I need a little help from Dave Barry to set the stage.... “As you get older; you've probably noticed that you tend to forget things. You'll be talking with somebody at a party, and you'll know that you know this person, but no matter how hard you try, you can't remember his or her name. This can be very embarrassing, especially if he or she turns out to be your spouse.” I’m not quite that bad, but this week at IUSA I couldn’t help but notice the number of times somebody said hello and as we walked away, I’d quietly say to Sheila, “I have no idea who that was!” According to my good buddy Scott Bourne, I’m older than dirt and should be a better photographer, considering I studied under Matthew Brady! LOL I don’t honestly feel older, although I have noticed that I creak for ten minutes when I get up in the morning. And, according to Sheila, I have yet to develop any serious maturity! Here’s the thing, yes, I’m getting older, but I figured out that I’ve been going to an average of four conventions a year since 1987. Throw in a few dozen Hasselblad University road shows from the 90’s, workshops, association meetings, advisory boards and presentations and I’ve met literally thousands of photographers, their spouses and managers in this industry. The challenge is the same thing I had when I bought my new computer – I need more memory…I’ve got a Drobo 5 D at home that I wish I could just plug into my brain! Julieanne Kost used a great line when it came to getting involved in a new project years ago, “Skip, I’m just out of bandwidth!” So, to any of you who, this week at the convention, who felt slighted because you didn’t get as big a welcome as you should have– my apologies. It certainly wasn’t intentional. but I’ve got an idea for the next convention. For anybody you meet over 50, especially somebody who’s a speaker or exhibitor meeting a lot of people every year – just give us a hint and your name with where you might have met before. It’ll save you from feeling snubbed and us old farts from spending days after a convention trying to remember who we just talked to. "Middle age is having a choice between two temptations and choosing the one that'll get you home earlier!" Dan Bennett Welcome to my world!
Illustration credit: © freshidea - Fotolia.com
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by Skip Cohen The problem with those of us who think of ourselves as amateur poet laureates is, when we write something we believe borders on true brilliance, LOL, we simply beat it to death! So, it's out of the archives and this year presented to my new SCU audience. It also comes with the same wish year after year - Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season filled with love, compassion and appreciation. Sheila and I feel so fortunate to know so many of you and have your support. Happy Holidays! Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house I’d unplugged my computer and even the mouse. My blogs for year-end were all ready to go There was no reason to work, the Internet was slow. For reasons unknown as if it made sense my email needed cleaning and I got “off the fence.” For over a year I’d saved every note the ones I received and the ones that I wrote. So I started deleting each email and letter. The more I deleted the more I felt better. 2012 Email from Curley, Heisler and Bourne Taufer, Kubota, Malloy and Dorne. And then went the drafts I’d written, but never sent from those days when writing just helped me vent. When all of a sudden I jumped up like LeBron, My joke files from Vedros and Steinhardt were gone. Gone were the best jokes from PG to X rated, the ones that I loved and the ones that I hated. My email had been full with great moments and smiles, but my computer was slowing down with the over-stuffed files. I wiped off my tears and even my nose the files, like Saint Nick, up the chimney they rose. My collection of jokes was gone and deleted. I felt so alone, so sad and defeated. When all of a sudden I jumped up with a grin My backup drive was never plugged in. I’d only deleted the stuff on one drive! My tasteless jokes, every one did survive! And I heard a voice, I thought from the sky Was it Santa, his reindeer who had just flown by? I realized the words were from Sheila, my wife, "Shut off the computer you fool - get a life. It’s Christmas and you’re screaming gave me a fright! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night" Illustration Credit: © samkar - Fotolia.com
by Skip Cohen I've written a lot over the years about holiday cards and Bleu Cotton and Alison Pierce's annual collectible. Well, here's the new 2013 card that just came yesterday and it's another classic. The front of the card is above and below is the inside message. As photographers you're the ultimate storytellers and trained to help people make memories that will last, but so often you forget to make them last for yourself! The back of the card adds three more priceless images to this memory-maker and brings it together with a thanks to the additional support people involved, the makeup artists!
Okay, it's cutting it close, but it's not too late for those of you who have been procrastinating, to still get a card done with one of your own images or images of you and your family. A big THANKS to Bleu and Alison for their wonderful friendship all these years and their ability to bring a smile to so many faces with every card...and Fisher is definitely stealing the show! A couple of years ago my good buddy and co-author, Scott Bourne, did a rant on five of the most stupid things photo-related companies do to us. It's one of my favorite posts, because of two things, the actual points he made are dead on and the sarcasm with which each point hits home is some of the very best.
It's one thing to complain about the challenges we all face dealing with the rocket scientists at the corporate level, but it takes a true artist to describe them. So, if there was a Pulitzer for reality and sarcasm, Scott would sure be my nomination. Skip Cohen by Scott Bourne Sometimes I just want to run to the printer and have them make 10,000 bumper stickers that say “It’s not the economy stupid – it’s that you suck!” I’ve been using serious photo gear in a serious manner since the early 1970s. It didn’t used to be this bad – I don’t think. But it seems like the notion of customer service is completely foreign to many camera companies and their related brothers and sisters. So here’s a partial list (just five stupid things in no particular order) that photo-related companies do. I don’t expect these companies to change for the better, but at least I’ll feel better after venting a little bit. Sorry for the rant but at least some of you must feel my pain! Stupid Thing #1 DO NOT... Require photographers to enter their camera serial number to obtain a copy of their camera’s manual or other camera info online. STUPID! Why is this necessary? Why does the camera manufacturer care if I already own the camera? Do they think the manual possesses some secret information that will grant me the codes to the Death Star? If so, isn’t that secret information available to the thousands who DO own the camera and who could look at the online manual anyway? What if I am simply interested in buying the camera? Wouldn’t they want me to have access to all the information I need before deciding? Maybe I’ll read the manual and be convinced that I need to buy that camera. Wow – we wouldn’t want to do something that would potentially sell more gear would we? And what would stop me from calling my buddy with a Nikon D3x and asking him for his serial number so I could look at the manual? This is one of the silliest things the camera companies do and it should stop – but it probably won’t. Stupid Thing #2 DO NOT... Require photographers to sign in with an email address and password to access basic information about products and services. Okay here we go again. It’s almost as if they are afraid we might somehow sneak into their website and buy something! Don’t create barriers to business. Don’t make it hard for us to contact you. Don’t make us give up personal information just to find out whether or not we want or need what you’re selling. Open the gates. Let us in. We probably want to give you money. You want money don’t you? Why would you do ANYTHING that would make it hard for us to give you money? Get rid of the passwords folks. This isn’t a bank transaction. We aren’t asking for access to the vault at Fort Knox. We don’t even want to know if Donald Trump’s comb-over is real. There are no government secrets. We just want to see how your camera flash sync works, or how many watt seconds your new flash head is, or how much RAM your new software program requires, etc. Really. Take the bullet out of the gun Barney Fife. It ain’t no big deal! Stupid Thing #3 DO NOT... Package products in such a complex manner. I recently ordered a camera battery and just about had to call in a full-fledged nuclear strike to get the darn package open. I have actually had to have stitches before when cut by the plastic that some companies use to ship their products in. I understand that some companies package for retail and want to reduce loss to theft. Two points to ponder. If I order it from Adorama or Amazon then it’s coming to my house AFTER I paid for it. No need to force me to get a blow torch to open it up. Second point…if you make it so hard for me to open the package I might just buy something else. So you miss the sale anyway. STOP IT! Use common sense packaging. It’s better for the environment, it’s easier on the customer and it’s less expensive to YOU! Stupid Thing #4 DO NOT... Make it hard to register my product under warranty. Okay – so you sold me this thing. You included a warranty card. You want ME to fill it out. You give me about one inch to include the 400 words necessary to get the information to you. You put the serial number in four point black type on a black camera body, hidden in the most obscure place possible. Couldn’t you just pre-stamp the warranty card with the number that matches the product in the box? It would be a good loss prevention tool since you have gear stolen prior to it reaching the customer. Of course we’re not done yet. You ask all sorts of personal and marketing questions that have nothing to do with the warranty. In some states these practices have been ruled illegal but you continue to act in this fashion. How about just making it easy for me? The warranty card has a bar code or a simple key code on it that I enter at your website with my BASIC contact information such as Name, Address, Email or Phone. That’s it! Then you ASK NICELY if I want to participate in marketing research or additional marketing programs. I reply according to my wishes but if I say yes, you have a serious, committed customer instead of someone who resents you for making them jump through all those hoops just to get the warranty YOU PROMISED THEM before they bought your product. Stupid Thing #5 DO NOT... Sell us on more megapixels. STOP IT NOW! I beg of you. We’re NOT that stupid – okay at least HALF of us are not THAT stupid. We know that cramming more and more and more and more and more and more megapixels on to the same size sensor is NOT giving us better image quality. It IS making us buy bigger memory cards, hard disks and faster computers. It is wasting more and more of our time while we download files that are least 1/3rd larger than they need to be. Why not stick with 12 or so megapixels and concentrate on great sensors that gather lots of light without aberration? That’s what we want. Really. Megapixel madness does NOT serve your customers. It serves your marketing department. How about a pact? You promise to stop this madness, at least on the prosumer level and above cameras, and we’ll tell all of our Uncle Harry’s that the $199 point and shoot with 400 megapixels will make him a rock star photographer…deal? I could go on – and that’s the bad news. But I’ll stop because I like to contain my rants to a page or so. At the end of the day so much around us happens for no reason. Worse, most of it happens because it’s ALWAYS been done that way. It would be nice if some enterprising company in the photo business gathered up some key clients, suppliers and staff and just started asking questions like: “Why do we do this?” Ah – at least I can dream! Thanks for listening to my rant. Welcome to Grab Shots - Just like grab shots in photography these will be just as random. It's a series of random thoughts about the photographic industry, people in general, business and life. I'm going to keep them short and do my best to "plant a few seeds".
We're all busy and while we try and always answer emails and return phone calls, every now and then you miss one, but here's a frustration I have. I'll get a call or a direct message on Twitter from somebody asking for help on something. I'll respond and then not hear from them for weeks. The point is, just get back to people when you've asked them to get back to you, even if it's a "Thanks, I was able to find the answer I needed" kind of response. Welcome to Grab Shots - Just like grab shots in photography these will be just as random. It's a series of random thoughts about the photographic industry, people in general, business and life. I'm going to keep them short and do my best to "plant a few seeds".
About a year ago a photographer asked me my opinion on new photographers. She wanted to know if I thought we should help them become better and more professional or just let them flounder and hopefully drop out of the business... Look, I won't deny for a second we're all frustrated with the horror stories of photographers who had great gear, but didn't know how to use it. The Internet is loaded with story after story from an unhappy bride who had no understanding of what she was getting into, but here's the thing. Half of the industry has always been part time, going back long before digital photography. There are some outstanding part time photographers. Being a full time photographer doesn't necessarily make you better, just luckier in the paths you've chosen to follow. So, let's keep helping those new photographers who have the passion and want to learn and stop trying to slow them down. WPPI got started over thirty years ago because nobody would recognize the "weekend warrior". There are so many different aspects to this pet peeve, but it's really directed to those members of the "old guard" who have forgotten how much help they needed when they were first getting started! This has nothing whatsoever to do with photography, although considering the history of the problem, imaging certainly played a role. I just watched this and loved the chuckle power. I realize the number one rule of a good blog is to stay out of politics unless that's an interest of your target readership. Well, I'm violating that rule in support of some great lyrics thanks to Jay Leno and his crew with help from Kristen Chenoweth. Just watch it for it's amusement value! Welcome to Grab Shots - Just like grab shots in photography these will be just as random. It's a series of random thoughts about the photographic industry, people in general, business and life. I'm going to keep them short and do my best to "plant a few seeds".
I'm so tired of hearing photographers blame not having the right gear on the shots they miss. First of all, most often they haven't taken the time to know every aspect of the gear they have. Second, if you honestly need something and can't afford it, stop being embarrassed. Go rent it! It's not a crime to be short on cash, especially when you're just getting started. However, it is a crime to use "cash flow" as an excuse! Welcome to Grab Shots - Just like grab shots in photography these will be just as random. It's a series of random thoughts about the photographic industry, people in general, business and life. I'm going to keep them short and do my best to "plant a few seeds".
There's a great term that describes statements people often make. It's called a "self-fulfilling prophecy". While they can be positive, most often they're negative. The online explanation is: .."a false definition of the situation evoking a new behavior which makes the original false conception come 'true'." Essentially it's simply the act of sabotaging your own potential good fortune on an attitude of "if you define a situation as hopeless, it will be!" We all know people who spend their lives on the negative side of life. Their favorite expressions are, "Well, that will never work!" and "We already tried that!" I'm not suggesting things aren't tough in photography right now, but ask any small business owner and everybody has felt the pressure of the last few years. But, here's the good news - you can turn it around with a lot of hard work and it all starts with a positive attitude! Welcome to Grab Shots - Just like grab shots in photography these will be just as random. It's a series of random thoughts about the photographic industry, people in general, business and life. I'm going to keep them short and do my best to "plant a few seeds". I admit it, I miss a few typos now and then, but I still proofread everything. Well, many of you don't proofread anything - not your posts, copy on your website, even brochures and flyers. If you're going to be publishing something then you at least need to pay attention to grammar basics and spelling. Every day I look at dozens of sites. Sometimes I can't understand what the photographer is even trying to say. It's only because they didn't proof-read what they wrote. So, here are some suggestions before you publish anything.
We all make mistakes, but that's not what you need to worry about. Pay attention to what you're writing and make sure everybody else is going to understand what you were trying to say.
Welcome to Grab Shots - Just like grab shots in photography these will be just as random. It's a series of random thoughts about the photographic industry, people in general, business and life. I'm going to keep them short and do my best to "plant a few seeds".
Whether you're a professional photographer, aspiring pro or a rank amateur, buying a great camera doesn't make you a professional, just the owner of a great camera. I respect your passion for the craft, but what will make you great is understanding the total process; knowing how to exceed client expectations and never compromising on the quality of any image. Having a great camera is like buying a high-end sports car - it doesn't make you a professional race driver! Take the time to really learn the craft and create images that "wow" people - then you can call yourself a pro! (middle shot - up close look at the eye of a flounder on the bottom of the ocean somewhere...hey, I said this was random) Welcome to Grab Shots - Just like grab shots in photography these will be just as random. It's a series of random thoughts about the photographic industry, people in general, business and life. I'm going to keep them short and do my best to "plant a few seeds".
Uncle Harry isn't your competition if you're truly thinking like a professional photographer. If you want to know who your competition really is, it's the face looking back at you in the mirror each morning, You've got more creative tools at your disposal than at any time in the history of photography, but you have to use them. You have to believe in yourself! “If you can’t believe in miracles, then believe in yourself. When you want something bad enough, let that drive push you to make it happen. Sometimes you’ll run into brick walls that are put there to test you. Find a way around them and stay focused on your dream. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Isabel Lopez "We tweet, we text, we e-mail. Everybody's chatting, but is anybody listening? Why America needs to revive the vanishing art of conversation. We need to talk."
