At least three times yesterday I started to do a blog post about the industry losing Chuck Westfall, and I stopped. I'm never at a loss for words but just couldn't find the right ones to share. So, instead, I'd go out to our butterfly garden and just ponder the meaning of life, say a little prayer as I thought about Chuck, and reflect about how time is our most valuable commodity. Another reason I didn't write this post is that I figured everybody else would and why just be another sad moment in a blog post? But there was something that hit me this morning. So many of you never had the privilege of knowing Chuck, so why not share a perspective on his incredible contribution to the industry we all love? Chuck and I were simply nice friends. I didn't know him well outside the industry, but I couldn't have respected him more. We never spent a lot of time together, but we knew we could count on each other if there were some challenges to deal with. We'd see each other at shows numerous times a year. When I was with Hasselblad, being in the NY/NJ area, we'd catch up at all of the industry's rubber chicken dinners. We'd talk for a few minutes and then move on to catch each other again at the next conference or industry event. But here's what made Chuck so special and unique. I commented on Facebook yesterday that he was the heart and soul of Canon, but he was really more. He was the epitome of integrity and passion for the entire industry. If you click on the photo of Chuck, you'll link to his Facebook page and one after another, everybody has a story. There were two posts that struck me as particularly poignant: Denis Reggie: Chuck Westfall was a truly special, brilliant and kind human being. I am heartbroken and wish him eternal peace and heartfelt blessings to his wonderful wife Ying and their daughter Anna. I was honored to be their wedding photographer back in 2000 and to have had a 25+ year professional friendship. RIP, dear Chuck. You did it all so very well, sir. Ron Leach: Today the imaging world lost a true giant and an impeccable ambassador, who was responsible for numerous technical innovations that many take for granted. Chuck was a kind-hearted gentleman, a great husband and father, and beloved by everyone who had the good fortune to call him a friend. People of Chuck's stature cannot be replaced, but he will forever remain in our hearts. Rest in peace, buddy. What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us. Helen Keller Everybody who ever worked with Chuck, couldn't help but enjoy him deeply. That quote brings me full circle to something more I want to say about Chuck. He set an example for all of us, and in turn has become a part of us and the industry. His love for imaging couldn't have been more consistent, as was his patience, enthusiasm and kindness. Denis really said it best: You did it all so very well, sir.
RIP Chuck, you will certainly be missed!
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Fast Food Fridays are meant to plant the seeds for ideas to fine-tune different aspects of your presence as a professional photographer. Today is the fifth in the series, and each one has hit on a different component/action. I want to switch gears today and talk about an essential ingredient to surviving as a business owner. I know this isn't directly tied to marketing, but as the season starts to ramp up, before some of you know it, you're going to be out there flying without a net, all because you forgot to check on your insurance! Think about it this way: You'll have to work twice as hard to market your business if your equipment is stolen and you have to raise funds for a new gear because you weren't adequately insured, and that's only one aspect of insurance. Do You Have the Right Insurance?Several times a year I read about or have conversations with relatively new photographers who didn't realize their home insurance didn't cover their gear, now that it's being used for commercial purposes. And the challenge isn't exclusive to newbies. When was the last time you veterans updated your insurance coverage? It's not just your photographic equipment you need have insured, but everything you use in your business. Plus, make sure you have the right liability insurance should somebody trip over one of your light stands at an event and hold you liable. And don't forget indemnification. Indemnification insurance is designed to protect you as a business owner if you're found to be at fault for a specific action or misjudgment. Best example would be a wedding you were hired to photograph, and for whatever reason, you lost the cards, couldn't retrieve the images, etc. This is the easiest challenge in your entire business to fix - it just takes a phone call to your insurance agent to find out exactly what is and isn't covered. Then you need to take the next step and get the right insurance. I'm a big fan of PPA's insurance programs. They offer a wide variety of different types of insurance, giving you the ability to customize your coverage based on your needs. From PPA's website: PPA and its broker offer a host of insurance solutions designed to protect you and your business. In fact, we offer more protection solutions than any other professional photographic association because we want to make sure you're protected at all times, on all fronts. STOP BEING STUPID AND IRRESPONSIBLE WITH YOUR DREAM! Every year I hear at least one story of somebody whose dream is on hold until they replace gear that was lost or stolen. Then there are the horror stories of lost images and the challenges of indemnification.
