Silver Telly Award for Ken Cherry, Emanuele Pontoriero

Manny Pontoriero and Ken Cherry Receive a Telly Award for The Skilled Photographer 3 DVD Set.

Seen here with our Telly Awards with Tampa skyline at night in the background.

There are two Telly Awards, the Bronze and the Silver. The Silver being the higher of the two.
Both Ken and I received the Silver.

Photography on TV

Photography on TV

I have been lucky to be a regular contributor on a daily morning show here in Tampa, Florida. As a monthly guest for the past 2 years on Studio 10 I give some quick tips on making your photographs better. We have also held a photography contest with their help awarding a $400 gift certificate to B and H Photo in New York.

Whether on TV or other means there are so many ways to advance your photo skills. There are books, DVDs, online schools, college courses, seminars, workshops, apprenticeships, You Tube, and camera clubs. There are so many I probably left something out.

There is a lot of good and once in a while not so good instruction out there. Some is free and some you have to pay for. My opinion is that if you walk away with 2 or 3 ideas or techniques you walk away a winner. Even if you knew the rest of what was taught look at it as a review or refresher course.

Terry Quinn, a fellow photographer, once said to me, "If we both walk into a room with one dollar and we exchange it we both walk out with one dollar. Neither is any richer than when we entered. If we both walk into a room and we each exchange one idea we each walk out with two ideas. We have each doubled our knowledge".

What is truly important if you want to learn quickly is to immerse yourself in photography. You have to learn from all of the above and then practice over and over.

If you have not yet seen our instructional DVDs go to Amazon.com and search "manny pontoriero". Read the reviews and see if our DVDs can help you.

MArch of Dimes walk in Safety Harbor, Florida

March of Dimes walk in Safety Harbor, Florida

Saturday, April 30, was the March of Dimes "March for Babies" walk in Safety Harbor. There were probably 2000 attendees along with news anchors from Bay News 9, a Fox News Channel. It looked as if everything went great! Even the weather was perfect. I was there to take photos of the activities and participants.
They started with a warm up and then everyone started walking.
There were teams from K-Mart, Publix, Boars Head, just to name a few.
Kimberly Boone orchestrated the event and I thought she did a really excellent job.

Photographing Georgia

Photographing Georgia for our upcoming DVD,
The Ultimate Photographer

We just wrapped up three days of photography in Helen Georgia and Providence Canyon .

Unfortunately we only spent an hour in Providence Canyon. We got there at 5:00 and they closed at 6:00. It looks like the Grand Canyon only smaller in size.

Before that we went to Helen, Georgia. There we photographed and filmed waterfalls, canyons, trees, and farm houses. Then there was the town itself which is like a an Alpine town with a German Flavor.

We climbed down a 900 foot canyon step by step (1100 steps). Then we had the fun of climbing up step by step by step by step.
All I could think of was where in Helen is the elevator!
Our legs hurt for three days.

The weather was a little cool and overcast but that did not prevent us from getting excellent photos and footage for the DVDs

If you are not sure where to go to get away from it all try Helen, Georgia. We loved it.

Studio Photography

Nothing says "Professional" like studio photography!

Sooooo, in the newest set of DVDs that we are producing we go into the studio.

I explain Light Ratio and how to control it. I also demostrate the different Light Patterns and how to use them with studio flashes.

As in the previous DVDs I explain everything in a lecture and then go into the studio and show everything step by step.

I make sure no one is left behind.

We have a variety of subjects to keep everything exciting.

And that's not all! I show you how to use portable flashes to get the same quality on location outside of the studio.

April 15 is the projected release date.

Going to the Bridal Show

Rusty Pelican Bridal Show in Tampa Florida

Tuesday, January 18 at 5:30PM

This is a great opportunity for couples to meet photographers, DJs, Florists, etc., etc. All under one roof. Instead of running around to different locations on different days. It is an all in one event



It's also a great opportunity for vendors to meet couples that are looking for their help in producing a memorable event. With waterfront views the Rusty Pelican in Tampa is a happening place. The bridal show is the place where we as professionals get to show off the magic that we create. Meeting a couple face to face is preferable to just talking on the phone.

The Bridal Show is where you get to meet the the bride and the groom. You also get to meet the following:
the FOB (father of the bride)
the MOB (mother of the bride)
the MOH (maid of honor).
the BOB (brother of the bride)
The only one that's missing is the sister of the bride. They don't abbreviate that.
See you at the show!