I'm pulling this out of the SCU archives because so many of you need help with hand and ring shots. Actively involved as an administrator in both the Facebook Wedding Forum and Advanced Wedding Photographers Forum, there are too many ring shots being shared that are mediocre. Well, nobody did a better job photographing rings and hands than my old buddy Don Blair. And, while these classic shots might be twenty years old, they still set the standard. I know this is more about hands than rings, but Don's classic hand shot, showing the rings of the bride and groom, is still one of the best! I apologize for the quality of the scans. I no longer have the original images, but they're good enough to make the point. These were scanned from a copy of the book we wrote together, Body Parts. (Contact Marathon Press for more information - I think they still have the ability to print copies.) These images and tips should help you create your own classic hand shots. The image with the flowers has always been one of my favorites. Don's tips were all based on simplicity.
With hands there really is no right or wrong, simply better or best. Don had two great rules for hand shots in general:
From Don Blair's Guide to Lighting and Posing Body Parts Images copyright Don Blair and Skip Cohen. All rights reserved. As a professional photographer, your work ALWAYS needs to be better than "Uncle Harry's." Your clients deserve the very best, and if your attitude is "That's good enough," then you shouldn't be calling yourself a professional.
Just because it's the "slow season," doesn't mean it has to be slow for you. Now is the time to practice and fine-tune your skill set. Your goal is to always exceed each client's expectations, and you'll never do that if you don't experiment and work to be the finest photographer you can be!
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With each new podcast in the Beyond Technique series, our guests have shared some remarkably candid insight into their life as a photographer. For my co-host, Chamira Young and me it's been an incredible experience as each photographer has given us a tiny peek into their life as an artist. It's all thanks to PhotoShelter and their never-ending quest to help photographers raise the bar on the quality of their presentations and their business. Julie Dermansky joined us on this podcast. Although there's nothing, Julie probably can't photograph, her passion is story-telling and capturing the reality of life. She shares her thoughts on how she connects with her subjects, captures the emotion they're feeling at the time and builds each relationship. Years ago I attended an awards ceremony where the legendary portrait photographer, Monte Zucker, received recognition for his work. On the same platform, that day were several photojournalists who had captured images from 9/11. I remember Monte paying tribute to the photojournalists by saying, "I have the best job in the world. I capture the fantasy of life, the way it should be. But you guys capture life the way it is." Well, Julie captures life the way it is and has developed a style where she builds relationships and uses her camera to tell each story. Her images tug at our heartstrings and create awareness for life most often outside the one many of us live. A huge thanks to Julie for joining us on this podcast. You'll notice when you look at her galleries she spends a great deal of time traveling from one crisis to another. However, she also manages to capture the beauty of wherever she is and the personality of her subjects. She's developed the ability to tell each story in a way her subjects appreciate. Check out Julie's PhotoShelter galleries with a click on any of the images in this post. Thanks to the team at PhotoShelter, the services and products they offer each client, and their incredible focus on customer service, Julie, along with her peers are presenting their work in a way that leaves each of us wanting to see more! All images copyright Julie Dermansky. All rights reserved. Image copyright Mike Peters. All rights reserved. Intro by Skip Cohen With help from my good buddy Mark Toal, we started Mirrorless Monday to share great images from a wide variety of applications all captured with LUMIX cameras. Later the feature expanded to include the LUMIX Ambassadors and today's post is especially unique, thanks to Mike Peters. I'm always looking for great images captured with LUMIX cameras. Mike sent me the image above and then in an IM conversation on Facebook, he gave me some of his background leading up to joining the Ambassador team. Well, sometimes the backstory behind an artist and an image is just as much fun as the photograph itself. I loved Mike's story, not just about this image, but his love for photographing people, the square format and the way his work captures and defines the human spirit. Check out more of Mike's work with a click on his image above. And, check out the LUMIX Ambassador team. They're an incredibly diverse group, always sharing great content to help you raise the bar on your skillset. Find out more about the LUMIX GH5 and the Leica 15 mm lens Mike used on this image with a click on the thumbnails below. by Mike Peters
