Scott Kelby

Kelby is also involved in media formats: he co-presents Photoshop User TV (a weekly video podcast about Photoshop and photography) and launched a live talk-show for photographers called The Grid.

He serves (or has served) as the Conference Technical Chair for the Photoshop World Conference & Expo, overseeing technical content in educational events.

Photography Style & Focus

Though Kelby is more widely known for his teaching and publishing, he continues to shoot as a travel photographer and works with portrait, landscape, and editorial photography.

His work often emphasizes workflow efficiency, realistic retouching, and problem-solving strategies for photographers who want to produce high-quality work without unnecessary complexity.

Historical & Industry Context

Kelby’s rise corresponds with the rapid evolution of digital imaging and the shift from film to digital workflows. As Photoshop and digital cameras matured, there was a demand for accessible, practitioner-oriented instruction. Kelby filled a niche by combining technical clarity, humor, and real-world orientation.

In a landscape where technical textbooks could be dry and jargon-laden, Kelby’s tone—conversational, user-friendly, and anchored in the everyday problems photographers face—helped democratize knowledge about post-processing, layers, masking, retouching, and creative techniques.

He stands among educators who helped scale up digital photography's adoption by reducing the barrier to entry. His community events, online training, and publishing contributed to creating networks where photographers learn from one another rather than in isolation.

Legacy & Influence

• Educational Impact: Thousands (if not more) of photographers have learned Photoshop, retouching, and workflow techniques through Kelby’s books, videos, and seminars.

• Community Formation: The Photowalk concept and online communities help photographers connect, share, and grow together.

• Publishing & Standardization: His style of books (talented “tips and techniques” books) became a model many others emulate.

• Bridging Art + Tech: Kelby shows that a creative photographic career can coexist with deep technical understanding—artists do not need to be experts, but they can be fluent in tools.

Because of this, many modern photography educators, YouTube teachers, and community platforms trace inspiration or lineage back to Kelby’s educational model.

Personality, Talents & Character

From his public writings and “About Me” pages, we see Kelby described as someone with:

• A passion for sharing knowledge — he often says that when he learns a useful tip or technique, he “can’t keep it to myself.”

• A sense of humor and humility — his personal bios include fun details (e.g. being a “struggling guitarist,” dog lover, etc.) and he frames technical teaching in an unpretentious style.

• A problem-solver bent — he often focuses on practical solutions for everyday photographic challenges rather than high-concept theory.

• Consistency and persistence — over decades, he has built a multi-faceted career combining authorship, events, training, publishing, and photography.

These traits have helped him sustain relevance across changing technologies and evolving creative landscapes.

Famous Quotes of Scott Kelby

Here are some well-known quotes by Scott Kelby that reflect his philosophy and approach:

“Digital photography makes you a better photographer.” “My belief is that every single major magazine cover is retouched. I don’t know how they couldn’t be.” “If I were talking to someone, I’d look at their eyes, not at the blemish on the side of their face. But as soon as you open up that photo on a 30-inch monitor, you’d say, ‘Oh my gosh, where did that come from?’” “It’s hard to understand why just walking around for two hours and taking pictures would be just a big deal, but once you try it, you’ll fall in love with it.” “Once digital came, I could see my images instantly right there on the camera. I think that makes you a better photographer because you can see right there if your subject’s eyes are closed … and if it’s too bright or dark. You can fix it right here.” “As far as digital technology has come, there’s still one thing that digital cameras won’t do: give you perfect color every time. … every digital camera … sneaks in some kind of color cast in your image.” “If you’ve taken a photo with your camera’s pop-up flash … it’s probably because the term ‘pop-up flash’ is actually a marketing phrase … the term ‘pop-up flash’ is actually ‘the ugly-maker.’”

These quotes illustrate Kelby’s deep engagement with the challenges and illusions of digital photography—technical constraints, expectations, and how we perceive images.

Lessons from Scott Kelby

1. Teach what you wish you had known. Kelby’s strength is turning complex technical ideas into understandable lessons, often drawing from his own challenges.

2. Share freely, grow together. His emphasis on community, photowalks, and publishing reflects a belief that photography is not solitary but a shared journey.

3. Balance art with tool mastery. Creativity benefits from technical literacy, but technical tools should serve vision, not dominate it.

4. Stay adaptable. From film to digital, from print to online video, Kelby has evolved his formats and stayed current.

5. Consistency compounds. Building a long-standing career across multiple modes (author, teacher, publisher) requires steady effort and a long view.

Conclusion

Scott Kelby is a modern exemplar of creative pedagogy in photography — someone who not only makes images but builds the scaffolding by which many others learn, experiment, and grow. His books, courses, events, and community contributions have shaped the workflows and mindsets of photographers around the world.

If you want, I can also compile a full list of his books, or explore how his style influenced modern photography education. Do you want me to dig deeper?