PHOTO ANTHEMS BLOG: Photofocus

Showing posts with label Photofocus. Show all posts

16 April 2021

Three Life Skills I Learn with Photography

What makes photography such a strange invention is that its raw materials are Light and Time

Let me just dive into this:

Learning New Things

Of course, this article must begin with the universal agreement that life if full of lessons and when we stop learning, we stop living. So yes... photography has afforded me the opportunity to constantly learn new things and thus, stay alive. Rarely a day has gone by where I am not learning something about photography gear, techniques, lighting, or the business of it. I even learn when I teach. It's hard to know everything there is to know about photography. You can be an expert, a professional, or a popular speaker on the subject and there is still so much more to take in.

I recall Richard Harrington of Photofocus, who spoke with me after one of his classes at Photoshop World. It caught me off guard, because he was asking about my opinions. He wasn't there trying to "bless" people with his wisdom, but rather to impart knowledge while seeking different ideas for his own improvement. I dig that. Keep learning. Stay on top of your game. READ! Sign up for online workshops on that one thing you are weakest at. Teach the things you are strong on.

Learning How to Mitigate Mistakes

In life, mistakes are inevitable. Sometimes, you can play it off and act like nothing's the matter. Other times, you are forced to own up to it, reshoot, or admit defeat. The real trick is to minimize those mistakes. One of the constant lessons throughout my time on Earth has been to practice, rehearse, and learn more in order to make the big mistakes early. With investing, you may screw up and lose all your money. But losing all your money early on, when you have $1,000 to your name is much easier than losing $100,000 later on in your career.

I like to spend hella time practicing, experimenting, and exploring ideas to see what works. It helps me be creative and spot new ideas. Not everything pans out, but you learn from it. I learn most from models who let me experiment and sometimes nothing comes out the way I planned. Nevertheless, they are patient with me and allow me to take chances and see what happens. Aren't there also times when you took a hit because of a mistake and then it somehow turned into a blessing? I owned up to a problem with a client once regarding equipment failure that was my fault. Thankfully, it was a multi-location project shot over several days, so I requested a reshoot on one of them. She appreciated my honesty and recommended me to her friend on a higher paying gig. Acknowledge a problem, but fix it and then blow their minds! Sometimes, you have to bite the bullet and work with what you have. With the right attitude, you can still come out on top. So mitigate mistakes with practice so that you can avoid big mistakes later in your career.

"Life is a lot like jazz... it's best when you improvise."

~ George Gershwin

Learning to Appreciate Different Perspectives

Everybody sees the same thing differently than you do. Good photography is all about composition. Good composition is all about perspective. We can shoot the same thing with identical cameras and you may key on one thing and I, another. You might shoot wide-angle while I prefer telephoto. Or maybe I want to shoot a scene at night and use artificial lights. Regardless, just because someone has a different perspective than you do, that doesn't make them wrong. Not only that, they're perspective on the same subject might be as beautiful as yours, yet their shine does not diminish your own. In many respects, we can shine together and uplift the craft of photography. Is not life like this?

A different perspective came come from anywhere or anyone. I learn so much from models I shoot. Many of them actively lend to my projects and some show me something I didn't originally see they weren't even trying to do so. You just never know where that next brilliant idea or concept might come from. All I'm saying is keep your mind open. Listen. Try to see. All the great ideas don't only originate in the shower.

A list of 3 things is definitely not all there is to know about the different life skills photography can teach. I am still cultivating the art of storytelling in my work. In addition to that you get experience with social skills, leadership, mentorship, how to start/run a business, and making something sellable from abstract space from which you can earn a living. Photography has been a blessing to me and when this thing is done, I hope I can say I have given something back to it.

15 October 2013

On Black and Minority Photographers

“Diversity may be the hardest thing for a society to live with, and perhaps the most dangerous thing for a society to be without. ”

― William Sloane Coffin Jr. 

