Bummed you missed amazing classes with Zack, Jasmine Star, David duChemin, Jeremy Cowart, Bambi Cantrell and Tamara Lackey? No worries, you can buy the DVDs for around a hundred bucks…and they’re beyond worth it.

During the classes there’s tons of fun stuff like quote contests on Twitter and a flickr pool for shots of where viewers are currently watching the class.

Zack’s class this weekend is called Foundations of a Working Photographer and so far it’s been amazing. As I write this, Zack is about to start some outdoor portraits!

Yesterday was an overview of photography and lighting basics, but before you roll your eyes…this wasn’t the usual aperture-does-this type of explanation! Everything Zack talked about I technically *knew* but now I really feel like I GET. Zack was the first photographer to explain the inverse square law in a way I understood in his One Light DVD and his explanation on lens compression and distortion yesterday was equally clarifying.

Technically, I knew what a wide angle will do to a face and I knew that telephoto lenses compressed a background…but it wasn’t until I saw the staggering side-by-side photo examples that I really got how powerful something as simple as lens choice can be.

I also FINALLY feel like I can calculate reciprocal exposures on-demand whereas before it was still EEEP MATH. I suck at math.

I’d rave more, but Zack is getting going and I don’t want to miss anything! Catching this today or tomorrow? Tune in! http://creativelive.com/live

Well she did and she kind blew my mind experimenting with backgrounds by putting stuff between the light and tissue…genius!! Look!

Have you made a DIY Lightbox with my tute? Let me know and I’ll link your post! Which reminds me…I should post some more DIY photography stuff! Wedding season is winding down and there’ll be a lot more time for blogging, knitting, blogging about knitting (look, I closed my knitting blog so you non-knitting readers…all 3 of you…will just have to deal!) and best of all…photography for the hell of it.

• Need something to shoot this weekend? Here’s 5 ideas to try!
• 10 tips each for family and fashion photography!
• Here’s an article on creating seamless white (high key) photos anywhere without spending a fortune!
• DIY or die: multiflash bracket tutorial (because two flashes are better than one!)
• http://www.wix.com/ lets you make free(?) flash portfolio sites…anyone checked them out?
• Jazz up your studio with these 7 super easy DIY projects!
• 33 Twitter accounts to follow to improve your photography!
• Cool wedding planning site, Utterly Engaged, for those wedding photogs out there (…you DO pay attention to industry trends, right?)
• The gulf photo plus 2010 shoot-out featuring David Hobby, Zach Arias and Joey L who were given 25 minutes to shoot a surprise model(s) in front of a packed auditorium and Joe mothaeffin McNally. Watch here!
• No flash? Sick of flash (gasp)? Ritz camera provides some excellent tips for using natural light.

First of all, end the first week of 2009 looking back on 2009 and setting some goals for 2010:

• This post from Digital Photography School has 30 GREAT goals to set for 2010, most of which were on the list I made the other night.
• Photojojo encourages you to do the same, maybe with a picture a day project!
• They also have a list of the best photo round ups on the web!
• If selling prints is one of your goals this year, look into Print Society…I am!
• Strobist has kicked off 2010 with a new feature: Archives!
• Here’s some photo round ups for 2009 from The Big Picture (3 parts), The Australian, The Wall Street Journal, and TIME.
• DPS has listed it’s most popular posts of 2009.

And here’s the rest of the links piling up in my “to post on blog” folder!

• I’ve got wedding work on the brain this week prepping for the 2010 season. Here’s an amazingly cool site for inspiration, Rock’n'Roll Bride. Here’s where my nerd love for photography and design collide at Design Sponge: Our Wedding.
• Here’s a great article on lighting.
• This is a great Strobist post on pre-planning (aka “worrying”) shoots. A must read!
• Nikon has posted two videos starring Joe McNally demonstrating color control with Nikon flashes. You don’t have to be a Nikon shooter to get something from these videos as the information applies to any hot shoe flash! Part One, Part Two. And if you’re feeling snubbed, go here and see some videos with Canon flashes!
• It’s bloody cold here in New England, if it’s bloody cold where you are this article on shooting in cold weather conditions should be helpful!
• Here’s 4 DIY projects for boxes from DIY Photography.
• New to photography? Here’s 101 tips for new photogs from Stephen Sidlo.
• Lucky enough to live somewhere that ISN’T a frozen tundra? Shoot some cool bugs in your own backyard studio.
• If you’re doing some indoor shooting these days to avoid the cold, here’s a handy article on lightening backgrounds in LR

