Who Is Zack Arias?

Zack Arias is a portrait photographer based in Atlanta, Georgia. A little over ten years ago, he began offering off-camera lighting workshops around the US that he called OneLight Workshops. Hundreds of photographers now know not to fear off-camera flashes, but embrace them because of Zack. I am one of them.

I was at Zack's Boston and New York workshops and let me tell you that he does not hold back on anything. He approaches his teaching with just as much humility and grace as he does his photography projects and commissions. The truth is he doesn't have to teach, but he wants to.

He is incredibly generous with his time during the workshops, and I remember him starting early and ending late at night. Every time, Zack patiently answered questions and demonstrated solutions to participants, even if it was for the third or fourth time.

At some point, Zack invited people to send him questions and a collection of his responses became the basis of his book, Photography Q&A: Real Questions. Real Answers.

Zack At Silk Inspire

I was thrilled to hear that Zack will be presenting his OneLight workshop at Silk Inspire, in Goa, India.

You may have watched Zack on CreativeLive, or seen his videos in Marrakech or Mumbai.

While gear is important for Zack, I remember the super simple setup he introduced me to during his OneLight workshop. Still he is always ready to be challenged, like this “cheap camera challenge” or the shootouts at Gulf Photo Plus.

If you have registered for this incredible photography festival, you already know what to expect (but there are some surprises for you too). We are just days away from opening day!

Interviewing Zack Arias

I sat down with Zack to find out what his plans were for Silk Inspire, and so here is that quick interview with him:

A Sample Portfolio

Zack's work is diverse and in between commissioned work, he self-assigns personal projects to stretch his creative muscles. Can you tell which ones are for his clients and which ones are for him?

Register Now For Silk Inspire 2017

You are going to meet and learn from world-class photographers like Zack Arias, at Silk Inspire. There is no better opportunity than right now to register for the event that runs from October 6th through October 10th, in Goa, India.

If you have made it all the way down here to this post, that's awesome.

But let me sweeten things for you. I have a few cool giveaways for those who register for Silk Inspire today. Once you do, email me your receipt (with today's date showing) and you will be qualified for a few cool things I am bringing with me. What are they?

Well, let's just say you could win one of six Black Rapid camera straps, one of three ShootProof annual accounts or one brand new LowePro camera backpack (valued at $350). Email your receipt to me here – seshu at tiffinbox dot org. First ones to email me win. That's the only way to keep this fair and you must be present at the event, to receive the prize in person. Good luck!

Speakers At Silk Inspire

Please watch the interviews with other Silk Inspire speakers: Arjun Kartha, Jen Huang and Brian Callaway. Plus, there are other incredible panelists!!

Create Client Experiences

Brian Callaway, a destination wedding photographer based in Southern California, believes it is very important to create client experiences that are memorable. It's this mantra that has helped the business he shares with his wife, Allison, a worldwide success; naming them the top wedding photographers in the world!

Together with their fine artist’s eye, technical mastery and photojournalist’s gift for anticipation and timing, they are unmatched when it comes to creating the images and experience that is the story of your love and celebration.

Want to learn more about how to create client experiences that will ultimately also make you memorable? Brian and his wife routinely conduct workshops for photographers. If you live in or near India, you are in for a real treat. Brian is speaking at Silk Inspire 2017, in Goa, India, from October 6 through October 10, 2017. Now is the time to register for this event!

Interview With Brian Callaway

Just as I have interviewed Arjun Kartha and Jen Huang, I was thrilled to speak with Brian about his journey from comedic television actor to wedding photography. Check out this interview now:

The Same Portfolio

Register Now For Silk Inspire 2017

My friend Sephi Bergerson, who is producing this awesome wedding photography festival, tells me that he is pulling all the stops to make Silk Inspire an incredible learning and social experience for all of you. But to be a part of it, you have to register now for Silk Inspire and then get there.

