“I was photographing a little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Buster. We were meant to do an ‘on-land’ shoot in his backyard, but he decided he would play in the pool the entire time. Watching him jump in time after time after a sinking tennis ball, it occurred to me that I needed to see what that looked like,” explains Casteel. “I had no idea what to expect, but I just thought the results were so fascinating and fun.”

As the name of his business, Little Friends Photo, implies, Casteel specializes in pet photography. To say Casteel loves man’s best friend would be an understatement. Like photographers who specialize in human portraits, Casteel seeks to bring out the unique personality of each pet. Casteel’s experiment yields personality plus as determined dogs paddle their way to their play prey.

“From the water’s surface, it’s a simple exercise: a dog’s leap, a splash, and then a wet head surfacing with a ball, triumphant,” says Casteel. “But beneath the water is a chaotic ballet of bared teeth and bubbles, paddling paws, fur and ears billowing in the currents. From leaping lab to diving dachshund, the water is where a dog’s distinct personality shines through; some lounge in the current, paddling slowly, but others arch their bodies to cut through the water with the focus and determination of a shark.”

The timing of all this viral attention comes at a perfect time for Casteel, who is putting together a book to be released this fall called Underwater Dogs, which features 80 portraits of diving dogs, which Casteel says “gives playful and energetic testament to the rough-and-tumble joy that our dogs bring into our lives.”

Casteel also has an exhibition opening in Brazil this month, which will be followed over the summer here in the United States. The photographs are available at Casteel’s website as art prints up to five feet wide. “They look so cool when they are big,” says Casteel.

WPPI says that WPPI U is a comprehensive, university-style two-day seminar providing essential education and training on multiple aspects of photography to help today’s up-and-coming photographers not only strengthen their shooting skills, but also learn how to be successful in their business and marketing practices.

“What began nearly three years ago as a one location educational seminar has grown into the ultimate learning experience that hits the road this summer to bring WPPI-quality education to four key cities in the United States,” said George Varanakis, Show Director of WPPI U and Publisher of Rangefinder. “Ideal for emerging photographers who envision a successful career in photography, WPPI U allows attendees to sharpen their technical skills, teaches them how to run a profitable business and break out on their own using marketing tips they learn from the renowned industry leaders who speak and teach at WPPI U.”

Featuring several guest instructors, WPPI U class topics will include:

• Lighting & Posing Techniques
• Wedding & Portrait (now including Children & Pets)
• Business Planning & Accounting
• Presenting & Marketing Your Business
• Postproduction – Lightroom & Photoshop
• Social Marketing Panel
• Portfolio Reviews

Professional photographers scheduled to speak at WPPI U include:

• Fairfield N.J.: Lindsay Adler, Sal Cincotta, Anthony Vazquez, Christa Meola, Blair and Suzanne Phillips, Jared Platt, Susan Stripling, and Doug Gordon
• Atlanta: Lindsay Adler, Sal Cincotta, Zach and Jody Gray, Tim Meyer, Sarah Petty, Jared Platt, Doug Gordon, and Moshe Zusman
• Las Vegas: Sue Bryce, Sal Cincotta, Zach and Jody Gray, Blair and Suzanne Phillips, Jared Platt, Lori Nordstrom, and Lindsay Adler
• Portland, Ore.: Sue Bryce, Sal Cincotta, Kevin Kubota, Scott Robert Lim, Jared Platt, Kirk Voclain, and Jim Garner

Each class is estimated to run two hours, but may vary per city based on the number of professional photographers on the agenda. WPPI U also includes a mini trade show featuring some of the newest gear and latest technology from leading brands in the photo industry. Lunch and refreshments are included. Attendees will receive a certificate of completion from WPPI to display in their office or studio.

Registration for WPPI U is now open. The early bird registration rate for WPPI U is $125 per person until June 8. After June 8 the price will be $149 per person. Each registered attendee receives one free registration to WPPI 2013, which will take place next year at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, March 7-14, 2013.

