Zack Arias is an Atlanta-based full time editorial photographer with a specialty in press and publicity photography for the music industry. On his blog he shares photos from his shoots, gear and gadgets and a regular podcast of photo critiques of other photographer’s websites.  His style of writing is down to earth and easy to relate to, as evidenced in his story of getting back into photography:

My first run at being a freelance photographer left me heavily in debt and placed my family on the edge of destruction which eventually tipped right on over despite all attempts to keep that from happening. I came to a place in my career that required me to put the cameras down and take a “job.” After two years of leaving the cameras and selling them off to pay rent and fix beater cars, I was given a chance to come back as a second shooter for a friend of mine who shoots weddings. I took a D100 that he bought me, a 285 flash, an ample amount of faith, and quit my job at Kinkos in October of 2003. I was determined to do things differently this time around.

His minimalist approach to photography turned into a workshop in 2005 that he now teaches nationwide. It has become so popular that dates for the workshop regularly sell out months in advance.  As of this post, dates for 2009 are not announced, but be sure to check the OneLight website for more details.  And something I find interesting is that he his a dual shooter – carrying both Canon and Nikon equipment in his bag!  Check out the latest posts (updated automatically):

• My Blog Has Moved!
• zarias.com :: The Fade Out
• Microstock :: SIM Cards in Cameras & Big Foam Fingers
• OneLight Field Guide Launch ::
• Top 10 Ways To Become A Professional Photographer ::

Vincent Laforet is perhaps best known for his aerial photography, which got a lot of attention after he published striking aerial images of hurricane Katrina’s devastation in New Orleans in the New York Times. I was privileged enough to hear him speak at The University of Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication about his time in New Orleans, and I even scored a portfolio review with him (later that night I got into a wreck on my bike, so I think I forgot most of his advice). I remember being blown away by the beautiful graphic nature of his images and wanting very badly to be in a helicopter photographing myself.

On his blog, http://blog.vincentlaforet.com, he shares highlights and previews from current projects he’s working on as well as stuff that inspires him. He is obviously a lover of gadgets and shares a lot about his equipment, software and general work flow. In fact, he’s a member of Apple’s “Aperture Advisory Committee” and a Canon “Explorer of Light” and “Printmaster”. I’m not really sure what all of that means, but I think it means he gets access to lots of free goodies, and gear that hasn’t yet been released. Before the Canon 5D Mark II was released, he got to test it out and give feedback, and posted HD video samples shot with it. His posts on that actually helped me decided to upgrade to the 5D Mark II because my original 5D had been stolen, along with my HD camcorder, so naturally the Mk II was a viable option.  He’s got some great tutorials and tips on using the 5D Mk II, like this one and this one.  He often shares behind the scenes video from his projects that are extremely helpful for photojournalists and generally interesting for anyone else.

Check out the latest posts from Vincent Laforet’s Blog (updated automatically):

• Push/Pull Moves with Kessler Gear
• In case you missed it: Vimeo Announces New Design
• Video: “How Technology is Influencing Storytelling & Film”
• Adobe Post Workflow on Mobius
• NEW GEAR: Litepanels Sola 4 and Croma