Transform: it's a single word, with deep implications.

Read on if you want to make a difference, and subsequently have that change you for the better and potentially, richer.

“Do you transform people's lives through your photography business?” When I first heard Steve Saporito pose the question, I didn't know what he was talking about. I admit, it felt a little woo-woo. After a week-long workshop with him, the light bulbs started going on.

I realized that most photographers wait to discover their clients at the photo session or at the wedding. In fact, I confess doing just that.

I would excitedly send out a questionnaire the second someone came knocking on my website for a family portrait session or wedding. As soon as I had hit “send”, I figured my job was done and all I needed to do was to just wait for their responses.

All I got back in return were … crickets. Frankly, the replies came but often only minutes before a session or not fully completed. It left me feeling helpless and slightly frustrated because I did not know my clients at all. We were completely out of sync from the get-go. Can you imagine the quality of their photographs? They were emotionally flat, almost absent. And that was my doing, not theirs.

I foolishly figured my branding, website and messaging had to change. Or, was it my portfolio? Or, did I have to up my social media game?

No, in all honestly, none of that mattered more than the experience I was providing my clients. And it was poor. Something had to give and that's when I approached Steve Saporito at his New Haven, Connecticut workshop. My photography business was in a critical condition. I had to make changes and fast.

Thanks to Steve, I experienced a mind-shift. What would happen, I wondered, if I took the time to get to know my clients in a meaningful way that helped them be seen, heard and loved by the people in their lives right now? Ahead of their session, our clients would have an opportunity to reconnect with their family in a way that makes the entire process of being photographed together a joyous event. That's where and when the transformation takes place. And the transformation isn't limited to just your clients. Indeed, you as their photographer experience it as well.

Ultimately, clients reward you for giving them this beautiful experience before their session and for the artwork that become a permanent anchor to their heightened emotions. The

Really, there is a lot more to this than a blog post can cover. If you get a chance to listen to Steve speak (podcasts or at conferences), don't miss out. A couple of weeks after attending his workshops again (yes, again) in New Jersey, I invited Steve to a Skype call that I figured wouldn't last more than 10 or 15 minutes. But here we are chatting about all of this for about 45 minutes. It's a good long listen, but I assure totally worth your time:

As a business coach out of Melbourne, Australia, Steve Saporito teaches photographers through his Empower & Effortless Premières workshops and education platform called Intuition To Succeed.

I want to thank my friends Jasen Arias and Mike Allebach for persuading me to attend Steve's workshop in New Jersey. Like a lot of you, I hummed and hawed about going. I conjured up all kinds of excuses. In the end though, my goal to know how to be fully present for my portrait clients, trumped all attempts to bow out.

Without hyperbole, let me tell you that Steve's workshops ARE the best business workshops I've ever attended. And, I will go back for more in the future.

If you are spinning your wheels and have no clue how to resuscitate your photography business, ping me and I'll let you know more about my experience at the Empower & Effortless Premières workshops. The next one in North America is going to be in Toronto, Canada, from October 5th through October 11th.

To quote Jasen and Mike, “Just put it on the credit card and go dude. You'll pay it off in no time.” So true!

Pete Wright, a photographer, teacher, speaker and author, is obsessed with everything George Hurrell.

Glamor Portrait Photography

If you think of glamor and Hollywood these days, you might think of Annie Leibovitz and you wouldn't be wrong. But for Pete Wright, almost all of us portrait photographers need to tip our hat to Mr. Hurrell who was a pioneer in cinematic portraits.

Yet, Pete Wright has his own spin on the genre of cinematic portraits. He essentially wrote the book on the topic.

From Goodreads:

Pete Wright teaches you how to re-create mysterious, dark, and glamorous cinematic portraits reminiscent of those taken of 1920s’ and 1930s’ stars and starlets. The book contains 60 discrete sections which contain 60 of Wright’s most impressive, nostalgic black & white portraits, along with some alternate poses and lighting diagrams. In each section, the author details the steps taken to create the final portrait.

The Interview About Cinematic Portraits

When I found out that he was going to be presenting a workshop for CTPPA members on June 22nd, we hastily made arrangements to speak about cinematic portraits, his connection to Canon and how he is now on the road for most of the year bringing photographers full circle – teaching them about capture, processing and printing their artwork.

It's quite a mission and I applaud him and Canon for it. If you are in or near Connecticut on June 22nd and June 23rd, register for the workshop and do NOT miss this opportunity to learn from a master craftsman.

Pete Wright's Portfolio

Please visit Pete Wright's website for even more examples of his cinematic portraits. Here is a small sample for your viewing pleasure!

Register For the CTPPA Workshop

On June 22nd and June 23rd, you can learn the skills to create your own version of cinematic portraits. But you must register today!

In addition to Canon's sponsorship of Pete's presentation over the two days, we have to thank Elinchrom for making their studio strobe equipment available to participants.

If you have any questions for Pete Wright about cinematic portraits, please comment below.

Full confession, my friends … I am obsessed with Marie Masse's website, Fearless & Framed. If you ever considered documenting reality for yourself or for your photography clients, you need to check out Marie's blog posts.

Challenges Of Documenting Reality

Highly produced portrait sessions are in vogue right now, so the challenge becomes convincing clients to sign up for a documentary session. Marie says, “The point is that somewhere, we have started to neglect taking photos that document our lives, our personality, and our connections.”