If you are already in India and you are a wedding photographer, you must be a part of this event. In addition to the amazing speakers, you will get to meet other photographers like you who are also discovering their place in this industry. Look, even I'll be there, and I am looking forward to hanging out with you.

Let me know in the comments, if you are coming to Goa, in October.

Weddings In India

Arjun Kartha views his success as a photographer pursuing weddings in India to more than being at the right place and at the right time. While his journey began as an engineer, he then pivoted into advertising and marketing. It was there that he saw first hand how photographers worked; how they dealt with clients and presented their work.

Arjun and his wife Praerna are wedding photographers based in Delhi, India.

Arjun will be speaking at SILK INSPIRE, India's premier wedding photography festival, from October 6th through October 10th, in Goa, India. While he hasn't nailed down his topic, he promises to share his experiences as a wedding photographer from the Indian context.

What's important, for Arjun, is that Indian wedding photographers adapt the information they glean from speakers or teachers, either at the wedding festival or through online courses, to their own situation in India.

The Interview

Register To Attend SILK INSPIRE

Want to find out more about their approach to weddings in India? Register and come to SILK INSPIRE, in October of this year.

Finally, who else is speaking at SILK INSPIRE 2017? Here's who: Andrea Corsi, Jen Huang, Jeff Newsom, Sergey Ivanov, Juya Gentil, Zack Arias, Brian Callaway, Sephi Bergerson and me!

Success Comes With Work

Listen folks, Arjun Kartha Photography on Facebook has nearly 200,000 likes! How did Arjun and Praerna do it? Seems like their solid work ethic, being the founder of the Wedding Photographers Association of India, knowledge of SEO and an engaging and inquisitive personality all played a part in their success.

For more about Arjun, be sure to visit the SILK INSPIRE blog as well.

Conference Season Is Upon Us

It's photography conference season, if you haven't noticed. Imaging USA, produced by PPA is on right now. WPPI‘s annual meeting and expo has apparently moved to a new space and will run in early February.

As I have said before, those are conferences that you should go to … at least once.

But if you prefer something more intimate and intellectually stimulating, check out Inspire Photo Retreats. It is coming up quickly. This year, like last year, it will be held in Newport, Rhode Island, from February 27 through March 1. Please visit and register for it here.

Four things dictate a photography conference's level of success:

1) Personal experience

Does your personal experience motivate you to keep coming back?

I can't recall attending any other annual photography get together more times than Inspire Photo Retreats. There is a vibe that is both positive and uplifting to me. This conference couldn't come at a better time in the year when I am starting to plan out the year and consider how my business will be shaped. When I attend, I can be sure of meeting amazing people and having a memorable experience. The conference is topped off at 250 participants and continues to foster a sense of community and fellowship that the larger conferences simply cannot provide. If this is what you are looking for, you are in the right place.

So the answer is, yes, I would love to go back to Inspire again and again.

2) Organizers

Is the conference organized and efficient? And are the organizers open to suggestions for change?

Eric Foley, Enna Grazier and Mark Higgins are all busy photographers. But every year, for the last several years, they have dedicated themselves to producing a phenomenal event that is rich in quality content. It's no easy matter to put this photography conference on, but they do so with the help of great volunteers and a hotel staff that is now well-tuned to their needs. I give Eric, Enna and Mark full credit for elevating their conference game each year. They provide a safe space for everyone to express themselves, in a format that truly feels like you are at a retreat. Year after year, they make it a point to send out a survey after the conference to see how they can improve the overall experience for everyone.

High marks for the trio on this one because I have seen this conference grow, not so much in size thankfully, but in quality.

3) Speaker Lineup

Are the speakers simply dumping information or are they teaching you a skill?

Sean D'Souza of Psychotactics has a great metric for workshops and conferences. If they are simply an information dump, he gives them a failing grade. What makes his own workshops stand out is the fact that you will never leave without learning a skill – a skill you can put to use right away.

The speakers at Inspire Photo Retreats do the same thing. There is information, for sure. But the skills that they teach are actionable. While there is some overlap, year to year, the organizers go to great lengths to find speakers who will add value to those who attend.

