BRAD & NICHOLE
February 22-26, 2009
Negril, Jamaica

We hit a beach party at our resort on our second night in Negril.

Wedding Day.

Day-after session on the beach.

The Wild Thing cruise and Rick’s Cafe.

~dave

On the heels of launching his Photo 101 / OneLight Workshop at Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai, my good friend Zack Arias has been offering portfolio critiques for aspiring photographers over at his blog (www.zarias.com). Although I am currently working in the photography profession, I jumped on the opportunity to put my work out there for an honest (and potentially brutal) critique. Zack has always been very honest about my work throughout the years, even in times when I took his words rather harshly. It has only helped me grow stronger and creatively as a photographer.

I can’t stress the importance of a solid peer-to-peer critique. I typically get numerous emails a week from other photographers telling me they love my work or are seeking some nuggets of photo knowledge. Although I enjoy those kind of contacts and respond to every person that writes me, I also look to my peers to get a solid beat-down for the things I have gotten wrong or could improve on. That’s important to me.

Zack has been a mentor to me for years and I take his input very seriously. I knew going into his critique that things could get ugly, but it was a risk I was willing to take. And now, I am willing to share it with you. He gave up an honest critique and had some very nice things to say.

You can check it all out HERE.

PS Zack, I’ll ditch the emo music dude.

~dave