Randomness - Writing Stuff Down

Writing Stuff Down

If you're like most people I know, you write lists.  Maybe it's a to-do list, a grocery list, or just a list of things that are on your mind so that you don't forget them.  I do the same thing.  Some things, though, I never write down.  For me, goals and dreams typically remain in my head.  It's not that I don't have them... I just don't write them down.

I'm not sure what keeps me from writing them down.  Maybe it makes them more real when they're written down.  Maybe when they're written down someone else might see them.  Whatever the reason, I just don't do it.  Or, should I say, I never used to.

About a year ago I heard about the Day Zero Project.  Essentially, it's a project where you try to accomplish 101 goals in 1001 days.  The neat thing about it is that it's an entire community, so you can see how other people are doing on their goals and what kind of goals they have.  If you're having a hard time coming up with 101 goals you can even see what the most popular goals are!

On a whim, I decided to try to come up with 101 goals for myself.  It was tough, but I did it.  I worked on them, I tracked them and I made progress.  Then the site went down.  For good.  I hadn't written the goals anywhere else, so although I felt a sense of relief at not having the responsibility of finishing all 101 goals, I also felt a bit of disappointment knowing that I'd never see how well I did on my goals.

A strange thing happened, though.  I remembered a bunch of my goals... and I kept working on them.  Apparently most of my goals weren't really that important to me, but a few of them were.  You want to know what made them stick with me, what made them real goals instead of something that could be dismissed or forgotten about?  The fact that I wrote them down.

When you write something down it becomes real.  It ceases to exist as just a thought and takes on a life of it's own.  It doesn't mean it's going to happen, but it does give it a better chance of happening.

If you want to start a list of your own, I just noticed that the Day Zero Project site is back online.  My list of 101 goals is even still there!  Now that I've had a few months without it, though, I'm not sure if I want to use it.  I know what my real goals are and I'm working towards them every day.

Love the Beast - A Car Movie That's About More Than Cars

Anyone who knows me from high school knows that I'm a car guy. Back then, I drove a variety of classic cars. My first car was a 1966 Dodge Dart. Then I upgraded to a 1968 Ford Galaxy, which had a bigger engine and fewer doors. Finally, I ended up with a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner, a real muscle car. All of my friends drove similar cars: Mustangs, Novas, Camaros and Corvettes. We were car guys.

In a way I still am. Sure, I don't drive a muscle car. I haven't had grease-stained fingers for years. I can't look at a nut and tell you what size of wrench it takes anymore. Get me near a classic car, though, and I'm suddenly in a different place. The lines of the metal speak to me. The smell of the interior, the exhaust and the garage bring back memories. The chrome and leather and wood of the interior put me back behind the wheel.

When I first heard of this documentary about Eric Bana's car that he's owned since high school I was immediately interested. I mean, he gets the car of his dreams in high school, goes on to become a movie star, yet he still owns the same car he bought in high school? And now he races it? Yeah, it went right into my Netflix queue.

Ultimately, it's a movie about Eric and cars and racing. It documents his history with the car and his relationship with his childhood friends who have always helped him work on the car. It documents his passion for driving and for racing. It culminates with him racing in the same race that first made him fall in love with his particular model of car.

Mixed in with all of the cars and racing are the relationships that have formed over the years. There's Eric's relationship with his friends and his father. There's Eric's relationship with his car. There's his father's relationship with his car. Dr. Phil talks about what's going on here from a psychological point of view. Jay Leno talks about how he's never sold a car that he's owned because of the relationship he has with every single one.

In the end, it's a documentary that's about a lot more than cars and racing. It's about relationships, both with cars and with people. Eric said something that really made an impression on me. He said that the car was he and his friends' campfire. It was something they gathered around while they talked, something that brought them together. I really liked this analogy.

Most car movies aren't really considered sentimental, but I have to admit, I teared up at the end of this one. I don't know why it got to me but it really stirred something inside of me. I'm not inspired like I was after I watched It Might Get Loud, but this movie definitely made me feel. It didn't make me feel like I wanted to go out and drive fast cars (OK, maybe it did just a little bit). Instead, it made me feel something that I've lost, something that I once knew and had forgotten. It also made me feel fortunate for having had the experiences with cars that I've had in the past.

