Business – Page 7 – Journeys of a Hybrid

May 15, 2011May 15, 2011

Avoiding the Pitfalls When Working from Home

A lot of my photographer friends have closed their studios this year, due to a lousy economy and changes with the type of work they do. They’ve set up offices in their home and some have faired better than others. It seems like this transition is a lot harder for some of my male friends than my female friends.

Maggie Doyne visit- 2011-04-20 — Gail in her "home office" - cluttered but productive.

I think it’s kind of a “hunter/gatherer” type thing where some men feel the need to head off to a “place of work” and if they don’t have that – they feel less “legitimate”.

This past winter one of my friends was having a particularly tough time making this transition and he was ready to pack it all in and get a “real” job. He called me because he knew that I’ve always worked from home, and he wanted to know how I dealt with it and stayed productive. We had a long and very honest conversation and he thanked me.

I saw him at a party this weekend and he came up to me, thanked me again and told me things were looking up for him. Quite honestly, I had forgotten the conversation but he reminded me of some things I said to him and suggested that I blog about it. So here goes.

Some tips and some things to avoid:

Start off by calling it your “home office” – not “working from home”. Somehow it’s different psychologically.

Be prepared for well meaning family and friends to encourage you to get a “real job”. This happens a lot with people who have creative careers. It’s hard, but you need to explain to your loved ones that what you do IS a real job. Just because you’ve had to lower your overhead and work from a home office, doesn’t mean that you’ve failed. It does mean that you’ve had to make adjustments just like a lot of others have had to do these days to make ends meet.
Avoid falling into the trap of taking care of personal tasks during your business hours. My friend found himself spending a lot of time on errands that his spouse asked him to do – “since he was home”. That’s fine once in awhile, but if you find yourself spending half your day doing personal stuff – you are sabotaging yourself and your business. And personal stuff includes putting together Aunt Ann’s birthday bash photos in a fun presentation for all to see. Sure do that – but not during business hours because this is not your hobby – it’s your business.
Don’t get overly complacent as soon as you get rid of the expense of your studio. I’ve seen this happen a lot. The pressure to make that overhead is gone so you let your guard down and along with that your clients start to disappear. But it’s because you’ve disappeared – you’re not marketing yourself anymore – and you’re off your clients’ radar.
- • Have a routine just like you would if you walked out the door to go to work.
- • Get up at a set time and get dressed – sounds simple but it’s important
- • Have set work hours
- • Have a plan – just because you’re in your home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a business plan with action items.
- • Avoid distractions – tough one. If you find yourself doing something that a “boss” wouldn’t approve of – then stop yourself. You’re the boss so stop cheating yourself.
Network and connect with your peers and colleagues. This is important, especially in a creative business. You need to have people you can bounce things off of. I have a couple of friends in my life that I’m really grateful for because I know I can share my vulnerabilities and ideas with them without being judged. Friends can do that for you because they don’t have anything personally at stake and can look at things with unbiased eyes. These connections are critical when working from home. These days it’s easy to connect with others. If you can’t do a face-to-face – you’ve got hundreds of other options with social media, listservs or just pick up the phone.
Remember on your darkest days when it seems like it’s hopeless and you’re ready to pack it in and get one of those “real jobs” – don’t totally abandon your dream just yet – leave the door cracked open at least. Maybe get a part time job to start. It will take some of the pressure off and if photography or music or writing or whatever – is your passion – then you’ll quickly find out that a “real job” may not be what makes you happy. The cynics may say that you shouldn’t expect happiness with a job and that the expectation of a job should be to just pay your bills. Maybe so, but do you want to spend most of your life being miserable or counting down the hours to your next vacation? Many times that part time job gives you the push you need to re-invigorate your business because you’ve had a taste of the alternative.
Don’t burn your bridges. If you’ve had even the slightest bit of success in the past, following your passions but are in a slump – don’t be so quick to announce to the world that you’re moving on to another career – unless you are thoroughly convinced that you will never have any regrets making that decision. You get the best light from a burning bridge – but it’s usually too late by then. If there’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way – it’s not to burn bridges – because life has a way of making you regret it.

May 10, 2011

Top Five Tips For Photographers Moving into Motion

The last post I wrote was titled The Top 5 Mistakes Photographers Making Moving From Stills to Motion.
Why is it anytime I use the word mistake in the title of a post, it goes viral? Is it because we take comfort in knowing that other people make mistakes? Or is it that we know we can learn from others’ mistakes?

I think it’s a bit of both. But I also think that if one takes comfort in knowing potential pitfalls, then they may be more likely to take chances creatively and push their own limits.

