Review: Jerry Ghionis Workshop

Review: Jerry Ghionis Seminar

Posted by Corey B

This is another seminar I attended this week that is part of the Akron Photo Series.

Website: http://www.akronphotoseries.com/

Presenter: Jerry Ghionis

Date: June 14, 2011

Location: Akron, Ohio

Price: $375

Included: All day workshop with Jerry Ghionis

Bonuses: 10% of the proceeds went to Akron Childrens Hospital (I believe that Jerry donated all of the proceeds), lunch

What I Expected: To learn a bit more about posing and see how he would work with a "real" couple.

Expectations Met: Yes! Jerry packed a lot into the time we had with him and he far surpassed my expectations (yep, again!!)

Summary: After seeing Jerry present the night before, I was pretty excited to see him the next day and see what he is like in a smaller setting on a normal-ish type workshop. The class was supposed to be 25 but we were easily approaching 30-35 people but it wasn't too big of a deal. The workshop was hosted at a local photographer's studio.

We started out the morning with some questions and answers and a bit more in depth talking from Jerry. Once the couple arrived Jerry went straight into the posing portion of the day and so many of his tips immediately made sense. I, like I'm sure many photographers, tend to learn visually more than by just reading so to see him "walk the walk" so to speak made a world of a difference than just hearing him "talk the talk" the night before.

I should note here that Jerry expressed the night before that since we were so limited on time (Jerry rarely does one day shoots) instead of bringing our cameras and spending time trying to get a "money shot" he'd prefer that we watched and learned and only brought point and shoots to the workshop the next day. He expressed quite a few times during the workshop this as well, this was NOT to be a gangbang style workshop where everyone is vying for a shot, this was to learn from him and if we *had* to take a picture, use it for learning purposes.

Jerry spent a lot of time indoors and outdoors showing us a variety of poses and things he does in situations. It was really fascinating to see how he worked and how he evokes emotion in his couples to achieve the candid feel to his images. I also loved seeing how he handled poor light and many of his tips that he gave were pretty fantastic as far as finding good light and what angle to shoot at. One thing that was brilliant about watching him work was that he never got flustered and always shot with a purpose and didn't spray and pray. He also almost always nailed the exposure in one shot. That's pretty impressive in itself as I've been to workshops in the past where the instructor shot about 20 images off to get one good image.

The workshop included lunch and Jerry and Melissa both made it a point to go table to table and chat with everyone there and make everyone feel welcomed. They are both really sweet and kind people and it was nice they took the time to do that as often that doesn't happen.

After the shooting & lunch we went back to the studio where Jerry showed the images from the day and did a bit more talking about his work. He also showed some images for his own wedding which was really lovely to see (he shot a lot that day himself!). He ended up staying again past his "quitting time" and I felt again that it was kind of him to do so when others have not done so.

The only thing that was a slight bummer was that people DID bring their cameras and shot like crazy at the couples and it appeared it wasn't JUST for learning purposes. I did take a few shots with my P&S but for the most part I just wanted to watch and learn which wasn't always easy with all of the cameras and people vying for the best angle to photograph the models in. Photographers, when you go to a workshop and the instructor says to learn, get your moneys worth and LEARN! You can't use these images for promotional purposes so invest in yourself that day and really take in what you are paying for!

Jerry did NOT pimp any of his products other than one small mention of a discount that was available to our group. The only item he DID have that we all wanted was his nifty video light called the Ice Light which is pretty dang cool and they are hoping to have it for sale sometime soon. Keep your eyes out for it as it's going to sell to photographers like hotcakes (or should I say actions?).

Recommend? Abso-freaking-lutely again!

Review: Jerry Ghionis Seminar

This is another seminar I attended this week that is part of the Akron Photo Series.

Website: http://www.akronphotoseries.com/

Presenter: Jerry Ghionis

Date: June 13, 2011

Location: Akron, Ohio

Price: $60

Included: 3 hour presentation from Jerry Ghionis

Bonuses: 10% of the proceeds went to Akron Childrens Hospital (I believe that Jerry donated all of the proceeds)

What I Expected: To learn a bit more about posing.

Expectations Met: Yes! Jerry packed a lot into the time we had with him and he far surpassed my expectations.

Summary: I saw Jerry present a couple years ago at WPPI and his presentation was strictly on albums. While I learned a LOT during that seminar, I have always wanted to catch one of his posing seminars but I've always managed to sleep through his WPPI platforms since they are at 8AM (dear WPPI gods, please rectify this!). Beyond that the first time I met Jerry was at a party and I had a wee bit of alcohol in me. A friend introduced us and I asked him if he was a photographer. Whoops. The lovely thing is that he laughed it off and thought it was amusing instead of getting on a high horse like others may have done. Ever since then I've always thought of him kindly.

