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‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography’ at WPPI 2012

by Brian Smith on February 14, 2012

in Talks

I’m heading back to WPPI 2012 in Las Vegas to speak about my favorite subject – capturing great portraits. WPPI is always a great show for the portrait and wedding photography industry I’m looking forward to bringing this talk back to Vegas after packed crowds at PhotoPlus Expo and Estudio Brasil in Sao Paulo.

New for WPPI, I’ve added a lot of new images to my talk including photos from my shoot on The X Factor. I’ll be speaking about everything from how to connect with your subject to ways that hair, make-up and styling can add production value to your shoots and all the things that go into the decision making process on a shoot from concept to location to lighting to refining the final look in post.

Secrets of Great Portrait Photography
Tuesday, February 21, 8:00 am – 10:00 am
MGM Conference Center – Room 318
sponsored by Sony

Celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith will share the lessons he’s learned over the past 30 years capturing the faces of the famous, infamous and unknown as a top magazine portrait photographer. Brian will discuss his approach to editorial and commercial assignments from concept to final images, and detailing his approach to lighting and problem solving on productions both small and large. He will also share secrets about how to quickly capture the personality of the people in your photographs. He will also discuss how personal projects can be used to generate editorial and commercial assignments, and allow your personal style to evolve and grow while generating assignments you love to shoot.

We’ve got some great raffle giveaways from:

LOWEPRO: One DSLR Video Fastpack 250 AW (a $149 value)
PHOTO SHELTER: One Free 1 Year Standard account (a $329 value)
SONG FREEDOM: Two Free Bronze Packages (valued at $360 each)
Each one gives the winner 10 songs to use over the next year.
TETHERING TOOLS: Tether Pro USB 15ft High-Visibility Orange Tethering Cable plus JerkStopper Tethering Kit – Camera Support JerkStopper and Computer Support JerkStopper (USB option)

Great crowd at 'Secrets of Great Portrait Photography' with Brian Smith WPPI 2011

'Secrets of Great Portrait Photography' WPPI 2011


Golfer Graeme McDowell photographed in Horshoe Bay, Bermuda


The X Factor winner Melanie Amaro photographed in Los Angeles


Marcus Canty photographed on The X Factor

Be sure to stop by the Sony booth on the WPPI show floor where I’ll be speaking and doing lighting demos each day.

Monday February 20, 2012:
Noon – 12:45pm CAPTURING PERSONALITY – BURLESQUE (LIVE SHOOT) – Sony Booth 421
1:30pm – 2:15pm THE NEX BIG THING: SMALL CAMERA – BIG RESULTS – Sony Booth 421
3:00pm – 3:45pm CAPTURING PERSONALITY – BURLESQUE (LIVE SHOOT) – Sony Booth 421
8:00pm – 10:00pm SONY SHOOTOUT MGM Conference Center, Level 3, Rooms 312-320

Tuesday, February 21, 2012:
8:00am – 10:00am ‘SECRETS OF GREAT PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY’ – MGM Conference Center – Room 318
Noon -12:45pm THE NEX BIG THING: SMALL CAMERA – BIG RESULTS – Sony Booth 421
1:30pm – 2:15pm CAPTURING PERSONALITY – BURLESQUE (LIVE SHOOT) – Sony Booth 421

Wednesday, February 22, 2012:
11:15am – Noon CAPTURING PERSONALITY – BURLESQUE (LIVE SHOOT) – Sony Booth 421
12:45pm – 1:30pm THE NEX BIG THING: SMALL CAMERA – BIG RESULTS – Sony Booth 421
2:15pm – 3:00pm CAPTURING PERSONALITY – BURLESQUE (LIVE SHOOT) – Sony Booth 421

Stop by to say hello to me and my fellow Sony Artisans of Imagery Matthew Jordan Smith, Me Ra Koh and fab photographers Sarah France and Daniel Boswell. It’s going to be an absolutely great show – hope to see you there!

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Can’t-miss Seminars for WPPI 2012

by Brian Smith on January 24, 2012

in Talks

I’m really looking forward to my FIFTH straight year speaking for Sony at WPPI in Las Vegas. It’s one of my favorite photography trade shows because the whole show has such a positive vibe. In addition to the talks I’m doing at the Sony Booth, I will also be giving a platform talk on the ‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography’ at 8am Tuesday, February 21st.

