Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Brian Smith speaks at photography symposiums, seminars and trade shows everywhere from Boise to Brazil. He’s appeared at PhotoPlus Expo in New York, WPPI in Las Vegas and Estudio Brasil in Sao Paulo. As president of Editorial Photographers he frequently speaks to photography trade organizations and to emerging photographers and photo students at colleges, universities, photo schools and art institutes around the country.

DESCRIPTION OF TALKS:

SECRETS OF GREAT PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
In this talk, Celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith shares the lessons he’s learned over the past 30 years capturing the faces of the famous and infamous 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. Smith will also share secrets about how to quickly capture the personality of the people you photograph and 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.

SECRETS OF GREAT PORTRAIT LIGHTING
Celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith shares his use of lighting modifiers to control and shape light and shadow to create bold iconic portraits of Hollywood’s A-list. You’ll learn how to work quickly under pressure, on productions both small and large. Learn how to control the quality of light had how the choice between hard light and soft light allows you to control the mood. From his simple problem-solving approach to both sculpting light in the studio and how to overcome harsh daylight by blending strobe with ambient light on location, you’ll learn how to take cues from reality make the most of great light when you find it and to create it when you don’t. Smith will share celebrity portraits of from his books Art & Soul and Secrets of Great Portrait Photography to share ways that you can make everyone you photograph look and feel like a star.

THE FUTURE OF EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Editorial photography is undergoing rapid change, yet the death of magazine photography has been greatly exaggerated. Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Brian Smith, President of Editorial Photographers and ASMP Member, will discuss how to maximize the creative and commercial rewards while avoiding bad contracts and stagnant rates. Seminar Topics include: How to get and keep the attention of photo editors and art directors at top magazines; How production value can make your work stand out; How to charge properly for digital processing; What are the best things you can do in a slow economy; How to maximize re-licensing, syndication and reprint revenue; How the shift to online content will affect rates; What you should know about editorial that nobody told you.

SURVIVAL GUIDE TO EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY LICENSING
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Brian Smith, President of Editorial Photographers, will discuss how to maximize the creative and commercial rewards while avoiding bad contracts and stagnant rates. Seminar Topics include: How production value can make your work stand out; How to charge properly for digital processing; The best things you can do in a slow economy; How to maximize re-licensing, syndication and reprint revenue; How the shift to online content will affect rates; What you should know about editorial that nobody told you.

EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY: FROM PULITZER TO PORTRAITURE
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Brian Smith shares insights from his last 30 years as a editorial photographer as he moved from Pulitzer Prize-winning sports photographer to shooting celebrity portraits of Hollywood’s A-List. Smith will speak about both the art and commerce of editorial photography and what every artist needs to know about business of photography to remain in business. In this presentation, Smith will share ways to grab and keep the attention of photo editors and art directors; how shooting personal projects can promote your vision and land the jobs you’ll love to shoot; and ways to keep your portfolio and vision fresher than next year’s winner of The X Factor.

STOP WAITING FOR YOUR BIG BREAK
What do Donald Trump, Richard Branson, nudist golfers, and hundreds of Olympic Athletes have in common? They’ve all been photographed by Miami celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith. In this talk, Pulitzer Prize winner Brian Smith as he shares how to overcome career plateaus, adapt your approach and expand your photographic range to win new clients, and create the career of your dreams one small break at a time.

PORTRAITS ON LOCATION: CAPTURING PERSONALITY AND PLACE
Great environmental portraits capture both personality and place. Brian photographs noteworthy and notorious celebrities in the locations where they live, work and play. Smith will show how he photographs subjects on location so that the environment adds another dimension to the shoot citing examples of how he approaches shooting on location whether it’s a large production shoot of a famous subject or simply the someone he runs into on the street while traveling. The seminar will discuss location lighting and tips on selecting the best location to add visual interest to your photographs.

CONCEPTUAL PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
Brian shares the way he comes up with his concepts for portraits of the famous and infamous. Hear his tricks about how to sell those ideas to your subject and client.

HOW TO SELL YOUR IDEAS
What do Donald Trump, Richard Branson, Bill Gates, nudist golfers, and hundreds of Olympic Athletes have in common? They’ve all been photographed by Miami celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith. In this talk, Pulitzer Prize winner Brian Smith as he shares the stories behind his photos of the rich and famous and lessons learned in 30 years of photographing celebrities. He’ll talk about ways he connects with people in all walks of life and share his tricks on how to get billionaires to do exactly what you want and convince them it was their idea to do so.

TURNING PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECTS TO PROFIT
Your best work is the work that comes from the heart. Learn ways that personal photography projects can land you jobs you’ll love to shoot.

Complete list of Brian Smith’s speaking & television appearances, workshops and exhibitions