shoot.
Perez Studios: Describe a day in your personal or professional life.
Jenna Stevens: My personal and professional life are woven together into one life. I am a mother of 3 preschool aged children. Every day looks a bit different but I try to have as much structure as I can but I have to be very flexible. This is my dream schedule because it rarely happens:
7A-7:30A: Wake up and get ready (because all the mom’s out there know that if it doesn’t happen first, it may not happen at all!)
7:30A-9:00A: The kids wake up and they get ready, eat breakfast
9:00A-11:00A: Answer emails, return phone calls, order clients prints, any and all business I can fit in
11:00A-2:00P: Family time
2:00P-5:00P: Editing, blogging, updating social networks
5:00P-8:30P: Family time
8:30P-??: Editing, blogging, etc if necessary. 
Perez Studios: What are the biggest personal or professional challenges you face on a daily basis?
Jenna Stevens: My biggest challenge right now is balance. I believe that my first and foremost job is taking care of my family. It’s difficult to balance owning a business, which is my passion and desire, and keeping it in check with God’s number 1 calling in my life, which is my family. Sometimes I feel like my children don’t always get my best and I would love to have a definite separation of my personal and professional life so that I can be ALL mom or ALL photographer. But my kids are very forgiving and I love that I can make a living doing what I love from the comfort of my own home and have my children running around me screaming and playing and making a mess!
Perez Studios: What has been the single biggest obstacle against growing as a photographer in whole?
Jenna Stevens: Sadly, the biggest obstacle for the growth of my business has been the lack of support shown by most of the people I know. Now, there are of course exceptions to this rule … There are a few that have been encouraging and supportive but a good 75% have shown a lack of interest. I don’t understand it but I love my friends dearly and do not hold any of it against them.
Perez Studios: What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
Jenna Stevens: My children. They are comfortable around me and show me their true personalities in their pictures. I get the innocent, the sassy, the “stop it, Mom!†look. They also love being my test models … So far!
Perez Studios: Have you ever thought about or actually stopped doing photography? What were the circumstances?
Jenna Stevens: Yes. I’ve thought about stopping and every now and then, when things get hectic, I consider it again. This goes back to the question about challenges. I want to focus on raising my children and every time I consider stopping, God brings something into my life to encourage me to continue. My business has an ebb and flow with the winter being very slow (really, who wants pictures done by an on-location photographer in the sub-zero weather of Minnesota?) so I get that time to recharge and devote to my family. I know that this is His calling for me.
Perez Studios: Do you ever have photographer’s block and if yes how do you deal with it? 
Jenna Stevens: Yes, I do. It’s difficult to get through but I typically starting photographing things I normally wouldn’t. It get’s me out of my rut because I have to think in a completely different way. And that helps me experiment.
Perez Studios: What types of assignments are you attracted most?
Jenna Stevens: I love newborns. There’s just something about the the fresh-straight-from-God newness that newborns create and symbolize. They are a hope for the future, a sign that God wants life to go on. There is peace and innocence that embodies those babes. I also love high school seniors. They provide a whole different atmosphere … Fun, funky, sassy, I’ve-got-the-world-at-my-fingertips attitude. They are typically up to try anything under the sun and that always is fun to stretch creativity and artistically.
Perez Studios: Describe what black and white photography means to you?
Jenna Stevens: Ha! I’ve been going through a b+w period recently! I don’t know … Black and white says classic, timeless, editorial. When you take away color, your eye really gets a chance to see the image. There is nothing to distract from the composition. In design school, you learn to design in black and white first and once you have a solid piece of art that can withstand time, you add color. I think that can also apply to photography. All the vibrant colors out there will not truly make a picture. Color can enhance a good image, but it can also mask a bad one.
Perez Studios: Do you think of yourself as an artist and what do you think of the word artist?
Jenna Stevens: Yes, I consider myself an artist. I think an artist is someone that can pull boring things together to make something aesthetically pleasing. This can be anything from painting, decorating, landscaping, design, photography. But not everyone that does those things are artistic. I think there are a lot of different types of photographers out there and not all of them are artists. 
