Scott’s Top Five List Of Everything! (revisited)

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Yesterday in my Twitter feed I saw this tweet:

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I thought it was a pretty intriguing idea (and I was curious myself to see how many of my picks would still be the same eight years later), so I went and updated it here today (below).

I was happy to see that I actually got to do some of the bucket list things I listed as “Want to do before I die” type of stuff. I also slightly updated the topics to reflect where I’m at today and what I’m using today. Also, if there’s a topic I missed, or a product/service/restaurant, etc. that you want to turn me on to….post it here…there’s nothing I love more than learning about cool new stuff.

Here we go:

Note: Although it’s a “top five” list, they’re listed in no particular order.

Five Teachers I’d love to take a workshop from:

  1. Elia Locardi (link)
  2. Gregory Heisler (link)
  3. Jay Maisel (link)
  4. Frank Doorhof (link)
  5. Steve McCurry (link)

My Five Favorite Restaurants:

  1. Carmine’s on West 44th street in New York City (and in Vegas, and the Bahamas)
    Just incredible Italian Food, served family style, in a loud, wonderful atmosphere just steps off Broadway. It’s my single favorite restaurant on the planet. (link)
  2. J. Alexanders, in Tampa, Michigan, and 10 other states
    I always take visitors here first, because it’s got a wonderful atmosphere, amazing food, beautiful preparation, and great service. Their prime rib is great; the burgers sublime, but their unique grilled chicken salad has no peer. (link)
  3. Hellas Greek Restaurant
    It’s located in Tarpon Springs, Florida (a real Greek community), and the food tastes like you’re in Athens. Maybe better. Their Feta Cheese spread on Pita will curve your spine. (link)
  4. Tony’s Napolitano in San Francisco, North Beach
    I’ve never had pizza like this, but even if you don’t like pizza at all, their Coccoli with Italian beef, horseradish, giardiniera peppers appetizer is from another planet, and worth the trip alone. Mind blowing pizza from a master!
    (link)
  5. Mimi e Coco Wine Bar in Rome
    This tiny little restaurant in the backstreets of Rome is a place you’ll never forget. Not just one of the best restaurants in Rome. It’s one of the best restaurants anywhere. (link)

My Top Five Favorite Business Books:

  1. Purple Cow, by Seth Godin (link)
  2. The One Thing, by Gary Keller (link)
  3. Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh (link)
  4. The 4 Disciplines of Execution, by Chris McChesney and Sean Covey (link)
  5. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, by Gary Vaynerchuk (link)

Five camera accessories I love:

  1. A Hoodman Loupe
    If you shoot outdoors, you will find this invaluable. It covers the LCD monitor on the back of your camera, and you look through it (like a Loupe) so you can actually see what you just shot, even in bright daylight. I couldn’t shoot outdoors without it. (link)
  2. A tripod from 3-legged thing
    I just took mine to Iceland and it performed like a boss, but it folded up so small I could fit it in my carry-on roller, or attach to my camera backpack. Very cleverly designed, and the price is right. (link)
  3. A Really Right Stuff BH-40 Bullhead
    If you’re going to get a tripod, you need a killer ballhead. The ones from Really Right Stuff are the best. I use their BH-40 midsize with the quick release lever. You’ll fall in love (ask anyone who owns one). (link)
  4. A Battery Grip
    It’s not just for the extra battery life (in fact, I’d say that’s secondary). It’s for the vertical shutter release and controls, so when you’re shooting vertically, the shutter button is right where you’d hope one would be. Plus, you’ll love the feel of your camera with a battery grip. You can find one for most any DSLR brand, and they’re not too expensive (with most below $200).
  5. An ND Filter (a three-stop or a 10-stop)
    I know, everybody needs a polarizer, but this is that next level, and gives you that silky water for landscapes, or smooth skies for architecture, and it’s a black and white photographer’s best friend. Pick ’em up at B&H. 