Don't be penny wise and dollar foolish - make sure you're insured NOW and don't risk avoidable problems disrupting your business and efforts to establish a solid reputation as an artist in your community! If you missed any of the previous "lunch" specials, click on the past posts below. Intro by Skip Cohen Suzette Allen and I have been friends for a lot of years, and I was thinking about everything she teaches in her workshops and her blog, along with all of her images and the videos I've seen over the years. She's not a photographer, but the ultimate storyteller. Everything she shares, together with the techniques she teaches are all about helping you tell a better story. And, that's what your clients are hiring you to do - tell their story. All of you are looking for ways to make your work stand out from your competitors. You're looking for new ideas to exceed client expectations and enhance your storytelling skills. Thanks to technology, video is easier than ever to capture, and it's also never had so much diversity in its purpose, especially with "hybrid" - still images, video clips and great music all put together in one presentation. In today's post, Suzette shares a series of easy to remember tips for your client videos, but I want to add one more. While a well-written bio on your "About" page is necessary, a 2-3 minute video of you working with clients, combining your still images with short video clips will be even more effective. If a picture's worth a thousand words, then a video is a match for the complete works of Shakespeare! It's a chance for you to show your expertise as an artist, and even better, share your heart. So, whether it's for marketing or a client, follow Suzette's advice, and with each event, session or sitting start shooting a few seconds of video. Build up a small library with each client and then take the time to put everything together to tell their story. We're a word of mouth industry, and nothing helps spread the word faster than customers who love working with you! Helping you become the very best storyteller is what Photodex is all about. They never slow down on their focus to help you raise the bar on your business and presentations. Visit their blog where you'll find outstanding new content being shared every day. Use SAVE20WITHSKIP in the code box when you purchase any Photodex product for a 20% discount. For a limited time, this special discount code is still active. Creating a ReelStory or Hybrid video with portraiture does not need to be complicated or difficult. In fact it can be so seamless, you may not even feel like you are doing much extra work! It becomes an extension of the storytelling process when you get into the habit of just doing one short clip with each location or grouping or pose variation. Of course it is easiest with people who are interactive and lively, like families with kids, but couples in love are an easy choice as well, and a great place to get started. After I position the couple in a location, or pose, and take a few still photos, I roll a few seconds of video while they are still in position, coaching them to interact with each other, usually not looking at the camera. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just looking together in the same direction and leaning together is effective, or laughing together. Simple interactions like kissing or putting foreheads together work great too. For variety, you can choose the transitions between locations if you are outdoors, too. Simply walking together looking at each other (or something besides the camera) is great. Using a tripod makes it far easier to get steady video, and it is a good idea to let go of the camera once it starts rolling so it doesn’t shake as you talk, direct or laugh. I also remind couples we are shooting video when they kiss, so it is a short natural kiss instead of a pucker-and-hold one for a still shot. (awkward!) Also plan on muting the audio with the videos and just add music for mood. (so you don’t have to worry about your booming voice on the videos as you direct your clients) In the process of shooting your session, you will build a natural story, with a few stills accompanied by a supporting video, then a few more, and another video. It is literally a painless process and flows very naturally, even if there are extreme locations, clothing changes and variety in the session. Trimming the videos to 5-10 seconds (in lightroom or imovie) is just about right and then it is a simple job to combine them into a romantic and storytelling video with ProShowWeb! Just upload the video trims along with the stills and arrange as needed. Telling your story is easy with select videos as either supporting material (posed similar to the stills) or transition material (between the sets/backround/clothing changes). Just like in shooting stills, you can experiment with shooting a few angles too—low or high vantage point, wide shot or extreme closeups give great touches of interest and variety. Keep it simple and shoot moving subjects instead of worrying about moving the camera and dealing with gimbals, slides or steady camera gear, too. The main goal is to start shooting bits of video to give your visual stories a boost and train yourself in a new habit that will become invaluable in the near future! These love stories make great Save the Date videos and can be played at weddings, too. Of course, you can use them to tug on the heartstrings and set the mood when you meet for the portrait sale as well! Skill building with purpose goes a long way toward insuring your success, so focus on learning new skills that will benefit your future. Video is certainly a vital topic, and ProShowWeb makes it so easy to ramp up and even impress clients as you learn! If you were at WPPI you saw a lot of traffic at the Skylum booth. In fact, it was ALWAYS busy. And, if you weren't at WPPI, it's time