A Potpourri of Photography and Art Goodness
Lot's of stuff that has caught my eye this week.
Welcome to a beautiful Sunday morning in Arizona. I am sitting on the patio listening to the rooster crowing contest all around me. First place goes to the one on the other side of the road to the right. I’m thinking this guy has a couple of Marshall towers on eleven.
My tea of the morning, as it is most mornings, is The Good Earth brand original. I first discovered this tea at a small diner in Pacific Beach interestingly named, “The Good Earth”. A long time ago.
Restaurant is gone, the tea prevails.
I follow a few bloggers and YouTube channels with regularity. I’m always on the lookout for others to follow. Good information is actually more difficult to find on the web than we may think.
As I flow into a new space and a few new ways of working, I am filled with both excitement, and a ton of stuff to talk about regarding photography, art, and occasionally music.
One of the blogs I follow regularly is “The Marginalian”, by Maria Popova. It is an eclectic look at all things aesthetic. If you like art in its various and sundry forms, you may want to check out her blog.
In response to the article above, I wrote this today:
Note the intricate beauty of these illustrations.
The incredible detail we see is enhanced by the knowledge that they were created by an artist. A person, not unlike ourselves, who has committed a huge portion of their life to the ability to move us with a little dab of ink at the end of a brush.
We marvel at the work in front of us knowing the struggles of the artist, or at least imagining them. We cannot separate the laborious craftsmanship from the spectacular beauty we feast on before us.
This.
This is why art will endure.
Because artists will endure, no matter how many attempts to cheapen their work is thrown before them.
One of the things about YouTube is that it is hard to find authentic voices with authentic experience in the photography business.
There is a lot of air between professional photographers and “YouTube Stars”. Most of the time, there is too much air, but occasionally I run across photographers who have actually done it, sweated it out, and speak truthfully without worrying about their ‘algorithms’.
Dan Milnor is one of these rare individuals, and I never miss an episode.
This is his latest frank discussion on real-world photography.
Watch. Subscribe. You won’t be disappointed.
Another blog I never miss is Wesley Verhoeve’s “Process” right here on Substack. Wesley publishes once a week, and his missives are informative, authentic, and full of real-world information any artist can use to gain advantage. The photographs are cool as well.
I purchased his book, “Notice”, back during the pandemic, and it is one I go to often to be inspired by lovely photography.
If you like landscape and environmental photography, you should check out Ben Horne’s YT as well.
Ben is a large-format film shooter who creates wonderful videos to accompany his trips through the deserts of Utah and Arizona.
He doesn’t post often, but when he does, it is a glimpse into the mind and work of a true artist.
From his recent trip to Zion:
Who Are Your Clients?
One of the first things I ask a photographer who is starting out, especially if they are struggling, is; “Who are your clients”?
I ask them to tell me who they are marketing to, and why.
More often than not, I am met with blank stares or vague mentions of FB or IG followers.
I cannot express this any more forcefully: Professional photography is a business. A real business, not a hobby, or occasional cool thing to do when there isn’t a game on. It is a business, and as such, it must be treated like one.
Whether you are working to create a full-time visual business or want to use photography as a lucrative side gig, there are certain things you must know.
And first is knowing who in this great, wide world would consider hiring you to do what you do. We call this essential knowledge.
Too many photographers walk into this business from the fun side and think that because they make photographs, other people will know to hire them for photographs when they need photographs.
Nope, that ain’t how it works.
Nobody gives a damn that you are a photographer. It is not as special as you think.
It’s a craft, an artful craft, that many people have access to.
One of your prime directives, other than non-interference in alien life, is to understand who would want your photographs and how you can reach them to let them know you exist.
Instagram ain’t gonna do it.
Facebook ain’t gonna do it.
Behance ain’t gonna do it.
This requires research, input, adjustment, and a clear - well, as clear as anything can be these days - roadmap of where you want to be.
I used to teach a class in finding out this information, creating your roadmap, and developing a system to finding, getting, and keeping clients. It was an 8-week class.
I have now developed it as a 5 day class… in a row.
Within 5 days, we go from not knowing who would hire us to having names, phone numbers, addresses, and more on our list.
Empowering as hell.
We start on a Thursday, and by next Tuesday you know who your markets are, how to reach them, what particular quirks they have, and how to bid and bill them.
And we get nitty-gritty, kids.
We get names.
We build emails.
We develop a campaign.
In other words, we give you a system to use to find, get, and keep clients.
Look, this isn’t magic, and there are no ‘never before revealed secrets’ to finally be revealed, just a methodical and time-tested approach to making this stuff happen.
We start November 9 for 5 days (taking Sunday off) - 5 days of live instruction, some homework to do before the next day, workbooks and worksheets, and Q&A.
The meetings are recorded and available for you to return to.
FOR THE FULL SCOOP, SEE THIS PAGE.
IMPORTANT FOR THE READERS OF IN THE FRAME:
I have included a coupon to save $50 off the Extended Class price. You will see the link on the home page. Use this code to get to the enrollment page and save $50.
SUPER DOUBLE SECRET CODE FOR IN THE FRAME AND P52 ALUMNI: Win2024
I will be spending this afternoon arranging my new shared office (my daughter is my mate for the time being) and trying to figure out how to keep my motorcycle clean. I fear the first will be much easier than the second.
Have a super awesome Sunday, folks.
See you very soon.