Check out the Photoflex Litedome Platinum Softbox...

My Photoflex softbox is by far one of my favorite lighting tools, and of all the gear I own, it is the one borrowed the most by my photography friends.

Right now not only does Adorama have the Photoflex Litedome Platinum Softbox on sale ($127), it also comes with a free grid (a $99 value), AND free shipping!

It durable, portable, comes with a 6 year warranty and the following features:

• Removable Face - adjust the natural, soft light to create just the right diffusion
• Removable Baffle - helps eliminate hotspots
• White interior panels
• Quick Release Corners - creates stronger corners and makes it easier to break down
• Suspension loops - suspends the light without Boom/Boom Stand
• Carry Bag - included for easy storage and transport
• Free grid - attaches to the face for better control and create different lighting effects

If you want to see the kind of lighting/images you can get from using grids be sure to check out this post from the seminar that we held with photographer Joel Grimes (here are just a few,click to view larger in a separate window, you can also find more images from the seminar here).

Below is our video review/demo of the Photoflex LiteDome ES, it is also on sale (with free shipping) and comes with Speedlight/Speedlite mounting hardware (with two cold shoe mounts, one for your flash and the other for the trigger), along with a light stand bracket (which also works nicely as a handheld device) and carry bag.

The Photoflex LiteDome ES is compact and so portable that it will fit in most large camera bags.

(For subscribers the video does not "push" through and you'll need  to return to the blog to view the video, or you can head directly to our YouTube channel)

Your photo could be worth $15,000!...

Yup, $15,000, that's the top prize and there are multiple prizes under that as well.

The Weather Channel is in the midst of a photo contest, open to everyone (meaning amateur AND professional photographers)

They are looking for images that "showcase the passion of mother nature and capture the beauty and power she posses".

You have until June 15th (2014) to submit your entry.

Important social media reference links...

To follow up on yesterdays post on "Online Marketing Resources", we bring you a post from social media expert Andrea Vahl, who has gathered a lot of reference links for each and every social site that most of us use all the time.

So if you want the links to get the latest news, contact info, help email links (and more) to Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and the rest of the social media "players" just follow this link to the great resource put together by Andrea.

Lexar Pro SDHC & CompactFlash memory cards are on sale!...

These are the memory cards I use (and love), not only are they on sale for incredibly low prices, they all come with free shipping as well!

Lexar 32GB Professional SDHC UHS-I 600x Class 10 Memory Card, 45MB/s Write Speed $16.95

Lexar 64GB Professional 600x SDXC UHS-I Class 10 Memory Card, 90MB/s guaranteed read transfer speed $42.95

Lexar 128GB Professional 600x SDXC UHS-I Class 10 Memory Card 90MB/s guaranteed read transfer speed $93.95

Lexar 16GB Professional 1066x CompactFlash Memory Card 160MB/s read transfer speed $48.95

Lexar 64GB Professional 1066x CompactFlash Memory Card 160MB/s read transfer speed $88.95

Lexar 16GB Professional 1066x CompactFlash Memory Card - Pack Of Two - 160MB/s read transfer speed $91.95

Lexar 32GB Professional 1066x CompactFlash Memory Card 160MB/s read transfer speed $63.95

Lexar 16GB Professional 800x CompactFlash Card 120MB minimum guaranteed sustained read speed $42.95

Lexar 64GB Professional 800x CompactFlash Card - 2 Pack - 120MB/s minimum guaranteed sustained read speed $184.95

A must read for online marketing resources...

Let's face it, if we don't have an effective online marketing plan, we are invisible to our potential clients.

One resource I use to help me to stay informed and to fine tune my online plan is Feldman Creative, written by Barry Feldman.

Barry recently posted "30+ Need-to-Read Resources on Online Marketing" which is a great starting point for anyone who would like to understand and then implement an online marketing strategy.

Head over to Feldman Creative and read this post, then subscribe to keep informed and up-to-date, you will find it to be time well spent.

Free "how to" webinar on Digital Asset Management...

The most important part of our workflow, heck, of any photography business is DAM (digital asset management), having a good workable system for rating, ranking, storing (and finding) your files is imperative to every photographer.

If you can't find a file, just how difficult does that make your day, how much time do you waste "hunting" down images? And worse, what if you can't find it?

On June 2nd you will have the opportunity to take a big step forward in managing your images.

You can register for this free online seminar with photographer and instructor Peter Krogh, he'll be talking about the methods covered in-depth in his new book, organizing your photos with Lightroom 5. Peter's book (and this webinar) will offer you a clear vision of the process of building an organized photo library, thus enhancing your workflow. He breaks the process down to three basic tasks: Store, Tag and Create. By using this method, you'll be able to find an organizational style and workflow that's right for you and your photography.

Topics to be discussed and covered:

♦ How to understand the difference between Store, Tag and Create
♦ How to create a solid storage structure for your image files
♦ Finding and filtering with tags
♦ How to use Keywords
♦ Using Locations tags
♦ How to use ratings effectively

And more.

Follow this link and you can sign-up for one of two seminars that will be offered on June 2nd, the first is at 1pm the second is at 3pm (EST).

30 days of FREE online photography training...

If you head right over to SkillFeed you can sign up today and get one months worth of free online training.

You will find classes for Lightroom, the entire Photoshop series of software, lighting, gear, and much more.

But you need to do it soon as this very generous free training offer expires at midnight.