To my knowledge, this is the first time I've come to address this topic on this blog. I've attempted to keep this blog mainly about photo-related issues, concerns, happenings and personal stories on my escapades. Conversely, I've avoided controversial topics and leave it to the others to debate those issues. There are certainly enough who do this. I've spent a good chunk of my life being an advocate of bringing to light the plight of African-Americans and the challenges we face on having an equal footing on this planet. I've always tried to be an ambassador for people of color and minorities in general, regardless of color. I have frequently found myself in positions where I have been the sole minority on a team, department, platoon, class, or group. In those situations I've wanted to not only represent myself in a way as to demonstrate that my Mama taught me manners, but also to fulfill that ambassador role for minorities to people that might not otherwise be able to relate. It was even one of my secondary duties in the military as I was trained and certified to teach and be the Equal Opportunity Representative for soldiers in my company or battalion and adviser for my commanders.

Photography is another area that I find myself in a similar light. In my undergrad years, I was the only black male student in the Finance department. My graduate time was much the same. Today in photography, I certainly notice the difference in the minority representation in the field that I so love. I've talked about it amongst peers on a few occasions. I've discussed it more often with black peers and we might often joke at the predicament we find ourselves in.

In the military, I had a battalion commander who asked me why there was such a shortage of black Army Rangers, not only in the battalion, but also in the division. I brought this fact to his attention when he helped me get past my own company commander's attempts to place challenges in my way to stall my admittance into Ranger School. Everybody else who wanted to attend Ranger school got automatic blessings to attend simply based on their courage to subject themselves to such a strenuous tasking. Me? I had to prove I was worthy, through a series of tests and evaluations. When my Battalion commander, who I had once worked for, caught wind of this, he made an immediate phone call and I was put in the very next class for the Division Pre-Ranger course. I was one of the 14 who passed that two-week course out of the 64 who started. I was subsequently slotted into the next Army Ranger School class from my division. I graduated as one of two black Rangers in a class of 94. It was the most physically challenging thing I've done in my life. I reported back to my battalion commander as to what I found out regarding why there were so few black Rangers.

So why are there so few black photographers? Its definitely a challenge to try to ascertain exactly why this is. Ranger school and being an Army Ranger was still a finite universe in which I was able to interview people and pull the statistics that allowed me to extrapolate interesting points to draw conclusions based on empirical data. Photography is way too broad a field to use the same methodology. So how do you find out why this is?

I've been involved with many photographers in Las Vegas since I've been here. I had my own group, the Las Vegas Art Model's Group that helped photographers work with models and advance the art nude genre. Concurrently, I helped run the Las Vegas Photographic Society with my buddy Garret Winslow. Every one of our monthly meetings I spoke in front of the group and made myself available for advice and consult to photographers who took advantage of that fact often, both during and between meet-ups. During this time, I've met few black photogs and even FEWER who were on the professional level.

Allen Murabayashi, just did a blog post on the Photoshelter Blog site, "Photography’s Old White Guy Problem". In it, he gives thumbnail images of the major photographers who train us from Canon's Explorers of Light, Nikon's Ambassadors, and X-Rite's Colorati. The same goes for some of the major photo conventions such as WPPI speakers and Photoshop World instructors, which I attend on a regular basis. I see two black guys on a regular basis, Terry White and Matthew Jordan Smith. I invite you to take a look at that blog post.

And let me also add another point that Murabayashi may have missed. "Old White Guy" has given way to "Young White Lady" over the years. The percentage of professional photographers who are women has greatly increased, along with couple-based photography. Laura Matthews also discussed this on Photofocus as a guest contributor earlier this year. So this is at least one step in the right direction. In many fields, such as maybe journalism, this trend was reversed for a long time. The field of journalism began to embrace more diversity, but the female representation was still yet to come. And this is just speculation on my part, but in photography more young and attractive female photographers have been selected to hit the circuit for training conventions. First selection or choice consideration for gigs, promotion, advancement and recognition doesn't seem to be as equally distributed among the black and minority photographers. I can't pull up any stats since gov't sites are currently shut down, but Lee Morris at FStoppers has stated this very well in his blog post, "Photography: Is It Still A Man’s World?:

"...However, the actual numbers state that 42.8% of all professional photographers are female. Not so bad, right? But the report goes on to clarify something I’d already suspected: While almost 60% of professional photographers are men, 60% of photographers under 35 are women. The majority of veteran, successful photographers are, in fact, men."