Many years ago when I began to shoot on the street I was using a Rolleiflex, and then a Hasselblad. I used those cameras specifically because I wanted to shoot square. Why square, because I shoot for clients, and they all want rectangles. When I look at the world through a square viewfinder, I know that I’m shooting for myself and I can immediately shift gears to a more personal approach to my work. I like that the square is neutral, not this or that, just what it is - kind of like my photographs. I like my personal work to be very unlike the commercial work where I make pretty pictures to tell uplifting stories for my clients. The work I do for myself is more a reflection of the reality that I see, and an expression of how I feel about that. Photographing on the street gives me an opportunity to find people in whom I see something familiar, and to find their universal humanity in their specificity. We all have stuff. We all want the same things in life, to love and be loved. And within each of us is the capacity to be both very good and very bad people. Finding people where they are in public places, I look for those who express the honest and unvarnished truth about themselves. I am bearing witness to their existence, acknowledging their presence at that particular place and time. We were there, together. The photograph is the proof. I don’t really consider myself a street photographer in the classic or most popular sense. I photograph people on the street and in public spaces. My focus is on the people and their character and personality, along with the way they express themselves. I see these images that I make more as spontaneous portraits. I saw this particular woman while walking across 42nd Street in NYC. I noticed that she was quite unusual in her presentation as she passed by me. So I turned around and walked quickly to get in front of her, far enough so that I could stop and wait. I saw the Broadway Magic sign and knew that it would be perfect. I had one opportunity to nail the shot; she was walking towards me, so I cranked up the shutter speed in shutter priority, and auto ISO, and made the shot f1.7 @ 1/4000 ISO 1250 with the Leica 15mm on a GH5 using multi area focus in the single shot mode. The 15mm is the fastest focusing lens that I’ve ever used and I knew the focus would be nailed in this situation. I woke up this morning and went through the usual Sunday morning routine of thinking about something to write about. Several times in the last few days I've looked around my office and our home, doing these little inventories of life like we all do, and said to Sheila, "How did we get here?" Then wandering through Facebook a lot of friends seem to be playing the "Ten Year Game," putting up their first headshot for Facebook with today's. Well, it suddenly hit me, in one of those OMG-cartoon-character-moments with the imaginary lightbulb going off above my head it's ten years ago this April I resigned from Rangefinder Publishing and WPPI to head out on my own. Why I left is no longer relevant. I look back on that time in my life as one of those "Ah-Ha" moments when I made the right decision. I'm grateful to so many people who helped me realize the dream of my own business; stuck by me through some scary times and all along the way became a part of the fabric of my life - which seems to be a never-ending tapestry that's always changing. Rather than take a nostalgic look back, I'm more excited about looking forward. After all, through several thousand posts over the last ten years, I've shared just about everything that's happened in my life. It's more fun to look ahead and here are handful of examples:
In looking ahead, there's one last major point that's changing, which started a year or two ago. As I look back, it has a lot to do with aging and time. I'm at a point in my life where I realize every day how fast the hands on the clock are spinning. It has a lot to do with looking at your life and seeing less time ahead than the decades behind. I want to waste less time in the new year. I'm tired of not getting quality time with good friends. I'm tired of people I care about being out of touch. A couple of weeks ago I got a call from Claude Jodoin, which he referred to as his "annual catch up to Skip" call. It was great, as we covered what's going on in both of our lives, talked a little about the past, our old buddy Dean Collins always comes up, and just reminded each other we're both still passionate about the craft and our friendship. And there you have it - It's time to make my point. While I love looking in that rearview mirror and the comparisons everybody is doing on Facebook with their headshots - it's more fun to think about what your next ten years are going to be like, starting with 2019. What do you want to do this year to make it different than last year? How are you going to find more time for friends, stay focused on growing your business and bring more quality into your life? What's truly important to you this morning? Wishing everybody a day ahead filled with optimism and time to appreciate where you're going in the new year more than where you've been. Hug those special people in your life for the full therapeutic eleven-seconds and remember they're a key to your goals for the future. Take the time to appreciate how shallow life would be without them, and then focus on how important they are going forward. We can't stop time or even slow it down, but we all can create more impact and a life that adds more smiles and laughs than frowns and tears. There's a great line Dr. Phil is credited for, "Would you rather be happy or right?" In this new year, it's more important for me to go bounding out of bed in the morning with a smile on my face than a frown and thinking about the stress of the day ahead. While stress is inevitable as a business owner, you can still work in a stress-free zone as long as you stay focused on things that make you happy. Anybody want to join me? Ten years from now you'll laugh about whatever's stressing you out today. So why not laugh now? Tony Robbins Wishing everybody a terrific Sunday...or Monday if you're on the other side of the world!
