Detroit is affectionately known as "THE 313"(area code of course), and a few of us took some time to say "Happy 313th Birthday Detroit!". July 24, 2014 marked the city's landmark day that hosted many events going on around town. Even though Detroit has had its share of obstacles to overcome, it or should I say "we" still have a great deal we're fighting for and a great legacy to leave behind. I am proud to call myself a Detroiter and everywhere I go to speak, I wear my Detroit Tigers hat and tell my story of how I was born, raised and still live in the city of Detroit. We are a city that innovated manufacturing for the world, we are the reason the world drives cars and... we are the home of the Motown Sound! This city has changed the course of music not only in this nation, but the world!It may be a clichéd statement but it is very much true...If you can make it in Detroit, you can make it anywhere. Truth is people in this city have a resilience that I haven't seen anywhere else. We are strong spirited people with a resolve to overcome and NEVER QUIT! We took a photographic bus tour of Detroit on its 313th birthday to learn, highlight and honor the history and thriving infrastructure of our city and we had a blast! Take a look at some of the photographs taken and enjoy!Remember, Detroit is still here! And we are coming back! #ROCKTHAT ...

Well...I'll answer that question for you. Courage looks like a teenage girl named Maia Wright who on Friday March 7, 2014 lost her battle with colon cancer.I was all set to write a blog post on my experience at WPPI 2014 in Las Vegas and how cool it was to be a speaker and talk about all of the cool people I met and how it was such a boost for my career... but all that can now wait until next week. I was busy in this season making plans for the rest of my life in photography when I received a text that told me that Maia passed away in her sleep. Ironically, I was at a funeral when I received word and I began to weep, not necessarily because I was sad but because of the impact she had on my life in the very short time that I knew her.February 2013 is when she found out she had colon cancer and because she went to Renaissance High School in Detroit (my alma mater), I really wanted to engage somehow. Found out that Maia had to...1. Leave school immediately2. Undergo chemo therapy and blood transfusions consistently and aggressively3. Finish her education at home while undergoing treatment4. Mom Jamilah Perkins decided to leave work to take care of Maia full time while also taking care of two small children (Maia's brother and sister :))(Maia showing her necklace, a bead was added for every procedure she had undergone) The family had no health insurance to pay mounting ...

Well Shawn...what makes you say that?Fact is your image whether it's on a business card, your website, facebook, twitter, foursquare or any other social media or media platform gets a ton more mileage and views than you will ever get walking through your 24 hour day and showing everyone you come in contact with your beautiful face. :)Just on Facebook alone Google now estimates that about 590 million unique users on are requesting a staggering 840 billion pages every month, excluding application pages, which translates to 1,423 pages per user per month. That means 38.5% of the users on the Internet are using Facebook in some way. The average user visits Facebook 41 times per month, which gives the site 24 billion visits per month.So what does all of this mean for my new or existing Business, Start-up or Venture?Believe it or not, perception of who you are and how you conduct business as a professional is perceived from the images people see of you regardless of whether they've met you are not. (i.e Headshots, Photos, Logos, websites, business cards)Personally speaking, I would not have even gotten phone calls from some of my top clients if the imagery they saw on my website, social media sites and google searches were'nt first class. And believe me, anyone seriously considering doing business with you WILL SEARCH YOU OUT! Most companies said they were 75% sure of ...

Had a great time at Imaging USA this year. The annual photography conference which hosts up to 10,000 pro and enthusiast photographers from around the globe, took place in Phoenix, AZ January 12-14 at the beautiful Phoenix Conference Center.I was honored to be able to speak and do a "live" shoot on Miller's Professional Imaging stage this year...IT WAS AWESOME! I taught on "Cutting Edge HS Senior Portraiture: From consult to final output" and "Thinking Outside the Box". And Brandon Heiss and the team at Westcott provided the innovative continuous lighting system called ICELIGHTS. And for the latest and greatest in the tech world and the utmost in Adobe education and training, please check out Terry White's Tech Blog! Really want to thank him for helping the live shoot take place. This dude rocks and I'm honored he's a friend. Thanks T! I have to say, for any photographer looking to take their craft to the next level, meet new people, learn great and amazing techniques, refine your skillset, and learn from the best in the game, I would highly recommend going to Imaging USA and conferences like it. This experience over the past few years have caused me to really refine my brand and ability. I have started more worthwhile business relationships than I ever have doing this on my own and not attending these conferences. I will now be attending WPPI in Las Vegas this year ...