Jerry spent the time prior to the seminar starting wandering around the room introducing himself to everyone. I thought that was really kind. No cut directs this time ;) He and Melissa (his wife) made a solid attempt to make sure to talk to everyone.

Sadly the turnout for this presentation was not quite what it was for Jasmine. I'd guess there was about 100 people there? I know it is summer and scheduling things can be a bit of a nightmare with kids and vacations but it was sad to see. I hope that if this series continue that we give a better showing for people in the future :)

Jerry spoke for a little over 3 hours (going 45 minutes past the end time of 9:30 to make sure that all of what he wanted to speak about was covered and that all questions were answered which I appreciate!) about posing. He began with a slideshow of all of his greatest hits so to speak and then went into his presentation basically about how to adjust your attitude to see the beauty in every person and how as a photographer to make the beauty shine. He touched on posing, lighting and setting up locations to not look nearly as gnarly. What was really great was that he would show before and afters of really awful rooms and what he did to make it work. He then showed action/reaction shots where he had the client in a good pose but it needed some emotion and what he'd do to evoke the emotion. Since we're all visual people, I feel that was really helpful to see. Often there was also a video that accompanied the pictures so you could visualize everything together and what occurred.

Jerry spoke concisely, slowly and was very relaxed. He was very easy to follow when taking notes and it wasn't all in the accent ;) I loved that he wasn't too stuffy and would freely throw out a curse word here or there. In a past life I swear I was a pirate so I appreciate it when people swear (yes, I am weird).

I also wanted to note that while he mentioned the things he had for sale (picpockets, Ice Society) he did NOT overly push it nor mention it more than once or twice. At no point did I feel that we were in a commercial for his items. I know that in years past, this has been a bone of contention with his seminars but it appears that he's listened to the choir on this and backed off a bit. It was nice though that he did give a set of his picpockets out to the person attending that had been in business the longest.

Recommend? Abso-freaking-lutely. It was a shame if you missed this and you need to see him whenever possible!

I will be following this up with a review of the next day's workshop in a few days where we got to see him in action with a couple etc.

Corey Ann is a wedding & lifestyle photographer from North Canton, OH. She is a mix of everything - fashionista (runs Clothes for Pros, clothing suggestions for photographers), travel guru, deal hound and geek rolled into one. She's had a website online since 1997 and a blog since 1999. When not plotting world domination or her next trip, she can be found reading one of the 100+ books she reads a year. Follow her on Twitter.

You Already Have The Answers

While consulting for other small businesses, I've found that most people already have the answers to help them overcome the problems they're currently facing, but for whatever reason they ignore those answers or they convince themselves that someone else has a better answer.  There are so many different ways to solve problems or move forward, but the best solution is the one that will work for YOU.  Fortunately, you probably already know what that is.  Unfortunately, you may be spending so much of your time thinking about, and maybe even trying out, the ways that other people do things that you've confused what works best for you with what works best for other people.

For example, I used to look at a lot of blogs and participate in a lot of forums.  If I did enough of it, eventually one of these things would happen:

• I'd compare myself and my work to that of others and either feel inferior or superior.
• I'd feel like I had to try what everyone else was trying because it was different and seemed "cool".
• I'd have an idea I thought was original and want to try it, but as soon as I found that someone else had tried it, I wouldn't even attempt it because it no longer felt original.
• I'd spend more time focusing on others and what they were doing rather than focusing on what I needed to do.

I've tried to re-enter the world of reading lots of other blogs and message boards, but each time I've spent more than an hour on these things, I start to notice one of the feelings above creeping back in.  In each case, they take me further away from who I am as an artist and as a business person.  I'm not saying there isn't value or inspiration to be found by checking in once in a while to see what's new, or to learn what "everyone" is obsessing about right now; what I'm saying is not to get so consumed by it that you start questioning yourself and your individual style, or that you start judging others rather than just being at peace with the fact that everyone is different and on their own unique journey.

So, how do we solve this problem?

The only way for you to get better at what you do is to listen to yourself.  Listen to what feels right and good for you.  Listen to what you're saying to yourself.  Notice when you say, "I can't" or "I don't know how."  Either find someone who "can" or spend time investing in yourself so that you can "know" for yourself.  Push yourself to try new and different things, but always analyze whether you feel good about what you did, how you did it, and why you did it.  If a task you're doing feels painful or too difficult, it's a clear sign you need to find someone else who enjoys it and thinks it's easy (yes, there are people who love doing the things we hate- like accountants!)  Just because someone else "seems" to be doing it all on their own, doesn't mean that you have to.  You have a unique set of strengths and those are what you need to spend your time focusing on in order to be successful.  

