Today's guest post is by Kate Anderson of Plumeria Album Design. Kate works with professional photographers to design clean, classic albums that wow their clients while giving the photographer some much needed free time. She lives in Minneapolis, MN. Follow her on Twitter.

Imagine a scene with me for a moment. It's 25 years or so in the future (cue the Back to the Future music now); a woman is looking through boxes in her closet. She's a bit upset, her son's new fiance is looking on. Finally, the woman finds what she's looking for. It's an old iPad, an antique from 2011. The woman looks at it with a loving smile.

“These are my wedding photos from when we were married. I haven't looked at this in so many years.”

Then the smile fades. The woman realizes there is a problem. The battery is long drained from disuse, and the charging cable is no where to be found. They've moved several times since the wedding, and as usually happens, things got misplaced and lost. Amazingly, there is a dvd, with a beautiful photo of wedding rings on it. The backup copy of the photos. But with no dvd drive in her possession for a decade, the woman can't even look at those. Her wedding photos are locked away in a digital purgatory. She can't show her future daughter in law her own wedding.

If you don't offer albums to your couples, this is a very likely scenario in the future. They probably have all the best intentions to print an album, probably at Blurb or Snapfish. But for many, it will get pushed to the back burner and neglected. So it's up to you, their trusted wedding photographer, to make sure they get an album, before it's too late. Printed books never become obselete, technology does. You don't want your brides and grooms to live on their harddrive forever.

But many photographers don't offer albums, for many of the same reasons that their clients won't get around to printing one themselves after they receive their shoot and burn disk. Albums take time if they're to be done well. They have to be put together with a storyteller's eyes. The right photos have to be selected, from hundreds. However, album design doesn't always have to be a panic inducing moment. Here's a few design tips and my process, to help you out.

Don't cram the album with photos

Less is more. Remember that. I like to have only a few photos per page for most spreads, usually around 2-3 per page. This lets each photo have it's own voice. Too many photos crammed on one page gives you a sense of confusion. Your eye darts around the page quickly, rather than calmly resting on each photo for a moment and moving on to the next. Too many photos fighting for your attention all at the same time means none get the attention they deserve, and the message that the photos tell gets lost. Look at a National Geographic magazine, or fine art book; then look at a tabloid magazine. Which feels calmer to your eye? Ignore the content of the tabloid vs the National Geographic.

But with all guidelines, there are exceptions. Some spreads work better with a bit of a denser layout. Spreads of the family groupings and wedding party, or spreads of reception dancing are examples. With family groupings, having several photos per page gives the sense of family continuity. Everyone is together, and the photos are likely to be very similar in composition. That consistency is calming to the eye even when there's many of them. Reception and dancing spreads a bit of the opposite to me. I usually want those to give a sense of energy and excitement. Using a denser layout gives that feeling.

Spreads meant to show action also may get a few more photos per page; the story of the first look can't always be told in a few photos. Spreads that focus on a scene, such as the ceremony site, sometimes need a denser layout also, to show the whole scene in one spread, as if the viewer were there and could walk around to look at different things.

Don't be afraid of the dark/white space

White space is a good thing. It focuses the eye on the photo and eliminates distractions. Think about iconic, high end brands, such as Chanel, Apple or Tiffany's. Their websites and print materials have one thing in common. White space, or negative space. Then think about lower end brands. Their websites and print materials have lots of stuff, everywhere. It's distracting and cheapens the feel.

Also, it's a lot easier to design with white space than to try and fill the page with photos. It's like putting together a puzzle. If you're not afraid of the white space, you can use only the photos that are perfect for the spread, rather than having to add or subract photos to make everything fit. In this spread, having any other photos would have been distracting and taken away from the focus.

Don't fluff up the album

Remember that “less is more” bit? That applies to how long the album is. An album is perfect when nothing can be removed without losing part of the story, and nothing can be added without feeling repetitive. Each spread should have it's own theme, or portray one event. While there may be dozens of great photos of the couple after the wedding in a field, the album doesn't necessarily need all of those photos in several spreads. Pick the best 3 or 4 and create one spread that showcases the best parts of the session. This scene had lots of awesome shots, and I could have easily used several more, it was hard to choose only a few. But adding more would have taken away from the simplicity of the moment.

