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I’m a Canon shooter… I shoot an R6 and an R5. So, I have been curious about the new Canon R1, and a little less so about the R5 Mark II. Still, I had written off watching the announcement, because it was at something like 3am my time… but, I happened to be up anyway so I watched it, and I ended up with some serious opinions on both the new gear and the presentation itself. There’s no question these cameras are in demand, even though the R5 Mark II retails for $4,300 and the R1 for a whopping $6,300. The R5 Mark II is already backordered to early Sept, and B&H says the Release Date for the R1 is estimated as Nov 26th. Very few people have had the chance to try out the R5 Mark II and R1, and those that have didn't get much time with them. A few photographers were given pre-release bodies to use at the Olympics, and luckily for us one of them is a friend of the show. I knew Jeff was going to be using the R5 Mark II and R1 at the Paris Olympics, it was semi-public knowledge, so before he left I asked if he would come back on the show to give us his thoughts. He agreed to do a recap, and so today we will dive into his experiences under the real world pressure of photographing the Olympics for Team USA. Jeff has been on the show a few times before. First for the episode Capture the Action, and then to talk about his experiences at the Tokyo Olympics for the show on Real World Use of the Canon R3. On the chance that you didn't see either of those shows, let me introduce you to my friend Jeff Cable... Photographing the Olympics has got to be the pinnacle of a sports photographer's career, and for Jeff Cable it's one he's reached many times, having now photographed the last 8 Olympics for Team USA. I am always amazed by how many photographers either come from, or are in some way involved with, the tech industry. For more than 25 years, Jeff was a marketing executive at companies like Symantec, Magellan, and Micron, but while traveling the world for his corporate job, his interest and passion for photography grew quickly. He left the corporate world in 2016 to dedicate himself full-time to his photography. Since then, Jeff has earned respect around the globe for his creative images, and for sharing his love of photography with others. He's best known for capturing photos for the US Olympic Committee, photographing the last eight Olympic games, in Beijing, Vancouver, London, Sochi, Rio de Janeiro, PyeongChang, Tokyo, and Paris. As an educator, Jeff also leads photo tours where he teaches photo enthusiasts and professionals around the world. He has taught in Africa, Australia, China, Europe, Central and South America, and across the United States, and has upcoming tours, through 2024 and 2025, to San Francisco, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, Tanzania (African Safari), Japan, Botswana, and Alaska. Join me in welcoming Sports and Event Photographer Jeff Cable back to the show, as we talk about his real world experience at this year's Paris Olympics with a pre-production Canon EOS R1 and pre-production R5 Mark II, on this episode of Behind the Shot. CORRECTION: Thanks to Mike in the YouTube comments for pointing out that I was incorrect when I referred to the R5 II as having cross-type AF. The R1 does, but the R5 II does not. Sorry about the mistake. How Did the Canon R1, Canon R5 MKII and new lenses REALLY do at the Olympics? Jeff's Real World Review of the Canon R1 & R5 Mark II: blog.jeffcable.com Connect with Jeff Website: jeffcable.com Blog: blog.jeffcable.com Instagram: @jeffcablephotography Facebook: @jeffcablephoto X / Twitter: @jcable12 YouTube: @jcable1234 Jeff's Photographer Picks Chris McLennan: chrismclennanphotography.com | @chris_mclennan1 Ian MacNicol: ianmacnicol.com | @ian_macnicol

