Information on Speaking Seminars and Biography
Thank you for visiting the Speaking page of my web site. Below is my biography along with seminar descriptions. You can also download the information by selecting the appropriate link.
Please call me at 240-344-1460 or email if you would like to discuss having me do a presentation to your group. Please put speaking in the subject line of the email john@specmomentsphoto.com
Biography
John Stein Photog Cr. API, CPP, MD-AFPh
Special Moments Photography
John started photographing in 1976 while serving in the US Navy. His first camera was an Olympus OM-10. Although he was an engineer he carried his camera with him everywhere. “I knew that my traveling was going to be a once in a lifetime experience and I wanted to document it”. John continued as an engineer after leaving the navy in 1986 but he still held on to his camera. Between 1986 and 1993 John worked for various companies working on everything from Bakery Equipment for Thomas’ English Muffins to writing training documents for Nuclear Power plants. In 1993 John became disabled and was no longer able to work in the engineering field. He attended a seminar by Monte Zucker in 1994 and has never looked back. He began operating a wedding only studio in his house and soon expanded to a 1200 sq. foot studio located in Middletown MD., where he photographs about 25 weddings and 300 infants and newborns each year. He has been a member of the PPA since 1997, the Maryland PPA since 2000 and the Pennsylvania PPA since 2003. He was the Maryland PPA’s first webmaster, a position that he held until January of 2007. John has held every elected position that the Maryland PPA has including President for part of 2005 and 2006. He received his Certification in 2000, the PPA Craftsman degree in 2005 and his Associate Fellow of Photography Degree from the Maryland PPA in 2005. In 2003 John received the Southeastern Award from the Southeastern Professional Photographers Association for his work on the Maryland PPA web site. In April of 2007 he became a PPA Approved Photographic Instructor (API) John has also been actively competing at the state, regional and national levels since 2003. In 2004 he received the Pet Portrait of the year award from the Maryland PPA for a portrait of ten 8 week old Samoya puppies. He has received the Best Black and white Image from the Maryland PPA for both 2006 and 2007. John is also the Maryland Representative for the ASP and an Honorary Trustee of PPA Charities.He is currently working on obtaining the Educational Associate Degree from the ASP. John and his wife Diane reside in Frederick Maryland. They have 4 children, James, Amy, Jennifer and Sara and 2 grandchildren
Seminars
Web Site Devlopment For Photographer
Two- Three Hour Seminar
The seminar covers basic information concerning web site development. Basic
Hyper Text mark Up language (HTML) is covered (and why you need to know what
it is) along with META Tags, Meta Phrases (Info that is contained on your website
that helps search engines find you. I will also show you how to find the meta
tags and meta phrases on your website.), copyright protecting your images on
web pages, selecting hosting companies, getting listed on search engines, increasing
your ranking on search engines and basic web page design rules.
The course is not intended to enable you to build a complete web site but to
give you an understanding of web page development and to allow you to begin
designing a web page or to be able to tell your web master what you want done.
The main objective of the seminar is to show people who do not have a website
how easy it is to get a web presence and to ensure that those who do have websites
have the information to make sure their webmasters are doing what they are paid
to do.
A CD will be available to all in attendance for a minimal fee that has a lot
of information contained on it, such as the HTML Coding for my website, the
placement of the meta tags and phrases and a code for the copyright protection
of images.
If time permits Page design in Adobe Dreamweaver will be covered along with
creating Flash animations in a new program called Swish, and I will actually
design a one page website to show everyone how easy it can be.
Four Hour Seminar
The four hour seminar includes all of the above. After the first two hours we will take a short break during the break the association may raffle off a website to be designed during the second two hours. This should be advertised before hand so the attendees may bring a CD with their images on it. This will be a complete static website (No animations/motion) and will be burned to a CD so the recipient may upload to their hosting company
Getting Started Photographing Infants and Newborns
Two Hour Program: John photographs between 20 and 30 newborns each month. When you get started photographing newborns your business will quickly grow to include expectant mother, new mothers, older children and families. He will explain how to get a display in a doctor’s office that will allow you to market to these areas. He will show you how photographing digitally allows you to show the images almost immediately while the excitement is still present. There is a rule of thumb that states once you have a client visit your studio three times in one year you have a client for life. This seminar will show you not only how to attract the client but how to keep them. The seminar will cover the marketing aspects of John’s Newborn and baby program. All aspects of how he attracts and keep clients will be covered. Marketing package includes the “Mother In Waiting”, “The Joy of Newborn Portraits”, “ Baby Parts Panel”, “ Watch Me Grow Panel” and “ Don’t Forget the Older Children” Programs.
Four Hour Program: Includes all of the
above along with photographing a mom and newborn, setting up the presentation
and selling of the images (Role Play). Getting dad in to the studio to be photographed
will also be covered. John brings all of the lights and backgrounds. Models
and some small props will be necessary for the program.
Nature and Landscapes
This is a two hours of class room instruction covering selection of lenses, apertures settings, shutter speeds and filters. We will also discuss the different effects that changing shutter speeds and apertures will cause with in the image. Photographing flowers and wildlife will be discussed. We will also cover the basics of Macro, digital and film infrared photography.
A longer four hour seminar is available but we must be able
to go out in to the field.