I’ve said it often, “Photoshop World is my favorite professional conference. By far. Bar none.” Why, is a bit hard to say. I’ve learned amazing things at Imaging USA. And, Texas School gave me the base upon which to build everything I do.

Sometimes, I wish I had a posse — a group of skilled photo folks to help me with my shoots. All of us who work alone know how difficult it can be to do something complex, particularly on location. Some shoots require an extra set or two of hands, another set of eyes, and a sounding board for ideas.

My name is Steve. I’m a tool junkie. I’m in love with a light stand. How did it happen? It called to me. The moment I saw it in a Matthews catalog, it called to me.

To survive in this business climate, to improve our art, to differentiate our work — whatever our goal, we must continue to learn and grow as photographers. Fortunately, there has never been a greater variety of learning tools available.

Webster’s: Busman’s Holiday — a holiday spent following or observing the practice of one’s usual occupation. A couple of weeks ago, my good friend Hanson Fong, fresh off an appearance at the Houston stop on the Beauty and Beast tour, took a day off and hung out with me. So, how...