So why do we care? Why should anyone give a dam? Its been like this for years. Its the status quo. Who gives a shit. I'll give you two reasons why this oversight is significant and should be more closely monitored. First, show me one program, business, project, or concept that hasn't benefited from diversity. I'll shut the hell up right now, if you can point to something that was irreparably damaged because it embraced diversity. Second. If you're a photog of any nationality, YOU WANT me to have more opportunities in photo. The short-sighted and stupid will look at me as taking a job that you could have otherwise acquired if I had not been given the opportunity. That's just asinine and ignorant. But instead, take a look at Tiger Woods and golf. The presence of a Tiger Woods on a course greatly increased the purses of everybody who participated. Why? Because the value of the sport increased. Minorities represent a huge percentage of the population in the US. Money that would otherwise not be streaming into something else began to flow into golf because minorities began to participate with viewership and interest on the course. There was a demand increase in Golf and such can be the case for photography.

I'm not saying I'm on the Tiger Woods scale of photo, but hear me out. Bringing in a different perspective will only enhance the quality of photo. And placing more people of color in the visible forefront encourages more minority kids, amateurs, and pro to step up their game. I can assure you...it might not make a difference to some people, but when you see somebody esteemed who looks like you, who can relate to you, and who has a sincere empathy on where you come from, its way more encouraging than listening to another white guy tell me, "Hey! You can do it". Think of it as inspiring black youths by giving them people they can inspire to be like. And by no means do I imply blacks and minorities should be "given" anything. But as I look at the faces of these Nikon Ambassadors and Canon Explorers of Light, am I supposed to infer that these photographers and trainers were the obvious choices because there were no minorities good enough to speak, train, or inspire fellow photographers as well as them?

19 September 2013

Sticking With it

“If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.”

~ Max Ehrmann, Desiderata: A Poem for a Way of Life

There are a lot of things we can do to be better at photography. And sometimes it can get overwhelming to learn it all. It can be intimidating to see some masters at work and reach a conclusion that you can never achieve that sort of greatness. I know I've looked at some artist's work and felt that way before. Even today, I am amazed at some of the artwork being put out by some of these newcomers to the game. They tend to see things differently. They were born into technology and are not afraid to try new things that get introduced in the market. They take new tech and re-purpose it for something entirely different and create gold with it. It can be depressing to have a concept that would seem simple to everybody else, yet Chinese arithmetic to you...assuming you are not Chinese, of course. In which case if you are, you still get my point.

But here's two assumptions I'm going to make based on my own experiences:

1. With the exceptions of the true pioneers in this trade (and any other, for that matter), everybody you come to idolize and drool over started out just the same way, doing the same thing. Nobody starts out understanding an f/stop or stroboscopic flash. Granted some may learn quicker than others, but we all start out at ground zero. This is not a race at all. Just because someone crosses the finish line in front of you, doesn't mean you lose. Just keep running. Cross the finish line and continue to run!

2. Many of the great ones are not as good as what you might think! I'm telling you. I've been sort of amazed at this. Even at this latest Photoshop World, I recently blogged about one such situation. I could not understand how the instructor's work became significant. Then there are other times, its not the photographer that works the magic, but rather his team of people that make them look good. I hope I'm not sounding too cynical, but there is truth to what I say. There are some photographic geniuses out there. Had you been at Photoshop World, you'd have met a whole host of them. They also exist in some of your own peers! Study your trade. Pull out your camera and just go shoot. Keep researching the web. If you want, for starters, just follow my lead... Get up on PhotoFocus, with Richard Harrington and TWIP, with Frederick Van Johnson. Then stay tuned with Lynda.com., FStoppers.com, SLRLounge, Strobist, and Luminous-Landscape. You can learn from anybody! Never think you own photography, else she will, at some most inopportune time, bite you in the ass. Be open to be educated from anybody anywhere. The better you become, I tell you for certain, some of the very people you look up to will look to you for guidance, advice, and consult.

