PHOTO ANTHEMS BLOG: Chloe Ann

Showing posts with label Chloe Ann. Show all posts

29 August 2023

Five Things to Help Finish the Year Strong

"Procrastination is like a credit card: it's a lot of fun until you get the bill."

~ Christopher Parker

On September 1st, there will be only 121 days remaining in the year. Where has the time gone? Two-thirds of 2023 is already relegated to our past. Pretty soon the year will be over. So here's a challenge for you. How much can you get done in 4 months? What significant achievement can you accomplish before the end of the year? You can measure that in money, as in how much can you make, but I think focusing on the cash is a mistake for a lot of people. Tis' better to focus on the goals. Be better and the money will follow. Never chase the dollar. But that's just my take. You have 4 months. What else can you learn in your area of expertise that can expand your business services?

Here's why I'm asking. Most of us usually enter a new year, thinking about what we hope to accomplish, resolutions, and where we want to be. And then that year closes and we're wondering where the time went so fast. Very soon, it will be 2024 and you're gonna be surprised that 2023 has already gone. All those goals and ambitions are just going to have to be reiterated in January and you'll once again promise to redouble your efforts. But lets be honest with ourselves. Didn't we say the same thing when 2022 ended?

So here are five things you can do to help you maximize these last 4 months of 2023 that might help you break even or possibly get the jump on 2024.

1. Change your environment, friends, and habits.

Change is the name of the game. You have four months left. You can't continue doing things the same way you did for last eight months. Switch things up. A new perspective can be the answer. Start by working in a new place. If you have work on your laptop in front of the TV, cut that shit out. Move! Find a new office place. Preferably a quiet, non-distracting space.

Let your friends know you have urgent business to handle, so you won't be taking calls or texts, can't go out, and NO, they can't swing by. In fact, start hanging around some people you KNOW are more responsible. Tell them your goals for these next four months and let them help you be accountable. But whatever you do, don't become that distracting friend to them! Because they will let you know... they have urgent business to handle and won't be taking your calls or texts, can't go out with you, and NO, you can't swing by.

Take an inventory of the things you do throughout the day. I know you take a 2-hour lunch because you feel you deserve it... but DO YOU? Probably not, because you haven't been getting things done for 8 months. You need some new habits. Look at the things you do throughout the day... make that list. Cut out the things that you know dam well don't matter. And when I say cut, I mean cut ruthlessly and mercilessly. The stakes are high! Priorities matter. FOUR MONTHS! And truthfully, it's not 4 months because you know you're going to ease up right after Thanksgiving. The Christmas Spirit starts on December 1st and you start feeling the need to ease up and be flexible. So get on it now! Cut out redundant tasks. Eliminate daily routines that have nothing to do with advancing your business.

2. Get rest, eat better, and drink more water.

Think about getting up early in the morning. You can go to bed whenever you wish, but set that clock to rise up at a specific time, earlier than when you normally get up. If you have a day job, it doesn't matter. Get up an hour earlier and plan out the day. Have some breakfast that you know will help your brain and body. Your typical heavy pancake, bacon, and eggs are NOT it! And I can tell you, I love me some pancake, eggs, and bacon! Forget McDonalds. Fix a meal that gives your brain energy and helps sustain your body for the day's task. Google it!

Start exercising! It really doesn't matter what it is. Get up at 4 am and go for a walk or do floor exercises. It doesn't have to be much and you don't need a gym membership. A 30-minute time set aside to start the day will do the trick. An hour would better. If you live in an area that allows you to see some nature, GREAT! I loved that about Las Vegas. I could walk in any one of a plethora of municipal parks in my area. Lone Mountain is a 30-minute hike to the top. Exercising will also make your body demand more rest. So don't be surprised when your body wants to go to bed earlier in anticipation for that earlier wake up. Don't deny that call for rest. The worst thing you can do is to not listen to your body and instead stay up late on social media.

Drink water! That can't be emphasized enough. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Never let your brain NEED water. Give it water before it feels like it needs water. My mom has her tricks so she remembers to drink water. You can come up with your own. So drink plenty of water. Not coffee. Not soda. WATER! Get water IN you and get water ON you. What am I talking about? Showers! Increase the number of showers you take. Not just for hygienic purposes, but for creative purposes. People get their best ideas in the shower! More showers equates to more opportunities to have great ideas. I think that makes sense.

"It always seems impossible until it's done."

~ Nelson Mandela

3. Make each decision you choose take you closer to your goals.

Ask yourself... "How does another trip to Zion National Park help my portfolio?" OR "How does shooting this project for free add to my business?" You may in fact, realize that Zion shots are everywhere and it could be that shooting in the Mojave National Reserve could be a fresher look for you. OR, maybe you can shoot Zion from a different perspective that renews people's interest in your work, like during the winter. It might be more beneficial for you to decline free projects. Exposure and Photo Credits, do not pay the bills. However, if its a volunteer project and you deem there is a high propensity to be introduced to a new demographic of clientele, it could be worth it. But for me, I treat doing free projects like I do lending money. I may do it, but I never ever expect to get my money or anything else back.

