creative – Page 6 – Journeys of a Hybrid

April 20, 2010April 20, 2010

How To Survive as a Photographer or Life in General

I’m headed into New York City today to speak to college students who are studying photography. A friend of mine who is an educator and also a photographer himself asked me to talk to his students. My first thought was to talk to them about video, because that is what I have been doing lately – speaking to groups of photographers about video. But then I thought about it more and thought it would be unfair to show a power point presentation about another skill set. More importantly, I thought it would be another talk about another tool.

So this morning I switched gears and I started writing down some thoughts that I feel have helped me survive the life that I have carved out as a visual communicator. I remind myself of these ideas whenever I have drifted from my life’s purpose and it gets me back on track.

Seek opportunities – or better yet take notice of them when they come along – they are everywhere if you open your mind to them. I have found that some of the jobs that I almost turned down because I thought that it wasn’t for me have been the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever worked on. Here’s a blog that I wrote about one of these opportunities that I almost didn’t embrace. “Breaking the Spirit”
Find your passion – don’t define yourself by your tool – whether it’s a still camera or a video camera or something that hasn’t been invented yet. Stay true to who you are and how you “see” the world. I need to be reminded of that every once in a while. Recently, a friend of mine got me thinking about whom I am, and I realized that I’m really that same 19-year-old girl who took off around the world with an insatiable curiosity for people and cultures. I became a photographer because I wanted to share this passion with others and I use my camera as a tool toward that end.
Don’t just “be” a photographer – By that I don’t mean that you should also shoot video – although it wouldn’t be a bad idea. What I really mean is that in order to be a visual communicator, you need to have something to say. When I attended Brooks Institute many, many years ago, the constant tech talk used to bore me to tears. I had just come back from hitchhiking around the world and I knew there were more interesting topics to talk about than f/stops and shutter speeds. The funny thing is I don’t remember the technically perfect photos that were critiqued in class if they didn’t have something else going for them – something that evoked a feeling. It’s kind of like an actor who studies acting technique but doesn’t understand or portray the character they are playing.
Keep learning and growing – I’ve never stopped learning. My college days and days at Brooks Institute are long over, but I’m constantly learning and trying new things. I’m an explorer by heart and there will always be something out there to discover.
Take risks – The most important things that have ever happened to me have been also been the things that scared me the most. Nine out of ten times things didn’t work out as planned or what I had hoped for. But it’s that one time when things did work out that brought great value and rewards to my life. So when I try to talk myself out of doing something, based on my fears, I think about the times when the risk did pay off. If I don’t take the chance – I know I won’t have a hope for anything happening at all.
Don’t listen to the naysayers – I try not to let others talk me out of my dreams. I dodge the roadblocks that people try to put in my way. Surround yourself with other dreamers – not the half empty crowd.
Be a publisher – Don’t wait for someone else to validate who you are by assigning you a job and handing you a lopsided contract that is not in your best interest. Distribution is king in regards to content and it’s never been easier in these days of the internet and social media.

Lastly be true to yourself and love life – all facets of life, the bitter and the sweet. We are all just tiny blips on the timeline of life – make the most out of it in your own way.

April 7, 2010

The Race To The Bottom and/or Video

I’m waking up to a beautiful day in San Diego and thinking about my old California days when I lived in Santa Barbara and attended Brooks Institute. That was a long time ago but whenever I’m in southern California, my head goes back to my beginnings – my beginnings with my husband and partner and my beginnings of my career as a photographer.

Sounds funny now when I mention career and photographer in the same sentence. But that’s the way it was back then (mid ‘70’s) when you had to be technically savvy to make a good photograph – a technically good photograph that is. These days just about anybody can create a technically good photograph because of how technology has changed the tools of our trade. And that’s why it’s gotten harder and harder to make a career out of photography.