• Great tips from a hot-shot child photographer here.
• DPS has 7 Excellent Open Courseware Collections for Digital Photographers.
• What The Duck is hilarious, as usual.
• How to make moving pictures (like in Harry Potter) over at Photojojo.
• Patrick Pike made his way into my “inspiration” folder. (Everyone has folders and subfolders organizing their links, right?)
• Keep your eyes to the skies before storm season is over! Photograph lighnting!
• Here is 20 absolutely amazing examples of photo-manipulation.
• Photography 101: crash course on light meters.
• Cool Lightroom plug ins for flickr and facebook!
• Here’s some great info on properly cleaning your lenses. Those puppies aren’t cheap ,treat ‘em right!
• Two photographers show that the best camera is the one in your hands.
• DPS challenges you to introduce children to photography.
• Cool behind-the-photo lighting post, for the strobist dorks out there. (ahem)
• Photojojo’s 1st post in a serious on starting your own photography business. Great advice and questions to ask yourself here.
• Pixsylated has more things not learned in photography school.
• Do you know WHIMS? If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check this out.
• Dana Lane shows the hideout how he lit this badass model.
• I’m a sucker for book lists, here is 26 books every photographer should own, according to popphoto.com and 15 books no photographer should be without according to camera dojo AND 10 books the readers of diy photography think you should have.
• Portrait photography tips from Scott Bourne.
• One of my favorite photographers I found on The Hideout is involved in this beautiful book, check it out!
• Canon Professional Network talks custom functions for wedding photography.
• Amazing photos from a shoot with ASkars. (Have I mentioned my love for True Blood on here?)
• Here is 40 tutorials for using textures and backgrounds in photoshop.
• Think all HD is gross and overdone? Not so! Here are some incredible HDR images. Want to try it yourself? Check this out.
• The Pioneer Woman shows how to make your own storyboards to display your work.
• If panning has left you aggravated and unhappy, try some of these ideas to get all the best parts of panning with less stress!
• Amazing photos of the longest solar eclipse on Boston.com.
• Chase Jarvis gives you 9 ideas to try when you’re feeling your inspiration go stale.
• Do you know the Sunny 16 Rule? You should! It saved my ass last week shooting with a vintage camera which has a broken light meter.
• This is just awesome.
• Make a paper clip into a point and shoot tripod.
• Have you seen fotopedia yet?
• I’m not sold, but  here’s a tute on sharpening in Lightroom.
• AWESOME site that tells you whether you can use vintage and older flashes on your DSLR.
• FREE LIGHTING DIAGRAM MAKER. So awesome!

Now for the links!

• The Pioneer Woman shows you how to slim someone down digitally…I dislike this idea being a big advocate of loving your body, but if it’ll make your clients happy…go for it!
• Speaking of loving your body, Operation Beautiful is taking off from this blog and inspired me so much I’ve started a flickr group to corral all the photos popping up on Flickr.
• Tips for photographic products for effective sales here. Great for you etsy shopkeepers out there!
• For The Hideout members especially (who are doing reflection photos this month!) here’s a list of effective photographs featuring reflections!
• Vandelay Design has 60 Photoshop tutes on touching up photos.
• Math end of Hyperfocal Distance mystify you? Me too. DPS explains.
• This Pioneer Woman post should be plastered on my bathroom mirror. It’s all about noticing arms, legs, feet and hands in composition.
• In case you’re either a wipper-snapper or living on the moon, you may have heard that Kodak is discontinuing Kodachrome…the color film loved by film photogs worldwide. Here is Photojojo’s tribute and guide to this legendary film which I am sad to say, I have never used.
• You MAC people will get a kick out of this frame.
• Tired of watching the ceiling while waiting for Lightroom to export? Speed it up!
• Beyond Photo Tips shows why symmetry is a beautiful thing.
• Forced Perspective, the subject of many a “Check out these amazing photos” email forward, is pretty damn cool.
• DPS has 8 family portrait tips here.
• Strobist has assigned food photography for the next boot camp assignment, get some tips there or here.
• Childhood fears recreated in photographs: one of those things you wish you thought of.
• Don’t have Photoshop? It’s insanely expensive so many people don’t! GIMP is a free program with lots of photoshop features. DPS gives you an intro to GIMP to get you started!
• Ever had your flash and lightstand kiss the pavement after a gust of wind? I have. DIY Photography has a brilliant idea…using a frisbee!
• Scott Kelby reveals what’s in his 3rd installment of the ever-awesome Digital Photography Book series.
• It’s getting hot and steamy for lots of the world (well, not here in Seattle Boston) so here’s how to protect your camera in the muggy weather.
• Taking off on David Hobby’s trick to slinging a strobe stand over his should, DIY Photography shows how to sling a whole set up over your shoulder.
• I tell lens shoppers all the time how amazing the 90 dollar 50mm 1.8 lens is and no one seems to believe me. Here’s an article on the wonders of the nifty fifty!
• The Cute Kid contest somehow got my email and has been bombing my inbox ever since, however today they sent me something useful. A “top” child photographer talks about her tricks for getting the shot.
• IN THE OHIO AREA?? In or know a band or models that would like free shots? Michelle Black and some of The Hideout gang are hosting a group shoot on July 26th! It’s free and I can attest to all those photographers being totally awesome people.

