In
a collaboration with David Jay I have created an absolutely amazing
album preview tool to show your brides the custom designs that you can
create with my Album Design Software.

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You will absolutely love it. 
Just pick the image folder from your custom design and pick a royalty
free song (or one of your own choosing), and within literally seconds
it creates this amazing virtual album viewer.

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Using this tool you can present
your work completely in finished presentation format.  I will be
explaining a complete merchandising workflow in my “One Step Ahead” tour that begins in just over a week!

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Keeping consistent with my
promise to keep my seminar attendees one step ahead of the competition
(actually with what I’m going to spring on you about ninety steps) this
software program will only be available on CD at the tour stops.  Then
it will go on general release to the world on the e-store at the
conclusion of the tour.

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I have a seminar coming that you
won’t want to miss.  I want my seminar attendees to completely blow
away any other photographer in their market. 

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The album you see presented here
was created using my new custom-design service… I can’t wait to tell
you about it – IN PERSON at the tour   These are images I did at
Jenny H**d’s wedding – Jessica Strickland’s sister.

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****FREAKING CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ALBUM GALLERY!!!!!

I WAS THE CHEAPEST PHOTOGRAPHER AROUND WHEN I WAS 24…
BUT READ THIS NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

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I’m
in the middle of collecting my show and tell examples for my upcoming
National Tour, and on this tour my dead set goal is to help wedding
photographers be successful in the BUSINESS of wedding photography. 
Until now, my lectures have generally been about photographic
techniques, how to shoot better digital, etc.  For the first time I’m
doing a program about the biz. Merchandising, pricing, contracts,
booking, etc.  

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I came across
this very interesting article in my warehouse from the Los Angeles
Herald Examiner.  I was 24 years old, fifteen months out of college,
living out of my parent’s little apartment and operating out of a
bedroom.  Three months after this I went on my first 26 city national
lecture tour for Art Leather on how to be successful in wedding
photography.  I was so impatient then to get things done.  In my first
year I booked 49 weddings for a $150 fee (no time limit!  No required minimum purchase!  Insane!), and did over $64,000 in revenue and put $16,000 in savings.  Double that roughly for the equal in today’s dollars.

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How
I did it was due to merchandising.  I spent my senior year in college
with a notebook in my hand sketching notes and a concept to accomplish
two things in wedding photography – 1) book a LOT of weddings and 2)
earn a lot with each wedding I booked.  That planning worked!

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I
charged lower than anybody anywhere in my fee.  Even in the 1986 when I
did $177,190 on 63 weddings, I was only charging $275 to shoot a
wedding.  Some of my long-time followers will remember these lectures
and the anger it stirred among some – how I was so inexpensive in my
fees, but wound up with average sales higher than anybody else.  I
believe I was still charging a $275 fee the year I bought my first home
for $400 grand at age 26.  Looking back – that was the power of
merchandising.

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The reason I’m
doing this tour is to help photographers see clearly how effective
clever merchandising can work, and how very very basic rules can have
wicked success.  The most bizarre thing is in today’s market, I see
literally NOBODY doing the merchandising techniques that I used in
those days.  So for those who can make my seminar, I’m going to reveal
the strategy to freaking nail down a merchandising workflow that will
produce multiples.

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To see the full-sized article (don’t laugh at the photo, ok?) CLICK HERE (you may have to click to zoom once your browser opens it)

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If
you want to come and hear me personally tell my story and how these
merchandising techniques can help you increase your business in the new
year, CLICK HERE.

LS2PJ / FLOATING DOME TUTORIAL VIDEOTAPING

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BELOW ARE:

DIRECT FLASH / BOUNCE / LIGHTSPHERE

Check out the demos where I shoot
Direct, then bounce overhead, then with the Lightsphere.  It’s
insane it makes you wonder why anybody would shoot without it.  Click here!**

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Today
we did the tutorial for the new LS2PJ / Floating Dome as well as the
pocket softlite diffuser.  We had Mike, from Custom Video, Becker,
Keats Elliott and Nicole helping with the shoot.   Our model Jamie
braved some pretty cool weather at sunset to do a bathing suit shot for
us. It came out great!

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I wanted to show how to REALLY
use the thing in different situations – in low light indoors, outdoors
in greenery using fill flash direct with dome, and outdoors sunset.