you learned about Skylum Software. You may have known a little about them as Macphun. Well, they're ramping up, and already have crossed 20,000,000 downloads of their most popular applications: FX Photo Studio, Silent Film Director, and Perfect photo, since their launch just a few years ago. Scott Bourne is in Alaska right now photographing eagles and just a few hours ago shared these images of Eagles and the post below on Facebook. Remember, I'm sharing screen shots from his post and they're still remarkable. If you're interested in finding out more about Skylum, there's a FREE webinar coming up next Wednesday, March 21! by Scott Bourne How sharp is the Get Olympus 300 f/4 Pro Lens when mounted to an OMD EM1 MK II? This sharp - the enlarged photo is a 400% crop straight out of the camera with no sharpening. The full-sized photo has some minor processing in Skylum Software Luminar 2018. Man this is one sharp combo. Love the snow on the eagle's beak. Time to jump into the way-back machine and go back a whole lot of years. It's my senior year in high school and instead of the usual collection of votes for class characters, most likely to succeed, most athletic, etc. somebody came up with the idea of "Seniors Select Outstanding Classmates for Seats of Honor." While I was honored and appreciated the concept, holding an empty chair looks like we're on HSN trying to sell it, or years later, in a bar trying to steal it!
At our class reunion last summer, I grabbed John Lucrezi, and with the help of Mike Demeter, we did our best to reenact the moment so long gone by in a grab shot at the bar! Mike is a professional photographer in Ohio and over the years he did several family portraits for my folks, and growing up in a small town our mothers even went to high school together. (I shared one of Mike's winter images in a post almost three years ago.) The fun of Throwback Thursday is the trip you get to take just kicking back in a comfortable chair and strolling down Memory Lane. It's a fun thing to do. Keep an eye out for things that are "fun," because it's one of those words so often lost in the day-in-day-out pressures of business today. Even if you don't share the moment in a blog post, find your old yearbook and enjoy the trip. And, if your senior year is at least twenty years behind you, think about how much the world has changed. Enjoy how much you've changed, and then do an inventory of your goals from then to now. Happy Throwback Thursday! Note: Sorry about the quality of the high school shot - it's a scan from an old yearbook. Image copyright Steve De Neef. All rights reserved. In January Chamira Young and I, together with PhotoShelter, launched a new podcast series called Beyond Technique. The response has been remarkable, and the third episode in the series will air next week. Each one has been loaded with substantial insight thanks to our guests. Working with PhotoShelter, I've been spending a lot of time on their website. One of my favorite features on the website and blog is their New Member Shoutouts. Each Shoutout features a new member of the PhotoShelter family, and it's the perfect reminder of how much we all share the passion for the craft. Meet Maine-based, Steve De Neef. His work is especially near and dear to my heart. Going back to my Hasselblad days, and introducing the H38 underwater housing, I have a deep appreciation for just how difficult underwater photography can be. Shooting mostly before digital, I used to be happy when I got a handful of good images from hundreds of bad ones, and all on film. So, I never knew if I got the shot until my film came back from the lab. But there's another aspect of Steve's work I love and if you're not a diver, it's hard to appreciate. Because of the way the spectrum of light breaks down underwater, you see no color except for the fish. You're swimming in one giant monotone world until you flip the switch on an underwater light or fire your strobes. Then the undersea world comes alive with color. Notice the background color beyond this image of Steve's three cuttlefish. While Steve is new to PhotoShelter, he's certainly not new to imaging. He's got an incredibly diverse bio, and you'll see this diversity in his galleries. Steve De Neef is a photojournalist, filmmaker and cinematographer who specializes in conservation, documentary, underwater and aerial photography. He often works with scientists and NGO’s in the hopes of inspiring positive change and getting research and conservation efforts seen by a broader audience...Steve’s images and films have been shown and won awards in numerous competitions and film festivals like Nature’s Best Photography, Outdoor Photographer of the Year, Beneath the Sea, Beneath the Waves film festival, Wildlife Conseravtion and Film Festival, San Fransisco Ocean Fim Festival, Ocean Art, ADEX (Asian Dive Expo) photographer of the year, Oasis and more. Click on his image above to see more of his work. Check out the PhotoShelter website, and find out what all the buzz is about. They've become a leader in helping artists present their work that's always so clean and easy to navigate. They never slow down in building their relationships with their members and have become an incredible resource covering so many different aspects of business and imaging. And, they set the standard for being accessible. They're dedicated to helping artists build a stronger business, and just a phone call away at 212-206-0808. There's always a live body to help you if you can't find the answers in their extensive Q&A. No robots in the PhotoShelter house - just a solid team there to help answer your questions - LIVE. PhotoShelter always walks the talk! Click on the banner below to find out more and best of all, start your free trial and take PhotoShelter out for your own test drive! Start your 14 Day FREE trial of PhotoShelter with a click on the banner above.