It seems like there’s a race to the bottom in photography these days. By that I mean that a lot of photographers will do just about anything to get the job – from giving away rights to almost doing the job for nothing. I almost can’t blame them when they are facing mounting bills and the phone rings less and less and they consistently get undercut by their peers. On the other hand I have to wonder, is technology totally to blame for the race to the bottom or did we do it to ourselves?

I talk to lots of photographers these days because I give short seminars about video. A lot of photographers have clients who are asking for video and they want to respond to that. A lot of photographers see their business dwindling as print needs dry up and as we move to electronic publishing. With that of course comes even more of a demand for video content. And a lot of photographers are there because still cameras are now capable of shooting video.

I cringe when I hear that someone’s motivation for getting into video is because of a tool. I cringe because I know that it’s not about the tool and that one should really focus on what makes them unique – and how they “see” things. Right now, you have to still be technically savvy to be able to produce decent videos – with good sound and edited well. Is it only a matter of time before technology makes these tools so good that just about anybody can shoot good video? Perhaps.

I strongly suggest that photographers get out of their solo independent ways of thinking and embrace collaboration when they move into video. Get away from the tool centric way of thinking. Surround yourself with people who you can work with – sound people, editors, and musicians. Place more importance on thinking in motion and storytelling in motion. And most importantly, produce your own videos, even if that means taking a chance. Work directly with clients instead of being just one rung on the ladder. Otherwise you’ll be on the content rung, which is way down at the bottom of ladders these days.

So, while I’m sitting here on a beautiful morning in San Diego and California dreaming – I’m remembering a lot of my peers from my old Brooks Institute days. I think about what they are doing now – are they still working in photography? I think the ones who are the ones who shot images that had some soul and went way beyond being technically perfect.

March 31, 2010April 1, 2010

What Video Storytelling is Not

It was bound to happen – still photographers shooting video like still images – as DSLR’s became hybrids, capable of shooting both stills and video. I’m starting to see video clips strung together in a timeline – like a pagination of images in a magazine – but without a cohesive storyline told through edited sequences or an audio/narrative track telling the story. It’s neither here nor there – not achieving the lingering power of a still photograph, nor utilizing the power of motion and sound to give a story more dimension.
The problem as I see it when I come across these “samples” is that these still photographers are not thinking in motion.

I think totally differently when I shoot video than when I shoot stills. Stills are moments in time – video is time in motion. That means that when I shoot video I’m always thinking about the big picture – how will I get into and out of a shot. What is coming before this shot and what is coming after? I know to think this way because I’ve edited my own material. Editing video is a great way to learn how to be a better shooter. It becomes very clear in the editing room – what you should have shot to be able to cut together a cohesive story.

I learned video storytelling at one of the Platypus Workshops from Dirck Halstead and PF Bentley. PF continues to inspire me with his storytelling skills in the video medium as he explores shooting with an HD-DSLR. Check out a couple of his videos – beautiful storytelling and creatively executed.

So once again – it’s not about the tool – the camera. Don’t think that because you buy a DSLR capable of shooting video that’s all there is to it. If you really want to use the power of these new cameras – it starts with your vision and how to relay that in motion.

March 18, 2010March 18, 2010

Sustaining the Human Spirit

It’s been a tough year for a lot of people. It hasn’t been all that great for me but I’m thankful that I’m still able to make a living doing what I love – telling stories through still imagery and video. But it hasn’t been easy and this month in particular has truly taxed my spirit.

So how does one keep going when faced with the frustration of not getting “the job” and all the rest of the feelings that come with that – feelings of insecurity or hopelessness or worse? What does one do to rise above the negative feelings that will only lead to more negativity, anger and despair?

Yesterday was one of those days for me. Got a couple of emails that didn’t destroy me but left me pretty well bruised. For me many times my hurt manifests itself as anger – at least at first – which only makes things worse. So I try to put things in perspective and also try to understand. I try to understand why I didn’t get “the job” and use this knowledge to raise my own bar, so the next time I will land the job.
And if I’m feeling rejected on a personal level – I try to get outside myself and understand how my actions or words have affected someone else.

