This could well be the perfect post for a Throwback Thusday... I know this crosses the line a few times in topics to stay away from under the guidelines for blogging, but a good friend, Jim Jernigan, sent it to me and I loved it. Yes, it supports my being an old fart, at least with my age, but it certainly doesn't speak to what I feel in my heart. In fact, except for creaking a little when I get up in the morning, I don't feel much older than I did at twenty and Sheila says my maturity at times isn't much more advanced! I have no idea who wrote this or even where it originated, but I'll be happy to update it with the author if I ever find that out. In the mean time, just read it and enjoy it. It's been all over the Internet, but I'm guessing most of you have never read it. If you compare what most of us grew up with, at least anybody in their mid thirties and older, it really is amazing how much has changed. And, in reference to the image with the post, I suppose I should add the way we watched movies, reel to reel in a theater, along with cameras that shot film and only had a manual mode. To those of us born 1925 - 1970: At the end of this email is a quote of the month by Jay Leno. If you don't read anything else, Please read what he said. Very well stated, Mr. Leno.
~~~~~~~~~ TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930s, '40s, '50s,'60s and '70s!! First, we survived being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then, after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets, and, when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps, not helmets, on our heads. As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter, and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar and we weren't overweight. WHY? Because we were always outside playing...that's why! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day--And, we were OKAY. We would spend hours building our go-carts out Of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes...after running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.. We did not have Play Stations, Nintendos and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from those accidents. We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand, And no one would call Child Services to report abuse. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, 22 rifles for our 12th, rode horses, made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and although we were told it would happen- we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, and inventors ever. The past 50 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas...We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. If YOU are one of those born between 1925-1970, CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward it to your kids, so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it ? ~~~~~~~ The quote of the month by Jay Leno: "With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"
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Coming up tomorrow, April 30 at 1:00 PM EST - it's a new episode of Mind Your Own Business with my co-host, Rich Harrington and special guest, Adam Sherwin.
Adam is a journalist, a videographer, a photographer, a complete geek and a great friend. In addition, he's VP of Resource Magazine and always has his finger on the pulse of what's going on in the imaging industry. You'll find more about Adam on his SCU faculty page! Join us at 1:00 for a live Google Hangout as we talk about "Creativity and Diversity". See you there! Just click the banner below to join us. Please Note: Before you read the post, help me find the photographer who sent it to me...I posted the question on the ShutterFest Facebook page, but nobody's come forward. I love the shot and so appreciate the effort and it being sent to me, but I can't for the life of me find the original email! Update! Here's a great little back story on this one. The photographer is Thomas Roesner and he just called me after his wife spotted the post on the ShutterFest Facebook page. He was a volunteer helping Aaron Nace and happened to be walking by when Craig and I met for the first time. Thomas mentioned to me that he's just getting started in this industry, but looking at the effort he put into this one shot says a lot about where his career is going to be down the road a few years! I couldn't find the image, because he never really sent it to me. He had posted it as a comment on a previous blog I wrote about friendships. Adding even more to the story, Sheila and I met Thomas and Marissa last year at ShutterFest 2014. And there's one more story about why social media and ShutterFest are such a kick...they keep us connected! We all grab shots of people we're hanging out with at various conventions, but this black and white I received a few days after the show sets the standard for quality. It's me and Craig Lamere at the top of the stairs overlooking the trade show floor from ShutterFest. I was headed downstairs and Craig stopped to introduce himself. I had no idea the shot was even being taken. What's funny is that just a little while earlier I was photographing Craig teaching on the ground floor, just below the stairs. I was watching his class and thinking, here's somebody I need to meet. Hands on teaching is a significant part of what ShutterFest is all about. Every day there were dozens of groups like the one above all over the hotel. The ones below are all part of the fun. Catching up to old and new friends is a key reason to be at any convention in the first place, but you can't do a lot with them except just enjoy the moment. They're great for what they were meant to be - a post on FB, a tweet or an Instagram shot. However, the image with Craig Lamere captures the setting; the toned image fits with the retro feeling of Union Station and if I had a need for an image for part of a PR campaign, it's totally useable. I've got two points to really make in this post. First, if you're going to get a shot you can use for something else later on, savoring the memories of times with friends, then you might as well put some quality effort into the shot. Second, a big thanks to the artist who took the time to send me the image. My lack of organization on this one and not being able to find the original email isn't typical. However, putting my two points completely aside, grab shots are grab shots. The friendships that every image represents is the whole point of capturing them in the first place.