Plus get 20% off a Standard or Pro Account for a year. Use the coupon code PHOTOFOCUS20 Image copyright PhotoJoseph. All rights reserved. "Why?" started as a series to introduce you to some of the most respected artists in photography, but as we approach two years, one hundred artists and their backstories, it's become so much more. Every artist has shared a piece of wisdom related to their journey thus far. What started as a way for you to meet the industry's movers and shakers has grown to be a significant body of work thanks to their willingness to share.
PhotoJoseph joins me in this new episode, and while every "Why?" episode has been fun to do, it's even more fun when I've spent time working with the artist. Joseph and I met through Panasonic. He's a LUMIX Ambassador in addition to being an artist, educator, author, podcaster and creative motivator. Click on the image above to check out more of what PhotoJoseph is doing with a visit to his YouTube channel. And, you'll also see his work shared with the other members of the LUMIX team on their Facebook page. This is one of the most diverse groups of talented artists in the industry! I know I'm dangerously close to Staples' tagline, but the other day a good friend asked me "What's new?" and it took me ten minutes to explain. I'm pretty proud and honored to be a part of a diverse collection of new features, plus maintaining a series of solid standby topics supported by videos and sound bites. So, here's what's new? Click on any image in this post to connect to the individual podcast or series. "Beyond Technique"Sponsored by PhotoShelter, we're having a blast with this new series. There's a new episode every month, with our goal always being the same, creating content that not only supports your need to better define your business but podcasts that are fun too. Remember the word "fun?" It's a word too often lost under the stress of business today. We've posted two episodes so far this year with a new one coming up on the third Wednesday of each month. We're excited to be working with PhotoShelter and creating content in line with their philosophy as a company who does an outstanding job of supporting the industry. They're one of the few companies in professional photography which not only supports artists but encourages them to call and talk to somebody directly when needing help! "Why?""Why?" started out as a way to introduce you to the movers and shakers in photography, but it's grown into so much more. Adding a 5-10 minute mini-podcast gives a post another dimension as each artist shares the backstory about one of their favorite images. Each backstory has also given us some incredible insight into another artist in photography. Plus, each image links to the artist's website, giving you a chance to explore their work on your own. We're coming up on 100 artists in the series since it started April 22, 2016, with dozens more coming in 2018. I pulled a few to share the diversity in the subject matter in the rolling slideshow below. Click on any one of them to visit that photographer's "Why?" episode. "Mind Your Own Business"
This is a remarkable industry we all share a love for, and programming like this doesn't happen by accident. While I'd love to take credit for these new features, the truth is they wouldn't happen without photographers who believe in our industry; companies who keep providing us with the tools to exceed client expectations and build stronger businesses, and all of you!