I really enjoyed this documentary. Even if you're not a car person, I'd still recommend it. It's entertaining, funny, touching and has some great guest appearances. It might even touch you in an unexpected way like it did me.

Here's my 1969 Roadrunner.  It was loud, fast and a few different colors.

Here's my 1968 Galaxy.  We measured it once.  It was over 19 feet long... and was only a 2-door.
It's also the first car I ever did burnouts in.

Randomness - Marketing Advice (From A Fortune Cookie)

Advice comes from many places. Sometimes they're sources you'd expect. Other times, not so much.

Take today for instance. This fortune cookie had been sitting on our coffee table for a few days. I finally decided to eat it. Inside, I found the message "Nobody can be exactly like you."

While this might be obvious, when applied to your marketing efforts, to your business and even to your life, imagine how powerful this statement is! Nobody can be exactly like you. Who you are is unique and if you offer yourself to your clients and to the people in your life, you can give them something that no one else can give them: you!

If you've read a few marketing books (at least marketing books for photographers), this isn't a new concept. I've seen it mentioned in almost every book I've read. Sometimes it's nice just to be reminded when you least expect it!

Tech Tuesdays - Book Review - "Vision Mongers: Making A Life And A Living In Photography"

OK, here's the situation... you've got a passion for photography and want to turn it into a career. Or maybe you've already taken the plunge and are working full-time as a photographer, but you're not sure if you're doing things the right way. Or maybe you've been working as a photographer for a while and things are going pretty well, but you still have unanswered questions or nagging doubts in the back of your mind. If any of these sound like you, you need to read this book!

In Vision Mongers: Making A Life And A Living In Photography, author David duChemin tells us his story, and the story of many other successful photographers, in order to make a point. His point is that there is no magic bullet, there is no secret, there is no shortcut to becoming a successful photographer. Instead, he gives us tips and tricks that he has learned through his own journey.

Although this might be considered a textbook of sorts, it doesn't read like one. DuChemin's voice and writing style are easy enough to read for hours on end. Whether he's talking about marketing or pricing, his words are engaging, informative and entertaining.

To me, his words just make sense. There were many different times while I was reading this book that I realized he was saying something that I'd thought or felt before, but had never really taken the time to conceptualize. It felt good to read these things that I'd had a vague notion of in the past, but finally had some affirmation from someone who knows a lot more about photography than me. Of course, it's always nice when someone agrees with you, but this was more than that. This was more like a whisper in my ear saying that I'm on the right track, that I'm headed in the right direction and if I keep moving, I'll keep getting closer to my goals.

Vision Mongers isn't just a feel-good book and it's not just another business book. It's a book written by a photographer for photographers. It's going to be an essential part of my library (and maybe even my business) and I look forward to reading it many more times in the future. If you want to start making money with your photography, do yourself a favor and get this book. There are no guarantees that you'll make it, but reading this book sure can't hurt!

Oh, and by the way, if you've had that Fresh Prince song stuck in your head since the first sentence of this post... you're welcome!

Randomness - Networking

Networking

I'm not sure why, but it seems like lately I've been getting a little better at networking. Yes, it was one of my 2010 resolutions, so I'd better be making some progress, right? Well, I finally feel like I'm getting there.

Take, for instance, last night. I've been working with CRAVE Denver, a guidebook and network for local women-owned businesses, doing photo shoots for their upcoming book. Because CRAVE isn't just about a book, but about building networks, there are occasional parties where all of the women in the book have a chance to meet each other. I was asked to take some photos at last night's event. It turns out the only other guy around was the DJ/dance instructor. Let me tell you, these events are amazing! No, I'm not just saying that because I'm the only guy in a room full of women. What's amazing is the way these women network.

As I made my way through the crowd last night taking photos and meeting local business owners, one thing kept coming up in conversation. The atmosphere and attitudes were all about helping each other. No one was snobby, no one was mean... everyone was so nice! If there were two people who did the same thing, they were talking to each other as friends, not as competitors. This couldn't have been more clear than with my fellow photographers.

I would guess that there were at least 10 different photographers at the event last night. What really struck me was how we all felt comfortable with each other. We weren't comparing how many shoots we'd done this year. We weren't seeing who had the cooler business cards. We weren't talking gear to see who had the biggest lens or most expensive camera. None of that. Instead, we talked about what we shoot, who we know and how we might be able to help each other. We actually networked!