4. Break up big jobs into bite-size tasks.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Highly overused, but never more true. Somethings you need to do this year may be overwhelming, daunting, or nigh improbable. I used to do project management gigs and LORD! Everything... even small tasks, gets broken down into actionable steps with estimated timelines. I remember making Gantt charts of Project initiation, planning, execution, and monitoring. It would detail who was responsible for each task and give an expected start and completion date. You may not require anything that elaborate, but breaking hard tasks down into several simple and achievable check-box items can help change how you feel about a big daunting task.

5. Side-train on something you know will be useful later.

Those first 4 items are mostly defensive options... ways to avoid procrastination and stimulate creativity. But it's good to also be more proactive and set yourself up in a good position for the upcoming year. Stay abreast of the latest photo news and developments. Find out how AI affects your business. Can you use it? What does your logo look like? What might happen if you got it professionally redesigned? Invest time and money in lighting workshops, photo conventions, or classes. Do an online tutorial on how to do lighting for sports photography. Take a class on being more efficient in the workplace.

Network! Place yourself in a position to be made aware of where the gigs are coming from. If you don't know how to do that, ASK SOMEBODY who does! And then make sure you are doing the things that make you qualified to be considered for those gigs. Devote an hour a day, at least 3 days a week to side-train on something that's going to be useful later.

All this to say that opportunities come your way most every day. But if you are not in a position to take advantage of them, fear not...someone else will. Time... you only have so much of it. Wasted time - its worse than wasted money, wasted food, or wasted anything else you can think of. Everything else, you can make up for it. Opportunities that came along for which you were not prepared for are simply lost. I've heard it said that Fortune Favors the Prepared. I believe this to be true. Be smart. Do the right things now. I believe this is a key factor that separates the successful from the "busy".

08 July 2017

How to Keep Shooting Despite the Hot Weather

"If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?"

~ Steven Wright

I don't know where you live, but Las Vegas was 115°F yesterday. That's 46°Celsius for those of you who relate more to that temp scale. Here in the desert during the summer months we come to expect that, but it doesn't mean we are comfortable with it. I call it vampire heat because just being in the sunlight can turn you into an ash replica of yourself. And also because my mom says the heat can suck the life right out of you. So does this mean that you need to suspend all outdoor shooting for the next 3 months? Are you now restricted to solely studio work during this time? Well, lets see...

Both Mirrorless cameras and DSLR's have a standard operating temperature max of about 104°F. So at 115°, that sensor is cooking. Cameras that don't have weather sealing will have a tougher time in these temps, especially where humidity is a factor. And don't even think about doing video at these temps. Try to do 4K and your goose is cooked. And by goose, I'm not referring to the relatively large well-known waterfowl. I'm talking about your camera over heating with permanent damage.

So let me share with you FIVE good options on how to keep shooting despite the hot weather.

1. The most obvious thing is to keep the camera out of direct sunlight. Just shielding your camera with your own body or covering it with a towel can go a long way. Keeping the sunlight off of it is the culinary equivalent of simply taking a boiling pot off the fire. Yeah, it might still be hot, but the boil suddenly stops. SHADE is your friend. And while I'm at it, remember this tip. Treat your camera like you would your kid. DO NOT leave your camera gear sitting in the car while you go grab something out of the grocery store. It doesn't matter if you'll only be in there a minute. Take your gear with you. On this matter, it has less to do with preventing theft.

In Vegas heat, the plastic molding of your camera body can actually melt inside a car as the interior temperature rises to 180°F. You can actually ruin the lubricants inside your camera as well as causing seals to expand beyond the factory specifications. Then you are left wondering why your lens has such a rough feel when you zoom out. Or why your shutter assembly suddenly fails. The heat affects your sensor big time. The reason you get noise when shooting at high ISOs is because of the heat produced at that level. Well you can be at ISO 100 and still get noise like that in high heat environments.

2. I've done model shoots at practically all hours of the day even in this desert heat. What I do is simple. I seek out shaded areas in the two C's of Shade. Canopies and Canyons. Its not that hard to find trees that afford enough cover from the sun. You can Google Map it and find adequate locations to help you. When I first moved to Las Vegas, I ran my art nude workshops in the shade. Some participants were a bit out of shape to handle too much heat. I had some who's age required less strenuous environments. I even had an actor who performed in "The Phantom of the Opera" at the Venetian. Getting a really dark tan was not in the script! Finding a strip of trees will be easiest in places that still get water such as in the low grounds of canyons. But canyons themselves can also serve shade just due to the steepness of the rocks. As long as the sun is not directly overhead, there'll be shadows coming from one side or the other.