Thank you! For the last several years I've followed so many artists' adventures through Tamron's YouTube channel, but this episode shared just a few weeks ago is one of my favorites. The description just didn't do it justice, because it misses the pure emotion of watching the artist working to get the shot. Legendary Photojournalist Nick Ut is a self-proclaimed "Lunartic," and in this video, he uses his Tamron SP 150-600mm G2 to capture a silhouette of an airplane as it passes over the moon. It also misses any of the background on Nick Ut. He received the Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for his image, Terror of War, which so many of us remember, often referred to as Napalm Girl. I've never had the privilege of meeting Nick, but his passion as a Lunartic is incredible and defines one element of his love for the craft. This video is one of the most fun I've watched. It's got all the ingredients of skill, technology, passion and a never-ending quest from a "Lunartic" to capture that one unique shot. Handheld, running around the streets in Whittier, CA with Tamron's SP 150-600mm G2 lens you can't help but cheer for Nick. It's like watching your favorite basketball team and cheering for somebody who drops a three-pointer when the pressure's on. Click on Nick's image at the top of the page to read more about him on his Wikipedia page and the Lunartics thumbnail on the right to visit their Facebook page. You'll find everything about Tamron's SP 150-600mm G2 lens with a click on the lens below. Tamron never slows down on helping artists raise the bar on the quality of their images. They're making some of the finest optics in photography today, and also sharing a lot of great content on their YouTube channel! Today is my wife's birthday. I know I've shared pieces of our story before, but here's the short version. We met in second grade when my parents bought their first house in a new school district. It was November and Sheila was assigned by the principal to show me around the new school. She took me past the boy's room and cafeteria and figured that was all I needed to know. We went all through elementary, junior high and high school together, but had different friends. We knew each other, just ran in different circles - she was a cheerleader, and I was a nerd. Need I say more? I went back to Painesville, Ohio for our 40th reunion and we hung out together. No romance, just two new friends wandering all over town, past our old homes, favorite hang-outs and even into the high school with a group of classmates. That's where the friendship started and grew. We moved in together almost two years later and got married a year after that. Well, here we are having shared over ten years together, almost eight as a married couple. Many of you have met Sheila at Skip's Summer School, WPPI, IUSA, ShutterFest, PhotoPro Expo, Marathon's MAP Getaway and a long list of industry events. In fact, there have only been two trips when she wasn't by my side over the last decade. So, Mrs. Cohen, at the risk of getting incredibly sappy in the public eye, thank you for being my partner, best buddy, muse, inspiration, guiding light, therapist, business partner and a never-ending supply of laughs, smiles and adventures that have made this chapter of my life's journey so amazing. Intro by Skip Cohen It's been a few years since my good buddy Scott Bourne shared this short post, but it's so relevant right now. I'm hoping this might get a few more of you thinking about your approach to the business as seasonality starts to kick in and activity in 2018 ramps up. But there's one assumption Scott, and I always make with every post. We assume you know what you're doing with a camera in your hands. It won't do any good to think through everything in your marketing arsenal if your skill set is at best mediocre. Anybody can get their first customer, but the key is to get the second, third, fourth and beyond. And, all along the way you want to exceed their expectations and have them insisting their friends look at your work as well. So, at the same time, you're reading Scott's post, think about your skill set. Are you doing everything you can to be the very best photographer you can be? What do you need in your skill set to raise the bar on the quality of your images? You won't be able to follow Scott's suggestion about taking time to figure out what your perfect customer looks like if you're at the computer for hours on end cleaning up your images. Customers don't measure you on hard you tried. They measure you on what you delivered. Steve Jobs by Scott Bourne
Short and sweet - what is marketing? The word marketing means many things to many people. Lots of folks think marketing means advertising - and it does. But there’s so much more. Marketing is a big tent that covers public relations, communications, social media, branding, networking, etc. It’s important that all emerging photographers understand how wide a swath marketing can cut because if they don’t - it means certain actions aren’t being taken that could lead to more business. In its simplest form, marketing is a bridge - it’s like a bridge between you and your intended prospect. The core of ALL marketing activities is understanding who your customer is and what they want. The rest of marketing should be devoted to thinking of ways to make sure the right people are hearing the message and you’re giving them what they want. Everything from what you sell, to how you present it, to how you promote and price it is marketing. Most of your day should be spent trying to figure out what your perfect photography customer looks like and exactly what they