Look at your walls. Are they textured?
Smooth?
Cracked?
Colored?
Peeling?
Definition comes as textured walls. Finding the texture that defines a look or style is paramount to the backdrop but really without such brings only drab dull boring effect.
How does a photographer convince a subject (does a photographer need to?) that the look, feel, final photo will be effective, complete, beautiful because of the walls?
Are there drippings, rust, mismatched colors and cracks defining age, living, experience?
How are walls defining your business? What does the backdrop define about your business/your style/your approach and handling (or lack of) the needs of your clients?
Look at your walls.
It starts with the walls.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
Photography is like pop radio...
Eating, Drinking, Playing, Laughing, Crying, Being Still, Not Being Still, Bored, Ashamed, Fearful, Nervous, Happy, Smiling, Smirking, Revealing the Soul, and the thought "why am I doing this, I hate pictures," etc.
Just a few of the many parts I can see from the time I show up as at a wedding shoot, when the person who first lays eyes on me announces "the photographer's here!"
I don't claim to be a seer but what is revealed is fascinating. The little child wondering about crying or fussing - just doing what a one year old does to grandma who anxiously either wants to get it over with or who as the matriarch steers everyone, whether they like it or not, to the other side of my lens.
PHOTO SHOOT = ENERGY to the nth degree!
In other words, I many times am walking in to a mind field. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love the mind field because it's my chance to be ready for the shot, even though I'm pushing the button. The play on emotions and the dynamics brought to the shoot are overwhelming for some, while simple for others.
If there were a humble car sales person, I might fill that role. I meet the family of five - husband, wife and three kids aged 7 (boy), (girls) 11 and 14. They are all fidgeting as they should be. All examining their predicament with the situation, analyzing their wants, needs and desire to ask for what they want in that new purchase or wanting to run away from the situation they find boring, uninteresting or just not fitting their lifestyle - think of the teenage girl who thinks her parent's choice in a new car is just plain dorky.
When I walk into the lives of one or more folks with the intent of capturing images, I need to see what I see. To walk in armed knowing not everyone will be into it, agreeable, pleasant, happy or excited.
I could care less but I choose to care more and need to skate ever so close to the edge of each individual's emotions.
That fires me up!
I attend movies with my wife where she both warns me to not speak about what I am constantly noticing about how the film was made and just not talk at all! I see details but not from a geek's perspective but from the perspective of beauty.
When I arrive on site to capture the essence of folks in photos I am looking to befriend them even just for that moment. I can't be friends to everyone but I can be enjoyable to be around. My intuitive tools come into play - and it's simple. Someone is going to be nervous, sad, bitter they're forced into the situation and so on.
I don't arrive to make anyone happy but with the attitude to provide happy results.
Photography is sort of like pop radio. Songs, new songs, are played OVER AND OVER. How else will the tunes catch on? I hope my photos become like pop radio. Repetitively shown, browsed and stared upon till they are the norm.
This is why there are so many photographers. I don't expect I'll get everyone's job. I have to click with my clients because they are all entering the showroom with expectations (or not) of what they want. Some like country, some rap, some classical. I can't change the station in their minds but I can be happy to serve them. I do. I am happy to serve them.
If they thus become happy because they perceive that in me, we both win!
Tune in!
I added new specials noted on both my home page and shoot pricing pages today (www.zebrajellyfish.com). Wedding rates have increased but so has the time I spend at the wedding - thus more cool, fun photos. There's a great bonus gift for anyone booking a wedding. A large 22 x 28 inch contemporary style frame with a 20 x 16 inch matted print! That alone is valued between $300 - $400, depending on what any photographer's rates currently are. I'm also drastically discounting engagement shoots when a wedding is booked.
Just a few of the many parts I can see from the time I show up as at a wedding shoot, when the person who first lays eyes on me announces "the photographer's here!"
I don't claim to be a seer but what is revealed is fascinating. The little child wondering about crying or fussing - just doing what a one year old does to grandma who anxiously either wants to get it over with or who as the matriarch steers everyone, whether they like it or not, to the other side of my lens.