Five things you probably didn’t know about me:

  1. I don’t eat any type of seafood—not tuna, not shrimp, nada! If it swims, I don’t eat it. If it gets near stuff that swims, I don’t eat it. That being said; I ate Sushi for the first time this year and I liked it. There’s hope.
  2. I love the TV show The Walking Dead, and yet I really hate gory stuff, or scary stuff, or really violent stuff, and I can’t imagine a TV show that has more of all three. That’s how good it is. I cover the screen with my hands and lower the volume during gross or scary parts. Again, that’s how good it is – it’s worth it.
  3. I’m a pretty decent rapper, and not too bad a country music singer, too (I played piano in a country band for a couple of years when I was…ahem… a bit younger). I also play guitar almost every day (I have an amp on my desk, and 18 guitars in my office), and I play drums fairly often, too. Yes, I have a bass, two bass amps, and I play it too (I slappa da bass, mon!). My wife bought me a Yamaha Baby Grand piano for my birthday about 14 years ago, and I dearly love it (Always a dream of mine).
  4. I used to be a tournament foosball player. I am not making this up.
  5. I used to be a professional magician. My stage name was “The Great Scott!” – I am not making this up, either.

My Top 5 Camera Bags:

  1. Think Tank Photo Airstream Roller
    It’s small — not only will it fit in the overhead bin, it’ll fit under your seat. Holds more than it ever looks like it would. (link)
  2. Moose Peterson’s Backpack Series
    When you need to carry a lot of gear, and still have it fit in the overhead bin like a boss, this is the one. Really smartly designed with quick access to everything (in three different sizes). (link)
  3. Think Tank Photo’s Airport International Roller
    This is what I use for shooting football, and I take a ton of gear. It holds my two bodies, a 400mm f/2.8, my 70-200mm, a third and/or fourth lens, straps, knee pads, rain gear, and all sorts of accessories. It’s the big dog! (link)
  4. Vanguard Quovio 44
    This is the backpack I took to Iceland and it worked really nicely for all the gear I took (which was too much gear). This is great if you main goal is quick access to your gear. (link)
  5. The Everyday Messenger bag from Peak Design
    They designed this beautiful travel photography bag with Trey Ratcliff, and together they created something really wonderful. It doesn’t scream camera bag; it doesn’t scream laptop bag. It only screams “that’s a beautiful bag.” So clever. (link)

Five Photography Books That Will Inspire You:

  1. Light, Gesture, and Color, by Jay Maisel (link)
    His seminal work, and one every photographer should read.
  2. Paris, by Serge Ramelli (link)
    Only a Parisian can see Paris this way. Beautiful.
  3. 50 Portraits, by Gregory Heisler (link)
    If you make portraits, you must have this book to refer to. It’s magic.
  4. Air by Vincent Laforet (link)
    A view of the world from above. You’ve never seen it this way. Stunning.
  5. French Kiss: A love letter to Paris by Peter Turnley (link)
    Capturing romance in the city where it was born.

Five Great Photography Books that will Teach You:

  1. Understanding Exposure (4th edition), by Bryan Petersen (link)
  2. Picture Perfect Lighting, by Roberto Valenzuela (link)
  3. The Moment it Clicks, by Joe McNally (link)
  4. It’s Not About The f-stop, by Jay Maisel (link)
  5. The Creative Fight, by Chris Orwig (link)

Five Photographers You Should Be Following on Instagram:

  1. CestMaria
  2. Ruinism
  3. Davidbergman
  4. Kalebra_kelby
  5. DrewGurian

Five SPORTS Photographers You Should Be Following on Instagram:

  1. Vikingsphotog
  2. RobFoldy
  3. Carlsonphotos
  4. Michaelbenford74
  5. Officialdolphinsphotog

Five TRAVEL Photographers You Should Be Following on Instagram:

  1. Everythingeverywhere
  2. Hybriddave
  3. Ig_shotz_Le
  4. Resourcetravel
  5. Afarmedia

Five Really Memorable Steaks:

  1. The New York Strip at Ocean Prime (Tampa and 13 Other locations)
    This replaced Morton’s awesome Prime Rib from the old list, because they stopped serving it. A sad day, but the Strip at Ocean Prime will make you forget about it quickly. Get the Jalapeño Au Gratin potatoes with it. Mmmmmmm! (link)
  2. Any Steak at Gibson’s Steakhouse in Rosemont, Illinois (right near Chicago O’Hare Airport)
    I don’t know what they’re doing to their steaks, but it works. I never miss it when I go to Chicago each year. The service is off-the-chain, too! (link)
  3. The New York Strip at Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse in Grand Central Terminal, NYC 
    Joe McNally recommended this to me a few years ago, and the atmosphere is as awesome as the steak and sides. Surprisingly good! (link)
  4. The Prime Rib at Keen’s Steakhouse in NYC
    If you order the King’s Cut of their legendary Prime Rib, everyone at the table will take their camera out and take a photo of it. Guaranteed! It looks like Fred Flintstone ordered it. It so big it has it’s own ecosystem. (link)
  5. The Steak Frites Roquefort at Mon Ami Gabi, Paris Hotel, Las Vegas (also in Chicago
    It’s a thin, wonderful French steak with bleu cheese on top. Amazing! The “Frites” (fries) are the best in Vegas, and they give you a mountain of them, but their Baked Goat Cheese in red tomato sauce with crispy french bread is a showstopper. Hard to beat!  (link)