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”

~ Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenplay

But here is my point.

Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to learn. Don't be afraid to ask. Don't be afraid to look stupid. Some of my most valuable lessons have come from looking stupid. Don't be afraid of new technology. And above all...Don't be afraid of anybody else's work. Never downplay your own work. I've got work that I don't show right now because I'm not ready. If it doesn't meet my own standards of satisfaction, then I acknowledge that and keep trying. I do my own landscape art. But Bjorn Burton...DANG! That kid is bad ass with his landscape and fine art. I can't touch it. I can try. But I'm not into making mine look like his. And I've got my own style that has been successful. So instead, I've learned to appreciate his work without feeling negative about my own. Okay, I just revisited his site and can understand how some people may feel bad about their own work. I don't condone that, but I UNDERSTAND! Kidding...kind of...

And lastly, keep this in mind. Its never too late! No matter how slow you get it or how little time you can put into it at once, stick with it. Start early, start late. Just do it. I'm very happy to see so many people picking up a camera again at a later age in life. When I'm in the camera store, whether working or not, there is always a elderly gentleman or lady who comes in with a film camera wanting to get it cleaned or getting advice on a new one so they can get back into photography. I tell you it does my heart well. Its never too late to do what you love...whether photography or modeling. This is what I love about Art Model, Emese who chose to model for me. Who cares when you start, just start! And she has. Looking forward to more work with this new art model.

06 September 2013

Photoshop World, Day 3 - Finale

"Photoshop is not a verb. It is a noun. It is the means to an end, not the end itself."

- Vincent Versace

All good things must come to an end, as its been said. And such is the way with Photoshop World 2013. Overall, I give this year's convention an A-. Today's classes were much like yesterday's results. Lots of good lessons and one that wasn't as great as I had hoped. Today covered my first introduction to video editing. I've done some video, but have not been involved in video production. I've sourced that out opting to stick with photo in the past, but the more I think about it, nobody's got my vision the way I have it. I no longer want to surrender that artistic control.

Art Model, Enyo
© 2011 Terrell Neasley

This was my second Richard Harrington class and he made video editing seem so simple. I got to talk to him afterwards. The guy has been a stalwart in this industry for years yet all you get from him is a sincere desire to help everybody else. He's not elitist in any sense of the word, despite his accomplishments and saying he's approachable is an egregious understatement. It was cool to talk to him after the class, but he came by the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep booth on the expo floor and we talked again briefly about NILMDTS and the new look of the PhotoFocus blog. This is how I know Richard has no high-horse! For a brief moment, you could could see it in his face that we switch roles for a second. He asked for my input about the new look of the blog, but he did so with the look of a little kid seeking approval from a teacher on a new drawing he did! The guy is so on our level, but he's actually trying to get under us to boost us up. I love it. I know I've beat this point up but there was simply no air of superiority in him.

I also got my first Scott Kelby class today covering portrait retouching. Scott Kelby is the king of photog education and is the one responsible for the umbrella of proven photo professionals who come to bless us with insight and inspiration. He's a master educator and is the genius behind Photoshop World. I finished up the day with a class on system back-ups which I didn't feel was as beneficial to me. I was convinced to give DNG more consideration and will likely change my workflow because of the class, but I disagreed with his back-up strategy and did not feel like I took away anything that would make me alter my own in the slightest.

So my overall grade of A- reflects the grade A, top of the line, quality education, but I subtract a bit for the two classes that I felt were not so beneficial to me. I do not think an hour per class is enough time. In college, some of our classes were an hour and 15 mins. There was simply not enough time. Every one of my classes had to rush the end of the presentation, but I'm not sure there is an answer for that. I would have loved a class on photographing the nude! I would have loved to seen some experts on a higher level demonstrate their techniques. I totally MISSED the Light Painting class. I simply didn't see it. Light painting is something I am endeavoring to do more of and master. I wish I had not missed the opportunity to learn.

