Minot | The SMUGS Blog

SMUGs are looking for speakers!

December 16, 2011 5 comments

The SmugMug User Groups (SMUGs) are putting out a call for speakers for our 2012 monthly speakers series.

A SMUG is a place where you can learn, teach and meet up with other photographers who share your passion. It’s also how we can tell you what’s happening in our world and discover what’s happening in yours. SMUGs are a great way to connect with other photographers and add a few weapons to your creative arsenal. There are over 90 SMUGs worldwide. Rain or shine, it’s always a great idea to come to your SMUG’s monthly meetings. This way, you have a great collection of photos in every season!

We are looking for presenters that can speak about various photography related topics. Examples: Business topics, software, lighting, fusion, camera usage, portraits, photojournalism, sports, nature/landscape, commercial, boudoir, sports and weddings.

All types of photographers are welcome to present.

If you are interested in speaking, please send a short bio and course description and let us know why you would be great for our groups. We really want people with something interesting to say so let us know why this is you. These presentations are not sales-oriented so while you are more then welcome to mention products and workshops at the end, the bulk of the presentation should be on the chosen topic.

This is a great opportunity for anyone to get in front of a large, active group of photographers.

You will also receive a free SmugMug Pro account as a special thanks from SmugMug (for as long as you are a speaker).

To submit your presentation or if you have questions, please email Rocky Bowles at rocky@smugmug.com. Once we receive your email, we will send out a manual that explains all of the details for speaking at SMUGs.

All submissions will be kept on file and we’ll contact you if we choose your presentation.

SmugMug cannot thank you enough for your participation in becoming a speaker. It is the people like you that give SMUGs such a great reputation!

The Vancouver Island SMUG learns about lighting!

October 6, 2011 1 comment

The Nanaimo, Vancouver Island SMUG was thrilled that local photographer, Nelly Hernandez, offered to host a Glamour Shoot in her home. Being a somewhat non-traditional SMUG group, with approximately 20 members, we don’t have regular monthly speakers. Typically, we get together every other week in a new location and shoot our hearts out.

Nelly hosted a fashion shoot with models, demonstrating how she sets up a shoot and how to use indoor lighting. Many of our members are natural light photographers, so it was very educational for those of us without indoor lighting experience. Nelly talked in depth about using Soft Boxes, Umbrellas, a Beauty Dish, Reflectors, and Blockers. She provided a remote flash for everyone to take turns using on numerous shots with the different lighting techniques.

With only 7 of us in attendance, we had a great time playing and experiencing something different. Although this was also new for Nelly to give a presentation, she offered a great amount of knowledge regarding strobe lighting and flash. A huge thank you goes out to Nelly for walking us through a typical indoor photo shoot!

To learn more about Nelly, check her out at: nellyhernandezphotography.com.

Categories: SMUGs Tags: Landscape Photography, Minot, Photo groups, Photographer's Networking, Photography, Photography User Groups, Portrait Photography, SMUG, SmugMug, SmugMug User Groups, smugs, Wedding Photography

The Minot SMUG Welcomes Gavin Seim!

September 22, 2011 Leave a comment

Our first Minot SMUG meeting had about 35 members in attendance, and the topic was Raising the bar, with Gavin Seim as our guest speaker. Gavin Seim is a successful photographer out of Washing State and hosts the Pro Photo Show, which he created. Surprisingly, he has been in the Photography business for 10 years, but he’s only 26 years old.

Listed below are some great tips he gave the group:

1. How we advertise ourselves as ‘professional’ photographers, even though we may have just picked up a camera and built a website

2. The days of apprentices seem to have disappeared as photographers sell themselves, probably disingenuously as seasoned professionals.

3. People need to take the time to develop their craft and really learn the fundamentals of photography.

4. The industry is hurting because of this trend and it’s time to educate people on what really makes a Professionals photographer and how they differ from the person who just picked up an expensive camera and starts charging money for snapshots.

Gavin is a dynamic and quirky speaker. I personally enjoyed what he had to say, as did many others, but it was very evident that the message he was preaching was very polarising in some ways. I think it’s an important topic right now in this industry. We can’t survive as a profession when everyone calls themselves a photographer. Just go to any wedding, and you will see 6 people chasing the working photographer around with their DSLR trying to out-shoot the pro.

This is where I really think SMUGs can do their part to educate the new breed of photographers about learning the craft of photography. We need to “Raise The Bar,” so to speak, in the quality of work bring this industry out of the darkness that it seems to be heading towards.

I highly recommend people check out Gavin Seim’s websites. He is a master at HDR photography, Lightroom and Photoshop. Gavin also produces the successful podcast Pro Photo Show and offers a number of workshops including Raise the Bar.

Websites: Raise the Bar http://prophotoshow.net/seim_effects/rtb/

Pro Photo Show: http://www.prophotoshow.net/

About the Vancouver Island Scribe: Adam Collishaw

I’m a professional photographer based out of the port city of Nanaimo BC Canada. I primarily enjoy shooting composite portraits and weddings. I shoot primarily with a 5dmkII and 7d. A fun fact about me is I really enjoy playing ice hockey and smashing hard rubber pucks at goalies! Having SMUGs in Nanaimo and Vancouver Island really give us the opportunity to build of community of photographers/friends and help grow the industry right in our area.