As Belinda and I were driving home, I mentioned to her how nice it was to talk to other photographers and not get into a competition over who has the best gear. There was hardly even any mention of Canon vs. Nikon! Let me tell you, that's a minor miracle. With that many photographers in the same room I'm surprised we didn't break off into cliques based on camera manufacturer, secretly talking trash and giving the other groups dirty looks.

Of course, Belinda wasn't surprised. She says that's the way women's networking events work. It's not about who has the best, or the most, or the whatever. It's about "how can we help each other." I like it! It's so refreshing. I walked away from the event last night feeling very positive and energized. I made quite a few good connections that I hope will blossom into fruitful working relationships. I'm aware that meeting people is the easy part of networking. The hard part comes in maintaining contact and keeping the connections alive. Something tells me the people I met last night will be able to teach me a thing or two about doing that as well.

25 DSLR Tips For Amateur Photograhers

Do you want to start taking better photos without spending a lot of money? Sure, who doesn't? If you've got a DSLR camera, but aren't quite getting the photos you want, there are so many little things that you can do to get great photos. I've put together a list of them to help you out.

It Might Get Loud - Inspiration From Guitarists

Sometimes inspiration comes out of left field and smacks you in the face so hard you don't know what happened. Inspiration like this can speak to you, it can scare you, it can motivate you and it can paralyze you. You know it when it happens, but since you're not ready for it, you never know how you're going to react.

Imagine my surprise when I'm sitting on my couch watching the documentary "It Might Get Loud" when out of nowhere I realize that I've just been smacked by some wicked inspiration with a dash of insight! First, how about a little background on the movie...

"It Might Get Loud" is a documentary about the electric guitar. It is basically a discussion with three amazing guitarists from three different eras of music: Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin, The Edge from U2, and Jack White from The White Stripes. They all talk about how they came to play guitar, who their influences were and other topics you'd expect from a documentary. The twist is that it's not about the people, or even their bands, but about the electric guitar. This is where it gets interesting.

Because it's about the guitar, you hear these guys who are masters at playing the guitar talking about how it's all about passion, creativity and soul. Then, because it's about the electric guitar, you hear them talk about how they've been able to use all these different effects pedals and processors to get just the sound they're looking for. The Edge said that he'll spend hours getting the sound that's in his head to come out of the speakers, that the sound you're hearing his guitar make is really his voice. Jimmy Page mentioned that because of distortion, you could push the guitar to do things it had never done before. Jack White said that he likes to take guitars and modify them so that they produce a sound that they're not supposed to make.

Once it occurred to me that the electric guitar is different, not because of the way it sounds, but because of what you can do to the sound, it hit me. This is like the digital era of photography! It's not the fact that it's digital instead of film that makes it so amazing, it's what you can do to the digital files that has really changed everything.

If you take all of the tools in Photoshop and try to relate them to a traditional darkroom technique, you'll quickly find that many of them just did not exist before digital photography came around. Once you step outside of Photoshop into the world of plugins and other programs, you realize that we're not just on a different page, we're in a different book in a library across town!

Photographers now have the ability to take what's in their head and make it a reality. Through the use of different programs and plugins, coupled with patience and skill, previously unheard voices can now be heard. As with anything, though, there is a catch. You have to have mastery over your camera before you can fully take advantage of everything digital has to offer.

Let's take The Edge for example. In the movie he talks about how everyone plays an E-chord. He didn't want to play it like everyone else, so he found a new way to play it. It's still the same chord, but it's more raw and open. That, in my opinion, is the most important lesson here... not only knowing the basics of your craft, but knowing enough about the mechanics and theory behind it that you can manipulate the basics to create different outcomes to suit your needs. We're not even in electric guitar territory yet. Next, he wanted to take that chord and make it sound a certain way by manipulating the sound with various effects, which is only possible with an electric guitar. By combining effects pedals, processors, different pickups and even different amplifiers he is able to get exactly the sound he's looking for.

