The last couple days have simply been a stretch where everything and everyone around me has just been too serious, me included. I'm not minimizing the challenges in business or how tough it is to stay focused, but it's Saturday morning and for the third day in a row we've got sunshine in Florida. It's simply starting out a gorgeous day. I found this quote from Homer Simpson in Dance First, Think Later. This little book is a classic collection of rules to live by, and it belongs on everybody's bookshelf. Click the cover to the right if you want to read more. Meanwhile, I'm doing everything but take life too seriously today and inviting you to join me. That doesn't mean you can just abandon your commitments, just concentrate a little more on the humor in life and enjoy whatever it is you've got to do today. Wishing all of you a terrific weekend and time with family, friends and the people you love. The three sentences that will get you through life: Number one, "Cover for me." Number two, "Oh, good idea, boss." Number three, "It was like that when I got here."
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Now and then I run across a quote that has so much to it, but it's just too long to tweet. This one from writer, Franz Kafka, hits on so many different points and requires no additional interpretation, except for one sentence. Listen to your heart, go with your instincts and believe in yourself. Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly. Wishing everybody a wonderful weekend!
"Looking at old photographs brings back memories and makes us feel nostalgic: it is like a time machine bringing us to the time and place where we can see and feel everything in details." Chermed For ten years, starting around '92, there was a group of us from the photographic industry who went into Yellowstone every winter. While I've written about the trips in earlier Throwback posts, I recently found a few images looking through some older albums. (Apologies for the quality of the scans, but the images weren't stored very well, and I have yet to find the negatives.) The trips started with just four of us and grew to probably twenty-five at their peak. It's an experience only a minority of the people in the world have the privilege to see and appreciate. It was also at a time before the government got involved, and snowmobiles were allowed in the park, pretty much without restrictions. The two scenery shots were actually outside the park on our way up Two Top Mountain. At just over 8000 feet, the snow builds up around the trees and bushes and is then molded by the wind and cold. Mother Nature creates a surreal landscape of imaginary critters, including dragons. It's an endless display of creativity. However, as beautiful as it was, I've never experienced cold like that. These images are all back in the film days and shot with a Hasselblad 503CX, my favorite camera back then. Often the biggest challenge of any trip was keeping the camera warm and in good shape. Most of us used to zip it up inside our jump suits.
Yellowstone Park has changed a lot in the last twenty years. For example, last week I was talking with Daniel Cox, a Panasonic Luminary, amazing outdoor wildlife photographer and resident of Bozeman. At the time we were going into the park we always saw a lot of elk and some really big herds. Well, Yellowstone brought in wolves to "naturally" reduce the size of the herds. Today, it's hard to find the elk. The wolves have done more than what was needed and the elk stay more secluded. Okay, there's my contribution to Throwback Thursday and my own trip down memory lane. Take the time, even if you're not sharing the images on Facebook or in a blog post, and have some fun looking through a box of old photographs or files you haven't seen in awhile. We're all part of an amazing industry, but you can't appreciate the value and trust your clients have in you without appreciating your own priceless moments. This week I ran into two situations, which although different, hit on two points to help strengthen your brand and make you a better communicator. On being late: "Never be late. When you're late, what you're saying is that your time is more important than the other person's time. That's pretty egotistical." Alice Cooper I'm amazed at how many photographers, especially new to the craft, have so little respect for time. It's your most valuable commodity, but it's also everybody else's as well. It's simple - don't be late for appointments, but it runs even deeper.
Show respect for your clients, vendors and associates. Stay organized and be wherever you're supposed to be, whenever you agreed to be there! On overkill communications: In 1988, I got to visit the Whitehouse. Senator Howard Baker was President Reagan's Chief of Staff, and he was an avid photographer, shooting Hasselblad, Nikon and Leica. As a Hasselblad shooter, we had invited him to lunch, and he turned the tables on us and suggested, "Why don't you come to my house?" Well, "my house" was the Whitehouse. I remember him telling me a story about the challenge in written communication. I had to send a letter to another Senator once, and I remember writing, "I wish I could make this shorter, but I just don't have the time!" That story stuck with me all these years. It makes a terrific point about how hard it is to be concise. For many of you it's time to examine your writing style. I know you're artists and didn't sign up to be writers, but it's so easy for you to do a better job if you just take a little more time. Where I see the best example of the challenge is in your Facebook posts, especially when you're telling a story about something you wrote to a client. You've got to learn to be more to the point. Be direct without being sarcastic, hurtful or disrespectful. Stop thinking you have to explain everything in your life in every communication. We all have the same challenge. It's hard to be direct, but so often when the communication is in written form, we ramble.