To register for WPPI U, visit: https://www.xpressreg.net/eReg/RegDemoE-Reg.asp?rc=&aban=&p1=

For more information about WPPI U, visit: www.wppionline.com/on-the-road.shtml

FASTSIGNS CEO Catherine Monson as "Louise Steely," and Gary, a Culver City FASTSIGNS employee, apply graphics during the filming of Undercover Boss, which aired on CBS last Friday. Photo courtesy Studio Lambert.

Reality is not always as it seems, especially reality television. Just ask FASTSIGNS CEO Catherine Monson, who was recently immersed in the unreal world of reality television. Monson and several FASTSIGNS locations were featured on Undercover Boss, which aired this past Friday, May 4, on CBS.

When hours of raw footage are condensed into about 45 minutes of air time, distortion is inevitable. Surprisingly, however, this particular episode of Undercover Boss was relatively accurate, according to Monson.

“I was disappointed by some of the things they left out, and I felt they overemphasized the emotional aspects, but that’s what makes for compelling television,” says Monson. “When they first approached us about being involved with the show, we weighed the pros and cons and how it could possibly affect the brand. We decided the pros outweighed the cons, and that was certainly the case.”

In case you didn’t catch the show Friday night, Monson disguised herself and went to work in the trenches at four FASTSIGNS locations: St. Louis, Austin, Culver City (Calif.), and Phoenix. Each contact at the location was told that they were filming a reality show called Second Chances, and Monson’s “character” was the subject, so it was kind of a show within a show.

During the episode we learned about the struggles and triumphs of not only Monson, but the people at the four locations at which she worked. Monson says the four locations were chosen after the production company scouted and scoured the FASTSIGNS franchise network for the most interesting stories.

I won’t spoil those stories for you here, in case you didn’t catch it when it aired, since you can see the full episode at http://www.cbs.com/shows/undercover_boss/video/. The show will no longer be available at the CBS website after May 21.

“It is unnerving to have two HD cameras on you ten hours a day. Yes, I was nervous, and people got to see that I can’t make a sign, and I made a bit of a fool of myself at times, but that’s okay, because I think it’s not only a great thing for our company, but also the industry as a whole. Not a lot of people know that a sign shop can do vehicle graphics and all kinds of different signs, all the way up to big outdoor installations,” says Monson. “When we were first allowed to let our franchises know about it, they were very excited. We advertise on FOX, CNN and MSNBC, but we can’t afford advertising time on CBS in prime time on Friday night, so the extra exposure was great for everyone. Our franchise partners did an amazing job putting up all kinds of graphics to promote the show. And because it’s such a unique show, some of our franchisees got a lot of coverage from local media. There were 125 viewing parties around the country where they invited customers to watch the show and do some of the things I did on the show, like weeding vinyl.”

Beyond the personal stories at the locations she visited undercover, Monson was able to identify three areas of improvement for FASTSIGNS corporate: E-mail marketing, training and eCommerce. Monson took the suggestions to heart and FASTSIGNS corporate has begun to implement them.

“We’ve made some good progress. Not only do we have an on-your-behalf email marketing program, we have a do-it-yourself marketing where the individual franchise can completely customize the template,” says Monson. “I really learned that we need to ensure that all of our information about marketing initiatives, programs and training reaches everyone at each franchise. Also, we are almost finished with our training curriculum on big outdoor installations, and we have eight locations using our eCommerce website, and plan to start rolling that out to more locations in the weeks ahead.”

Canon says the new site has been launched to help make the CDLC’s educational content and resources easily available from any smart phone or tablet. The site allows mobile users to access Canon’s collection of technical articles, tutorial videos, image galleries, PDF guides and events calendar in the field or on the go.

Viewers can also register for Canon Live Learning workshops from their phones or tablets. The CDLC mobile site is optimized for use with Apple’s iPhone, as well as Android and Blackberry devices.

