Growing up in India, one thing you can't miss is seeing millions of people dependent on clean drinking water. You'll see lines of people swirling around villages, waiting for trucks to deliver much needed water. Or, another common sight are clusters of women (I've almost never seen guys do this for some odd reason), carrying heavy pots of water on their heads, from wells or hand-pumps to their homes. I've also witnessed people eking out a living in parched landscapes thanks to an extended drought and corrupt politicians whose policies almost always fill their own coffers. It's enough to make me feel blessed with what I have access to on a daily basis.

Water has been on my mind for a long time and because we are all equally dependent on it for our very survival, I figured this was the year that I would step up and offer my services to Thirst Relief International for their annual mentor auction that kicks off on February 6th. I join over 50 other photographers who have chosen to donate their time and even some goodies for those who bid and win the Ebay auction. Lots of details about how you can find and work with a photography mentor here.

As I said, there are lots of choices and some truly amazing and generous photographers. While I am not asking you to bid only on my mentor auction, I would be thrilled to work with you.

I wanted to know more about Thirst Relief and so I asked Adam McKibben, the organization's Director of Communications to take a few minutes to discuss how the group came to work with photographers and what its plans were for the future. I suspect what you are about to hear will inspire you.

More about Thirst Relief International.

Happy New Year to you all. If you partied hard last night, I hope you are hydrating yourself back to health.

Chalk it up to being married with children, but I spent the evening tinkering with my new website. Yes, it is coming and may in fact launch today, if I can get my photo editing all done. I am excited about what 2014 is going to bring me, my business and my family.

I am pivoting, changing course by focusing on one kind of photography: creating relaxed portraits of love for families in the community I live in. I dug deep down to answer why that was important for me to do. As you’ll see in the new site, it’s personal.

Marketing, too, needs to be personal. It needs to be heart-felt and authentic or else your clients are going to seek out someone else who resonates with them. It’s just the way it goes. As much time as I spend online – Facebook and Twitter – the best marketing takes place when you meet your potential clients face to face. Still, it’s not easy to describe what your heart is set to do for them or their family.

That’s where Marketog comes in. It is a 6-week program for photographers like you and I. When Jamie Swanson of The Modern Tog let me know she was launching this, I had to sign up.

Here in brief are the 6 topics she covers in Marketog:

How to get more of the right kinds of clients
How to turn inquiries into clients: 6 game-changing strategies
How to turn your website into an inquiry-generating machine
How to get repeat clients and more word-of-mouth advertising
How to get other business owners to send you their best clients
Your marketing toolkit for effective marketing

If you want 2014 to be different than 2013 (heck, I do), I wholly recommend you sign up for Jamie’s course between now and this coming Sunday, when registration closes.

In all honesty, I am a little behind in the course and need to finish the worksheets and watch the videos in the last few modules. That said, Marketog has given me an incredible sense of confidence in marketing my new business that I would have never had without Jamie’s able teaching.

She offers weekly Q&A sessions where she offers to answer your individual questions. Yes, you send in questions and she takes the time to respond to every one of them. No one and I mean no one does this in their courses. In fact, I quit another marketing program because Jamie’s was exactly what I wanted and needed right now.

Jamie also has a private Facebook group that is full of engaging discussions (no whining, ranting or bitching allowed, so it is free of drama) about the course, any questions you feel your peers may be able to answer and of course success stories.

Lastly, you get to hear from photographers around the world who are marketing their photography businesses using specific strategies that you may consider incorporating in your business.

You get to choose between paying 8 monthly installments of $79 or $499 up-front and save 21% right off the bat. Either way, signing up now before registration closes on Sunday would be a smart move on your part.

On the fence about all of this? I get it. Dropping five large ones right after Christmas is no fun. But what if you could recover that cost within two photo sessions in the new year? Do you think that’s do-able? I think so. Follow the steps Jamie outlines in the course. Try it out for 44 days even (she has a crazy 45-day unconditional money back guarantee which I was going to talk her out of offering) and then make your final decision. Sound fair?

Click here to enroll in Marketog now.

Psst … Sign up for the Tiffinbox Treats newsletter for a couple of bonuses I am offering ONLY to subscribers.

The Canadians celebrate the day after Christmas as Boxing Day. As a Yankee, I had to go look that up. But when Canadians throw a party, well, how can one refuse, right?

Today's post is to let you know that a couple of Canadian companies are kicking off some sales for photographers that are not to be missed.

Red Leaf

As the ad says, 30% everything in their store. I think their presets are one of the best in the business. Simply use the code “REDLEAF” at checkout.

Photography Concentrate

My friends, Lauren and Rob Lim have opened their store again to a special 30% off sale. This IS the time to grab one of these products:

1. Extremely Essential Camera Skills
Learn to take control over that snazzy camera of yours

2. Super Photo Editing Skills
Become an editing ninja, and conquer Adobe Lightroom

3. Simple Wedding Photography
Discover the art and business behind wedding photography

4. The Creativity Field Guide
Defeat creative block, and take your photos to new heights

5. Backup or Die
Learn exactly what to do to backup your photos and keep them safe

6. How We Did It: Lobster Island
Come behind the scenes with us on a photo adventure on the high seas

7. Awesome Album Design Skills
Fall in love with designing albums in Adobe InDesign

Now is the time to ramp up for 2014. Making smart decisions on what educational or workflow tools to buy now will help you through 2014. That's a promise.

As always, I recommend products and services that I have tried first hand. I wouldn't feel right about promoting anything without giving it a shot first to see how it would help my photography business.

If and when you do buy any of the products mentioned above, come back here and let me know below. Email me your receipt (showing me your mailing address) and 3 of you will receive Gary Vaynerchuk's new book: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How To Tell Your Story In A Noisy, Social World.

Seems appropriate since it is Boxing Day today!

Seattle wedding photographer Kirk Mastin has appeared on Tiffinbox before. I invited him back recently to chat about Mastin Labs, a new venture he launched a few weeks ago.

Mastin Labs is dedicated to producing film emulation presets that look just like film. First up is Portra 400. Mastin has plans to bring other film emulations, but emphasized that he had to be sure they were a perfect match to their film counterparts.

Other film emulation presets being planned are Fuji 400H and the famous Tri-X. If you have shot any of these film emulsions before, you should be plenty excited about what Kirk Mastin is bringing us.

Listen to our chat below about this Portra 400 hybrid pack:

Tonight, actually for another 6 hours, you can buy Portra 400 at Mastin Labs for nearly $50 off, thanks to Cyber Monday.

For examples of this new preset and comparisons with film, please visit Mastin Labs now or click on the graphic below. In the weeks ahead, I'll post a review here using my own images. If you have already bought this product, please feel free to comment below. Your thoughts and feedback are welcome.

Thanks to Flothemes, you now have a chance of winning their newest theme, Splittone – for vidoegraphers and photoraphers. Check out the demo here.

To win, all you need to do by Friday, November 22nd is to do the following:

Follow Flothemes on Twitter

Then send this Tweet out:

“Hey @Flothemes, help me win my Splittone theme! RT to win!”

Simple, eh?

Here are are more screenshots of this exquisite WordPress theme:

If you are a photographer or a videographer, I would highly recommend you enter to win this $249 value Word Press theme. One winner will be announced on November 22nd, at 5 pm EST.