Happy Holidays

Be good to one another!

Ira Glass on Storytelling #2

I found this on Rob Haggart site/blog http://www.aphotoeditor.com/ Ira Glass is a radio host that has really interesting take / information on how how to succeed in a creative world.

Ira Glass on Storytelling #3

This is Part three of Ira Glass

Test and Experiment

So during my downtime during the holidays...I like to "test" and "experiment" .  Today it was playing with HDR.  There is a program called "photomatrix".  Pretty cool stuff.  If you go to flicker or youtube there are good and bad examples.  This is just a test I did yesterday.  I took 9 different exposures and left the photomatrix in default mode.  How do it know?  I think you have to use it in the right settings.  It just another "tool" in the bag of tricks I have now.  Go have fun and play!

Site and Blog

sites and blogs I just foundhttp://www.aphotoeditor.com/ & http://current.com/ type in photographer or photography cool things

the making of LDC elle decor shoot.mov

Here is the the video of a shoot I did last week. This is for an Elle Decor AD that will be coming out. Love to here your feedback

P45 / Flexbody

So here is quick tour of the flexbody and P45 and how they work together....this is my first "go" with the video.....so be kind...but tips are helpful.  So feel free to give me any feed back that could be useful!

Platon

If you have not had the chance, go to Vincent Laforet blog  Vincent Laforet’s Blog   He just added this audio from Platon.  It is a speech at the Eddie Adams workshop.  Worth it for sure.

Hassy Flex Body

I purchased a Hassy Flex Body on e bay over a year ago.  I wanted to use it with my new  phase one P45 back.  When I got it, I could not get a good image.  So I put it aside.  I even tried to sell it twice, I was so pissed.  So last week I pulled out "again". I FINALLY figure out how to use the damm thing.  I figure out the shutter opening and closing with the hassy lens.  Not like a 4 x 5 where you can just open a close.  Here you have to push down on the shutter to close then you push again to shoot.  Well duh!  Anyway, I'm very excited to start using it.  I miss my 4 x 5, and this is close as it gets.  So I will be doing a lot of trail and error with it.  

So here you can see the set up on location.  In desert.  Be careful and mindful of the sand around you and blowing.  Sand is not your friend to you or your camera and back.

I have had place in the desert for many years and I have never photographed these damm things

Cannon EOS 5D MKII

Ok, I have seen the Nikon D90, but now I have just seen the first ever 1080p short film on the New Cannon 5D MKII from photographer Vicent LaForet.  It looks fantastic.  Go see it.  

http://www.vincentlaforet.com

Promotion!

Promotion is so important to do in a good or  bad economy.   But we all know that can cost money.  And types of promotions work?  Direct mail?  E mail blast?  Phone calls?  In my experience the most effective way for me has been a combination of two.  Direct mail and e mail blast.  Cold calling I think puts people on the defensive.  A bad way to start out.  In the past year or so, I heard that e mails are not been seen.  The reason I believe is that everyone is doing them.  It is such a low cost to reach so many people at once.  Also, people are e mailing EVERYONE on a list.  Art Buyers tend to see 100's e mails a day.  People are not mindful who is handling which accounts.  You MUST do your RESEARCH!  There is a great info on targeting your e mails from the good people at ADBASE.  This interview is with three art buyers from McCann Worldwide.  It is about 20 minutes, but worth it I found.  

http://www.adbase.com/PodcastForm0908/PodcastDownload0908_e02?nocache=3afc58d6-977d-4f48-9bbc-a9fdad0516a1&utm_source=message_center&utm_medium=landingpage&utm_content=insight_podcast_feature_0908&utm_campaign=message_center

There are other list list Agency Access is also a good list.  http://www.agencyaccess.com/

With direct mail I have found a great place to print with.  http://www.nextdayflyers.com/ndf/sites/ndf/  Cheap and Cheerful!

I have used them for a few years now and also send my mailing out.  Check them out.  Any if you have any other suggestion, let us know!

Business Insurance

From time to time get asked do I need business insurance?  The answer is absolutely yes!  You need to protect yourself.  I know it may be hard to understand the importance of it when your first starting out.  You may not have the extra cash to do it.  But in my opinion you can not afford not to.  

Business insurance is your friend.  You have to use to your advantage.  How you ask.  First off, there are going be times when certain locations requires it.  So before you can even bid on that job, you have to tools.  Business insurance is a tool just like your camera.  Another advantage is renting equipment.  Instead of plunking down some crazy deposit needed from the rental house, you can provided them with "proof insurance".  The rental house may require to change the payee on it for the time of the rental.  Not a problem, ask your insurance writer to do so for the amount time you require the rental.  It may cost you a little money like $10 for the time, but worth it.  Not many people have a $50K credit card limit.  Even my American Express raises an eyebrow from time to time.  It is really important to build a relationship with a rental house.  Mine happens to be Calumet.  A Like the service, but they are also overseas as well.  I had just used them back in March for a shoot in London.  That when the relationship comes in handy...but that is another topic.