So, if you’re working on a Canon printer, for instance, you’re not tied to the computer and you can follow along with the tutorials on your mobile device. Click here for the Print section at the CDLC. Other sections include Photo, Video, Explorers of Light, What’s New, Workshops & Classes, an Events Calendar and Galleries.

For other helpful Canon iPF large format inkjet printing tutorials, check out the Canon iPF Printers and Workflow playlist at LexJet’s YouTube channel.

Canon also announced a new library of Wireless Files Transmitter (WFT) setup guides at its Digital Learning Center. The guides serve as a resource to professional photographers who currently use, or are curious about Canon WFTs. The step-by—step PDFs are fully illustrated and include instructions for all WFT modes, network configurations and popular operating systems.

“I prefer to call it the art department because I have a degree in art  and we really focus on design as opposed to just mass producing signs,” explains Woods. “I love what I do. I have been here at Carolina Premium Beverage for five years, and have been in design my entire career. I know in my heart that I will retire here. This is home to me; I love this company.”

That attitude alone is worth its weight in ink, a.k.a. liquid gold, and the art department has been instrumental in making Carolina Premium Beverage’s brands, chief among them MillerCoors, tops in the distributor’s market, which includes Charlotte and about six surrounding counties.

As you can see by the samples pictured here, design takes precedence over everything else. It is that foundation which secures valuable, premium space for Carolina’s Premium Beverage’s point-of-sale graphics.

The second piece that builds on that foundation, and which ensures the quality and timeliness of the finished prints, is the right equipment and the personal support to go along with it. “I would never want to do my job without LexJet and Kelly [Price, Woods' customer specialist],” says Woods. “Kelly is a life saver. Most of the time, I order materials a week out, but they’re usually here the next day. When there are occasions when I need to order something right away, she’s right on top of it; she’s awesome to work with. I have two Canon iPF8000S printers that I got from LexJet as well and I love them. They’re super fast and you can’t beat the quality. Those are my babies; I can’t live without them.”

The “Siamese Twins,” as Woods calls them, help ensure fast turnaround times for Carolina Premium Beverage’s accounts, which is another way in which the distributor beats its competitors to the punch at the point of sale. Woods, who runs the art department by herself, also has an OKI laser printer for cooler tags, table tents and other small format point of sale.

“Our goal was to surpass the main competitor in our market, and we’ve largely succeeded. Part of that success is the fact that we can get our point of sale out the door much quicker,” says Woods. Ultimately, it is possible, and necessary, to provide quantity and quality point of sale graphics in order to build market share.

She estimates that the art department produces about 3,600 banners and posters a year, not counting special events and venues, like the Carolina Panthers’ football stadium and the Bobcats’ basketball arena.

Woods says her “go-to” print material is LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Polypropylene, which she uses for both indoor and outdoor point-of-sale projects. She also uses LexJet 11 Mil Valeron Banner for outdoor projects that need extra durability, and Photo Tex adhesive fabric for cooler wraps and special events, such as a recent Sugarland concert at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte.

Carolina Premium Beverage was created in 2010 through the merger of three companies: Rudisill Enterprises of Gastonia, N.C., Cunningham Wholesale Company of Charlotte, and the Charlotte-based division of Caffey Distributing.

Each company has a long history in the beer distribution business. The owners of each company believed that by merging their businesses into one they could bring the best portfolio of beers to consumers in the Charlotte market area, says Woods. “It is our goal to be the leading beer supplier to retail customers serving consumers in the Charlotte area,” she adds.

New features include: Content-Aware Patch, Mercury Graphics Engine, new Blur Gallery, new Crop Tool, preset migration and sharing, Adaptive Wide Angle, Background Save, Auto Recovery, Adobe Camera RAW 7, Content-Aware Move, Scripted Patterns, and a whole lot more. Click here to see all the new features and what they do.

And, as with all new software releases, the new version will change your print workflow slightly. So, our technical guru and video producer, Sean McGettigan, has put together a series of videos to show you the new print process in Photoshop CS6.