In this post, I decided that I’d spin it in another direction – toward the positive – and dish out some tips for photographers moving into motion.

•   Understand where the new opportunities are. Don’t try to compete in traditional markets like broadcast spots right away. Many new opportunities are with your still photography clients who you already have a relationship with. They might be new to motion also and need to produce a video. Ask.
•   Don’t do everything yourself. You’ll need a good team. Video has a lot of facets and you can’t do everything yourself, especially when you’re still learning. Find good audio people and editors you can work with.
•   Think differently – Shoot in sequences. Think how you will get into and out of a shot when you’re shooting, putting the story together in your head.
•   Shoot and move – Shoot a lot of b-roll. Cover at least 3 angles on everything with a variety of focal lengths. Get wide, medium, tight and close-up shots. You’ll be glad you did in the editing room.
•   Make a production schedule – And make sure you get your client to sign off after certain parts of the process – after the shoot – and throughout the edit.

May 6, 2011May 6, 2011

Top 5 Mistakes Photographers Make Moving From Stills to Motion

1.   Give it away – One of the best opportunities that still photographers have when expanding their businesses with video is to offer their new services to their existing clients. I hear from so many still photographers who squash this opportunity from the start by throwing in the video clips for free because they are still learning. First of all, I’m not a fan of learning on the job, but more importantly if you give your new skills away because you’re still learning, then the question is “At what point will you be good enough or have learned enough to charge for it?” Who decides that you or your client?
2.   Audio is an afterthought – Capturing good audio is more important than making a great image. If a viewer cannot understand the dialog, they will walk away. Don’t make audio an afterthought. Hire a good sound person.
3.   Position themselves as “just” a shooter – If you position yourself as just a camera person, then you will not only lose a lot of creative control, but you will leave money on the table by not making a profit on the other aspects of a video production. I position myself as a producer. That’s not to say that I don’t also shoot a job, but I oversee the entire production and charge accordingly for pulling together all the pieces.
4.   Don’t collaborate – Get over the one man band, solo creature model and surround yourself with a crew of experts that will make you look good. Build a team of editors, sound mixers, motion graphics artists etc.
5.   Forget about the story – Every good product, including commercial videos have a great story. You can have the best production values in the world, but if you don’t tell a good story, it will not resonate with your audience or your client.

May 4, 2011

Change

Change Who likes change? Other than needing a change of scenery every now and then, change is usually tough to take. I grew up with change. My family moved 10 times before I got out of high school.

Gail in kindergarten — Kindergarten, Chicago, IL

I was always the “new kid”. (Hint: I’m in the second to last row. I was also the “tall kid” even in Kindergarten)

No, my dad wasn’t in the military and we weren’t on the lam – he was just climbing the corporate ladder. He’d get promoted or there would be a new sibling and we’d move to a bigger house or he’d get promoted and transferred and we’d move to a totally different place leaving our friends and familiarities behind.

I’m not complaining, nor saying that I feel slighted by having that constant change in my life. It was the life I knew and I suppose I always looked at it with open eyes and curiosity about what was next to come. Of course, if I thought about the friends and sometimes family that I was leaving behind, it made it much harder.

Perhaps growing up in a constant state of change made me more flexible in dealing with all the changes affecting my business these days. Both still photography and video production have been profoundly changed by a bad economy and technology. Kind of like a double whammy. At least with technology the sword cuts both ways and also provides opportunities. It’s usually during the tough times when the economy is bad when innovation happens. Sometimes people just have to be forced to make changes in their lives, even if what they have been doing hasn’t been working. I was asked to speak at Cal Poly on the theme The Role of Mass Communication and Media Technology in Today’s Global Economy: A Multidiscipline Approach. Specifically, they wanted me to talk about how I was using technology to communicate in a global market. I started thinking about how this past year I had vigorously embraced new tools and a new business model, integrated with the Internet and social media to create a mixed media project that will ultimately result in a feature film, a book, an e-book and maybe even an exhibition. I didn’t have a big team behind me, nor did I have a lot of money. We had a two-person crew- myself and my daughter, an editor and my husband working the PR, the social media and the back support. We raised some money on Kickstarter with the help of our backers and we’ve had musicians offer us their music and talents to our film. We are extremely grateful for all of the support worldwide and it could never have happened without advances in technology.

The fact is that we live in such an amazing time where something like this is even possible. It is a time of empowerment for the individual. Technology is democratizing and is leveling the playing field especially in terms of distribution. The locks are gone and the gates to distribution are open and affordable. Within a month of uploading the trailer to my film on Vimeo, it has been played in 95 countries – that’s almost ½ the countries in the world. What a staggering thought in terms of mass communication!

