My new book, Your Camera Loves You: Learn to Love it Back! ships next month! (Eeeeeeeek!)
The idea for it started years ago while teaching an introductory class about photography and digital cameras, and has blossomed into a full-blown book published by the incredible team over at Peachpit Press (seriously—they are sensational!).
You can get your hands on a copy by pre-ordering from Amazon,Barnes&Noble, or Peachpit. The best part? You don't have to wait long before it ships—it's coming out in less than 4 weeks! (You can find and like it on Facebook too!)
Also—the next two editions of the camera class (the one that inspired the book) are coming up!
Friday, Aug. 12 from 1-5pmWednesday, Oct. 5 from 5-9pm (This one is a special edition evening class—don't miss it!)
My Guide to a Wickedly Fast Workflow has been flying off the shelves our server since I launched it last January. If you've been waiting to get your hands on a copy, now is a great time! For a limited time, it's available for only $39 (regularly $89) courtesy of the folks over at PhotoDough.
I've gotten a lot of questions about the software I use and recommend. My favorite combination includes Lightroom, Photoshop, and InDesign. But the guide is about so much more than software—it's about the philosophy of building a wedding package with your clients' best interest at heart, ultimately making their lives (and yours) easier. It's about setting up a system so that no one (you or your clients) has the chance to drop the ball and delay the process. And it's about the potent combination of efficiency and effectiveness.
I hope it truly changes your life! Here's what other folks have had to say:
“I thought my workflow was ok—but after reading the guide’s tips on how to cut images down, how to design and set up a winning wedding package, my workflow has been blown completely out of the water! No wonder I hated the whole process before!” —Carly Rodgers
“Being new to the business, I was overwhelmed at what seemed like never ending post production. I’ve read about photographers finishing in 8 hours… but no one was telling me *how* to do it… Until now! Khara’s guide laid out everything… from leaving the wedding, to ordering the album. She even talks about the steps she takes before the wedding to make sure everything afterwards is seamless. My New Year’s resolution is to have proofs and album design back to the client in one week!” – Lauren Mingus
“I just put the finishing touches on the edit from this past Saturday’s wedding thanks to Rock My Workflow this season!” —Sandra Regier
As some of you may know, I've been taking some time off to focus on a very exciting project: My first book!
Written especially for beginners, it's called, "Your Camera Loves You: Learn to Love it Back." The message is: cameras don't take great photos—people do. If you want better pictures, don't buy a new camera—learn to use the one you've got!
This ain't your average camera book! Believe it or not, I've found a way to combine Law & Order, sumo wrestling, cookie dough, and a chapter called, "Death by Cropping," into a fun and snappy book to help you get the most from your camera—whichever one you already have. But you'll have to get the book to see what I mean… ;)
It recently went live on Amazon and is available at a special price for pre-ordering, so treat yourself, your family, your friends, and learn just how how awesome your camera truly is!
Lots of folks have been asking me all kinds of questions about the book I'm writing, and while I'm over the moon with excitement, I haven't gone into a lot of public detail yet. BUT--I thought I'd share part of the overall concept with you. :) (The name of the book is NOT the same as the name of this post—in case you wondered!)
[Editor's update: The book is out and it's called "Your Camera Loves You: Learn to Love it Back!"]
The book is based on one of my favorite classes that I teach on a regular basis (at least 4-8 times per year). It's a super basic, start at the beginning, sort it all out digital camera class embracing the premise that any and all cameras are capable of being pretty rad... if you know how to work them.
The problem is that most people don't.
They buy a camera, set it to "auto" and keep it there until they become frustrated. Eventually they hunt around for a newer model with hopes that the fancier camera will magically make their photos look better. Of course, it doesn't... and they don't... and the poor sap ends up back at square one, with only a bruised bank balance to show for it.
In an effort to break the cycle, I teach folks how to get the most they can from the camera they already have. You don't have to have a fancy-pants pro-level dSLR (or any dSLR) to get great shots--You just have to know how to work it. (As I tell people in class, "Don't be afraid to get bossy!")
To prove it, I thought I'd share with you a couple of sample photos I shot for the book while Emir and I were camping in Morocco's Sahara Desert. These were both captured (only moments apart) in the black of night with my Canon S95 (a super compact point & shoot camera retailing for less than $400).
This first image was captured with the camera (and flash) set to "auto." Needless to say... it looks awful. Where were we? The Black Hole?
This is literally the same scene, captured with the same camera only a few seconds later in a different shooting mode (in this case, manual mode). It is not a product of Photoshop, but rather... something much better. I like to call it... knowledge. I simply canceled the flash and increased the exposure time (by slowing the shutter waaaaay down). And... BAM!
Now, you can not only see the camels and the twinkling stars, but you can feel the warm glow from the campfire that was roaring behind me the whole time!
The book is slated to hit the stores sometime this summer (I will definitely keep you posted!). In the mean time, the next class is on the calendar for Friday August 12, 1-5pm. Contact SCC at 402.437.2700 to get signed up!