My Top Five Favorite Fonts Right Now

  1. Cezanne (from P22) (link)
    Every time I use this font, people write in to ask me what it is. It rocks in all lowercase.
  2. Al Fresco (link)
    I love this for Wedding books – not too stuffy. A friendly script.
  3. Kozuka Gothic Pro (link)
    I use this font for presentations and slides. Very modern look to it.
  4. Bebas Neue (link)
    Another one that looks very modern – very tall thing letters.
  5. Satisfaction (link)
    A very cool script font – very casual and fun. Again, looks great in all lowercase.

My Top Five Workhorse Fonts

  1. Helvetica (This classic in the middle of a huge comeback)
  2. Leto (When I need something hipper than Helvetica. Very modern clean look but with personality)
  3. Futura Light (Try it in all caps with lots of tracking [space] between letters).
  4. Trajan Pro (When I went something to look really elegant, this is where I turn. It’s the Hollywood movie font)
  5. Gil Sans Light (It can be both elegant and casual. Try it in all caps with lots of tracking [space] between letters).

Five Books You Probably Didn’t Know I’ve Written:

  1. The Book for Guys Who Don’t Want Kids (link)
  2. Macintosh: The Naked Truth (link)
  3. It’s a Jesus Thing (link)
  4. The iPhone Book (link)
  5. Buy this book of Chapter Intros Even Though You Won’t Learn Anything (link)

Top Five States I’ve Never Been (but want to visit)

  1. Wyoming
  2. Mississippi
  3. North Dakota
  4. Idaho
  5. Iowa

Five places in the US I Can’t Wait to shoot:

  1. Death Valley, CA
  2. The Library of Congress
  3. Great Sand Dunes National Park
  4. The interior of the New York Yacht Club
  5. That Big Empty Airplane Hangar in CA they use in those car ads

Five Lenses I love:

  1. The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS (it’s my workhorse lens)
  2. The Canon 11-24mm f/4  (it’s the widest wide-angle ever made)
  3. The Canon 200-400mm f/4 with built-in 1.4 tele-extender (a sport’s shooter’s dream)
  4. The Canon 8-15mm Fisheye zoom (Love the fish, in moderation)
  5. The new Canon 16-35mm (I don’t have it yet, but I’ll sell some other lens to get it)

Five places I Want to Shoot Internationally:

  1. Morocco
  2. The Admont Abbey Library in Austria, and the National Library of Austria
  3. The University of Coimbra General Library, Coimbra, Portugal
  4. Norway
  5. Patagonia

Five Sports I Still Want to Shoot:

  1. Indoor Cycling
  2. Track & Field
  3. Moto GP racing
  4. The Tour De France
  5. Formula 1 Racing

Five Photoshop Accessories You Shouldn’t Live Without:

  1. A Hardware Calibrator (I like the Datacolor Spyder 5 Elite (link) or the X-Rite i1 Display Pro (link)
  2. A Wacom Tablet (I love my Intous Pro – I have both the Small and Medium) (link)
  3. A huge archival drive (I use a Synology NAS) (link)
  4. A small lightweight portable backup drive (I take mine everywhere I go — here’s the one I use)
  5. Alexis 6″ Studio Monitor Speakers (nobody should retouch in silence) (link)

My Top Five Photoshop Plug-ins:

  1. Google/Nik Software ColorEfex Pro 4.0 (link)
  2. Portraiture, by ImageNomic (surprisingly good skin retouching) (link)
  3. Google/Nik Software Silver Efex Pro 2 (for black & white conversions) (link)
  4. Aurora HDR Pro by MacPhun (it’s the current HDR champ) (link)
  5. Perfectly Clear Version 2 by Athentech (it’s better than you’d think) (link)

Five other software apps I use and totally dig:

  1. Lightroom (I spend about 80% of my image editing time here)
  2. Snapz Pro X (for making screen captures)
  3. Keynote (for slide presentations)
  4. Adobe Illustrator (Mostly for editing stock illustrations)
  5. Dropbox (what did people do before Dropbox?)

