Wow!

So if the first full week of 2009 is any indication of how things are going to be going this year, well lets just say "I'M GOING TO LOVE 2009!"

In the last five days everything has sort of just fallen into place. I've had multiple requests for photography sessions from a number of people ranging in everything from portraits of kids and small families, to actor headshots and commercial web portfolios and even large family gatherings.

All of this through a lifetime of connections, this blog and marketing my skills on Facebook. Strange how the Facebook revolution has taken off. Would never have expected it to be this powerful of a promotional tool, but it's proving itself extremely useful.

Earlier this week I was also able to finally gain access to my photokat.ca site and in any spare time, and time that should be used for other things, I've been working at sprucing it up efficiently. Creating links to other people with startup businesses that have supported me and I in turn them, reworking which photos I want to have highlighted on my site, what I want to say on my site, design etc.

I'm now really glad that I spent a portion of last weekend getting my portfolio together, it is making it much easier this week to just drag and drop specific photos onto my site and as it turns out, it looks like I'll have a need to show my portfolio to people soon.

So what I'm discovering is not only am I starting to do my goal of shooting professionally, so far, I seem to be succeeding at it. So far... I'm super excited about this, and of course at the same time, really nervous (but in a good way) about all of this.

At this point that's all I can really say, or care to share, but it makes for a really exciting and amazing time in my life.

More soon...

Unveiling the Plan!

So for the last few weeks I've been hinting at a special project that I'm going to be working on, and well today is the day to unleash those plans on an unsuspecting world.

First, the reasoning.

Today is my 27th birthday. I'm now three years away from my goal of being a profitable photographer and for the last month I've been trying to figure out how I can improve both my portfolio and my skills. The barrier to this being a lack of actual commissioned work.

I've been doing a lot of running around shooting things as they happen in the community taking the photojournalist route of learning this craft, but it's time for me to work on my studio work. That's a little scary to state, but having tried a bunch of different things out this year, and having conversations with fellow photographers, I've come to the conclusion that: 1.) Wedding photography is not for me 2.) I don't want to be locked into a pure portrait based business either 3.) Although I love the concept of photojournalism and becoming this transient being that roams the world shooting in the face of danger...that's not me...I love some stability. 4.) Commercial photography (what you see in magazines etc) is really where I want to do my work...whether that's in fashion or commercial portraiture... ideally I want to shoot people, but I want to see my pictures in Vogue, in the fashion spreads of Vanity Fair...you know...that sort of work.

So working backwards from my goal...how do I work to achieve that.... Many people do a photo a day project where they work hard to take and post a picture each and every day for a year. Yeah I tried that in the spring...didn't go so well.... Okay so there needed to be both a timeline and something that would allow me to not get caught up in the intense daily process.

Okay okay...so the plan....

Starting today and ending in 2009 on this day I'm going to do a photoshoot a month for FREE...haha NOW you see it all coming together don't you. The ideas can be suggested by people, I welcome volunteers to be my subjects, but for the most part the shoots will be my doing from concept, sourcing, planning, execution to completion and posting to this blog, my flickr account and my website that I'm working on building.

So here are the rules I'm setting out for myself:

1. One shoot a month.
2. Shoot must involve a lighting setup of some kind.
3. Shoot must be FREE and for the building of my portfolio.
4. Shoots must involve people...not necessarily "models" but
5. I must still shoot for myself a minimum of once a week.
6. I must share my successes, failures and photos with you.

There you have it! Feel free to suggest ideas for shoot themes, volunteer yourself to be in the shoot, suggest locations for shoots to happen!! Really I'm open to any possibilities that this project may present.

Next year at this time I hope to have 12 amazing shoots to look back on and yes, the project starts tomorrow. I have a shoot at 5:30 tomorrow night that is mine all mine.. I'll share pictures when they're ready!

More soon...

Shooting for FREE

Okay, so this is a double edged topic for most photographers. Trying to balance out the idea of making money for shooting pictures and also getting the opportunity to shoot pictures in the first place by not charging money for it.

