It's a busy time of the year for Scott Wyden Kivowitz who is always ready to talk about a new WordPress service for photographers.

What is Imagely?

As the Blogging Wrangler and Community Liaison for Imagely, Scott will tell you they have some very ambitious plans to offer WordPress hosting, themes and plugins – all under one roof.

Why WordPress? Well, did you know that nearly 25% of the websites in the world run on the WordPress platform? That's a staggering number of websites and a great many photographers lean on a self-hosted WordPress themed website or blog for their business.

But not everyone has the time or the technical skills to work on the platform. Tiffinbox, for instance, was custom designed by someone who knows her way through the theme and its back end. Now, not everyone can have a custom designed site or needs to have it specifically designed for them. That can come later when the dollars start flowing in from sales, right?

Until then, though, you are going to need a WordPress service for photographers. And that's where Imagely comes in.

The Interview

WordPress Service For Photographers

If you act quickly, you can get in on a special offer Imagely provided photographers who signed up for WPPI.

Learn more about Imagely through their top-rated podcast too.

Can you see yourself having more time to make images, serve your clients better or chill out with your family rather than tinker with your WordPress website?

So, what will you do? Will you jump in and sign up for this WordPress service for photographers now?

The Backend Of Imagely

The Book Hunt

Go to your local bookstore or hit Amazon up and do a quick search for “photographing men.”

Seriously, go right now and do it. I'll wait. Cue the Jeopardy theme song.

Oh, back so soon? I am not surprised.

Until recently, you would have been able to only locate one book.

Seriously?

Unbelievable, right? A world full of guys and it would seem no one has had the vision to focus on that very obviously under-served niche.

Well, Jeff Rojas a portrait and fashion photographer based in New York City decided to do something about that. In a couple of weeks, he will be launching a new book titled, Photographing Men: Posing, Lighting, and Shooting Techniques for Portrait and Fashion Photography.

Solving The Problem

Photographing Men

Now go take a look at Rojas' work, or cast your eyes below on a few samples:

The CreativeLive Courses

I don't know about you, but while I love books and my library is full of them, there is a certain thrill of learning in-person or if that doesn't work with your schedule, going online. It was Jeff Rojas' CreativeLive course, “Men's Portrait Photography,” that inspired me to contact him. Soon I also bought his shorter course, “How To Photograph Men.”

You see, I was working full time at an all-boys prep school in Connecticut and one of the most difficult things you will encounter as a photographer is to posing teenagers. First off, they may give off the vibe that they aren't into it but if you know what you are doing and you can put them at ease, they come alive and are eager to work with you. Jeff Rojas' courses came in handy because I was able to make these young guys look and feel good when they saw the final results. So, I owe it to Jeff Rojas and his courses for elevating my skills.

The Giveaway

If you have scrolled all the way down here, you deserve to be rewarded. But let's make this a game shall we? I have a code for Jeff's Men's Portrait Photography course on CreativeLive to give away to one lucky person who pre-orders his book between tonight and March 3rd. I will announce a winner on my Twitter account, so be sure to follow me there.

Pre-order the book using this link, then email me at seshu (at) tiffinbox (dot) org with your receipt. The subject line of the email should be “Photographing Men by Jeff Rojas – Giveaway”. In your email to me, please include your Twitter ID, so that I can mention it if you win! But the CreativeLive checkout code you see blurred out above will only be emailed to ONE winner. Capiche?

I am the final arbiter of this game. If you do win it's because you followed the simple rules and you are a good sport. Bonus if you leave a comment below telling me why the course would complement the book you just bought.

Remember, this is for any pre-orders of Jeff's book, only from tonight through March 4th, though. If you click on any of the links in this post mentioning the book, you will be directed to Amazon where you can easily order the book and have it delivered it you after it launches on March 15th.

Sound good? Good luck! And, here's to making a difference in men's lives by creating stunning portraits of them too!

The headline isn't a mistake and it's not hyperbole either. Eileen and Phillip Blume, wedding and portrait photographers based in Athens, Georgia will teach you to make $1500 per hour shooting mini-sessions. Indeed, that's what they do whenever they announce their portrait sessions.

At Shutterfest 2015, a conference produced by Sal Cincotta in St. Louis, they presented a two-part seminar called “Maximizing mini sessions: Make $1500 per hour.” The room was packed with photographers, all eager to learn their secrets. Even though I couldn't find a seat, I stood for nearly two hours and took copious notes. It was one of the top presentation at Shuttefest and I do hope they are asked to present again.

UPDATE: Now through July 11th, The Blume's are making their Shutterfest presentation available for download … for FREE!