My Top 5 Random Cool Things:

  1. Small, awesome Anker Bluetooth speaker (Looks and sounds like a Bose at 1/3 the price). (link)
  2. Ring Video Doorbell Pro. This is awesome! (link)
  3. If you run out of hard drive space on your MacBook Pro, get this Transcend JetDrive Lite memory card that fits in your SD slot, and it treats it like an always connected external hard drive (but it doesn’t drain your battery like a USB drive). It gave me 256GB of additional storage on my very full laptop without plugging anything in (except it, which fits flush into your SD slot. Brilliant!). Link
  4. Zildjian 5A Nylon Black Dip Drumsticks. They’re wicked! (link)
  5. AppleTV (the new 4th gen version actually is a lot better) (link)

Five photographers whose work has really inspired me:

  1. Jay Maisel (link)
    He made me realize that it’s not about the camera.
  2. Joe McNally (link)
    He made me realize that what I really want to photograph most is people
  3. Moose Peterson (link)
    He opened my eyes to composition and how to look at a scene
  4. Elia Locardi (link)
    He made me fall in love travel photography all over again
  5. Zhang Jingna (link)
    She takes the most beautiful, peaceful, graceful fashion images I’ve ever seen.

Five graphic designers who inspire me:

  1. Angela Naymick
  2. Mario Ocon
  3. Margie Rosenstein
  4. Dave Clayton
  5. Jessica Maldonado

Five Canon Cameras I’ve Been Really Impressed With:

  1. The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV (I’ve been able to shoot it for two weeks now. Just beautiful. I can’t…let…it…go!)
  2. The Canon EOS 1Dx Mark II (I don’t have one, but I tried it.)
  3. The Canon EOS 5Ds (Sick high-res files when you really need sick high res depth)
  4. The Canon 80D (Maybe the best value DSLR ever)
  5. The Canon G7 X Point & Shoot (A perfect 2nd camera for DSLR owners if there ever was one).

My Top Five Blog Picks:

  1. The Verge (tech stuff) (link)
  2. Terry White’s Tech Blog (link)
  3. Teslarati (link)
  4. Moose News Blog (link)
  5. ProFootballTalk.com (link)

Five cool blogs worth checking out:

  1. Fstoppers (link) – (one of the best photography sites out there)
  2. Site Inspire (great examples of great web design) (link)
  3. LightStalking.com (a great flow of news) (link)
  4. 1200 ISO Photography Magazine  (I love all their bts stuff) (link)
  5. 500px (The #1 best source of inspiration). (link)

My Top Five Things From Adobe (that aren’t desktop applications like Photoshop or LR):

  1. Adobe Portfolio –  a slick free online port that comes with your CC subscription (link)
  2. Typekit – access a treasure trove of high-quality fonts – it comes with your CC subscription (link)
  3. Adobe Express – create real photo storytelling online or on mobile – free (link)
  4. Photoshop Fix – I can’t believe this app is free (link)
  5. Lightroom Mobile – it’s Lightroom on your mobile device, and it keeps getting better and better. Oh yeah, it’s free, too!  (link)

My Five Favorite Guitars

  1. Fender Strat 1957 Reissue my wife gave me for our 27th Wedding Anniversary
  2. Cherry red Ibanez 1987’s 540-R Roadstar my wife gave me for Valentine’s Day three years ago
  3. Black Gibson Les Paul Classic my wife gave me for my Birthday two years ago
  4. Carved Flame Maple Top PRS  Custom 24  My company gave me to celebrate 10-years being the #1 bestselling author
  5. Fender Custom Stratocaster I designed it online from scratch with some of the award money I got in Dubai last year.