You already have the answers, you just need to take yourself seriously.  If you aren't sure how to listen to yourself, get a mentor, a coach, or a friend to listen to you and be your mirror by sharing what they hear you saying.  Sometimes we dismiss our own thoughts, but they have power and control over us in ways that we often don't realize.  When we hear someone repeat these thoughts back to us- we gain a greater awareness of our own truth and a window into our own best solutions.

Anne Ruthmann is a lifestyle & wedding photographer from Boston, MA. She spent 10 years practicing marketing & management in corporate and non-profit businesses before pursuing her passion for photography as an independent small business.  She loves helping others find creative and low-cost solutions to business problems.  Check out her next workshop or free talk at SmarterBusinessWorkshop.com.

Thank You Notes: Ace in the Hole

When I was a child there was one thing my parents were very diligent about and it was sending out thank you cards for every gift I received. Much of the winter months of my youth (due to Christmas and birthday gifts) was spent evading this chore that I hated with a passion. As I grew up though, I began to understand why you send thank you notes and above that how nice they are to receive. I don't know about you, but when I get one in the mail - or even email - from a client, friend or relative it makes me smile and quite literally makes my day. Who wouldn't want to share that kind of love with their clients or potential clients?

Let me make this simple: send thank you cards or notes!

Since I grew up doing this from a young age, this has always been something that I've incorporated into my business from day one but I know that many of you are not. When I meet with a potential client, I send out a card if I have their address or an email if I do not. I let them know that I appreciate them considering me for their wedding and touch on anything that we spoke about during the meeting. When a client books, I send out a handwritten thank you card expressing how thankful I am for their business and state I am looking forward to their day. Finally the day of the wedding I always drop a card in their card box wishing them well and thanking them for letting me be a part of their day. The feedback that I get from these little notes is amazing. Clients just LOVE it and always say that no one else's photographers do that.

Thank you notes are not very time consuming and you don't need to have custom ones made. I've been able to find ones that go along with my branding at Target and Marshalls. Pick up a pack or two and start sending... and let me know what your feedback from it is!

Corey Ann is a wedding & lifestyle photographer from North Canton, OH. She is a mix of everything - fashionista (runs Clothes for Pros, clothing suggestions for photographers), travel guru, deal hound and geek rolled into one. She's had a website online since 1997 and a blog since 1999. When not plotting world domination or her next trip, she can be found reading one of the 100+ books she reads a year. Follow her on Twitter.

Dirty Little Secret of the Photography Industry, Pt. 2

There are a lot of photographers "faking it" until they "make it."

Since some people misinterpreted my last post on percentage of full time photographers in our industry, let's be clear about what I mean by "faking it":

• suggesting that a portfolio full of images created at a workshop came from hired jobs
• telling clients that you've been photographing weddings for 5 years when 4 of those years you were just attending as a guest and bringing your camera along
• creating styled bridal shoots and wedding set-ups and passing them off as real weddings
• using images created by other photographers to represent your own professional portfolio
• using models that you've done trade work for and claiming they hired you
• claiming you're an award-winning photographer without actually receiving an award
• selling with images from photographers that are no longer part of your company, or are not a regular part of your photography team
• passing off your images as a second shooter as if you were the primary shooter

Deception of any kind is just wrong. What makes me sad is that there's a lot of it floating around in our industry and because clients and newer photographers can't tell the difference between what's real and what's not, they can get sucked into it like a moth to a flame.  I've even heard of workshops that advocate people "fake it until you make it," but I really don't see a lasting business strategy in that.  Having confidence in your abilities wherever you are- yes, but saying you have experience that you don't- no.  The minute your colleagues find out what you've been doing- you've lost their respect for you and your business because they won't know what else you may be lying about.  Also, you're only putting yourself in a really awkward situation when you claim to have more experience and then find yourself in a situation in which other people are taking a financial risk on you bringing that to the table, but you can't.

I have so much respect for people who are humble about their situation and can sit down with a couple and say, "look, you're my second wedding and I'm giving you an awesome rate because you're putting a lot of trust in me." I really don't see the need for people to lie about where they came from or how long they've been in this- if people like your work, they really aren't going to care how long you've been in the game- so why lie about it?  There's actually more power in being real and honest- which helps clients be more understanding and knowledgable of when and if something goes wrong, and establishes a level of trust and respect built on honesty.  That honesty helps you create a better connection with your local photography community- which becomes your first line of help if something goes wrong and you need a backup.

An honest business will always outlast a business built on a foundation of lies.