I think I will make Photoshop World an annual event from this point forward. My experiences were very positive. I was even interviewed by some of Scott Borne's people on my Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep work. And one of the other unmentioned benefits is the camaraderie you have meeting with your peers and better yet making new ones. I met three women in particular who were simply a joy to talk to, each whom I hope to stay in touch with. Photoshop World is not just about learning more photo stuff so you can make more money. Its also about growing the industry and improving the strength of the trade as a whole through a community enrichment effort.

Photoshop World, Day 2

"You see something happening and you bang away at it. Either you get what you saw or you get something else--and whichever is better you print."

~ Garry Winogrand

Day 2 started of much like its predecessor...An Early Morning! I learned some interesting techniques and completely new Photoshop applications working in video and animation. Corey Barker taught Creating Motion Graphics in Photoshop CC and it was a blast. Not saying I mastered ANY of it, but I know its available to me now, so that's cool. My next class, which I won't name, was a dud for me. I mean, utterly and complete. I then went on to some more masterful techniques in Compositing with Joel Grimes. This guy is definitely a guru in artistic composite work. Most of his is simple portrait on a blended background, which is the way he likes it. I think I'd like to push it a bit more. The guy is a masterful educator. I ended up taking another class with him that I finished my day with.

Art Model, Leslie
©2013 Terrell Neasley

But then there was the next class for me which was sort of duddish. I got nothing. I tried to sit through it more out of respect and appreciation that he came to help us improve our work, but I think I got 40 mins and simply had enough. That happens sometimes. You just don't gel with an instructor. However the surprising element to me was that I did not enjoy his work! We saw some of the images he's made over the years and it was boring to me and almost unimaginative. This guy has made a lot of money in his career and has been hailed and lauded for his vision. I just couldn't see it. But that leaves me questioning what that says about me. Granted, I know what I like. I know what inspires me. His and he did not, I'm sad to say.

But then came redemption. My next class was with Richard Harrington and he covered Digital Publishing. Excellent, excellent work. He told it like it is and entertained us as well. I thoroughly enjoyed his class. If that name sounds familiar to you then you've taken my previous advice and subscribed to the Photofocus podcast, which he now hosts. I've described the Photofocus blog and podcasts as must-do sites to visit a couple times on this blog. But let me just reiterate. If you are a photographer and do not have that blog faved or have subscribed to that podcast, you are wrong...plain and simple.

"You have a lifetime to learn technique. But I can teach you what is more important than technique, how to see; learn that and all you have to do afterwards is press the shutter."

~ Garry Winogrand

At this point we broke off into the Expo session which lasted all afternoon. Vendors and sponsors show and demonstrate their latest wares that help you in various aspects of your photographic trade. You can come by and visit me and my crew at the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep booth #237.

But the day got even better. Get this... my next class was Pricing, Negotiation, and Selling with, who else but Scott Borne. Scott Borne is the celebrated local photographer here in Las Vegas. I'm pretty sure he's the biggest name here and he is responsible for starting Photofocus in the first place. This was my first time to actually get to meet and talk to him and after listening to his voice practically every week and checking out every blog post, the man in the flesh did not disappoint. He was hilarious, but had some of the most practical advice I've ever had. Some of it was a reminder. One thing he asked us to do is read any and every Zig Ziglar book we could find. I've read several and need to reread them. Its been quite some time. Zig Ziglar came to my high school one year and I was impressed beyond belief. No doubt, I benefited most with his class and as I mentioned previously, I finished the day with one more Joel Grimes class on Photoshop techniques. Great day.

07 July 2013

What I Wish Photographers Would Do, Part 2

"What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time."

~John Berger

Everything I write here for this 3-part series of posts are actually for the purposes of self-preservation. I'm not in any way saying photography is dying, but let me be clear, it is definitely sick. As I've stated earlier, a third of the blame lies with knuckle-heads in the business. So yes, self-preservation is my goal here, but its always been my nature to help, teach, protect, and edify. Understand me. I love this thing of light capture and pixel punishing. Its my thing. Passionate is too light of an adjective to ascribe to my thing for photography and I don't like seeing it sick. So let me get started on the second part of this series.