Do keep it timeless

Wedding albums should be timeless. Simple and clean design is the only “trend” that stands the test of time. Think of the simple black dress, or the basic charcoal gray suit. Those work now, they worked 50 years ago, and they'll probably work 50 years from now. They are simple and clean clothing items. Your album should be the simple black dress. Extra graphics, photo layering, fading, and spot coloring may look cool now, but how are they going to look on the couple's 50th wedding anniversary to their grandkids? Don't give the kids anything more to snicker at besides the clothing and decor trends.

The 5-Step Design Process

Here's what works for me.

1) The first step for me is to download the photos and set up the folders for each album in a client's folder. Here's what my layout looks like:

2) I sort through the photos and make copies of the album selections. Each spread gets it's own folder with a theme/title, and the copied album selections are dropped in. I tag selections in red in Bridge so I don't duplicate, and the main photos of each spread get a star rating.

3) I use InDesign with the AlbumFlow script to design albums. You can also use Photoshop, and I've heard only good things about Fundy's Album Builder [aff] to speed things up. The debate of InDesign vs Photoshop is for another discussion. It's similar to Ford vs Chevy, Canon vs Nikon; they all get the job done in the end, one way or another.

4) Now I go through the finished design to eliminate any problems. I make sure the bleeds and margins are correct, that full bleed photos will be just that, and that all other photos are within the safety zone. I make sure all the photos line up and spacing is consistent. I double check that no one's head or an important detail is going to get trimmed off.

5) Last, the finished design is exported as a PDF using guidelines from AlbumFlow, to create the highest quality print. I then use Photoshop to create JPEGs from the PDF using ImageBrander from FundySOS [aff]. It's a super helpful plugin for easily watermarking and creating multiple sizes and resolutions. I can make full size JPEGs for the album company and smaller ones for the blog, all in one shot.

This isn't the first time we have addressed album design on Tiffinbox. Justine Ungaro talked about it in this post. My question for you is this – are you still stressing out about your album designs? Or, are you blissfully adding images to your pages willy-nilly and hoping that your clients don't notice. Trust me, clients are getting savvier and do know good design from bad. So, what are you going to do? You can hone your skills (if you have time) or you can farm the task out. What would you do? Tell me/us down below. It's not an easy decision. I do know that.

Some of you may recall Andy Bondurant's steamy blog post from almost a year ago called “What's Too Sexy For High School Seniors?“. Well he is back, with more advice for photographers. He is the co-founder and director of Senior Portrait Artists. You can find him on Twitter and Facebook.

I recently ran across a question on the question/answer/information site Quora. Here was the question, “How can I dress like a professional photographer?”

I can hear some of the responses some of you have come up with already. “Great, another amateur, jumping into photography taking more of my clients.” But wait just a minute more, because what I found truly disturbing was the first response.

You can visit the site for the full response, but here is the first line:

“This is an awesome question. In my experience shooting events, it's less important how you dress and more important how your equipment looks.”

What?

The right equipment for the right job can make a huge difference in getting the shot you want and need. By no means does it make you a professional. In fact, it may put you out of business quicker than anything else you could do. Professional equipment is expensive, and much of it is not necessary to begin a business.

Over the past 8-10 years, I've had the blessing of having multiple opportunities each year to watch great, professional portrait photographers work on location shoots. Most of the time they have exactly what they need, when they need it. However,many times I would hear things like, “Oh, I wish I had …” Then they move on to get a great shot without the piece of equipment they just mentioned.

So what is that makes GREAT photographers GREAT? It's not the equipment, and it goes beyond just training. Here are 3 qualities I've found seems to be similar among photographers who are professional.

1. Relationship.

The best photographers seem to be able to connect with their clients quickly and efficiently. If you want to get images that truly portray a subject's personality you need that person to trust you. You need them to believe you are going to make them look incredible.

If the client doesn't trust you it shows in their eyes. It shows in their body posture.

Personality is not necessarily the biggest factor in this either. Having a fun, outgoing personality helps, but I've seen more reserved photographers do just as well as larger than life photographers.

