via Lisa Howeler · If you swore off the net yesterday, you may have missed that we're running a massive membership sale through this weekend! Three cheers for saving some dough and no lines to suffer through! · This holiday season, make sure to know how to make it look like you're home ala Kevin McAllister when you're really traveling. · One for them, one for you: The Black Friday Master List for photographers. · Vincent Bal wins the award for coolest use of shadows we've seen in a mighty long time. ·

Even though we're all  running around and prepping for tomorrow, its hard to ignore all the emails dropping in our inboxs announcing the big savings to come. To be fair, we had to jump in because frankly nothing stops us once the holiday music is pumping and the candles are glowing. So if you've been hanging on to join, waiting on the big savings, we're holding back no longer —it's here. To boot, Bloom Beginnings with Carey Pace starts next week and this is the first time we've ever discounted

A well respected member of our forum and integral part of our education team, Carey Pace is never one to settle for the obvious. With her ever decisive eye, Carey has a way of seeing past the surface and digging far deeper to really use her voice to share her intended story. Though you are likely familiar with her 365 we featured back in September, you may not be as familiar with her latest project which has our senses firing on all cylinders as she shares the

It goes without saying that when you are photoing a family, to prevent color chunks and keep eyes dancing around the photo, you need to break up color tones. Keep in mind that it is equally as important that you mix up these colors in a large group photo! Assuming that everyone in your group is not wearing a uniform, disperse those wearing the same color throughout the photo, but also remember to mix up heights, gender and skin tones. These small details will keep the viewers

via Stephanie Bryan · Find the 25th hour in your day with the anti-routine. · It's been a bit slow to grow but Instagram Stories has now become a must for marketing for creatives; catch up on all the notes you should be hitting for maximum effect. · What's your dish this Thanksgiving? We're eyeing this cheesecake marble pumpkin slab pie and these pecan topped sweet potatoes. · If you drew the short straw and are hosting this holiday, before everyone leaves pass the baton for next year and send them home

If you find yourself in a situation where you are photoing a group larger than an immediate family, like an extended family, company or real estate team, instead of lining them up on one horizontal plane, try breaking up the group into 3 or so smaller groups within the frame. Staggering your subjects within their single group while keeping the groups next to one another, will keep your image from falling flat and leave it feeling dynamic and interesting. If you always put limits on everything you do,