Great crowd at 'Secrets of Great Portrait Photography' with Brian Smith WPPI 2011

Great crowd at 'Secrets of Great Portrait Photography' WPPI 2011

Here’s my list of of can’t-miss seminars to see at WPPI 2012:

Sun, Feb 19, 2012 – 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
So You Really Want To Be a Wedding Photographer?
Speaker: Cliff Mautner
Cliff Mautner, one of American Photo’s top 10 wedding photographers in the world, WPPI Grand Award winner, Nikon spokesperson and 30-year pro will talk straight about what it takes to succeed in this insane business, including insights about business, lighting and a lifetime in an ever-evolving industry. Cliff will share his work ethic, style of shooting and tell you how to develop your own. He’ll also share a ton of mistakes he’s made along the way, so you don’t repeat them. Be prepared to be inspired and educated in his straightforward, honest east coast style!

Sun, Feb 19, 2012 – 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Creative Portrait and Retouching Techniques
Speaker: Lindsay Adler
Creativity in your images extends into your Photoshop techniques. This class will help you take your creativity to another level and make your images even more eye-catching through your Photoshop techniques. In this session you will learn essential retouching techniques as well as a variety of tools to add a creative flair to your images in Photoshop. Learn essential retouching tools, retouching plugins, and the best way to approach your retouching workflow, including blemish removal, body reshaping, and feature enhancement. Understand how to add textures to your images, add borders, adjust coloration. And see a wide range of other beautiful and creative retouching techniques.

Mon, Feb 20, 2012 – 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Aperture Intensive
Speaker: Sara France
Apple regularly sends Sara around the world to train photographers in using Aperture, and now it’s your turn. In this program, she takes you through Aperture from start to finish, walking you through the workflow process while giving you tips and tricks along the way. From download, to adjustments, to album design, to export, Sara shows you all the basics and all the things you never knew were possible with this powerful program.

Mon, Feb 20, 2012 – 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Lab Printing with Lightroom: Color Management and Step-by-Step Workflow
Speaker: Andrew Darlow
Photo labs offer an array of products for the professional photographer, but one thing always remains constant—for great results, you’ve got to color-manage your system and prepare files properly. In this two-hour lecture, an award-winning author and photographer, Andrew covers the proofing and printing process for a range of lab printing products, including digital c-prints, canvas prints and press-printed products using a step-by-step approach. Learn how to set the resolution of images, inexpensively color-test lab products, batch-process images and more.

Tue, Feb 21, 2012 – 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
New Secrets of Great Portrait Photography
Speaker: Brian Smith
Celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith will share the lessons he’s learned over the past 30 years capturing the faces of the famous, infamous and unknown as a top magazine portrait photographer. He will discuss his approach to editorial and commercial assignments from concept to final images, and detailing his approach to lighting and problem solving on productions both small and large. He will share secrets about how to quickly capture the personality of the people in your photographs and will also discuss how personal projects can be used to generate editorial and commercial assignments.

Tue, Feb 21, 2012 – 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Telling Stories in Pictures
Speakers: Alan Weiner
We’ve all heard the term “wedding photojournalism,” but these days, it includes all different types of photography. At its core, photojournalism is the telling of a story through pictures. Alan spent 20 years working as a contract photographer for The New York Times, telling stories with his camera. Now, he applies the same tools he honed as a news photojournalist to tell the story of hundreds of brides and grooms. Come hear his approach!

Tue, Feb 21, 2012 – 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
How Knowledge of Cinema Storytelling Has Influenced Photography and Album Design
Speaker: Amina Moreau
Stillmotion knows that storytelling techniques aren’t really taught in post-secondary photography programs. As a part of a photo and cinema team, Amina has taken inspiration from the world of filmmaking and applied it to her stills. Cinema is about lifespan, sequencing, time-shifting, transitioning and creating an emotional response that photography often lacks. The principal goal of this seminar is to teach attendees how to apply a moviemaker’s eye to their photography and album design so it’s no longer about capturing memories your clients can see, but about creating sequences they can feel.

