My wedding season is winding down, but my children's portrait photography sessions are starting to pickup. It's just the nature of things as we cycle from one season to the next.

In my pursuit to be better than I was last year, I looked around to see whose work and expertise could elevate me as an artist. One name that kept popping up to the top of my head was Tamara Lackey.

Let me at the outset tell you that Tamara is a friend. We first met at a workshop hosted by Jesh de Rox. Tamara and I continued to stay in touch (and that's one good way to be on top of someone's mind, eh?) but both our studios got busier and things got a little quiet. Then all of a sudden I heard that Tamara had written a book called The Art of Children's Photography.

Subsequently, I met her at Learnfest, another workshop hosted this time by Tamara, Audrey Woulard, Lena Hyde and Laura Novak. (Learnfest is now on an indefinite hiatus and that's why the link points to a very good review of that workshop!)

In early January of this year, Tamara announced that she had co-produced a DVD with Rex Ballard, called Inside Contemporary Children's Photography. I sent Tamara a message saying that I was intrigued by the DVD and wanted to know where I could buy it. Her prompt response was to simply ask for my address. A couple of days later I received her generous gift. So, let me be clear that I did receive this DVD gratis. This blog post, however wasn't solicited by her or me. It was truly an after thought because I absolutely loved what Tamara was able to teach me in 90-very-quick-minutes. I say “quick” because it left me wanting to hear and see more.

Her breakdown of different kinds of children and how to approach them was my biggest take away. I have two kids of my own whom I photograph constantly, but that doesn't make me an expert on all the different kinds of kids there are in the world. Tamara, of course, generalizes to some extent. But her opinions come from the vantage point of a lot of experience. Just look at her images and you will be amazed at how intact the children's souls remain. In some children, she is playful and down-right goofy. While working with some others – those who are cranky or shy, her approach is much more reserved and quiet. In any of the scenarios, you can tell that being respectful of children is very important.

There is also a fairly detailed section of the DVD where Tamara and her studio director talk about how to run a successful portrait photography business. If you are starting out, this is going to be doubly valuable to you.

I wholly recommend this DVD if you are considering specializing in children's photography or at least making it part of your business.

Be sure that your approach is going to be different (and Tamara and I hope that it will be), so please don't think of this DVD as a template for what you MUST do. Think of it as a template of what you CAN do. These are suggestions and very good ones that will help you make your business sing if you adopt even just a few of them.

I wholly recommend this DVD if you are considering specializing in children's photography or at least making it part of your business. Tamara's approach is genuine and her love of children is as clear as a sunny day. The DVD itself is very well produced. After all, Rex Ballard's litany of achievements as a Director of Photography and Cinematographer include National Geographic and The History Channel.

You can buy this helpful tutorial as a DVD or a download here. [This isn't an affiliate link and I don't get a dime for promoting it!]

BONUS: If you are going to be in New York City this Friday (October 29, 2010), Tamara Lackey will be presenting at Photo Plus Expo. She is an enthusiastic speaker and her presentation is not to be missed.

UPDATE: Tamara has generously given Tiffinbox readers a $30 discount if you buy her DVD by Friday – November 5, 2010. That brings your price down to $169. This is NOT an affiliate offer and I don't make a dime for promoting it here. Yeah, it's that good. Get it!

If you are anything like me, it's been ages since you read a real page turner. Busy photographers we all are but that doesn't mean we get to stop learning and perfecting our craft.

Photographer and author Ed Verosky is running a special Halloween SALE on all of his books.

If you have been on the fence about getting his books (see the big fat images below as well as in the sidebar of this blog), this is your chance to save 25%. But the sale ends October 31. So hurry!

If you have enjoyed the posts here on Tiffinbox and want to find a way to say thank you, simply click the images below to order your e-books. Yes, those are affiliate links. But they are of e-books I have read and found very valuable.

THE DISCOUNT CODE IS: “PHOTOBOOKS”

Buy 100% Reliable Flash Photography:

Buy 25 Amazing Boudoir Photography Techniques:

If you do buy one or both of the e-books, do chime in below with your comments about them. I do want to hear your feedback. Did you learn anything from them? Were they priced just right for you? Would you feel good about letting your friends know about the e-books being available here? Your comments are valuable. You have a voice.

Thank you again for your support!
Seshu

Chris Orwig, an author and teacher asks us to redefine our notion of what a photograph is in this video. I think it is instructive of how photography must go back to its roots – when things we saw in front of us were genuinely appreciated and the person making the images was so much present in the images they were making.

