"Without change there'd be no butterflies!" Unknown If you're new to the SCU blog, I ALWAYS go off track and step out of the photography arena with a post on Sunday. I started writing Sunday Morning Reflections because it was a great way for me to reflect on my life while still being relevant to so many of yours. Well, here I am this morning, taking a drive down Memory Lane, rather than a stroll. Driving is faster, and I can use my rear view mirror now and then. There's nothing wrong in looking back at where you've been as long as you stay focused on what's ahead of you. Every year at this time I look back a little and then get totally pumped over what's ahead. It was ten years ago I was preparing for my last WPPI convention. It was the biggest conference WPPI had ever held. John Popper and Blues Traveler were the band for the Nikon sponsored party; Rangefinder Magazine was over 350 pages; the WPPI ShowGuide was over 100 pages, and everything was pointing to the largest attended convention in professional photography. On April 1, 2009, after a series of absurd confrontations with the owner of the company, I decided it was time to head out on my own. It was 2009, the economy was in the toilet, and so many people, including the guy looking back at me in the mirror, thought I was nuts. "Embrace the uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have titles until much later." Bob Goff And that's all the looking in the rearview mirror this morning's post needs. Whether it really does or our hearts make it happen, everything always works out for the better. The biggest lesson I've learned is that every change in our lives, whether overwhelming or minor, all have their own personality, and a path loaded with the potential for growth. While some of them are messy, they each add to the richness of our lives. Learning to appreciate the possibility that exploring the unknown brings doesn't happen by itself. For me, it's thanks to Sheila, a circle of incredible friends and an industry I've grown to love dearly. And *poof* here comes the point this morning. It's Valentine's Day this week, and we're all out looking for that one card that says it all. Ever notice how you can always find the card that says exactly what you're feeling? That's because we're all connected by so many of the same feelings, including those of the writers at Hallmark! We're all chasing similar versions of the same dreams - of love, companionship, success, and happiness. "Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end." Robin Sharma While change can scare the hell out of us, it's what we need to keep growing. It's the obstacles we fear that contribute the most to the value of our lives. Photography is a career where all of us know technology is continually changing and we never stop learning, experimenting and pushing the edge of the creative envelope. Life is no different - it changes without notice and tests everything we've learned to date - we adjust, grow and move on to the next challenge. Learn to accept your fear of the unknown. Every change in your life, whether outside your control or self-inflicted, is an opportunity to soak up another lesson. And, just like those things you've learned with a camera in your hands, you're capturing your life with your brain, and your heart and shooting "neuro chromes" - no camera, just memories to appreciate. Wishing all of you a day filled with love, peace and an appreciation for everything and everyone who's helped make you who you are. There is no escape from the growing pains you had when you were a kid, they just changed and now involve your heart and soul. Cherish them, because each time they help make you better, stronger and help you on the journey ahead and wherever it's taking you. And as always, go for those eleven-second hugs with the people most special in your life! "The first step to getting somewhere is to decide that you're not going to stay where you are!"
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This is the 45th Fast Food Friday series from the SCU Diner. Each one has hit a different aspect of building a successful business. And, while many of the "blue-plate specials" are photography related, the majority apply to almost any small business. I started the series in the hopes these short reminders would help you develop your own blueprint for success. Photographers are artists and artists are typically right-brain creative types. That means you can't help it if you hate the operational side of the business - the less creative structured side. Just about every Friday for the past year I've shared another suggestion to help you do more than just survive - I want you to thrive! Today's Fast Food Friday special is seasoned with a little sarcasm but still prepared with the same dedication of a chef in your favorite restaurant. There's even a special free side order of the backstory behind the image below! Procrastination is NOT a Skill SetProcrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday! Don Marquis We're almost halfway through the slow season, and there are still many of you who are re-enacting the 1806 fairy tale about the shoemaker and the elves. You've turned procrastination into an art form. You're acting like the elves are going to come in while you're sleeping. There's no need for you to do anything because they'll clean up your website, your blog, start building relationships and even write up a few promotional ideas for the year ahead. Well, the only elf around to help you isn't Will Ferrell but the face you see in the mirror each morning. The good news is you've still got time to reinforce the foundation of your business for 2019 before things start to pick up. But, if you're not ready then it's going to be a you-snooze-you-lose scenario. You know how to focus your camera - now it's time to focus your business and career and yes, for a few of you it's time to pull your head out of your ass!
