Adobe's Photoshop is or should be on your computer if you are a photographer. Sure, you could use other image editing programs that may just do it for you, but after I bought Photoshop CS3, there simply was no turning back.

But Photoshop by itself isn't going to get you too far if you don't use the program's ability to automate through programmable actions what you need to do to enhance all your images. You could, if time is your friend, sit and figure out all the actions you will need or outsource that work and buy the actions from people who simply do a great job.

Doug and Chenin Boutwell are a husband-wife wedding, portrait (and now even commercial) photography team who has produced a pack of actions they call Totally Rad (the name is perhaps a nod to where they live in Orange County). I bought their actions early on and simply couldn't do without them. What's particularly important to me is that their actions creates a separate layer above the image you are working on. Accessing this layer allows one much greater access to tweak it to one's own liking. That is, while some actions flatten your file and you have to just accept what is given to you, Doug and Chenin's Totally Rad Actions give you the freedom to make your images look like your own creation, not someone else's interpretation.

Doug has recently launched a series of online video tutorials on how to best exploit his actions. Here are the first three:

Action Basics – Mix & Match Actions – Layers and Layer Masks

Would it help to buy the action pack as you follow along? Sure. Do I get anything for mentioning the actions here? Nope.

Here is Doug's blog where you can learn more.

This post is part link love and part real love for what Justine Ungaro has brought me in terms of her knowledge about the portrait photography business over the course of the last few months. I belong to an online forum for professional wedding photographers and Justine has made a name for herself as one the most successful portrait photographers on the planet. That's really no exaggeration. She freely shares information and is clearly a wonderful teacher. I remember reading about some of her marketing materials and requesting that she send me just one sample for me to check out. Three days later I received a packet from her containing all of her samples. Woah! How cool is that?

And so, she is taking her skills on the road. Justine and her mom Diana, also a terrific photographer, are conducting a workshop in DC called “The Modern Portrait.” The associated blog is located here.

“We are not going to try to teach you how to be a photographer or how to be a better photographer. You can learn that anywhere. We are going to give you the tools and the knowledge to sell more of what you are already creating, how to price yourself for a higher sale , how to present your images for maximum impact and how to keep your clients coming back for more.”

Music to my ears. I would love to go. I want to win the scholarship Justine is offering. It's as simple as that. So, please do me a favor and click on this link (all 389 of you!) to send her some link love. Valentine's Day is around the corner isn't it?