Vital Stats:
Age 63 (how can that be?); married 35 years with two incredibly awesome kids; resident of the Tampa Bay area. Struggling guitarist. Devoted hubby. Dad to three awesome doggos. His natural enemy is cilantro. Feels the song ‘Undercover Angel’ by Alan O’Day is seriously underrated. Hoarder of black t-shirts. Sometimes gets too close to the mic. Still recovering from reading the lyrics to ‘Pour some sugar on me.’ (You can’t put that genie back in the bottle).
Occupation:
Travel photographer and Photoshop Guy. President and CEO of KelbyOne (the online educational community for Photographers, Photoshop & Lightroom users); Founder of Photoshop User Magazine; Conference Technical Chair for the Photoshop World Conference; host of the influential photography talk show “The Grid;” Founder of the annual “Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk;” and author of a string of bestselling photography, Lightroom and Photoshop books.
Last Book Read:
Still Alright, A Memoir by Kenny Loggins
Favorite Films: (In no particular order)
The American President, Notting Hill, True Lies, Austin Powers, Trading Places, The Sting, Dave, Beauty and the Beast, Love Actually, Groundhog Day, Bolt, Grease, Pretty Woman, Stripes, Cars, Coming to America, Galaxy Quest, City Slickers, Wayne’s World, Kindergarten Cop, The Holiday, and just about any good romantic comedy.
Favorite Bands/Musicians: (In no particular order)
Bon Jovi, The Babys, Kenny Loggins, Aerosmith, Frank Sinatra, Boston, James Taylor, Eddie Money, Kiss, Chicago, Journey, Van Halen, Pat Benatar, the Doobie Brothers, Bruno Mars, Mötley Crüe, and most disco songs from 78 thru 84 with the notable exception of “I Will Survive” and “I Love The Nightlife.”
Favorite Restaurants:
Carmine’s on West 44th in NYC; Hellas Greek Restaurant in Tarpon Springs, Florida; Capogna’s Dugout Italian Restaurant in Clearwater, Florida; Ocean Prime; Maggiano’s Little Italy; Mimi e Coco in Rome; Keen’s Steakhouse in NYC; Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris Casino in Las Vegas; Gibson’s Steakhouse in Rosemont, IL; Tony’s Napolitano in San Francisco, Texas de Brazil, VooDoo Donuts in Portland, BLT Steak; and La Teresita in West Tampa, Florida.
My Favorite Burgers:
Plan B Burger in Hartford, CT; Milt’s in Moab, Utah; Burger 21 in Tampa, Florida; In/Out Burger out West; Bobby’s Burger Palace (the Crystal Shops) Las Vegas; Slidin’ Thru Las Vegas; Boston Burger Company; Burgers, Bait & Beer in San Diego; D-Bar in Denver, Burger Up in Nashville, The Vortex in Atlanta, and The Welcome Diner in Phoenix.
Interests/Hobbies:
Guitar, Piano/synths, Studio Recording, Drums, Sports Photography
Favorite Magazines:
Computer Music, Digital Camera World (UK), Guitar Player, Photo Plus (UK) and Digital Photographer (UK) magazine.
Favorite Foods:
The Chicken Scalopini over angel hair pasta with a lemon butter sauce from Carmine’s in NYC, an In/Out Burger Double-Double, Carne con papa with yellow rice, a New York strip with a blue cheese crust, Spaghetti Aglio and Olio, my wife’s salad (known locally by friends and family as “The Salad”), the Prime Rib at Keen’s in NYC, The Cashew Chicken from P.F. Changs (off menu item), the Buffalo Blasts appetizer at Cheesecake Factory, and the 1905 salad from the Columbia Spanish restaurant.
Latest Projects:
Finishing up a coffee-table-style educational book for photographers called “Crush The Composition.”
Accomplishments:
Wrote “The Digital Photography Book,” which became the bestselling book in history on digital photography. Won the Benjamin Franklin Award for my book The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, was named the #1 Bestselling computer/ technology author in the world for six years straight, and the #1 top-selling author of photography books for six years running. My books have been translated into dozens of different languages, including Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Korean, Polish, Taiwanese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Swedish, Turkish, and Portuguese, among others. In 2015 I was presented with the HIPA Award by the Crown Prince of Dubai for my contributions to photography education, and I received the prestigious ASP International Award, presented annually by the American Society of Photographers for “…contributions in a special or significant way to the ideals of Professional Photography as an art and a science.”
I earned my black belt in Tae Kwondo, played in a band in Europe, started my own successful business, married the girl of my dreams, and have two absolutely wonderful, fun, smart, and hilarious kids (and some crazy fun doggos). I’m one happy puppy!
Favorite TV Shows: (in no particular order)
Ted Lasso, SNL, Family Guy, Smash, Game of Thrones, Designated Survivor, Handmaid’s Tale, Mom, Big Bang Theory, and Seinfeld Reruns.
I Stay Home to Watch:
Alabama Football (#rolltide!) and Tampa Bay Buc’s games.
Hidden Talents:
I’m really good at Foosball (I used to play tournaments); a surprisingly good rapper, and I have the uncanny ability always to choose the appetizer with the most calories.
Computer Setup:
15″ Apple MacBook Pro, An Apple Studio Mac with two Apple displays.
My Favorite Stuff
- Fender Strats and Paul Reed Smith Guitars
- Westcott FJ-400 Strobes
- My Porkpie Snare Drum
- Canon RF 24-240mm lens
- Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol A61 Midi Keyboard Controller
- Think Tank Photo Airport Roller Derby
- Lightroom Classic
- TetherTools Aero Traveler TetherTable
- Canon EOS R6 2 Camera Body
- Breakthrough Photography ND Filters
- Tesla Model 3
Favorite Software Programs:
Lightroom Classic, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Keynote, Logic Pro X, and Photo Mechanic.
Favorite Diversion:
I love going to Disney World or Universal Studios with my family, or taking a cruise with my family, or really, going anywhere with my family.
Favorite Web Sites:
Terry White’s Tech Blog, Amazon, Apple Insider, Seth Godin’s Blog, Teslarati, The Verge, USA Today, 500px, B&H Photo, JoeBucsFan.com, Instagram, ProFootballTalk.com, Typeform, and WDW News Today.
Biggest Thrill:
Experiencing the birth of my son and my daughter and seeing my beautiful wife walking down the aisle to marry me (35 years ago).
Personal Philosophy:
You never go wrong by doing the right thing.