That was the headline of a story by David Dudley in AARP magazine a couple of years ago, One of my ongoing resolutions each year is to talk more and email less. In fact, just this week so far, I've talked with four photographers who I only knew on Twitter or Facebook. It makes such a difference talking to somebody directly versus sending emails. So, let's find a way to talk more and email less! We don't talk to each other enough. Instead we tweet and email. Oh, let's not forget my favorite pet peeve, texting! There's nothing wrong with any of these, but we all need to do a better job of simply talking. It's especially important since we're all part of an industry that thrives on human contact. We're in the business of capturing those special moments - moments of people interacting, not communicating via typing through a variety of devices. So, here's the challenge - see if you can match one phone call to anybody you know for every 2-3 emails you send, and texting somebody doesn't count. This is about using your voice and really talking to friends and associates, no matter where they are. If we don't talk more we're all going to lose our ability to communicate. I've already noticed that I'm spelling things phonetically as I struggle to capture a thought in just 140 characters. While it might B gr8 2 B able 2 do, we're even frgetting how 2 writ! Photographers became "photogs" and then just "togs"...grammar is out the window, words like "at" have been replaced with @, two, to and too are just 2. I LOL...I LMAO and too often I look back just want to scream WTF! David Dudley said it best in his close: "We're in danger of becoming a nation of hyperconnected hermits, thumbs furiously working our BlackBerrys!" So, let's clarify my point...it's a balancing act. I'm not saying you need to dump social media. Social media is as necessary to building your business as a website is today or a yellow pages ad was twenty years ago. And, I love the way social media has made the world a smaller place. But, it's a balancing act with personal contact and you've got to have both. Keep the connections "live" with close friends and good customers and let's not let having a live conversation with somebody become an obscure art form! Photo Credit: © iko - Fotolia.com On August 11 a number of you are going to be attending SCU's Summer Session. Over the 3 1/2 days we're all together you're going to hit overload on great information to help you build your business. And, if you're not joining us at SCU, then this post will help you with the next convention you attend, but you're missing an opportunity. At a program like SCU, your NN, (Network Nerve) is totally over-stimulated with all the new people you meet. It's an eye-opening experience to learn you're not the only one on the planet worried about business, looking for new ways to improve your marketing or on a quest to create the ultimate image. When you get back from any conference, consider doing a quick "inventory" of the new people you want to "friend" or "follow" and then send them a quick email just to connect. They're in your network now and good networks require communication - sort of like the mortar between the bricks that hold a building together. Your NIN (New Ideas Nerve) is totally fried. It's on information overload and has been over-stimulated, leaving you sleepless, but filled with hope and optimism. Sure, a few late night conversations added to the challenge, but it's the ideas running through your head that really take over. Just remember you don't have to implement everything you learned right now, just put things in order. Even more important is that if you don't inventory these ideas soon, they're going to go into that informational "shoe-box". Then it gets kicked under the bed and not taken out until you're in a panic mode months from now, realizing you never took any action on all these great solutions and ideas to grow your business. Last but not least is your PN (Priorities Nerve). This is the toughest one to deal with, because you have to sort out the wonderful mess your head is in. You simply don't know where to start first. You've got new ideas about the business, your photographic and creative skills, your marketing and your relationship skills. They're all screaming for attention at the same time and you're fighting to keep from going psychotic! So, at the risk of sounding like Dr. Phil here's the priority list to consider. First, to thine own self be true. Take care of you first - you won't be good to anybody if you don't straighten out the mess in your head at the very beginning. And, here's the cool thing about taking care of you - you don't have to do anything - in fact that's the prescription - just kick back and relax for a few days before dealing with everything new you learned during the workshop. Second, pay attention to your family and close friends. More than likely they weren't with you, so they only know you've been away. Give them some attention, share what you learned last week, welcome their input on all those new ideas. Third - now it's time to attack the challenges, but prioritize them into the categories they represent. Remember, you don't have to do it all at once! Start with the low hanging fruit, the easiest new ideas to take on and implement and then branch out into the harder ones. For those of you aren't joining us in August, you're missing out on one of the most amazing programs in the industry. If you can join us, there are still openings, but if you honestly can't, then don't "should" on yourself. Walking around mumbling, "I should have gone!" or "I wish I had gone!" isn't going to get you closer to anything except an over developed FN (Frustration Nerve). That's the one that can really hurt, turn you gray before your time and create too many sleepless nights. If you look in the mirror and the bags under your eyes are making you look like Yoda, it's your FN and you need to relax! In terms of developing your own process of analyzing opportunities in the future, so you don't miss more events that might be life-changing, here are three of my favorite quotes... "Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities."
Sugar Ray Leonard "Every day, you'll have opportunities to take chances and to work outside your safety net. Sure, it's a lot easier to stay in your comfort zone.. in my case, business suits and real estate.. but sometimes you have to take risks. When the risks pay off, that's when you reap the biggest rewards." Donald Trump And my favorite from Sun Tzu, over 2000 year's ago... "Opportunities multiply as they are seized." Welcome to Grab Shots - Just like grab shots in photography these will be just as random. It's a series of random thoughts about the photographic industry, people in general, business and life. I'm going to keep them short and do my best to "plant a few seeds".