The key to building relationship is caring. Building trust means truly and genuinely caring for the client and how they look and feel.

2. Time.

Above, I mentioned greatness is more than equipment or training. Having the right equipment and training only take you so far. Having the right equipment without enough time using it will result in sub-par images. Having the correct training without time to practice and perfect that training will lead to a less than perfect product.

Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers calls this the 10,000 hour rule. His premise is anyone who excels in their field has spent 10,000+ hours perfecting it before they become “known” for their skill. He references The Beatles, Bill Gates and others who fit this theory.

There is no substitute for time in photography. The more time you spend shooting, editing and perfecting, the better photographer you will be.

3. Consistency.

John Pyle wrote an article for The Collective arguing that this one point is what truly makes a professional photographer professional.

The ability to get a great shot no matter the circumstances, time of day, or the not having the “right” equipment is what sets the pro apart from the amateur.

Consistency is directly related to #2. The more time you have doing photography the more consistent product you will create.

Let me wrap up by telling you one more thing.

I'm not a photographer. Before you completely forget what I've written based on that statement, think about this: Each one of the above points (relationship, time, consistency) applies to any profession.

I don't care if you are a doctor, lawyer, lock-smith, banker or pizza maker all 3 of these qualities will be found in the great ones. It will have nothing to do with the equipment they do or don't have.

It will be about creating relationships, having time invested in their profession, and consistently giving great service and/or creating a great product.

What do you think? Is Andy right on the money about this? Discuss below!

This guest post is by David Wares. He is Based in the South East of England UK. He loves to photograph nature, landscape and over the last couple of years has become fascinated with the subject of Urban Exploration and dereliction. This year, he says,”I was lucky enough to win ‘The Portman Cup' for Best Image of 2010 at the Sussex Photographic Federation's Digital Projected Image competition.” He also writes the ‘Scenic Outlook' column for Current Photographer. Follow him on Twitter.

There’s something about places and objects that have fallen into disrepair that really intrigue me. I’m no historian by any means but I’ve always had an interest in visiting old ruins, such as the many medieval castles found across the UK. I can’t say exactly what it is that I find so fascinating; sometimes it starts me thinking about what may have gone on and sometimes it is merely the look of these old ruins. Again, it is hard to explain why something that is old and broken may be aesthetically pleasing, all I know is that it is.

So how does this all relate to me and my photography? When I started out I took the route that many others take, that of landscape photography. Quite often I love to visit the very picturesque Bodiam Castle, a classic castle ruin that is very well preserved and has an air of mystery about it during the early morning when shrouded by mist. It wasn’t until about three years ago that my interest in dereliction would take a new direction; Urban Exploration.

Far from the picturesque ruins I and most others are familiar with, Urban Exploration (or UrBex) involves going into more modern places that have been abandoned and become derelict for various different reasons. These tend to include old factories, hospitals, gas stations, fair grounds, manor houses and mansions; the list goes on and on. The term Urban Exploration itself is a bit vague but usually refers to people that frequent said abandoned buildings and tunnels (usually dangerous and off limits), however it could also be applied to places that the general public just don’t go to all that much, such as a junk yard or back alley for instance. Sometimes I take a trip down to our local beach where a small fishing fleet resides; you can find all sorts of rotten and rusty old worn out objects there.

The theme of dereliction will often result in your pictures having a much more sombre look and feel which in itself can be a really interesting avenue to explore. Not all pictures have to be bright and colourful. :)

I’m by no means advocating that everyone go out and start trespassing; that is something you need to take very careful consideration over, for both health and legal reasons. However, I do encourage everyone take the time to look in places that others avoid as there are so many artefacts that you can find and in the most accessible of areas that can and will make wonderful and interesting subjects for your pictures. Another great thing about dereliction is that in my view it’s an all weather activity. Whereas some other genres of photography can benefit from the ‘right’ kind of light, dereliction seems to lend itself to almost any lighting situation you can think of. Sunlight can bring out colours in rust etc while overcast or dull light can give bring an eerie or solemn feel to your pictures.

Have you explored your neighborhood? Does Urban Exploration intrigue you? Can you give yourself an assignment to photograph a place that has been abandoned in your neck of the woods? Come back here and share your images.

