David Beckstead is clear about one thing and that is he serves a very particular kind of client who gets what he does and loves what he does for them. I met David at Mystic Seminars some two years ago and he is slated to be back this year to present again. Like his work, he is a dynamic personality – always smiling and ready to answer questions from the audience. If you get a chance to view his images and his presentation, don't miss it.

For those who are intrigued by David's work, you are in luck. Photodough.com has on his sale his new e-book called Dynamic Wedding Photography. At $27 it is a steal. And as a bonus, you get to listen to David's presentation in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Are you looking to kick your wedding photography up a notch this year? No, not through Photoshop actions or Lightroom presets. Those will only get you so far. If you don't have an exciting or dynamic image to work with in the first place, you are just adding to the problem using those tools. I was always taught to get the image right in the camera first. Perhaps that's “old-school” thinking, I don't know. But it has worked really well for me.

Anyway, David's e-book promises to show us,”how you can become a stylistic and creative photographer attracting clients that love what you do.” Given his style, I suspect that even as a portrait photographer you are going to learn a ton from David Beckstead.

The sale runs through the end of day on Monday, January 7th, so, don't wait. The price goes back up to $65 and I doubt the video will be a part of that option.

As always, if you buy it, read it, use it, come back here and tell me about it. I want to know what you got out of it. Perhaps we can compare notes? Feel free to comments below.

P.S. Full disclosure, you betcha those are affiliate links! I promote only the best resources for photographers.

Look, the holidays are upon on us and it is the season of giving gifts to each other. No escaping that trip to the mall, or is there? Time to admit to yourself that some of the stuff you will receive during the holidays will be sheer junk. Right? But I am here to steer you or your well-intentioned Aunt Margie in the right direction.

You are a photographer or you are trying your hand at off-camera flash and you have no clue where to start. I have been there and totally get you. Without Zack Arias' One Light Workshop and One Light DVD I know I would have been lost. That was the first step I chose to take. The next step was to immerse myself into David Hobby's well known site, Strobist. I suggest you check it out as well.

The transition from Zack to David was a smooth one as they both preach shooting in manual mode. But when you pay $500 for a SB-900, you want it to jump through hoops for you when you want it to. To learn how to do that, one simply need to look no further than Joe McNally. TTL is like putty in his hands and I was determined to find out how he used his lights.

Wel, lucky me, in 2011 I heard that David Hobby and Joe McNally were getting on a bus and hitting a bunch of cities. While they didn't stop in Hartford, thanks to Jeffrey Snyder and Adorama, I was able to get a ticket to their Boston presentation. It was an all day event and they rocked the house with great useful information that I was excited to put to use right away.

Would you like to know what they demonstrated? Would you like to see how they each took a challenging lighting situation and solved it in front of a house full of other photographers (no pressure, eh, David and Joe?)

Yes, you can “attend” one of their presentations. Adorama has had the “Flash Bus Tour 2011 – Two Disc Set, By Joe McNally & David Hobby” on their shelves for sometime. Yes, I should have blogged about this before, but when I saw a Tweet from Jeffrey Snyder today that Adorama was selling off all copies of this awesome 2-DVD set at 50% off, I couldn't resist telling you about it right away.

So, if you or Aunt Margie is looking for a meaningful gift, send yourself or your aunt here to buy the 2-DVD set for $49.99. [affiliate link] No lie, obsessive as I am about learning from these two pioneers, I actually bought my copy of this 2-DVD set today.

I am told by Jeffrey and his colleague at Adorama, Joel Meisels, that when they are gone, they are GONE. So, are you going to procrastinate or take action? It really comes down to how serious you are about elevating your game.

Full disclosure: If you buy the DVD mentioned above, using the links in this post, I earn a small commission that helps support this website.

Black Friday has come and gone and now we turn to Cyber Monday for the very best deals for photographers. And there are a plenty of them still floating around. These caught my eye and are ones that I will be personally investing in for my business.

If you are like me and want to get a head start on 2013, then pay close attention to these offers [all affiliate links] and jump in before the clock strikes 12 am EST!

The Modern Tog offers for the first time a 6-Week Photography Marketing Bootcamp! You will learn how to get as many new clients as quickly as possible for as little money as possible.

Use the link to buy it for $29. Jamie Swanson of The Modern Tog tells me that she will only offer this as a part of another product in the Spring, when the price will be much higher. Grab it now!

