Short Hiatus to the High Country, a Slippery Slope, and RIP 24-120.

Just a quick set of things that are happening this week. A week of rest?

Hoodoos, sunlight, and a clearing snow storm, Bryce Canyon, February 21, 2024. All photos by the author.

I am on a much-needed hiatus and deeply involved in creating some new stuff I believe in so I can share it with the people I believe in.

Spending time in the snow, a lot of snow, is different from my usual desert digs, so I am having a ton-o-fun watching it fall from the sky, pile on top of the car, and create black ice that is impossible to see.

I saw some of that black ice close up this morning when I was laying there on my side, unable to get any traction to stand back up again.

I can tell you three things about black ice;

1. It is very, very, I mean very slippery.

2. It is sometimes hidden beneath freshly fallen snow.

3. It is hard. Very hard. Damned hard.

My wife and I were discussing being careful as we crossed the parking lot at Ruby’s Inn, Bryce Canyon. “Don’t fall”, she said just before going down fast. I turned around and went down hard on my ass.

Fast.

Verticle to horizontal in .05 seconds.

Flat.

On my back.

I could not stand up, the ice was so slippery that I could not get traction. My wife had already found a patch of snow and was up, wanting to try to help me.

Something I adamantly dismissed, as I didn’t want her to fall again trying to help me.

I began slithering toward the snow with great effort, and probably would have made a viral video moment to share on those “stupid people” compilations.

A gentleman who works there came and helped me up.

“Are you OK,” he asked.

“Yep, thank you,” I lied.

My butt hurts, my knee hurts, my ego is bruised.

Did I mention my ass hurts… a lot.

Well, I am getting better this evening, sitting here drinking some hot tea with honey while it snows lightly outside.

The weather changes tomorrow.

No snow, just clouds and sky.

And that is going to be fine with me. I love clouds, and the snow will remain on the Hoodoos, and Escalante, where I am heading tomorrow after the black ice melts.

---

Update on new casita.

Getting away from the temporary living spaces in the desert was so needed. The builder is getting ready to put in the slab, and we are busy looking at several different configurations.

The home will be a Santa Fe with a porch and detached garage. The garage not being part of the house means more windows… and bringing the world into our living space is hugely important for us.

---

A short list.

I saw a Facebook post asking what advice someone in the business would have for someone starting out.

Here is my quick, short, and to-the-point list:

1. Choose the people you hang out with very carefully. Whiners and downers will eventually bring you down to their level.

2. The way you do one thing is the way you do everything. Do it well.

3. Fail. Early and often. Without failure, there is no success.

4. Ignore critics; seek mentors.

5. Quantity over quality. The more you make, the better you become.

6. Find these three people:

   One who is behind you: teach them.

   One who is even with you: corroborate with them.

   One who is better than you: learn from them.

7. Don’t follow trends; start them.

8. Embrace your reason. And know that it may not be what you do, but why you do it.

9. Let business excite you. You are in business; know that and live it.

10. Share your gifts at every opportunity. Be a mentor, a promoter, and a friend.

Print it out, keep it close. Use it when you need to be reminded.

---

The End of an Era?

Well, it was a hell of a streak.

But it came to an end this afternoon on the top of a gorgeous mountain in the snow.

I have had a lens roll out of my car onto the hard tarmac and not survive.

I once watched my brand new F3 head for the ground on a shoot for JC Penny, but a very efficient assistant caught it just before impact.

I have never dropped a camera with a lens... until yesterday.

It was caught in my hoodie, and it slipped to the ground with a mighty thud that just let you know that it was an extinction-level event.

It traversed the distance between my empty headed hoody - and the concrete below - with the lens pointing straight down.

The camera seems in good shape, but the lens is now a paperweight. And I am in need of a new 24-120 Nikon Zoom. I haven't the heart to check it out yet regarding the financial folly of my struggle with a hoody.

This is the last photo taken with my beautiful lens.

May it RIP.

Burned trees, Bryce Canyon.

---

The Photographic/Visual ‘Agency’

I believe it is time for photographers to begin to look toward the agency model and provide more services than photography for theri clients.

I am talking about turning a $4K product shoot into a $10K website and shoot gig. Adding a simple SEO option could add another $5K to the billing. This is not pie in the sky stuff. But it does require some skills that are outside the scope of being a photographer.

Not anymore. This is now becoming imperative.

You must widen your skillset.

To this end, I am putting together a web design sprint for early April. In the three day sprint, you will build a website using Wordpress and Divi, a framework for design. We will do it together, live, over 5 meetings.

We will be designing a template that will allow you to offer web design services to small businesses and have a lot of the heavy lifting completed.

We will do this with a live meeting on Friday evening, and live meetings Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning, and Sunday afternoon.

On Friday morning, you may not know diddly about building a website for a customer, but by Monday morning, you will be ready to give it a go.

And, have the planning tools and assets to make it much easier.

I am really serious.

The fee is $165.

If this sounds intriguing to you, let me know. I want to get a gauge of interest here.

I will be keeping this at about 10 students, so there is ample time to review and keep everyone on track.

(Note: Divi has a free 30-day trial, so if you are interested, you can get it installed and build the site with no out of pocket expense. Wait to do this until you hear from me, but it is a great deal.)

So that was my note from the road.

More coming while I am out here, I promise.

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.

The Creative Class: Expand your toolset and become a one-person visual agency capable of pulling in steady and repeated income. If you have questions, let me know, and I will answer them as fast as possible.