I spoke with six speakers (see below), but there are 19 speakers in all, over the course of three days. From my experience, every speaker prepares to wow with information that is actionable. I'm willing to bet I won't find a seat again when Spencer Lum speaks. Or, how about Sarah Dugan who will be teaching us to work with cyanotype and produce salt prints. Did you want to learn how to market using video? Kate McElwee is set to teach you just that. Wendell Fernandes, whom I haven't met, will help you hone in on creating and sustaining client relationships. Want to learn about the lucrative and colorful world of multicultural weddings? Petronella Lugemwa is the right person to do it. And there are others, each bringing their A game to a conference that they love.

4) Wonderful Vendors

How engaged are the vendors? Is the trade show only an opportunity for vendors to sell to us or for us to get to know them and their products?

What's a conference without a trade show, right? Well, again, the trade show at Inspire Photo Retreats feels different. Thanks to the limited number of participants, there is more time and more opportunities to sit down and talk with the vendors who will support you through the year. I recall having a wonderful time speaking with Kate Kauffman of Fundy Designer, Joel Wiebner of Perfect Image, Colin Breece of ShootProof and Kyu Don Kwak of Pictobooks.

I found pockets of time to steal away and speak with the vendors. ShootDotEdit, with Jared Bauman's leadership, really set the tone for what vendors can expect at Inspire Photo Retreats. As Bauman told me a few years ago, “We are in it for the long haul.” I believe every vendor understands and accepts this paradigm; you come year after year, not so much to sell but to see how to help photographers problem-solve.

Interviews With Speakers

I was asked to speak with six presenters – Dani Diamond, Andrew Funderburg, Jen Rozenbaum, The Scobeys, Vanessa Joy and Huy Nguyen – and record their aspirations for this conference.

Dani Diamond

The Scobeys

Andrew Funderburg

Jen Rozenbaum

Vanessa Joy

Huy Nguyen

You'll agree it's a diverse group of speakers. Do look at the full line up of speakers at Inspire Photo Retreats this year.

Community, The Common Theme

Whether it is on TiffinboxTV or here on the blog, I've talked about stepping away from your business to recharge your creative batteries. There is no better conference than Inspire Photo Retreats that will help you do just that.

Think of what you will learn, think of who you will speak with, think of the networking opportunities, think of just being away from home for a few days and think of the community you will begin building.

Whether you are a portrait or wedding photographer, there is a speaker who is meant just for you. So hop off of that fence and register now.

Join me at Inspire Photo Retreats this year!

It will be easy for you to see why Sharona Jacobs is truly unique among visual artists. You see, she is trained as both a photographer and psychologist.

As a former scientist and academic, she is best positioned to address the topic of mental health among freelancers. It shouldn't come as a surprise that when one's mental health suffers, so does the capacity to be creative and truly in love with what one is doing.

Lucky for us, Sharona is teaching at Inspire Photo Retreats this year. Her class description says it all:

“This class will provide individualized tools for every photographer who has had moments of feeling overwhelmed ? and who hasn’t? Topics will include: types of stress (some help us, some hurt us), self?talk, traits that perpetuate anxiety, and tools such as relaxation, visualization, and coping mechanisms. By the end of the class, each person will have their own individualized systemic approach to reducing stress based on their own particular stressors.”

Photographers face a delicate balancing act every day as we navigate our roles as artists, small business owners, caretakers and family members. Stress is inevitable, but unhappiness is not.

As a photographer who has been affected by stress, I was curious to know more from Sharona about how one went about tracking mental health among freelancers and what coping tools she could offer for stressed out photographers.

Here's our short interview:

Though Sharona isn't teaching a photography class at Inspire, I insisted that she send me some examples of her work. As a portrait photographer, I was intrigued by her approach and her niche as “Boston's Literary Photographer.” So, take a look below:

Inspire Photo Retreats runs from tomorrow, February 8 through February 10th in Newport, Rhode Island.