Photographer Questionnaire Library is normally $49 but you can buy it for 80% off its list price when you use the code: “SuperFun” at checkout. Your final price is $9.95!

Photography Pricing Guide Workbook is normally $89 but you can buy it fo $39 when you use the code: “SuperFun”. How does saving $50 sound to you?

The Go-To Guide For Client Emails is something I use already. 100+ email templates that you can modify. This is brilliant because it saves me time. Get $50 off of this as well when you use the code: “SuperFun” in the cart. Normally $147, you get it for $97!

If there are two products from Fundy SOS that my studio depends on, they are Album Builder and Blog Collage. Get them both for 33% off only today. I just wrapped up an engagement session album in 20 minutes! Album Builder is fast, easy and precise. And it uses Photoshop, which most photographers have on their machines. Blog Collage (yes, you can include your own branding too) is phenomenal. When Andrew Funderburg showed me how it works I was totally floored.

If the name “David Hobby” is unknown to you, I won't be surprised. He sometimes goes by “Strobist” or “Mr. Strobist” for his awesome website about flash (and in particular off-camera flash) photography. That's where I learned my chops. His current offering (perhaps for the first and last time) is his DVD sets. They are priceless and I own (read = paid full price) for every one of them. Get them TODAY for $49.99. This isn't a steal, it's highway robbery, if you ask me.

From Portfolio to Profit Engine: How to Build an Absolutely Irresistible Photography Website is by Jenika McDavit of Psychology for Photographers. The title says it all. Get $30 off when you use the code: “READY2GO”. This is the guide book I am using to create a new website (using WordPress of course). If you don't know about Jenika's website, please for the love of GOD, bookmark it. Her writing is lucid and her advice spot on. If you are in the midst of rebranding (like me) or simply scrapping your website and need help with correctly setting up a new one, you want this product.

Take all the pictures you want and make them look pretty but if no one is buying well, that's because your marketing needs some help. I talked about Jamie's offering above, but this one by Zach Prez is a collection of his three best selling e-books on web marketing for photographers. You get the Photography Web Marketing Guide, Photography Blog Success and 55 Smart Web Ideas For Photographers for just $39. That's 50% off! I was offered the opportunity to pen my thoughts on how to best use Twitter in that last book. So, if you are curious about using social media or writing for your blog, definitely get them all.

Looking for ways to simplify your photo editing and post-processing? Who doesn't like to save time right? Well, the folks at Totally Rad Actions have had a Black Friday sale that they are extending through tonight. These are the same actions and presets that I use on my images. Buy RadLab for only $97 and save 35% off of everything else they offer. I use their ProRetouch (version 1 and 2) on almost all of my images for headshot portrait sessions.

One of the best online spots to learn about Photoshop and photography has to be Kelby Training. Get in on their Cyber Monday special by using the code: “CYBERMON12” You get $40 off their annual subscription. Score! If your are a NAPP member, it's an even sweeter deal.

Looking for templates to create cards or business forms for your photography business? The first place I check is Design Aglow. Right now you can get 15% off all their offerings when you “LIKE” the ProjectLife365 Facebook page. Getting ready for 2013, I am buying The Successful Studio's Workflow Assistant today. But there are oodles more for creative photographers who want to stand out from the crowd. Now, I have no idea what Project Life 365 will be all about when it launches on Jan. 1, 2013, but from what Lena Hyde and her crew do at Design Aglow, I know it will be something to keep close tabs on for sure.

I mentioned this sale before but it bears repeating, especially if you are starting out. The tutorials that Rob and Lauren Lim have put together for you are simply the best. I recommend them to all my friends and family. Yes, I do expect my family to buy in as well. They are that good. The Black Friday event runs through Cyber Monday. Don't wait. These will NEVER be discounted by 40% again (well, maybe not until next year perhaps).

As I find more of these deals, I'll keep adding to the list here. So, come back and check it out. Lastly, if you do buy any of these today, feel free to comment below. I want to know how you will be using them.

Recall why you got into photography? It was more than likely … the photography. Nothing more.

Most of us have stories of seeing our first images come up in the fixer, or for those of you who have never shot and processed film, let's just go with the LCD on the back of your DSLR cameras.

Almost no one I have met says they serve people because the business excites them.