Going forward my ultimate plan at this point in time is to distribute the film through iTunes or Netflix and DVD’s through Amazon. More importantly, I would like to set up 100’s of screenings in communities all over America – maybe even all over the world – and use the film to move people to action. Kind of like a grass roots effort to motivate people to make a difference in their communities. Imagine what kind of an effect that would have if it spread virally through the world. Just Imagine.

March 2, 2011March 2, 2011

Open Yourself to Possibilities

Thank goodness February is over. It’s been a long, cold, snowy winter here in New Jersey and February felt particularly brutal. I can cope with cold weather pretty well but “cabin fever” can be deadly for me. And last month it almost killed me. I had been in isolation editing video for 14 hours a day – every day. It was almost inhuman.

This weekend I headed down to Philadelphia to present a seminar at

ASMP’s SB3. It was just what I needed. I needed to connect with people. Conferences like SB3 are meant for stimulation and learning and everyone walks away with their heads exploding with new ideas – attendee and presenter alike. But I walk away with so much more. What I get from interacting with people, learning from them, sharing with them is immeasurable.

Some things that stuck with me:

“Be awesome” Colleen Wainwright

“Hang out with people better than you” Blake Discher

And from Tom Kennedy
F.A.I.T.H

Freedom – to see – to be open to opportunities
Authenticity – be yourself
Intentionality – live intentionally – be proactive
Trust – in yourself
Hospitality – be open to the world

And I learned about a blog that truly resonates with me The Art of Non-Conformity
As all the conversations still run through my mind, I remember one in particular. I was speaking with someone who had taken his own path – traveling a lot before going to college and pursuing other passions in life before settling down on a career. He wanted to know if I would mentor him but he had so many questions, he was concerned he would infringe too much on my time. I smiled and told him that I was quite accessible and to feel free to call anytime. And that I’d let him know if he was wearing out his welcome He smiled back and said, “you have a hard time saying no don’t you?” My answer to him was “yes” and that I liked that word much more. It opens up so many more possibilities.

If you haven’t attended on of the three SB3 events – there’s still one more in Chicago April 1- 3. Check out what people are saying on Facebook. And then come and join us in Chicago and prepared for lots of “ah ha” moments. It could be life changing. You just never know.

February 7, 2011

Monday Morning Quarterbacking

Ok, I’m just going to come right out and say it. I was one of the few people in America who did NOT watch the Super Bowl yesterday. Before you try to enlighten me as to the merits of the game and sentence me to watch NFL highlights, let me just say I don’t like football. Just never got into the touchy feeliness of the sport. And besides, I’m still chained to my editing station – finally starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.

But this morning I couldn’t escape the pundits grading and scoring the Super Bowl commercials as I clicked through the morning programs looking for the “news”. It was interesting to hear their “take” on what commercials were successful. Most of the pundits made their assessments through the eyes of their “ad men” (and women) persona, debating which commercials caught the attention of the viewers.

One “expert” frequently commented, “now this one had people telling their friends – be quiet – I want to hear the commercial. I’m not quite sure what Super Bowl party this person went to, but no doubt it was a party made up of other advertising folks. Now, I’ve had very limited experience attending Super Bowl parties, but as for the ones I have been to – nobody has ever said “be quiet – so I can hear the commercial”. With that said, as I watched many of the spots this morning via YouTube, some of the most effective commercials required no listening at all. Check out this one for Bridgestone.

I guess the creatives who made this spot go to the same kind of parties as I do – parties where people don’t ask someone to turn the volume up for the commercials. Actually, I’ve learned a lot about editing by watching TV commercials with the sound off. The “story” either becomes apparent – or not.

The New York Times did a pretty good critique of the ads this morning. But what I found most interesting was the running commentary from the “average Joes” via Twitter and Facebook. No doubt some of these advertising experts were paying as much attention to the social media chatter this morning as Mumbarak’s men were. Hands down, the Chrysler “Detroit” spot won the most hearts – mine included. It drew me in from the start and kept me the entire two minutes. Imagine that – a two minute commercial! When was the last time you saw that? A beautiful mini-film told in credible brevity. Quite frankly, to me it would have been just as effective without Eminem or any celebrity for that matter. It evoked emotion – that’s what kept me watching.

At the end of the day, the commercials that resonated most with just about everyone – pundit and laymen alike were the ones that told a simple story that rang true with the human spirit. Works every time. To tell those stories, one needs to get out of the meeting rooms and late nights at the office and spend more time living life. Otherwise, what you end up with is a bunch of people creating commercials about what they think life is like.