How cool is THIS? A 4 day "Camera Cruise" with yours truly and the likes of David Beckstead, the Bui Brothers, Frederick Van Johnson, Sara France, Kevin Swan, Shaun Austin, Frederick Van Johnson and more! It's a floating workshop where you get personal attention from some of your favorite professional photographers who have been there/done that and and are eager & willing to help you rock your world!
Thursday, November 11, 2010 4:00 PM – Monday, November 15, 2010 10:00 AM
$1,250 includes four days full of workshops, shooting and face time (AND lodging/meals).
Leaving from/Returning to: Mobile, Alabama
Stopping in: Isla Cozumel, Mexico
I'll be sharing my wicked fast workflow and album production process using none other than Adobe InDesign. Join the revolution!
Quick, quick, slow... Quick, quick, slow... around the dance floor Nick and I will go!
My voicemail indicator was staring at me, as it usually does... letting me know I had a new message. It was late (the middle of the night), and I was curious. I dialed in and a few moments later, heard a woman's voice (the fabulous Deb Schulte) kindly telling me that I was invited to participate in this year's "Dancing With the Stars of Lincoln." I squealed with excitement and immediately began fantasizing about music/wardrobe. :) Needless to say, it was hard to go to bed after that! :)
A fundraiser for the Lincoln Midwest Ballet Company, it will be a night of great music, wonderful food, and pure entertainment... all with a good cause. The catch? I have about 3 weeks to finish learning and polishing our routine to hopefully avoid total humiliation on Aug. 20th. Yikes!!!
Other folks you may know that are participating incude Nancy Becker (LPS), Nancy Biggs (LPS), Gene Brake (Home Realty), Dave Hansen (Swanson Russell), Dr. Paula Harre (Harre Orthodontics), Brittany Jeffers (Channel 8), Amanda McGill (Nebraska Legislature), Corey McKeon (former Husker player), Gina Sherwood (B107), Dr. Jeff Tomjack (Women's Health Center), Terry Wagner (Sheriff), and my dear friend and crafty extraordinaire, Sarah McCurley (Emmy & Ivy).
The best part? You're invited!
Friday Aug 20, 2010 @ Embassy Suites
Doors open at 6:30 (be there to snag the best seats!)
Dinner & cash bar start at 7:00 pm, Dancing competition starts at 8:00
Tickets (including dinner): $75.00 per person ($850.00 for a corporate table of 10)
To get your tickets, contact Dr. Michael & Rita Dowd @ 402.421.2173 or Dale Miller @ 402.421.4639
Here are some heinously low-quality images (captured from low-res video stills) of myself and our choreographer Sean Siedhoff (Basically Ballroom). My awesome dance partner, Nick Hernandez was operating the camera (thanks Nick!). :) Next time, I look forward to capturing some imagery/footage with him in it! :)
Now... what to wear!?
ps: If you think you'll be in the audience, let me know! A gal performing a dance she learned at lightning speed can never have too many cheerleaders! :)
Sometimes it's great to feel part of something bigger than ourselves... When was the last time you felt like that? Here's another opportunity, that's easier (and more fun!) than you thought....
On Saturday, March 27th at 8:30pm local time, people around the world will be turning of their lights for one hour to send a strong message about their concern for climate change and this lovely jewel of a planet that we all call home. Be part of the fun & join in! (The kids will LOVE it!) :)
(If you're looking for the Uncle Bob Ignite video, it's at the end of this post! :) - Enjoy!)
What fun we had again in Vegas this year! We arrived on Sunday, dropped off our bags and immediately checked out the scene at the conference.
Emir came along and was an INCREDIBLE source of support and encouragement. I absolutely enjoyed having him there with me... and don't know what I'd do without him! I love you sweet thing! Here, he solves some last minute IT challenges.... :)
Sunday night, we got cleaned up... (I know, worst camera phone EVER!) and I was surprised to discover that I actually fit into this dress.... Hallelujah! I suppose that all the running has really started to pay off! ha! I'm proud to say that I continued my training by cranking out another 13 miles along the Vegas strip in the wee hours of the morning during the conference. (It was kinda crazy to see people in the casinos at night when we were going to bed, and again in the morning.... still in the same seats at 5:30am the next day when I headed out to run.... I guess they were really having a great time!)
Sunday night meant dinner w/ friends (gasp! no photos!) and surprise tickets from me to Emir for Cirque's LOVE. (Which, is aptly named... as we LOVED it!)
I've been looking forward to teaching my first WPPI Master Class since last year's WPPI.... and was so excited it was finally here! I was bursting at the seams with passion to help fellow photogs be the best they can be. We talked about using Adobe InDesign as part of a regular work flow as well as some basic design principles to really hit the ground running.
Last year, while boldly following my heart down a path that eventually lead to this year's Master Class, I found myself under the supportive wing of this fun fella... Joe. :) He introduced me to the rest of the Rangefinder family and welcomed Emir and I back to Vegas with his hearty grin and a big bear hug. You're the best Joe!