Let me start with two very public disclosures – 1) I received a 24×36 Acrylic print of one of my own images from Pictage to help in this review and 2) I simply love it.

Here is the image I submitted to Pictage (I shot this at The Westin Boston Waterfront, when I worked with Nabil Kapasi):

I am sure you are wondering why I feel so passionately about this one product. I recall hearing a photographer at Mystic Seminars say that if you want to stand out in the crowd, you've got to offer unique products to your clients. Well, let me tell you, these Acrylic prints will definitely be something I offer to my clients moving forward because the sample I received is STUNNING.

The combination of extremely clear and flawless elements and ultra smooth (transparent) finish sets these materials apart from more common Acrylic materials. The material, I am told, is extremely hard and is therefore difficult to scratch. (but not impossible). The edges are flame polished (melted if you will), to a smooth, safe, finish. It may take some knocks but why experiment, eh?

From Pictage's CEO, Jim Collins:

“The print affixed to the acrylic panel is not a silver halide photographic print. It is a giclee’ print quite similar to a fine art print. (just on different paper). As you are probably already aware, this process yields a print that carries intense colors, blacks and contrasts and this is responsible for some of the increase in detail that you can see in the print.

The acrylic serves two purposes. I guess you could say it’s not just a pretty face. The first purpose is obvious. Sex appeal. This is a very cool way to package a keepsake.  The second purpose may also be obvious to photographers, but I’m finding that this isn’t necessarily the case. In much the same fashion as a glass globe intensifies the output of a candle the acrylic actually intensifies the brightness of the print. The clear surface gathers light. This is one of the reasons why you really can’t take your eyes off of your new acrylic. That effect almost makes you want to study every detail in greater degrees.”  

No doubt this is a premium product and it comes at what I would consider a very respectable wholesale starting price that Pictage has brokered for wedding and portrait photographers.

Acrylic pricing for photographers starts at $84.50 for a 12X18 (the smallest available size), and climbs to about $750 for a 40X60. Interestingly, due to the giclee’ process, images can be printed at significantly larger sizes than traditional photographic prints, so stunning clarity even at Wall Covering size is possible. This will be evident in the two 40X60 panels Pictage will have on display at PartnerCon. Square and panorama formats will also available.

Photographers interested in these Acrylic prints will have to become a member of Pictage.

These prints become available first to photographers via their wholesale catalogs and Direct Order Tool or DOT, and then to consumers via photographer opt in. Most photographers who have an account with Pictage would do well to offer these prints to their clients because I know they will love them.

The Acrylic panel I received has a “museum” or “gallery” mount, with aluminum studs. See the image below. The other hanging option will be a recessed standout frame. Personally, I prefer the museum mount due to its look and feel.

I was going to post a video review of this product, including clips of me opening the box and picking my jaw off the ground when I saw how beautiful this print looks. I can't wait to install it on my home studio wall and show it off to my wedding clients. The Acrylic panel print from Pictage will complement my other product offerings like hand-made albums and museum quality canvases from the finest vendors in the world. And Pictage, I am told has other very interesting products launching soon. So, stay tuned and hopefully I'll get to review them as well!

Tell me below what marquee product or service you offer to stand out in the crowd? Has it helped your business? How?

For editorial photographers, looking to archive and sell or license their images, PhotoShelter offers a solution that is hard to pass up.

I caught up with Allen Murabayashi, the company's CEO last week and spoke to him briefly about the state of the photography industry, what we can expect to see out of PhotoShelter in the coming years and why those meaty guide books the company publishes helps to educate photographers about the current marketing trends.

The complimentary guides help you grow your photography business:

PhotoShelter is offering all Tiffinbox readers the following discount when you sign up for PhotoShelter before midnight on October 31st. When your readers sign up at www.photoshelter.com, they can enter the promotion code TIFFINBOX1110. The code entitles readers to the following discounts:

1) Annual Standard Account for $305.00/year – a $55 savings versus a monthly plan.
2) Annual Pro Account $529.00/year – a $70 savings versus a monthly plan

I am told that as of today, all new and existing standard accounts will receive 60 GB of secure storage (it used to be only 35gb), providing all standard accounts a safe space to store thousands of extra files. This increase comes at no additional cost.