I have always been fascinated with the education side of photography. I don't have a formal photography education myself, and I am very aware of what skill sets I wish I had been exposed to earlier in my photo journey. I have been around a lot of the continuing education side of photography, like KelbyOne, or various workshops that a lot of the top photographers do, and in fact teach workshops myself, but I do appreciate what many of the more traditional photography programs provide for the next generation of photographers. A few years ago I even teamed up with Red River Paper to spotlight some students from the schools they supported with the EDU programs. All of this is to say, I think some of the absolute best creatives shooting today are a great representation of where this craft I love is headed. A case in point is Cal Baptist University, in my hometown of Riverside, CA. The photography program there is run by Christopher Kern, and he has put together such an amazing program. I have been there a few times, usually to see my buddy, and past guest, Ian Spanier do his guest workshop, but also to visit with Christopher and see what they are doing at CBU. This program has even helped another past guest, Art Streamer, with interns for some of his shoots. A few weeks ago I saw an Instagram post from CBU, and had me thinking.... what are some of the current students in this wonderful program shooting these days? I asked Christopher for a recommendation of a student he thought might make a good guest on the show, and he suggested Josiah Grant. Josiah is the perfect example of what I was talking about up above. An amazing photographer that just sees things differently than most anyone I know. Looking through his portfolio you are struck by his use of depth, and I don't only mean only depth-of-field. Josiah uses light and shadow, softness and sharpness, foreground and background, subtle or bold, to define what he wants you to see. His understanding of directing the viewers eye seems to be much more experienced than his still being in college would imply. I am so excited to learn from the student today, and the image we will be discussing has won a few awards! From over 7,000 entries, a Jury selected just 317 images, including Josiah's, to appear in the “2024 American Photography 40”, a book representing the best pictures from 2023. It also won an Award of Excellence in the one of the most prestigious competitions for creativity in photography, the "2024 Communication Arts Photography Annual 65". Join photographer Josiah Grant and me as we dive into how he creates such amazing and creative portraits, on this Behind the Shot. Connect with Josiah Websites: josiahvisuals.com Instagram: @josiahvisuals YouTube: YouTube.com Josiah's Photographer Picks Miguel Esparza: miguelesparzaphoto.com | @miguelesparzaphoto Nico Carrillo: nicocarrillo.com | @nicocarrillophoto Austin Elliott: austinelliottphoto.com | @austinelliottphoto

Zoe Rain is one of those photographers in the rare group of artists that was born to do what she does. Some people can learn to become amazing artists, while others, people like Zoe, seem to have a natural gift for seeing the world through a lens. At the young age of 20, Zoe was already touring with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and that work brought a bit of notoriety, to say the least. Since then, her work has graced the cover of Rolling Stone, appeared on subway car ads, and been plastered on billboards across the world. Working with some of the biggest names in music, including Chance The Rapper, Ed Sheeran, Christina Aguilera, Ke$ha and Vic Mensa, has brought Zoe into the world of successful commercial photographer - a leap many people in music photography dream of. From multiple opportunities as an Apple keynote speaker, to being on industry panels hosted by agencies including Soho, Havas, & Leo Burnette, Zoe is now a sought after artist, and speaker for some of the largest brands in the industry. Zoe's love of travel has led to her photojournalistic projects, involving intimate collaborations with nonprofits such as the 30-30 project & Construction for Change. This work includes Rain’s portraiture series “Woman of Togo”, which has been featured in galleries across the US. After over a decade of success, Zoe is at the top of her game. Join commercial photographer and filmmaker Zoe Rain and me as we discuss everything from her life on the road with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, to her wonderful portrait work, and as we examine her portrait of Ed Sheeran, on this Behind the Shot. Connect with Zoe Website: rainstudio.com Instagram: @ZoeRainPhoto 

Join world renowned wedding photographer and Canon Explorer of Light Roberto Valenzuela and me as we discuss his process for creating such amazing artistic wedding images, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join me on this special Behind the Shot as I look back at the 2020 WPPI Conference and Expo, and talk to a few of the attendees.

Join Nikon Ambassador Deborah Sandidge and me as we journey to the Valensole Plateau area of France to talk about long exposures and how to improve your travel photography, and this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join Long Exposure, Night Sky, and Abandoned Site photographer and author Ken Lee to discuss the multi-shot image that graces the cover of his new book, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join the amazing photographer Glyn Dewis and me as explore how he made his image of WW II veteran, and MBE recipient Harry Billinge, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join all around creative Jefferson Graham and me as we discuss the benefits of doing a photowalk, and get a few tips, on this episode of Behind the Shot. 

Join food and beverage photographer Freddy Clark and me as we take a deep dive into his photo of an Apple Tarte Tartin, and discuss how to make tastier photos, on this edition of Behind the Shot.

