In The Frame: A Potpourri and Round Up All In One! Insane, Right!
Happy Sunday to y'all.
Hi, and welcome to my little Substack corner. I write about photography, art, design, and the craft of living creatively. I am glad you are here. Consider subscribing to keep up with what I am doing. I promise not to bore you. If you would like to support my efforts, that would be amazing and so appreciated. Either way, I am super happy you are here.
It has been a fast week for me.
I love fast weeks, and yet… time is so short, and it seems like only yesterday I was writing the Sunday post.
I thought I would take a moment this week and talk about a couple of things that I find interesting and creative.
First up:
Get Wesley Verhoeve’s new workbook and save a buck today. You should consider following his wonderful weekly posts.
Next up, the new Photoshop release, with a few new tools that I like.
The adjustment brush is, at first, mildly interesting… but I think the more we work with it, the more it will become a staple.
I really like the ability to save a layer as an asset in whatever format we want. If you have a layer that you want to use again, you can save that as an asset in a separate folder - and save it as a jpeg, ping, PSD, Tiff… whatever makes sense to you.
This guy explains it all:
One of my favorite quotes by a photographer:
Think about that the next time you head out.
This is a terrific article on the ways we can all prepare ourselves for the next decade and longer.
Where the creative industry is heading, and how to survive the next 15 years
An excerpt:
Changing jobs roles
As the expectations for creatives expand beyond traditional boundaries, so will the traditional career paths and specialisms forged in the world of the 20th century.
As graphic designer Aaron Miller points out: "Creative roles are changing; gone are the days of a designer just being an expert in their field. The expectations and job descriptions are asking for more and more, now spanning design, development, animation and ideas. Roles have evolved, and in turn, we are evolving too. More rounded careers, more asking why, more being playful, more celebrating failure, and collective ownership."
This expansion of skills can take many forms, such as:
Designers learning basic coding or UX principles
Writers exploring data visualization or graphic design
Illustrators venturing into animation or 3D modeling
All creatives developing basic business and marketing skills
While it's important to develop a breadth of skills, you should also be mindful of maintaining depth in your core areas of expertise. Be versatile while still offering specialized value.
This is the link. Read this today.
I have been raving about this for two years. Photographers MUST add to their skill set and become more valued to the small business clients that are exploding all over the world. Small businesses are now where the action is, and while agencies still command a lot of respect, small brands are busting out.
This year’s Project 52 Pro System is taking this seriously, and the response has been terrific. Adding basic design and writing skills to a photographer’s arsenal can keep clients happy, and your business thriving and sustainable.
Photographic roles are evolving; it's no longer just about mastering the camera. Nowadays, job descriptions demand more, encompassing photography, editing, storytelling, and even social media skills.
Our roles have grown, and so have we. We're now looking at more holistic careers, asking more questions, playing more with our craft, embracing failures, and sharing successes collectively.
This broadening of skills can take many forms, such as:
Photographers learning basic video editing or motion graphics
Portrait photographers exploring lifestyle and storytelling
Nature photographers venturing into urban landscapes or architecture
All photographers must develop a stronger sense of marketing
Learn more about design and the web
In Project 52, we are focusing on building the skills of commercial photography, developing a client list, and adding skills to your offering that can create a steady and sustainable income.
A few photos from a book I am archiving:
I think making a book is the most fun way of showing photos. I am not one for large prints, and I love the way images can tell stories just from their juxtaposition with another photo.
Here are a few books you can download if you would like.
The Collective One and Two:
The Collective 2024
This is our newest Collective. Printed 11x17 Tabloid, this sucker is huge. And beautiful. The images are all by Project 52 photographers and the range and quality of work is amazing. Enjoy.
Our 24 Frames In May Galleries are up. A wonderful collection of analog work by some of the P52 alumni and friends. Take a look if you like analog - and even if you don’t.
When you are ready, here is how I can help you succeed.
Group Mentorship: a small group of photographers who meet to show images, work on their portfolio, and build their businesses with help from a wonderful group. Lifetime membership for one fee.
One-on-one Mentorship: You and me - working together in an intense 6-month push to get you on the way to over $30K in additional revenue. The work we lay down will help you increase and scale your business for years ahead.
And the brand new P52 one-year masterclass.
This is a very unique program. We will explore composition, color, lighting, preparing for a professional shoot, business best practices, and ancillary skills sure to make your business offering stronger. By focusing on real-world assignments and tying them into real-world clients, you build your portfolio, your business, and your future while taking the time you need for the transition with a gradual approach.
The entire year is less money than a two-hour consultation with a business coach, but it will take you farther than 4 years of schooling and apprenticing. The plan is for you to make all of the enrollment fee back in the first three months, then gradually build until you have the momentum to keep on working.
We do it with one real world assignment per week, which is then reviewed in a live meeting via Zoom. These meetings are recorded, so you can come back again and again to review your critique and get the answers you need.
This will be a small class of about 10 students.
If you need to break the payments out into three installments, just let me know.
Find out more here: Project 52 Pro System.
You will be glad you did.
THAT PHOTOSHOP GUY'S NAME, FIRST name, is Unmesh. Fascinating name. He offers a lot of good instruction! Nothing wrong with sitting in on a class every now and then.
So kind of you, thank you for the shout out!