Now that you have watched the video, can I ask a favor of you? Post a comment below & tell your friends. You have a variety of options below to spread the word. Thank you!

After nearly a month-long hiatus, I am thrilled to publish Ken Jarecke's guest blog post today. You may remember Ken's very popular (it received 133 retweets) first guest post, “A Photographer's Life Is a Juggling Act.” He is a world-renowned photojournalist and a founding member of Contact Press Images. Like before, I urge you read his blog, Mostly True.

As I search my memory, I find there was never a time when I was not a Cornhusker fan.

The awareness of the University of Nebraska’s football team precedes any understanding of the actual game of football itself. Around the age of five or six, when one starts to sort out how geography works. The idea that grandma lives in a different city, but the same state, or that although it looks similar when you cross over the Missouri River you’re really in Iowa, and that there’s a place called Oklahoma which is populated by people who are not to be trusted.

That's how it happened, not that there was much of a choice. Back then, before the internet, or cable TV the only other team you’d hear about was whoever the Cornhuskers were playing that week.

Normally, there’d be two games broadcast during the regular season. One early in the year and the Oklahoma game on the day after Thanksgiving (to decide who won the Big 8 Conference and got to play in the Orange Bowl). When the game wasn’t on TV, you and everyone else in the state would listen to Lyell Bremser’s unique color commentary/play by play broadcast on KFAB. If you walked down the street, into a store, or worked in your yard, you’d hear the game whether you had a radio or not. When the game was on TV, you’d turn down the TV set and try to reconcile Lyell’s interpretation of the game with what your own eyes were telling you.

Often times Lyell’s version would win.

Sunday mornings, before church, before getting dressed, but at some point after Davey and Goliath, a mad dash, sans shoes or socks, would be made to retrieve the Omaha World-Herald from the mailbox. The sports section, its black & white images with player’s names (helpfully?) pasted right on the photos and the infernal white arrow chasing Johnny Rodgers down the field (maybe that’s why he was running so fast) would be studied. Special scrutiny would be reserved for the one or two plays, recorded with the high-capacity Nikon (loaded with fifty feet worth of Tri-X) from the top of the stadium, that would be sequenced across two pages in the middle of the sports section.

Heaven help that photographer if he missed a crucial fumble, or a long touchdown run. Perhaps that’s why the chief photographer would assign himself this duty?

Personal memories of experiences shared by generations of Nebraska fans. Sure, like I said, we didn’t really have a choice. There were no other programs, college or pro which could compete for our attention. Choice or not, a community was built. Someone coined the term “Husker Nation” which works well since we’ve now migrated across the country.

About a year ago, as the historic Big 12 conference was starting to break up (historic for no other reason than being born out of the Big 8), I decided to document the Husker’s final season before they moved on to the Big Ten conference.

The resulting 256 page, 12” x 9 1/2” coffee table book, Husker Game Day 2010 – Farewell Big 12 will be going to press in the second week of October. The book is designed and printed in Omaha. My publishing company, eyeQ Press will continue to take pre-orders until Oct. 11 at the discounted price of $49.95. We’re only printing enough copies to cover retail and direct orders and books will be shipped right after Thanksgiving.

You can see work by me from every Husker game this season at www.eyeQpress.com. There’s a link to the shopping cart on the lower, right-hand side of the page. Or you can just click here to go directly to the shopping cart.

The companion book, which I start shooting this weekend in Madison, Wisconsin will document the Husker’s first season in the Big Ten.

When I started this project, I didn’t think I’d be creating my own publishing company, getting a license with the CLC, or driving over 20,000 miles to the games. My goal was to create the perfect book for myself, or perhaps the fifteen year old me who loved photography and football, and it turned out exactly how I imagined.

I couldn’t have done this without the support of my family. Projects like this keep a person away from home for too long. My beautiful wife Souad keeps our family and home together. I’d be nowhere without her.

Webster Design and Barnhart Press of Omaha have also been very supportive. It’s amazing that one can still produce such a high quality book completely in Nebraska.

Canon Professional Services has been outstanding. If you’re not a member, I would encourage you to become one today.