Sounds easy – but it’s easier said than done. Sometimes I don’t want to “understand” but rather I want to be understood. And when that doesn’t happen, I put up walls – barriers meant to protect me from being hurt again. That ends up doing more harm than good because it also prevents any positive things from entering my life. And many times those barriers that I erect give me a temporary safe haven – but end up being an empty place to be.

I am a passionate person and many times people are drawn to me because of that. I open myself up to people giving too much – too soon. People are drawn to my spirit and my strength and my ability to face my fears. They also know I’m the type of person who is there for them – they just know. A friend recently told me that during a difficult time – he knew I was there. Even though there was nothing I could do to make things right – he knew I was there and that was a comfort.

I think that pretty much sums up a basic need in all of us – to have someone we know who is there for us during the rough patches of life. I think we all need that and we all need a little understanding. If we know that or even sense that – we can get through difficult times.

Photographers are more vulnerable to bad times than most I think, because they are such independent creatures. They are usually out there doing a solo act. If they don’t have a support system in place with friends and family – they generally have a real hard time dealing with slumps.

One thing I love about working in video production is that it is a collaborative effort. You work with others and draw from their strengths. When working with the “right” group of people – it’s a wonderful thing. Even if you’re in charge and the buck stops with you – you know you have people who you can count on. That’s so important and basic to human happiness.

So when I have a bad day and I feel like my support system is non-existent – what do I do? I try to dig deep and find that inner strength in myself that others seem to find appealing and even take comfort in. And I hope I find it.

March 17, 2010

Driveby Culture

Seth Godin’s blog post today “Driveby culture and the endless search for wow” really hit home with me. Godin writes:

“Should I write blog posts that increase my traffic or that help change the way (a few) people think?”

I think about this a lot – should I write about something that I know will get a lot of eyeballs or should I write about something that I’ve been thinking about that may make others think? Ironically, when I don’t think about what will attract an audience and just write from an open and honest point of view – I end up with a lot of eyeballs. And those are the eyeballs that I want to attract – the ones who I click with.

Godin goes on to say:

“More and more often, we’re seeing products and services coming to market designed to appeal to the momentary attention of the clickers.”

“Mass marketing used to be able to have it both ways. Money bought you audience. Now, all that buys you a mass market is wow and speed. Wow keeps getting harder and dives for the lowest common denominator at the same time.”

We live in a culture of “shock and awe” and sound bites. We don’t read anything lengthy – we want bullet points. Magazines don’t run stories anymore – they do survey pieces – the ten best………….. We want packaging and fizz – wowy zowy. We want exotic imagery and special effects. If it doesn’t grab our attention – we’re bored and off to the next thing. We’ve become so busy clicking around and multi-tasking we hardly take notice that we’re not getting satisfied. We’re left kind of empty feeling even though we’ve just been to a smorgasbord.

Every once in a while something comes along – a simple movie with a powerful message – an image that lingers in our minds – a story that took us to another place. Timeless thoughts, ideas and imagery that continue to resonate with the human spirit and every now and then we take pause and notice. Something makes us all stop and think – beyond the glitter, the eye-candy and the headlines.

Godin questions:

“What works to change mindsets, to spread important ideas and to create an audience for work that matters? What’s worth your effort and investment as a marketer or creator?”

For me the answer is just being myself – open and honest. There’s only one Gail Mooney and that’s what I have to share.

February 11, 2010February 11, 2010

Cultural Context and Photography

I became a photographer because of my passion for people and the cultures of the world. Photography has given me access to all sorts of people from various cultures and backgrounds. My camera is my tool – my means to my end. And that is to tell peoples’ stories through my images – whether they be still or moving.

I was going through some images this week that I had shot in Easter Island a few years ago. Easter Island had always been a destination high on my list of “must sees” and it lived up to my every expectation. It was remote and wild with a constant wind that energized me. A place in the world that somehow felt untouched, unlike so many other destinations in the world that have suffered from the negative effects of the onslaught of visitors due to their own intrigue or beauty. In Easter Island the culture still felt real.

The first few days my partner and I spent driving around the island, which isn’t hard to do because of the virtue of its size. In the main town, I noticed that most of the people I saw out and about were men. Men with exotic looks riding through town bareback on horses with their long black hair blowing in the wind. It was quite a provocative sight speaking both as a photographer and as a woman.

After attending a dance performance one evening I made arrangements to photograph one of the dancers – out in the natural environs of the island. I wanted to capture the spirit and the feeling of the people and the land. Tom, my partner and I met up with our subject who was in typical “western” attire and not made up. He asked us if we would transport his “weapons” in our vehicle as he couldn’t manage that on his scooter, and we obliged.

He followed behind us on his scooter to the location that we had previously scouted and then he proceeded to strip down to nothing. Here we were in this incredible wild environment between an extinct volcano and the sea with a native man totally naked standing in the road – applying his makeup, using the side mirror of our car. I instinctively knew that even though these were not the images that I had planned in my head – these were images that told the story of his culture in a unique context.

We went on to photograph a wonderful array of environmental portraits and at the end of the day we took a “crew” photo of our little group. And then he got back on his modern day scooter, in all his tribal glory and I took a few parting shots. It’s days like this that is why I became a photographer.

January 27, 2010January 27, 2010

Video – Hot Medium for Higher Ed Marketing

Last night my daughter forwarded a link to a blog entry she wrote for Lipman Hearne, the marketing firm that she works for. Lipman Hearne specialises in PR and marketing for non profits and institutions – many of their clients are colleges and universities.

She wrote about a new trend, “LipDub” that is quickly being embraced by universities and becoming part of their marketing and communications strategies. “LipDub is part virtual campus tour and part music video that showcases a college’s campus and student life in a creative and entertaining way.”

This MTV type video trend apparently started in Europe when students decided to create a video to “show the world” that studying doesn’t have to be boring. The idea quickly caught on in Canada and the US and has moved beyond its grass-roots beginnings and is being adapted by marketers who find the approach uniquely appealing in this niche.

The videos that I have seen remind me a bit of the popular “Playing for Change” – Stand By Me video that went viral on YouTube last year. They are clever, well executed and very engaging. Check out what John Hopkins created. Definitely not your run of the mill amateur video but rather a very entertaining and professionally produced web video.

The big point here is that video is the medium of choice when targeting this demographic and quickly making those glossy brochures a thing of the past.

January 7, 2010

The Power of Social Media

My last blog entry, I wrote about the DO’s and DON’T’s of Social Media. The next day I put some of some of those tips to work.

I am embarking on a personal project, Opening Our Eyes. The idea behind the project is to make a documentary that features people who are making a difference around the world – people who have followed their dreams, passions and ambitions and started their own personal projects that help make the world a better place. Ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things.

In looking for these people or subjects of the documentary, I wanted to utilize the power of social media and my connections and friends, to not only find “leads” but also to make the entire project an interactive experience from the start. So, two days ago I launched a simple website and blog and gave the idea a name, “Opening Our Eyes – Global Stories About the Power of One”.

My daughter Erin is teaming up with me on this project. She lives in Chicago – I live in NJ – but with social media we can bridge that divide as well as get the involvement of all our separate “friends”. Using a company called SquareSpace and their amazing publishing software, I was able to set up a simple blog and website and get it online in less than a day. It site will grow as we both continue to add content and relevant links and information, but by getting the idea “out there” and providing a way for feedback and dialog to take place – we are building our own community at the same time.

After the site was created, I created a fan page on Facebook with information about the project and links to the website. I also registered the blog with Network Blogs and inserted a “follow this blog” button on the fan page. And then I tweeted about project on Twitter, which automatically shows up, on my own personal FB . I also sent out about 50 emails to people I know.