Part 2: STUDY YOUR TRADE

Like anything you undertake that is worthwhile, planning, research, and ongoing study is imperative if you wish to be better and achieve some reasonable degree of success. Far to often, I run across a photog doing paid work, who has no idea of how to operate their camera out of the "scene" modes, know the relationship of aperture to depth of field, use flash off camera, work with radio triggers, understand when to use ND filters, do post-work in Photoshop, use a lens other than the 18-55 or 18-135 kit lens their camera came with, ever use Bulb mode, or do anything else that might be evident that they take photo seriously. Okay, so you know the alphabet in order. Now identify the f/stops in order of widest to the smallest you can recall.

I'm not picking on anybody...well, okay. Yes I am, but for good reason. If you are not training yourself to get better, eventually you get yourself caught in a situation that you can't account for and thereby fail to deliver on promises you made. In addition, how can you place any value on your services when you do nothing to justify your worth. Spending big money on a good camera gives you no more right to call yourself a photographer than someone who buys an expensive hammer and calls themselves a carpenter. Knowledge and skill must wield the tool.

“I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers.”

~Mahatma Gandhi

I'm not saying anyone has to go spend 4 years in school and get a degree in photography. Not at all. But you still have to read. There is too much information online, much of it free in the form of tutorials and articles that can bring you up to speed and help you grow in your trade. Much of it is scattered all over the internet, but there are also central areas of creditable knowledge that can steer you on the straight and narrow. Lynda.com is a powerful source of info on just about anything for creatives. Plearn.com is one that I'm becoming familiar with. Take a look at my iPhone and you will see several subscriptions to photo-related podcasts that keep me abreast of the latest in photo news, issues, techniques, opinions, and more. Two that I am religious about are TWIP, with Frederick Van Johnson and PhotoFocus run by Richard Harrington and Scott Borne (located here in Vegas!). Chances are, if you see me on the road, I've got my ear-buds in listing to a podcast of some sort.

But wait, there's more. Do you subscribe to any magazines? Why not? Rangefinder Magazine, by the Neilson Photo Group (who runs WPPI) even has a paper version for free! My daughter first told me that. They do a State of the Industry report on the photography business in general every year. How about joining PPA? There are all kinds of benefits and networking opportunities there? Join a local photo club or meetup group lately? You have the benefit of learning from each other in those things. Does your city have a local camera store? Mine does. B&C Camera. You can go in and see the new gear that's just released and ask questions from a sales staff who are actual photographers. There are pros that come there on Saturdays to hang out and answer questions for you. Why? Because they love this thing. You can't do that with online stores. And try it at Best Buy and chances are, you'll be talking to a kid who can read the information off the card for you. Every use a Tilt-Shift lens? Wanna see what you could do with a fast telephoto lens? Spend a few dollars and rent one. I recently read an article about the Nikon 200mm f/2 as being the best for portraits. So I tried it out. Now I know that the Canon 85mm f/1.2 is still the best to me, but the Nikon 200mm comes in a close second for its sharpness and quick auto focus. I got to experience it and know for myself and that's powerful. Don't be too tight to rent some gear. Sacrifice some Starbucks and McD's. Its worth it.

All I'm saying is this. It cheapens photography when people get into it to make a buck, but don't want to put in the study or the work. It devalues the trade when you don't do it right. We all help ourselves when we treat the trade with respect. Practices that benefit you for the moment, but kills you and everybody else in the long run is just stupid. I don't care how many people buy cameras and join the club. I'll even help you do it as best I can. But I'm going to hold it against you if you are hollow, cheap and irresponsible with my love. Be respectful.

26 November 2012

Top Eight: Photography Websites You Should Fave

Everybody's got their list of favorite sites they like to visit on a regular basis. Photographers, in specific have their own special sites that they visit for information, inspiration, or entertainment. I probably have a million different sites that I visit for various reasons, a few hundred of which I visit on a weekly basis. So I've broken down a few of them and will periodically highlight some that I think are most relevant to me at the moment. I wouldn't even say the list is in order and is not an actual TOP website listing, but Top Eight sounded better than Featured Eight. So lets begin.

1. F-Stoppers - Originally founded by Patrick Hall and Lee Morris, FStoppers has a plethora of writers and a boat load of information on just about everything, which can be proven if you check the archives. This is one of the sites I visit primarily for Photography News updates, Gear Reviews, and general well-written and interesting articles on photography. They are in no way limited to photography as you can also get the low-down on practically anything video.

2. PhotoFocus - This is likely the site I currently visit the most. Scott Bourne is one of my favorite photogs doing his thing today. He lives here in Las Vegas (never met him personally, though) and along with Jerry Ghionis and Richard Harrington, Scott consistently puts out some of the best material that will benefit you as a photographer concerning gear, photo techniques, and business best practices. This site has been up since 1998, so the man's been doing this on a regular basis for quite a while. And because of that, he'll be turning over the reins to his bud Richard next November to focus on some other areas of interest in his life, namely racing! I like the man's insight and the way he puts it honestly on the line. He can be very introspective, especially as of recently, and that's to our benefit. Scott Bourne will keep you from later on having one of those, "If I knew back then what I know now" kind of moments if you listen to him today.

3. Photo Attorney - I first found out about Carolyn E. Wright about 5 years ago. She's an attorney. She's a photographer. And right now, her law practice specifically serves the needs of photographers. I mean, 'nuff said. She should definitely be on your list of faves and you should be reading her periodically or at the very least researching her site to review posts relative to your current specific needs. In fact, stop reading my post and go check her out. Come back when you are done.

4. Digital Photo Pro - This site is actually the online version of the magazine I used to subscribe to. It was one of my original sources I used in my initial development as a photographer. When I chose to get serious with this gig in 2005, one of the first things I did was to subscribe to this magazine. The issues helped me with inspiration and creativity. From this source, I found out how good everyone was and how I needed to be better. Regular articles on the new and up and coming young photographers, along with tips and techniques on lighting helped me expand my portfolio and get noticed.

5. Crisis Lab - I'm still trying to figure this guy out, but I like the hell out of him. Kevin Good runs this joint and much of it is focused on cinematography. I just came across him recently researching some information about the new Tamron 24-70mm lens with image stabilization compared to the Nikon version as well as Canon's new higher priced version for a grand more. Tamron has the only version with image stabilization and since I spend a few days a week working at B & C Camera, I want to be better educated when customers ask me about these systems. Now, I'm hooked. Kevin and his crew are funny, but incredibly informed and they present information to you that makes sense and demands your attention. If you are a Nikon shooter, you may have to get past his Canon bias. It can be harsh. You've been warned.

6. Chase Jarvis - Now this is my point about mentioning that this list is not in order. No way would I be saying CJ is ranked 6th out of 8 in anything. Let me put it to you this way. I'm a grown ass man. I'm 44 years old, but if there was anybody I'd say I want to be like when I grow up, its Chase Jarvis. I'm mean, granted...I'm only speaking photographically here. I don't know him personally, but as far as a business model, I couldn't complain one bit if my business suddenly mirrored his. I say that with only one caveat. If he's not doing nudes, then all bets are off. I'll just be me.

I came across his work a few years back while researching options for back-ups that photographers use. We're not like the typical consumer who can back up everything they've done over the years in a Gig or two. Every time I take a picture, that's an almost 50mb file. I can fill up hard drives fairly quickly. In my research, I came across Chase Jarvis' video on his data management and workflow techniques and was amazed at his redundancy, efficiency, and the overall system he has in place when he goes on assignment. I won't even get into the people on his team. But I think it's amazing. He continues to inspire as he was recently sailing with a bud off the coast of South Africa and South America.

7. NikonRumors / CanonRumors - Here is where I go to put my ear to the rumor mill. Whether you're a Nikon shooter or Canon, both these sites have the low down on what's coming up in new announcements, news and info. They both seem to have to goods on speculated topics and gear. In fact, I'm going to take a break and go check'em out now. Maybe get a bite to eat. In fact, I'll be back in a couple hours.