What good is working so hard to create the greatest images of your life if you’re not doing something to let people know you’re out there? I'm so tired of hearing photographers, who have done nothing to find new clients, complain about how business is slow and nobody seems to know who they are. This isn't a business where you hang out your shingle and suddenly there's a flash mob at your door trying to get in. You've got be involved in your community, publish a press release now and then, attend meetings of photographers in the area, have a decent blog and be helpful. Own your own zip code and stop watching the parade go by when you should be in it! Welcome to Grab Shots - Just like grab shots in photography these will be just as random. It's a series of random thoughts about the photographic industry, people in general, business and life. I'm going to keep them short and do my best to "plant a few seeds". See what you think of this first one...
It’s okay to day dream – in fact , great day dreams give you a chance to really do something since you remember them and are still awake. Allow yourself the time to just kick back and dream a few "what ifs?" "You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it." Neil Gaiman "Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who dream only at night". Edgar Allan Poe Some time before Facebook, before Twitter, before email, blogging and the Internet, I actually had a normal life. It wasn't too different from The Brady Bunch minus Alice and just two of the kids. Yeah, I'm dating myself a little, but just look back at how your life has changed in the last ten years!
The Internet changed the way we share images, shop and communicate. Digital photography changed the way we create and capture. Social Media changed the way we connect and with whom. Do I miss my life from ten years ago? - NOT A CHANCE! To start, I love staying connected to an industry I truly appreciate. Think about the people you "talk" to every day. It used to be a year between friends, often only connecting at an annual trade show or convention. Now I'm connected to those once-a-year friends every day. And, what a kick it is when you meet somebody in person who you've only met through social media! The world is getting to be a tiny place. I talked to my friend Francesco on Skype last Friday morning at Venice Album in Italy. In fact, when he said "Ciao" at the end of the call I just laughed, because unlike Americans who use the expression, for him it's his language. And I'm connected to my old friend Taka from Asukabook in Japan and his son now and then, again on Skype. Scott Bourne and his team built the infrastructure for this site and it was all done back and forth on the computer, which is something we all use every day without a thought to what we'd do if tomorrow it disappeared. I've never met Chris Fawkes from Australia, but we're working together to build Facebook Wedding Photographers. As we approach 5000 wedding photographers world wide, I'm blown away by how much I enjoy working with him to build this resource. He's on the other side of the world and we've never actually met. Then there's the simple act of picking up the phone. I spent an hour last week with Leslie Ball, a photographer who I've never met in person, but in a Facebook forum saw she could use a little help and just made a phone call. New friends, new challenges and new support and it's all thanks to Twitter and Facebook. And, when my mother passed away earlier this month, I had dozens of amazing condolence comments, many from people I've never met. Trends that used to take months to create, are out there in seconds in front of hundreds of thousands of people. And if a manufacturer produces an inferior product, the word is out on a dozen forums in a flash. Best of all, when you need help with a challenge, especially in photography, just post it on a good forum and watch the number of people, many of whom you've never met, come to your aid! In fact, these communities, especially Skip's Summer School on Facebook, is what I love most about the Internet. It's not even my page, but was started by Brent Watkins, a photographer from Ohio who came to SSS a couple of years ago. The Internet is bringing people with common interests together to help each other, share ideas and build a stronger photographic industry. The world shrinks a little with every step you take further into social media, but best of all is the power you have as a photographer to market yourself. If you do it right and build your website and blog with a great attitude and the dedication to stay involved, you've got the power to communicate that just a few years ago only a national magazine might have had! So, every now and then I'll complain that my day starts out with a couple of hours of tweeting and posting and I'm answering emails before the sun comes up. But, would I go back to a nine to five job and not knowing what was going on until I literally opened my mail? Would I trade in my computer for the silver letter opener my Dad had on his desk? Would I trade in the excitement of "chimping" now and then for the pride of getting 38 exposures out of a 36 exposure roll? The answer to all of the questions and the dozens we could all add to the list - NEVER! In the history of photography, there's never been a more exciting time and never