As Orwig says, the world does not need another Ansel Adams or Annie Leibovitz. The world just needs YOU behind your camera. Creating images that are more indicative of who you really are. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did. One of these days, if Chris' schedule opens up and he is interested, I would love for him to guest blog here too.

If you want to hear or read more about what Chris Orwig is saying, I wholly recommend his book Visual Poetry. Here is a dedicated website for it.

Flash Forward Festival runs from October 6-10, 2010 in Toronto. It's a biennial festival for emerging photographers from Canada, United States and the United Kingdom.??

“Ultimately we want to see photographers making connections, getting jobs, having dialogue with some of their international counterparts.” – Emily McInnes, Co-Director, Flash Forward Festival

I imagine Scott Jordan, the CEO of the stylish, yet very functional ScotteVest is on a mission to be heard and seen by everyone. Yes, including photographers.

I received a direct message from him on Twitter asking me to check out a link regarding a ScotteVest advertisement that Delta Airlines had rejected. It was a similar advertisement to the one his company published in The New York Times.

Here is the advertisement in its original form:

You can only imagine why the advertisement was rejected by Delta. It calls out a spate of US airlines that have opted to charge additional baggage fees if you decide to fly with them. And it gives travelers a very viable solution – the ScotteVest – to “beat the system.”

Let me be clear – I do not own a ScotteVest product (yet). And this isn't a paid or unpaid advertisement for Scott Jordan or his company. I have received nothing in exchange for blogging about this issue. I used to love getting on a plane and traveling. I have traveled to Europe, East Asia and to just about every state in the US. Well, the airlines industry in the US have found ways to make it intolerable (save for one airlines called Southwest).

When the “extra baggage fees” were announced, I knew I would be flying less. Not that I carry a stack of suitcases when I photograph domestic or international weddings, but the very fact that airlines in the US had found a way to essentially tax me over and above what it costs to fly with them, well, irked me to no end. Note the distinction – we are referring to these new charges for “extra” baggage not just “excess” baggage. From my understanding, one is charged “excess” baggage if and when one goes over a certain amount of weight per suitcase AND also has an additional bag to check in. Fine. We've lived and put up with that for a while and it makes sense. You can't have one person flying with 10 suitcases all filled to the brim. “Extra” baggage charges, which I am lamenting about now, is when an airline deems it necessary to charge you for ANY checked bag; weight and dimension limits also remain in full effect, of course. If you were traveling for just an overnight trip, you may be able to get away with a duffel bag or a carry-on suitcase (though there are rumblings already that those TOO may be incur a charge!!). However, if you are traveling for a week or more, you will want to carry more with you. Add traveling with children to the mix and you parents know that things become quite a production.

In my opinion, this nickel-and-diming is surely the first step towards a very slippery slope for the airline industry. I wonder if charging us to use the bathrooms on their flights, where we would be required to swipe our credit cards to open the door, would be the next logical step. I am sure some bean-counter is already salivating at the very thought. Where and when airlines should be encouraging travel, they have found innovative and asinine solutions to tax passengers, disrupt and frustrate people's lives.

In again a Twitter exchange, my friend Steven Frischling (whose blog Flying With Fish you must read), says:

So do you think Delta or any other airline will want to turn away nearly $735 million every year? No way! Airlines have forgotten that traveling by air used to be a positive experience. Now, it's more of a nightmare, especially with necessary security checks and other unforeseeable delays. So here comes an innovative company with a great product to make people's lives a little bit easier when they travel. But no, the airlines will have none of it.

Scott Jordan's appeal is simple. This is a David vs. the Goliath, he says. And I agree. This is about the little man/woman being constantly stepped on. ScotteVest products may provide a traveler the ideal solution to carrying a lot of the things one would normally check-in, but I somehow doubt every traveler will opt for a jacket in lieu of checking in a couple of suitcases. To that end, I think Delta is being just plain silly for rejecting the advertisement in Delta Sky, their in-flight magazine. By denying ScotteVest's advertisement to appear in their magazine, they have inadvertently (and to Jordan's glee, I am sure) created a maelstrom of interest in his offerings. Isn't all publicity, still good publicity?

Read Scott Jordan's official statement on Delta's decision to reject his “Beat the System – how to avoid extra bag fees” advertisement.

What do you think? Is Scott Jordan's appeal much ado about nothing or are you also frustrated by the baggage fees that airlines are charging you when you travel and want a solution you can use? As a photographer how have the new baggage allowances affected the way you travel and ultimately your business? Send a message to the airlines by commenting below!