Today I received something so exciting! No it’s not a new camera, lens or any other piece of equipment…it’s plain and simple, words on paper and but i believe it will change any photographer’s life!

It’s Dane Sander’s book: Fast Track Photographer. I stumbled on the fast track photographer website a few weeks ago and I saw that Dane wrote this new book…I was immediately interested, because I knew who he was and I’m always so bummed that I can’t attend any of his (or all the other great USA guys’ like  JD, Jessica Claire, Jasmine Star) workshops or courses, becasue I’m all the way here in Africa..but now there was a book! YEH!

So I ordered it and hoped that it would arrive asap..

Today it arrived! And the postal time was actually surprisingly fast. Only about 2 weeks. Now I have to confess I’m not the most enthusiastic reader out there. I’ve actually, until now, considered myself as a picture lover and not a word lover…probably also why I became a photographer :)

But this book is exciting me so much, I had to put it down quickly and write about it.  I’m not being paid to do this or anything like that..I just believe that there are so many other photographers out there especially in SA, that can benefit form this book.

I also believe that there will probably be a view posts about this book as I read it. But for now I don’t have any WOW words of my own, except this piece I’m sure will touch you as it touched me…it’s the first paragraph of the book as well as a few paragraphs form the foreward of Dane’s Book…

“If you’re looking for a technical book on how to take better photographs, this is not the book for you. This is not a “how to” book, at least not in the traditional sense. This book has loftier goals. It is meant to tempt you into a fundamentally different way of approaching photography, one that begins not with the photograph but with something far more interesting: you.”

From the foreward by Robert Evans:

Fast Track Photographer is Dane’s love for photography in written form in order to help you the reader define who you are or will become in photography while avoiding the pitfalls he himself ran up against. To write a book to help circumvent the obstacles he faced on his own path in photography is truly an act of compassion and that is what you are about to find out for yourself. (Merriam-Webster defines compassion as: sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.) Dane Sanders’ act of compassion in writing this book in order to make sure your path is laser sharp early on, will save you time, the most valued commodity in business, and more importantly, make you more money faster.

Imagine whittling a stick with a knife in an attempt to get it to a sharp point. You use the knife to slowly carve away at the stick, all the while being careful not to cut yourself. Just as in growing a business we try one thing then another, to find the quickest and most efficient way to reach our business goals. We may after many attempts find our way to accomplishing our objective, just like whittling that stick. When we are finished our stick/business strategy is honed in, however crude it may be. Reading this book will be like having your stick’s tip sharpened in a state-of-the-art laser-sharpening machine. Your tip will have a precision razor sharp edge in a fraction of the time, giving you an edge over your competition.

In my own career I have watched the photography industry change at light speed. The opportunities today compared with when I started are far more numerable. The digital world sheds light on many new roads not available just ten short years ago. The learning curve with digital is much quicker than with film, most likely why you are a photographer today.

When I look back on my career over the last twenty years, one of the most important things I have learned is to keep moving in the direction of my goals no matter the obstacle. So long as I do, the universe keeps placing stones on the path in front of me on which to walk. Therefore, if photography is truly your passion, then no matter the road blocks along the way just keep moving forward. The path you will travel in photography is waiting for you to make your footprint; go out and make an impression. It is up to you how deep it will be.

Capture the bigger picture and create value with your camera, and your career will flourish.

Robert Evans
Studio City, California

Robert has been shooting celebrity weddings and portraits for almost twenty years. Some of his noteworthy clients include Jim Carrey, Jenny McCarthy, Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise.