Image copyright Jeremy Chan. All rights reserved. At PPE in NYC a couple of weeks ago I met Jeremy Chan through my good buddy Matthew Jordan Smith. Since Matthew moved to Japan, we don't catch up as often as we used to and neither of us knew we were both going to be at the show. He introduced me to Jeremy.
Throughout the next couple of days Jeremy and I kept bumping into each other at various booths at the trade show. We're all part of a relatively small industry and sometimes it's surprising how many common friends we all share. Getting home from PPE, Jeremy sent me a quick IM on Facebook, just to say hello. That led me to his Facebook page and a lot of stunning images. So, loving great images and appreciating how the Internet has helped make our industry a smaller place, I asked him for permission to feature one of his photographs. Not only did he say yes, but he sent me the following: San Francisco City Hall is a magical place to photograph. This photo is captured around 5 pm which is during sunset. So, the golden hour light is leaking in from the west side of the building. By combining the “yellow” light on the upper floor and the two lamps, the photo is made naturally with the warm color tone, which is exactly how I wanted it to look. Check out more of Jeremy's images by visiting his Facebook page. Just click on his photograph above. In the meantime, look at your schedule for 2019. One of the most significant benefits of attending every possible convention/conference you can work into your schedule is networking! And, there's very little that beats the power and fun of meeting people who you've only met in cyberspace, face to face!
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“Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers... As a blogger, everything that you do flows from understanding your audience and seeking to help them as much as possible.” Brian Clark IncomeDiary.com It's Marketing Monday, and we're down to a month and a half left of 2018. A lot of you have already slowed down, acting as if the momentum of holiday orders will carry you through the end of the year. You're surfing through your marketing efforts but just because you might have caught a big wave, doesn't mean it can't be even more significant.
Here's the point, your blog is one of the very best marketing tools you have, but ONLY if it's done right. Do it wrong or take a casual lack-luster approach and it will hurt your reputation, instead of building it up.
And above everything else remember: Your website is about your business and what you sell. Your blog is about your heart and what you feel. They work together to help define your brand and your role in the community. Image copyright Daniel J. Cox. All rights reserved. The fun of Mirrorless Monday is that so often I have no idea until the day before what we're going to be sharing. My buddy Daniel J. Cox is in the SCU spotlight today. Our relationship is an industry testimonial to the great friendships that come out of everyone's mutual love for the craft. We met through Panasonic. Daniel is a LUMIX Ambassador, and we were first introduced to each other at a LUMIX meeting several years ago. Since then, Sheila and I have caught up to Daniel and Tanya on their turf in Bozeman and on our turf, here in Florida. Daniel's no stranger to SCU, and over the years I've shared a number of great images and articles. Daniel and Tanya run one of the best travel companies in the country, Natural Exposures. He regularly shares outstanding information on travel, photography, and technique on The Corkboard Blog. Just click on the banner below to take a scroll through one of the most diverse blogs in photography. Find out more about Daniel with a click on today's spotlight photo. Then follow him, along with the rest of the LUMIX Ambassadors. They're one of the most diverse and creative teams in photography. Keep tabs on their adventures. You'll never be disappointed. And, check out the primary gear Daniel was shooting with in Madagascar with a click on any of the thumbnails below. Panasonic's tagline is Changing Photography, and they're doing just that! by Daniel J. Cox
This Verreaux's sifaka is just one of the many lemur species I photographed last month in Madagascar. Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island and about the size of Texas with a population of 25 million people. With this many people there is very little room left for lemurs. This was my first trip to Madagascar with the new LUMIX G9 and the two new lenses, the Leica 50-200mm F/2.8 and the Leica 200mm F/2.8. Both came in very handy, but as with all wildlife, the zoom has serious advantages. Clear back in the mid 80’s I bought my first professional zoom lens, the Nikon 80-200mm F/2.8. I was told by many I was crazy to shoot a zoom for professional work. But even then I rationalized that even IF a zoom was slightly less sharp, I would capture so many more images based on quality composition and the ability to change perspectives that I would easily out produce any lens that gave me a slightly better optical resolution. I was right. I built an entire 40 year career on zoom lenses. Fast forward to today and I’m doing it again, this time with even better zooms but also a smaller more nimble camera in the Lumix micro four thirds system. The key to any successful wildlife image is often eye contact. This sifaka had connected with my lens in a perfect stare where I was able to capture not only the varied colors in his pupils but the minute blood vessels as well. There is so much detail with this lens the tiny little ticks at the edge of his eye were imperceptible to me while I was taking this picture. It wasn’t until I brought the image up on my computer I saw these tiny parasites getting a free ride. It’s all about the details when shooting Leica glass on a LUMIX body. It's one of those Sunday Morning Reflections where as much as I want to go off track and write about something different from what so many other people are going to share, I have to stay true to what's in my heart, and it's Veteran's Day. So, to our son Brian, who's serving now, Uncle Randy who pretty much sleeps in any one of a dozen Marine baseball hats, my Dad who passed away three years ago this past week and served in the WWII and all my friends and associates who served in Viet Nam or have family in the military now, I'm not only writing the longest run-on sentence I've ever published, but sharing a big heartfelt thank you! And, to be a little different in my approach I wanted to share a couple of the stories my Dad shared regarding his experience working in the "tower" in the Army Air Corps in WWII. Dad played the trumpet all through high school and college until he dropped out to serve after Pearl Harbor. That's Dad in one of the Army Air Corps bands above, second from the right in front of the drummer. On a hot, humid day in New Guinea in the 1940's, his CO was looking for musicians. Dad's hand to volunteer couldn't have gone up faster, thinking he was about to score some light duty. All those years playing trumpet were about to pay off! Well, for the next three days he was part of a crew moving pianos for Bob Hope and a USO show! Dad was part of the "Greatest Generation" and never shared very much about WWII, but a year before he passed away we joined HonorFlight.org and went to Washington. I remember Dad sitting with a group of veterans also on the trip. Dad was based in the Asia Pacific, and they had all been on the European front. Somebody asked Dad if he ever got to meet General MacArthur. I loved his answer, "No, but I brought in his plane a few times!" So on this Veteran's Day morning, I wish everybody a day of peace - not just inner peace with your life, but the kind our veterans have fought to preserve. Take the time to hug a veteran today, and remind them of the appreciation you have for the sacrifices they made. And, to every parent who joins us with family in the military today - "thank you" is such an understatement. If you've got a veteran in the family, especially if they're in their 80's or older, check out HonorFlight.org. It's a fantastic group with one goal, to show the appreciation all our veterans deserve and get them to Washington for one more "tour." Just click on the HonorFlight logo below for more information. "We can't all be heroes, some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they walk by."
Will Rogers The SCU Diner has been serving up Fast Food Friday specials every week since February 16, and just when I think we've run out of nutritious "blue plate specials" something new comes up that's perfect. Fast Food Friday's are all about ideas to help you focus on the challenges of building a stronger business and making yourself habit-forming to your target audience. You're a working photographer, more than likely a right-brain creative type and more you probably hate the operational side of the business. So we started sharing ideas to help you through the challenges. This week's special is a little different than many of the past, and it's all thanks to a good friend who recently sent me an IM on Facebook. He wrote, After almost three decades I am switching gears. I'm headed back to school to get my MS in Instructional Design and Technology. Photography will be a plus as far as life experience. I immediately thought of you when I made this decision because of how successfully you have switched gears more than once. Well, that got me thinking about how many of you hit the panic button when you think about changing paths. Some changes are significant in the form of full-blown career changes, others easier to handle, like expanding to another photographic specialty, etc. In 2009 I made the biggest change in my career - inspired by many of you, I decided to head out on my own and start my own company. As I hesitated to take the plunge, Sheila asked me, "What are you afraid of?" My answer was immediate, "Failing!" Sound familiar? So, I'm dedicating this week's lunch special to my best buddy, my wife, Sheila. She's my support group and has been there every minute of the way, now coming up on ten years. To quote Jerry Garcia, "What a long strange trip it's been!" This is the time of year when so many of you start thinking about future changes. Let's see what the SCU kitchen can whip up to help you through the process. Changing Paths as a PhotographerHere's the fun of being in a career field that's in line with the arts...everything can change, and each of you has to go with the flow. Success in photography is about what's in your heart. You can't create images that tug at people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in it.
Stop beating yourself up for changing your mind. It's like going through my closet...I've got my fat clothes for when my weight is up and the thinner ones for when I'm trying to get in shape, but every day when I get dressed, I have to go with what fits! Okay, so as an analogy it's a stretch, no pun intended, but think about the passion you have for the craft and then let it take you in the direction that feels best. Fast Food Fridays are brought to you by: Need help better utilizing your time? Click on the banner above to visit the Excire website. Take the award-winning Excire Search Pro for Lightroom Classic CC for your own just extended FREE 30-day test drive. And follow us on Facebook for the latest information on this exciting software and time-saver. Stay tuned for an incredible 24 hour offer coming up on Black Friday! Part of the fun of Throwback Thursday comes when you're hanging out with old friends, and you start going through their stash of old photographs! A few days before PPE in New York a few weeks ago, Sheila and I flew in and headed down to Bob and Kathi Nunn's down near Tom's River, NJ. Bob and I have been friends since the late 80's when I joined Hasselblad. He was at Agfa, who had a huge presence in the industry back then. A few years later he joined Hasselblad as National Sales Manager. Going back to his Agfa days, we were both involved in PMDA, the Photographic Manufacturers and Distributors Association. We were both on the Board, and he served as President of the association for a term as well. Bob, like me, is a memory hoarder! LOL Although today successful in residential real estate on the Jersey shore, his office walls and shelves are loaded with wonderful reminders of his career in the photographic industry. He pulled out an album one night, and the memories and the stories flowed! The year is 1990, and the event is the special event PMDA Dinner, which once a year took place at the United Nations in the delegate's dining room. Casper Weinberger was the guest speaker and surrounding him are the members of the PMDA Board at the time. Like every Throwback Thursday post I share, the photograph brings back a lot of great memories.
A few years ago, PMDA joined forces with PMAI (Photo Marketing Association International) to form the Imaging Alliance. While the names of the two organizations may have changed, the dedication of the people involved is still focused on their passion and support of the photographic industry. To further develop and advance the imaging industry through our collective efforts and to attract and serve alliance partners. Use your own Throwback images on your blog as a great marketing tool to remind your audience of the importance of capturing memories, and the need to update their family portraits. And, if you're not sharing old photographs on your blog, take the time to go through them today regardless, for your own benefit. There's very little that beats a walk down Memory Lane to remind you of the importance imaging plays in all of our lives!
By Chamira Young As much as I love focusing on portrait photography for my business, there's nothing like taking peaceful landscape images while on vacation. It's a great way to refresh my creative juices and also serves as a nice pool of images to print later on and hang on the walls of my home. This is one of those images and has yet to be printed. It brings back a flood of warm memories because it was taken on my honeymoon near the Poconos mountains in Pennsylvania. Since I'm still learning my way around Skylum's Luminar 2018 photo editing software, it seemed fitting to have some fun and see how much of a visual kick the popular software could give this photo. The Result After 10 Minutes in Luminar... After importing the image into Luminar, I was pleased to discover they have an entire set of "Outdoor Presets" to choose from. After having some fun clicking around and watching the effects of each preset, I finally decided on the "Autosmart Enhancer Preset". However, I raised the Clarity slider from its initial setting of 16 to 42, just to get the edges of the rocks and foliage to pop a bit more. I also lowered the Shadow slider from 51 to 6, thus visually enhancing the existing shadows ever so slightly and giving the image more depth. Finally, I raised the Vibrance slider to 15 because I'm a sucker for rich color. I was quite pleased with the result, and it took about 10 minutes. Below is the final result. Have you tried Luminar yet? It's a NO-BRAINER! Put in the special discount code of "SKIPCOHEN" and receive an additional $10 off. That means you can buy Luminar 2018 for $49 USD and upgrade from the previous version for $39 USD. The code also applies to the purchase of Aurora HDR 2019. Please Note: For every purchase made between now and November 30, 2018, through the SCU link on the right, SCU will be donating $5 to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. I wrote the original post on this subject four years ago, but just recently I got an email from a member of one of the forums I'm active in. The message was about one of the members who had stolen another photographer's images and was using them to promote their own website.
Then, a few days later I had somebody IM me who asked if I knew a particular wedding photographer. She photographed a wedding and then disappeared with the client's money. She's been entirely unresponsive to phone calls, emails and has left the area. It's been over four months and she's disappeared. The two issues are different, but the common denominators of dishonesty, zero integrity and how damaging these stories are to our industry leave me with a knot in my stomach. We're an amazing industry with the responsibility to help people capture memories. And, while that might sound sappy and even a little hokey, it's all based on a foundation of trust. When that trust is violated, the stories spread like an urban myth and hurt everybody! Fortunately, most of you would never think of stealing another photographer's work, but that doesn't change everyone's responsibility to be involved whenever the issue comes up. It's also a testimonial to the importance of ALWAYS exceeding client expectations and NEVER compromising on the quality of an image, or for that matter your relationship with each client. I've left the comments to my original post below, but feel free to add to them. Here are a few things to think about to help raise the bar on the quality of work being shared. Your Galleries: Using somebody else's work and suggesting it's your own, right off the bat, besides being unethical and illegal, is idiotic. Sure, you might get a client or two, but what happens when you can't deliver? What happens when your client is thoroughly pissed off because their album doesn't look anything like what you convinced them you could do? Images from Workshops: In all honesty, it's almost just as bad when you show images you took at a hands-on workshop while standing next to the instructor. At a program in Ohio many years ago, Jerry Ghionis made the following comment, "Don't shoot over my shoulder, because you won't learn anything. I'd rather you photographed me capturing the image, so you remember what I'm teaching. Plus, if all of you from this area run images of the same couple, it challenges your own credibility." Posting Images in the Various Forums: It's really simple. Don't post images that aren't yours. There's a wonderful thing about social media in photography, so many people watch each other's backs. If there's one theme everyone has been exposed to, just because of what's been in the industry news over the last few years, it's stealing other photographers' content. StopStealingPhotos.com is one website that has been chasing down claims of image theft. If you haven't been to their site lately, take a look. Stock Photo Images: Okay, so in theory, if you bought the rights and included a photo credit, you're on safe ground. NOT! I use stock images all the time for illustrations on my blog posts. I pay for them, and I always give the photographer credit. But, everything changes when you're a photographer and using images to show your work. Every image shared on your website is automatically assumed to belong to the artist doing the promoting. I ran across a photographer a few years ago who used stock photos throughout his brochure, price list and then mixed in a few in his galleries! No photo credits anywhere, and he tried to tell me he wasn't suggesting it was his work, just creating effective advertising! That's just not acceptable! Work to build your skill set and show only your very best work. Share only "wow" images in your galleries - images so good that you'd only have to show a single photograph to get hired! Learn the craft so you can capture stunning images under any conditions. There are so many resources for you at conventions, in traveling workshops, online and in print. Don't settle for mediocrity and obviously NEVER claim work that isn't your own. Intro by Skip Cohen It's Mirrorless Monday, and I guess I should be embarrassed to be sharing this guest post by my good buddy Bob Coates. Why? Because he sent it to me in March and I missed it. He even sent me a reminder a few weeks later, and I still missed it until this past weekend when I was deleting emails with big files I no longer needed to save. So, I'm rationalizing under the umbrella of "better late than never," and sharing the post and my explanation as a reminder that we all just get busy. We often have too much on our plates, and while my heart's in the right place, my head isn't always there with it! I know that's familiar to a lot of you. Bob's images were captured with the GX85 and the GH5, using the Leica 100-400mm lens on both camera bodies. Click on any of the thumbnails above for more information. Bob Coates needs to be on your radar. Click on any of his images in this post to link to his website. Then follow him, along with the rest of the LUMIX Ambassadors. They're one of the most diverse and creative teams in photography. Captured with the LUMIX GH5 and Leica 100 - 400mm lens by Bob Coates When I first saw the Panasonic LUMIX tagline I thought they were being a bit pretentious. Changing Photography. Wow. Those are pretty strong words in a short sentence. Having been with LUMIX as a Luminary and now Ambassador since the release of the GH2 I’ve gotta say they have been following through in spades. The reason I thought I’d share this is because with every new piece of technology added to the camera system, I find myself getting more and more excited about shooting. And those who know me are aware I pretty much live, love, eat and sleep photography. I’ve always enjoyed wildlife photography but I find I have a new excitement because of the tools I get to use. The biggest advance in my opinion is the five-axis image stabilization paired with the Leica 100-400mm lens. This combo gives me an equivalent 800mm reach that I can handhold with sharp results down to 1/125th of a second or sometimes even slower. It would have been unthinkable in the past to be able to handhold a lens of that length let alone at that long of a shutter speed. I’m able to capture photos I could only have dreamed of in the past. Changing Photography! Indeed! Images copyright Bob Coates. All rights reserved.
Image copyright Feko Photo. All rights reserved. It's no secret I'm a groupie. My passion in this industry is helping photographers with the business and marketing side of imaging, but I never slow down in following artists in social media, and it's even better when I meet a few of you on the job!
Meet Ryan Bassett from Feko Photo in Cleveland. We were visiting friends in Ohio and wandered over to Headlands Beach. It was late afternoon on an overcast and chilly day. Ryan was on the beach with a bride and groom. I started talking to the other photographer working with him on the shoot. It's always a kick when I'm watching an artist working, and no matter what question I ask, I always get a response that suggests they think I'm another "Uncle Harry." They're always polite, but the look on their face says, "Go away amateur!" For the shot above Ryan had the couple walking down the path to the beach through the tall grass and sea oats. I loved the way he was working with them. He was lying in the sand, getting as low an angle as possible. He came over to the car as we were leaving, and I know was wondering if I was legitimate or a stalker. LOL I asked him if he'd send me the shot. Well, he did, and there it is, and I'm betting his clients loved it. There's no doubt the couple loved this image, and it's a perfect time to remind everybody of your biggest goals with every client - exceed expectations and make yourself habit-forming. Click on the image if you'd like to see more of Feko Photo's work, which includes both Ryan and his partner Al Garcia. Ryan, thanks for sending me the image to share. However, you're living in Ohio and until Spring there's a good chance to get that same shot you'll be lying in a foot of snow. I'm happy to show you the beaches here in Sarasota any time! Image copyright Kurt Gardner. All rights reserved. What I love about videos on the Internet is their ability to expose us, not only to great products but ways to capture images so many photographers never get to experience. In this new video from the team at Tamron USA, Kurt Gardner is in the air over the Adirondacks with the SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 lens. It's a short video, and as you listen to Kurt's narrative, combined with the conversation with his pilot, there's a lot you can learn. Even Kurt's comment contradicting most people thinking you need clear blue skies adds to understanding his mind's eye visions of what he's hoping to capture. And, think about how he's shooting - he's got to know his craft well enough each time he's in the air. His time in the air is limited, and he doesn't have time to miss what he wants to capture. There's a common denominator between Kurt's time in the air and a wedding photographer - he's on a tight schedule with limited time; he's got to understand everything about the craft and his lens choice, and he has to trust the reliability of his gear. Tamron manufacturers some of the finest glass in imaging and their focus isn't just on quality and reliability but nonstop education. They're helping photographers raise the bar on their images every day. In fact, while this video is about the SP24-70mm lens, their 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD lens just won a Lucie Technical Award two weeks ago! Visit the Tamron website with a click on the banner below and then check out Kurt Gardner's work with a click on either screenshot I grabbed from the video. He needs to be on your radar, and you'll never be disappointed in the images he shares! Image copyright Kurt Gardner. All rights reserved.
The problem with political jokes is that they get elected. Henry Cate It's the perfect topic for Marketing Monday - all the BS from this year's politicians in Florida. I can only talk about what we've gotten in Sarasota, but I know it's the same everywhere. As a result of this year's direct mail campaigns, entire forests have been turned into wastelands as one tree after another has died in support of another politician's campaign. And, I'm only sharing the direct mail pieces I collected over the last two weeks, which completely covered our dining room table. But, let's not forget the phone calls. In this past week, we've been averaging a dozen a day with at least five so far from Kelsey Grammer! It's the perfect time to point out a few marketing basics: Don't negative sell - The majority of the mailings so far in the race for Governor take turns negative selling Gillum vs. DeSantis. There's almost nothing that's honestly from the heart sharing why either one feels they should be governor. Don't put your competitor first - A number of pieces kick the competition before they talk about their candidate. In the battle between Scott and Nelson, they sent out an 8 1/2 x 11 heavy stock card. I got two different cards on the same day. On one card Nelson's supporters chose not to say anything about their candidate and on the other only 1/4 was dedicated to Nelson. Both messages completely put Scott in the spotlight, and neither ever tell you what office Nelson is even running for! Years ago Rollei ran an ad in the US about a new camera. The headline read, "While Hasselblad has slept, Rollei has turned dreams into reality!" Then it had a picture of a Hasselblad camera on a pillow. The ad put Hasselblad into the spotlight so much that, as president of Hasselblad USA at the time, I offered to pay to keep it out there! Easy on the overkill - Between the same message over and over again, combined with phone calls and television ads, we're sick of all of them. Keep your message simple and pay attention to when you're doing a mailing. You've got to help people understand the value of your offer. I know this is more of a rant than a post, but my frustration with this nonsense is over the top. I can't help but wonder how many school lunches, shelters for the homeless, meals on wheels for the elderly and better medical care for our veterans could have been supported, instead of the money spent on the nonstop flow of paper in our mailbox! I'm a proud American, but the world has run amuck, and while I'm so grateful for the right of free speech, that shouldn't extend to the right to fill our mailboxes or interrupt our lives with the constant dribble of robocalls. Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere,
diagnosing it everywhere and applying the wrong remedies. Groucho Marx If you're new to SCU on Sunday mornings, here are the rules...there aren't any. I always go off-track trying hard to stay focused on not being focused - at least not on photography. Writing a post about topics miles away from the business most of us are in, has become therapeutic. I often cross the line into areas that are personal and according to the "experts," should not be shared in a public forum. *sigh* The experts don't know my mantra: I do it because I can; I can because I want to; I want to because you said I couldn't! Unknown I've been using Luminar 2018 on a lot of older images in my archives. As a result, I'm finding images I haven't looked at in a long time. The one above is a perfect example. We were in Georgia with our son and daughter-in-law, and this is the end of the Appalachian Trail, or the beginning if you walk south to north. There are two big oaks, and hikers have memorialized their adventure by tossing their worn-out hiking shoes into the trees. Well, it got me thinking about that old expression, "You can't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes!" I get the meaning, but lately it seems to be a forgotten concept. Too many people are into instant fulfillment these days, needing to judge immediately. I never thought the idea of innocent until proven guilty had an expiration date. I'm not talking about the horrific things that make the news, but how people interact with each other on a daily basis. I'm referring to people who make assumptions and pass judgment without ever knowing the facts. They thrive on a lack of forgiveness, empathy, and respect. If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Unknown Remember, it's Sunday morning, and I already warned you I was headed on a journey a long way from photography! The bottom line is I'm tired of people who live to crush somebody's spirit. I'm tired of people who judge others without knowing the facts. They not only don't walk a mile in their shoes, they don't even try them on! Sheila's been a student of the Course in Miracles for many years. In the process, I've picked up a little of the course, which essentially categorizes how we react to life into two directions - everything is based out of love or fear (anger, resentment, judgement, hate, anything but love.) It doesn't matter what your religious beliefs are, we can do so much better with more love and less fear. I'm tired of dealing with people who deal from the fear side of the equation. Just like frustrated parents with young kids, it's time to give them a "timeout." Don't judge me by the chapter you walked in on. Unknown Wishing everybody the perfect Sunday and one filled with the people who mean most to you. Make it a day filled with love, peace and yes, I sound like a flower-child from the 70's! Better yet, I don't really care. Be happy and go for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs and most important of all, go back to the early 60's when nothing was open on Sundays, and you just spent time with your family and friends!
Thanks for joining me - Happy Sunday! A couple of months ago Profoto announced the new B10. Once again they created their own little paradigm shift by expanding what photographers can do with light...anywhere! Going back to my Hasselblad days, I spent a lot of time in Scandinavia, but never enough time in Norway. I'm excited to share the video below. It not only features the work of Frøydis Geithus but demonstrates the portability of the new B10 and the potential to control the light at any time of the day and in virtually any environment. Frøydis is hiking through the mountains of Norway without any restrictions on her creativity. There's a lot of good content in this video, and as always, Profoto does a great job in sharing her images and each "recipe" along the way. Image copyright Frøydis Geithus. All rights reserved. One of my favorite segments in the video was the clip where she's got her subjects in the mountains, and it's well into dusk. Nothing slows Frøydis down. I grabbed a screenshot just to show the freedom the B10 gave her to merely be creative. She's working in the dark! I also appreciate the way Profoto has been sharing the gear used with each image. They're not only the leader in lighting technology but often in online education. You can learn so much watching other artists work, regardless of their subject matter or where they're working. Click on the image above to visit Frøydis' facebook page. She's photographing all over the world and shares a lot of great images. Isn't it time you visited a Profoto dealer or rental house? Take the B10 out for your own test drive and you'll immediately understand what all the buzz is about! Just click the banner below to visit the Profoto website for more information.
Fast Food Friday is all about things you can do to build a stronger business. Each "blue plate special" here at the SCU diner, and there are 33 of them to date, is meant to help you identify those fundamental building blocks you need in strengthening your brand. I started this series in February because it's so obvious how many of you want to be successful artists, but fail to recognize the importance of critical ingredients to pave the road to success as a business owner. So, with the help of Excire Inc. we expanded the weekly selection with a menu that was more extensive. Although today's special is out of the SCU diner archives, it's the perfect entree for November. We're into the fourth quarter and it's the busiest time of year for all of you. Albums, reprints, sittings for family portraits, fine art prints, etc. are all part of holiday gift ideas and hopefully the demands on your time are starting to ramp up. At the same time, as a business owner wearing multiple hats, you're pulled in different directions. Stress is rearing it's ugly head and the pressure for a strong finish to 2018 is nonstop. I'm having fun with this Fast Food Friday today, just like a chef trying out some new ingredients. I've shared five mistakes so many of you have made in the past in the hopes you don't repeat them. There's even an audio bonus. Think of it the same way you'd get a singing waiter! Happy Fast Food Friday and as always, wishing everybody a terrific weekend. Wandering through the Internet several years ago I came across Desk.com and a list of "Five Annoying Customer Quotes" written by Allyson Stone. Today the site is called Salesforce.com and it's loaded with a lot of good content. Reading her five quotes, I wanted to put them into perspective for the business of photography.
Here's the thing about excellent Customer Service - it's about your attitude. It's not a department that's part of a large corporation. It's meant to be the foundation of everything you believe in business and about your customers. Excellent Customer Service is about making yourself habit-forming and exceeding customer expectations. Every client needs to feel like they're your most important customer. "Your customer doesn't care how much you know until they know how much you care!" Damon Richards Need help better utilizing your time? Click on the banner above to visit the Excire website. Take the award-winning Excire Search Pro for Lightroom Classic CC for your own just extended FREE 30-day test drive. And follow us on Facebook for the latest information on this exciting software and time-saver. Check out the special promotion launched at Photokina - "Search" is $49 and "Search Pro" is just $99. |
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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