No one blog post could ever cover everything you need to build a solid foundation for the year ahead. Every business is different, and if the seven ideas I just shared don't apply to you, take the time to be honest with yourself about what you're missing. This is one of the most competitive markets in the history of photography, and you've got to develop the ingredients to make yourself and your business different and better than your competitors. As I've written so many times before, you can't create images that tug at people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in it! There are no "focus fairies." You've got to take the time to focus on your business for 2019 - you're the only one who knows what it's going to take to exceed client expectations and make yourself habit-forming! And, last but not least, you know where to find me if you're stuck and need some help! About the image: Having spent my life in the photographic industry I try to always be sensitive to copyright issues. It was at least twenty years ago I first saw the photo above on the Internet. Yesterday when working on today's post, I decided it was perfect to make the point and decided it was time I researched who owned it.
There's nothing you can't find through Google and the company owning the copyright is Davidson & Company out of Atlanta. It took a little explaining to one of their staff, who started out having no idea what I was talking about. Think about it how it sounded answering the phone and hearing, "I'm trying to track down the company who owns the right to the shot of a guy with his head up his butt. Are you the Davidson & Company who owns it?" A few minutes later I was on the phone with Ken Davidson and not only did he give me the okay to use it today, but he shared a little of the backstory which adds to my appreciation for the journey so many of us have been on in this industry. The image was a conventional image, shot on film and manipulated with conventional retouching. It was created for a commercial client in the late 80's! Click on the link below to check out more of Davidson & Company's work. You'll see some stunning work, but on their about page you'll see a number of testimonial quotes, all with a few common denominators of "extraordinary service," "Trust," "Customer Service," "Quality," "Consistency," and the list goes on and on. They're a company who's stayed on course with what must have been their original goal - establish a reputation for being one of the very best! A BIG thanks to Ken for allowing me to use the image, which he described as one of the most ripped off shots in photography! In April 2009 I left Rangefinder/WPPI, finally having the courage to fulfill a dream of being a true entrepreneur. For years I had lived vicariously through so many of you and with the help from a lot of friends decided to head out on my own. Also, like so many of you, I was scared to death.
As I wrote a few years back, I remember Sheila asking me, "So what are you afraid of?" My answer couldn't have been more direct or honest, "Failing!" That should sound familiar to some of you, especially those who think they're alone on those days when self-confidence is at a minimum. Well, here we are ten years later, and my business keeps changing and growing, but there's one common denominator - I wake up smiling every morning, excited about the day ahead. I recently ran across this PDF of the speaker side of a double page ad we ran in 2010. The first program was in 2009, and this was the second one. In all honesty, it was even better than the first year with approximately 350 people in attendance and a speaker lineup that was top shelf. Las Vegas was still hurting because of the economy, and the MGM gave us a great package with minimal requirements on the room block, food, and beverage spending, etc. It gave us the ability to put together a great series of programs at a minimal cost to the attendees. The program morphed into Skip Cohen University and ran every summer through 2013, which was also the year we started the SCU blog. I chose to discontinue the program because of the changing landscape of photographic education. The Internet was providing some terrific online education; more speakers were doing their own tours, and the big conventions were battling it out with more workshops and hands-on programming. Like many other great workshops, it became harder and harder to pull together. But, as one door closes, another opens and SCU, speaking requests, and writing for several magazines changed the path of my journey once more. The industry is always changing, and it was interesting that out of fifteen different sponsors we had that year, seven of them no longer exist. But here's what does exist - the friendships that come out of all of our passion for the industry and this business. And there's one more thing that hasn't changed...people's attention span and their ability to draw assumptions based on what they see rather than what they read. Anybody want to take bets on how many people contact me wanting to know where the program is going to be held this August? LOL Happy Throwback Thursday! Intro by Skip Cohen Over the years I've heard so many ugly stories from photographers about lost images. In the "old days" it was lost rolls of film, often the photographer's fault, but when breaking the news to the client, it was always blamed on a mistake at the lab! LOL Then there are those gut-wrenching moments when your computer crashes and you weren't backing things up the way you should have been. Today, it's a lot tougher to shift the blame to anybody beyond the face in the mirror! I've written a lot over the years about having backup gear and a backup for yourself should a family emergency, or health issues prevent you from an assignment, but we've never talked about the best ways to