Actually that's one of the biggest points about ShutterFest too - it's about great friendships! If you're not already registered for 2016, what are you waiting for? The link is below! Learn how to attract your dream photography clients like bees to honey! Photography Marketing Impact is an online video and coaching program that will help you attract your perfect clients. Doors are Now Open - Sign up today, just click the banner above. Everybody has a lot to choose from when it comes to online education these days. Well, here's one coming up that's got great potential with a solid foundation of topics to help you raise the bar on your business. I'm delighted to have been asked to do a segment on marketing with Mimika Cooney, who many of you know from following her blog, along with her webcasts.
On a side note, I love the fact that she featured a bumble bee in her promotional material. Here's why... Aerodynamically the bumble bee isn't supposed to be able to fly. He's designed all wrong, with wings too small to carry his body, but the bee doesn't know that! Well, think about your own business and the number of times you questioned the path you were on, yet you're still at it and getting stronger in your skill set and marketing abilities all the time! Many of you are "bumble bees" and based on some of the basic rules of business have probably had friends or even family doubt your ability to succeed. However, your passion drives your creativity and in turn is helping you build a stronger business. Just click on the banner above to check out more about this upcoming opportunity. In thinking about what to post today, I found a terrific quote by Fanny Brice... "Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you?" I started out with the title of "Just Be Yourself...Unless You're a Troll!" Then I realized, especially if you're a troll or playing both parts of a remake of Jekyll and Hyde, it's even more important to be honest. The title became, "Just Be Yourself", but as I wrote, I realized there are a whole series of areas where people aren't really revealing themselves or their real skills. So, here's how I tied it all to being a professional photographer and it comes in varying degrees of your business. In regards to your "About" page - show your heart. Your clients aren't interested in how long you've been a photographer, what awards you've won or what gear you shoot with. Be sincere in sharing why you love this business and what it is that makes working with your clients so special. In regards to your images - if they're not truly yours, don't include them in your galleries. A few of you aren't going to like this, but if the images you're sharing were taken over Bambi Cantrell's shoulder at ShutterFest, for example, then they're NOT really your work. Until you can set up the shot completely on your own, you can't claim the images as yours. In regards to the quality of your images - I started thinking about some of the albums, portfolios and galleries I've looked at and within one artist's work there's often little consistency. So often it looks like a different photographer took the shot. Flesh tones of the same bride that don't match, but they're all captured at the same wedding. Images that have been thrown in to fill up space, but don't show the quality the artists knows he/she needs to have or just a bad image following a great image . It leaves a potential client questioning, "Which photographer will I get?" In regards to your friends - stay true to your word. If you promise to do something then follow-through. Be the person your dog thinks you are! In regards to your clients - be accessible. Listen more than you talk. Return calls and messages promptly, even if the background for being contacted is negative. In regards to what you share on Facebook - if you hate somebody's work that's fine, but learn to at least put a few filters on your comments. I'm not suggesting you be a phony, just don't be a dream-crusher. I meet so many photographers every year and so often the initial meeting is like a job interview. Even in just casual conversation, they respond as if they're carefully thinking through what their answer should be. The point is, if you just relax and let your passion for imaging come through, you can't help but build stronger relationships, because they're built on a solid foundation instead of the little pig's house of straw! Illustration Credit - 1931 Theatrical poster from Wikipedia I know it's Marketing Monday, but here's a different approach to brand awareness... If you don't take better care of yourself, all the marketing in the world isn't going to help you! Like so many of you, I sit down at my computer and I'm there for hours, often not moving from one position and hunched over the keyboard. While I know it's not healthy and I should get up every hour and walk around, it rarely happens. Well, recently Sheila read a couple of different articles and insisted I pay attention to my own health more than I do. I read the article she found and then went on the Internet to see what else was being said about sitting for long periods. Here are excerpts from a couple of articles I found: From of an article on LiveScience.com People who sit too much every day are at an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and shorter life spans, even if they exercise, a new study finds. "More than one-half of an average person's day is spent