‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography’ talk by Brian Smith at Imaging USA on Tuesday, January 22 – sponsored by Sony

Following upon the success of his best-selling portrait photography book, ‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography’, Miami Celebrity Portrait Photographer Brian Smith shares the lessons he’s learned while capturing the faces of the famous and infamous at Professional Photographers of America’s Imaging USA conference in Atlanta.

“I’m delighted to have an opportunity to speak about portrait photography at Professional Photographers of America’s photography convention Imaging USA in Atlanta this January 22nd to share all the things I’ve learned over the years that I wish someone had told me back when I was first starting out'” says Smith

Miami portrait photographer Brian Smith will tell you how he created his best-known portraits, explaining his approach to editorial and commercial portrait photography assignments (from concept to final image) and his approach to lighting and problem solving on productions both small and large. You’ll also learn his secrets on how to quickly capture the personalities of your subjects! He’ll explain how personal projects can be used to generate editorial and commercial assignments, which allows your personal style to evolve and grow while generating assignments you love to shoot.

Smith was featured in a 7-page cover story in PPA’s Professional Photographer magazine’s June 2012 issue. Over his past 30 years as one of the best-known celebrity photographers in the world, his iconic portraits have been featured in top magazines including Time, People, Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine.

Sound like just what you need to make your portrait photography better? Join him Tuesday, January 22, 2013 from 8-9am at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta for a talk sponsored by Sony and you’ll also learn how to:

Connect with Your Subject: His number one tip for shooting better portraits.
Find the Place: Why location is an important storytelling element.
Tell the Story: How to convey an idea & tell a story though conceptual portrait photography.
Sweat the Small Stuff: Why every small detail matters in photography.
Pose for Emotion: Make your subjects comfortable & engaged so their personalities can shine through.
See the Light: How the quality of the light affects the mood of the photo.

Brian Smith’s books include his portrait photography book ‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography: Portraits of the Famous and Infamous’ from New Riders Press which debuted in Amazon’s Top 100 to critical acclaim. His arts advocacy book ‘Art & Soul: Stars Unite to Celebrate and Support the Arts‘ photographed in partnership with The Creative Coalition and Sony promotes the importance of arts funding.

About the Brian Smith
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Brian Smith is the luckiest guy on the planet. He’s told Bill Gates exactly what to do for an entire hour, exhibited at the Library of Congress, appeared on The X Factor, dined with the President and 3,000 of his closest friends, shared cupcakes with Anne Hathaway, and gotten drunk with George Clooney – all in the service of getting the perfect portrait. His bold, iconic celebrity portraits have appeared in hundreds of magazines as Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, Time, Forbes, Elle and British GQ. Smith won the Pulitzer Prize for photographs of the Los Angeles Olympics and his other awards include World Press Photo, American Photography, Communication Arts Awards, Pictures of the Year, Best of Photojournalism and Photo District News Photography Awards.

About Imaging USA
Imaging USA is the longest running national photographic convention, expo and image exhibition in the United States, drawing thousands of professionals from around the world. Dating back to 1880, when it began as the annual convention and trade show for Professional Photographers of America, the event is always growing and evolving. Major components of Imaging USA are the three-day Imaging EXPO trade show, several all-inclusive parties and presentations by some of the biggest names in the photographic industry. Imaging USA’s renowned educational classes are geared to improve a photographer’s business skills, photographic repertoire and use of technologies.