want. That is marketing. All the other stuff like ads and press releases, and logos and business cards, those are just the vehicles by which you execute the marketing plan. So spend time on these two questions. Who is my prospect and what do they want? If you can answer both questions accurately and deliver, you will absolutely be successful. As usual, Skip and I are rooting for you. Yesterday morning, like I do every day, I hit the birthday notices on Facebook. It's a great way to keep track of what's going on in the lives of friends. Carl Nunn came up, and as I went to wish him a happy birthday, because I hadn't caught up with him in over a year, I clicked on his FB page first. Several people had posted birthday wishes, and then I scrolled down a little farther... Carl passed away on Monday night, October 23, 2017. He had been sick for a very long time but had maintained his intimate sense of humor and deep kindness. Alix Linda Merritt It's probably fifteen years ago I met Carl via a phone call at Rangefinder Magazine. It was late, and everybody had gone home when the phone rang. I did what I usually do...answered it. It was Carl Nunn. He had seen a cover of Rangefinder and was calling to find out how he could submit work. We talked for a long time, and that kicked off a new friendship. (Bill Hurter, then Editor-in-Chief loved Carl's work, and we did a feature story on him a few months later!) Over the years we'd catch up to each other at the PPE convention in NYC, even grabbed lunch one time. But then, as life often does, time just moved at a rapid speed, and we lost track of each other. Carl wasn't traveling, and I've missed the last couple of PPE shows. So, here's my point, the best things about our industry involve the friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft. Life is too short to let those special friendships just die on the vine like a vineyard in a drought. You need to Invest a little time into growing those friendships, and keeping them healthy.
As I'm writing this, there are bittersweet tears in my eyes - bitter because I didn't stay in touch with Carl and sweet, because he came into my life all because I answered a phone. He was a remarkable artist, but even more important as a man. He and I would easily spend an hour on every phone call talking about the industry, photography and here and there personal challenges we both had in our lives. He had a huge heart and was one of the kindest people I've ever met. I've shared this in other posts: Tennyson wrote in Ulysses, "I am a part of all that I have met." Well everyone who comes into our lives for whatever reason contributes something to who we become. I'm going to miss my conversations with Carl, and I'm sad we didn't talk before he passed away, but I also know he's at peace and I like to think he's hanging out with other great friends our industry has lost over the years. And that brings me to my usual close of wishing you a spectacular Sunday, and reminding you to go for those eleven-second hugs with those people who are special in your life. Do something today that makes this Sunday just a little more special. Take five minutes and dedicate it to one old friend who you've lost touch with. Find the time to pick up the phone and call them. Time goes by way too fast - don't let old friends disappear like I did Carl. Happy Sunday Everybody! It's one of those days when the spirit of frustration is burning a hole through my keyboard. Watching the news every night with stories about things in Washington would be a worthy subject to write about, if we weren't all sick of the nonstop stories. It doesn't matter whether you're a Republican or Democrat, this is worse than what a playground guard sees at an elementary school. Thanks to the government there would be plenty to write about, but who cares? So, it's one of those days when it's more fun to talk about things in our own backyard.
Thanks for allowing me to rant. Feel free to share your pet peeves and add to my list in the comment section and maybe we'll do a follow-up post. A few weeks ago I had an idea to start a new series of short posts, each one with a point to help you raise the bar on your presentation for your website or blog. Fast Food Fridays are meant to plant the seed for ideas to fine-tune different components of your presence as a professional photographer. Today is the fourth in the series, and each one hits a different aspect of your business. Here's a challenge I don't understand. If you're a professional photographer why would you share anything but your very best headshot on the Internet? So many of have horrible headshots. Bad selfies, grab shots of you cropped from other images, or irrelevant photographs of you with your family, pets - anything but a professional image. If you're expecting people to trust you to capture and create beautiful photographs then why compromise on your own portrait? This week I'm on a cleanup campaign! While we're still in the "slow season," take the time to get yourself a decent headshot! Contact an associate and have some fun upgrading each other's portraits. Let's clean up this one part of your presentation to the public! Raising the Bar on Your Headshot
This is so easy to fix, but it has to start with you thinking through the message you want to present. As an artist, you need to show yourself in the same light and quality as the work you're suggesting a client hire you to capture. Photography helps people to see! Berenice Abbott Make your headshot the very best it can be and give people a sense of your skill set and passion for quality and the craft. Help them see who you are as a skilled artist.