back up your images and data on your computer. Thanks to a good buddy of so many of us, Dave Doeppel, offered to share a guest post. And, while some of it is a little over my head, I have a deep appreciation and respect for the process. But I'm not the one whose entire business is built on a foundation of client images and thousands of photographs! It's not that complicated a process, but sadly too many of you treat it as if it's something you'll take care of tomorrow. Well, "mañana" isn't a skill set. Sure it would be great if there was a button you could push and you'd be protected, but to Dave's point at the end of his post - whatever you do, make it automated. If you need to rely on doing something manually to get files backed up, chances are it won’t happen. Protect yourself and never lose your data. Dave needs to be on your radar. Just a click on his headshot, and you're there! I talk about this a lot. At least once a week I hear a horror story about a photographer who has lost critical images. Then I discover they have no backups, or they thought they had backups but couldn’t find the missing files. I will only add that as a photographer, you do have one possibility for losing files that probably cannot be avoided, complete destruction of your camera with the cards still in the slot. Beyond that there are so many ways of protecting your images. First off, and this is been a sore point for the latest mirrorless options, Dual Card Slots. Barring internal camera malfunction, this gives you an immediate secondary backup of your shoot. That at least gives you two copies of your images. It’s just the beginning. Those images need to go somewhere. Where? That’s the question. Here is where many photographer’s and other creatives start having problems. Obviously the images need to be transferred to a local hard drive. There are many many options here. RAID, NAS, DAS, Simple external drives, SSD etc. Many think that if they store images on a RAID or other system they are backed up because a RAID has redundancy built in. There are different flavors of RAID and some will survive a hard drive failure and some (i.e. RAID 0) will not. You also have a single point of failure in the drive enclosure itself. If you lose a RAID enclosure, you lose access to the data until it is either repaired or replaced. You cannot take those drives and access them in any other system. So no you are not backed up just because you are using a RAID. Your images are also just one singular piece of what should be included in your backup strategy. Your operating system, applications and any other data you have should also be backed up. So what is a good strategy for backing up your systems? Dropbox? Smugmug? Google Drive? Backblaze? These all can work to some degree but let’s go back to the basics here. A solid backup strategy is something called a 3-2-1. 3 copies of all your data, 2 copies are local and on different media if possible, 1 copy offsite either in the cloud or another physical location. There are many ways to accomplish this. Another factor of backups is that backup media is rotated in and out. In the IT world we call this Grandfather-Father-Son. It is a common rotation scheme for backup media, in which there are three or more backup cycles, such as daily, weekly and monthly. The daily backups are rotated on a daily basis using a First In First Out system. The weekly backups are similarly rotated on a weekly basis, and the monthly backup on a monthly basis. In addition, quarterly, half-yearly, and/or annual backups could also be separately retained. Often some of these backups are removed from the site for safekeeping and disaster recovery purposes. There is a huge difference in using a Synchronization/Collaboration service like Dropbox or Google Drive when you compare it to running an actual backup program. Both Mac and Microsoft do have some built in backup functionality, Apple has Time Machine and Microsoft has File History. Both create running backups with versioning. Not quite the same as a GFS backup scheme but not terrible. There are many options for backup software. On the Mac side I prefer to use Chronosync. For PC’s Acronis is one of the top backup software providers. So now you have 2 copies running locally, your primary working data and a backup. That just leaves offsite. If you have decent unmetered internet bandwidth a cloud backup is great. Something like Backblaze. If not then your best option is just to add in additional hard drives to your backup scheme and store them offsite. Some will use a relative's home or a safe deposit box. The last thing I will add is whatever you do, make it automated. If you need to rely on doing something manually to get files backed up, chances are it won’t happen. Protect yourself and never lose your data. Whether it is images for a client or your own precious family photos, backup your files today!!!!! About Dave Doeppel - Dave is an award-winning Professional Photographer who specializes in Pinup and Boudoir. Back in the 70s, he developed an unwavering passion for photography as he was rolling and developing 35mm film. He hasn’t looked back ever since. Throughout his creative career, Dave has helped countless fellow photographers hone their craft. He has also served as a speaker at numerous National Photo Conferences, including but not limited to WPPI, Shutterfest and Imaging U.S.A. Today, Dave is on a mission to educate emerging photographers on the ins and outs of the art of photography and the technology they need to be successful. Where's Dave? Upcoming Events
One of the significant benefits of social media is the way we're able to share images today, and running across this one was a lot of fun to find. It's a collaborative effort between two great friends, and it's a kick for me to have hung out with both of them over the years.
