I am thankful for so much. Really and truly.

I'm thankful for my soulmate, Shannon. And equally thankful for my precious two girls - Emma and Audrey.

I'm thankful for the unconditional love of our extended families. And the kindness of good friends and total strangers.

I'm thankful for my health, happiness and home.

I'm thankful for the small blessings that life dishes out. And I'm also thankful for those disguised blessings that come to me in the way of challenges, hurt, disappointment, obstacles, roadblocks.

I'm beyond thankful for the deep and abiding love, mercy and grace of a personal God. And the wisdom of clay modeling.

I am thankful for my purpose in life, love and laughter.

I am so grateful to be alive and living in this 21st century.

I am thankful to be a professional photographer and embrace and model all that means - to myself and those I photograph.

I am thankful for my gifts of vision, mission and passion.

I am thankful for all my new friends on Twitter and appreciate all of this collective wisdom that inspires me to action, dig deeper, be a stronger person.

I am thankful for this 55 year old body. And 25 year old pair of eyes.

I am thankful for all of the glorious globetrotting experiences I've had over a 30 year career.

I am thankful for my high calling in portraiture and the privilege of connecting with other sojourning human beings - even if momentary.

I am indebted to all who have touched me in life. And touched me deeply.

I am obliged and beholden to this world's collective karma.

I am thankful for my ever so small part in making the universe a better place for our children.

Today, especially this day, I am full to the brim with gratitude and appreciation.

Thank you world. Thank you creator. Thank you family and friends. Thank you loved ones. Thank you colleagues and collaborators.

Happy Thanksgiving.

I came to be a father later in life than most. Had my first child at 43. And my second at 47. Watching these munchkins grow up is the deepest creative fulfillment in life and love I have ever known. These two angelic gifts are my true luminaries.

Being a father, as most of you other parents would attest to, equips and empowers you well in your portraiture work. After all, you have hopefully learned over time to sympathize, touch, express emotion, be transparent, and relate to your children - all attributes and characteristics that a portrait photographer must have to both connect and compete.

I can shoot little ones because I have little ones. I can interact because I've learned to do so at home. I can be stern and firm when necessary, express parental leadership when necessary and have learned how to genuinely emote when necessary.

Being a father (or mother) suits shooters well in this 'relationship' economy. Remember, just like at home with your own children...paying customers need to like and trust you before they give you what you're asking for.

I'm not suggesting that 'non-parent' photographers don't have the ability to connect with customers as parents do. It's just that being a parent puts you in a whole different class of likability, love, tenderness, endearment.

Yes, I am a father. Darn proud of it. And I hope to pass on to those I photograph that loving and gentle wisdom that my own children have taught me through experience.

Three cheers for parenthood!

I have spent the better part of a 30 year globetrotting career in travel, world, lifestyle and stock photography...being on the road and photographing in almost every major world capital. Wouldn't trade a single day of it. My pilgrimage, in photography, has been inviable.

That said, there is something oh so very special, even peculiar, about being and shooting at home. When you're at home, or in your own backyard and surroundings, you're a lot more relaxed. And when you're relaxed, you have a tendency to creatively expand your vision and repertoire.

I've never quite been able to figure out why my pictures, shot from home, often resonate with so much more emotion than those shot on the road? Maybe it's my bed. My pillow. Being near family. Good food. Location familiarity. Friends. Basic creature comforts. Maybe a little bit of all of the above. Whatever that 'secret sauce' is...it works.

Being at home puts you in the driver's seat. It puts you in control. Stop panting about foreign lands and voyages. Shooting overseas, while admittedly exciting, doesn't make you any better of a photographer.

Start looking at your home, your surroundings, your neighborhood, your school, your work...as exotic. Leverage the sheer magic and power that comes with being relaxed. And being at home.

From literally thousands of world photographs I've taken, the ones with the most meaning are the ones of my own family. Even my own front door. Home is where the heart is.

In portraiture, you need different pitch, depending on what sort of customer you're serving. By pitch, I mean the level of intensity by which you execute an assignment.

When serving a quiet or shy or reserved customer, your pitch should be likewise toned town. With gregarious customers, you can let loose a little and be more outgoing, demonstrative, affectionate, social, lively.

It's shortsighted to always operate at the same pitch. Remember that a portraiture sitting, big or small, is about the customer. Not you, the photographer. When you cater your pitch, your timbre, your rhythm to the needs of your customer...you'll be pleasantly surprised at the rewards.

Some of the most memorable portraiture I've ever done, over the years, came from this principal - adapting and accommodating my pitch to the subject at hand. This sort of subject compliance and hospitality puts people at ease, relaxes them and lets them know, ever so subtly, that you have their interest at heart. And that the session is about them, and not you.