My Five Favorite Guitar Accessories

  1. A Snark clip-on Tuner (it’s the best — so light, so inexpensive, so reliable) (link)
  2. A Pedal Train pedal board. I so love mine! (link)
  3. Blackstar ID Core 20-Watt combo practice amp  – my favorite practice amp ever (and I’ve had them all). So much goodness in a little box. Built-in tuner, effects, and American or British sound switch. (link)
  4. Hercules Guitar Stand (so sturdy, and instant access with this clever design) (link)
  5. ProCo Rat 2 Distortion Pedal (the 80s are just one stomp away). (link)

Five Studio Accessories I can’t Live without:

  1. My 53″ Elinchrom Octa Softbox
    If I had to be on a desert island with only one softbox, this would be the one. (link)
  2. Skyport Radio Triggers
    They let me control my Elinchrom strobes right from my camera—so I can run my whole studio without leaving the back of my camera. Huge time/frustration saver. (link)
  3. Two Matthews 24×36″ Black Flags
    You can use them block flash aiming back at your camera, or eliminate spill onto your backgrounds, or just soak up light falling on your subject. (link)
  4. Rolling Light Stands
    Rolling lights around, on incredibly sturdy stands, just makes life in the studio so much faster and easier. (link)
  5. A Laptop Stand and USB Extender Cable for shooting tethered
    Shooting straight into your laptop, and seeing your photos at 8×10 size as they’re shot, gives you a much higher chance of success. All my tethering gear is from Tethertools.com – their stuff rocks!

My Top 5 Hot Shoe Flash Goodies:

  1. The Phottix Oden Flash Trigger
    I’ve used them all, and this one is the easiest to use ever. (link) That link is to the Canon version. You have to choose the model that works with your brand of camera. Use these with Phottix Oden flashes (I use them myself. Very good stuff! – these are the flashes I have out with me on tour right now).
  2. Westcott Recessed Mega JS Apollo Softbox
    I use this one on my seminar tour, and it is amazing of the price (and portability). 50″ x 50″ of soft, beautiful light. Cleverly designed, and only around $169. (link)
  3. Impact Light Stands with tilt and hot shoe bracket
    These are inexpensive lightweight stands and it’s a set of two, with two tilt brackets you’re gonna need, for less than $100. Put the umbrellas it comes with on eBay. (link)
  4. A low stand for your background light
    If you light your background, this is the inexpensive stand I use. It’s short, and you can remove the pole and mount your flash right to the bottom of the stand to really get it out of the way. It’s like $24 (link)
  5. Keep your background light from spilling forward
    ExpoImaging makes a thing called a “Flash Bender” and it velcros around your flash unit; and it helps direct the light toward your background, and it helps contain flash spill, so the light doesn’t bounce back too much and light your subject when all your want to light is the background. Very handy. (link)

Five things People tell me I say a lot:

  1. All right… (apparently, I start a lot of sentences this way)
  2. Here’s the thing (This one, too).
  3. Hi, everybody…
  4. Basically…
  5. Cool

My Top 5 Burger Joints in America:

  1. Plan B. Burger in Hartford, CT
  2. Milt’s in Moab, Utah
  3. Bobby’s Burger Palace, Las Vegas
  4. In & Out Burger (Out West, and now Texas)
  5. Boston Burger Company

In the hunt for the top 5 burger joints:

  1. Bru Burger Bar, Indianapolis
  2. J. Alexanders (multiple locations)
  3. Burger 21, Tampa
  4. Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries (Atlanta Airport, Airside A. Don’t laugh. Ask Brad – they rock!)
  5. Crown Burger, Salt Lake City, Utah

Five magazine’s I recommend for Photographers

  1. Outdoor Photographer (for landscape and nature photographers) link
  2. PDN (For working pros in advertising and stock photography) link
  3. Digital Photo Pro (I love it!) link
  4. Professional Photogapher (PPA’s member magazine) link
  5. Shutterbug (It’s better than ever) link

Five things I want to do before I die:

  1. Walk my daughter down the aisle (she’s only 10, so hopefully that’s a long ways off)
  2. I want to get a LOT better at guitar
  3. Write a book to convince corporate types what a difference good graphic design makes
  4. I want to shoot the Olympics
  5. Celebrate my 50th Wedding Anniversary (only 23 years away–I’ll be 78)

OK, does that seem like a lot of top 5s, because it took me for-freakin’ ever to put this list together (oy!).

Anyway, there ya have it. I don’t know whether to thank Paul Bowers for that Tweet, or curse him, because I started this about 4 hours ago, and I’m just finishing up. Clearly, I must not have had anything to do tonight (besides, last I heard FSU was taking a beating, so I guess I was better off writing this post).