Missed any of the past Fast Food Friday specials? Just click on the thumbnails below. When our skin color matched the green beer, we knew it was time to go home! Skip Cohen With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, it couldn't be a more timely Throwback Thursday post. Most people have at least one story in their past about drinking too much and paying the price. Sadly a few of us have more than one, but today's Throwback is dedicated to my very first. I introduced you to one of my very best friends with a post in 2016. Meet my buddy, Rich. Our first real adventure started on St. Patrick's Day in 1968. We were freshmen at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The year before Playboy Magazine rated MU as the highest per capita consumption of beer of all the colleges in their survey. It was only natural - we were in Oxford, Ohio and there wasn't a lot of other things to do! Rich and I started drinking green beer at 7:00 am at the Purity, then the leading landmark bar in the town. We not only drank our beer but everybody else's. When any couple got up to dance, Rich had a two-quart pewter tankard. So, we'd wait until the couple was out of sight and then pour their beers into the tankard. By 11:00 a.m. several of our friends came up to retrieve us and help us back to the dorm. From that point on, there's little I remember beyond both of us in stalls in the bathroom driving the porcelain bus! It was ugly, but here's the fun of memories like this. To this day, every year on St. Patrick's Day we've called each other. It's been an ongoing contest to see who remembers it's St. Patrick's day first, with a live call being the winner - timely voicemails don't count. We created a memory, and kicked off a friendship that has lasted a lifetime! We caught up with each other a few years ago for the first time in many years, appropriately in an Irish pub in Gettysburg. Nothing beats old friendships, and even though we hadn't seen each other in many years, we've stayed in touch. So, here's my point with today's Throwback - First, take the time to track down an old friend. The farther you go back, the more fun it will be to catch up. Second, share an old image on your blog as a post to remind your readership how important photographs can become, especially if they're moments captured by a professional. Third, protect those images trapped on your phone on a regular basis. Print a few of them and file them away, because years from now they're going to be some of your most valuable possessions! And to my good buddy who I still call "Roomie," what a trip it continues to be! We're older now, hopefully, wiser and our conversations today always include stories about the challenges of aging. But nothing takes away the pure joy of having a friend who's always been there even when he's not. Happy Throwback Thursday! The best things about the photographic industry are the companies and people you work with along the way. For many years I've had a close association with Photodex through my role at WPPI, Rangefinder Magazine and now SCU. Working together we launched this Spotlight Series to help artists raise the bar on their business with the help of experienced, respected and successful professionals. "Building Your Business" is about great insight from some of the most successful, passionate and creative people in imaging. I'm always surprised at the diversity of each guest and their dedication to sharing what they've learned on their journey. Jake Holt joins me on this new podcast. Now based out of Austin, TX, Jake and his wife Kasey are well established in wedding photography, but that's only a small piece of their story. Jake has a split focus on imaging, as both a wedding and architectural photographer. He shares some excellent insight on the importance of keeping the two businesses separate because he's targeting two completely different audiences. We covered a lot of interesting ground in this new podcast. To see more of Jake's wedding coverage click on any of the wedding images below, and for architecture click on the appropriate images below. Photodex never slows down on their focus to help you raise the bar on your business and presentations. Make it a point to visit their blog with outstanding new content being shared every day. And, don't forget to use SAVE20WITHSKIP in the code box when you purchase any Photodex product for a 20% discount. For a limited time, this special discount code is still active. Images copyright Jake Holt. All rights reserved.