It's not much different with cameras. Having a basic mastery with a camera is important if you want to go on and create photographs with a specific look and feel. Sure, you can go into Photoshop and mess with settings and sliders until you get lucky and create something that looks cool. That's not a bad thing. It's called experimenting. You start running into problems when it's not repeatable and your results are seemingly random.

I've always loved playing around with the different develop presets in Lightroom and seeing the different results they produce, but I usually end up choosing a more traditional look for my photos. You know what? Traditional is no longer the only option! All of those plugins are just like different effects pedals for electric guitars! Distortion might sound great in one song but sound horrible in another song. Similarly, a model might look great with high-contrast light, super-saturated colors and orange skin. Try the same thing with grandma? Maybe not...

As with guitar, photography is not only a skill but an art. Anyone can pick up a guitar, a paintbrush, a pencil or a camera and create something. With a paintbrush or a pencil, it's pretty obvious if you don't have any skill. With a guitar or a camera, it's a little harder to tell. So you know a few chords and have some cool effects pedals for your guitar? Go ahead, start a band. Best of luck to you. Oh, you've also got a fancy camera and a copy of Photoshop? You can press a few buttons in Photoshop and make your photos have cool vignettes? Go ahead, put an ad on Craigslist. Best of luck to you with that as well.

I'm not saying I'm The Edge of the camera world. I'm not. In the grand scheme of things I'm much closer to the Craigslist guy than The Edge. But that doesn't mean I don't know the difference! Just because you can do something, it doesn't mean you're good at it. And even if you're good at it, it doesn't mean that you can't get better. And even if you get better, it doesn't mean that you can't tweak it just a little bit more. And even if you tweak it just a little bit more and you've finally created exactly what you wanted, it doesn't mean that it was easy. It just means that you had the knowledge and skills to know what you wanted and take the necessary steps to achieve it.

So, where's this inspiration I was talking about? Why am I just ranting about technology and pushing buttons and plugins? My real inspiration came when The Edge said this: "Jumping off, into the unknown... you hope and have faith that the next chord or the next few notes will come to you... on occasions you get nothing and you come out feeling like a complete idiot, like you don't know anything and you can't play guitar and you can't write songs..." If The Edge can feel like that, then I can feel like that. The catch is that you've got to jump, to take the chance, not knowing if you are going to fail or succeed. I think it's fitting that The Edge helped push me over the edge...

Meeting Of The Masters - Day 3

As if things could not get any better, Day 3 of Meeting Of The Masters rolled around and we got to spend some time with Joe Edelman and Kirk Voclain. I knew it was going to be a crazy and intense day because both of these guys have an amazing amount of energy, but I wasn't quite sure what was in store for us.

Joe led off the day with an amazing presentation. The previous two days gave us photographers talking to us about their various specialties, their history, and just generally how they shoot. Joe wasn't any different in what he told us, but he gave us a slick Powerpoint presentation. Normally, you think of a Powerpoint presentation and you think "Boring!", but Joe did a great job of using it as an outline to his talk while actually speaking to us and keeping things interesting. Listening to him talk is like drinking from a firehose: there is just too much information to process!

Not only did he give us tons of great information, he also set up some lights, told us why he was doing what he was doing and let us shoot on one of his setups (see the above photo)! Throughout the day he did this a few more times and we got to shoot some amazing stuff that we'd not normally get to shoot. His creativity and imagination are just off the charts. Oh, he also had my favorite quote of the meeting: "Color balance is for wussies!" I love it!

The next speaker was Kirk and he is just a wild and crazy guy! He also had a Powerpoint presentation and he also did a great job of keeping things lively and not relying on his slides to teach us but more to keep us on track. The thing that amazed me the most about Kirk is that he has such skill in posing (and his poses do not look posed), that he just needs to take one shot per pose before moving to the next pose. That means that 6 different poses equals just 6 shots! How can he do this? I don't know, but that's why he's a Master!

After his presentation, Kirk took us outside to show us some of his "voodoo" posing techniques and also how he works in natural light. Watching him work and seeing how he interacts with the models was so interesting. I don't see how he can keep his energy levels so high, but he does and it shows in his photos.

We wrapped up the day with some shooting in natural light. I was fortunate enough to work with some wonderful models on a one-on-one basis (with a great voice-activated-lightstand named Alexandra) and get some killer shots. It was the perfect ending to a great meeting.

So, would I say the Meeting Of The Masters was a success? Absolutely! Although the class was smaller than originally hoped for, I think it was the perfect size because we all got to spend quality time with the Masters, as well as getting to know each other much better. I can say I've made many new friends and that might not have been possible in a larger group. The Masters were so generous in their time and so down to earth. They came out to eat with us every night, they didn't mind talking photography for 12+ hours a day and they were happy to offer advice, encouragement, critique or knowledge when asked. I think it helped us to realize that they're just normal guys who do what they love every day (and happen to take amazing photos and work very hard).

So, when is next year's Meeting?

Meeting Of The Masters - Day 2

Day 2 started out with one of the most inspirational photography speakers I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, David Hickey. Although he came out with us for drinks last night and was a wild and crazy guy, I was not at all prepared for the guy who walked into the room the next morning. Instead of a crazy photographer, we all met a photographer who really takes the time to personally connect with his models, who develops energy and keeps it flowing during a shoot and who gets choked up while talking about his dog who just died, his wife whom he misses or how his photos have changed peoples' lives.

For all of the theory, technique and war-stories I knew I'd hear at this meeting, hearing David speak was exactly what I was hoping might happen. He cut through anything and everything having to do with equipment, technique or education and instead focused on the relationship between the photographer and subject. How simple is that? If you get along with the person you're photographing, if you have some sort of a connection, your photos will show it and will have that extra something that can't be achieved through camera, lights or Photoshop.

Now, I'm not saying that he isn't still a wild and crazy guy. He most certainly is. Hearing his stories about run-ins with the police and photographing at the Playboy Mansion, you know that he's lived quite a vicarious life as a photographer. Fortunately, there's a lot more to David Hickey and he was happy to share it with us.

The end of the day was spent with an open discussion period where the class had the opportunity to ask the Masters anything they wanted about photography. Some questions really got a variety of answers and sparked debate while others were turned into big jokes and had everyone laughing a lot. Hearing five photographers with decades of experience answer your questions is quite a treat. I grabbed many pearls of wisdom and learned that there really is no right answer to any given question. With Day 3 quickly approaching, I can't wait to see what's next...

Meeting Of The Masters - Day 1

The day started out with Art Ketchum, a Chicago-based photographer known for his beautiful work photographing body painting and for a number of catalogs. He's what you might consider more of a traditional shooter, if such a term can be applied to a Master. He's an older gentleman with a gruff voice that is unmistakably from Chicago. He places a big emphasis on light metering, ratios and lighting everything very well. A typical setup for him would consist of 5 lights. He talks and useful information, the kind that you only get from years of experience, just comes out of his mouth. It's quite amazing!

Watching him work with the model was a good experience. He would talk to her about what he wanted, meter the lighting, talk to her a bit more, tweak the lights, adjust her pose, tweak the lights, take a test shot, tweak the lights, adjust the model... you get the picture. His constant banter and encouragement to the model made her laugh and feel comfortable while he got the lights exactly how he wanted them. Once the lights were dialed in, he'd shoot away while still encouraging the model and come away with some great shots.

Art ended up shooting a few different lighting setups and even let us up to shoot on one of his setups. Of course, with 5 different Masters in the room, everyone got involved in the shoot by offering suggestions on posing and encouraging us to try different things. Even though only one person could shoot at a time, just standing back and listening to the Masters talk and watching them pose the model was a very rewarding experience.

The next Master of the day was Ivan Otis. If there is a photographer who could be considered the opposite personality of Art Ketchum, Ivan would come close. Where I would consider Art to be methodical, traditional and somewhat reserved, Ivan is spontaneous, boundary-pushing and not at all reserved. His presentation was not for the faint of heart, as it contained R-rated language and really got the crowd going. He spoke about some recent work he had shot for The History Channel, as well as some personal projects he'd worked on that really showcase his photographic skills as well as his Photoshop skills.

Ivan has been shooting for almost 30 years and is completely self-taught. He doesn't really go with traditional lighting setups, favoring more spontaneous and experimental lighting depending on his mood and location. I get the feeling that he could show up anywhere and, if handed a camera and a subject, could walk away with amazing and unique photos.