Hope you all have a great Tuesday! I’m happy to be back at work and seeing everybody today. Hope yours is a good one.

Best,

-Scott

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  1. That was a fun read! Some great links to click on in the coming days. Wish there was some Nikon love (I didn’t read the 2008 list, but I bet there was something Nikon there), but I understand why. I can’t believe no one mentioned how much you say “Now…” when pause while giving a lesson/seminar! ?

    Still waiting for those Iceland pics you promised us last week! ::foot tapping:: ?

    –John

    1. Hey John – Yeah – I can’t believe I’m entering my 4th season shooting football on Canon now, and I’m loving it! As for Iceland pics – I’m doing a members-only Webcast on Thursday at 2pm where I’m going to share image, camera techniques and post processing stuff. Should be a lot of fun – hope you can join us. :-) http://kelbyone.com/webcast

      1. All right! Here’s the thing….KelbyOne webcasts are basically cool. ?

        Dude, I try to never miss a webcast. I’ll be sure to come up with a question for you! ?

    1. I’m not surprised that Scott gave you the shout out. You are amazing and always put a smile on my face when I get the opportunity to interact with you…usually at Photoshop World!!!

      1. Michael – Jess is a joy to work with, and everybody around here considers her a hero of design. The stuff she does in Photoshop and layout is just off the chain. Incredibly talented and just a fun person to be around. :)

  2. Nice list, but is the Mark IV really that great ? The way i see it is Canon has evolved a bit instead of making a revolution. I have Mark III and i love it. I know that IV seems better though, taking the greatness of Mark III and expanding it slightly.

    Anyway: i enjoyed reading about your picks and all materials that i came across.
    Great stuff.

    1. Hi Leszek – that’s the problem – they didn’t just expand it slightly – it’s better in just about every way. Better sensor, better low light performance, more megapixels, lots better features, a touch-screen. It’s a better camera all the way around. I’m curious though, what was it you were expecting. Be specific. :) Thanks :)

      1. Actually, I am pretty happy with the new features of the 5DMK4. I finally have a good reason to upgrade my 5DMK2.

        Scott, where can people send you suggestions that ‘you’ actually see/read?

      2. Hello :-)

        First of all i need you to know that it’s not my intention to start any flame wars nor complain about how Canon is so bad, since it’s not true. Every camera maker has come a long way and still has a lot to do. In my opinion today’s cameras are really really good, but can still be better.
        I’m also your huge fan. With that being said, here is what i was hoping to see in the new Mark IV:

        -focus points that are widely spread or more of them (remember the big change from Mark II to III ?)
        -4K video that could take advantage of the full frame camera (it’s cropped by 1.7 in Mark IV); that was a surprise
        -i wish that the camera could show the timer in bulb in case of exposures longer than 30 seconds (maybe it does – i don’t know)
        -when you get closer to the viewfinder, the big LCD should be automatically turned off (it was already implemented in lower Canon models and was working fine) (maybe it does – i don’t know)
        -better quality of the smaller LCD screen as it’s angle of view is very short; once the camera is on a tripod you can’t see the settings from whatever angle you’re looking at the screen
        -buttons should be lit (for example the ones on the side); it’s impossible to see their functions in the dark, but it can be remembered after some time of using the camera; good for Canon that the layout has not changed much between the Marks
        -dynamic range to be a lot better and to gain a similar level to some new Nikons; Canon needs this and this would influence some people’s decision to go or stay with Canon and not keep their Nikons
        -since there is more and more settings in advanced cameras, i’d like to see a function that would allow me to save >1 configuration profiles (possibly on a memory card to be able to restore it later if i mess something up that badly

  3. quite a compilation and several items I’m going to go looking at …

    Milts is like your favorite pair of Levis – it fits Moab just right. I always stopped there on my 3x year drives between SLC and Dallas…

    I was disappointed you didn’t list your top 5 parking lots, starting with the Salt Flats. :) Oh, maybe nothing else is in the same league, so it was hard to get 5 together… :P

    Great post .

  4. At first I thought not another list, but then found I couldn’t stop reading. Discovered some old friends and learned lots of new stuff. Nothing like a daughter’s wedding. At 77 I still remember it. You’ll have a great time.