Last week on Twitter, I talked a lot about how both personality and portfolio go hand in hand in creating brand awareness and market reach.

Obviously, you need above average skill sets to compete in today's photographic market. That's a given. Customers expect you to deliver on your promise. Even over-deliver. That's the portfolio part of this equation.  You need the picture chops and experience to establish customer value.

But here's another chilling reality that I've personally experienced for over 30 years now in commercial photography - your personality is just as important as your portfolio in getting, keeping and servicing clients. They work together. In tandem. Like a bicycle built for two - peddling, in rhythm, in the exact same direction.

If you have great portfolio, but no personality...then you run the risk of never even being asked to the dance. On the other hand, a great personality without a comparable portfolio will sadly get you a lot of one-time only clients. Not good.

While your portfolio might be a good introduction, it will be your personality that more often seals the deal. And by personality, I'm not talking about extroversion. Heavens, no. Introverts have strong personalities, too. By personality, I mean putting the 'you' into everything you do. Shooting, workflow, dress, hygiene, manners, style, etc.

Having a great portfolio is a door opener. Having a great personality is the door stopper. And keeps the door wide open for ongoing relationship building and future monetization.

In photography, there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Confidence attracts. Arrogance repels. Clients most surely want you to exhibit confidence in your craft. But cross that line over to arrogance and you'll end up with lots of 'one time' customers.

Confidence in portraiture means self assurance, poise, courage, boldness, nerve. Confidence is knowing who you are and what product/service 'value' you're giving your customers.

Arrogance, on the other hand, is taking confidence to the extreme. Arrogance is taking on an exaggerated sense of self importance. No one, and I mean no one, likes or appreciates arrogance. It's ugly. It's unattractive. And it's totally uncalled for in portraiture work. Arrogant portrait photographers are a pet peeve of mine. Sadly, our industry has too many of them. They stand on their soap boxes. They stick out like sore thumbs.

It's okay to be confident in your portraiture. It's not okay to be arrogant. Quiet confidence will bring back paying customers...again and again. 

Being broke isn't all that bad. Not really. Interestingly, being broke, in a way...energizes you. It allows you to appreciate the small gigs you get. And to put more of your heart and soul into them.

I've been fortunate, over the years, to have spent the bulk of my career being busy and liquid. As a matter of fact, more often than not, I was shooting an average of 15-20 days per month. Consistently. For years.

Could I, with reckless abandon, zealously throw my total psyche into every shoot i did? Of course I couldn't (even though I tried).

Being busy, in one sense, divides and splits your allegiance and loyalties. You have to pick and choose what gets your 'A' game. And what doesn't. When projects, jobs and gigs slow down...it's then, and sometimes only then, that you pause, reflect and appreciate.

Do I shoot 15-20 days a month anymore? No, I don't. But I am oddly discovering that the jobs that do come into my life...seem to resonate and impress my subconscious so much deeper than when I was busy.

So don't fret about being broke. Use the opportunity to slow down. Improve your craft. Polish up your interpersonal skills. Learn a new technique. Forge into videos. Expand into social media.

Being broke might just be a blessing in disguise. And it just might be that being broke will catapult your photography to new heights that you never even dreamed about (when you were busy). :-)

It is beyond my imagination how contemporary lifestyle photographers are so uncool. How can you shoot 'cool' if you're a dork? You can't. To shoot 'cool'...you gotta be 'cool'. At least a little bit.

I'm talking about the way you dress. The way you style your hair. The jewelry you wear. The shoes you wear. Your personal hygiene. Don't think for a minute that customers don't notice these things. They do. Big time.

If you are painfully 'uncool', then it's unlikely that you appreciate 'coolness'. If you don't appreciate it, how can you recognize it when you see it? And if you can't recognize it, then how can you capture it?

You don't have to go overboard on this (since the session is about the customer and not you). But for heaven's sake, dress contemporary. Practice personal hygiene. Look the part. You'll be surprised that once you start feeling 'cool' (at least a little bit), then your pictures will take on a 'coolness', as well - a contemporary look and feel.

My 12 year old regularly tells me that i'm so 'not cool'. But to the customers i shoot...i'm the coolest 55 year old they'll ever see (by design). :-)

Go get some cool!

If you are irremediably 'uncool', then may i suggest you focus on 'still life' photography? :-)

By far, the most memorable portraits I have taken over the years have been where the subject is laughing. Expressing genuine emotion from the gut. Not rehearsed. Not staged. Not directed. Not cued. But spontaneous joy. From the heart. Full of life.

When you see it, it looks magical, authentic, real. It makes you want to be part of the frame. It's endearing. It's magnetic.