It's the second Fast Food Friday of 2019, and the perfect time to talk about educational support in the new year. We've talked a little about it in past posts, especially about getting the most out of a convention. But today, I want to hit all the opportunities for you to expand your skill set in virtually every area of photography, business and here and there, even in life. Remember why I started this series - to give you short tips on how to make your business stronger in quick easy to "digest" topics each week. Well, this is number 42 in the series and with a little help from my buddy, Scott Kelby, let's talk about education for 2019. One of the most diverse educational resources that should be on your radar is "The Grid." It's loaded with content shared by some of the finest educators in professional photography. Photography, Education and Support - On the GridThis past Wednesday I was invited back to The Grid, hosted by Scott Kelby. Our topic was getting the most out of educational opportunities in 2019. We covered a lot of ground, including maximizing your time at conferences. If you haven't checked out "The Grid" you're missing an opportunity to expand your skill set in just about everything to do with imaging including marketing, business, Lightroom, capture, printing and the list goes on and on. There's a lot of great information in this episode. However, let's look at a bigger picture. This is the slow season and just because business might be slow doesn't mean you should be! Now is the time for you to fine-tune those areas you're not strong in and as Scott and I discuss, there's an endless supply of places to get help.
Here's my point with today's Fast Food Friday special - you've chosen a career field that's driven by creativity and technology. Our industry is continually changing, and if you keep doing things the same old way, you'll never grow. Remember, growth only occurs outside your comfort zone. One of the things Scott and I talked about was the importance of always taking at least one class completely outside your core specialty. Imaging has become a giant umbrella about helping people capture memories and tell their story. You never know how something you learned in what seemed like an off-topic class is going to help you later on. One perfect example is video. Most of you are working with cameras that allow you to capture video as well as still images. However, only a handful of you are taking advantage of the technology that's right there at your fingertips. Even if you have no interest in videography as a core specialty, understanding how to best capture video will give you better material to share in your own mixed media marketing presentation. There's very little that beats the impact of still images, short video clips and great music, all combined to tell your story as an artist, and presented to your target audience each time they visit your website. And last on the list of educational resources are all of us in the industry here to help you grow. Scott and I talked about being educators, and while we might not always have the answers, we have networks of incredible people who do. But, you've got to let us know you need help. Got a question or a challenge you need help with? Just ask! Images copyright Tim Grey. All rights reserved. Posted on Tamron's YouTube channel just before the end of the year, the new video below has a lot of good solid "how-to" content. It features Tim Grey in the Palouse region of Washington State. It's not only a great video, but for me, it shares one more favorite thing about this industry - the friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft. I first met Tim when he was with Microsoft and involved with their ProPhoto Summit of which I think the last one was in 2007. We both moved on to other career paths a few years later, but imaging is the glue that keeps so many industry friends in touch. Tim's an outstanding educator, and you'll find an incredibly diverse series of classes/programs with a visit to GreyLearning. And, if you want to see more of Tim's work check out his main website with a click on any of his images in today's post. You'll never be disappointed in what he shares. In this new video, he's working with Tamron's all in one 18-400mm Di II VC HLD lens. Tamron continues to go non-stop in manufacturing outstanding optics and helping photographers raise the bar on the quality of their images. For more information about this phenomenal glass, click on the banner below! Remember, I'm sharing screen shots in today's post - so, imagine what these images look like right out of the camera!
Image copyright Bobbi Lane. All rights reserved. EDU10 is all about lighting, technology and the ever-changing landscape of growing creative tools thanks to ProfotoUSA. These shorts podcasts are all about creativity and how some of the industry's most respected artists are fulfilling their mind's eye visions with Profoto's technology. The Profoto team never slows down. They believe in manufacturing the finest lighting gear in imaging, but stay focused on education, and helping artists create and capture some of the most beautiful images in photography. I caught up to Bobbi Lane this week for the first episode of EDU10 in the new year. She's an artist, educator, author and a good friend to so many of us in the industry. Her passion is lighting people, and as she points out in this short podcast, Profoto's portability has given her the ability to photograph anywhere and any time! She talks about the images featured in today's post and how Profoto has changed the way she's able to create and capture some of her most favorite images. Interested in traveling with Bobbi and her husband, Lee Varis on one of their photographic adventures? The information on their upcoming Venice Carnival trip is just a click away. And click on any image in this post to visit Bobbi's website. Bobbi shares a lot of great insight about Profoto's Off-Camera Flash Systems and On-Camera with the new A1. Isn't it time you got yourself into a Profoto dealer and checked out what all the buzz is about! Images copyright Bobbi Lane. All rights reserved.
The other day I shared a post about starting the year out right and making the first quarter of the new year a time to focus on fine-tuning different areas of your business. I started out comparing many of you to acting like "deer in the headlights." In my files, I had an image of the two deer above captured with a LUMIX FZ300 on a trip to Maryland last Spring. It's hardly an award-winner, but as an illustration, it was going to make my point just fine. All it needed to tie in better with the expression was a little more impact. So, into Luminar I went, and minutes later I had what I wanted. I brought down the exposure, changed the highlights/shadows slightly, added in a little vignette and just a touch of sharpening. I also love the Before/After tool allowing me to immediately compare where I've been to where I'm going. It gave me what I wanted to tie in with the blog post - in minimal time and with more impact on the image to better illustrate my point. Most of you know I'm not a professional photographer. My passion is the business and marketing side of the industry, but I'll match my love for the craft with a camera in my hands to anybody. Hanging out with so many of you my entire career I've learned a lot and know more than I let on. Often, I just want to capture good images, with minimal time in post-processing. Between Panasonic's LUMIX cameras and Skylum's Luminar, it's an exciting time for photography. With the images Chamira and I have been sharing in Luminar Corner, I'm blown away by how easy Luminar is to work with. It redefines the meaning of fast and user-friendly. So, if I can get great results, imagine what you, as a professional photographer, can do! If you haven't checked out, the new Luminar isn't time you found out what all the buzz was about? Still the Biggest "No Brainer" Decision in PhotographyImage copyright Erin Zahradka. All rights reserved. What a kick to launch a whole new year of "Why?" episodes with a photographer who's not only become a great friend over the years but is someone I admire as well. Erin Zahradka joins me in this first episode of 2019, and she's no stranger to SCU. Remember why I started this series - it was to share the work of the movers and shakers in contemporary photography, and at the same time help you meet artists you should know. Well, the concept took off, and we're starting the new year with today's episode at 110 artists featured in the series to date. While boudoir photography is where Erin's heart is, she's an award-winning family and lifestyle photographer. She's the founder of AIBP (Association of International Boudoir Photographers), a group of incredibly talented artists sharing support for each other and their creativity through their facebook forum, as well with a well-attended annual workshop/conference each year. One of my favorite guest posts in the SCU archives was thanks to Erin about a summer photography day camp she started several years ago. It's a great idea, and you can read more about it with a click on her campers to the right. In the meantime, you can check out more of Erin's work along with the members of AIBP with a click on her "Why?" image above. Boudoir photography is one of the most challenging disciplines in professional photography because it involves so much more than just photographic technique. It's about trust with the subject, building self-esteem, communication, and incredible listening skills. If you've got an interest in learning more about the true art of boudoir photography, AIBP has a great blog that's worth following as well. by Bob Coates I never could have gotten this photo without the long reach and stabilization that is in the Lumix G9 and the Leica 100-400mm f4.0-6.3 lens. Fully extended at the 400mm end of the lens which is the 35mm full frame equivalent of 800mm . Check out the specs...and this was handheld. 