Fact is, you need to be able to do both. Like a well-oiled machine, you have to create images your clients will be thrilled with AND have a business system in place that brings in more clients. One feeds the other and on and on.

There does come a time, though, when you realize that you are better at one over the other. True, you can outsource some of the work, but the brunt of business development still rests on you.

Amber and Eric Langlois of RAW Photo Design, a company based in Danbury, Connecticut found themselves at a fork in the road. Their clients were thrilled with the images but dismayed at how slowly they responded to emails or phone calls. I know we have all been there. Life takes over and while we do our best to prioritize, some things start to slip through the cracks that are emerging.

Instead of abandoning ship (Eric writes in his blog about “throwing in the towel”, but I like the ship metaphor so stick with me on this one), the Danbury duo decided to connect with Carla Ten Eyck, a photographer and workshop leader in the Hartford area. While she gave them suggestions as they met on a weekly basis, Amber and Eric just felt like they were still dragging their feet.

The only obvious solution to Amber and Carla was to have Carla's studio take over the business aspects of RAW Photo Design. Imagine that! The Langlois' will retain creative control over their images – shooting and post-processing (which I imagine they should outsource too), but Carla's efficient studio will essentially run the business side of RAW Photo Design.

Here's my question for Carla – where do I sign up? This sounds like a win-win for the two studios, but also a huge win for Amber and Eric's clients.

Is this the future for over-worked one or two-person studios? Will this work for you? What concerns do you have about this new business model?

Read about this transition on Carla's blog here. Eric and Amber have also written about it here.

If you have questions about this new business relationship, please comment below.

With a headline like that, I hope I got your attention.

I won't waste your time. I will keep my promise where you can save a ton on Photography Concentrate's tutorials, you might win big by entering their contest for a Sony NEX-6 and a ONA bag and become that photographer you want to be by using their tutorials.

Simply put, get yourself out to Photography Concentrate's Super Black Friday Event now.

First, you'll save 40% on all their tutorials. You won't ever find them discounted like this again … well, until next year perhaps! The tutorials are awesome and include the following:

Extremely Essential Camera Skills – Reg. $49.95 on sale for $29.97

Great for those of you getting started with a new DSLR. You know the one your Aunt Margie will buy as a surprise for this Christmas. Photography is beyond putting things on AUTO and winging it. Learn the fundamentals from these two. They explain it well and with videos too. Read my review here.

Simple Wedding Photography – Reg. $39.95 on sale for $23.97

In this behemoth of an offering our Canadian friends have pretty much outlined EVERYTHING you need to do right to get your wedding photography business on track. When I received this download, I was floored. So much information. All in one place. Boo-yah!

Super Photo Editing Skills – Reg $79.95 on sale for $47.97

You probably got your start in Photoshop Elements. (No one is judging you) And then worked up the nerve to buy into Photoshop itself. Then Lightroom came around and you got all conflicted about which to work with, right? Right. I have been there myself. In this video driven tutorial, you will learn to work with Lightroom the right way. The simple way. The elegant way. It's long in term of time but is filled with tips and tricks that will speed your workflow right up. If you are struggling with your workflow, buy this and give yourself a break.

Awesome Album Design Skills – Reg $79.95 on sale for $47.97

As a wedding photographer, designing albums was about the last thing I wanted to do. Sure, you could outsource it. But Rob and Lauren show you how to use InDesign to easily create templates that you can reuse and manipulate at will. Imagine being able to finish designing your albums in record time. Well, this is what you will learn in this tutorial.

Yes, I am an affiliate partner and I make a small commission that supports this blog. But as I have mentioned in posts past, I don't promote products or services willy-nilly. They have to be something I feel I would use myself and are of the highest quality. That said, get clicky with me and buy the tutorial that is right for you, or buy them all as this sale ends on November 27th.

In true, Photography Concentrate style, Rob & Lauren have also produced a PDF/InDesign set of questionnaires for portrait photographers. What better way to get to know your clients than to ask them about who they are and what makes them tick? This set of questionnaires is FREE. Yep, no strings attached. Just go here to download them. You get both PDFs and InDesign templates that you can repurpose with your own branding!

And the whopper? Enter to win a Sony NEX-6 and a ONA bag. Again, you don't have to buy a thing. Just enter here.

Remember, the sale ends on November 27th. Don't wait until the last minute. From Tiffinbox to you, a very Happy Thanksgiving!