Portrait Couture - Gone with Glamour...

So here is the crux, or apex, or opportunity. The commitment. The forge ahead moment where your heart leaps into your throat, you bite the bullet, put your money where you mouth is a step into the fear
aka
Launching Your Business 2012 (aka stain your shorts)

Portrait Couture

I am taking the plunge. I am putting that commitment into the light and shining it out. I am a successful photographer and this is going to be the proof in the pudding.
Ive been studying Sue Bryce and her coined (love it BTW) Portrait Couture. Gone is the bygone sticky term of glamour portraits. In fact, I still have this horrid vision in my head of mall studios taking terrible flash photography with some creepy old dude leering at the images behind the screen (because you know they are doing it at TSA), or Robin Williams...well I'll just stop there.
Sue has an incredible innate sense of what women want and EXACTLY how to service that. She is one of the most successful portrait photographers not only in Australia (she won AIPP Portrait Photographer of the Year) but in the world now. Between www.inbedwithsue.com, www.creativelive.com, she has come into her absolute primetime, amazing teaching with something like 8? full days of teaching via CL and darn it all if Im not TOTALLY jealous that she gets to be back in my hometown teaching. Just MONTHS after I personally moved away from Seattle. I would give just about anything to attend a workshop of hers.
So, I have spent months now studying her. Watching every workshop over and over. reworking, taking images, learning, practicing, and now here we are. Ground Zero. And its a go.
So. Blog up, write, shoot, market, draw, photoshop, details, planning, building, shifting, moving and a little shaking...
See you on the other side...very shortly ;))

Victory, Paige, and the Great Ocean Road

Every once in a while life grabs you by the down-belows and gifts you an opportunity you just cant pass up. Or perhaps you are the co-creator of such adventure. However you got there, its a chance to ride free, let loose, hang ten, shift up, and get the breeze flowing. 

Paige Phoenix sporting the Victory Motorcycles.

Paige and Erin on the Great Ocean Rd

Last weekend I was priveledged to have such an afternoon out riding with Paige Phoenix. After being given a brand new 1800CC Victory Motorcycles touring bike, we decided to take it for a jaunt along the Great Ocean Rd, with a few stops for the necessary coffee and gratuitous images. The sun was shining, I had a hawt leather jacket on, riding on the back with camera in hand...ahem...and the GoPro mounted to the front window to capture the windy stretches between Anglesea and west of Lorne. 

Thats the way to spend your Saturday afternoon...

Monday Blues, Doldrums and breaking OUT!

Its Monday. Dreading it somehow. My shoot cancelled and my bed is calling...so what did I do today? I wasted 4 precious hours trying to finish the design of my new business cards. Its harder than you think. Im sure you can understand.  Every company has different sizes, bleed lines and you think you FINALLY have it done, just to upload it and find that its gets chopped off JUST at the exact wrong place. Bugger. So you go back, change and re-upload. After a whole lots of cursing and explicatives, its done and dusted. Passed on the fridge magnets and coffee cups this time, but who knows...maybe I'll be back there someday.
Next is something pretty personal I have to say. I think that as a commercial style photographer I can follow and brief and capture what is being asked of me. But I am feeling compelled to step out of that comfort zone these days. I dont event know what you would classify as fine art, but I think I need to explore that side and be more adventurous. I have some ideas brewing, some people Im gathering and hopefully if the brooding weather coopertates, I'll be able to get out and do the first image this week...putting ideas into action are alot more difficult than it may appear. And if its easy, why bother?

Werribee Mansion & Spa

Winter is here in full force, so here I go...bundled up and ready for action!

To Market or NOT to Market...that is ONE of the questions this week...

Perhaps you have heard of this most recent self marketing guru named Ramit Sethi (www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com). If you havent - you SHOULD - IMMEDIATELY!

Many years ago I started down the self help path (aka spiritual path/self awareness/self improvement - whatever you choose to call it). Have studied a wee bit here and there and have integrated many bits n bobs of technology, advise, and of course a mainly autodidactic method of study.
So its when i came across this guy that I started to get SERIOUSLY jazzed again about my self learning path.
Many people need to have it all spelled out in front of them. They need someone to hold thier hands all the way. And in sorts of ways Ramit does that for you. But you have to reaaaaallllly want it. I mean really. Both on the commitment side to money, time, and personal achievement. In other words. You gotta want to be a winner. The last program on offer from him - Dreamjob - costs $4000. A miniscule investment in the long run for you financial and spiritual satisfaction.

I missed out on it. But. Its not too late. I can do what I can figure out and learn  - I love workshops, they are a great way to update your knowledge (AIPP does great continuing education), www.creativelive.com just did a great marketing course and of course you can always get your RSS feeds up to date with the most current blogs and websites offering free marketing information.

What is my point you might ask?

It's not going to come to you while you are sitting on your arse complaining. You HAVE to be aggressive and go out and SELL yourself. Work all your networks and when they are exhausted, go network some more. Send out letters,  follow up calls. Plan on spending several hours every week blogging, updating your Google+ and facebook page with new images. Intertia will carry you the rest of the way. If for no other reason, it gives you a day at home in bed with your pajama on ALL day.

Freebies - there are TONS of them out there for information and marketing purposes...perhaps that should be my next post...phew.

Oh...and dont be afraid to ask for what you want. A little effort goes a loooong way in this business.

A Few Brave Steps...

This week I have been drooling over a few new webinars and marketing/self promotions ideas that heave really challenged where I currently sit in my comfort zone.