being sedentary — sitting, watching television or working at a computer," Dr. David Alter, the study's senior scientist at the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, said in a statement. "Our study finds that despite the health-enhancing benefits of physical activity, this alone may not be enough to reduce the risk for disease." In another article from WebMD.com, I found this excerpt: What health problems have too much sitting been linked to? ''It has been linked to cardiovascular events like heart attack, heart disease death, overall death, and death from cancer," says Andrea LaCroix, PhD, director of the Women's Health Center of Excellence at the University of California, San Diego. In her recent study, she found that older women who reported the most sitting time were more likely to die during the 12-year follow up. Those sitting more than 11 hours daily were at the highest risk, she reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Sitting time has also been linked with high blood pressure, obesity, bad cholesterol, and too much belly fat. The picture up above is my new desk setup, complete with padded mat and I love it. I also seem to work faster, which I'm guessing has something to do with not being able to sit. However, the Varidesk lowers in seconds with two handles underneath if I want it lower and want to pull up my chair. It was $325 and if you go through Amazon, depending on the type of membership you have, you can even avoid the shipping costs. They've also got a few different models with drop down key board shelves etc. Just click either image to find out more about Varidesk. I've only done one "public service" message in all these years of blogging and that was information for the ASPCA Poison Hot Line, after Molly the Wonder Dog ate a pound of chocolate! So, this is a great topic to increase awareness. We all spend too much time at our computers and nothing is likely to change. However, what can change is the impact it has on your health and here's a terrific solution! I'm in my usual Sunday Morning Reflections mode, but probably more relevant than usual. We're all up early this morning. It's going to be a gorgeous day and we're headed for the beach, before the rest of Florida shows up. I've noticed we rarely last past noon on the weekends, because around 11:00 am the whole world shows up with their giant umbrellas and tents. I don't understand going to the beach if you're going to set up a tent bigger than your living room! However, it's pure entertainment to watch people fumble around setting up their homes for the day! Anyway, I found the perfect quote for a Sunday morning from Michael Jordan, who I got to meet in my Polaroid days. We hired him to shake hands with people in the booth at a PMA convention in Chicago one year and I was in charge of the booth. It's great when your heroes are exactly the way you hope they'll be. He's as nice as he is a great athlete. "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games; 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life. And that's why I succeed." So, as always, here's my point, which I honestly don't need to explain very much. Most of the time "success" is elusive, because your definition of it is constantly changing, especially as you get older. Your priorities change as you learn more and your skill set grows. Sometimes success is going to be entirely monetary, but at other times, it's as simple as a kind word from a client who's happy with your work.
Stop looking for success as if you were on the Easter Egg hunt on the White House lawn. Learn to trust your inner voice and just don't give up the quest to be the best on whatever path you've chosen. Most important of all, remember to take a break when you need it. Give yourself at least one day a week where you just enjoy your family and friends and put work aside. Take the time to kick back and remember why you're working so hard and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Here's one more quote from motivational speaker, Ed Foreman... “Life is primarily for laughing, loving, and living. It ain’t just for whining, worrying, and working!” Wishing everybody a terrific Sunday and a day filled with nothing but smiles and enjoying the security of knowing that whatever path you're on, it's taking you some place different every day. And, as always, hug somebody special and hold it for eleven seconds. (Trust me, it makes a difference.) Image Credit: SI's 100 Best Michael Jordan Photos - click to see more. It's a new episode of Weekend Wisdom with Charles and Jennifer Maring, who have built one of the most diverse businesses in professional photography today. From their core business, wedding photography, to new technology, their video lifestyle series and their quest to constantly be doing something new, they never compromise on quality. It's not only the quality of their images, but relationships and the integrity of their business. They redefine "passion" - for the industry, images, their friends, clients and each other. A big thanks to Charles and Jennifer for taking the time to join me in this podcast and for Bryan Caporicci and Rob Nowell, the founders of Sprouting Photographer, the only podcast in photography to get iTunes "Best of 2014" award. Just click on the banner above to listen to the podcast and visit all the links to Maring Visuals. Images copyright Maring Visuals. All rights reserved.