1/50th sec f6.3 ISO 200 It's the first "Mirrorless Monday" of the new year and LUMIX Ambassador Bob Coates is joining us with an incredibly striking image of a Mandrill. Captured at the Phoenix Zoo, it a perfect example of that great line from Shakespeare about "the eyes being the gateway to the soul." Bob's image is another example of how technology keeps expanding your creative tools. Today you have the biggest collections of creative tools in the 190+ year history of photography. Bob shares plenty of great images along with lots of solid ideas about your business and marketing. Just click on his photo above to link to his website, Successful-Photographer. You'll never be disappointed in the content he shares. And check out the LUMIX Ambassador team. This is one of the most diverse groups in photography, and they're always sharing great content to help you raise the bar on your skillset. Find out more about the Lumix G9 and the Leica 100-400mm lens with a click on the thumbnails below. And, take the time to watch the short video below about the backstory behind this amazing member of the LUMIX family. #LumixG9 #WhereLumixGoes Click either thumbnail for more information. With my first post of 2018, I talked about Melody Beattie and shared one of her inspirational moments. Getting back into feeding my brain (and heart) every morning with one of Melody's reflections is proving to be one of the best new years resolutions I've made in a long time. We all live such stressful lives. While we don't always have control over the causes, we do have the ability to control how we deal with the challenges. You need to feed your brain and heart every morning with something outside your business. I'm only going to share one of her daily reflections now and then, but click on the link to her books on Amazon and start adding them to your own library. You won't be disappointed. by Melody Beattie Remember to Be Happy The sign hangs on the wall of a bagel shop: "Don't forget to be happy!" Sometimes we get so bogged down in dealing with feelings, issues, problems - the realities and details of our lives - we forget to be happy. Often happiness can be ours if we just remember to be happy. Joy is a choice - a deliberate, conscious choice. That choice is available to us each day. Our joy isn't controlled by others or by outward circumstances. Joy comes from a deeper place, a place of security within ourselves. It's an attitude, not a transitory emotion. Remember to be kind. Remember to be loving.
Remember to feel al your feelings and to take care of yourself. But most of all, remember to be happy. Six years ago my good buddy, Scott Bourne shared this little gem here on the SCU site. It was one of our first posts. It originally ran on Photofocus.com. The timing for a short "vitamin" like this couldn't be better. It's the first quarter and as you think about your goals for the year ahead never compromise on the quality of the services you provide.
At one of the best programs I've ever heard Scott present, or anybody for that matter, he talked about the responsibility we all have as "High Priests of Memory Protection". Every client deserves the the best images you can capture. The only way you can get to that level is to never stop learning, never stop experimenting and keep taking those "photographic leaps" Scott refers to. by Scott Bourne The great and prolific photographer Garry Winogrand used to say you should be risking failure every time you raise your camera to your eye. By that he meant if the scene looks familiar to you, you’ve probably already taken a similar photograph, so try something new. It may not work, but when it does it can take you to the next level. I find that I have to push myself all the time because I lapse into familiar habits: shooting from eye level, same lens to subject distance or comfort zone, don’t move around enough or shoot enough variety. We have no excuse for not taking photographic chances with digital, it doesn’t cost extra and there’s nothing to lose and extraordinary pictures to gain. So take a look at your stuff, if you’re seeing a lack of variety and similar photographs, grab your camera and take a photographic leap…. It might be January 7, but it really is the first full week of the new year. There are too many of you walking around like deer at night caught in the headlights. You're still thinking 2018. You have projects to wrap up and orders from last year. You're still undecided on what conferences you're going to attend. And, while you've thought about things you want to accomplish, you're still in a procrastination mode on taking those first steps. Sound familiar? It's Marketing Monday, and while we all think of the first quarter as the slow season, that doesn't mean it has to be quiet for you. Take the time, starting today, and put together your laundry list for everything you've been procrastinating about in regards to your business for the new year. Here's a list of common denominators, so many of you share:
Think about the new year ahead. You've got a choice to make - procrastinate and keep doing things the same old way you've done in the past or step up your game and fine-tune your business, so you're ready to handle anything that comes your way. It's not rocket science, but it does take time and patience. And, you've got to take things one step at a time; scratch them off the list and move on to the next area of business! "The starting point of all achievement is desire!" Napoleon Hill There's a thin line between passion and desire. You've all got the passion for the craft and the business, but I look at "desire" as being hungry enough to succeed.