The response has been overwhelming. Within a day I have received over 50 ideas about people and their projects. We’ve had well over 300 hits on the site and almost 40 fans on Facebook. Now that might not seem like a lot to some people – but to us it was an amazing response in such a short time.

As the project takes shape fueled by the interest and eagerness of our participants we are building a community and opening others’ eyes to the “power of one”.

January 1, 2010

Change or Frustration?

Seth Godin writes today about what he picks as the two most important trends facing us in the decade ahead – change and frustration.

He points out that “the infrastructure of massive connection is now real”. The first Internet generation has grown up and is eager to change everything. Baby boomers, like myself need to come to terms with reality. He says, “boomers” are getting older, our dreams are fading and that we’re starting to realize that were are not going to live forever. He warns that our frustration will be acted out in public. And then he reminds us that we all get to pick one of these two alternatives – but “being frustrated about change doesn’t count as doing both”.

I’m a baby boomer and my choice is to embrace change – but then again that has always been my “outlook” of choice. Maybe because I work hard at not letting my dreams fade away. Sometimes old dreams have changed into new ones – but I always have at least one dream on my horizon. Sure, sometimes I get frustrated when things get in the way of my dreams, but that frustration usually awakens an even more determined spirit inside of me.

Isn’t that what us baby boomers have been doing all of our lives? – turning our frustrations into effecting change? Just look at the last 40 years of boomers bringing about change – some good – some not so good. But we certainly can’t be accused of being an apathetic generation – choosing to stay static and follow the status quo.

I don’t equate being open to change, with age. I’ve met some pretty rigid people who are 30 years younger than I am. I think it comes down to choice of outlook and just knowing that most of us have the power to make that choice. For me, on this New Year’s Day, I choose embrace change – create change. I feel energized about the year ahead. Does that mean that I’m not acting my age? I think it just means that I’m being myself.

December 31, 2009December 31, 2009

Closing out 2009

I walk every morning and regardless of the weather I go outside even for a few minutes, to get my bearings in nature. Today’s there’s a soft snow falling and as I stepped outside I saw a herd of 8 deer passing quietly through the woods.

Most days I take this time to think about the upcoming day but this morning I started to think about the past year.

Like most people I talk to, I can’t say this year has been the greatest financially, but I managed and I’m grateful for all the opportunities I had. And rather than stress too much about the down time, I channeled my energy into creating new work and a new website. The redesign of the website consumed more time than anticipated but things like that usually do. And to some extent it continues to be a work in progress.

The Delta Blues Exhibit — The Delta Blues Project

2009 was very rewarding for me in terms of my personal projects. My Delta Blues Project, which opened in 2008 at the Fullerton Museum, in California, was shown locally. Finally my friends and neighbors, who have heard me talk about my work over the years, could now come and see it on exhibition. Freedom’s Ride, a documentary about two diverse group of high school students who traveled from New Jersey to Alabama, retracing the Civil Rights movement, aired on various PBS stations and continues to be shown at educational venues.

I started writing – for myself and on commission. I have discovered that I love to write. I never would have expected that because I’ve always struggled with words and usually defaulted to communicating visually. But it’s the things that I struggle with that seem to give me the most rewards.

Locally in my town of 5000 people. I have become part of a small grass roots group called TAG. We are a non-partisan group that seeks transparency and accountability in our local government. My husband and I trained a small army of volunteers on how to operate a video camera so that they can shoot town meetings. Since May, our town meetings have been televised on our local public access station, MendhamTV. What a difference that has made as far as how the citizens of my town have become more involved in their community. I’m really proud of being a part of that.

It’s been a year of change and growth. Now on to 2010. Tomorrow is the start of a new year and along with that new hopes and dreams. But it’s really just another day – a day we can shape any way we want to.