Wed, Feb 22, 2012 – 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Using Social Media Strategically: What Works vs. What is Just Noise
Speaker: Me Ra Koh
We are going to dive into what type of social media benefits a photographer’s business the most.  Do you need a static website if you have a blog?  Do you spend your time on Facebook and forget about a blog?  How important is Twitter to growing your business?  Or, do you already take advantage of these platforms and still don’t get the traffic you are looking for?  The question isn’t whether you need one platform over the other, but what is the purpose of each and will it help you meet YOUR specific business goals.  As a busy mom, business owner and photography expert for The Nate Berkus Show, hear Me Ra share what she’s found that makes sense for photographers in the social media world vs. what is noise.  Whether you are just launching a new business and trying to book clients or you’re an established pro wanting to expand your brand, Me Ra is going to leave you excited and empowered with a whole new juicy set of social media tools to grow your business, make you money and most of all, save you TIME!

Wed, Feb 22, 2012 – 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
New Social Media for Next Generation Photographers
Speaker: Jack Hollingsworth
New and Social Media is upon us. In full force. In every direction. If you snooze, you lose. It’s that dramatic. It’s time to start thinking like a next generation photographer and not only explore, but exploit every single marketing tool and technology available to you.  Come and listen to veteran photographer, social media coach and consultant Jack Hollingsworth, speak on why he passionately believes that it’s the greatest time in history to be a working photographer.  Inspirational topics will include:  what social media channels work best for photographers, how to brand, market and promote yourself in a crowded marketplace, how and why iPhone photography is changing the game, and the top 10 resources and guides to help you become a marketing success.

Wed, Feb 22, 2012 – 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Storytelling in Stills & Motion
Speaker: Deanne Fitzmaurice
Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, Deanne Fitzmaurice will show how personal projects in the Digital Revolution can spark your creativity. She will discuss how she gains trust and access in challenging situations. With a forward-thinking approach to visual storytelling, Deanne will also discuss how she is using HDSLR video and audio to enhance the narrative of her stories. Some of the stories Deanne will show include her Pulitzer Prize winning story of an injured Iraqi boy and a multimedia piece about a Circus Sideshow performer at Coney Island.

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My Prime Time Debut on X Factor

by Brian Smith on November 18, 2011

in Celebrity Portrait Photography

This is beyond surreal…Much L-O-V-E to everyone at X Factor and Sony for my prime-time debut photographing celebrity portraits of the X Factor Finalists with SONY NEX-5N then passing the cameras out to all the contestants so they could see how easy it was to get great professional results with a camera small enough they can take it with them everywhere.

To all the finalists for welcoming me to their show this week – you guys rock!
To Steve Sommers and Kayla Lindquist of Sony…thanks for believing!
To my personal fashion stylist, my lovely wife Fazia, I love you baby!

EQUIPMENT:
SONY NEX-5N
SONY NEX Electronic Viewfinder
SONY NEX Camera Mount Adapter LA-EA2
SONY 24mm/1.8 E-Mount Lens
SONY CZ 85/1.4
SONY CZ 24-70/2.8

LIGHTING:
K5600 800w Joker HMI Crossover Kit
Profoto 7′ Silver Parabolic Umbrella Style Reflector

STACY FRANCIS was one of my faves. Sorry to see her go but I'll always remember her in the spotlight!

Stacy Francis

STACY FRANCIS

Chris Rene

CHRIS RENE

Josh Krajcik

JOSH KRAJCIK

Melanie Amaro

MELANIE AMARO

Marcus Canty

MARCUS CANTY

Lakoda Rayne

LAKODA RAYNE

LeRoy Bell

LEROY BELL

Drew

DREW

Astro

ASTRO

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Action-Packed Month Starts Today

by Brian Smith on October 14, 2011

in Talks

My next month is N-U-T-S!