more tools at our disposal to capture, create and share images. But, if you're not actively involved in staying on top of technology, as well as social media, you need to take a serious look at how I predict the growth of your business is going to simply be stunted or even die completely in the near future. I found the following quotes that are so appropriate: "Once a new technology rolls over you, if you're not part of the steamroller, you're part of the road." Stewart Brand "The number one benefit of information technology is that it empowers people to do what they want to do. It lets people be creative. It lets people be productive. It lets people learn things they didn't think they could learn before, and so in a sense it is all about potential." Steve Ballmer Photo Credit: © Kadal - Fotolia.com by Skip Cohen You're all hopefully in the heat of the busy season and the fall conventions will soon roll around, along with planning for your convention visits next year. At the same time, many of you are headed to SCU's Summer Session in Chicago. As you attend the various workshops and future conventions, here's a fun thing to remember. For you newbies out there, although it's not exclusive to rookies, you're going to have a chance to meet a lot of amazing photographers. When you see one of your favorite icons, GO TALK TO THEM! They're icons, because they're special. They're special because they're approachable! They believe in education and want to share the gift they have of teaching. If they wanted anonymity they wouldn't be at the workshop or convention. They wouldn't be lecturing and wouldn't be caught dead walking a trade show aisle. When you get a chance to talk to one of your heroes - just talk to them. Let them know you appreciated their program, their images or whatever new idea they inspired you to try. You don't have to suck up - just be honest and remember, every icon started out just like you, not knowing what they were doing, scared to death of their first shoot and feeling awkward. Unlike you today though, if they're over 40, odds are they had no social media, no Facebook or Twitter, no forums and no Internet to really draw from. They shot film and had to know they got they the shot when the shutter clicked. They could share an image without the post office, UPS or Fedex! The world was a much bigger place and there was less information shared and far less tools and techniques to talk about. But be careful. This is just like getting close to a wild animal, whatever you do, don't let them sense you're afraid! And if you believe that, you really need to stay home and consider a new career! PhotoCredit: Copyright Scott Bourne. All rights reserved. This video from two weeks ago couldn't get any funnier and it seems to fit with this morning's post, "You Might Be a Bad Photographer if...(Sorry about the commercial in the beginning, but trust me and watch this. It's got guaranteed chuckle power!) The Colbert Report Last week we had some fun with an old post that Scott Bourne started. Well, I promised to post your feedback with the additions from so many of you. Here's a whole new list! And a big thanks to Everardo Keeme who shared a link for a website that's guaranteed to make you chuckle! Feel free to add new ones and we'll just keep this thing going! Skip Cohen You might be a bad photographer: Michael Miller:...if you shoot a baseball tournament with a kit 18-55mm lens (actually got asked advice on that last night) Michael Van Auken...if you forget to remove the logo of the photographer who's photograph you stole and claimed it as your own on your web site. Carey Nash...if you think that selective coloring is awesome and about to take off! Photogenic...if you think that spot colour actually works in wedding photography and your fb page has LOTs of this type of processed image. Jared M. Burns...if you are a self-declared "natural light only photographer" because you think direct flash looks un-natural and didn't know a flash can (and should) be moved OFF the camera. Richard Shoaf...if you incessantly reduce your prices to compete with the "photographers" on Groupon and Craigslist in a race to the bottom. Michael Novo...if your watermark is prettier than your images. Angel Pachowski... if you add tons of filters to all your images, because that is the only way to make them look good. Angel Pachowski...if you have not figured out why the camera won't focus where you want it to. Those pesky boxes keep moving. So you just let the camera choose what to focus on, it has to be right. Right? Brook Rieman...if you spend all of your time online critiquing other people's photography and never let anyone see your own. Brian Smith...if your dream is to land a job as photographer for the DMV. Tom Burtchaell...if you think lens flare is artistic Bec Wolfe-Thomas...if you convert your photo to B&W because it looks like crap in color. Rolando Gomez...if your primary camera accepts incoming calls! (Rolando didn't really send this to me, but it's a tweet of his from yesterday that I loved) Skip Cohen...every time you use your tripod you fully extend the center post, but not the legs. (I had to add one of my own.) Thanks everybody - if you've got more to add fire them off to my email address, skip@mei500.com Photo Credit: © KtD - Fotolia.com |
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