Join renowned travel photographer Dave Williams and me as we chat about capturing not only the Aurora Borealis, but the night sky too, and this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join Twyla Jones and me as we jump into the world of family and couples photography, while examining her amazing minimalist portrait of a couple going to bed.

Join world renowned photographer Chris Rainier and me as we discuss documenting other cultures and one of the images from his new book MASK, on this episode of Behind the Shot. 

Back in June I did a review of the StellaPro Reflex line of lights titled "Is This My New Favorite Light?". Well, today I've got an update. StellaPro has upgraded the hardware. The StellaPro Reflex lights are “Continuous Strobe Hybrid” LED lights. They allow you to do constant light, as you might do for video, or using digital burst mode you can use the lights like you would a flash. Technically, these are not flashes, they are LED lights, but they allow you to over-charge the LED and release all of that charge as a burst of light, a burst that can be up to 1 stop brighter than the constant light. And that constant light isn't just some weak modeling light, like you might have in a standard studio monolight. These are bright, very bright. After doing that deep dive review I was impressed. I mean, no product is everything we want, and there's definitely a wishlist I have in my head for these lights, but for me the pros outweighed the cons. And now StellaPro has made some interesting changes... First, they consolidated the Reflex line into one model, eliminating the standard Reflex (no S), and leaving only the Reflex S. There is a Reflex Studio too, but the light head in that model is the Reflex S. Secondly, they've increased both the continuous and burst power 50%, doubled the runtime, and made the light 50% faster – now delivering 30 fps of full power bursts without missing a burst. How much more do these upgraded lights cost you ask? Well, it's not more expensive. It's not even the same price. The upgraded lights are almost $250 cheaper! It actually feels weird writing that. An already good product is made better and they charge less? What the hell is the world coming to. The StellaPro Reflex S lights are now $849, and with the added power they're a pretty damn good deal - that is if they live up to the claims. Today we are going to test this new upgraded hardware, which comes in the form of a larger battery handle, and a firmware update to the light head. The Reflex Lights I will be using in this show were sent to me by Stella Pro Lights for the purpose of that original review show back in June, and the upgraded battery handles were sent to me for the review of the upgrade. Let me be clear though, they have not paid me further and this is not a sponsored review. I am free to have and state any opinions that I have, and StellaPro doesn’t get to see this show before it goes live. This is just my honest opinion based on what I might look for in a portable light. As always, If you want a crazy technical review - that’s not me, but there are a lot of those out there. Here are the various sections in the show, so feel free to jump around to the areas that interest you. 00:00 - Intro 01:21 - Disclaimers 03:11 - What is the StellaPro Reflex S? 04:09 - What Changed? 04:38 - The Upgrade 06:35 - Old vs New Battery 09:11 - Updated Specs 10:58 - Testing Intro 15:16 - Black Background Tests 19:45 - Block Wall Test 20:56 - Portrait Tests Intro 21:43 - Portrait Tests 24:30 - Light Falloff Test Intro 25:21 - The Falloff Setup 25:53 - Light Falloff Tests 27:01 - Wishlist 30:57 - Final Thoughts 32:33 - Outro Join me as I take a look at the recent update to the StellaPro Lights Reflex S. We'll take a look at the upgraded hardware, and check out the claim of 50% more power. Original StellaPro Reflex Review Mentioned in the Show (June 2023) Is This My New Favorite Light? A Review of the Stella Pro Reflex:YouTube.com Inverse Square Law Video Mentioned in the Show Digital Photography 1 on 1: Episode 59: Inverse Square Law:: Adorama Photography TV on YouTube Connect with StellaPro Lights Website: stellaprolights.com Facebook: @stellaprolights Instagram: @stellaprolights YouTube: @stellaprolights Connect with Steve Portfolio: stevebrazill.com Facebook: @SteveBrazillPhotography Instagram: @stevebrazill Twitter: @stevebrazill Mastodon: @stevebrazill StellaPro Reflex - Black Background - 3 Feet - Old Battery StellaPro Reflex - Black Background - 3 Feet - New Battery StellaPro Reflex Outdoor Portraits of Steve StellaPro Reflex Light Falloff Tests - Old Battery StellaPro Reflex Light Falloff Tests - New Battery StellaPro Reflex with Steve - Pool Side at Dusk