And you know something else? Clients go crazy over these pictures. They generally love them. And more often than not, pick these over the more posed, less spontaneous ones. So don't be afraid to use some humor on set. Sometimes being a little goofy helps coax some cheer out of your subject.

If you, as a photographer, are always serious...it will be hard for you to get your subject laughing and expressing emotion. When you take the lead here, your subject will follow. Trust me.

Those who laugh...live longer. Life is short. Smiles build careers.

I'm a huge believer in making a portraiture session as simple as possible. Don't over complicate things.

Have everything set up in advance. Minimize clutter. Keep the session goals simple. Simple wardrobe. Simple hair styling. Simple lens choice. Simple propping. Simple lighting.

In portraiture, we have grievously erred from simple to complex. Instead of making the session about the subject, we make the session about our look, our style, our studio, our craft, our award-winning techniques.

It's not about you (the photographer). It's about the subject you're shooting.

Keep it simple! Simplicity relaxes. Complexity creates angst (and often terrible pictures).

Here's an assignment for you. You have one hour to make the best portraiture of your life. Bring one camera body and one lens (preferably a 50mm). No assistant. No lights. No flash. No fill. No nada. Just you and your subject. Mano y mano. Now get after it.

Passion is a fever, a zeal, an enthusiasm for life. And it's contagious, too. Family, friends, customers...all sense when you have it. And when you don't.

Exhibiting some fervency could be the difference in getting that new job...and not.

We are passionate both by nature (what we are born with) and nurture (behavior learned over time). As professional portrait photographers, those paying clients are looking for both clues and cues of our passion. They expect it. They want it. They admire it. They cherish it. They magnetize toward it!

I'm not talking about childlike spiritedness or vigor. But a steady, glowing fire in the belly...that softly and subtly tells the subject you're shooting that you love what you do!

The opposite of passion is apathy.

So the next time you're shooting a portrait and you're face to face with another human being...show a little obsession, preoccupation, even infatuation about your love for the craft. You'll be pleasantly surprised how passion turns into profit.

In portraiture, creating shadow is the secret sauce for dimension, mystery, realism, authenticity. As photographers, especially starting out, we spend way too much time, energy and thought in minimizing and eliminating shadow.

In the studio...we add fill lights, kicker lights, separation lights, background light - every instrument imaginable. All in an effort to 'knock out' the shadow and make it go away. On location, we use fill flash, reflectors, diffusers, shiny boards, flags, etc. Again, to reduce shadow.

Can i be so bold as to suggest that we leave those shadows alone? Perhaps, instead of minimizing their role in portraiture...we should accentuate, highlight and even feature them? Let's face it. Shadowless portraiture is, more often than not...boring, flat, lifeless. It lacks verisimilitude (look it up :) ).

As I see it, the role of portraiture is to create lifelikeness, believability, plausibility. Eliminate the shadow and you eliminate your greatest tool for capturing gripping realism.

Think about how all of human existence is lit by one single light (the sun). This is how we, as humans, are preconditioned to see dimensionality. So next time you go out and shoot, keep that extra 'fill' instrument in your bag. Emphasize and accent that shadow. Learn its cadence in creating powerful portraiture.

I have two beautiful girls. Inside and out. My oldest, Emma, is 12 years old (7th grade). And my youngest, Audrey, is 8 years old (3rd grade). Last weekend I attended a parent meeting for my daughter's third grade class. The loving and wise teacher explained that these transitioning third graders would begin to question the reality of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, etc. But to nurture these youthful spirits, give them the responsibility of 'keeping the magic alive' for their younger siblings and friends. Sort of a ceremonial rite of passage.

I quietly thought to myself how appropriate this was for photographers. We are, in fact, and like it or not...'keepers of the magic' for everyone we shoot. That's how people look at us. I'm not talking rockstar glasses. But soulful appreciation about what we do. And perhaps, in some small way, we contribute to who they are and who they become.

So my friends, keep that magic alive. Consider it a sacred trust. Pass on that magic to everyone you shoot. Sprinkle that fairy dust under the feet of those you photograph. The magic is you.

You will never find me apologizing for my faith. Never. It's not only a part of who I am, but how I relate to the world around me. I'ts my faith that influences not just what I shoot about, but how I shoot.

I'm not talking religious dogma (you can have that). I'm talking of an inward journey and sojourning. I'm talking about having eyes to see and ears to hear...beyond the obvious. The surface, the facade. I know my place in this world. I am a pilgrim, at best. And it is transitory.

I love these lyrics from the Disney movie, Prince of Eqypt...

So how can you see what your life is worth, or where your value lies? You can never see through the eyes of man, you must look at your life through heaven's eyes.

No life can escape being blown about by the winds of change and chance. And though you never know all the steps, you must learn to join the dance.

