The Studio of Photographic Arts (SOPHA)

08/27/2024

If any of my photo friends are looking for a flash meter - reach out! I have a number of Sekonic L358 flash meters for sale!

06/26/2024

Fellow photographers, especially those in the northeast.
I am about to undertake a giant summer cleaning of my gallery/studio/ storage unit. I have waaaaaay too much photography gear, lighting, stands, and all the rest.

Most of this equipment has set idle since I closed SOPHA ages ago. From C-stands to auto poles, seamless paper to prop chairs, I probably have everything you can think of. A lot of this gear I kept "just in case", but the case never came.

If you are photography professional in the northeast area and are looking for something in particular, please reach out by email, text, or messenger.

IMPORTANT: if you post here, it is likely that I won't see your message. Please post on my personal account. Thanks!

08/10/2020

Note: I am taking rain checks!

We are running an event this weekend, Friday and Saturday, for socially distanced, drive-through, sensor cleaning and lens to camera calibrations.

All the details are on our blog, or posted in the comments below. Reach out if you would like to make an appointment!

07/26/2020

If you might be interested in an online Basic Photography class (live, via Zoom), please message us. Thanks!

04/10/2020

As you might know, Kim and I gave a talk (video!) for the Hair of the Dog Summit on building a home based photo studio.
This talk was very well received.
Nicole Begley, who runs Hair of the Dog, has the videos, and the entire Summit, for sale right now. If you wanted to hear it, it won't ever be cheaper. This is material that Kim and I charge big bucks to learn in our one on one tutoring.
Yes, this is an affiliate link. Yes, we get a piece of the pie. So if this is something you would like to learn, check it out and help our your local photo educators.
Stay healthy and safe out there folks!
Use this link: https://learn.hairofthedogacademy.com/a/24797/xSWpJfa9

04/01/2020

Photographer friends in the United States.
If you are self-employed or considered a small business, the CARES Act (and the resulting PPP and EIDL) is a big deal.
If you don't know what I am talking about, you should. Seriously. The Payroll Protection Program is free money* and the Economic Impact Disaster Loan is a low interest loan. Both might significantly help you.
The PPP applications are opening in just a few days, and you likely want to apply.
I am not a CPA, financial adviser, and tax person either. I am just one small business owner trying to navigate through all this like everyone else.
That said, I put together a page of resources that I hope you will find useful.
I will be sharing my experiences in The Master Lighting Course group.
This is cross posted because it is a big freaking deal for small business owners. Huge.

The CARES Act, signed into law on 3/27/20, has many provisions.  And what is weird is that they seem to have included small business owners and the self-employed.  It's not like we are the backbone of the American' economy or anything.  Oh wait, we are!  But sarcasm aside, there seems to be a f...

03/28/2020

I would like to share with you a program I have been contemplating for a while. And now that I have been given the gift of time, I have finalized our new On Ramp Program.

The Master Lighting Course is not a small program. With over 120 videos on nearly every aspect of studio lighting (and even more coming), the program is as complete as one could be. And our conversion to a subscription model last year really made it accessible to many.

But I always wanted a way to guide folks into the program in a more directed way, and give folks even more ways to ask questions specific to their particular situation.

And that is the point of our new On Ramp Program. It gets folks started using The Master Lighting Course. Best of all: it is FREE when you sign up for the course. We start the On Ramp this Thursday, April 2nd.

So if you have been wanting to learn studio lighting, have a light (or are about to get one), and suddenly have time on your hands, we have the program for you. Really.

You can read all about the On Ramp at the link, or feel free to comment here or PM me or Kim.

- You have always wanted to learn studio lighting.- You own a studio light now (or are getting one soon).- You suddenly find yourself with a whole bunch of spare time.

03/17/2020

SOPHA is closed until further notice.

Starting now, 3/17/20, SOPHA is closed until further notice.
No classes, no events, no services, and most importantly no studio bookings. This means no studio use what so ever by anyone, key holder or not. We are not accepting bookings for the time being.

We haven't made this decision lightly.

Every expert on earth is shouting at the top of their lungs that the most effective means we have to fight the spread of COVID-19 is to stay the heck home. SOPHA is closing to support this effort.

For some of you it means that you won't be able to practice your art for a while. For others, it will effect your business. Either way, we regret that circumstances have led us to this action. It is the right decision.

This is going to hurt.

Yes, this will hurt SOPHA significantly. So what? We are living in a time that it isn't about SOPHA, or me, or even you - this is about our community. We are purposely putting people before commerce. Social distancing - EXTREME SOCIAL DISTANCING - is the only play we have. SOPHA (and Kimberly Sarah Photography) are going all in on it. And we hope you do as well.

When will we re-open?

SOPHA will re-open when the experts tell us it is safe to do so and not one day before. We will take a professional wait and see perspective. We will make this decision based on safety, not on commerce. You deserve nothing less.

One final point.

Please allow me this final point having nothing to do with SOPHA nor business.

A two years ago I gave a talk at the UNH leadership conference (Go Wildcats!) in which I made the point that social media pushes bad information faster than good. That short pieces of bad or erroneous information is more easily spread on social media than complex and accurate information. That citizens aren't born of 140 character bites, rather from intelligent analysis and discourse which is not readily supported by social media platforms.

In the coming days, weeks, and months, I would encourage you and your family to get reliable information from trusted sources. The CDC and The NIAID are fantastic ( ). Social media is a swirling cesspool of human stupidity right now, intermixed with tiny pools of sensibility. It can be hard to tell the difference.

Stay connected.
Please stay connected with Kim and I and your other SOPHA members, friends, and acquaintances. Use social media for awesome. And most importantly, stay safe and healthy.

- Bud and Kim

02/07/2020

Join us as we host Belinda Richards (Frog Dog Studios) as she conducts her Master Class on photo compositing for dog photographers. This two-day program will be held on April 24 and 25, 2020,

You can learn more about the program and sign up with Belinda at https://www.BelindaRichards.com/home/workshops.

If you want to update your studio lighting skills ahead of Belinda's class, we are hosting a special KickStart Studio Lighting class as a pre-con the day before - April 23rd, 2020. This program will be modified form our usual class to better help dog photographers!

You can learn more about that class and sign up at theSOPHA.com/classes,KSSL.
We hope we will see you there!

https://youtu.be/r0Qmbmpt4xQ

Join us as we host Belinda Richards (Frog Dog Studios) as she conducts her Master Class on photo compositing for dog photographers. This two-day program will...

11/08/2019

Don't miss out on our next Basic Photography program starting on 12/2! Get that camera in your hands and making great images! http://thesopha.com/product/basicphoto/

11/05/2019

We just added another section of our Basic Photography class! We have a class starting this Thursday, 11/7, and now we have one starting December. Details here:

Sure, the title may seem….plain…. but the simple truth is that the basics matter. The fundamentals matter. And here at SOPHA we rock the fundamentals. We make this stuff interesting. And here at SOPHA you don’t learn by watching a video or reading the manual, you learn in our classroom with yo...

11/01/2019

As you know Kim and I started speaking and presenting at the National level, and our opportunities keep advancing.
We are now part of the Hair of the Dog online summit (a large and well respected pet photography industry group).
We are presenting on "Building the Home-Based Photo Studio".
If you are a pet photographer, or have an interest in adding it as a discipline, then this might be the opportunity for you.
The online summit is a series of online programs put together by our friend Nicole Begley. She has serious business game.
If you are interested, use this link. (see comments for disclaimer).