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For the sunset, we had Becker
come out with his D2X Nikon and he got some amazing shots.  We
took the yacht out into the ocean and I pointed the nose toward the sun
so the colors would be rich.  Becker then shot direct through the
new floating dome and got some really great, soft direct-flash lighting.

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IT’S HERE IN REALITY!  THE SOFTLIGHT DIFFUSER!

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Thanks
David Hessemer for helping me re-name the “delta” diffuser.  By
the time we got to the final product, it completely lost the “wedge”
shape, because we wanted to have it be the same size as the camera for
fast storage.

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We tested three different
formulations before we got the final prototype… just in time for it
to be reviewed for the Christmas issue of “WIRED” Magazine!

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It was a real beeyotch getting
this prototype done rapidly, but when Wired Magazine contacts you and
says they would like to review your product, you get it done!

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I’ll post some comparisons
tomorrow – it is an absolutely amazing addition to your point-and-shoot
camera.  It creates soft, portrait-like lighting. 

TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED!  I’M COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU!

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We’ve
finalized the schedule for the upcoming seminar tour.  I’m going
to come to a city near you and give you an exciting game-plan for
pricing/merchandising and promoting your business for a
super-successful 2006.

---

I can’t wait to give this presentation.   But there’s a more important reason I’m doing this announcement now:

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The Ellen DeGeneres show is
matching our contributions for Katrina survivors to the Red Cross fund
up to $500,000.  They haven’t hit it yet so I’m going to take
1/10th of the ticket purchases and donate it to the Red Cross – thereby
doubling the power of your contribution.  So for every seminar
ticket you buy, you’ll help the survivors with nearly $16 in aid, per
$79 ticket.  Plus, you’ll save $50 over the $129 price at the door
by early registration.

---

I’m hitting most of the major
U.S. Cities.  Spend an evening with me from 6-10:30pm this
Jan/Feb.  And please, register now so I can donate proceeds from
your ticket purchase to the Ellen fund!  CLICK HERE!

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THE PRIVATE SALE OFFER E-MAIL WENT OUT!  you can order!

---

OK
- if you are an owner of the Lightsphere – you WILL get the private
offering email TONIGHT – so if you do NOT get it – check your junk mail
box definitely!

---

If you opted out of mailings from
my e-cart – I’m sorry but there’s no way we can add you back to the
list – we have an “additive” remove database so once you opt out -
(theoretically) you are off my list forever.  The only way to get
back on it is to buy something with a different e-mail address.  I
have periodic cart-sale discounts on my cool products, and I try to not
annoy you.

---

We are running the parts this
week, and they will be at the new distribution facility by next week,
and shipping next week via ground service.  I will keep you
updated on here… NO CRYBABIES!  You can shoot your next gig with
your old-standby Classic LS2 Portrait-dome diffuser.  So please be patient, I
was going to put it on hold for another two weeks – but owners of the
original Lightsphere will get first crack at the totally clear, totally
flexible and awesome LS2PJ!

---

If you get the email, do not give
out the secret web address – you will only take away from the available
stock and create a faster sellout.  The LS2PJ’s won’t be available
to the general public for a few weeks more as we get our shipping
logistics together.  Remember, if it sells out – keep coming back
because we are monitoring our stock very carefully!

IT HAS BEEN NEARLY 3 YEARS SINCE I “RETIRED” BUT….

---

I
haven’t forgotten hardly anything!  It all came back in an
instant.  Congratulations to Angel and Ryan, Angela Talley’s
wedding clients.  I have to tell you, I REALLY like
shooting weddings!

---

I cannot honestly say that I have missed
them but once I was back behind the camera it was FREAKING
AWESOME!  I just love getting the shots.  Today I had some
new toys to play with, the Nikon 4500 IR converted by Brody Dezember,
and of course the new LS2PJ.  I shot a lot of different gear -
Fuji S2/S3, Canon EOS20D and the Nikon 4500.

---

I honestly never think of myself
as a photographer, so at times like this when I nail some shots that
are really pleasing to me, it’s a little serindipitous to think that
I’m a professional photographer, and I like my work.  I think of
myself more as a real estate guy, but today was pretty cool because it
showed me that I really like how I shoot weddings. 

---

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CLICK HERE FOR SOME IMAGES FROM TODAY

FIRST IMAGES EVER DONE WITH THE LS2PJ!