Okay, so have you got the desire it takes? And if you need help on some of the challenges - use the comment section on this post, send me an email address and I'll chase you down. There are so many of us in the industry willing to give you a hand. Let's make 2019 your best year ever! Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering. Dr. Steve Maraboli Sitting here I've got my usual challenge of what to share this morning. I was thinking about what a strange first week of the new year this has been. We only had a three day week regarding business, and I finally gave up trying to catch up to anybody I wanted to talk to. My Fast Food Friday post hit on the challenges this week, and I suggested everyone use the time to "kick back and chill." In a comment in one of the forums a photographer wrote: There is no downtime. Always working on improving process and planning marketing for the coming season for seniors and Sports. It’s the curse of entrepreneurs. I understand what he meant, and the fact that your business needs to always be on your mind, but I still disagree. Breaking away from that "curse" is the reason I write Sunday Morning Reflections every week. It's that "curse" that's driven so many of us into a crash and burn scenario. While to some it might sound counter-productive, you've got to step away from the business and recharge your battery to develop your creativity to the max. Here's a perfect example: This week I took my own advice and truly stepped away from most aspects of the business. I took the time to do a lot of soul-searching. I'm still surprised at my age; I don't know what I want to be when I grow up! But that doesn't mean I don't have a long list of dreams, aspirations and even a bucket list of things I want to do and places I want to go, both personally and as a couple with Sheila. But here's my problem, and I'm anticipating I'm not alone. There's so much I want to do that it becomes overwhelming, and I have a hard time focusing. This is truly ironic since I teach workshops where I've started presentations by saying, "You know how to focus your camera, but how about your career?" The time I took this week was instrumental in helping me map out the new year. "Map" is the key word here - none of us would leave on a cross-country trip without a roadmap, yet we do it all the time in our business. We tackle each challenge as they come up rarely taking the time to focus on what we truly want to do next. The best part of the process was sitting down with Sheila yesterday and taking the time to talk about the new year. From trips we want to do to some personal projects, we covered so many different aspects of my business, our life and how we want 2019 to look at the end of the year. And here's my point this morning - As you get older, you realize from your own experiences and those of friends, that you never know what tomorrow is going to bring. While we all recognize the importance of living for today, we still hold back and too often procrastinate on those things most important. We waste time. We waste energy on things that don't matter. We forget to look out for ourselves and get caught up chasing minutia. For me, the new year really starts tomorrow. I'm excited about so many different things on the drawing board for 2019, but I'm not going to waste one minute of today thinking about it. My suggestion to all of you is the same - use this last Sunday of New Years week to enjoy the downtime. Cherish having the time to be with family, friends or merely alone to dream. Rest up, recharge your battery, do something you love doing with those people most special in your life.
As always, go for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs with the people you love and forget about tomorrow for one more day. Then, tomorrow morning, jump in with the energy and the planning you need to follow the path that seems to fit the best. And remember, the best thing about being a small business owner is that you always can change paths as long as you stay focused on what's in your heart! Happy Sunday! Whenever the holiday falls on a Tuesday or later like it did this week, it's always a strange, yet terrific time of year. Many of you are still on vacation. Those of you who are back at work are recovering from the holiday surge in business, and might even have a few last minute orders and loose ends to wrap up. Technically this is the first Fast Food Friday episode of the new year, but we're going to keep it light and give you a little time to kick back and chill. We're working on lots of great content for 2019, and a few new directions and guest "chefs" to join us in the kitchen of the SCU Diner. Meanwhile, if you missed last week's wrap-up, it includes the links to all forty "blue-plate specials" in the SCU Diner, starting last February. From your website to your blog to relationship building and customer service, there's not very much we missed in ideas to help you build a stronger business. Take a scroll through last week's post with a click on the banner below. And, if you think there's something we missed, let us know! As You Kick Back and Chill...I started this series because so many of you are right-brained artists who need left-brain support. Your skill set depends on the creative juices flowing from the right side of your brain, but your survival as a business is thanks to the left side! While some experts believe the right brain - left brain theory is a myth, it's still a great