"Sittin' on the dock of the bay..."

The tide really was "rolling away". Anna Maria Island, Florida.

It’s Friday morning, and I’ve got nothing in the pipeline to share. It’s been a pretty amazing week with lots of new content in just about every section of SCU. However, that doesn't mean there isn't something bouncing around in my head. On Fridays, I always like to kick off the weekend with something you need to think about, and I found the perfect quote:

 “You need to be absolutely paranoid about the currency of your knowledge and ask yourself every day: 
Am I really up to speed? Or am I stagnating intellectually, faking it or even worse, falling behind. Am I still learning? Or am I just doing the same stuff on a different day? Or as Otis Redding sings, 
“Sitting on the dock of the bay watching the tide roll away.” 
David L. Calhoun

 I couldn’t make a simpler point with this post.

Photography combines technology and consumerism in an art form. You’ve got to stay on top of your skill set and understand every technique, even those that haven’t been discovered yet, You need to understand all the creative tools at your fingertips. Lastly, you need to understand consumer trends and what type of images are driving the market and in turn sales. You can never stop learning.

Here’s an easy assignment for the weekend – pick up a few of the most recent consumer magazines read by women and just look at the pictures. Pay attention to the images used in the ads especially, because they’ll give you a feel for the look that represents what’s influencing the market.

And remember, women make 98% of the purchase decisions to hire a professional photographer in the portrait/social categories.  For those who don’t, believe me,  how often have you had a call from a man to schedule a family portrait session or book a wedding?

Wishing everybody a terrific weekend.  Find the time to step away from the business and just shut things off – you know how to focus your camera, but now it’s time to focus on family and friends.