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I
just wish you could be here to see what we saw today with the new
LS2PJ.  It is absolutely amazing.  This shot is done in a low
ceiling and I did not need the dome, because the LS2PJ is completely
transparent so there is very little loss.  I shot this wedding
with Melissa and the poor girl just had to deal with me all day going -
LOOK!  LOOK!  (at my LCD) The quality and white balance of this thing is
amazing.  I can’t wait until it gets out into the world so people
can rave about it in the forums.  This thing is incredible. 
I wish you were here to see what it can do.

---

I
didn’t get to illustrate this earlier, but look how spongy the LS2PJ
is.  You can squish it, and it returns to its original
shape.  For formal group photos, it is unreal.  I had Melissa
take a video with the F10 to show how high the ceiling was, and how all
I used was ONE LS2PJ to light the whole group inside the dark church -
to get this amazing lighting… it was so cool!  Anyway, it will
be on the market in about a week… I can’t wait until it hits our new
distribution facility and goes out into the world…

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INTRODUCING THE LIGHTSPHERE PHOTOJOURNALIST!

---

Tomorrow
we will be shooting the final prototype for the new Lightsphere II
Photojournalist.  This is a design I came up with a while ago
specifically for event photography.

---

While the original Lightsphere is
incredible for lighting, I wanted something slightly more compact and
more suited for fast-action event photography.  The original LS2
is very large (it had to be) but it also is kind of bulky for fast reportage.

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So I now have the
Photojournalist, and the original will be called the
“Portraitist”.  The Photojournalist is so exciting to me for the
following reasons:

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1) it is a flexible, bead blasted
industrial VINYL.  Why Vinyl?  Because it is flexible,
stretchable like a swim fin.  Imagine how a swim fin fits tightly
on your foot.  This one will not fall off in a bump, instead it
will bump into hard objects silently.  This is the only diffuser
anywhere that is made out of flexible vinyl.  Nobody else has done
it because most diffusers wouldn’t hold the shape if it was
“spongy”.  This one will because of the shape of the diffuser but
also because of the cool ribs we put inside the flash…

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2) The inside of the diffuser is
completely textured to make the light dispersion even more
sloppy!  And because of this design, we were able to make the
material more translucent, keeping the unit from losing a lot of light
while actually increasing the diffusion and softness of the
light.  Because of this – the new “Photojournalist” does not require the dome!

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3) It is 90% of the size of the
“Portraitist”… smaller would not give the lighting qualities that you
are used to with the original Lightsphere.  So while it is large -
it does not have nearly the bulky appearance because of the more
transparent vinyl and soft construction.  And because it is
“stretchy”, there are no adapters.  It will stretch over a wide
range of flash sizes with flexible ribs inside to ensure a secure grip.

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The “Portraitist” is still the
greatest solution for diffuse flash because it accepts the dome and has
just a very soft look.  The “Photojournalist” is nearly identical
in flash quality (A/B tests will be coming up tomorrow on this
website!) but it will be more compact, flexible, fast-moving and will
look um, slightly less like Tupperware   I welcome your
comments!!!

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This time we will not be doing a
pre-release offering, and we will sell these in blocks of 500 only – so
later this week when it comes on the market, when we clear a 500 block,
it will hit “sold out” status until we release the next block.  I
want to do this to reduce the anguish that we experienced last time
when we couldn’t fill the orders.

THE LIGHTSPHERE IN COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

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It flatters me when I see the
Lightsphere II on tv in use at a press event, or when it is being used
by the world’s best photographers.  Like Andreas Avdoulos, one of
the most amazing photographers I’ve seen.  He photographed the new
Porsche Cayman in Stuttgart West Germany using the Lightsphere
II.  He sent me a wonderful testimonial, and anybody who does that
I just have to visit his site.  I was blown away by his work…
simply incredible…

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Andreas said, “The
guys in the studio were like “ey, what is this tupperware on your
camera” (german accent of course), they laughed, and scoffed at it, but
when I pumped off a few shots, and showed them how it added a nice soft
light over the silver paint of the car they said “wow”, followed by
“where can I get one.”

So there you go, it rocks, I use it in the most unconventional of ways, from shooting weddings to massive car shoots. “

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Here’s the shot he did with the Lightsphere II:

For an educational experience, please visit his awesome website by clicking here

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To purchase your own Lightsphere II – click here!