Amy Cantrell is the photographer, and Judy Host is the subject. Judy posted it on her Facebook page on Saturday with the following comment: "It isn’t very often when I let someone else take the reigns and photograph me, but when your very talented friend says, I want to photograph you, you just say, OK! This image was created by #AmyCantrell after Imaging here in Atlanta. Styled by me, (I had to get in there somehow), lol. Thank you, Amy." If you know Amy and Judy, there are a few common denominators - starting their passion for the craft, their position of never compromising on quality, and finishing with their zest for life and having fun. They also share a love for their quest of never-ending education, experimenting with technology and always pushing the creative envelope. Click on the image to link to Amy's website and see more of her work. Photographed with a Nikon D800 and 24-120 mm lens it was captured at f7.1 @ 1/200 sec ISO 500 at 78mm. And I love Amy's comment: "Yes, I admit to shooting it in "P" mode!" She went on to say: "It was shot in what is basically their backyard with all natural light. Judy did all the retouching with a little input from Eddie and me. I would have retouched it similarly had I been home on my desktop. I am amazed how quickly and easily Judy works on her laptop. I think the background processing/artwork Judy did to the image is what takes it to the next level. It's funny how Judy and I are similar and then totally opposite. She's all natural light (until recently) while I mostly use lights or at least manipulate it. It's the opposite in the processing of images, she excels at using artistic treatments, and my images are realistically based, even the ones with crazy amounts of retouching. Although I've been planning for a while to head a bit more in this direction it just hasn't happened yet." What a kick to share an image like this with two artists who have inspired so many of us and are also the very best of friends. I've written many times that the best part of this industry has NOTHING to do with photography but the incredible friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft! Judy's website is just a click away. Both of these outstanding artists should be on your radar! A BIG thanks to Amy and Judy for letting me share the image and the backstory here on the SCU blog! "What is the recipe for successful achievement? To my mind there are just four essential ingredients: Chose a career you love, give it the best there is in you, seize your opportunities, and be a member of a team." B.F. Fairless Welcome to Part II of our new Tamron Recipes series. We're sharing the ingredients for great photography and combining imaging and success by some of the finest "chefs" in the industry but in a new podcast. On January 21, working with the team at Tamron, we launched a fun new feature from the Tamron Kitchen. We're sharing some terrific recipes every month. We've all heard the word "recipe" over and again, most of the time about either food or success. And, having fun with the popularity of reality food shows, we're talking with some of the finest "chefs" in contemporary photography. We want to go beyond their recipes for photography. They're sharing insight into their passion for the craft and their journey into the business of being a successful professional photographer. David Akoubian joined us in the first post, with his recipe for a stunning image from the Tetons captured with Tamron's SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 lens and a Nikon D850. Now he's back with a terrific podcast and talking about his career, his love for the outdoors and insight to help you look at your own journey as an artist. David's first recipe shared in the Tamron Kitchen is just a click away. The two images below were also captured with the SP 24-70mm lens. Images copyright David Akoubian. All rights reserved. More Images From David Akoubian's ArchivesAlthough David's core passion is about the outdoors with landscape and wildlife, there's probably nothing he hasn't photographed. His diversity in his galleries, which we talked a little about in the podcast, is a demonstration of his passion for the craft. From macro to critters and portraits, he's a "chef" who needs to be on your radar. Click on any of his images to visit Bear Woods Photography.
