Many years ago, I attended a seminar given by a professional photographer who said something like this: “Every decision I make is a business decision.” I took his comment quite seriously, making many decisions over the past 20 years based on the final and potential financial outcome of the project - be it a book, assignment, speaking engagement, workshop, seminar and so on.

Hey All Check out this video that I have on YouTube. I created it on my Mac using Keynote, Garage Band and Snapz Pro X. Basically, I first created a slide show in Keynote. Next I selected some cool music in Garage Band. Then, playing the slide show and the music, I recored the whole thing with Snapz Pro X for a cool presentation.

Hi All I just saw the movie, Mongol. It is one of the most amazing movies I have ever seen. The photography is stunning, breathtaking.It's a must-see for movie-goers - and anyone interested in filmmaking. Check it out and I think you'll get some good ideas for photographing people and events. I was in Mongolia last year taking pictures for my new book, Face to Face. I took this photo at the Chingis Khan Calvary Ride festival. These guys are from the real Mongolian army. Once a year they put on this show.

Hey All - Here are a few pictures of some kitty cats that I've photographed around the world. They have several things in common: they were originally RAW files (which have a wider exposure latitude than JPEG files), all were cropped (because I like to fill the frame with the subject) the kitty cats were all photographed with my Canon 100-400mm IS lens at f/8 (the sharpest f/stop on that lens), and I took all the photos close to eye level (because I like to see eye-to-eye). One photo is different. I know it's kinda obvious, but someone asked me why? As soon as I post this note, I'm going to try to find out the answer. Any guesses out there? If so, post away!

Hey All I hope some of you can join me for my live Web Cast on June 26 at 1 PM NY time. I'll be sharing my favorite photographs (including this "love bite" photograph that I took in Botswana) and, of course, my favorite tips and techniques. Basically what happens is that through the magic of the internet, attendees can see what I am doing on my monitor. I'll have my Keynote show opened and will scroll around to find pictures that illustrate certain digital photography techniques - as well as some of my photo philosophies. I'll also be sharing some of the pictures in my latest book, Face to Face. All you have to do is sing up. Space is limited. I know all my family members will be rushing to sing up fast..... so don't delay :-)

Hi All - I tried to pack so many photographs and so many practical tips (as well as my favorite photo philosophies) into my latest book, Face to Face, that we ran out of pages for the tech info for each photo - as well as the location. The good news is that you can get this info easily. Click Here to download a PDF.

Hey All! Just back from Papua New Guinea (PNG) - one of the last great adventures left on the planet. An adventure due, in part, to the clan wars that have been going on for generations. The other parts? I'll share some stories at Photoshop World. Hint: has to do with two machetes!! Here is a favorite shot - which did not, like all my PNG shots, make my new O'Reilly Face to Face book, which was actually published when I was there...

And now for something completely different: A special journey to the bottom of the world! f you go, here are some important tips: - ask your Dr. about seasickness pills; you will be traveling through some of the roughest waters in the world. once you get there, seas will be relatively calm. - snack on ginger and Skittles during your journey; helps to settle your tummy. - get the best gloves money can buy for shooting in the cold. try on a few different pairs. i use Windstoppers. - pack a polarizing filter to reduce glare on the spectacular blue ice.

The camera looks both ways, in picturing the subject, we are also picturing a part of ourselves. Keep this expression in mind when photographing people, and you'll see that the mood, energy, emotion, etc., that you project will be reflected in your subject's face. So, you'll get a higher percentage of "keepers" from a photo session. Another important thing to remember is that it's often important (or essential) to control the light when photographing people.

Ever use a ringlight? I personally feel as though it's the only way to go for serious macro shooters. Advantages: great depth of field (because you can shoot even at f/22) and usually no need to use a tripod. Plus... super sharp photos - because you can use an ISO setting of 100.