PHOTO SHOOT = ENERGY to the nth degree!
In other words, I many times am walking in to a mind field. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love the mind field because it's my chance to be ready for the shot, even though I'm pushing the button. The play on emotions and the dynamics brought to the shoot are overwhelming for some, while simple for others.
If there were a humble car sales person, I might fill that role. I meet the family of five - husband, wife and three kids aged 7 (boy), (girls) 11 and 14. They are all fidgeting as they should be. All examining their predicament with the situation, analyzing their wants, needs and desire to ask for what they want in that new purchase or wanting to run away from the situation they find boring, uninteresting or just not fitting their lifestyle - think of the teenage girl who thinks her parent's choice in a new car is just plain dorky.
When I walk into the lives of one or more folks with the intent of capturing images, I need to see what I see. To walk in armed knowing not everyone will be into it, agreeable, pleasant, happy or excited.
I could care less but I choose to care more and need to skate ever so close to the edge of each individual's emotions.
That fires me up!
I attend movies with my wife where she both warns me to not speak about what I am constantly noticing about how the film was made and just not talk at all! I see details but not from a geek's perspective but from the perspective of beauty.
When I arrive on site to capture the essence of folks in photos I am looking to befriend them even just for that moment. I can't be friends to everyone but I can be enjoyable to be around. My intuitive tools come into play - and it's simple. Someone is going to be nervous, sad, bitter they're forced into the situation and so on.
I don't arrive to make anyone happy but with the attitude to provide happy results.
Photography is sort of like pop radio. Songs, new songs, are played OVER AND OVER. How else will the tunes catch on? I hope my photos become like pop radio. Repetitively shown, browsed and stared upon till they are the norm.
This is why there are so many photographers. I don't expect I'll get everyone's job. I have to click with my clients because they are all entering the showroom with expectations (or not) of what they want. Some like country, some rap, some classical. I can't change the station in their minds but I can be happy to serve them. I do. I am happy to serve them.
If they thus become happy because they perceive that in me, we both win!
Tune in!
I added new specials noted on both my home page and shoot pricing pages today (www.zebrajellyfish.com). Wedding rates have increased but so has the time I spend at the wedding - thus more cool, fun photos. There's a great bonus gift for anyone booking a wedding. A large 22 x 28 inch contemporary style frame with a 20 x 16 inch matted print! That alone is valued between $300 - $400, depending on what any photographer's rates currently are. I'm also drastically discounting engagement shoots when a wedding is booked.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Fear and pause
As I think about my day and the counseling session I had with my wife today, I am fearful that
- things will need to change
- things won't change
and
- the utopian idea that when change does occur, I'll really enjoy myself!
Fear is a road block but better yet invisible so often. It stands right before me and in flashing letters says: DO NOT ENTER.
In life, it's taking a breather, a break, a beat - as said in the theater - that has the most impact. I remember the movie City Island with Andy Garcia and his character's theater instructor who complained about "pauses." The instructor told the class "no more pauses!"
That was sad because he took the one thing that most of the student's needed or at least felt may be necessary to leave a lasting impression. Albeit a very small and almost insignificant part of the film, it made an impact.
If I fear my customers/clients or find I'm not pausing enough to work through the things which seem to remain stuck, I will stop what I'm doing, walk away from it (not my customers) and give myself time to see the big picture. Where I feel locked or boxed in I will agree to not fear my customers and my work and come up with better solutions. I will remain open to new business and will attract substance in the way of income and wealth. I refuse to be defeated in my mind by circumstances that don't or may not ever exist. I will not have expectations for things or results that are only imagined.
Fear thus leads to pause - when I allow the transformative energy and circumstances to flow trough me.
Peace comes from confidence not cockiness knowing we will get a NO here and there and will move beyond the NO to the YES because we believe in the YES and the NO only exists to train us. The NO only exists to push us. The NO sticks around to keep us human.
- things will need to change
- things won't change
and
- the utopian idea that when change does occur, I'll really enjoy myself!