Be sure to check out the video below where Ken Jarecke goes into even more detail about this incredible, self-assigned project.

Tell us about your Cornhusker Football moment. A play-by-play works or wax nostalgic about what it was like to go to a Nebraska game. Either way, when you comment below, you may win a copy of Ken Jarecke's book, “Farewell Big 12”. Winner chosen on October 7. So, what are you waiting for?

Today's guest blog is by Melissa Lyttle. She has been a photojournalist for the St. Petersburg Times since 2005, where she is committed to documenting the lives of people in her community (and occasionally fulfilling her desire to travel and step foot on all seven continents by sneaking off to work on international stories). A native Floridian, Melissa was born in Tampa and raised in Jacksonville went to college at the University of Florida in Gainesville and got her first job at the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale. Her work has been recognized by POYi, the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, NPPA's Best of Photojournalism, the Southern Short Course, the Alexia Foundation, the Casey Medal and UNICEF. She is also the founder of APhotoADay, an online photo community comprised of over 1,600 members. Do follow her on Twitter and check out her blog.

Being a photographer in Pakistan is tough, but not for the reasons I was warned about. I kept up on the news, obsessed over old stories about Daniel Pearl and new stories about kidnappings and violence, talked to other photographers who have worked there, and tried to gather all the information I could before my trip. Once there, I never felt threatened or bristled with any of the anti-American sentiment that we, “the media,” seemed to be talking a lot about these days in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death and the Raymond Davis incident. Instead, what I felt was such an intense curiosity from the Pakistani people that it sometimes made working more difficult.

I can probably count the number of westerners the reporter and I saw during our entire trip on one hand, so when you went out on the street, we really stuck out — even when dressed in a traditional shalwar kameez and with a scarf. We had a lot of interviews set up, and specific story ideas we were pressing during our three week trip, but when we stopped at random (consider it feature hunting in another country, if you will), I generally had about 90 seconds from the time I got out of the car before I felt like I was in the middle of a mosh pit, with people coming out of the woodwork, crowding around, pushing trying to get a better view or hear what we were talking about.

Sometimes it was overwhelming, and it made it impossible to be that proverbial “fly on the wall.” Sometimes the fleeting moment would be gone in a flash, with people overly aware of us and shouting that universal phrase: take my picture. Once I even had to go sit back in the car for a few minutes to let the crowd dissipate because I felt a little claustrophobic and a lot frustrated. But other times it was entertaining, people wanted to shake our hands, asked us to pose for pictures with families, asked us questions about where we are from, what we're doing in Pakistan, and perhaps the most common, how we like their country.

And truth be told, I really did like Pakistan. I can't imagine a country where people are more hospitable, and I can't count the glasses of hot tea with milk I was invited to have in the home's of total strangers who wanted nothing more than to know more about us, practice their English, and remind us that their country is more than what the headlines eluded to. It was also a great reminder for me to try and show that side of Pakistan in our own coverage.

For the last 6 months, there has been a low rumble in my brain to present an annual award to a photographer or photography teacher who universally inspires us all to be better photographers, perhaps even be better human beings. In my mind, it had to be a person who goes well beyond the ordinary – shares her/his knowledge openly, invites dialogue and challenges us to elevate our craft and vision.

You probably already know some them. You've attended their workshops, hung out with them at parties and chatted with them one-on-one about your photography work and or business. You've come away after each encounter feeling energized and enthused about your calling – photography. They have rekindled that fire in your belly and you know that today and tomorrow are going to be great days because of the time you spent with him or her yesterday. Ever feel that way? It's time to celebrate them.

2011 Awardee

The list of friends, and they have become just that over the years, is long. Choosing one among all of them for this first Tiffinbox Award was no easy task.

The photographer whose name I kept seeing again and again – thanks to his awesome Twitter presence, his phenomenal feat of writing 4 truly amazing books in 3 years, his workshops, his thought provoking blog posts and his positive spirit as he faced life-threatening challenges – is David DuChemin.

So, David, congratulations. On behalf of all the photographers who have been inspired by your spirit, your hard work as a photographer, teacher and mentor, I am honored to present you the 1st Annual Tiffinbox Award. You'll receive a real Tiffinbox in the mail, filled with goodies you can munch on as you embark on your next trip with Jessie.

