So you think a group of 8 is tough hey, try 800 people !

Check this out guys, this is a very good snap shot at the reality of a career in photography. Its not all glam. But if you know your stuff, you can sure work.

This photographer, Bert does a super great job at this shoot where he needs to photograph 800 people for a conference.

Let me know what you think.

Rockie

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SuperHeroes Rise in Tough Times

Just caught this article from Cnn.com on how the love or fancination with "Super Heroes" is on the rise once again.

It seems in the past when times where tough because of economics, people turned to "Super Heroes" for hope and inspiration. It seems that more than 70 years ago during the depression and beginnings of World War II, that such heroes as Superman, Batman, Wonder Women and Captain America became Legends. And it seems that it is again coming back.

With the Success of Batman and Ironman recently, other Hero movies have been scheduled for production such as Captain America, Avengers, and Thor.

Guest Curator Jerry Robinson was quoted as saying ... ""I think heroes are back. I think you can almost chart it. The times are not so good -- we're looking for heroes."

So here are my thoughts for the end of the week.

1. Who are your "Heroes" right now whom are bringing you Hope and Inspiration ?
2. How might the public looking for "heroes" translate to something special with your career or business ?

Post up your Comments. I would love to hear What you all have to say.

Rockie

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10 Values Worth Repeating

Here is a great list I read on Church of the Customer Blog today.

There is definitely lots to think through in this list, infact there is lot on this list that we should really be paying attention to concerning our business as a photographer.

But lets take it one step further during this time of Economic "tightening" as I prefer to say... Read though the list below and and actually assign a number value for each one. Rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being your weakest (I need to really improve in this area) and 10 being your strongest (meaning I am doing just great at this).

Then after you have rated yourself and hopefully honestly, take your top 2 LOWEST Rankings and honestly ask yourself WHY these are low and then make a plan to focus, and improve on those for the following 6 months.

Be blessed all, and stay encouraged !

Rockie

1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble

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Diet Coke and Mentos !

Ok.. so I just saw this on Youtube. Man is this hilarious. But as you watch this vid... give this some thought...

1. What is being marketed here ? Diet Coke or Mentos
2. Is the Story being told successfully ?
3. What impact or impression did the video leave with you afterwards ?
4. Could this be applied to your next marketing strategy for your studio ?

Rockie

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Some Thoughts about Change !

Just ran across this post from Seth Godin. Seth as a great blogger and writer about marketing. I will mention more about him and many others in my next post. But for now, have a look at what Seth shared in his blog about CHANGE !

Remember... change is always in evitable. But it is HOW we change that makes the difference for the future.

Rockie


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Consider for a minute the pivot points available to you:

• Keep the machines in your factory, but change what they make.
• Keep your customers, but change what you sell to them.
• Keep your providers, but change the profit structure.
• Keep your industry but change where the money comes from.
• Keep your staff, but change what you do.
• Keep your mission, but change your scale.
• Keep your products, but change the way you market them.
• Keep your customers, but change how much you sell each one.
• Keep your technology, but use it to do something else.
• Keep your reputation, but apply it to a different industry or problem.
  

Simple examples:

• Keep the musicians, but change how you make money (sell concerts, not CDs).
• Keep making guitars, but make bespoke expensive ones, not the mass market ones that overseas competition has made obsolete.
• Keep the punch press and the lathe, but make large scale art installations, not car parts.
• Keep your wealthy travel clients, but sell them personal services instead of trips to Europe.
• Keep the factory that makes missiles, but figure out how to make high-efficiency turbines instead.

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10 Things to Do During the Recesssion !

Here is a list of 10 things you can consider doing during this recession. I know it is tough and hard on alot of people right now, and watching the news is not exactly encouraging either. But try thinking of it this way... if you were just the same as last year right now... would you possible have the time to make some changes in your life that may benefit you for years to come ?

10 Things You Can Do During the Recession

1. Attend one of the many professional development workshops to upgrade your skill set.
2. Start a blog if you have not and if you already have a blog, maybe it is time to make some changes or improvements on it or blog more consistantly
3. Take a Business course focusing just on internet marketing and Viral marketing
4. Start making a habit to read busines blogs by some of the top Bloggers and Internet marketers out there.
5. Upgrade the look of your Website !
6. Re-brand your company
7. Add a new product line or even learn a new product line now and master it so when the recession ends you will be ready to showcase it.
8. Team up with a group of photographers to share and work on your skill sets.
9. Team up with a another photographer and share studio space and costs. (ie. printing...)
10. Just Be Thankful..... as "this too shall pass".

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NEW: Pocket Wizards New TTL Flash Triggers !

Ok guys and gals,

If you haven't seen these amazing little things yet, the check out this vid. I am so blown away by the Technology that we have today ! You know I am gonna be in line at IE2009 Vendors from Beau Photo to buy me a set of these ! I think the coolest part of these new flash triggers is the ability to utilize the full range of shutter speeds with their Hyper Sync Speed mode. Can't wait to get my hands on one.

Rockie

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Did you know your Canon 30D can do this !

Notte Sento (English subtitles) from napdan on Vimeo.


So... a fellow photographer I know, Bandele, posted this great video today about a short romantic movie of a girl who misses her train to Milan and is set to wait overnight in Rome until Dawn.

What blew my mind about this short story was how it was made from 4500 + photographs shot on a canon 30D ! Thats right !!!! A canon freakin 30D !!!!!!!!!!

Folks this goes to show that there really is no limit as to what we can do as photographers if only we would think "out of the box".

Have a watch and let me know what you all think.

Cheers.

Rockie

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INSTRUCTORS: Jed and Vicki Taufer - Contemporary Portraits / Marketing

Image Explorations is so proud to introduce to you Jed and Vicki Taufer !

Jed and Vicki are NEW INSTRUCTORS at IE2009.

Together these 2 make an unbelievable pair in the industry. Not only do they have a 7000 sq/feet studio at hand but they have one diverse portfolio and market. Join them as they discuss with you how to get from "Basement to Boutique".

Here is a little bio of them and what their course is all about !

Jed and Vicki Taufer started V Gallery in the basement of their first house and in just a few years they had a 4,000 square foot studio, 8 employees and speaking engagements all over the world.

How did they do it? What went right? What went wrong?

Join them as they cover the answers to these questions and much more. The Taufers don't believe you need a huge space for a great studio. Find out how to make the most of your space no matter where it is or how much square footage you have.

They'll cover hiring employees, delegating responsibilities and avoiding micromanagement by setting up workflow systems. They'll also cover shooting, lighting and posing as well as marketing, sales and photoshop tips and tricks. Learn how to use the space you have or how to plan for the studio you want. "Basement to Boutique" is a comprehensive class that covers all the bases.

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10 Things you could do better today

Chris Brogen posted this a while back. I love it. Why? Because it is short and sweet and straight to the point.

When life gets busy for us, really we have only have 2 options.

1. Stay status quo
2. Make changes and better our life
   

(more on this in my next post about HABITS)

So have a look at the list below that Chris posted. Are there at least 1 that you can focus on in the coming next moth to better your life and your busines ?

Rockie

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10 Things You Could Do Better Today

1. Improve your response time to requests.
2. Improve the brevity and simplicity of your email correspondence.
3. Connect with five new people and seven existing colleagues or friends each day.
4. Inspect your business process cycle from start to finish for improvements.
5. Rethink your approach to helping others succeed.
6. Increase the amount of times you connect others together to build new relationships.
7. Resolve three pieces of unfinished business, no matter how painful.
8. Live closer to your goals and your main points of focus, and less by reaction.
9. Take time to thank the people who make your life possible.
10. Rest and unplug.

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