....A few hours later

8. How Is Should Have Ended - Yeah, photography...no. But you recall what I said earlier about cinema, right...moving photos...well, this qualifies. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. HISHE is an animation parody about the movies we go to the theaters to watch. I'm always going to see movies. My fave HISHE animation clips are the "Inception", "Lord of the Rings", and "Star Trek" parodies on how these movies SHOULD have ended. Its funny, highly entertaining, and should definitely be on your list of favorites.

Anyhoo... Here is Kevin Good giving his analysis on the 24-70mm lens for Tamron, Nikon, and Canon.

05 October 2012

A Comment About Validation

"A lot of people say this honor validates my career, but I didn`t work hard for validation."

- Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg in his acceptance speech in 2005

One of the popular blogs I follow is Photofocus by master photog, Scott Borne. The guy consistently puts out the best in credible commentary for photographers. His writing is superb and he's got a strong history of talent and experience to back it up. He did a post about a week or so ago, "Photographers – Validation is Overrated", but I'm just now getting to write about it. It was going to be my THIRD point in my last blog post, but I didn't think it should be crowded with other material. This one is a stand-alone.

At any rate, this is a conclusion I reached a long time ago. I haven't made all the best decisions in my life. As a young man, I had more than my share of screw-ups, mistakes, and otherwise bone-head decisions. However, I did learn early on that VALIDATION was something that wasn't going to be a priority on my timetable. Now I predicate that point with this caveat: I acknowledge there will always be some form of validation that we seek. It may be approval from a parent, coach, or mentor. My point, however has to do with the misguided reasons people have for needing validation as a form of acceptance or permission to move forward. As a young fresh-out-the-can soldier, I already had my 3 main goals I wanted to achieve before I entered the military. In fact, I can back up to age 7 when I first told my grandma I was gonna be a soldier. Nobody believed me when I said I would join the Army. We didn't have a lot of military in my family but I didn't wait on anybody's approval to do it. I made rank fast and didn't give a damn about seniority, except for where Army regulations mandated it. I was a leader of men at a young age with older soldiers subordinate to me.

“What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.”

― Confucius

"Practice, research, go to workshops, take classes, believe in yourself. Improve by study, trial and error and go out there shooting."... reads one segment of Scott Borne's blog post. This was the way I operated my military career and its the same with my photography. This has been a recent point of interest for me concerning contests. I won twice in the last year with two international contests (B&W Spider Awards and Photography Masters Cup), each being recognized for 3 or 4 of my images. In both contests, I took a 2nd place category finish. It felt good to be acknowledged. Getting Honorable Mention for one of my Nudes was by far even better than either of my 2nd Place finishes. I received invitations to participate in each of them again, but I declined them this time.

Why did I decline to submit more work? I couldn't find a good reason to enter again. I didn't feel a need to try to get a First Place award. I didn't think I needed any further validation of my work. I entered the first time as a change of pace and I had friends doing it. I think I'd rather concentrate my efforts on exhibits instead of contests. Some contests do lead to exhibits, I know. And maybe exhibits are another form of validation for some people. The difference is that I'm not looking for any curator, art director, or notable jury to tell me my work is good. I already feel like its good, else I'd have no desire to show it. I can always get better and improve, but its not always about that. For me, its change. Sometimes I just want to do something different and then show that. And then do something else different and show that. Trust me, some people don't like the new stuff at times, but I don't stop. If I like it and my model likes it, then I count that as a success.

Don't wait on other people to approve of you before you move forward. I've had to take those initial steps without the validation of peers and the public before. You get over it real quick. Stay true to yourself and if its what you love, then damn all the rest. Get crackin' even if it hurts a little in the beginning. Don't be afraid to walk alone when you know you have to.

"If you want to go make photographs…go do it. Don’t wait for someone else to tell you it’s okay! You don’t need anyone else’s permission or validation. No anonymous jerk on a camera club forum can stop you. You just need to believe in your heart that you have something to share. So what are you waiting for? As always, I’m rooting for you!"

- Scott Borne, paraphrasing Seth Godin

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