Fear is a road block but better yet invisible so often. It stands right before me and in flashing letters says: DO NOT ENTER.
In life, it's taking a breather, a break, a beat - as said in the theater - that has the most impact. I remember the movie City Island with Andy Garcia and his character's theater instructor who complained about "pauses." The instructor told the class "no more pauses!"
That was sad because he took the one thing that most of the student's needed or at least felt may be necessary to leave a lasting impression. Albeit a very small and almost insignificant part of the film, it made an impact.
If I fear my customers/clients or find I'm not pausing enough to work through the things which seem to remain stuck, I will stop what I'm doing, walk away from it (not my customers) and give myself time to see the big picture. Where I feel locked or boxed in I will agree to not fear my customers and my work and come up with better solutions. I will remain open to new business and will attract substance in the way of income and wealth. I refuse to be defeated in my mind by circumstances that don't or may not ever exist. I will not have expectations for things or results that are only imagined.
Fear thus leads to pause - when I allow the transformative energy and circumstances to flow trough me.
Peace comes from confidence not cockiness knowing we will get a NO here and there and will move beyond the NO to the YES because we believe in the YES and the NO only exists to train us. The NO only exists to push us. The NO sticks around to keep us human.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Anti Insanity Department
There are many opportunities to write, complain, and voice an opinion on matters that draw our attention to the THANKLESSNESS obvious in our world. I had been raised to EXPECT too much from a culture and mentality that draws blood rather than donating it. The fear is blatant and sort of scary in that it has become a world wind of expectations and disappointments which led to insanity (doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result).
1 - Where are the Anti Insanity Departments today (AID)?
2 - Where are the folks who actually look at a matter and say: "this ain't right, let's change it?"
3 - Where is the attention to detail on how to express thankfulness for the client/customer?
4 - Who are the folks caring for the experience rather than the culture and values their precious business/company try to promote?
Let's start at the bottom from the above questions (number 4). Culture and values are and should be innate in most individuals. Gangsters have them and live perfectly normal/trusting lives (case in point: The Godfather movies). What a sad day it is when doing what should be normal has to be trained and injected into a business.
Culture is at its best a jumping off point. A place to see the view - the big picture. It's not about the language and bastardization of a list of items now held that results in "the forrest for the trees" syndrome. If that happens, it's mostly all downhill - or uphill based on your perspective!
Character trumps values ALL THE TIME. Character is the lifeline to a genuinely true and thoughtful experience and is seen as such. Some have called it empowerment or opportunities to step outside the box and provide a superior customer experience.
Have you ever called Dell Computers technical support? What happens? Have you ever called Apple customer support? What happens? Have you ever called Amazon customer support? What happens?
There are metrics and stats galore that analysts and number crunchers will tout as both important to the bottom line and overall cost of doing business. There was a movie I cannot recall right now about customer service company with a guy mostly forced to relocate to India to train and get up to speed a call center with metrics as their bottom line. My take away from this flic was that culture was important - people are important. Metrics can figure themselves out.
The main character learned many lessons and banked those into his security vault of character. There is no metric for character. There is no need to try to create one. It will fail.
I want to jump to question number 3 above. I once called Amazon about an issue with an item. The long story short was I spoke with a woman called Amber who not only empathized but remained on the call through the time it took to search for the proper item. She stuck through it reading herself the reviews other buyers had posted to make sure I made an informed choice. She did NOT know a thing about my exact needs or the application for which I was making the purchase in the first place. She did know how to be thankful for my business to the extent of wishing to assist me in finding the product that fit my needs best. Amber was engaging and delightful. She wasn't espousing Amazon's values. She was genuinely interested in a great customer experience. My experience!
Can we make that happen? Can we go the extra mile in expressing a real interest in seeing our clients needs met satisfactorily? It doesn't have to cost a week in a retreat of "learning" to have an Amber work for you. It doesn't have to embody a think tank and cross section of a company's leaders to figure out what a company needs to create Extended Experiences of Energy. (The Triple E method).