Craft & Vision

“Gear is good. Vision is better,” is his mantra. This simple, yet profound philosophy to photography and business has been my guide for the last few years. Perhaps it has been for you as well. So, instead of buying more gear, David suggests expanding the way you photograph your subjects. To that end, David began publishing beautifully designed and written e-books for photographers. At $5 each, these won't break your bank. Want to know more, check out Craft & Vision. [affiliate]

The Giveaways

If you have been influenced or inspired by David's blog posts, Tweets or even the e-books he produces, let me/us know in the comments section below. Be as descriptive and specific as possible. How has he helped you? What steps did you take with your photography after reading one of his e-books or blog posts? Which particular blog posts spurred you into action? Feel free to show us “before & after” images via links to a post on your site.

If I receive a 100 comments under this blog post between today and August 31, I'll select 4 of the best comments to each win one of 4 of David's awesome books (yes, shipped anywhere in the world) on September 1. So, hurry!

UPDATE: I've reconsidered the 100 comment requirement and I am pulling it. The deadline will be the same. You want to win 1 of 4 David's books, then comment away. I'll read through each of them and pick 4 winners. Deal?

Here are the four books I will be giving away:

Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision
VisionMongers: Making a Life and a Living in Photography
Vision & Voice: Refining Your Vision in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Photographically Speaking: A Deeper Look at Creating Stronger Images

By the way, the annual Tiffinbox Award will always be presented on August 23. I'll let you figure out why. Also start thinking of whom you will nominate for next year's award.

WINNERS ANNOUNCED: This morning I chose the following to win 1 of 4 David's books – @kristaphoto @LaraWhite @nine9beans and @BelindaOlsen. Congratulations! Please contact me with your mailing address by September 7. All but one book will be shipped in September. David's latest is in process of going to print. If you already own one or more of his books, please let me know which one(s) so that I don't send you something you already have.

Right around the holidays last year, just about everyone I know bought or received a camera. No, these weren't the point & shoot variety (hey we have our iPhones for that right?). These were DSLR‘s or digital SLR's. The excitement over opening the camera was palpable. I know because I received several emails soon after asking me … “So, I got a DSLR, but my images still suck. Why?”

My first response was always, “did you read the manual?” The silence at the other end was quite telling. Most of us, I know fail to read our manuals. When I bought my first Nikon DSLR, which I believe was the D70, I don't remember diving into the manual either. On the one side, there is a new toy to play with and on the other, my ego was saying to me: “Yeah, I can figure this out. No problem.” That's until I started seeing images I'd be ashamed to show my mom.

So, if the manual is way too daunting, or even boring, what do you do? Until today, you could have scoured the interwebs and patched together a bunch of the info that may have helped elevate your game. That too is time consuming and unless you are nuts about photography or pursuing as a professional, chances are slim you would be inclined to curate that information, digest it and then deploy it on your next go around with your DSLR.
Rob & Lauren Lim, the duo behind Photography Concentrate, have just published Extremely Essential Camera Skills. I was one of the few lucky ones to receive a review copy gratis. Having seen some of their earlier tutorials – Photo Editing Skills and Album Design Skills, I knew this one was going to be special.

Think of Extremely Essential Camera Skills as the foundational course you forgot to take when you started experimenting with your camera. It's exquisitely designed – consistent with their other tutorials and extremely engaging website (which you must bookmark). When you open up the PDF, you are presented with a set of colorful tabs for the different chapters such as: The Camera, Focusing, Exposure, Lenses, Depth of Field and Camera Settings. I found the built-in navigation to be very helpful as it makes it easy to skip pages or navigate back to the ones you want to read again.

Unlike other tutorials that teach but fail to train, what I loved about Rob & Lauren's latest offering is that they are serious about making sure you get the concepts they have just taught before moving on to the next chapter. They do this through tips, exercises, videos (more on this in a bit) and pop quizzes. Though it is incredibly thorough, Extremely Essential Camera Skills is not a read it and forget it kind of manual. The lessons you will learn, each one at your own pace, will stick with you for a lifetime. The definitions and demonstrations are easy to understand and absorb.