3. In Vegas, its coolest earlier in the morning. So schedule shoots to be completed BEFORE 9am. By 10, the temp is already in the high 90's if not already 100. Its going to stay in the 100 range until 5 or 6pm before it begins to cool. I've seen it to be over 100°F after 9pm on the Strip. People don't realize how much glass, steel, and asphalt are collecting heat during the day and giving it back off at night. So schedule shoots early in the morning. Oh, and don't forget extra batteries. Heat can really tax the battery power. In fact, don't leave batteries in your camera when you are not shooting. Take them out of your camera. The last thing you want is for a battery to explode INSIDE your camera. You're welcome.

4. Along with early morning shoots, try your hand at some night time shooting. You can get adventurous and paint with light or use the full moon as your only light source. You might also consider speedlights or on-location studio lights with Vagabond battery packs. B&C Camera has some 500ws Phottix Indra500 TTL Battery Powered Studio Lights that also have High Speed Sync up to 1/8000th of a second. You can buy them for about $1300 or you can simply RENT them from the B&C Camera Rental Department. See...Too Easy!

5. Or you can get the hell out of Vegas! Do a day trip to Mt Zion National Park. Its still high 90's there, but compared to temps in the 100-teens, 90° feels a bit nippy. Actually, you don't even have to do that far. Wanna know what the forecast is this week for Mt. Charleston? MID-80's!! So the name of the game is elevation. But let me even keep you even a bit closer to Vegas. Check out ICE BOX CANYON! You can expect anywhere from a 10 to 15° temperature drop back in that canyon and in some cases 20. Again, Google Maps some of these areas and go scout them out during the time of the day that you'd like to conduct your photo shoot. So there you go. 5 good tips to keep shooting despite the hot weather. Be smart, but most of all, be safe. Happy Shooting!

Bonus Tip: Consider keeping a ice pack or cooler handy. You can even put a frozen water bottle in your camera bag just to keep the temperature down. You don't need to put the bottle right up against the camera though. Be careful because the sudden temperature change from the cooler to the ambient air can cause condensation. If that happens, let the camera sit in the ambient air for a bit til the condensation evaporates. And be sure to take care of yourself as well. Sunscreen. A wide-brim hat. Light-weight clothing covering exposed skin. And most importantly... HYDRATE!!! Even if you are not thirsty, drink water anyway.

10 March 2017

Ladies and Gentleman.... Chloe Ann

I got introduced to Chloe Ann by the highly regarded and a notable photo colleague, Dave Levingston about a month and some weeks ago. I didn't know her, but when DaveL shouts out a model you pay attention. So right off the bat, I'm making a few assumptions. If she's working with Dave Levingston, she's good to go. AND if she's a friend of his, then she's automatically cool with me.

Chloe Ann is from Maine on an adventure trip, driving coast to coast from one corner of this great country to the opposite shore. From the shores of Maine to the shores of San Diego, CEE-AY, she and her fiance set out on a trek. She got to spend considerable time here in Las Vegas, and we did our best to make due with that time. Having never seen this part of the U.S., it was tough to narrow the sites down to only a few. I asked them what were the most important spots they wanted to visit, and that's where we shot.

We got in 3 good days of shooting and it was phenomenal. I took the betrothed burlesque couple out to some of my stomping grounds where I knew we could avoid crowds and inquisitive eyes. Oh...did I say burlesque...you're still caught up with that description. Well, allow me, if you will, to digress for a bit and introduce you to the creative burlesque duo, Mr. and Mrs. F*cksmart. Here's one of their performances, CREEP. Funny, right? Okay. As I was saying... avoiding inquisitive eyes. Yes. From their pick of places to visit, I chose the appropriate spots to get in some great sight-seeing, beautiful hikes, and of course, great spots to shoot naked people.

Apart from the smile, the charm, and the figure, I'd have to say I enjoyed her attitude the most. She's definitely more comfortable being nude than clothed and her bubbly personality makes her easy to work with. She's hardy as well. Coming from Maine, she's experienced with a little cold and she had to endure some cold here in Vegas because all 3 days we shot, the temps were in the 50's. And that's not just regular cold temp 50, but 50 with wind that make it seem more like 10! I did my best to keep her nude as little as possible, but art nude photogs aren't that great at that. Hiking out to these spots, it would seem I was asking her to drop-trow every 40 feet it seemed. There's just so much gorgeousness around here! Its hard not to see a spot and not want to improve it with a nude. That's just my pain I have to endure. Its not easy to resist the lure.

In 3 days we got in 4 locations of some of Nevada's finest landscapes, locations, and scenic hot spots. I added some promo work for their burlesque shows, and when it was all said and done, I had a body of work I was quite pleased with. Contact her via her Model Mayhem page and schedule some time with this fabulous muse and rest assured her time in your work will be money well spent. You can catch any of her burlesque performances by keeping tabs on the announcements on her Facebook page. Great girl to work with. You'll see.

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