Yesterday, Sean went through the printing process from Photoshop CS6 to Canon iPF inkjet printers. Today, he shows us the process with Epson printers for Mac and PC, in that order, in the videos embedded below. As always, if you have any questions about printing through Photoshop CS6 or anything else in the print workflow, contact a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538. We’re here to help…

While all of the selections that are made in CS6 are the same as version CS3 through CS5, the print window has had a cosmetic upgrade and things were moved around a bit.

Embedded below in the order shown are two videos: Learn how to print to a Canon iPF printer with Adobe Photoshop CS6 using a Mac and a PC. Keep an eye out tomorrow for the same videos for use with Epson Stylus Pro printers.

Todd Dofflemyer of Muddy Feet Graphics reports that more customers are using this interactive element, or some other attempt at interactivity, in their printed signage. As an example, a property management client of Dofflemyer’s has a text-to message included on the sign so the potential buyer can find out what units are available in that property.

Instead of using a QR code so that smart phone users can find out what units are available at that particular property, this sign includes a "text-to" instruction to find that information.

“They weren’t quite ready to implement QR codes, but it would have been the perfect application. The QR code could be at Property A6 and the website can be updated to whatever the current availability is in A6. It’s an up-to-the minute accurate version of what’s available at that site,” says Dofflemyer.

The most common application of a QR code is to send someone to a website, preferably a custom landing page unique to that QR code. “From there the message is customized, and you can include multiple QR codes to get even more specific. For instance, you could have a QR code for a summer camp check-in sign with one QR code for boys to check in with and another for girls, or however they’re dividing their camp sessions,” says Dofflemyer.

The possibilities are almost endless for the information that can be shared through a QR code and then customized to fit a particular promotion or sales program. Dofflemyer adds that QR codes don’t require super-precise printing.

“They’re very forgiving and can be printed at virtually any size,” says Dofflemyer. “One of our customers wants us to print one for the side of a tractor trailer. It works because it’s relative to the viewer; when you’re 20 feet away and it’s eight feet tall it will be the right size in the smart phone. Scale and distance work together for QR codes.”

The idea to print QR codes adds value and margin to the sign without raising the cost of printing. “It makes a real good marketing pitch, because everyone basically has a digital sign in their pocket; all you have to do is tie into it. So instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars on an electronic digital sign system, they can have an interactive sign for $500,” adds Dofflemyer.

Here are the webinars on tap for May…

Thursday, May 3, 1 p.m. ET., Eddie Tapp on Creating a Gallery Quality Print: This hour-long live video broadcast, presented by professional photographers Eddie Tapp and Joe Brady and sponsored by Ilford and X-Rite, will explore the tools, tips and techniques to make sure that a final print is ready for the gallery or for a prominent location in a client’s space. Both Joe and Eddie will be live on set to answer questions during the broadcast. This live video broadcast will start with a photo shoot and discuss exposure, color, mood, lighting and posing using both ambient and studio lights. Then it’s on to making sure monitors are calibrated and profiled, software choices for image editing and paper choices for the final print. This presentation will be the first overview in a series as this subject has many facets. In future sessions they’ll break down each step into more detail to show how to truly master the art of creating a gallery-quality print. Pre-registration is not necessary. To join this live video broadcast at 1 p.m. ET, visit: http://www.macgroupus.com/xrite/webinars/

Monday, May 14, Noon ET, The New i1Photo Pro 2, a New Standard for Color Management: X-Rite hosts an in depth look at the new i1Pro 2 spectrophotometer and the three new professional solutions, including the i1Photo Pro 2, featuring this new hardware device. This webinar will discuss how and why the new device is different and what makes it a more accurate instrument. Also discussed will be new hardware/software configurations available to give photographers the most advanced options for color management in digital photography. Attendees will learn about upgrade options, new software features, and more. There will be an opportunity for questions after the presentation. To register for this webinar, visit https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/690804266