Join legendary Sports Illustrated photographer Peter Read Miller and me as we take a deep dive into his iconic shot of a flaming arrow lighting the Olympic Cauldron at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

Join Wedding Photographer Denis Reggie and me as we discuss wedding photojournalism, and take a close look at his iconic image of John Kennedy, Jr. kissing the hand of his bride Carolyn Bessette, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join photographer, writer, educator and podcaster Ibarionex Perello and me as we take a look at how he captures such fun portraits, like the one we discuss in this episode of the wonderful Dick Van Dyke, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join the immensely creative photographer, artist, and photoshop wizard Aaron Nace and me as we discuss the keys to a great composite, how to find your own artistic voice, and how he made his wonderful image "Baxter".

Back in August the Photoshop World Conference hit Las Vegas again for a week of fun, games, workshops and classes. I am really glad I went this year. For the last few years Photoshop World had called Mandalay Bay home, and this year that changed to The Mirage. The event center there is much more fitting for Photoshop World, with the classes and expo area much closer together. Starting with the Orientation, presented by Larry Becker this year was a blast. The Keynote was an unexpected special event, as Scott Kelby was surprised by being inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame. He seemed wonderfully surprised, and as moved as can be. My question was "wait.... Scott Kelby wasn't already in the Hall of Fame"? This was well deserved, and way overdue. The classes hit home for me this year. I have heard people say in the past that felt the classes were not complex, or advanced enough. This year I found the advanced classes I attended, like the masking class from Kristina Sherk, very good. The Lightroom Printing class, taught by Scott Kelby, was exactly what I'd hoped for too. Overall, the education side of this conference was right where it should be, and in this episode I interview a few attendees that seemed to agree with me. One of them had an interesting suggestion for the conference moving forward too. The expo area was big enough, and well lit, but did feel much smaller this year, which was too bad. I have spent entire days just wander the expo floor talking to people, but that didn't work so well with the smaller booth and vender setups. Still, some of my favorite companies were there, like B&H Photo, Platypod, and more. There were some pretty cool booths setup specifically for photo opportunities too, like Gilmar Smith's prison cells, which were a big hit. The best of any conference is the networking, and PSW is no exception. I had the opportunity to run into to old friends, hang out with some great talent, and make new friends. If for no other reason go to PSW for the social aspect. Speaking of friends, a big congrats to my buddy Dustin Jack on the Photoshop Guru Award win. If you have not been to a Photoshop World Conference before, I can recommend it. I had a lot of fun this year, and plan on going back as often as it hits Vegas., Join me on this special Behind the Shot as I take a look back at the 2019 Photoshop World Conference in Las Vegas. Links from the Show Photoshop World: photoshopworld.com KelbyOne: kelbyone.com Platypod: platypod.com A few memories from Photoshop World

Join nature and wildlife photographer Juan Pons and me as we discuss photographing wildlife in less than friendly elements, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join adventure sports photographer, educator, and author Andy Day and me as we discuss how he captures the relationship between urban climber and architecture, along with the power of long term photo projects, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Please join me as we try to get a better understanding of printers and paper, along with a review of the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000.

Join photographer David Dewhurst and me as we look at how he captures amazing car images, while they are moving, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join documentary photographer Cheney Orr and me as we take a look at how to tell better visual stories, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