EEE, Extended Experiences of Energy are key to building trust and assurance for a product and/or service. Missions statements, value lists and culture are the seeds to EEE.
Our energy must be pragmatic and enticing. Not dogmatic, decisive and conclusive.
Question number 2 addresses those folks who actually see the trees and forest. Where energy is foremost and culture is second most. Where attention to detail is not just getting the color and shape right but building a foundation that includes every layer of your being.
Imagine calling the mobile phone case company that protects your $500 hand held device and asking if a flap of rubber should break off so easily and the response sounds something like this: "...well sir, sorry to hear that, but just wait till your next purchase...the rubber is changing - it's getting better and you are sure to be very happy with the quality in our next generation of products."
I had this experience with a local yet nationally known company. I was horrified at the response this customer service rep provided. I began thinking to myself, is this their canned reply to an obvious defect or lack of quality? As a photographer, I though, would I tell my clients after a shoot in which they were not happy and paid me good money: "...well just wait...as soon as I get my next generation camera, the photos will be even better than before."!
This ain't right - let's change it! A company culture, values and policies are not going to change it. Real people - honest about change - will change it. This thus leads to question number 1 above...
Insanity is not changing. Insane asylums were created to house together dangerous individulas or those deemed insane in a confined area to both study and control each unique situation. They don't make it out often.
My clients are important and deserve quality. Rehashing an outmoded form and repeating the mantra I only believe is true is showing a great lack of appreciation and care for each client's needs.
There's a guy called Gary Vanerchuck who studied the wine business for years, conducted/recorded over a thousand video episodes discussing/reviewing wines and has said what's missing is the small moments when no one is watching. No one sees. No one hears. The moment he found a UPS or FedEx delivery went wrong and a customer didn't receive their wine, he packed up another shipment and personally delivered it himself. The time he offered free shipping and was overwhelmed by the business it generated and the guy who wrote to thank his company that he was buying the wine for his daughter's wedding. Gary sent a congratulatory bottle of champagne. Gary later learned this guys daughter was just 12! The customer knew it was a great deal and wanted to save for the future!
Character that doesn't need coaxing.
Did that stop Gary from caring. Did Gary go INSANE? No! He continued to answer hundreds of emails each day because he didn't want to be INSANE. He built a business that I call an Anti Insanity Department (AID). I think Gary calls it his Thankfulness Department. Being pro active in reaching out to customers just for the sake of saying Thank You for your business. No strings attached.
Cut your strings. Just let go. Be active and responsible and proud. People love real people.
I recently wrote to a well known business man in town about how I felt he could benefit from a concierge representative in his business because I believe in what they offer - in what they can produce in the way of effective results. AID and EEE!
Be your own concierge or hire one!
Start your own AID and EEE!
Stop being INSANE!
1 - Where are the Anti Insanity Departments today (AID)?
2 - Where are the folks who actually look at a matter and say: "this ain't right, let's change it?"
3 - Where is the attention to detail on how to express thankfulness for the client/customer?
4 - Who are the folks caring for the experience rather than the culture and values their precious business/company try to promote?
Let's start at the bottom from the above questions (number 4). Culture and values are and should be innate in most individuals. Gangsters have them and live perfectly normal/trusting lives (case in point: The Godfather movies). What a sad day it is when doing what should be normal has to be trained and injected into a business.
Culture is at its best a jumping off point. A place to see the view - the big picture. It's not about the language and bastardization of a list of items now held that results in "the forrest for the trees" syndrome. If that happens, it's mostly all downhill - or uphill based on your perspective!
Character trumps values ALL THE TIME. Character is the lifeline to a genuinely true and thoughtful experience and is seen as such. Some have called it empowerment or opportunities to step outside the box and provide a superior customer experience.
Have you ever called Dell Computers technical support? What happens? Have you ever called Apple customer support? What happens? Have you ever called Amazon customer support? What happens?