Nuts in a good way like everything together at once – in a very good way. I’ll be making two West Coast swings, three trips in New York and flying down to Brazil. Hope to see you all somewhere along the way, but if I seem a bit punchy, my apologies in advance…

October 14, 2011: ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY ‘Future of Editorial Photography’ San Francisco
October 15-16, 2011: PHOTO ASSISTANT BASIC TRAINING – APA San Francisco
October 20, 2011: BOOK & BOOKS: Coral Gables, Florida ART & SOUL BOOK SIGNING
October 23, 2011: SONY DIGITAL DAYS – KEYNOTE SPEAKER – Unique Photo – New Jersey
October 25, 2011: SONY STORE – NEW YORK: ART & SOUL VIP BOOK LAUNCH
October 27, 2011: PHOTOPLUS EXPO ‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography’
October 27-19, 2011: PHOTOPLUS EXPO – Sony Trade Show Booth: Featured Speaker – New York
November 2, 2011: SONY STORE – CENTURY CITY: ART & SOUL VIP BOOK LAUNCH
November 2, 2011: W HOTEL WESTWOOD: ART & SOUL EXHIBIT & BOOK SIGNING
November 9, 2011: ESTUDIO BRASIL 2011 – Sao Paulo, Brazil
November 12-13, 2011: PHOTO ASSISTANT BASIC TRAINING – APA New York

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Sony Photo Fun Mom Event in San Diego

by Brian Smith on September 14, 2011

in Talks

HUGE SHOUTOUT to Blogger extraordinaire Kimberley Blaine for putting together this fun video of our Sony Electronics event to teach a fab group of mom bloggers how to use the super-cool features of the new Cyber-Shot WX-9 like the enhanced hand-held low-light performance and auto skin-softening (not that this group needed any to that…) It was a great day with some truly lovely ladies ending with our photo session to update their social media profile pictures.

Sony Photo Fun Mom Event from Kimberley Blaine on Vimeo.

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Come check out a great exhibition of student photography at the Photo Camp  ‘The Culture of Now’ opening tonight at New York’s Aperture Gallery. Photo Camp was sponsored by Sony and Aperture and supported by Epson and Gotham Imaging.

Opening Reception 6-8pm
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Aperture Gallery
547 W 27th Street – 4th Floor
New York City

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Get a major head start on a career in the photo industry.

Sony Artisans of Imagery Matthew Jordan Smith and Brian Smith, are teaming up with APA Los Angeles Chapter Chair and photographer Astor Morgan to present Photo Assistant Basic Training. With panel discussions, equipment demonstrations from industry experts, and hands-on training, attendees will come away with the essential knowledge and confidence to build your own Pro Assistant reputation. Acquire a comprehensive understanding of professional assisting behavioral guidelines, including contemporary set-etiquette, and discover how this valuable training will get you more call-backs – more repeat clients, more work.

Master Assisting Professionalism. Get booked solid.

First Event:
Los Angeles April 30 & May 1 with Matthew Jordan Smith – Sony Artisan
Register HERE!

Upcoming Events:
October 15 & 16: San Francisco with Brian Smith – Sony Artisan
November 5 & 6: Atlanta with Matthew Jordan Smith - Sony Artisan
November 12 & 13: New York with Brian Smith – Sony Artisan

Day One:
Kicks off with the popular “Assistant Panel” which includes experts on working as a photo assistant. Get real world answers to all questions from the attendees. Following the panel discussion will be exciting live software and equipment demonstrations with industry reps from Sony, Profoto, and Adobe. Learn from the pros. Industry reps will be on hand to answer all your questions.

Day Two:
Full on, hands-on workshops with much of the gear an assistant will most likely encounter on the majority of professional photo shoots. Many aspects of assisting will be explained in great detail, i.e. strobes, hot lights, flags, scrims, set etiquette, the assistant kit, tips on getting work, billing, and how to deal with the dreaded cancellation. Following classroom discussion and demonstrations, participants will work along side the Pro Photographers to discover crucial pro assisting skills.

9:00 am – 5:00 pm each day
Day 1 – APA Members Free, Non-members $40
Day 2 – APA Members $40, Non-members $80

Separate registration for each day, required.

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Fantastic WPPI 2011

by Brian Smith on February 23, 2011

in Talks

Speaking at WPPI 2011 has been a fantastic experience thanks to the amazing positive energy off everyone in attendance! Massive thanks to the great crowd at my platform talk ‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography’ – you guys made this trip wonderful! My deepest thanks to everyone from Sony & Blue Pixel for a great trade show booth where I spoke on Location Portraits and did a live shooting demo of Burlesque dancer Miss Redd. Thanks to George Varanakis and Kate Volpe of WPPI for making this such a great show.