Perez Studios: How do you describe your photographic style?
Jenna Stevens: Artistic. It’s much more than a click of a button. I think anyone can learn the technical aspect of the camera but it takes an artistic eye to create art out of the image.
Perez Studios: What has been the most surprising or most predictable reaction to your photographs?
Jenna Stevens: Hmmm, it pretty much always seems like the images that I fall in love with from a session are not the ones that everyone else does. I find that very interesting! Lol!
Perez Studios: Tell a little secret about yourself that no-one knows … Jenna Stevens: I have no secrets. My life is an open book! I am willing to always be transparent with people.
Perez Studios: Who or what would you love to shoot that you haven’t already?
Jenna Stevens: Anyone who wants new, fresh portraits that are willing to do something different! I always love clients who are up for anything. Clients typically walk away (especially children) with smiles on their faces because I didn’t force them to sit a certain way and smile. We just have fun and I love that!
Perez Studios: How do you feel about digital manipulation and to what extent do you utilize it?
Jenna Stevens: I love digital manipulation, to an extent. I think you can go too far with it but I use it to artistically enhance.
Jenna, again it was truly a pleasure to have you here! I cant wait to do another! If you want to see more of Jenna Stevens’ work you can visit her pages below:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenna-Stevens-Photography/197441145864
Blogger: http://jennastevens.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.jennastevens.net
Today I have the privilege of interviewing the amazing talented Jill Carmel. Jill, I really want to thank you on behalf of myself and all the readers out there for doing the interview.
Perez Studios: When did you decide to become a photographer?
Jill Carmel: I decided to become a photographer when I was 19 and had to choose between becoming a scientist or an artist.
Perez Studios: What does photography mean to you?
Jill Carmel: I believe artists have place in this world – to make it a better place to be through aesthetics or to raise awareness. For me, I’ve found that I can make people lives better and put smiles on their faces through my work.
Perez Studios: How technical is your photography?
Jill Carmel: It is very technical, but I’ve been doing it so long now (nine years) that everything comes almost automatically at this point. I’ve got my technique really dialed in for the look that I love.
Perez Studios: How do you feel about cropping?
Jill Carmel: Cropping is a lot of fun and can completely change an image based on where you want to draw the eye.
Perez Studios: Define the word "beauty"!
Jill Carmel: For me, beauty is that quality that makes you lose yourself for a moment in how good something makes you feel.
Perez Studios: How does your personality change when you look through the camera?
Jill Carmel: Something in me clicks on and I am completely concentrated on what I’m photographing. I lose myself in the moment and forget about everything other than the subject in front of me.
Perez Studios: Who are your influences?
Jill Carmel: There are too many to mention. I gather inspiration from other photographers, magazine, clothing catalogues, design blogs, people, nature…if I see it and it makes something in my head click, I go with it. 
Perez Studios: What are the biggest personal or professional challenges you face on a daily basis?
Jill Carmel: Always being better than yesterday.
Perez Studios: What has been the single biggest obstacle against growing as a photographer in whole? Jill Carmel: Fighting my own fears, but this is also the most exciting part about being an artist.
Perez Studios: What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
Jill Carmel: People
Perez Studios: Do you ever have photographer’s block and if yes how do you deal with it?
Jill Carmel: I look around me on the web, outside, in magazines until something catches my eye and I try to recreate it. By the time I’m done “recreating†it, it’s usually turned into something completely different from the original thing that I saw.
Perez Studios: What types of assignments are you attracted most?
Jill Carmel: Ones with love and interaction. My favorite moments are the “in-between†moments.
Perez Studios: Do you think of yourself as an artist and what do you think of the word artist?
Jill Carmel: Yes. An artist is someone who works to uplift the society through aesthetics.
Perez Studios: How do you describe your photographic style?
Jill Carmel: Fresh, bright, simple and intimate.
Perez Studios: What has been the most surprising or most predictable reaction to your photographs?