Watching him shoot was a joy. He is so hands-on, making sure the model feels comfortable, cracking jokes, keeping the audience engaged and not spending too much time with lights or setup. I could seriously watch him shoot all day long and not get tired of it. He uses so many different techniques for getting what he wants from a model, it's quite inspiring. From having them mirror his movements to lots of physical contact to create an intimate working space to just good verbal instructions, it's not surprising to see why he gets so much out of his subjects.

The final part of the day was reserved for shooting. We all broke off with a Master and went outside to shoot in natural light. Once again, I got so much out of just watching them work and listening to what they had to say, both to the model and to us observers. Honestly, I hardly took any photos because I was so busy watching and listening! The great thing about shooting with them in an informal setting is that you get to see what they're shooting and ask questions about why they chose to do particular things, which to me is much more valuable than a few photos. With that being said, I did manage to get some good photos like the one of Kirsten that you see at the top of this post. Stay tuned for Day 2, coming soon...

Leave Your Camera At Home?

Image from Jonsi.com

Last week my wife Belinda and I went to a concert, Jonsi. My typical first thoughts are usually, "I wonder if I can bring a camera?" and "I hope I can get a good place to shoot from." Most of the time, you can't bring a DSLR into a concert, but that's OK. It's nice to use a point and shoot once in a while to challenge your skills and creativity. Would I rather bring my DSLR? Sure I would, but I know that it's just not going to happen.

I hadn't ever been to a concert at the venue where Jonsi was playing, so I checked the venue web page to see their camera policy. Of course, the second thing mentioned on the homepage was "No cameras of any type allowed." Darn. Of course, it's not hard to stick a camera in your pocket. Security isn't ever so tight that you can't just walk in with it. If you don't use flash and aren't obnoxious with it, no one will really care. The photos aren't going to be good enough to use for anything except remembering the night. Still, I decided not to take the camera. I had been looking forward to this concert for a while and didn't want to take any chances of getting kicked out.

We got to the show and there were lots of people there with cameras. I started to feel a little regret that I didn't bring anything. Then I saw a guy with a huge white lens (70-200 f/2.8 I'm sure)! He was working the event, but it still made me really start to wish I had a camera with me.

Once the show started, though, it was almost liberating to not have a camera with me. Usually, I'm looking for a great chance to take a photo, which takes my attention away from the concert. Then I have to mess with the camera settings and try to get a decent photo, which really distracts me. For this concert, I could allow myself to sit back and enjoy the show. No worries about taking photos, no regrets that I missed a good shot.

I quickly realized that this concert was something special. It was amazing to watch and even more amazing to hear. It was more than a concert, more than a show, more than an event... it was an experience. The audience became emotionally invested in the show. It absorbed everyone's attention and we all realized that we were a part of something bigger than we had planned on. Experiences like that might only happen a few times during a lifetime. Trying to capture it in a photo is pointless.

If I could go see Jonsi again and was able to bring a camera along, even my DSLR, I don't think I'd change anything. I'd leave my camera at home and just enjoy the show. Sometimes it's nice to just go have a good time with someone you care about and leave with just your good memories.

What Inspires You?

This is the question that came to me while doing some chores today. What inspires me? For me, inspiration is what keeps me going, gets me excited and pushes me forward. Here are a few of my inspirations:

- Creating something new (at least for me). When I see certain photos, I get into a frenzy thinking about how I'd create something similar, which drives me to think about the steps I need to take to accomplish certain things so that others can follow.
- Music. Sometimes I'll put on an album that I know I love, just because I know that I get stuff done when it's on. Other times I'll hear something new that will just kickstart my day and rock my world!
- Checking out the competition. When I see other people running their business, when I see their marketing materials, web sites and advertisements, I either think, "Ooh, that's nice. I'd better get on the ball." or, "I can do better than that!". Either way, it's a good thing.
- My wife. When I see how hard my wife, Belinda, works and how much time and effort she puts into her career and her extracurricular activities, I can't help but be inspired. I was just looking over her volunteer resume last night and was amazed. Seeing how much she does made me feel like a bit of a slacker. You can bet I'm going to step up my game after a conversation with my wife!

So that's a short list of my major sources of inspiration. Yours may be different. They may be purely financial or egotistical, and that's OK, as long as you're delivering a quality product to your clients. So, what inspires you?