There are times when I see a photographer's work that I have an emotional response, a feeling that I am seeing something special. That's what happened the first time I browsed through Victoria Will's website. Photo after photo there was something.... with impact. That doesn't happen very often. Victoria's career in photography began as a photojournalist, but has now moved to a focus on celebrity portraiture, editorial, and commercial assignments. That beginning, however, is readily obvious. Her images feel spontaneous, like she just happens to be there with a camera while some A List actor, or Hall of Fame musician. happened to be posing. Victoria's portraits just feel honest and authentic. Victoria's images have appeared in the pages of some of the top publications, including Vogue, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone, ESPN and W Magazine. Commercial campaigns for brands like Carhartt, Levis, Netflix, Hulu, Epix, AT&T, Bose, Samsung, Ralph Lauren, and Miller High Life have also used her work. Her About Page says that her approach is "rooted in collaboration and meaningful connection where she seeks intimacy, authenticity, and elegance with a thoughtful eye and composition". I would probably just describe her work as magic, but I guess her wording is probably better for the website. You don't get to this level of success, and talent, without other people noticing, and she has a crazy collection of awards. Victoria has been recognized by American Photography, PDN Photo Annual, and Communication Arts, and her imagery has been the subject of both solo and group exhibitions internationally. Her first monograph, Borne Back, a collection of tintype portraits, was published in 2017 by Peanut Press. Tintype photography is something I know very little about, or more accurately, nothing at all. Luckily for all of us, Profoto has a video on their YouTube channel documenting the process. You can check out "Victoria Will Shoots the Stars at Sundance" here. In 2023, Victoria became one of the newest members of the Canon Explorer of Light program, an honor I will say is so very well deserved. She is one of the best working today. Join Canon Explorer of Light Victoria Will and me as we explore tintype photography, and discuss her tintype image of famed actor Sam Shepard, on this Behind the Shot. Connect with Victoria Website: victoriawill.com Instagram: @victoriawill Twitter: @vwillphoto Victoria's Book Borne Back: peanutpressbooks.com Profoto Video on Victoria Shooting Tintypes Victoria Will Shoots the Stars at Sundance: youtube.com Victoria's Photographer Picks Dana Scruggs: danascruggs.com | @danascruggs Benedict Evans: benedictevans.com | @benedict_evans

Join the amazingly talented Trey Ratcliff and me on this episode of Behind the Shot as we discuss documenting Burning Man.

Join wildlife photographer and educator Scott Bourne and me as we take a deep dive into his bird photography by taking a close look how he captured a once-in-a-lifetime Cardinal image, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join "The Godfather of Photography" Rick Sammon and me as we take a photography road trip on the coast of Oregon, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join Photographer, artist, and elite retoucher Kelly Robitaille I me as we take a deep dive into her image "Fork You”, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join PhotoshopCAFE's founder, drone photography artist, and educator Colin Smith and me as we venture into HDR drone panos, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join macro photographer Don Komarechka and me as we explore his image "Essence of Reverie", a water droplet refraction image using a small wildflower seed and a flower, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join one of the most talented creators I know, Renee Robyn, and me as we discuss all things compositing, and take a deep dive into one of her amazing images, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join me on this special Behind the Shot as I look back at the 2019 WPPI Conference and Expo, and talk to a few of the key companies.

Join photographer Marco Larousse and me as we take a look at how sometimes a shot you can see in your mind may take a while to find in the camera, and how persistence can pay off.

Join Fine Art Fashion photographer Loise Eisenhart and me as we take a look at her path through photography education and dissect her wonderful abstract image of a fashion model, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Regular watchers / listeners of the show will know Dave Williams. He's a great friend, and amazing photographer, and he has a skill I value... an eye for great guests. In fact, he has connected me to more potential guests than I think anyone else. Because of that, when Dave sends me someone, I pay attention. Today is the result of that process. Dave described Paul Kober's work to me, and I was immediately struck by how unique the concept was. Paul is what most would call a wildlife and nature photographer, but I have never seen his subjects photographed in quite the same way before, or since for that matter. All of Paul's photos are taken in his backyard, and he places various string, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments hanging from the trees or sitting on the ground. Next, he smears jelly, peanut butter, or birdseed in strategic places on the instruments to attract wild animals. Then, he waits.... and waits, sometimes for many hours. When the squirrels, birds, deer, or other wildlife come into the scene he has created, he grabs the shot. Catching the wildlife in artistically pleasing positions is the key, and somehow he does exactly that. It's also important to note that no animals are photoshopped into position, it's all about the patience he has to wait for just that right moment. His interest in photography only started about twelve years ago, and over the years he has experimented with doing portraits, landscapes, and architecture images, before finding his niche. Paul is very passionate about music, and in fact made a living as a professional jazz saxophonist for a number of years.  He's also passionate about animals - he and his wife currently have five shelter cats. In this relatively short period of time, Paul's photography has garnered him a great deal of recognition. He has been showcased in Photoshop Magazine, and AirSpeed Magazine. He won the prestigious international GURU award, and nine awards in the London Photography Awards. One of his pictures was even used as the cover for a flute composition. Join photographer Paul Kober and me as we explore his musical wildlife photography project, on this Behind the Shot. Connect with Paul Website: paulkoberphoto.com Instagram: @paulkoberphoto Facebook: @paul.kober.52 Dave William's Post About Paul on DIY Photography This Photographer Shoots Cute Animals Playing Musical Instruments: diyphotography.net Paul's Photographer Pick Kaylee Greer: dogbreathphoto.com | @dogbreathphotography Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - Intro to Paul Kober 14:12 - Photo Discussion 42:52 - Speed Round Q & A 47:44 - Paul’s Photographer Pick - Kaylee Greer 51:19 - Outro 51:41 - Remembering Terrell Woods