I am eternally grateful to Adobe,AsukaBook (Lindsay... you rock my world!) and Banti Album Proofing for helping to bring this class into existence. Their support made this learning opportunity a reality, and I'm not the only one who was grateful. One quote I received after the fact was from Jake who said: "2 years of WPPI and @kplicanic was hands down my best class yet!" Those simple words made the countless hours of prep, writing, planning (and stressing!) completely worth it. I am THRILLED that everyone seemed to really enjoy it and left better equipped to rock their businesses. Yay!
It was ultra exciting to have Adobe dream team members Julieanne Kost and Allison Goffman sitting in on my session. Truly an honor ladies! Thanks so much for your support!
The icing on the cake was afterwards when we met up with other Adobe conference speakers including Kevin Ames, Jim DiVitale, and Art Suwansang for drinks later that night.
We had a lot of fun... but no fluff here! This class was bursting at the seams with hard-core substance! (Hence, the serious looks of concentration... ;)
Of course, I was up to my usual antics.... (I have no idea what I was illustrating with my wide open arms.... document bleeds perhaps?)
Following my Master Class, I got to visit the great people over at the AsukaBook booth where I did a couple of quick demos explaining how to export from InDesign specifically for AsukaBook. If you've never checked them out.... some seriously great folks over there! Luv you guys!
Me, gettin' my 'Britney' on. (Love the headset mic!)
Ok. So, yes..... that horrible looking man pictured below.... is me (Thanks to Jen Mckendrick for snapping and sending such fun shots!). (Scroll down for the full 5 minute VIDEO)
It was to be the official closing session for the conference and it was suggested that I submit some proposals. So.... submit I did. Perhaps as many as 5? After finishing what I thought was my last proposal idea.... I was brushing my teeth one day when the idea for Uncle Bob came to mind. I ran to the computer, submitted it and quickly went back to brushing my teeth where it dawned on me.... I might actually have to go through with it (costume and all) if it was chosen. Ha!
So.... I began writing...... then editing. Then writing some more. Then, I threw the whole thing out and started over. TWICE.
Write/re-write. Then.... record to test timing. Followed by (are you surprised?) more editing and re-writing.
Eventually, I went thrift-store shopping... not for fun things like shoes or purses.... but for.... "Bob's" clothes.
I roped Emir and my soon to be sister-in-law in on the action and created the imagery for the 20 slides that would auto-advance every 15 seconds for what was to be nothing more (or less!) than a 5 minute presentation. These are a few of my fave slides....
I enjoyed the entire creative process almost as much as the live performance. :) The days leading up to the event were spent twittering on behalf of Uncle Bob (much to the confusion and bewilderment of those he reached out to!). It was a riot to watch people's faces wash over with a smile as I walked through the audience before the show welcoming everyone, shaking hands and telling them how great it was to see them again (since the last wedding they photographed where they surely ran into me.... er..... I mean, Bob!).
One email I found waiting for me upon my return home said: "Hey Khara! Just wanted to say, AWESOME 5 minutes at Photographers Ignite. I really ALMOST did wet my pants!! LOL. Great Job!!" People almost peeing their pants? SCORE! (wow... I continue to be amazed and how truly unattractive I am in this outfit! ha!)
If you want to see the whole 5 minutes for yourself.... check out the video below. :) What you can't see well in the video is the final slide, which brings home the point of the whole presentation. It says: "Don't be Uncle Bob! You just spent a week learning great things from great people. Go forth and put your new found wisdom into action! (Don't be Bob!)
'Tis that time of year again! I'm headed out west where I'll be presenting at this year's WPPI Conference. I am *so* stoked!
If you're a photographer who will be there and want to connect, I'd love to meet you! Here's a bit of what my schedule looks like:
Monday, March 8th: Speaking at the AsukaBook Booth (#1619)@ 3pm
Tuesday, March 9th: Teaching a Master Class @ 11am (sold out!), but you can catch me later in the day at the AsukaBook booth again at 3pm
Thursday, March 11th: You WLL NOT want to miss Photographer's Ignite! 20 mini-presentations in 2 hours. It's going to be a blast! I have some special things up my sleeve for my presentation... if you're planning to attend, let me know (email or twitter message me @kplicanic), I'd love to have you there!
Seriously, come say hello.... It would be so much fun to meet you!
In between all of those fun things, I'll be connecting with photographer friends, colleagues and some of my favorite vendor pals. This industry is all about relationships... and WPPI is a chance to put names to faces, shake hands, say hello and spend some quality time with the rest of the incredible team who (in addition to my fabulous clients!) makes my job so much fun. I can't wait!
Khara Plicanic. Instructor, Photographer, Designer, Advocate. Here you'll find tools, inspiration, and empowerment to help you on your own creative journey.
My new book, Your Camera Loves You: Learn to Love it Back! ships next month! (Eeeeeeeek!)
The idea for it started years ago while teaching an introductory class about photography and digital cameras, and has blossomed into a full-blown book published by the incredible team over at Peachpit Press (seriously—they are sensational!).
Now, you can not only see the camels and the twinkling stars, but you can feel the warm glow from the campfire that was roaring behind me the whole time!
How cool is THIS? A 4 day "Camera Cruise" with yours truly and the likes of 
ps: If you think you'll be in the audience, let me know! A gal performing a dance she learned at lightning speed can never have too many cheerleaders! :)