And, when you visit David's website make sure you follow his blog. He's always sharing great images and information to help you raise the bar on your skill set! Images copyright Traci Maglosky. All rights reserved. Traci Maglosky joins me in this new episode of EDU10 and shares some great insight into things she's able to do today, all thanks to Profoto Technology. The Profoto team never slows down in manufacturing the finest lighting gear in professional photography. But, they don't stop there. EDU10 is all about education, lighting, technology and the ever-changing landscape of growing creative tools. This series is all thanks to ProfotoUSA with short podcasts about creativity, and how some of the industry's most respected artists are fulfilling their mind's eye visions with Profoto's technology. Traci Jean Photo Studios is located in Cincinnati, Ohio with a focus on people, primarily maternity, newborns, seniors and weddings. One conversation with Traci and there was no question how much she loves this business. Along with that love comes a deep respect for quality, building relationships, and capturing images that exceed each client's expectations. Traci shares some great content in this new short podcast. One of the things I love about her business model is the logical connections between her specialties...high school seniors get married giving her a steady stream of potential bridal clients. Brides start families and Traci's skill set in maternity, and newborn photography comes into play. She's reinforcing relationship building every time she picks up her camera. Now throw in stylized sessions, and her creativity as an artist and the circle's complete. She's got the passion, the skill set and the gear for stunning images that make her habit-forming. Headed to WPPI at the end of this month? Traci needs to be on your radar - her events calendar is just a click away. She'll be on the Olympus Presenters Stage, and also hosting a WPPI Photowalk on February 28. Her short promotional video really says it all, but that didn't change the fun I had grabbing a few of my favorites for screenshots. Check out more of Traci's work with a click on any of the images I chose for this post. And, check out the Profoto family of outstanding lighting gear with a click on any of the products below! For the last ten years, the line between photography and videography has gotten thinner and thinner. Many of you are now shooting both still images and video, most often with the same camera. I know with my own images, working with any of Panasonic's LUMIX cameras, I switch back forth with the push of a button. That works fine for me, but remember my business is based on the educational side of marketing and business. I don't make a living as a photographer, but most of you do! I'm very excited to be sharing two great videos in this post - both featuring LUMIX Ambassador Griffin Hammond. "Griffin Hammond is a documentary filmmaker in New York City, known for producing DIY filmmaking tutorials for indie filmmakers, and his award-winning documentary Sriracha." In the same way, so many of you have taken workshop after workshop to build a strong skill set in still imaging; it's time you did the same in filmmaking. I'm hoping you'll spend the next few minutes ( 3 1/2 to be exact) and watch the short film above. Pay attention to how Griffin tells the story. Then drop down to the video below and check out the newest member of the LUMIX family, the S series, and you'll have a better understanding of the gear he used. If you're headed to WPPI later this month, Panasonic along with the LUMIX Ambassador team will be sharing the excitement of the S series with twenty-six different short programs in Booth 934. It's an opportunity to check out how this new full-frame camera continues to set the standard for technology and reenforcing the LUMIX tagline of "Changing Photography!" There's a great expression from the old west, meant to evoke the image of a town having a new sheriff come to power and shake things up..."There's a new sheriff in town!" I first wrote about this topic five years ago, but after following a thread in Facebook Wedding Photographers recently, it's time to bring it back. Yes, things have changed a lot over the years, but usually, when somebody makes a statement about how much things have changed, it's negative. It's made out of the frustration of things not being as easy as they used to be, and they always sound like the sky is falling!