"There is no education like adversity." Benjamin Disraeli In trying to figure out what to post this morning I ran across the above quote in a great little quote book, "Don't Forget to Sing in the Lifeboats". It's by Kathryn & Ross Petras and whether you enjoy quotes or not, it's a classic to have on your bookshelf. Just hit the cover and you can read more about them, along with their other books. All of us have gone through tough stretches in our lives, whether business or personally related. For many of you, as aspiring artists, you've been fighting to build your skill set, market yourself and establish brand recognition. Some of you have it so tough that you've gotten the equivalent of a Masters Degree from the School of Hard Knocks. But here's my point this gorgeous Saturday morning... You have the power to graduate or at the very least, change schools! I won't deny that feeling of hopelessness we've all felt when things just keep getting us down. I also know the challenges only become as dark as you allow them and whichever way your mouth is turned when you get up in the morning is the way the rest of the day is going to go. Yeah, I did just make it that simple. Even a forced smile is going to have an impact on the day. But, first you have to establish a few things to smile about:
Just remember passion trumps adversity, but you have to recognize it. You have to keep your dream in focus and pay attention to what's in your heart, even when adversity keeps suggesting you need bypass surgery! Make it a great day everybody! Hug somebody special this weekend and don't let the fog of adversity roll in and block your vision. Illustration credit: © carloscastilla - Fotolia.com It's just a short blog post and hardly an earth-shaking concept, but it does give me a chance to share one of the things I LOVE about social media and a number of great friends. It all started when my long time good buddy, Steve Rosenbaum, posted this headshot from the 70's on his Facebook page with a comment of "Guess who?" He was probably just out of college. Well, being the smart-ass I am I wrote: " a) one of the Doobie Brothers, b) a roadie for Iron Butterfly c) the original lead singer of The Sixth Dimension, but he couldn't sing that well, so when he left, they became known as the Fifth Dimenson or d) a poster child wannabe for ZigZag papers....what I want to see is how wide the collar was on the shirt...I think I have the same one in my closet! This a GREAT TBT!" It should have ended there, but then "Mitros Master" commented about my comment and a flashback to The Fifth Dimension. That got me going on my musical selection for the day in my office and Pandora was suddenly playing The Doors Radio. That prompted me to do a quick phone call to Steve to let him know what he started. We went into a short conversation about the flower-child shirt he has on in the shot...That took me to remembering my own bizarre wardrobe back then, my platform shoes, bell bottoms and leisure suits...all while "Light My Fire" was playing in the background! So, here's the point...Throwback Thursday images can take us any place we want to go. Yesterday's posted image by Steve from his twenties has kicked off a remarkable Friday morning. All I can do is wish all of you a terrific day, just like the one I'm having. Appreciate your friends...cherish every throwback moment you encounter and embrace social media - it's made the world a very small place and allows us to turn back the clock whenever we want to. Gotta run - time to put on some old Crosby, Stills and Nash! The only thing I know for sure is the year, 2004, and the location, WPPI, Las Vegas. At first I thought it was print judging, but there are a few people in here who didn't normally judge. I think it's speakers from that year, just don't remember everybody being together in one room. The image is thanks to Alan Karlin in a couple of books of WPPI images he sent me after the convention.