metaphor. At least in part, it explains the differences in discipline some of us have in various areas of business. Click on the illustration on the left to connect to a website I stumbled across called "The Brain Made Simple." It's not my intention to turn today's post into a lesson on how our brain works, but this site does do a nice job of explaining the left and right side functions. In the meantime next week brings business back into full swing, but you need a fully charged battery to hit the ground running and start building a solid foundation for the new year ahead. Take today and the weekend to kick back a little. Reflect on last year; catch up on your reading; relax and even enjoy a few of the past Fast Food Fridays in those areas where you need the most help. Most important of all, get your mindset in line with your heart and your passion for the craft. You can't create images that tug on people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in it! Yesterday evening was one of those times when neither Sheila or I felt like cooking dinner. So we went for an early dinner at a favorite place called Dockside in Venice, FL. Sunset is early this time of year, and as we were ordering I looked out the window and the evening light show had begun. I grabbed a shot with my cell phone, but it just didn't capture the real beauty. Fortunately, my FZ1000 was in the car. The image above has only minor processing in Luminar. The camera truly captured the beauty of the marina at sunset. And there you have it, one of my resolutions for 2019 - to never be without a real camera. My cell phone is fine for food shots posted to Trip Advisor and Yelp, and a grabshot now and then, but they don't give me the quality I want. Last night's sunset was spectacular and is going to wind up as a print, maybe even on Performance EXT Metal! I know most of you are professional photographers, and the last thing you want to be carrying around is your full-time gear. At the risk of sounding like an infomercial, check out the members of the LUMIX "family." The FZ1000 is a personal favorite, because of the 25-400mm fixed zoom and weighing under two pounds. Had I not had a decent camera with me I would have been shooting "neuro-chromes," and sunsets in Florida this time of year are just too beautiful not to capture more permanently. It's the start of a new year and for many of you the beginning of the "slow season." However, that doesn't mean it should be slow for you. There's no question we all deserve a short break after the wonderful chaos December always brings, just don't get too comfortable.
What you do to fine-tune your business during the first quarter of the new year sets the stage for the rest of 2019. So, consider this a Marketing Monday post on a Wednesday with a few classic things for you to think about. In fact, just read the post and consider my suggestions - enjoy the rest of the week relaxing and cleaning up those loose ends from the holidays but consider those areas of low-hanging fruit easiest to start on next Monday. Let's look at your website:
There you have it - Eight ideas to think about over the next few days, and I'm betting all of you have a few things on the list to fine-tune and help you raise the bar on your website in the new year! And remember, "procrastination" is not a skill set! When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way. Wayne Dyer My wife, Sheila introduced me to Melody Beattie many years ago, and while I know you're not supposed to share your resolutions for the new year, one of mine is just getting back to reading her inspirations every morning instead of when I'm feeling stressed. This morning's post is especially appropriate for all of us. It's a new year and an opportunity to refocus on everything necessary in our lives, starting with the beginning. Any of Melody's books are terrific, but this one I've found particularly good. Here's how she kicks off the new year and I'm betting ALL of you can identify with her wisdom. We'll be back to tomorrow with content relevant to photography and marketing, but today's a day best focused on a great beginning. Happy New Year! Honor the BeginningBeginnings can be delicate or explosive. they can start almost invisibly or arrive with a big bang. Beginnings hold the promise of a new lessons to be learned, new territory to be explored, and old lessons to be recalled, practiced, and appreciated. Beginnings hold ambiguity, promise, fear, and hope. Don't let the lessons, the experiences of the past, dampen your enthusiasm for beginnings. Just because it's been hard doesn't mean it will always be that difficult. Don't let the heartbreaks of the past cause you to become cynical, close you off to life's magic and promise. Open yourself wide to all that the universe has to say. Let yourself begin anew. Pack your bags. Choose carefully what you bring, because packing is an important ritual. Take along some humility and the lessons of the past. Toss in some curiosity and excitement about what you haven't yet learned. Say your good-byes to those you're leaving behind. Don't worry who you will meet or where you will go. the way has been prepared. The people you are to meet will be expecting you. A new journey has begun let it b e magical. Let it unfold. All; part of the journey are scared and holy.
Take time now to honor the beginning. |
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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