Creating a Pet Photography Course

I want to be completely honest, I tried putting together a photography course for free last year and it was not a great time. Have you ever done something, just because you thought you were supposed to do something?

I created a photography course in the hopes of using my knowledge of photography to help others who aren't photographers or who needed help.

What I actually created was 15 minutes of video that ran over some basic information about the "Holy Trinity of Photography". ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture.

I didn't really look at what I was doing as a service to others, to help others, or even to help me pay the bills. It was free, afterall.

The Photography Course Failed

It was a complete failure. I talked about it briefly online and posted a few places. I didn't advertised the course. You can guess why it didn't work out.

I didn't want it to. If I wanted that free course to work, I would have "put boots on the ground", so to speak. But, I didn't, because it was just some basic information that I felt was a waste of time.

This is why being open, honest, and vulnerable with yourself and other is important.

I created a photography course that I didn't want to be bothered with, didn't care enough to advertise, and most importantly, felt like the course wasn't important enough to warrant any time or effort to.

I spent a lot of time writing out a script and creating the videos, but, there wasn't a true feeling of commitment to the free photography course.

Lesson Learned in Online Course Creation

The biggest lesson I learned was...

"Is this what I want to do?"

Yes, I learned to look at my sticky note I created and truly ask myself that question. Teaching photography jargon wasn't what I wanted to do, I wanted to find ways to help people, to be of service for people.

I wanted to get out of the idea of being a source of information for people.

I wanted to be of service, provide value, and promote growth in people.

So, when I asked myself, "What DO I want to do?", I looked down and was reminded of what I truly love and what excites me.

Pets and Pet Photography always excite me and always warms my heart. Not just in the photos I've been able to create over the years, but, even seeing other people explore this passion of mine excited me.

So, I still wanted to be of service for others! I wanted to actually teach the knowledge that I have in the world of Pet Photography.

An automatic negative thought or two tried to pop up and stop this from happening.

"What gives YOU the authority to teach Pet Photography?"

"This is going to fail just like the previous one, why bother?"

Well, that's all bullshit. I've had many clients, a staggering portfolio of pet portraits, and I've been published in multiple publications.

http://voyageatl.com/interview/meet-stefan-glazer-nina-glazer-philomena-pug/

https://canvasrebel.com/meet-stefan-glazer/

https://atlantapetlife.com/pug-hugs/

A NEW Photography Course

I started outlining and writing ideas of how I wanted to approach this whole course idea. How would I put out the information needed for Pet Photography in my own way? Also, how would I give people what they need, ideas and pointers, and even pitfalls to avoid.

So, instead of 15 minutes of video of me talking about 3 different subjects of photography. I put together an almost 3 hour course, with slides to show examples, of information about one subject.

Pet Photography.

I even included the old course as a bonus, because a lot of people ask about those things.

I also made it really easy to navigate and had price points for everyone. Even people who just want downloadables like overlays, presets, and an E-Book and nothing of the actual course.

You can even have one on one mentorship with me over the course of two 30 minute zoom calls.

You can take a look and see the whole course in person.

https://stefanglazer.teachable.com/

You're going to be some of the first to see this course. There, you will see a lot more of it as it goes LIVE with a full advertising campaign. I want to be sure that there are amateurs and professionals alike that are able to actually capture pets and all their personality.

After a lot of hard work and editing. I put together something I'm proud of and will help others.

After all that work, it's time for a nap!

https://www.stefanglazer.com/photography/creating-a-pet-photography-course/

REVIEW: Topaz Photo AI - My Secret Weapon

This is more of an impromptu review and a huge pro-tip for anyone out there who is a photo retoucher, photo restorer, or someone wants to help people or themselves upscale photos. I truly stand behind this product. This software wasn't given to me for free. I had bought the photo suite last year in November 2022.

What I had found is there are really good and really bad parts to this software. I want to go over each one to help you decide.

I want to start out with a little overview from each product in the Topaz Photo AI Suite that I had purchased for $159.99 in November. The suite has the following:

- Topaz Photo AI

- Topaz DeNoise AI

- Topaz Gigapixel AI

- Topaz Sharpen AI

Now, at face value, Topaz Photo AI has big pieces of each of the other software. Cannibalization doesn't mean there isn't good from each piece of software. I'm getting ahead of myself. This article will just talk about the single program Topaz Photo AI.