As a professional, most of the concepts were familiar to me. But that's only because I use my camera every day, so it does become intuitive. Having a guide like Extremely Essential Camera Skills will help you get to that point where you too can easily make images you are proud to show your family and friends.

If there was one area where I could see the authors develop more content, it's the section on using an alternative to that pesky flash that everyone insists on deploying. To their credit they do say this: “The built-in flash on cameras generally sucks.” So true. May we see a sequel to this guide that will dwell on off-camera flash? I hope so, but I do believe this guide will lay the foundation for better images using flash. So, I do urge you to get this one first.

The 7 videos by Lauren are fantastic. Her even, conversational tone and excellent examples helped me better understand the concept behind exposure compensation. So, the take aways are many. With Rob & Lauren's permission, I am considering using this guide book for photographers (I really don't want to call it a manual) in the beginning photography class I teach high schoolers. Yes, it's that good and it is perfectly fitted to meet the demands of amateurs and semi-professionals too.

As I have already stated, I received a review copy Extremely Essential Camera Skills and loved it. If you are struggling to use your DSLR, this guide book will help you get comfortable. For the next two weeks starting today, Rob & Lauren are offering a launch sale. You can get Extremely Essential Camera Skills for $29.97, that's 40% off the regular price of $49.99. In addition to the 89-page PDF and videos which you can view on your computer or your iPad, you will receive the Extremely Essential Camera Skills Field Guide, which you can print and tote around while you are photographing.

Full disclosure: As an affiliate, I receive a commission on the sale of this PDF to support Tiffinbox. If you enjoy the content on this site, I ask that you use the links in this post to buy Extremely Essential Camera Skills. Thank you!

I've described my photography workflow before. At its core is the belief that by keeping things simple, my workflow will cut short the time I spend in front of the computer and allow me to return to making images or spending more time with my family.

Fortunately, I am not alone in this line of thinking. Paul Gero, a friend and fellow photographer based in Orange County, California has published a lucid, step-by-step guide for a vast majority of photographers who have no clue about post production or who are frazzled by all the tools and options presented to them. The guide book is called Simple Photo Workflow.

With over 20 years of experience as a photographer – first at newspapers and then documenting weddings and portraits – Gero is one photographer whose words and work I trust. You may recall his excellent guest blog post on Tiffinbox – Control & Chaos: Two Genres of Photography.

Now, go on check his blog out. It's a source of weekly inspiration for me. Set aside for a moment the way Gero expresses the light and life he sees in front of him. I think he is a master at photographing the unguarded moment. However, take another look at the way the images are processed.

To my eyes, there is nothing complicated about them, yet they are brilliant. I see natural skin tones, just the right amount of grain, light vignetting that draws your eyes to the main subject of the frame and the black & white images that have both depth and drama to them. With Photoshop and other image processing tools, it's much too easy to go crazy and drop layer after layer of actions, until your vision of the final image is not only blurred, it's obliterated.

Getting back to saving time, the post production work Gero introduces us to in his new e-book, is simple, yet elegant. It won't stress you or your computer out. Gero expresses his thoughts simply as well. Chapters on exposure, editing, raw processing, using Lightroom and photo finishing (retouching) are all punctuated with exceptional examples and step-by-step instructions, so you'll never falter. As a bonus, Gero has a “cheat-sheet” at the end of the book that walks you through all of the processes he goes through when he is editing his own images! This is like looking over his shoulder and watching him work, except you'll be doing it yourself and learning from it.

If you already use Photomechanic, Lightroom and Photoshop and use them well, then this ebook isn't for you. However, if you do use these programs in your post-production work and you are just stumbling along, I urge you to . Yes, I called it an ebook before, but it's much more than that. You'll want to print it out (as I have) and use it as you edit your images. Once your post production become intuitive, then you can go in and customize the system.

Full disclosure – I received a complimentary copy of the ebook to review but I am not an affiliate and I do not make a dime off of the sale of this wonderful book. I am recommending it here solely on its merit.

Want your own copy? Use “seshu” between today and August 29 to buy it for $47 (regular price is $77). I am sure you want to save $30.