So where to find this Business Insurance?  ASMP has linked to Taylor and Taylor in LA and NYC  http://www.taylorinsurance.com/   I have not used them.  I use a local company in my town Community Insurance.  http://www.cisps.com/  I have been with Zurich and now with Hartford.  Major players.  When you talk to someone about business insurance, ask them if they have any experience with any other photographer's.  It is really important that they understand how you use your equipment in and out of a studio.  How it it is stored and transported.  You want to make sure you are protected in every possible way. 

Quick example.  Back a few years ago, we were shooting this hotel.  It was at the end of a long day and we were packing up.  One of the assistants placed my 4 x 5 camera in the hallway.  Next thing.."CRASH".  Camera feel over broke the back , bent the frame and crack the lens.  We are not sure if a guest bum into it or what.  So the next morning i called my insurance guy.  they ask for a list of damages.  I had a check fed x to me within 48 hours.  I bought all new stuff.  I'm not kidding...48 hours.  Hardly any down time.

VOTE    

Sell Out?

From time to time I find myself in situations of where this comes across my e mail...

"Scott..The AE just called from his meeting with the client and asked if we could lower the number.  Is there any room to lower your cost?  Let me know in the AM..thanks"

Ugh, after the agency has approved the budget this does and can happen.  So what to do?  I'm believer that you can not just lower the cost for.."just because".  I think that can send the wrong message that the price was too high to begin with.  And leaves the impression they can come back and do it again for the next round.  When I give bids or proposal I figure what is a fair price from the start.  So after talking with Director of Production, he mention that the client was looking for a $3000 cut.  Yikes!  So I asked, is this $3000 was a deal breaker?  Yes it is!  What the agency  came up with, was that they would take a $2000 hit if I would take a $1000.  I said sure.

Now, I have have just contradicted what I said before about lowering the cost "just because".  But in this case it is a little different because the agency had lower there cost as well.  This job would of went away if I did not lower my side as well.  These are decisions we all will come across from time to time.  My guess even more so as the economy take it time to re build itself.

There are many factors in why we take jobs or not.  Money is usually the top of the list.  But what if money was not the issue.  Then what?  Do I want to work for this client?  Is the job cool?  Will it help me on the long run?  One of the big factors for me was to work to work with agency.  I have been courting them for years.  So meeting them a 1/3 of the way, was just fine by me.  I know other professional photographers would had said "forget it, I'm not cutting my price".  We are all in different places fiscally and creatively.  You just have to do what is right for you.

Kicks....for kicks

So I have decided to join the "web 2.0" world and hop on the blog wagon.  Why?  Ego..no well perhaps but, I have found loads of information and inspiration through the blog world.  

One of the blogs you should check out is a guy named Chase Jarvis. 

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/

Loads of information and how to things.  This guy has one of the best attitudes (next to mine :) about sharing information with each other.   

So one of the things I have started doing is shooting things that I want to shoot.  You might say well...duh.  I know it sounds simple but after being the biz for awhile, I found myself in a rut of not shooting for myself.  It is very easy not to when you have been fairly busy with work.  I have created a nice niche being an interior / architectural photographer.  Now I want to try new things... old things....whatever.  So over time you will see new images from me that I will call..."things I want to shoot".  Clever title hun...I want to show AB or AD things I would be into shooting.  So here is the first one.  As we go along I will be much better to video or actually shoot the set I'm working with.  So hang in there with me.

The Ed Hardy Kicks

So what I did here is placed the shoes outside on my front curb.  I photograph this in late morning, but used a strobe to overpower the sun.  2400 watts on one head with a snoot.  The jeans are hanging from a C Stand.  I purposely left jeans at "hi water" height.  If I lower them on the jeans then they would not sit right.  These are things you do when you do not have a model on hand.  I then photoshop the pants down to the shoes closer.  I knock out the background and placed this existing shot of downtown Edmonton Canada behind it.  The Edmonton shot was a "pick up" shot I did at 11:30pm earlier this summer while shooting for the Westin Hotels chain.  I did some photoshop to the background to make sure the shoes were the stars.

Travel Schedule

Travel Schedule for the  next month of photo shoots

San Francisco, CA July 19th-28th

Denver, CO July 30th-August 9th

Back in Los Angeles for most of August