Jill Carmel: Crying… 
Perez Studios: What would you have done differently during your photography career so far and could this be an advice to others?
Jill Carmel: I would have had more confidence in myself in the beginning.
Perez Studios: What are your thoughts on the paparazzi and their effects on photographers and photography?
Jill Carmel: They are not artists (per my own definition) so they are not relevant to the world of the art of photography.
Perez Studios: How do you feel about digital manipulation and to what extent do you utilize it? Jill Carmel: I think it’s wonderful because straight out of the camera images do not represent what I see out of my own eyes. I use Photoshop in such a way as to bring pictures back up to what I with my own eyes.
Perez Studios: What other thoughts would you like to share?
Jill Carmel: The more artists there are in this world, the better and I whole-heartedly admire anyone who has the courage to embrace the artist inside of them.
Visit Jill Carmel’s websites:
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sacramento-CA/Jill-Carmel-Photography/115606608078
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jillcarmel
Blog: http://jillcarmel.typepad.com
Today starts the beginning of our Photographer Interviews. Where I have had photographers from all over answer some questions about themselves and their work.
Nick Moore is a Landscape and Nature Photographer that has some very amazing images.
Perez Studios: Do you like to talk about yourself or your pictures?
Nick Moore: Yes, Landscape and Nature Photography, I like sharing my knowledge with others and helping them become better photographers.
Perez Studios: When did you decide to become a photographer?
Nick Moore: Have had an interest in Photography for over 20 years, have been selling work for the past 10.
Perez Studios: What does photography mean to you?
Nick Moore: Photography is a medium that allows me to get close to Nature, and to share the beauty of it with the rest of the world.
Perez Studios: Can you recall the first photo you took that made you go WOW?
Nick Moore: Yes, back in 2001 when I first started shooting on Slide film, I shot a beautiful Sunset in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. 
Perez Studios: Do you have any formal training regarding photography?
Nick Moore: Primarily self taught, attended some field workshops and lectures.
Perez Studios: How do you feel about cropping?
Nick Moore: I keep cropping to a minimum with Landscape photography, but do crop images for wildlife when the lens reach just isn’t quite enough. The beauty of modern DSLR’s is that they have great resolution now, cropping is more feasible.
Perez Studios: Where is you favorite place to live and work as a photographer in the world and why?
Nick Moore: I live in Colorado, and that is certainly one of the greatest places to “Live and Photographâ€. Outside of USA I would have to say it would be New Zealand, NZ has a very diverse and beautiful landscape, and is very sparsely populated.
Perez Studios: Define the word “beautyâ€!
Nick Moore: Everything in Nature.
Perez Studios: What is your most favorite and least favorite word in photography or life? How do they make you feel?
Nick Moore: Favorite word is “Alpen Glowâ€, it has a nice soothing sound to it.
Perez Studios: How does your personality change when you look through the camera?
Nick Moore: It can be relaxed, excited or anxious, all depends on the subject matter.
Perez Studios: How do you feel about missed shots which cannot be recreated?
Nick Moore: Frustrated, but I know another unique shot is not too far away.
Perez Studios: Ever concerned about failure?
Nick Moore: No.
Perez Studios: Who are your influences?
Nick Moore: My father who first introduced me to photography.
Perez Studios: What is your favorite image, either your own or someone else’s or both? Describe its creation or meaning to you?
Nick Moore: Reflection of Mount Cook in Lake Matheson, New Zealand. Took this image in 2007, it sums up New Zealand perfectly for me, beautiful and mystical.
Perez Studios: Describe a day in your personal or professional life.
Nick Moore: Sit at a computer 9 till 5, often staring out the window wishing I was out with the camera.
Perez Studios: What are the biggest personal or professional challenges you face on a daily basis?
Nick Moore: See the previous question/answer.
Perez Studios: What has been the single biggest obstacle against growing as a photographer in whole?
Nick Moore: In the early days it was conquering exposure, especially shooting with Slide film that has such a narrow exposure latitude.