There are metrics and stats galore that analysts and number crunchers will tout as both important to the bottom line and overall cost of doing business. There was a movie I cannot recall right now about customer service company with a guy mostly forced to relocate to India to train and get up to speed a call center with metrics as their bottom line. My take away from this flic was that culture was important - people are important. Metrics can figure themselves out.
The main character learned many lessons and banked those into his security vault of character. There is no metric for character. There is no need to try to create one. It will fail.
I want to jump to question number 3 above. I once called Amazon about an issue with an item. The long story short was I spoke with a woman called Amber who not only empathized but remained on the call through the time it took to search for the proper item. She stuck through it reading herself the reviews other buyers had posted to make sure I made an informed choice. She did NOT know a thing about my exact needs or the application for which I was making the purchase in the first place. She did know how to be thankful for my business to the extent of wishing to assist me in finding the product that fit my needs best. Amber was engaging and delightful. She wasn't espousing Amazon's values. She was genuinely interested in a great customer experience. My experience!
Can we make that happen? Can we go the extra mile in expressing a real interest in seeing our clients needs met satisfactorily? It doesn't have to cost a week in a retreat of "learning" to have an Amber work for you. It doesn't have to embody a think tank and cross section of a company's leaders to figure out what a company needs to create Extended Experiences of Energy. (The Triple E method).
EEE, Extended Experiences of Energy are key to building trust and assurance for a product and/or service. Missions statements, value lists and culture are the seeds to EEE.
Our energy must be pragmatic and enticing. Not dogmatic, decisive and conclusive.
Question number 2 addresses those folks who actually see the trees and forest. Where energy is foremost and culture is second most. Where attention to detail is not just getting the color and shape right but building a foundation that includes every layer of your being.
Imagine calling the mobile phone case company that protects your $500 hand held device and asking if a flap of rubber should break off so easily and the response sounds something like this: "...well sir, sorry to hear that, but just wait till your next purchase...the rubber is changing - it's getting better and you are sure to be very happy with the quality in our next generation of products."
I had this experience with a local yet nationally known company. I was horrified at the response this customer service rep provided. I began thinking to myself, is this their canned reply to an obvious defect or lack of quality? As a photographer, I though, would I tell my clients after a shoot in which they were not happy and paid me good money: "...well just wait...as soon as I get my next generation camera, the photos will be even better than before."!
This ain't right - let's change it! A company culture, values and policies are not going to change it. Real people - honest about change - will change it. This thus leads to question number 1 above...
Insanity is not changing. Insane asylums were created to house together dangerous individulas or those deemed insane in a confined area to both study and control each unique situation. They don't make it out often.
My clients are important and deserve quality. Rehashing an outmoded form and repeating the mantra I only believe is true is showing a great lack of appreciation and care for each client's needs.
There's a guy called Gary Vanerchuck who studied the wine business for years, conducted/recorded over a thousand video episodes discussing/reviewing wines and has said what's missing is the small moments when no one is watching. No one sees. No one hears. The moment he found a UPS or FedEx delivery went wrong and a customer didn't receive their wine, he packed up another shipment and personally delivered it himself. The time he offered free shipping and was overwhelmed by the business it generated and the guy who wrote to thank his company that he was buying the wine for his daughter's wedding. Gary sent a congratulatory bottle of champagne. Gary later learned this guys daughter was just 12! The customer knew it was a great deal and wanted to save for the future!
Character that doesn't need coaxing.
Did that stop Gary from caring. Did Gary go INSANE? No! He continued to answer hundreds of emails each day because he didn't want to be INSANE. He built a business that I call an Anti Insanity Department (AID). I think Gary calls it his Thankfulness Department. Being pro active in reaching out to customers just for the sake of saying Thank You for your business. No strings attached.
Cut your strings. Just let go. Be active and responsible and proud. People love real people.
I recently wrote to a well known business man in town about how I felt he could benefit from a concierge representative in his business because I believe in what they offer - in what they can produce in the way of effective results. AID and EEE!
Be your own concierge or hire one!
Start your own AID and EEE!
Stop being INSANE!
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