  5. So glad you put Bryan Peterson at #1, he’s my favorite photographer. I truly consider him the king of composition. Would be awesome if he came on the Grid some say! ?

  6. I’m glad someone gave the sentence-starting “all right” feedback…I noticed it one class on kelbyone, went back to the beginning and skipped through playing the first words of every chapter; it sounded like Matthew Mcconaughey…”Alright…alright…alright…” ;-)

    1. As the husband of a pilot, I’m thinking this isn’t a bad idea – registering the owners will help keep people from doing things that endanger others. It won’t stuff it, but it might make them thing twice if they know the problem can be traced back to them easily.

  7. Great post Scott! Definitely worth the 4 hours. I found it very interesting the photographers that inspire you. Also interesting the places you have not shot yet…….I would have thought you would have done pretty much everything already……. 2 years to go for the Olympics unless you want to be warm……then 4 to go. I took a peek at the Jesus book on Amazon……..that is really the one thing that made an impression……living out your beliefs in a tangible way. Thankful for you & Mike Hagen. Blessings!

  8. OMG I thought I was the only one. As an avid fisherman this sounds really strange but my comment regarding eating fish and seafood has always been “if it lives in the water, I will not eat it”. I can detect the smell of cooking seafood or fish at about 100 yards depending on the wind. Gak, run away. I have my concerns for you regarding the Sushi, please don’t go to the dark side. Great post, love being a KELBYONE member.

    1. I’m the same way, Larry – we really eat anything that smells awful to us, right? If someone orders seafood at my table, sometimes I can barely eat my meal. It’s awful to be eating steak, but smelling crab or fish. Gak! – Thanks, and thanks for being a KelbyOne member :)

      1. They say that “When things smell their worst, man takes his deepest breath” (Seafood does stink, but you’d have to grow up in a seafood culture to appreciate and love the smell I Spose- I’m guessing raw oysters and raw clams is out for you? Don’t know what you’re missing- lol)

  9. you have to add “Going to maine and try Flo’s Hotdogs” (look it up online- there’s a few sites showing the shop and describing the food) (You can actually buy here special hotdog sauce online now- it makes any hotdog unbeleivably good- you need mayo and celery salt too- steamed or boiled hotdog- either method works-buy some- you wont’ regret it- you can also use hte sauce on other foods as well- chicken especially- and ribs- good stuff!)

  10. Awesome post! Loved all the great books, places, and people! Definitely liked seeing Elia Locardi on the list. He has amazing work! Remember first hearing about him on The Grid. Hopefully, he’ll do a KelbyOne class in the future!

    If you get a chance while in Venice check out a little restaurant called La Zucca. Did not disappoint when my wife and I visited a couple of years back.

    Thanks again for the write-up and all the hard work you put into teaching!

  11. You really should go to Mississippi. Shoot for Natchez in mid October for the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race. This would be the perfect year as Natchez is celebrating their 300th year. If you make it, hit me up and I’ll introduce you to some really fun balloonist!

  12. I was surprised you listed the Admont Abby Library as a place you want to shoot. I actually went to school there! If you are taking this on, I’d recommend visiting in late November or the first week of December and also shoot a Krampuslauf somewhere in that area. That is the experience of a lifetime especially for a travel photographer – really something you wouldn’t expect to see in central Europe.

  13. Great post. I never thought of using a Flash Bender for my background lights — great suggestion!

    Also, this might seem odd but the best steak I’ve probably ever had was at Bluewater Grill in Union Square, NYC. Try it out sometime when you’re there!

  14. Scott, I don’t know where else to put this comment but I wanted to let you know one piece of advice I got from you over a decade ago and it has proved invaluable. When I first bought LR (2004?), I also bought your LR book and read it cover to cover. You advised that one should set up a top folder called My Lightroom Pictures, and put everything that is in LR under that. In the intervening years, I have 1000’s of images and 100’s of folders, but everything is under that one top folder, which has made it very easy to upgrade my laptop, do my backups, and generally manage my images.That top folder contains everything that LR manages. Simple suggestion, but very useful. Thanks

  15. Your content is great Scott! I always enjoy reading your stuff. Thank you for this top 5 list! I’m a fairly new photographer and I want to set up a studio with an initial investment of around $1,500 and add to it later. Is this possible? Would you be able to recommend an essential setup for around that price? What would be the essential pieces to get going? Thanks Scott and anyone else who might be able to help me out.

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