presentation | Views, Reviews & Interviews For Savvy Photographers

Weddings In India Are More Than Being At The Right Place And At The Right Time

August 7, 2017 by Seshu | Editor & Publisher 8 Comments

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.

Brooke Shaden: Fine Art Photographer & Philanthropist

April 20, 2015 by Seshu | Editor & Publisher Leave a Comment

Brooke Shaden is a fine art photographer based in Arizona. Her photographs are dream-like, ethereal and definitely complex in tone. I'll be the first to admit that each work of art has the capacity to draw you in and hold you hostage.

From her own website: “Brooke works to create new worlds within her photographic frame. By using painterly techniques as well as the square format, traditional photographic properties are replaced by otherworldly elements. Brooke's photography questions the definition of what it means to be alive.”

Brooke and I got a chance to speak recently, in advance of her presentation right here in Connecticut. She will be speaking about her work, at the behest of CTPPA. Find out more about that event here.

We spoke about her work, of course, but also her background. You'll find out how and why her degrees in film and English have helped her create artwork that is filled with intent and meaning. And, you'll hear about how she is a philanthropist, donating her time to a wonderful causes all over the world, including one in Calcutta, India. In fact, if you would like to donate camera gear or money, she is appealing to your generosity here.

A small sample of Brooke's incredible work. For more go here!

Want to keep up with Brooke, then bookmark her blog, Promoting Passion now.

UPDATE: Brooke Shaden is coming back to Connecticut! She will be here on November 21st and 22nd to lead a workshop called Storytelling & Compositing Intensive at the New Britain Museum of American Art. For more information about this opportunity to learn from Brooke, contact Heather Whitehouse at 860-229-0257, ext. 203 or whitehouseh@nbmaa.org.

Follow The Pumpkin Plan, To Scale Your Photography Business

January 28, 2015 by Seshu | Editor & Publisher Leave a Comment

It's January and snowstorm #Colbie just dumped a ton of snow in the north-eastern seaboard. My first inclination is to slide back into the bedsheets and stay there till April. But I have photography businesses to run and that means the hustle is on, 24-7.

But does it need to be always on? Is it not conceivable that the photography businesses could continue to grow even without my presence. Oh, sure, I will still be the visionary behind the images, but as you all know being a photographer is different – vastly different – than being in business as a photographer.

I can feel this frustration in the industry today. How do we create a sustainable and thriving photography business and remain sane? Right? Right. We are all in this together. Thankfully, we don't have to look too far for answers.

You could sign up with a business coach. And, business books are aplenty. Yet, I only read a select few every year that are immediately helpful.

In my opinion, Mike Michalowicz' books – The Toilet-Paper Entrepreneur, The Pumpkin Plan and Profit First, are three books that are within reach of my workstation. They are full of anecdotes and analogies that drive home themes and topics that are easy to understand and better yet, easier still to put into practice.

When I found out that the Connecticut chapter of the ASMP had invited Mike Michalowicz to speak on February 5th, at Yale University, I swung into action to see if I could speak with him about the book and his upcoming presentation. Special thanks to Jane Shauck and Mike's assistant, Kristina Bolduc, for making this interview happen.

If you enjoyed that short conversation, feel free to subscribe to Mike's incredible YouTube channel, where you can experience his wit and wisdom in short bites.

If you are going to be in the New Haven, Connecticut area, make plans to register for this presentation by Mike Michalowicz who will go into much greater detail about using The Pumpkin Plan for your photography business. I expect to be there in the audience taking notes. Join me!

Jane Ammon, Inspire Interviews: Episode 2

September 3, 2014 by Seshu | Editor & Publisher 2 Comments

I hope all of you have checked out the first episode, where I interviewed New England photographers, Doug Levy. Starting this month and running through October, I'll be posting short interviews I've conducted in partnership with Inspire Photo Retreats. The interviews will be of each of the presenters and some sponsors, to get a better idea of who they are and why they feel attending Inspire Photo Retreats is important to them.

Ok, so for this episode, I spoke with Jane Ammon, a child photographer who serves clients in central New Jersey and part of Pennsylvania. She will be presenting at Inspire Photo Retreats, from February 9-11th, 2015, in Portland, Maine.

When we spoke, I asked Jane about one aspect of her future presentation; why it was important for her to submit a proposal and finally what drew her to Inspire Photo Retreats.

Here are some of Jane Ammon's wonderful portraits of children:

For more information about the conference please visit the site. If last year was any indication, registrations will fill up and the conference will be sold out. So, I urge you to register early.

If you are still on the fence, please take a look at all the speakers who will be coming to Portland. I believe speakers like Jane and others have one mission: to inspire you to do your best work in the near year. Everybody needs that kind of motivation year-in-and-year-out. If you agree, I expect to see you at Inspire Photo Retreats in 2015!