Nothing beats the fun of Throwback Thursdays and some times it doesn't matter what the reason was for a group to be together...however, look closely, this one is global with some of the most recognized educators in our industry. It's almost like a "Where's Waldo" drawing... So, how many can you name? I'm up to forty six, including three mullets! I normally start out Sunday mornings going off track a little, but this morning I was busy enjoying the fun of cooking breakfast for friends and Sheila. Then we headed to the beach for the day and it's been one of those perfect days. As we sat on the beach, Sheila and I talked about the weekend and what's destined to be the start of a great friendship. Here's the background... Russell Grace is a fine art photographer doing some stunning work, all in infrared. He and has wife Angela spend a great deal of time on the art show circuit and we met them at an Art Show in Sarasota almost two years ago. Angie wrote a guest post for SCU a few months later, but we've been trying ever since to get together on one of their trips to any of the Florida art shows. Well, this weekend brought them to St. Petersburg and the Mainsail Art Show - close enough to get them to the house for the weekend and get in some quality time. Russell and Angie have chosen to take a very specialized approach to the art world, staying true to their passion, exclusively infrared. As we talked last night, I never realized when shooting infrared you eventually have to get good enough to anticipate what the light is going to look like, much the same way a great sports photographer learns to anticipate the decisive moment in a game - that moment when everything is right and you need to click the shutter. You can see more of Russell and Angie's work on their site. With a little luck I'm hoping to talk Russell into a guest post on shooting infrared. Meanwhile, if you're in the Melbourne, Florida area they'll be at the 2015 Melbourne Arts Festival next weekend. Their schedule through mid-July is on the left. Here's the point this afternoon...nothing beats taking a shot at a friendship and having everything work out and even better than anticipated. We knew we had a common interest in our love for imaging, but the more we talked over the weekend the more the four of us simply had fun together. I found a great quote through Google on friendships that so fits this weekend... Good times and crazy friends make the best memories!
Everyone wants to write a book, but very few people have the discipline to stick with it and so often the idea of your own book becomes a pipe dream. Matthew Jordan Smith had an idea and after almost two years of work, his book, Future American President, is out on the shelves and destined to be a classic.
While the images are all his, the words in the book are everybody else's and maybe that's what makes it so wonderful. This is a book about dreams, kid's dreams. The premise is simple to understand, kids from every state answering the question, "What would you do if you were president?" The result is a stunning display of expression, hope, smiles and simply their aspirations. There are three journeys everyone takes when they write a book. The first is figuring out how to turn the dream into reality and it can take years. The second is the creation itself, which can also take years. The third, is the journey Matthew's on right now and it's the most rewarding. It's like having a baby and then watching your child grow. It's the most exciting time of any book project. With each image and each moment of feedback, you're able to go back to the steps of the two previous journeys and realize how worth it all the work was. I've been following the project from the very beginning, even talking with Matthew the night before he launched the Kickstarter campaign and it just seemed fun to compile some of the images about the book to share with you here. I pulled them at random, just to give you a feel for this part of Matthew's journey. Check it out in more detail and then order your own copy just to add to your photographic collection or better yet, it's the perfect gift for one of your kids or grandchildren. And, to Matthew...congrats buddy! You're making us all proud! I tweeted a quote a few weeks back that I simply love: Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken. Oscar Wilde Well, that got me thinking about our industry and photographers who steal images, those who copy other artist's work and while it's less offensive, photographers who shoot over the shoulder of an instructor in a workshop and then post the image as their own. (You might have clicked the shutter, but it's not your image until you can create it from scratch!) Then my thoughts went in another direction and I started thinking about photographers, who look for confirmation they're on the right track and with every image they share. With every approach to business and marketing, they check in with everyone they know to get an opinion. I understand it, because just like everybody else I've been there too. I remember Matthew Jordan Smith talking about his images when he first started and how he would ask all his friends what they thought. Then, one day he realized he had to develop his own style. He needed to have his own signature in the look and feel of his images. If there's one thing I've learned from my good buddy Matthew, you have to listen to your heart and nobody has a bigger one than MJS. A few years back, Sheila got me into reading Melody Beattie. I enjoy what she writes and read something every day. I consider it a mental vitamin or a warm-up, like a musician playing the scales or a batter swinging two bats before he's up. I want to share what I read this morning... Listen to the voice of Your Heart Cultivate the art of listening to your intuition, your inner voice. This is the guidance of your heart. It's a voice that speaks differently from the one in your head. The heart whispers softly; the head prattles loudly. The head has an agenda for our lives. It chatters away boldly, but its vision is limited. It leaves no room for the mysterious workings of the universe, nor does it take into account the side trips we need, to get where we're going, where our souls need to go. It's the voice that says, This is the way it's going to be. The heart, the inner voice, speaks differently. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it pulls. Sometimes it pushes. It's spontaneous, in the present moment, and often a surprise. The heart takes into account what has to be done and the best way to do that. The heart takes emotions into account - the way things feel, the way you feel, the wisdom of your soul. The heart leads us into and through the lessons we're here to learn. Cultivate your inner voice. Practice listening to the whispers of your heart. Practice trusting your intuition, what you really feel, what you really know. Practice until that voice is the one that you hear. Be patient. Be gentle. Let yourself learn to hear the gentle and trustworthy words of your heart. If you've got an interest in checking out more of what Melody Beattie has written, just click on the cover above - it'll take you to her Amazon page and more of what she's written. Here's the bottom line, we're all in search of confirmation that we're on the right path, but so often we're searching for answers when all along they're right there in front of us...in our hearts. Anyway, it's Friday and sharing Melody Beattie's thoughts this morning just seemed to hit home and created a great way to kick off the weekend! Wishing everybody a terrific Friday, a great weekend and one filled with moments of just following your heart! The group is the staff of WPPI and Rangefinder Magazine, taken by Alan Karlin and I'm guessing it was 2007 or '08. I think Gennie Kiuchi and Marlene Gurley are the only two missing. It was taken after the awards program the last night of WPPI that year. However, this is more than just a "Throwback Thursday" post, because it was Bill Hurter's birthday last week and without Bill, the awards program would never have been the classic evening it became.
Note: This is also one of the first "photo-bombs" by Jerry Ghionis, long before it became an industry standard. He was just ahead of his time! LOL Bill is the one under the red arrow and to this day remains one of the finest editors-in-chief to ever be a part of the photographic industry. He's somebody all of you new photographers need to know. Most of you seasoned veterans already have him in your network, even though in the last couple years he's been out of the spotlight. I'm given a lot of credit from time to time for building WPPI and RF into the powerhouse they became, but in all honesty, it was a team effort all the way. Rangefinder Magazine eventually made it to over 350 pages back in those days. In fact, although it struggles to break a hundred pages today, we pretty much ran 250+ consistently in the last years Bill was driving the bus. What made the magazine so amazing was Bill's understanding of the industry and his ability to find creative stories, over and over again. The magazine was put together manually in a monthly meeting where the team laid it out page by page on steel walls with magnets and sheets of paper. It was this same crew who put their heart and soul into every convention along with 100+ passionate volunteers. Just to share a little of the back story...Bill and I had known each other from his days as Editor of Petersen's Photographic when I joined WPPI in 2001. I joined Rangefinder/WPPI as President and Bill was convinced I was out to replace him. In fact, we had a couple of pretty serious battles in the beginning, but here's what happened. The more we worked together, the better we understood each other and the more we accomplished. Bill became a terrific friend. My senior management team then was Bill, George Varanakis and Arlene Evans. We'd do double secret meetings over lunch and come up with some of the most amazing programs and ways to fine-tune WPPI and the magazine. To this day, the group you see pictured above is one of the finest, hardest working team I've ever been associated with. Here's my point this morning...so many of you are new to the industry and have no idea about the personalities and dedication of the people who have blazed a trail for you...people who have helped build this industry for what it is today. Bill Hurter is one of those people. He's an artist, a terrific writer with 40+ books to his name and best of all, one of the most respected people in photography. He might be retired, but over and over again he was responsible for so many key events including the entire platform of speakers at WPPI each year, print competition and one article after another, right through until he retired around 2010. So, Mr. Bill, I found this picture while searching for the images of you and the Marilyn Monroe not-so-look-alike spoof we had come to the office for your birthday one year. I never did find the images I was looking for, but it doesn't matter. The purpose of Throwback Thursday is to literally get the memory juices flowing. Who says you can never go back? We love ya buddy - Happy Birthday!
