It's All About Heart

I'm not sure if this is a heavy topic or one of those that's so light it almost sounds trite, but happiness is on my mind this morning...

It's so important for you to really love what you’re doing. That doesn’t mean every job has to make you smile all the time, but all of us do share the passion for the craft, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this blog.

So, regardless of where you are in your career, it’s important to have a plan. You don’t have to spend hours writing it all out, just take some time and day dream a little. Think about what it is you love to work on most and then set some goals on how to get there and do more of it.

For me, when I launched the new company over four years ago, I knew I loved to write and loved the marketing side of photography. I also knew I loved working with photographers. I wanted to develop tools to help more photographers realize their true potential. That's why we built Skip's Summer School and then had it evolve into this site, SCU and the August program.

We've still got some openings in our classes this year. I know there's a lot to choose from out there, but if you follow the buzz, year after year people have described the program as life-changing. We designed it so it would give people an opportunity to expand their skill set, leave with ideas on how to increase revenue, and recharge their battery before the fourth quarter.

Summer Session is going to be pretty remarkable - not because of anything I did, but because of the quality of the faculty involved and so many of you need to be there.  It's hard to not let the challenges in technology, the economy and consumer trends beat you up now and then. We all feel it. Even your most favorite icons have days when they wake up and can't seem to focus. That's when they recognize the need to step back and work on a special project, walk away from the business for a day or two and take a break. They've learned to follow their hearts.

And, great photography is all about heart. Whatever you’re feeling comes out in your images and even the expressions on your subjects.  You can't create images that pull at people's heart strings if you're heart isn't in it.  You don’t get those natural fun expressions if you’re screaming “1-2-3 Smile” and then thinking “Thank God that’s over!”

Photography is from the heart, about the heart and your images need to grab the hearts of the people who look at them!

“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.”   Ansel Adams

Illustration Credit: © Marek - Fotolia.com