In high school, when we had to do a report and teachers told us they wanted 500 words, we all went overboard. Too bad they didn't tell us they wanted terrific content worth 500 words but told in only 200! I recently shared a group of ShutterFest favorites, selected from the artists themselves. However, there were a few more artists who hadn't seen the original request and submitted more images. So, it was easy enough to do another post. ShutterFest is much more than just another convention. It's a community, both on and off the pages of Facebook. Even better than the images, Dorothy Swiegoda, who took the first image below, wrote me the following: This was my first ShutterFest. I am regularly a landscape & travel photographer. This was my first Boudoir shoot the Sunday night of ShutterFest 2015. It turned into a mini boudoir learning adventure. It was originally set up with 2 photographers, the model & HMU - the magic of the ShutterFest Facebook group. In the lobby before it was time for the shoot I met several ShutterFester's. When I said I had to go shoot 2 of them asked if I minded if they came and watched. In the spirit of ShutterFest I told them, " Grab your camera. This is about learning and shooting." Caitlin Wood was our model and we had 3 female and 2 male photographers. We talked about having an assistant with you and the model having someone there with them. Safety for all in numbers. Things you can say. Things you can't say. Letting the model know if she is not comfortable doing something she should communicate that. Direction by words before adjusting with your hands. Everyone threw out ideas. Everyone got to take the shots they wanted. Caitlin got to pick out what she wanted to be photographed in. We had 4 different changes. We talked, we laughed, we learned and we all became friends in person not only on Facebook. This was my start to ShutterFest. I left with a feeling of great energy, many new friends, inspiration, enthusiasm and excited to show and share what I did in St. Louis. The memory of that shoot will always be with me. I am extremely excited to be able to show what came out of it. With the way time is flying by lately, ShutterFest 2016 is just around the corner. Find more about this amazing convention with a click of your mouse. by Dorothy Swiegoda. Follow her on Facebook. by Lou Wood. Follow him on Facebook. by Larry Fry. Follow him on Facebook. by Justin Bassett. Follow him on Facebook. by Curtis Bryant. Follow him on Facebook. by Christy Woods. Follow her on Facebook. by Rebecca Nash. Follow her on Facebook. by Scott Stuart. Follow him on Facebook.
It's a typical Sunday morning. The house is quiet with just the ticking of an analog clock in my office and Molly sleeping at my feet. The day is starting off slightly tarnished with a gray sunrise after two weeks of rain in south Florida. Nevertheless, I love this time of day. Nothing beats blocking out a little time just for yourself. I can let my mind and my keyboard go any place I want. There are no interruptions, just my thought process and me. It's so important to isolate moments to just kick back and let your mind wander. I've talked before about some of the books I read for inspiration, and this piece by Melody Beattie got me thinking about one of the most abused words in photography, "passion". Her piece on passion was too long to share in its entirety, so I've pulled a few excerpts. "Value what ignites the flame within you.
Value what inspires and interests you, what enrages you, what sparks the fire within. Your strong feelings --what you love or hate---are not wrong. Your passions will lead and guide you in all you want to do. From the tiniest idea to the grandest scheme, what makes your flame burn more brightly in the light shining from above, gently guiding the way...Learn to tell how you react to what you see and hear. That's how you'll learn to listen to what the universe has to say. That place may be the next place you're to go on your path...The idea may be just what you're looking for to help you get unstuck. ...If you've grown cold and bored, you can come alive again. Feel whatever you need to feel and you'll find your passion underneath. If you don't know when you feel sad and alone, you won't know when you feel good. Feel all the feelings that come your way. Each one has a lesson for you. And as you release that energy, you'll be releasing passion, too. Value your passions and the way you feel. Soon you'll find yourself knowing what to do and when."* I'm one of those people abusing the word passion because it's so all-encompassing. It hits on why I get up smiling almost every morning. And, on those mornings where something is out of alignment it's passion that gets me back into the groove. More than once I've been called the industry cheerleader. Sometimes that's been a compliment, other times it's from the naysayers attempting to throw a little sarcasm my way. It's hardly a perfect world and while not every day is perfect it is my passion that, like so many of you, keeps me focused. So, here's the bottom line: be proud of all your passions; for your work, for your friends and your family. Be passionate about being an artist. Put passion into your work, into your relationships and into everything you do. It's one of the greatest words in any language and for a some of you, it needs to be abused even more! Make it a great Sunday. Spend some time with friends and family and forget about whatever is on the agenda for business tomorrow morning. Don't forget those eleven-second hugs and if you still don't believe me, try one out and you'll see for yourself. *Melody Beattie, Journey to the Heart, click for the link on Amazon "People will always find something in your work to argue with. Get used to being humbled, shutting out the noise, second-guessing yourself, and realizing that one of out of six times those cretins are right." Lena Dunham On the weekends, I always step away a little from the usual business and marketing posts or sharing technique content from other artists and manufacturers. I found the quote above recently, and it was just too long to shorten and share on Twitter.
Here's the point - listen to everybody's opinions on your work, your business and here and there on your life. Then, do what your heart tells you to do. After enough opinions and often listening too much to your critics, you'll learn to sort out what you need and what's a waste of time to consider. It's just like eating vegetables when I was a kid. As long as I at least tried them my mother would let me live! LOL Opinions are the same - listen, appreciate them and then throw them in with your gut instinct and do what you feel is right. Wishing everybody a terrific weekend! |
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