Images copyright Justin Marantz. All rights reserved. EDU10 is a unique series of short podcasts for professional photographers. It's sponsored by ProfotoUSA, who never slows down on their focus to help you raise the bar on the quality of your images. "EDU" is for education, while "10" is all about keeping these episodes short and to the point. We're doing our best to keep them to ten minutes and focus primarily on one unique topic, things you can do with lighting today that you couldn't do in the past! Justin Marantz is in the spotlight. Working together with Mary, they represent one of the strongest couples in wedding photography, but not just as artists, but as educators, writers and good friends to so many of us in the industry. They've been instrumental in helping photographers better understand lighting and create stunning images that exceed client expectations. In this new podcast, Justin shares the background story on both of the images in this post. Click on either of them to visit Justin and Mary's website and blog. With their Off Camera Flash Systems, Profoto has completely changed the lighting landscape. Justin and Mary were two of the first artists to be featured using the B1, and Profoto has never slowed down, continuing the expansion of tools artists have to capture some of the best images in the world! Click on the A1 or B1X to find out more about Profoto's Off-Camera Flash Systems
I found this post from my good buddy Scott Bourne in the SCU archives, and it's so relevant today. For example, there are those of you with "About" pages that talk about what gear you shoot with; how you got started or what awards you've won. Your potential clients, especially in the portrait/social categories, only care about one thing, can you be trusted to capture the kinds of images they want? They want to know why you love being a photographer, not what awards you've won. Years ago Polaroid brought in a remarkable motivational speaker, Ed Foreman, and I've never let go of something he shared, "If I can see the world through my client's eyes, then I can sell my client what my client buys." This is a lot more than the old saying about putting yourself in their shoes. You don't need their shoes; you need to understand how they see the world, what's important to them, and what are the things they care most about. This is about relationship building, your very best marketing tool. The end of the "slow season" is rapidly coming to a close and Scott's point is perfect to help you think through your approach in the new year ahead. Remember: Your customer doesn't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." Damon Richards by Scott Bourne
If you want to sell photography (or anything else) you should spend more time caring about what your customers care about and less about everything else. Your customers don't care what your Klout score is, which of your lenses is the sharpest or which brand you shoot with. Your customers care about having photographs that make them (and their families) look good. That's it. That's all. The online camera forums are full of discussions about photography but, not the people who buy photography. Want to stand out? Want to get ahead of your peers, including those with nicer gear and more experience than you? Simply start caring about your customers. Put all your focus (pun intended) on them and their needs. This is NOT about you. This IS about them. The sooner you realize that - the sooner you'll start to thrive as a professional photographer. Let the nerds in the photo forums duke it out about which lens is sharper. You go out and make your customers happy by paying attention to their needs and making them look their best. You'll win every time. "If nothing ever changed there would be no such things as butterflies." Wendy Mass One of the most fun things about living in Florida is there's always something in bloom. The right flowers bring the right "guests," and when we put in the butterfly garden, we made sure we had the right plants, one of them being milkweed. With the weather warming up and those bone-chilling (LOL) 50-60 degree days disappearing, the Monarchs are back. I was having breakfast this morning and sat there watching and thinking it's just another butterfly. Then I grabbed a camera, and it was pure joy over the next fifteen minutes as this female wandered from plant to plant taking a stop here and there to warm in the sun. I love the FZ300, mostly because of the 25-600mm lens. The smaller sensor has no impact on the way I shoot and share images. Plus, it was a little windy this morning and with the butterflies bouncing from plant to plant I shot in IA mode (Intelligent Auto). That left me with plenty of time to follow her around and not have to think about exposure settings. So, there's no such thing as "just another butterfly!" It's Marketing Monday and the perfect time to think about staying focused on each component of your business you hope to strengthen for the new year. As a photographer, the slow season is rapidly coming to a close but just because business is slow doesn't mean you should be. All of you know how to focus your camera, but more of you need to focus on your business and do a better job of setting priorities. It's not an easy task, there is no AF button to hit. It's hard to stay focused on building a stronger business when you want so desperately to be working directly with clients and bringing in revenue. Here are some tips to help you hold focus:
Nobody has all the answers. For me, the most significant challenge of the day, every day, is staying focused. I hate it when things get backed up, and at the end of the day, I feel like I've got nothing but a collection of unfinished projects. The most important thing is to remember, you're only one person. You can't do it all - just your best. And, for anyone who decides that's not good enough it's time to move them out of your thought process. It's March 5, and for most of you, that means spring seasonality is just around the corner. Don't pass up the potential for new business just because you couldn't stay focused today. "Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment!"
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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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