Last week at ShutterFest I was part of a panel discussion on branding sponsored by Photobiz. They're very proactive in helping you think through branding and positioning for your business. However, there's another aspect to their business, which is simply helping photographers find better answers.
On April 7 I shared a post regarding the panic attack so many of you are having with Google's announcement about your site ranking and mobile compatibility. I called "John K." at Photobiz and within 24 hours we had a post on the topic. The video below is my SPTV short interview with John while at WPPI. There are some great ideas in here to think about. Photobiz is one of the companies doing a great job supporting their clients and it's worth listening to this short video as John takes us through the process. Note: There's a FREE test drive program going on right now for SPTV. Here's your chance to wander through the archives and see why SPTV is one of the fastest growing educational resources in photography. Just click the banner below to find out more. There are a handful of conventions and trades shows taking place every year that are so big, there's seasonality with a whole bunch of special programs. Adorama is a new SCU partner, so I won't deny for a second, this post will feel like an infomercial, but here's the reality.
For the next two and a half days, through April 16, you've got an opportunity to take advantage of some very special discounts and marketing programs. So, if there's gear you're going to need, now is the time to take a quick look. Just click on the banner below and you'll be on Adorama's website with a chance to check out all of their NAB Show specials. If there was a way you could have free access to one of the fastest growing educational resources in photography, wouldn't you want to know about it? Welcome to SPTV, the leader in "edutainment"! While it's been around a few years, the team is changing everything and I couldn't be more proud to be one of the new co-hosts. We want you to have an opportunity to try it out for yourself and right now there's a ten day free test drive, giving you access to just about everything that makes SPTV so unique. Just check out what's in your free ten day trial... Here's your chance to catch up on some terrific content. Our broadcast from WPPI is just one example, as I talked with Justin and Mary Marantz about their wedding images, the new Profoto B2 system and a few of the techniques that are helping to separate their work from the competition. Other artists during WPPI with me and co-hosts Kevin Kubota and Lori Nordstrom included JP Elario, Suzette Allen, Mike Allebach, Bambi Cantrell and Sandy Puc, just to name a few. The archives are loaded with content on technique, marketing and business. Plus, even the infomercials have some terrific information to help you grow, as vendors get involved in an interview format rather than just talking about their products. Just click the "Start Your 10 Day Trial" banner and you'll have instant access to the SPTV join page and you can start your free ten day test drive right now!. It's the perfect podcast for a Marketing Monday. In this episode of Weekend Wisdom, Lori Norstrom takes us through a whole series of great ideas to help build a stronger business. This isn't just thoughts about branding, but actual ideas to help create a higher revenue stream. As with just about everything in marketing today, it's all about building strong relationships. Lori shares some truly unique ideas. Plus, check out the outline of key topics in the program summary along with a variety of links to locations to help your business grow. Lori's new book was just released recently. A click on the cover to the left will take you to a more in-depth look at one of the most important topics for your photography business, maximizing profits! Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I did talking with Lori. She's truly one of the leading educators in this industry! There isn't a successful photographer today who doesn't have at least one story about tying up cash flow to buy equipment they later learned they didn't really need. I call it "New Gear Fever" and it comes every Spring, as well as after every major convention. It's especially prevalent during Photokina years.
We've all done it and on so many different products in our lives. We see the results of something in another artist's work and we convince ourselves the only way we can capture a similar level of impact is to own the same tools. Next thing you know we've tied up our cash flow and slowly, as well as painfully, discover the new equipment isn't what we thought it would be. Joe Buissink, in Wedding Photography From the Heart, talked about a tilt/shift lens he purchased, thinking it would truly make his work look different. It was early on in his career and he tied up valuable cash flow, only to sell the lens years later at a loss, having hardly used it. So, think about renting the gear you need and taking it out for a test drive or two before you commit to the purchase. It's an incredible way to fine-tune your skill set, save money and make sure the gear you're using is really what you need. Interested in finding out more about Adorama's Rent to Buy Program? Just click the link below. |
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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