Topaz Photo AI

This is the all in one software that Topaz Labs puts out as a tour de force AI suit to remove noise, sharpen, and upscale images. It's powerful for how simple it is. It can be a little intimidating if you aren't keen on the settings. There is an automatic mode called "Autopilot" that lets the product determine what needs to be done based, you guessed it, AI. It will detect the type of photo, if there is a face, if it's a landscape, and apply settings that are, 7 out of 10 times, decent.

On the surface, it works great in a lot of different types of photos, it does struggle with night sky shots. Like these below:

Letting Autopilot update the photo

Tweaking and zooming in a tiny quadrant to a heavenly body to see what happens. You can see there is minor artifacting with night noise.

In other regards, the software does amazingly in editing the details of more terrestrial photos. If you shoot higher ISO or have minor blur and noise, you will see some decent return.

It's a very easy and very good software package in and of itself. That lets you get the job done from one place. It also has some integration with Lightroom Classic and Photoshop.

It's a lifesaver in photoshop, because I tend to use the plugin a lot. It's layer based and is easy to integrate into your editing flow.

Upscaling

This gets its own sub-section.

While I had recently talked about AI in a sense and what it can do in a recent podcast episode.

I want to show you how insanely good it is at doing such things. I won't even explain it, I will just show you a photo and then it being upscaled.

a 600 pixel tall pic of me from 1986

This small image was upscaled from an image that was the size of a postage stamp and that was 64kb in size to a full fledged high resolution 3mb image. And this is just a small upscalling.

A familiar face of the Mona Lisa, however, I took this and am showing a live upscaling here. On the left is a small web rip on the right a 53 TIMES upscaled image. It took the pixelated mess and made it huge and clear.

It is a game changer for sure.

The Negatives

This is a little tricky. You buy the program, and you get updates. For a year.

I understand why they do this, AI is learning constantly and learning models are updating constantly, so to limit the updates for a year is ok in some regards, however, if you forget to update your software and the year rolls by, you are going to be paying for the software again just for updates.

It isn't an end all be all. This is a quick review, and while I suggest you download the trial and check it out. I don't know if I can actively suggest it to everyone. However, if you're a veteran of photo editing, this may be a good shortcut tool for you to speed up workflows.

The Good

Simple to use AI Tool
Price is pretty good when on sale
Results Vary on Auto - But can be fine tunes
Individual Programs harness a little more power in their own right
Upscaling Photos is insanely useful

The Bad

Upgrades last a Year Only
There are other competitors who price better
Can go off the rails easily if you push it too hard
Not an end all be all program
Quirky installation and updating

https://www.stefanglazer.com/product-review/review-topaz-photo-ai-my-secret-weapon/

Follow Your Excitement

Some will say follow what excites you, follow your highest excitement, or follow what makes you feel good. There are a lot of different ways that people will tell you to do what you love.

I break it down to something very simple and have it on a sticky note right under my main monitor. Why is it there? I always glance down at it. It's a reminder whenever I'm doing something on the computer that isn't serving me. That isn't exactly of my highest excitement.

Is this what I want to DO?

This is important to remember, it's ok to do it for you!

It's a simple and easy phrase that poses you to really think about what you're doing. If it's really what you want to do. Maybe it's existential, maybe it's minor, or maybe it's a just a simple question.

I want you to really think about if whatever you're doing is what you really want to do.

It's how I have learned to stop doing things that aren't serving me or bringing me any sort of joy. It keeps me moving in the direction that brings me the most happiness and enjoyment in life. It also brings me the most success in life.

You don't have to go spiritual, religious, or scientific on this concept. You just do it and ask yourself the question.

Your subconscious does the work.

Case in point, I started writing this blog post, and veered off the path, scrolling through social media on my phone.

I stopped and asked, "Is this what you really want to do?" and my highest excitement pointed me back towards writing this post.

It's a simple practice I follow and truly using. Especially in the times where I am sitting and my ADHD does kick in and I can't get my executive function to function executively.

What happens next?

The dopamine rush of doing the thing I want to do, that brings the highest excitement, is larger than completing any other nonsensical task or chore. You truly want to do it, you have joy doing it, and completing it is a reward in itself.

So, go forth and be sure to follow your highest excitement in life. It will bring you to amazing places.

To put it in perspective, I will follow my highest excitement after I submit this blogpost, and that is leading me to play some music. So, I am going to get behind my drum kit or pick up a guitar and play for a little bit, because that's what I want to do. It's not always a "productive" thing, sometimes, it's a fun thing or hobby. However, I will guarantee, following that highest excitement in doing what I want to do, will most likely bring an idea or concept for something to further my life, business, or relationships in other ways.

https://www.stefanglazer.com/adhd/follow-your-excitement/