Tuesday, May 15, 2 p.m. ET, Get to Know X-Rite, Wacom, and OnOne Software Webinar: Each of these companies creates tools to help streamline and enhance a photographer’s digital color workflow. This webinar will walk attendees through the tools that each company provides to give them a better understanding of what is available to them. Brenda Hipsher will review X-Rite color management solutions to help attendees understand which options are right for them. ColorChecker targets, display solutions and spectrophotometer solutions including the brand new i1Pro 2 spectrophotometers will be discussed. This review will help attendees decide which solution is best for their workflow. Wes Maggio and Joe Sliger will demonstrate the new Intuos 5 Touch with its new multi-touch surface, wireless capabilities and ExpressView heads-display function. Additionally, they will discuss the new Cintiq 24HD Pen Display, which lets users edit directly on-screen. Wacom makes a variety of pen-input solutions that enable users to edit and finish their images. Brian Matiash will give webinar attendees an overview of onOne Software. Brian will explain all the different offerings from onOne. From masking to edges to layers, onOne has software solutions to help photographers with their creative workflow. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions during the webinar. To register for this webinar, visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/283524744

Thursday, May 24, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET, Landscape Photography Enhancements with Nik Viveza 2 and Silver Efex Pro 2 – with Joe Brady: Joe Brady shares his techniques and workflow for turning good landscape photographs into great images with beauty and impact. Featuring the capabilities of both Nik’s Viveza 2 and Silver Efex Pro 2, Joe will share his insights using these two software programs from within Adobe Photoshop and in some cases, use them in ways you might not have thought of. Before starting any serious image editing, Joe will provide a quick overview of how and why he uses X-Rite’s monitor profiling equipment so that we know the image on the screen is accurate to the file. Then Viveza 2 and Silver Efex Pro 2 will be demonstrated step-by-step so that you can put the power and simplicity of these Nik software products to use right away. Joe Brady is a photographer, educator, workshop leader and studio owner who has been teaching Adobe Photoshop for 20 years. He produces and presents numerous online educational webinars for companies including X-Rite, Sekonic, PocketWizard, Induro and Mamiya/Leaf having had over 100,000 viewers in 2011. A speaker at many local and national venues, Joe also teaches hands-on photography workshops around the country specializing in landscape photography. To register for this webinar at 11 a.m., go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/779906490, and to register for this webinar at 1 p.m., visit https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/171251746.

For more information an all X-Rite Photo webinars visit the Webinar page found under the Learning section on XritePhoto.com. All webinars are also archived for online viewing any time.

FASTSIGNS CEO Catherine Monson weeding vinyl at a FASTSIGNS franchise shop during the filming of Undercover Boss, which airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

FASTSIGNS and its CEO, Catherine Monson, will be featured on the CBS reality television show, Undercover Boss, this Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

In case you’re not familiar with the concept of the show, a company’s owner/CEO is disguised and goes to work as a regular employee. Their experience is captured, edited and condensed to one hour of dramatic and comedic highlights.

According to FASTSIGNS, when Monson became CEO of the 25-year-old company in 2009, one of the biggest issues the company was facing was a lack of communication between the corporate office and its franchise partners, as well as sales declines coinciding with the recession.

Monson embarked on a tour around the country to visit franchise partners and put a plan in place to turn the company around, including creating a sales incentive program. She initiated monthly conference calls with the franchise system to provide updates and answer questions and concerns.

To further develop and motivate the corporate staff, she began holding monthly company meetings to share financial updates and other company news, and to publicly praise team members on their projects and efforts.   

FASTSIGNS CEO Catherine Monson before being disguised for the CBS reality show Undercover Boss.

Through her Undercover Boss experience, FASTSIGNS says, Monson gained valuable insight into key areas of the business that she will continue to fine-tune and improve in the coming months.

“This was an eye opening experience that not only impacted my professional life, but my personal life as well,” said Monson. “I have realized that I need to take more time for myself and get back to the things that I really love in order to become a better leader and CEO.”

Check back here at the LexJet Blog for a follow-up post with more inside information about how reality television really works based on Monson’s experience on Undercover Boss. Here’s a preview of Friday’s show…