Great crowd at 'Secrets of Great Portrait Photography' with Brian Smith WPPI 2011

Great crowd at 'Secrets of Great Portrait Photography' WPPI 2011

Las Vegas Burlesque dancer Miss Redd with 30"x40" prints from our live shoot at WPPI Sony Booth

Las Vegas Burlesque dancer Miss Redd with 30"x40" prints from our live shoot at WPPI Sony Booth

30"x40" prints at the WPPI Sony Booth from our live shoot of Las Vegas Burlesque dancer Miss Redd

30"x40" prints at the WPPI Sony Booth from our live shoot of Las Vegas Burlesque dancer Miss Redd

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Big Week at WPPI 2011

by Brian Smith on February 19, 2011

in Talks

I’m headed out to Las Vegas tomorrow morning for a big week of talks and meetings at WPPI. It’s always a great week and this year looks better than ever. If you’re headed that way, please stop by and see me. Hope to see you there!

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20 – WPPI Las Vegas
2-5pm – WPPI LAUNCH PAD & @RFWPPI TWEET-UP sneak peek at all the new products being launched at WPPI
7-10pm – SONY OPENING NIGHT PARTY and Runway Show with Nigel Barker from America’s Next Top Model
MGM Grand Arena

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21 – WPPI Las Vegas
11:00-11:25am LIVE SHOOT: ‘Studio Portraits’ – SONY Booth 421
2:30-2:55pm TALK ‘Location Portraits’ – SONY Booth 421
3:30-3:55pm LIVE SHOOT: ‘Studio Portraits’ – SONY Booth 421

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 – WPPI Las Vegas
11:30-11:55am TALK ‘Location Portraits’ – SONY Booth 421
3:30-5:30pm PLATFORM TALK: ‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography’ MGM Conference Center Room 313 – 316
Pre-register: CLICK HERE!

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 – WPPI Las Vegas
11:30-11:55am LIVE SHOOT: ‘Studio Portraits’ – SONY Booth 421
1:00-1:25pm LIVE SHOOT: ‘Studio Portraits’ – SONY Booth 421
2:00-2:25pm TALK ‘Location Portraits’ – SONY Booth 421

NEXT STOP:
SOCIETY OF PHOTOGRAPHIC EDUCATORS – Atlanta, GA
Thursday, March 10: 10:30am – 11:45am ‘Celebrating and Supporting the Arts through Photography’
Sheraton Atlanta Hotel – Capitol South

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I’ll be speaking about my favorite subject – capturing great portraits – at WPPI on February 22nd in Las Vegas. WPPI is always a great show for the portrait and wedding photography industry I’m looking forward to taking the show to Vegas after a full house when I gave this talk at PDN PhotoPlus Expo. I’ve added a lot of new images to the talk that will be shown for the first time including the latest photos from my project on burlesque. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the project from my friends at X-Rite:

Secrets of Great Portrait Photography
Tuesday, February 22, 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Room 313 – 316 in the MGM Conference Center
sponsored by Sony

Celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith will share the lessons he’s learned over the past 30 years capturing the faces of the famous, infamous and unknown as a top magazine portrait photographer. Brian will discuss his approach to editorial and commercial assignments from concept to final images, and detailing his approach to lighting and problem solving on productions both small and large. He will also share secrets about how to quickly capture the personality of the people in your photographs. He will also discuss how personal projects can be used to generate editorial and commercial assignments, and allow your personal style to evolve and grow while generating assignments you love to shoot.

Be sure to stop by the Sony booth on the WPPI show floor where I’ll be speaking and doing lighting demos each day.

Monday February 21:
11:00-11:25am ‘Live Shoot: Studio Portraits’ – Sony Booth 421
2:30-2:55pm ‘Location Portraits’- Sony Booth 421
3:30-3:55pm ‘Live Shoot: Studio Portraits’- Sony Booth 421

Tuesday, February 22:
11:00-11:25am ‘Location Portraits’- Sony Booth 421
3:30-5:30pm ‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography’ – MGM Conference Center Room 313 – 316
Pre-register: CLICK HERE!

Wednesday, February 23:
11:30-11:55am ‘Live Shoot: Studio Portraits’- Sony Booth 421
1:00-1:25pm ‘Live Shoot: Studio Portraits’- Sony Booth 421
2:00-2:25pm ‘Location Portraits’- Sony Booth 421

It’s going to be an absolutely great show – hope to see you there!

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