Who doesn't want to make $1500 per hour? Right? Well, Eileen and Phillip didn't hold anything back. They walked us through all their steps, one-by-one that guarantees them this high rate of return for their time. Soon after their presentation, I made a bee-line to them and asked if I could interview them about their successes. They both readily agreed to connect with me after the conference and true to their word, we set up a time to conduct a short interview.

In this short chat, we talk about how they structure their mini-sessions and dive deep into how and why they decided to offer mini-sessions in their community. Give this a listen!

One of the things they offered for sale at Shutterfest was a CD called “Maximizing Mini Sessions: The Complete Kit.” Included in the kit is a beautifully designed 30-page PDF that outlines the exact steps they take every time they launch a mini-session in their neighborhood. You'll also find a mini-session contract and a document to help you streamline ordering appointments. The Blumes also have thoughtfully provided a folder of customizable design templates that you can use to announce or advertise your own mini-session. I got the Shutterfest show special of $80, for this wonderful resource. At even its full price, I would say this is a bargain because it will save you time and get you on your way to setting up your first mini-session.

While this post is really about the Blumes and the mini-sessions they offer, check out their fabulous wedding photography:

Do you want to learn about how The Blumes inspire their portrait clients to go from stiff poses to fun, interactive ones? Get their free e-book, “From Posed to Playful” now! Just sign up for their newsletter and they'll hook you up!

Do you offer mini-sessions? Are you profitable? Do you make $1500 per hour as well? Would you like to? Am I kidding … of course you do! Click the graphic below if you are interested in buying Maximizing Mini-Sessions: The Complete Kit.

Mary & Justin Marantz are wedding photographers based in New Haven, Connecticut with clients who span the globe. They are also active educators and mentors to many photographers.

Skip Cohen loves to refer to their gorgeous website and work, so I am going to send you there to take a quick peek. When you come back, do me a favor and comment below, a word or two that best describes their website. I am curious to know what you came up with.

To say the Marantz are busy would be an understatement. I am not quite sure how they are able to do it all – photographing weddings, running a successful business, blogging on three separate websites, teach sold-out workshops and travel to some of the most amazing destinations.

The short answer to my own question: they've worked for it.

Curious to know where they blog? Here you go:

Well Groomed Groom
The Black Tie Bride
Justin & Mary Blog

Thanks to ShootDotEdit, Justin and Mary Marantz will present a FREE webinar on May 27th on how photographers like you can create stand-out images in the toughest of situations just like them. Register for the webinar here.

Given that they are sort of neighbors (we live about an hour away from each other, so “neighbors” may be a bit of stretch), I invited them to chat about their business, how and why they love shooting in tough situations and what kinds of solutions they bring with them when they are photographing weddings across the country.

Curious to know more about their business marketing guide and lighting guide? Visit their shop now.

I asked nicely and Mary & Justin gladly offered to give away their new Lighting Guide to one Tiffinbox fan. Will that be you? Do you want to win it? Go here for the Lighting Guide giveaway.

If you don't want to wait that long, and want to buy it, do so before the price bumps back up to $179! Right now you can download it for $129. [Not an affiliate link]

Peter Doyle is a wedding photographer based in Atlanta who is hungry to pursue personal photography projects.

I sat down to speak with Peter about his recent personal photography project, Childhood Cancer Portraits: Wisdom from the Journey”.

There are 101 portraits of children in Peter's book. Here is a small sample of the wonderful portraits and messages from each child. Take a closer look and read their thoughts.

Peter's other books include:

Haiti’s Hope which highlights the humanity of the Haitian people who were left behind after the 2010 earthquake; To Have & To Hold: a Life for Generations features the stories and interviews of 12 women who were affected by breast cancer while part of a fashion shoot paired with fast cars, helicopters and a private jet in Atlanta, Georgia; Breast Cancer Portraits: Wisdom From The Journey features 49 portraits of men and women breast cancer survivors paired with their handwritten words of wisdom and hope.

Peter's next project is called Uncommon Courage. It is “about WWII veterans, military spouses, Vietnam veterans and NAVY SEALs sharing their wisdom about life, courage and sacrifice to a generation that needs to hear it. From April 1 – August 1, 2015 he will be traveling to Florida, Louisiana, and Washington DC to photograph these patriots. If you know of any vets or military spouses that you think would be interested in sharing their wisdom please email him at peterdoyle@storyboardlife.com.”

Peter readily credited Miami, Florida based photographer Brian Smith and his book, Art & Soul for inspiring the design and layout. The book was produced via Create Space, an Amazon subsidiary. Finally, the book and the project would not have been possible with out the help of St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Find out more about the book, Childhood Cancer Portraits and order your copy.

Are you pursuing a personal photography project that you have just completed or will be soon wrap up? Contact me and let's talk about it.