This film, created and produced by Ron Dawson of Dare Dreamer Media, perfectly captures the emotion and creative energy of PartnerCon 2009, New Orleans. It is such an honor both serve, and be a part of, this amazing community of professional photographers/artists and friends.

Planning is well underway for PartnerCon 2010!

Save the date: November 16-18, 2010 New Orleans

It’s quite different being on the “other side” of the microphone for a change!  But I definitely had a blast talking about social media and the value of the pro photographer community with Emily Engle of Emily-Photo and Sara France.

Listen here.  (and be sure to subscribe to the Pictage Blog while you’re there).

Two people I dig — Joe McNally and Miki Johnson – on the topic of blogging.  Joe is an internationally acclaimed photographer and longtime photojournalist.  Miki is a former senior editor with American Photo Magazine, and is currently editor of Resolve (in addition to the many other social media initiatives she manages for Livebooks).

I really enjoyed this interview.  Some great insights on the topic of blogging and the photography profession.  

Joe McNally: Blogging & Shooting – RESOLVE Blog from liveBooks on Vimeo.

THE WEEK OF SHOUT-OUTS — DAY 3

I’ve tried just about every product on the market for onsite/event CF card storage, with the default always being “right pocket for unused, left pocket for used.”

Thankfully Photographers Sara France and Lauren Hillary created a product that serves two key purposes — function and fashion.

Check out the GO BEE website for more details on the His and Her versions. I had the opportunity to test them out at the recent Pictage Partner Conference, and was very impressed (and gonna treat myself to an early Holiday gift).

THE WEEK OF SHOUT-OUTS — DAY 2

There are many online resources for Professional photographers these days — many of which have built great communities and are rich in content.

One of my favorites is PhotographyMentor.com

Created under the vision of Robert Evans, PhotographyMentor.com has taken online photographer resources and community to a whole new level. One of the greatest features is their 2-tiered offering. “The Playground” is PhotographyMentor.com’s Free community – featuring online video chats, knowledge forums, video and image uploading. This is the place to “connect, socialize and share with photographers worldwide.”

Where I find the most value is in the membership side of Photographymentor.com, also known as the “School.” Along with Robert himself, they’ve brought on Resident Professors Dane Sanders, Sara France and Carlos Baez. I’ve benefited in numerous ways from the video clips alone, as well as the downloadable “cheat sheets” with supporting shooting clips.

Also to be commended is Curt Apanovich, who leads the production team at Photographymentor.com. This crew is churning out some very high value content, and the online experience on the site is both intuitive and captivating.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro, or just starting out in the profession, there’s a ton of great stuff happening over at PhotographerMentor.com that you might dig.

THE WEEK OF SHOUT-OUTS — DAY 1

I’ll be featuring a Shout-Out each day of the week — focusing on people, brands, and products that I dig.

Thanks for following along.

Dolores Ann Events was founded, and is run by Lisa Allen — Event Consultant extraordinaire. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Lisa on a wide variety of high-end events, and I’m continuously impressed with her attention to detail combined with her calm, reassuring manner. One of the most important event planner skills (at least in my opinion) is being well-networked and having access to a a diverse array of resources and industry professionals – and this is no doubt one of Lisa’s greatest strengths.

I encourage all my current and prospective clients and blog readers to check out Lisa’s services. And, if you’re wondering who Dolores Ann is — be sure to check out the About section of Lisa’s website for the story behind her brand.

(photo by Brulee Photography)