Join photographer and educator Ian Spanier and me as we take a deep dive into his portrait of actor Jeff Bridges, and talk about classic portrait lighting.

Join acclaimed wildlife photographer Moose Peterson and me as we dive into one of his amazing images of moose roaming in Alaska, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join businessman and photographer Dr. Larry Tiefenbrunn and me as we explore his product photography, and discuss the success and future of Platypod, on this episode of Behind the Shot. 

Jaz Meadows does some amazing imagery, so join me as I sit down with him to dissect his image of the band AFI (A Fire Inside) entitled "The Wind That Carries Me Away" on this episode of Behind the Shot.

On this episode of Behind the Shot join photographer Karl Erik Vasslag and me as we breakdown his wonderful seaside portrait of Norway - with a replica of Noah's Arc replica in there for fun.

Join Music Photographer Steve Brazill as he takes us on a walkthrough of his Photo Copyright Registration Workflow on this episode of Behind the Shot. 

Join me as I sit down to chat with Southern California photographer and educator Josh Santeri about one of his creative portraits of the band Fun, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

On this episode of Behind the Shot, I talk with photographer Christie Goodwin about her new book Ed Sheeran: Memories We Made, and discuss how she made this amazing image of Ed at Wembley Stadium.

Join me on this special episode of Behind the Shot as I spend some more time with The Copyright Zone guys, Ed Greenberg and Jack Reznicki to talk about Copyright for Photographers.

I am so happy that legendary photographer Rick Sammon was able to join me for a third time, to discuss some of his travel portraiture on this, my 50th episode, of Behind the Shot.

