Michael [mahy-kuhl] – noun
1. A male given name. 2. A witty, charming professional wedding photographer who enjoys movies, exercise, romantic walks on the beach and large pepperoni pizzas.
Maven [may-ven] – noun
1. A connoisseur or trusted expert in a particular field who seeks to pass his knowledge onto others. 2. An intense gatherer of useful information. 3. An individual who demonstrates passion for learning and teaching a specific topic, particularly through a well connected social network.
Thank you for coming to my blog! I update it regularly, so if you ever want to know what I am up to, please come by and take a peek. Feel free to leave your comments below.
Canon 7D Wireless Flash Transmitter Video | Canon 7 D DVD
Another free lesson from the Canon 7D DVD- This is one of the more advanced lessons.
All of my DVDs say "Made for Beginners" and thus, I am often asked if my DVDs will help Advanced users. The answer is "Absolutely!!". The reason I have "Made for Beginners" on my DVDs is because they are beginner friendly- this should not be interpreted as "For Beginners Only" because my goal is to take someone who knows nothing about cameras and turn them into a highly knowledgeable, advanced photographer with just a few hours of lessons (its not easy). Most EXTREMELY experienced photographers who have seen my videos LOVE them. One said "There was a lot of information on here I didn't know about, and not just the new features either. Having the menu laid out the way it is saves a lot of trouble. Even the things I did know were good to review."
To give you a taste of an advanced lesson, check out this one on the 7D Wireless Flash Transmitter System. It assumes you own and know your speedlite, BUT, it takes what could possibly turn into weeks of trying to figure out how the menu works and turns it into about 5 minutes. Well worth the investment of about $45 considering there is nearly 4 hours of these lessons. Enjoy!
Why the most common excuse for DVD Piracy doesnt apply to Michael's DVDs..
Just about every week I get an email from someone asking for a free DVD or a discount. I REALLY do understand being short on cash, trust me, most of my life has been on a very tight budget and in the beginning I sympathized with them. As many of you know, there are also a lot of people out there who steal my videos as well. Nearly all of these people reason that they are short on cash...right?
Let me ask you guys....a person goes out and spends $1200+ for camera gear, and now they cant afford a $35-45 DVD? If it really isn't about being broke (which most of them claim they are) why would they do it then? I just have a really hard time believing that anyone who can spend that kind of money on a camera, would be as financially strapped as they claim....ya know?
My theory on this is that although they actually do have the money, they are just cheap. But even then...that doesnt make sense, because if they were cheap...wouldn't they still be camera purchase adverse? Wouldn't they buy a camera second hand before buying it new?
Lets assume its not being financially strapped or just cheap...what other reason could it be?
This was just a decent, fun holiday type movie. Only a few times did I find myself bored and I stayed the whole time. If you have already seen Avatar (best movie in theaters right now) this would be a fun follow up.
The Princess and The Frog, for me...was extremely boring. I couldn't stay awake and I really, really tried. Wanted to walk out, but because it was Disney I stuck it out.
For me this was just extremely formulaic, felt like Ive seen it dozens of times before. It might be good to add a copy to the collection of DVDs, but Disney has many more better 2D animations than this.
This is the problem with big movie production companies, is they are too afraid to take a chance (a BIG chance), where as the independent film makers, are very hungry and will take huge risks, and often have much more "creative" ideas. It just felt like Disney was overly concerned with making a profit than telling a story.
Risk is part of creativity. True creativity comes with taking chances.
I just wanted to wish everyone a super Merry Christmas! A huge thank you to everyone who has offered me such an amazing amount of support, not just friends and family, but complete strangers who have so many kind words of encouragement, suggestions and insights that has brought me to where I am today.
2009 has been a really amazing year for me, it really was only my second year at being a full time Maven and looking back, I feel awesome about my accomplishments and the progress Ive made. It started with releasing the Photoshop and Canon 50D Crash Courses, followed by Paintballer Pro Presets. The Speedlite DVD was scripted in Mesa over the period of a week and then production on Maui took about 5. There was my 4.5 month road Great American Road trip, which included visits and videos in London and Paris, as well as about 40 States all over the US. The best part was I finally got to meet over 100 of you in person at 24 different amazing workshops. The T1i, and Canon 7D DVDs were shot and completed, along with one Top Secret Yet to be released product, all the while nearly completing a 365 self portrait project. Its exhausting to think about, but you know what...its probably the first time in 10 years that I really truly feel like I am living my dream. I wouldnt have it any other way.
I will be honest with you...I'm a little tired. lol Even up to today Ive been finishing little things on the 7D video while we are waiting for the production house to give us the green light. I feel like finding a corner somewhere, curling up into a ball, sucking my thumb and sleeping for 5 days straight. Im going to try really hard not to do anything too work related for the 24th and 25th.
I feel with more time and experience, I will become more effective and more prolific at what I do. I know some of you may have felt a "lull" in excitement on the ol' blog, but believe me, I am working away and planning furiously. Some of the many exciting things to look forward to in 2010:
- Advanced Photography Techniques Crash Course
- Photography Lighting Crash Course
- Wedding Photography Crash Course
- Another Top Secret Product already in the works
and DVDs for any new Canon Products coming out. Im suspecting the 60D will be announced in Feb or March- This is pure speculation.
Ill be heading back to Alabama for a few weeks to clear out a storage unit, and then...yes...I will be moving to Maui, at least for most of 2010. Looking forward to having some one-on-one workshops and a group workshop there in August.
Id also like to take another big trip somewhere interesting, I have a few ideas, but nothing decided yet. It will be amazing and awesome.
I sincerely wish to thank you for your support, even if we have never spoken, coming to the blog to visit, checking out the free videos in the school, the forum or ordering a Crash Course DVD means so much to me and I greatly appreciate it more than you know. I do get occasional emails from many of you and your encouragement makes all the difference for me. Sometimes being a Maven is a long and lonely path, I believe in myself and what I am doing, but having a support group out, or the occasional email from someone on the other side of the globe that lets me know I made a difference reinforces my commitment to doing the very best job I can. Probably the most exciting thing about what I do now is watch others grow and find happiness by expressing themselves with photography. Its such an awesome and humbling experience, I couldnt ask for a better gift to receive.