Perez Studios: What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
Nick Moore: Mountain and seascapes, and Avian photography.
Perez Studios: Tell your funniest, scariest, most bizarre, most touching story from a photo shoot!
Nick Moore: Not any one particular incident, but it always makes me laugh when I am shooting a scene, and a crowd of people with point and shoot cameras practically lean over my shoulder to see what I’m shooting.
Perez Studios: Have you ever though about or actually stopped doing photography?
Nick Moore: No.
Perez Studios: Do you ever have photographers block and if yes how do you deal with it?
Nick Moore: Occasionally lose a little passion, but I often break the spell by finding new things to photograph, new challenges.
Perez Studios: What types of assignments are you attracted most?
Nick Moore: Anything that deals me a challenge, like finding a unique composition from a well photographed scene.
Perez Studios: Describe what black and white photography means to you.
Nick Moore: It provokes a certain mood, often dark and mysterious; and of course reminds me of the great Ansel Adams.
Perez Studios: Do you think of yourself as an artist and what do you think of the word artist?
Nick Moore: Yes, I specialize in creating visual “artwork†that invokes thought and emotion.
Perez Studios: How do you describe your photographic style?
Nick Moore: I always try to get as much depth of field as possible in my compositions, and always seek out unique takes on scenes.
Perez Studios: What has been the most surprising or most predictable reaction to your photographs?
Nick Moore: Most surprising is how people do not recognize local scenes, often it is just the fact they have been shot in wonderful light, using unique compositions.
Perez Studios: Tell a little secret about yourself that no-one knows…
Nick Moore: I am actually British, but work/live in the USA.
Perez Studios: Who or what would you love to shoot that you haven’t already?
Nick Moore: China, Peru, and many many other parts of the world.
Perez Studios: What would you have done differently during your photography career so far and could this be an advice to others?
Nick Moore: Perhaps been more aggressive with marketing.
Perez Studios: What are your thoughts on the paparazzi and their effects on photographers and photography?
Nick Moore: They have their place, but do often push the limits on what should/should not be captured on film.
Perez Studios: How do you feel about digital manipulation and to what extent do you utilize it?
Nick Moore: Personally, I only edit my images to the extent of re-creating what “I†saw in the field, usually these are very basic edits and adjustments. I am not a fan of “overcooked†images, or over the top HDR.
Visit Nick Moore’s facebook page!
Visit Nick Moore’s webpage!
I didn’t get too much feedback on the interviews so I went out on a limb and emailed a bunch of photographers that I follow around on facebook and twitter. A couple of them responded that they were interested. I am glad to say that I should have an interview to start off the April month with. I will keep it a surprise who the photographer is but trust me you will love it. I am waiting on a couple more responses from some other photographers that are still filling out the questions. I plan on seeing how it goes and that way we could probably get a new interview every two weeks or maybe more.Â
If you are interested in doing the interview then fill out the questions and email them to me.Â
As for events….I have a big job lined up for next month. The local Cal Ripken Little League agreed to allow me to photograph the team portraits for their program this year. I am excited because I had always done the Police Activities League’s Soccer portraits for a couple of years and just last year I got to photograph the Firebaugh Area Swim Team for their team portraits. Things are starting to look good this year. I just hope I will be able to keep up with all the events going on.Â
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share.
Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
Manuel Perez
Hello Photographers and Readers! I am planning some ideas for the future and one of them is to get some more detailed information from photographers by doing an interview with them. Of course this interview wont be televised but I do plan on posting the questions and answers.Â
I have some questions put together already and want to get any ideas on what kind of information do you want to know about your favorite photographer. If you have an idea on how to get some more publicity for this idea then let me know. I really hope to get as many photographers involved as possible.Â
Once I begin to get some feedback from others, I will begin posting the results from the interviews. If you are know of anyone who is interested in doing the interview please let me know. If you have a favorite photographer that you would like to have interviewed then let me know who they are and I will see if they are interested.
To see the questions click here!
Thank you all for reading!