It never surprises me how often Scott Kelby's name comes up when I am talking about photography with someone. I remember, back when I started out in photography, how much I learned from watching his videos with "The Photoshop Guys". Scott, to me, is photography education personified. Scott has been on the show a few times, for Insights From Scott Kelby and Timeless Photography,  but I still remember the first time I met him in person. It was at a Photoshop World in Vegas, and I was at the hotel bar where everyone from the conference hung out. Scott walked in and the room seemed to gravitate slowly towards him. I recall thinking "it's gotta be weird to be him right now" at the same time as thinking "I should go introduce myself". Clearly, I am part of the problem. Still, I walked over and before I got to him he spotted me and walked towards me to say hi. Since then I have had the pleasure of seeing him at a few conferences, and hanging out for a few hours at the NAMM show in Anaheim, CA, but one of the most amazing things is to just sit in a session Scott is teaching and watch him work. Scott Kelby was born to do what he does, and I'm not talking about the business side of Scott here. Sure, Scott is an icon in the photography world. He's the founder and namesake of KelbyOne, the gold standard in online photography education, and the creator of Photoshop World, but the teaching... that is where Scott shines. His knowledge is up there with the best in the business, but his pacing, speech patterns, and demeanor, all make absorbing that knowledge so easy. He has authored numerous books, and he shares a lot of his knowledge on his blog at scottkelby.com.  I'd argue that his Guest Blog Wednesdays are one of the most amazing resources out there for photographers, and twice now I have been honored to write a post there, for Five Lessons Learned from Hosting the Behind The Shot Podcast and The Joy of Live Music Photography. Scott's Annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk – the world’s largest social photography event - just seems to get bigger each year, and he's more than just well versed in photography by the way. Scott is an accomplished musician, playing guitar (what an amazing guitar collection he has), bass, drums, and piano. Plus, he is one of the few photographers that seemingly can photograph anything – Any. Thing. Travel, fashion, beauty, people, the great indoors, automotive, sports, anything he points his camera at seems to crop itself for him, and that is one of the things I love about Scott's work. His eye for composition, and what makes a shot work, is amazing. That is what brings him here today. Scott does regular photo critique shows, usually blind photo critiques, on his show The Grid, usually with Erik Kuna, and his insight is amazing. I firmly believe that one of the best and fastest ways to improve your photography is to get fair honest critiques from a trusted source, and that's what Scott is doing. I also did a series of image critique shows, with my buddy Don Komarechka, for two years, but that stopped when the war broke out in Ukraine, and then Don moved to Bulgaria. At some point while we were doing those shows Scott wrote a blog post titled "What to expect from a photo critique", and it was so damn good that I started mentioning it at the start of every critique show I did with Don. Let me explain... Often I would get an email from someone who's image Don and I critiqued trying to explain the image, and in doing so trying to let me know why we were "wrong" with what we had said. The same thing happens when I judge one of the image competitions I do periodically here in California. People feel that if we judges and critique people only knew the hardships they went through to get an image, or what the crowd was like, or what the music sounded like, or insert your explainer here meant, that we would understand how amazing their image was. We just didn't understand their art! But here's the deal, We were not there. We didn't hear the music, and it doesn't matter that you only had 30 minutes at 12 noon free during the family vacation to capture it. We are critiquing / judging your photo based on what a random viewer that sees your image for the first time would get from it... oh, and your image title... it's not helping if it brings no expectation or relationship to our mind. Calling your amazing landscape image "Run Puppy, Run" when the dog in it is so small that I didn't even see it actually detracts from it. It's a letdown. Sorry, back to Scott's post. This week I shared his latest call on Twitter for Blind Critique image submissions, and then it hit me. I ran to my wife saying "I've got it! I know the perfect show for Scott Kelby"!!!! Join Scott Kelby and me as we try to help you better understand the benefits of getting image critiques, and while we break down his blog post "What to expect from a photo critique", on this Behind the Shot. Scott's 1-Day Workshop Scott Kelby's 2023 Ultimate Photography Crash Course: kelbyonelive.com Connect with Scott Personal: scottkelby.com KelbyOne: kelbyone.com KelbyOne Live: kelbyonelive.com KelbyOne Insider: insider.kelbyone.com Facebook (Personal): @SKelby Facebook (Business): @KelbyOneOnline Instagram (Personal): @scottkelby Instagram (Business): @kelbyonepics Twitter (Personal): @ScottKelby Twitter (Business): @KelbyOne YouTube (Personal): @scottkelby YouTube (Business): @kelbymediagroup Pinterest: @kelbyone Photoshop World: photoshopworld.com LinkedIn: @kelbyone Scott's Class Mentioned During the Show How to Critique Your Own Photos: kelbyone.com Scott's Podcast The Grid: kelbyone.com Scott's Books rockynook.com amazon.com Scott's Photographer Pick Dan (Dano) Steinhardt: @dano_steinhardt Steve’s Guest Posts for Scott's Blog Five Lessons Learned from Hosting the Behind The Shot Podcast The Joy of Live Music Photography

Join photographer Terry Jack and me as we look into the world of High School sports photography by examining his image from an Edison vs Mater Dei football game.

Join photographer David Bergman and me as we take a deep dive into his portrait of a swimmer for a Canon ad campaign, and as we discuss creativity, cropping, composition, and workflow on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Join digital artist Gilmar Smith and me as we take a deep dive into her image Master Chef Kids, an image of her kids cooking with fire, on this episode of Behind the Shot.