JUST ONE FLASH OFF TO PUBLISHER

An acknowledgement: There is nothing more satisfying than having the opportunity to share your passion with those you love. With this in mind, we extend our deepest gratitude to both Holly Kidd and Alexis Deutschmann for their willingness to put on a smile under any condition, their participation in the making of this book was invaluable. We also thank Jacob, Ryan, Tara and Jay for their support, as well as the many IFLC students whose quest for the truth have pushed us along the path to perfect our skills and techniques. This experience has enriched our lives immensely, thank you for sharing it with us.


Yesterday, we said goodbye to our third book on flash photography (JUST ONE FLASH) ... as she was was packaged and sent to New York city. She joins our second book (MULTIPLE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY) on the desk of our wonderful editor Michelle ... who has her work cut out for her. Not only will she be examining these two with a microscope, but she's also knee-deep in the pre-press and distribution phase of our first book (OFF CAMERA FLASH).

We also had the wonderful opportunity to meet (by phone) our publicist Kate. So full of energy and passion, we can't wait to see what this fireball can do with our 'kids.'

This road to publication has proved to be an exciting adventure. We have learned so much about the business and art of creating a book and want to thank everyone for their help and support throughout the journey.

We've grown as communicators and people, seeing the world a bit differently — as if blinders were taken off. Our respect and admiration for authors (no matter what they've written) has grown by leaps and bounds. We read a lot about the process before jumping in ... but nothing can prepare you for the emotions, energy and (sometimes) turmoil that writing a book brings. It's an arduous journey to say the least and requires a dedication and perseverance well beyond normal. As many of you know we've been in the newspaper business a long time, and while similar in some respects ... it's a whole new animal. We're very lucky though, patience and a smile through adversity is something you get good at with five kids. So we actually were more prepared than we knew. There were times when the pressure was great. Deadlines will do that to you. Shoot after shoot, day-after-day of writing, designing and editing. It does wear you down. But we took it and pushed and ... we wouldn't have done it any other way. We're both aware that it's the journey that's most important. The Road to Hana is our favorite drive (as long as it's not at night).

The best thing to come from this entire thing is that we have grown even closer as a family... sharing equally in the excitement and stress. There is nothing more satisfying than having the opportunity to share your passion with those you love. Plus it proved exceedingly exciting to share it with all of our In Focus family as well. Your support, kind words and inspiration proved invaluable in the creation of all three books as well. You pushed us as artists and as instructors — allowing us not just to hone our skill at creating art but also at sharing with others how its done.

We have so much to be thankful for this season and we want to thank all of you for everything you've done. Without all of our family, without you and the love for expression and truth that we all share — then the In Focus Learning Center wouldn't be here and this bright smile we have on our faces right now wouldn't exist.

Thank you all for everything.

Good shooting and Happy Holidays.