January 25, 2011January 26, 2011

Just Say Yes

This past weekend at ASMP’s SB3 conference in LA, a young woman came up to me and said that I had given her an “ah ha” moment. I asked her why and she reminded me of what I had said at a panel discussion the evening before. A photographer had just told a story of how he saw himself in very specific terms as to what type of photography he did – he saw himself as wearing one hat. But a client came to him with a job that didn’t fit into his norm and so he turned it down. Then the client came back a few days later in desperation and asked him to please reconsider and he did. The job ultimately turned into a lucrative and regular gig and he learned a powerful lesson and that was to open his head up more to possibilities.

I was in the audience and the moderator asked if anyone had a response to this story. I said that I was really into saying yes more at this point in my life and career and that when I did, the universe was opening up and really great things were happening. I could go on to list a number of examples of some good things that have happened but the point here is that negative energy breeds negativity and positive energy breeds hope and change and positive results.

It’s pretty tough these days to stay positive, with the photographic industry in a state of flux and the lackluster economy but it’s not impossible. Some things I have found that help me stay positive are simple to implement in your life and others take a bit more practice.

For starters, stay away from the groaners and moaners who spend their time complaining. That negativity is contagious – so get as far away from those people as you can.
Find something you do like and cultivate that passion. It will show. You’ll start to talk about it and people will be attracted to you because of it. That attitude is contagious as well but is an attitude that you want to “catch”.
Embrace learning. Growth always has hope and hope will renew your spirit.
Learn to let go of the things that don’t work out. God knows I have had to abandon many expectations but I try to move on and replace them with new ones.
You can’t control what others do to you but you can control how you react. Empower yourself with that thought.
Think good thoughts in those moments right before you drift off to sleep. When you are sleeping your subconscious takes over and if you have positive thoughts running through your head just before you go into that subconscious state – that is what will be reinforced.
When you are feeling low and nothing seems to be working – find something that is working and be grateful for that. And know there are certainly others in the world that are far less fortunate than you.
Always remember that life is the greatest gift of all. Embrace it, cherish it and make every day count.

When you say yes, you at least have a chance at a positive outcome. When you say no – you’ve closed the door. My reward that weekend was knowing that I gave someone an “ah ha” moment. Who knows what may come out of that? What a powerful thought. What a powerful word.

There were all kinds of “ah ha” moments this past weekend in Los Angeles at the SB3 conference. There’s another SB3 conference in Philadelphia coming up – February 25-27. Come and join others who embrace the positive notion of growth, hope and change.

January 16, 2011

Collaboration in Video and….

During one portion of my career, I spent a lot of time shooting still photography assignments for magazines like the National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian and Travel & Leisure, to name a few. I was hired to shoot the images. A writer was hired to write the story.

Every magazine and every story worked differently as far as how I would collaborate with the writer. Sometimes the writer and I would just have a conversation about focus and approach and then we’d be off on our own, each bringing our own perspective to the piece.

Sometimes, I’d be given a manuscript that had already been written and I was expected to illustrate it. This worked well when I, the writer and the magazine would agree on the focus of the “story” and match our talents to that end. But there were times when a magazine would want very literal illustrations of the words, which not only stifled the images but weakened the words. One time I was asked to photograph “the lurkage of limousines.”

And then there were times when I went to a destination with a writer to do a story on that destination and even though we were there at the same time, we came back with different stories. I got my story done on site and the writer did most of his/her work after returning from the destination.

With video collaboration is essential because there are so many facets, each calling for different skill sets. Some collaborations occur simultaneously on set and some later in post-production but all have to work well in order to get to the same end in harmony. Harmony meaning, not just being able to get along but to communicate and work well together as one, but also where each respects each other’s role in the process.

It’s very tricky to assemble the right mix of people, but here are some important things to look for when building a team or even a partnership:

Trust – You have to be able to count on someone to do their job. And likewise, you have to also commit to uphold your end of the deal. The team is only as good as the weakest link. That becomes even more critical, the smaller the team is. If you’re only working with one person and you can’t count on them – you’ll be doing the work yourself. It’s important to know that someone has your back.
Working Style – While it’s not important for all to be morning people or night people or have similar working styles in that sense, it can be extremely frustrating for all concerned if there are procrastinators on the team. That’s because timing in video production is important for workflow. If someone doesn’t deliver when they promised – it holds up the whole production. We had one situation where a motion graphics artist held the entire post-production up for months.
Expertise – Surround yourself with experts. They will make you look good. But remember, just because someone is expensive doesn’t mean they are the best for your job. There could be someone who is more right for the project who is less expensive. Keep style and vision in mind. Talk to potential crew members and get references.
Right for the job – The “best” editor in terms of the commercial world might not be the right person for your project. For me, I want to work with an editor that is also interested in the project besides the money it pays. I look for an editor who will also bring a different perspective as to how the story gets told.
Bottom line – Work with people you can count on – otherwise the job might not get done.

