Photoshop World - Orlando 2010

I have had a few days now to let my first Photoshop World trip settle in, and I am glad to say PSW exceeded my expectations. This is only my third photography convention, but I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from reading posts from the last PSW. What I didn’t expect was the professional quality of the keynote production. It was better than anything I have seen at any convention, and other organizations should study what made this one so successful.

There were two really big reasons for Allison (my wife and business partner) and I to go out to PSW this year. The first and most important was to meet the great Scott Bourne of Photofocus.  The second reason was to see one of my long time photography heroes, Joe McNally .

I met Scott Bourne online 8 months ago and struck up a friendship. He has been very gracious with his knowledge and wisdom. Allison and I have been looking for a reason to meet him in person, and Vegas PSW seemed like a great place to do it. Scott is truly one of the wisest businessmen I have ever met. You would do well to listen to what he has to say. My favorite Scott saying: “Never let your opinion of your circumstances dictate your actions.” Thank you, Scott.

Joe McNally was everything I wanted him to be. My only regret is that I didn’t get a chance to actually meet him. I enjoyed listening to him talk about his body of work from National Geographic, LIFE and Sports Illustrated. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom he was throwing out.

“The best thing about being in the field. You have to make a decision. There is no time for a committee decision.”
“Go and shoot the picture. Because if you don’t go you won’t have a picture.”
“Embrace the problem. You said YES to the assignment and once you do, it’s your problem now.”
“You are never really working for anyone. You are working for yourself and you have to be happy with what you’re doing.”
“National Geographic pays $600-$750 a day.”
“Far too many people want to put you in a box. Express yourself to avoid this. Shoot different things. Even if it’s just for you”
“Be alert. You just never know where the next frame will be.”
“Next to imagination, tenacity is the next important tool in a photographers tool belt.”
“Be prepared to hear NO 100 times from editors.”
“A career in photography is about risk. There are lots of people telling you what not to do.”
“Get a voice . Create a blog. Stick with that voice. Feed that voice.”

A special thank you to Nancy (@NAPP_News) for allowing me to guest blog.

Jeff and Allison run Allison Rodgers Photography, a portrait studio in Olive Branch, MS. They will be speaking at PPA’s  Imaging USA in Nashville, TN Januay 2010. Jeff and Allison are contributing writers for Professional Photographers Magazine. Follow Jeff‘ on twitter. Follow Allison on twitter.