Photos from Ben & Molly’s wedding coming, once they see them! I’ve also got a shoot at a Belly Dancing rehearsal coming up and I’m working on scheduling a day to shoot a friend of mine doing Silks. Silks performance is those incredibly badass women roll themselves up in and climb the long panels of silk suspended from the ceiling. Very cool. I’m hoping to get a wide angle lens by then.

I have two more weddings this month, one this weekend and one next weekend and a possible product shoot coming up. I’ve been busy, busy! It’s great!

Anyway, bring on the links!

• DPS has turned 3! Check out their top 10 articles from the first 1,000 DPS posts!
• Are you looking to flatter your subjects every time or just look better when (shriek) someone takes YOUR photo. Tyra Banks has some tips…if anyone would know, I suppose she would!
• Want to try your hand at pinhole photography? Check this store out for affordable kits!
• Mother’s Day has come and gone but you never need a reason for good photography gifts for Mom, Dad or another person in your life!
• This is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever seen ever.
• DPS introduces you to time lapse photography here.
• And shows you how to make the ever-popular triptych in Lightroom here.
• Here is an article on 5 “keys” to taking great maternity portraits.
• Stuck with hard light on the go? Check here for finding a DIY softbox in your surroundings.
• Obsessed with texture? Lacking texture? Check this article out.
• Scott Kelby’s response to that fighter jet scare in NYC made me laugh.
• Photojojo shows their favorite 10 online photo magazines.
• Does white balance hate you? This is a pretty cool, pricey, but cool product.
• Ever wonder how people make custom watermarks? Learn here.
• If you’re thinking of advertising with brochures, why not make your own in photoshop?
• Scott Kelby has a quick tute on making photo posters, which is easy and kind of addictive!
• The Pioneer Woman explains how she nails focus when shooting groups.
• This guy has been making waves lately for his amazing commercial and concept work, and my friend Adam just re-designed his website! Check it out at thatsthespot.com.
• Want sharp eyes without sharpening the whole shot? Check out this tute on selective sharpening.
• Feel like a photoshop master? Check out these amazing photo manipulations and eat humble pie!
• Here’s a list of the 12 most iconic photos ever taken: GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING.
• Leningrad’s tragic past burns through modern photos here.
• Fairy tale princesses take a turn for reality in this amazing series.

Madison, the beautiful daughter of old friends. The first image was all about her eyes and cropped in tight, but I wanted to try something that pulled the whole photo together…

BEFORE

AFTER

This is an image of my friend Erin. I love the photo but I realize not everyone goes for the “ghostly pale” look. That and I’ve learned to sharpen properly since the first process.

BEFORE

AFTER

I like both of those for different reasons.

I also had fun trying my hand at “saving” a junk shot. I saw a few articles online this week (which naturally I forgot to bookmark for my links post) on salvaging crap exposures with over-the-top processing and fun with drastic edits. I put this one together going for “silly photoshopping”.

I quite like it.

And here’s one last one, a re-edit of the photo of my son I processed after learning what the history brush did. It doesn’t take long to “get over” selective coloring so I re-processed this one with a more chocolaty tone.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

And now…THE LINKS!!

• Digital Photography School has a great tute on making a DIY ring flash. Not pretty enough for you? Craig White has a sleeker version.
• And 50 “Must Have” Wedding Shots.
• DIY Photography has compiled a list of 43 Photography hacks, mods and DIY projects.
• Here’s a sweet article on using v-cards (which is a term I attributed to something entirely different before I took up photography.)
• Miss the film darkroom? Me too. Here’s how to develop that film at home on the cheap. Now to find an enlarger…
• Want to try developing with coffee and vitamin C? I shit you not.
• Quite possibly my favorite Strobist post ever. Included: cute mouse.
• Ever have anyone ask you why professional photography is so expensive? Point them here.
• Has anyone ever demanded you remove a photo of them taken in a public place? Check this out.
• Picking up where Adobe dropped the ball, here’s a great tute on advanced watermarking in Lightroom 2.0.
• Want to try macro photography but don’t know how? Me either. DPS to the rescue, here’s macro photography for beginners part one and two.
• Fun? No. Necessary? Yes. Here’s an article on licensing your photography.
• Miss the Photoshop World Convention in Boston last weekend? Yep. So did I. Scott Kelby has some recaps up on his blog. Go there and pout with me, I had no babysitter.

ETA! I forgot to add this! Michelle Black and Jessica Price (two of my favorite photog e-buddies who also happen to be amazingly talented.) are hosting FLARE: A National Photography Contest. All entrants get some freebies so go check it out!