January 11, 2011

SB3 – Get Inspired

If you haven’t registered for the ASMP Strictly Business 3 conference yet, I would highly suggest that you do so. They will be held in three locations starting next week: January 21-23 in Los Angeles; February 25-27 in Philadelphia; and April 1-3 in Chicago.

There’s an incredible line up of speakers presenting workshops on pricing, estimating, copyright, workflow, strategic career planning, successful portfolios and branding and video production. I’ll be presenting two workshops: “Thinking in Motion” and “Shooting Video with the DSLR”.

Branding expert Colleen Wainwright will deliver her keynote “Making People Love You Madly: Selling Yourself in a Postmodern Marketplace”. Tom Kennedy, whom I’ve know since his days at the National Geographic Magazine will give a keynote “Learning New Skills for the Changing Media Landscape”.

This conference series is meant for everyone, not just photographers who are beginning their careers. In fact, I think that photographers who have been in business for many years will benefit equally, if not more than a shooter who is new to the business.

I have been in business for over 30 years and I have found that one of the most dangerous things that can happen to a creative person, is for them to become complacent, especially in a business like photography. It’s even more deadly to become complacent these days in our fast changing world of technology. We not only need to stay current with our skills, we need to keep our vision fresh.

When I got into video and motion more than a decade ago, I was looking for something to excite me. I felt that even though my business was successful and that I had accomplished many of my creative goals, the spark was getting dim inside me and at times I felt like I was reinventing the wheel. So, I set out on a learning curve and have been soaking up information ever since.

I love to learn and I have found that the more I wonder and grow, the better off I am creatively and the more successful I am in business. I’ve also found that networking and collaborating with my peers has opened my eyes to all sorts of possibilities that I never knew existed. I think that’s what makes the SB3 conference so powerful – the sharing of information with our peers. You don’t get that from online learning.

We live in a time where anything is possible. Come to SB3 in LA, Philadelphia and Chicago and be prepared to be inspired.

December 28, 2010December 28, 2010

Don’t Become a Photo”saur”

A lot of people tell me that I’m way ahead of things since I got into video/motion over ten years ago. Most still photographers weren’t even thinking about video ten years ago. Neither was I. Nor did I have a crystal ball. But I am a visual communicator and that means that I am always looking for the best way to communicate the message or tell the story. And twelve years ago, it became possible and affordable for me to deliver the message with another medium. Not instead of still photography but in addition to it.

My desire to explore video and motion at the time, wasn’t coming from a “tool” point of view. It was coming from a cultural one. When I think about it, I wasn’t fascinated by the technology – I was fascinated by what people were doing with the technology. Fast forward a decade later and I’m just wowed by where all this has gone. Our culture has changed dramatically in the last ten years because of technology. And while that is still “fascinating” and like creative adrenalin, it’s also a game changer in how it has affected the business of photography.

Don’t get me wrong and think that my message is to tell you to get into video or multimedia so as not to become a photo”saur” and become extinct. That’s not what I’m saying. What I am saying is that the cultural psyche has changed. Take notice and adapt. That doesn’t just mean, change the subject matter you shoot or how you shoot it to stay “fresh”. And it doesn’t mean to buy a video camera or a hybrid and start shooting motion. Those are probably good ideas but probably not going to be what keeps you in business.

The old days aren’t coming back. The ways of doing business have changed. Technology is democratizing when it’s placed in everyone’s hands. Understand that. Know that your clients understand that. So, think past the tool and technique and focus more on who you are and what you can bring to your customers to stay relevant. Some thoughts to ponder:

• Who are you? (why do your customers come to you and not your competition?)
• What services do you offer your client? If you don’t offer video and your client needs to look elsewhere – you’ve lost an opportunity.
• Are you still a one-man band? I don’t mean you need a large staff but have you considered setting up a virtual company when you need it with editors, sound people etc.?
• Do you continue to learn?
• Are you still using a dated business model ? Consider different licensing strategies for new media.
• Do you utilize social media?
• Are you noticing who’s “coming up” – the new talent? Do you try to see them through your customer’s eyes.
• Are you interested in other things besides photography?
• Are you willing to take risks? Creatively and otherwise.
• Ask yourself the question – how would I have approached this if I was just starting out?
• Think of solutions – then look at those decisions at a total 180.

Learn. Grow. Adapt.

Don’t become a photo”saur” and become extinct.