We are going to quickly evolve into a society that produces “cute” pictures that simply don't have any soul. Marie isn't advocating for the complete omission of selfies or the occasional “camera aware” portrait. She (and I wholly agree with her) is calling for more balance.

Marie double dog dares photographers to commit to creating a list of possible documentary opportunities. And if clients are still reluctant to work with you, Marie has a free PDF that outlines four easy ways to increase client demand. Here is an alternate link to the same free resource.

Fearless & Framed

Marie Masse describes her website in these words:

Fearless and Framed was built out of a vision far different than your average, trendy photography sessions. We wanted to create a place where developing and professional photographers can be freed of any rules that may be in their head about how a photo session should be.

Fearless and Framed is about leaving the props and backdrops at home. We document life and yield photos that merit tears in a mom’s eyes, warmth in a bride’s heart, and become a tangible piece of someone’s history forever to be shared.

Click the link below to receive Marie Masse's 29 page ebook, 7 Day Storyteller’s Challenge, totally free of charge.

What's in it, you are wondering? Well here you go:

1. Get off Order-Taker Mode
2. Shooting Details: Object + Human Details
3. My shooting techniques (getting clients to relax too)
4. Energizing the story through editing
5. Evaluating Your Story
6. The #1 Thing You Need in Growing into a Business
7. Getting Your Marketing Moxie

Click Here to grab the 7 Day Storyteller's Challenge ebook

Portfolio Of Documentary Photography

Shop At Fearless & Framed

The other thing that I absolutely loved about Marie's website were exactly the right resources I was looking for. I pretty much bought everything in the store! See a screenshot of my cart before I checked out.

Use this special code which is valid until July 31, 2016 – tiffinbox15 to get 15% off her store.

Here are the resources I personally bought:

Client Guide Template For Documentary Photographers
Session Sparks – Photo Session Ideas Ebook
Goodbye, Posing Guide
Family History Photo Sessions
Client Attractor Toolkit

Which ones will you need for your documentary portrait photography business?

The headline isn't a mistake and it's not hyperbole either. Eileen and Phillip Blume, wedding and portrait photographers based in Athens, Georgia will teach you to make $1500 per hour shooting mini-sessions. Indeed, that's what they do whenever they announce their portrait sessions.

At Shutterfest 2015, a conference produced by Sal Cincotta in St. Louis, they presented a two-part seminar called “Maximizing mini sessions: Make $1500 per hour.” The room was packed with photographers, all eager to learn their secrets. Even though I couldn't find a seat, I stood for nearly two hours and took copious notes. It was one of the top presentation at Shuttefest and I do hope they are asked to present again.

UPDATE: Now through July 11th, The Blume's are making their Shutterfest presentation available for download … for FREE!

Who doesn't want to make $1500 per hour? Right? Well, Eileen and Phillip didn't hold anything back. They walked us through all their steps, one-by-one that guarantees them this high rate of return for their time. Soon after their presentation, I made a bee-line to them and asked if I could interview them about their successes. They both readily agreed to connect with me after the conference and true to their word, we set up a time to conduct a short interview.

In this short chat, we talk about how they structure their mini-sessions and dive deep into how and why they decided to offer mini-sessions in their community. Give this a listen!

One of the things they offered for sale at Shutterfest was a CD called “Maximizing Mini Sessions: The Complete Kit.” Included in the kit is a beautifully designed 30-page PDF that outlines the exact steps they take every time they launch a mini-session in their neighborhood. You'll also find a mini-session contract and a document to help you streamline ordering appointments. The Blumes also have thoughtfully provided a folder of customizable design templates that you can use to announce or advertise your own mini-session. I got the Shutterfest show special of $80, for this wonderful resource. At even its full price, I would say this is a bargain because it will save you time and get you on your way to setting up your first mini-session.

While this post is really about the Blumes and the mini-sessions they offer, check out their fabulous wedding photography:

Do you want to learn about how The Blumes inspire their portrait clients to go from stiff poses to fun, interactive ones? Get their free e-book, “From Posed to Playful” now! Just sign up for their newsletter and they'll hook you up!

Do you offer mini-sessions? Are you profitable? Do you make $1500 per hour as well? Would you like to? Am I kidding … of course you do! Click the graphic below if you are interested in buying Maximizing Mini-Sessions: The Complete Kit.

RJ Kern is ranked as one of the top 50 wedding photographers in the US. But that's just one genre of photography that he rocks. He is a passionate artist who pursues personal projects at every opportunity.

“I've gone from a coffee shop show to two solo gallery shows and a group exhibition in less than a year … all after deciding to invest in my art long-term and not pour my money into an MFA (I applied, got rejected last year) and put it into my personal work.”

In this interview for Tiffinbox, we sat down to talk about what inspires him to do personal work. Lean in and listen closely to how RJ phrases his off-season work. I think you will find it interesting. It's not so much that it is something he can do or will do sometime in the future, but he HAS to do it right now!

Check out his personal work here. Learn more about his animal portraits here. His series of couples in love at Burning Man is something else. Lastly, learn from RJ about how to develop a photographic style.

Do you pursue personal projects? Would you think of photographing sheep and goats as a personal project? If you think the concept and the quality of the work is amazing as I do, click the comments box below and leave RJ a note. I am sure he would appreciate it.