Recently I was asked to speak to a group of aspiring photographers and what it takes to become a successful portraiturist. And how to elevate portrait photography from 'mediocre' to 'masterful'. So as you would expect, I began writing down a pretty comprehensive list of suggestions that included equipment choices, location techniques, tips and tricks - all with the hope of 'wowing' the wide-eyed audience.

But the more I thought about this list (relative to the career portraits I was most proud of), the more I realized that the list had little correlation to propelling someone from mediocre to masterful. Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. I discovered, much to my surprise, that the real secret to becoming a successful portraiturist has more to do with who I am than what I know. More to do with my personality than my portfolio. More to do with my character than my camera. More to do with my passion that my pedigree. More to do with my heart than my head. More to do with my ability to relate and connect than my ability to capture and exposure. Ultimately, it has more to do with my connection to my subjects rather than the technical aspects of my photography.

You'll see me referring to these themes over and over again. Why? Simple. Because knowing yourself will influence how you know others. Figuring out what make you tick will soon give way to life lessons about what makes you click. :) Keep shooting.

I've been so fortunate to have shot so many things in my career. Traveled to so many locations. Worked for so many clients. Licensed so many pictures. But where I seem to find the most inward, soulful joy and contentment is in portraiture. Plain and simple. Doesn't matter if it's a portrait of an Indian Sadhu or a casual family portrait of one of my precious girls. It's all the same to me. Making a momentary, more often fractional, connection with another human being. And having a record of that connection and chemistry frozen in time. For all to see. Forever and ever. That, my friend, is magic and mystery rolled into one.

Being a portraiturist is one of the highest callings a photographer could ever aspire to. Great portraiture is wrapped up in so many interpersonal skills and psychology. The more you know yourself, the better your portraits become. Eye popping portraiture comes from the portraiturist (photographer) fully knowing not only their subject, but who they are inside. Learn more about yourself and I promise your pictures will improve.

Great portraiture does not happen overnight. As a matter of fact...it's only right now, today, after 30 years of portraiture work that I'm just starting to feel more deeply, and perhaps more attached to the portraits I'm shooting. I could not see or sense this early in my career. But I can now. Just as plain as can be. And this, i suspect, is the direct, and maybe even proportional, result of knowing who i am as a photographer and human being better. 

I am a portraiturist. I will always be a portraiturist. I will forever consider it a high calling. And I will hold this high calling up for all to see and cherish.

How do you feel about portraiture work? Do you, as a photographer, feel the same about this high calling? Does the notion of shooting portraiture put a fire in your belly?

I have a couple of different online personas. A lot of you know me as 'the stock guy'. For the simple reason I've been getting after it for the better part of a couple of decades now. That's cool. I'm good with that. More recently, a lot of you have come to know me as 'the social media coach and consultant' - relentlessly waving that Twitter and Social Media banner and flag. I'm cool with that, too. And while I'm thrilled to have made your acquaintance through one of these personas, neither of these paint a complete picture of who i am.

I am a photographer, first and foremost. And for me, in a crazy sort of way, it's intertwined with who I am. Not just what I do.

I know there is a groundswell movement out there, among photographers, to redefine not only the broader definition of 'photography' and 'photographer' in general, but it's role in commerce and creativity, as well. My good friend, Lee Torrens (@microstock on Twitter), came up with the word 'togs' - which I've popularized in and through my tribe. 'Togs' is Twitter-short for 'photographers'. It's short. It's cute. It works. But outside of Twitter, do I want to be called a 'tog'?  No way, Jose. I like the term 'photographer'. Always have, always will. It's a term that has stood the test of time. And, i suspect, a term that will undoubtedly be around for alot longer. For with this term comes unrivaled pride, history, esteem. I am a photographer and proud of it!

How about instead of lobbying to change definitions, we dig a little deeper and lobby to change perceptions and idealizations about who we are and what we do. Truth is, you can call me anything you want. Because at the end of the day...I am, and will always be, a 'photographer'. Doing my very best to capture a frozen moment in history. One frame at a time.

What do you think? Do you like the word 'photographer'? Do you want to see this term redefined? Always interested in your thoughts.

This simple blog is dedicated to all things portraiture. If portraiture is your thing, then you'll find good company here. I'm a 30-year portraiturist at heart. I dig portraiture. Actually, I love portraiture.

There is no greater photographic rush than to come face to face with another human being. And make a transitory, yet permanent, connection with another fellow sojourner. Recorded in time. Forever and ever. Wow!

In this blog, I plan on pulling back the kimono and showing you, technically and creatively, what it takes to master both the art and science of portraiture. I will be sharing tips, techniques and tools for becoming an award-winning portraiturist. So bookmark this page. Join this conversation. Let's talk portraiture.