About Us (Credentials)

About Monte Zucker

Monte Zucker wasn’t labeled “The Creator” because he’s been around forever, he’s called “The Creator” because his style never goes stale. Monte Zucker is to photography what the Beatles are to music. Monte Zucker changed wedding photography as we know it today. He also changed the way we photograph couples and families. Monte’s educational seminars and classes were attended by over 100,000 photographers on 6 continents. Photographers sought his instruction because, when it comes to posing people and lighting them, Monte is one of the all-time legendary masters. Monte achieved just about every photographic degree that exists—including Portrait Photographer of the Year from the United Nations in 2002. Based on the classical tradition, Monte’s portraiture has never strayed far from his original intent – to capture a moment in people’s lives and memorialize it for posterity, In his own words, “I don’t photograph the world as it is, I photograph the world as I would like it to be.” Monte's legacy of simple, direct, and emotional portraits changed photographic history—and still resonates today.

About Monte Zucker Photographic Education:

Monte Zucker Photographic Education was formed in 2007 shortly before Monte’s passing with the goal of continuing Monte’s expansive educational achievements. Our mission is to provide the finest photographic instruction in the world in honor of Monte’s legacy as a legendary instructor and mentor. Our approach utilizes all of the finest forms of education to provide the aspiring photographer a comprehensive set of tools to reach his or her artistic potential. Monte Zucker Photographic Education authors books, produces DVD instruction, holds internationally-acclaimed tours, teaches in-depth photography masterclasses around the world.

MasterClasses:

Monte Zucker Photographic Education has created the ultimate Masterclass experience. With so many photographers seeking on-on-one training, we have set up hands-on instruction that teaches you great photographic fundamentals and feeds your love of traveling.

Italy MasterClass

Located in a castle in Tuscany Italy, this Masterclass is a photographer’s dream. Not only will you build your portfolio and sharpen your photography skills as you practice in one of the most scenic places in the world, but you’ll learn under the hands of two of the world’s most admired portrait and wedding photographers in what is sure to be the best professional photography Master Class since the Renaissance!

Photographers of all skill levels are welcome. During the week each student will learn from both instructors—giving you double the creativity and inspiration—and bringing your photography skills and your artistic passion to a level you never dreamed of. MORE INFO>>

Tours:

Monte Zucker Photographic Education has a strong tradition of creating nationwide tours that bring seminar-style education home to thousands of photographers each year. In addition to the four previous tours listed below, we are producing three nationwide tours this year, including the 43-appearance How To Photograph Everyone Tour beginning of March of 2012.

Know Tour By Still Motion 2012

KNOW is about finding your voice: deciding what type of stories you want to tell, and defining the approach you’re going to take when you tell them. the moment you find your voice and start communicating strong messages with it, you become completely irreplaceable as a storyteller. MORE INFO>>

Creative Design Tour 2012

The Creative Design Tour is a hands-on workshop that teaches you how to create personalized photographic art with edges, textures, borders, backgrounds, brushes, overlays, and scripts. You will learn the step-by-step process of creating beautiful, individualized portrait art for your clients with just a few simple techniques. MORE INFO>>

How To Photograph Everyone Tour 2012

How to Photograph Everyone is just what you need to take your portrait and wedding photography to the professional level. Don’t settle for snapshots and flash-on-camera images - you need to know the techniques to set yourself apart from the crowd. HTPE brings portrait photography back to where it started, with posing, lighting, and refinements - all the tools you need to make timeless photographs that sell. MORE INFO>>

Get In Motion Tour 2011

The Get In Motion Tour is a Call-To-Action for photographers everywhere to use their artistic talent, training, and equipment to also make moving images. We will teach the fundamental principles of filmmaking to photographers and show examples of specific films they can make right now with the tools they already have to open up their home markets to these services. In the process, you will learn all of the fundamental filmmaking techniques, what gear to acquire, and how to use it. MORE INFO>>

Photo-Fusion Revolution Tour 2010

Award-winning Canon Explorer of Light photographer Clay Blackmore leads you out of the past and onto the cutting-edge with this dynamic educational program. Blackmore uses his passion and extensive training in the classical principles of posing, lighting,and composition to explain in detail how to photograph men, women, children, families, brides, couples, and groups, and shows today’s photographers how to incorporate HDSLR video techniques and products into their portfolio. Learn how to combine dynamic, living, multimedia creations with your photography, offering a cinematic approach to everything you do. MORE INFO>>

Capture & Creativity Tour 2008

Anyone can be different; learn to be exceptional. Set yourself apart by perfecting every aspect of your craft. Clay and Jane teach both the theory and technique to endow you with maximum creative control over your personal and professional projects. Create portraits for a new generation by acquiring new skills in posing, lighting, digital capture, retouching, fine art enhancements, output, and sales. You will become a better photographer, you will expand your sales, and you will perceive the full potential a fabulous photograph offers beyond the limitations of camera and lens. MORE INFO>>

Imagination To Reality Tour 2006

Learn the complete digital workflow from capture to final output. During this seminar, Monte Zucker and Eddie Tapp cover concept to completion—posing, pixels, Photoshop, and printing—everything needed to create beautiful digital photographic portraits. Turn your imagination into photographic reality: show up with your creative vision in hand, and leave with simple, easy-to-apply techniques that will help you achieve both financial and artistic success. MORE INFO>>

Platform Classes:

Monte Zucker Photographic Education’s instructors teach and the finest and largest photography-related tradeshows worldwide. These invitation-only opportunities represent the peak of photographic educational attainment. Below is a partial list of some of the conventions we’ve spoken at during the last 12 months

Wedding and Portrait Photographers International Convention

The world’s largest tradeshow devoted to the portrait and wedding photographer, WPPI has 16,000 attendees during its annual Las Vegas convention. It’s extensive lineup of educational platform classes makes it the single largest source of photographic education in the world.

PND Photoplus Convention

Held during the fall annually in New York City, this is the largest photography tradeshow in the country with 24,000 attendees annually. Platform classes and seminars augment the tradeshow as a source of photographic inspiration and development.

Consumer Electronics Show

The world’s largest technology tradeshow, this convention features 150,000 attendees, more then 30,000 international visitors, and features photography and photographic products prominently.

Photoshop World Convention

The largest gathering of Photoshop professionals annually features dozens of high-octane classes for the professional or enthusiast, covering topics as diverse of photo instruction, photoshop retouching, and filmmaking.

Imaging USA Convention

The official convention of the Professional Photographers of America features 10,000 highly-trained professionals and an array of advanced photographic education in the form of platform classes, keynote addresses, and seminars.

Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers:

Europe’s largest convention dedicated to the portrait and wedding photographer, this show is held annually every January in London. The SWPP Convention provides the single largest source of photography instruction in all of Europe with a lineup of classes dedicated to the art and technical principles of photography.

Photo Marketers Association Convention

Now held in conjunction with CES, this tradeshow of worldwide members is dedicated to connecting camera stores and suppliers and features an array of advanced education for the professional photographer.

New York Institute of Photography

This fully-accredited course offers complete instruction in professional photography to over 10,000 students across the globe annually.