I think I want to start a new series of blog posts where I talk about photographers who inspire me. First photographer in this new monthly blog post series who inspires me is Scott Kelby. Not only is Scott Kelby a photographer, but he is also an author, founder of KelbyOne, editor of Photoshop User Magazine and co-founder of National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). Not a bad resume so far right?
I first met Scott at one of his Photoshop training seminars back in 2002 in Fort Lauderdale while I was a web developer for Motorola. I believe it was for a Photoshop 7 class. I know it seems like eons ago. I remember I came away impressed with Scott and his teaching style not to mention how easy he was to approach during the breaks etc. Oh, and I did come away with how to properly use Curves in Photoshop.
It wasn’t until a few years later than I found out he was also a photographer. I ended up following his website, social media accounts and buying his books etc. Ok, I bought a lot of his books. I even became a member of his training website, KelbyOne, where you get tutorials from all these instructors ranging from Photoshop to photography to website building. I guess you can say I became a Scott Kelby fan, but I swear I’m not some obsessive stalker or anything. By the way Scott, I love the way you redecorated your living room. It’s looks really great from the street.
With Scott, I think he genuinely wants to help others be better whether it be photographers or Photoshop users. He is always sharing his techniques as well as how he took a photo and the equipment he used. It’s refreshing when other photographers share their tips of the trade. Plus it doesn’t hurt to gain a little extra knowledge.
I really enjoy his tips on shooting sports, especially football. Since I shoot the Miami Hurricane football games along with some Miami Heat and Miami Dolphins practice, I can put to use the tips he shares on his blog and as well as KelbyOne.
Speaking of KelbyOne, if you’re a graphic designer, blogger, web developer, photographer etc. that website has tons of tutorials given by some of the best instructors in the industry. The amount of knowledge on there is awesome especially to have it all in one place.
Even though Scott is a busy man, given all the tours he is on, books he writes, online shows he hosts weekly etc. he still finds the time to answer comments on his blog posts and on social media himself. I won’t lie it’s always pretty cool when you see that Scott Kelby replied to a tweet or accepted your invitation on LinkedIn.
I don’t want to sit here sounding like I’m a huge fan boy of his, so I have a couple knocks against him as well. The major one is using selective color in a photo. I kid, I kid. I know there are people who gripe about how they think Canon or Apple sponsor him to push their products, but I’m not one of them. Although it would have been nice had he left his Nikon 400mm laying around somewhere and I happened to stumble upon it before he converted to all Canon.
So if you get a chance, check out Scott’s website and defintely KelbyOne. I know he will be in the Miami/Ft.Lauderdale area on December 1st for a class, so I will try to get out there and soak up some more knowledge. If you’re in the area, check it out too.