Yes, things have changed in different areas: You have to work harder today to get through the noise, build brand awareness and establish your reputation. Technology, the Internet, social media have changed the way we market ourselves. New gear, pushing you to expand our skill set, is being introduced regularly. But at the same time, your reach is the strongest it's ever been and you have the most creative tools in the history of photography! While certain aspects of photography have changed, the principles behind a successful business haven't moved an inch! A new photographer starting out today has the same challenges as if they started twenty years ago. The questions are the same...How do I close the sale? Should I advertise my prices? How do I get people to know I'm here? Then there are questions on insurance, promotions and the importance of never compromising on quality. My point is, the foundation of a strong business as a photographer NEVER changes:
Last but no least, your work still requires a passionate eye, a great heart and a quest to always look for that decisive moment. Ansel Adams once said, "Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter." And that's one more thing that hasn't changed - as a professional photographer you're still part of an incredible legacy of creative spirits like Ansel, Avedon, Scavullo, Karsh, Eddie Adams, Herb Ritts, Mary Ellen Mark, Arnold Newman, Dean Collins, Don Blair and Monte Zucker, just to name a few. They may have passed away, but the legacy they left behind hasn't changed. It might sometimes be challenged by technology, and even the economy, but it remains a powerful tribute to pride, quality, creativity and art. So, that old quote still applies...as much as things change, some things never change! It's a typical Sunday morning, but maybe just a little different. I've got a greater appreciation for Molly the Wonder Dog asleep near my feet. And, I woke up knowing exactly what I wanted to write about, which is a spin-off from a conversation I had with an old buddy, Ken Sklute, two weeks ago, just before we recorded his episode of "Why?" "Why?" is most often one image and the backstory to go with it, and Ken sent me four. I looked at the images, all of them beautiful, and rolled my eyes, saying to Sheila who was in my office, "Doesn't anybody listen?" Then I called him, figuring we could decide which image had the best story and we'd go from there. Within minutes, I felt stupid for ever questioning why he sent me several different photographs. He chose four because of the point he wanted to make - he wanted to talk about the importance of pre-visualization BEFORE you click the shutter. "Instead of people going out with a camera in their hands to see what they can find, what if they thought about what they wanted to photograph beforehand? What if they pre-visualized how they wanted an image to look before picking up their camera?" It was a perfect topic/backstory for his episode, and his insight into life as an artist. Pre-visualization isn't a new concept. "Previs" is used extensively in filmmaking, and Ansel Adams talked about it as "the ability to anticipate a finished image before making the exposure." But as Ken talked, I found myself thinking of it as a stronger commitment to things beyond photography. Stay with me, because it's dangerous when I start sounding like an episode of "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey" from early SNL shows! Here's my point: ' Over the last few years, more of my life is pre-visualized. I wake up visualizing it's going to be a great day. Sheila and I walk almost every morning, and I find myself excited about what we're going to see on our walk, even though it's the same four streets in the neighborhood each time. I come back to my office with a certain optimism when I turn on the computer and look at what I need to write; calls I need to make or things I need to read. I'm already visualizing new ideas, things to write about, and projects to develop. I've mentioned reading Melodie Beattie every morning for a dose of inspiration. We have to feed our brains and heart just like our stomachs! Well, this morning is a perfect example, because she wrote a short piece called "Break Through Your Resistance," and it's worth paraphrasing here to share: "We sometimes resist new lessons...what we resist the most is likely to be what we most need to learn... Lessons require us to let go of old feelings, old beliefs. If they didn't, they wouldn't be lessons. We'd already know them...We need to embrace the surprise element of life. Embrace the mystery of life as it unfolds, as the lessons appear, as we grow and change... Remember the point of greatest resistance is often the point of greatest learning." Now put together Ken's thoughts on pre-visualization with Melody Beattie's thoughts on breaking through your resistance. I'm not suggesting it's easy, and I'm still work in progress, but after being accused of repeatedly being too much of an industry cheerleader, it's an explanation of why I love this industry and my life. It's why my life is fun and rich with smiles, a lot of laughs and even the tears and sadness here and there help define the intensity of the journey. And here's the bottom line - because on Sunday mornings there's always some reason I'm sharing what's bouncing around in my head. All of us need to not only pre-visualize what we're doing with a camera in our hands but with our lives in our hands. We have more control than we think we do and it starts with our attitude. "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." Zig Ziglar Wishing everybody a terrific day and hoping you'll take the time right now to pre-visualize the day's potential and the great images you're going to capture, with or without a camera! As always, scoop up those eleven-second therapeutic hugs with everyone most special in your life and make it the day you visualize from this point forward.