BMW, Google+Photography Conference

Guy Kawasaki makes it easy to believe that you can armchair your way to a successful photography business. Facebook does not. Blogger - meh. Twitter - not bad...
The reality is that until you REALLY step out of your comfort zone, the jobs aint going to come to you.
So begins my semi obsession with Ramit Sethi and his very expensive ELITE performers programs in how to get the job you want, negotiate thousands more in salary, and use your contacts to win big.
I would LOVE to be able to sit in my little bedroom office all DAY and twitter, blog, facebook my way to millions, but it is becoming clearer that marketing does NOT work that way in this business. In fact, I think it will land me into the $200 wedding business, hi res DVD's and all *shudders*. The trick is where to start. A few weeks ago, I started updating, cleaning up and polishing my social media profiles. They now all (except SOundcloud (heh)) include information and links about my photography with proportionally representational images and material. Google+, FB Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger and a few others. After doing a little Google search I noticed how much of the representations were about my DJing and a few other inappropriate, highly personal, private, non relevant information. Let the cleanse begin.
So now Im jazzed up about how I can start writing my scripts for successful meetings, coffee connections, and keeping my eye on the prize. Letting people know who I am, rather than just random searches, flickr images. Cuz in the end, I already have YOUR attention right? Maybe you have something little to offer me. But I know that I have my eye on the BIG prize...and have big inspirations, big plans, big motives, and the gumption to go get it.

How has your week been so far?

Post School Meanderings

I thought I would update you on the the thoughts Ive had around school and the hows and whys, pros n cons, and what you get and dont get - and where you might or might not get out of it afterwards.
First I want to warn you that this is little more of a rant than I would normally post, but I think there are some pretty serious flaws in the education system to start with so lets begin with that.

St Pauls - Bendigo

I quit school last month. For many reasons. I was pretty disappointed with the curriculum, speed, pace, timing, cost but in the end it came down to a few reasons:

1. They werent teaching me what I wanted to know, on my path how I need it to be delivered
2. The cost was very high and I was spending more time and energy self educating via web, blogs and workshops, than I was on school. And there is no way currently around this methodology and thier structured curriculum
3. They arent teaching REAL WORLD skills. like how to set up a business, terms and conditions, pricing, websites, SEO and marketing, contracts etc etc etc. Great. you can take pictures. Now go and let the corporate wolves or mommies DEVOUR you.

St Pauls - Bendigo

So. I'm out. and I'm in. AIPP, ACMP, NAPP...anywhere I can network, take workshops, learn more, have resources like competitions and critiqueing, and learning more on the professional level than I would eveer be provided by school. And this brings me to my last point. Schools dont WANT you to know that there are MANY alternative learning sources. I have done 5-6 workshops in the last few months, some online via www.creativelive.com, some locally with the AIPP as they offer monthly professional development courses. I attended the Google+Photographers COnference (as a biproduct of another tripI already had planned) in San Francisco and learned oodles in 2 day and got to see several mentors of mine such as Jeremy Cowart, Alex Kosolov, Guy Kawasaki, and RC Concepsione to name a few. Last week Joe McNally was here in Melbourne doing a full day lighting workshop for $1200 for the day. Pricey you say? Hell yes. AND. He is by far one of THE western worlds most successful photographers. I called a day after I got the email and it was already booked up. Ya. Next month is an underwater workshop here that costs $1600 for the day. Im going to sign up tomorrow. Yup. its pricey, but its worth it. August is THE EVENT AIPP and ACMP put on this year up in the Hunter Valley. 4 days of workshops and parties. Some people I REALLY want to see live speak like Vincent Laforet, workshops like Resort Commercial work, networking and more networking, and some fiiiinnnne wine country as an added bonus. Im going. Yup.

Ok...rant over...here I am in the real world. I billed out some serious cash last month. One client...and 3 other bits that paid nicely too...so...its out there and I can do it without the tangled tendrels of school pulling on me.

Next step...new website. Been using Wix.com. Its pretty blah, so Im sorting out 4Fotos.com, Wordpress options, zenfolio, and a few others...back to the drawing board, see what news there is on SEO marketing, Im going to go rewatch Lindsay Adler on cretivelive.com, and have one up, 4 yeards earlier than if I had been waiting for someone to teach me...

Lalalalalalalalalalaaaaaaa!

School, Studios and Latex, Oh my!

The places a photographer will go for their craft. Places, spaces, cubbies, nooks, cracks, underground, high up in that tree, out on the ledge literally and metaphorically...


This past weekend was filled with my first portfolio of the season. I was documenting the change from 'Dave' to his alter ego Lolita Latex for this most aucpicious 10th Anniversary show. Ooo what fun you say! Oh my goodness *redfaceintoyourhands* or WHAT? My inclination is towards the first option of course.


So my weekend was full of surprises and interesting captures of something that is very intimate,  and rarely  documented (kinda like that BLue Footed Boobie Bird) and at times very challenging. WHY you ask? Well - because you have to know dont you? Its kinda like watching a car crash. You cant peel your eyes away from it as much as your mother says you should be doing.  All in all there were some moments of hilarity, some of personal introspection challengin my beliefs, and in the end *crosses fingers* a damn fine PJ project and portfolio.


In other news, I attended a great workshop held at 1140 Gallery (Malvern) for complex estimate quoting. Learned quite a bit, saw the biggest cyclorama in Melbourne (fully equipped with a new Jeep being photographed) and got to learn a bit more on the front of complex quoting. biggest lesson. DONT hire the talent - let the client/agency do that...Rights can be an absolute nightmare to control in the end with the models.


This Friday being the *good* kinda for all ya'll Christian Right Wingers out there get the day off. Well...its a holiday of sorts for the Jews as well - and Happy Passover to you too. Not a reason to call off school for any of I think  for the amount we're paying you, but happy to have another week to work out my next assignment ' Stereotypes' ...