Happy Sunday everybody...or Monday if you're on the other side of the world. PS I mentioned Ken sent me four images as examples of his thoughts on pre-visualization. I only used three in the episode of "Why?" But, considering today's topic I chose to use the fourth one to share in today's post. As always with everything he does, it's spectacular. Since starting this feature almost a year ago, I've rarely missed a Friday post, but things got busy last week. Sometime just after dinner, like a cartoon character with a great idea, that imaginary lightbulb went off above my head. I realized I forgot to post for Fast Food Friday. Well, there's now a reminder on my calendar, and that's the perfect topic for today. Fast Food Friday is all about ideas to help you build a stronger brand and business. Today's blue-plate special couldn't be easier to help reinforce your presence in the community and with your readership. Remember, your website is about what you sell, but your blog is about what's in your heart! Here's an incredibly easy feature to add to your blog, and before you say, "I don't have time to follow-up on this," think about how great it would be to get a little help from a family member. This is nothing more than keeping track of events in your community and then sharing them on your blog. Building a Community Calendar on Your BlogOne of the most important keys to success for a great blog is being helpful to your readers. Putting together a calendar of events in your community is a terrific way to only keep your readers up to date, but show your support for various non-profit organizations and activities you're involved in supporting.
Making the concept even more useful is the simplicity of it all. From important fundraisers to gallery openings, school events, and seasonal things that happen around the holidays, the list goes on and on. And, best of all, you become the one sharing the information making you a focal point. Now, take it a step further. Some of the events/programs you might be directly involved in, are perfect for blog content with a post leading up to the event, and then one following the event with your photographs. You become the "clearing house" for community activities and each time you share a post about an event or organization you're working with you become an ambassador for that group. Even if you're not directly involved, you're helping to spread the word about what they're doing. It's a win-win every time, and it's a great project to turn over to a family member to help you build content, share in creating brand awareness for your business and best of all, giving them a level of responsibility in your success. You're looking for the community to be good to you...so you need to make sure you're good to your community! In posting yesterday's two throwback images of my great grandparents and Sheila's great grandmother, I started thinking about how serious their expressions are in both photographs. Then I went digging and found a few more old photographs I've shared over the years. Again and again, nobody is EVER smiling. Off I went in search of an answer and what I found is a partial testimonial that you really can find just about anything on Google! I found this article by Michael Zhang on the PetaPixel website going back to 2013. Click on any image in this post to read the full article, which shares other examples, but here are a couple of excerpts from his research, in part, based on an in-depth article by Nicholas Jeeves. "Although nowadays we think of smiles as being indicative of happiness, humor, and warmth, they apparently had a very different meaning back in the day: "By the 17th century in Europe it was a well-established fact that the only people who smiled broadly, in life and in art, were the poor, the lewd, the drunk, the innocent, and the entertainment." Want to be seen as upper class and as a person of good character? Don’t smile." I have no idea why the group photograph at the top was in my grandmother's album, and there's no longer anybody alive who would know. I know it was more than likely taken somewhere around Sandusky, Ohio. However, this family certainly lives on in cyberspace. But notice their expressions - every single person, including the baby are serious! Also, I love the presentation with the image in a decorative matte. The three images below are my grandfather, probably taken around 1910; my wife's great grandmother taken around 1865; and my great grandparents around 1875. Not a smile in the bunch, although I love the shot of my grandmother on the right, probably around 1910. She still isn't smiling though. Notice the classic technique in the portrait, complete with a little catch-light in her eyes. As far as the pose goes, there's a great story going back thirty-plus years ago that came out of PPA print competition. Supposedly there were multiple artists one year who all used the same similar pose of a bride with her hands together next to her cheek. Well, one of them claimed the pose was his. Al Gilbert used to do an incredible program about the history of portrait photography. As the story goes, Al stepped in and showed the pose didn't belong to any of them, but the great masters of the 16th century! As much as things have changed over the years in portrait photography, the goal of every artist, is still the same. You can't fake it 'till you make it, when it comes to portraiture. Your clients are putting their trust in you to exceed expectations. And, if you do it right, you'll become habit-forming and build a lasting relationship with your subject.
So, learn how to capture good solid portraits; keep raising the bar on your skill set, especially in lighting; and keep building relationships with each potential client. And if you get caught up in the criticism of your work on various Facebook forums, listen to what's being said; consider how to make your work better and then remember what my old buddy Dean Collins used to say..."Beauty is in the eyes of the checkbook holder!" |
Our Partners"Why?"Check out "Why?" one of the most popular features on the SCU Blog. It's a very simple concept - one image, one artist and one short sound bite. Each artist shares what makes the image one of their most favorite. We're over 100 artists featured since the project started. Click on the link above and you can scroll through all of the episodes to date.
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