Really this comes up today because of a post on David Hobby's Strobist site. Have a read, and this post might make more sense.

For the last while I've done a lot of pondering about this interesting dichotomy and had been reading some things that helped me form my opinion....

So, here is what I think of it.

YES, it's perfectly acceptable to shoot for free. I would say this even if was pulling down major bucks to shoot on a full-time basis.

The reasons? You ask?

1. I refuse to shoot anything at a discounted rate. The rate I would charge someone for a shoot is the rate that is required for me to meet my basic costs, pay for my skills and training, the maintenance of my gear, storage of final files etc. Discounting my rate hurts me, devalues my work and devalues the industry as a whole. If I'm not going to shoot it at full value then I'll shoot it for FREE. But...

2. Shooting for FREE happens when one of two requirements is met: a.) I've created the project from scratch, b.) I feel the proposed project would otherwise not happen because the person/group is unable to pay for it and that project is worthwhile/will have added benefits down the road.

3. I'm in the process of building my portfolio and shooting what I want for that portfolio means having to come up with the ideas myself = doing it for FREE.

4. Doing things for FREE gives me opportunities that I might not otherwise get if I were to charge people for them.

5. The possibilities that can come out of me setting aside some personal time to shoot projects for FREE are endless.

All of this comes up at a very opportune moment. It makes me really happy to see that my thinking is in line with a lot of photography's heavy hitters and I feel like my plan (yes, still being vague) is right on the money.

More soon...

Scared

Today it's become painfully obvious to me. I enjoy the taking, processing, planning, creating pictures thing way too much.

My heart is just not where I thought it was, and I think most people know that now. I know there are two places where my heart does lie...but to make that change scares me pantless.

So thought I'd share a note I sent a friend:

"I'm scared that three things are becoming painfully obvious to a lot of people:
1. My heart just isn't in this magazine thing any more.
2. I'm too distracted by photography related things.
3. I need to sell my place.

What's scarier is that if I do all of the above ...
1. How do I make my income
2. I like the lifestyle i can sorta afford right now.
3. I want to cry

So there yah have it ... a really honest glimpse at my life right now. To make matters worse I have a parent that's encouraging me to setup a studio in the family business offices and I'm not sure who in the family I can really talk to about all this. I work for them and I don't want upset/disappoint them.

It's tough.

More soon...

Interesting You Say??

Yes, very interesting weekend.

There was the Ten Thousand Villages Christmas Festival all weekend at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto (shame on you for not going! I don't care what your excuse is!)

Okay, well unless that is your dad played with the puppy and is now suffering from injuries mostly seen in young pro-athletes. Ha ha...poor dad.

Spent the majority of today sitting with dad in the hospital getting his leg looked at and wrapped up in a temporary cast. We went for the traditional crap I hurt my leg celebratory meal.. McDonalds drive through. This time however it was not marked with the hilarious statement "Oh, sorry for keeping you waiting!" uh...but I'm off my point and that's a story for another time.

So volunteering for stuff can be extremely tiring. You're up early, you put in a lot of effort, and you do the "happy networking face" even though you're dead tired for a few days solid, and is often the end result of using said "happy networking face" you get some "happy networking face results".

This is what I'm trying to get at. Had a lot of AMAZING conversations with people this weekend about my passions: language, writing, publishing and PHOTOGRAPHY!

Some interesting opportunities have presented themselves in the publishing area...although this one I'm a little hesitant to go for...it's politicky, and maybe not the politicky that I'm okay with. But we'll see.

The photography opportunities are really really exciting though! A friend of a friend would like me to shoot some pics for their body building portfolio...OOhhhh so cool! Earlier this year, this guy won either first or second place at a competition my photographer friend was shooting one of his friends at...weird hey? Regardless, the ideas are percolating through this messy brain of mine. Potential shoot date of next weekish sometime.

The second photography opportunity is with a girl/young woman that attends the youth group I've been heavily involved with for the past five years. She goes to an arts high school and loves photography herself and had mentioned to me how fun it would be to do some shooting with me. So on Friday night when I saw her we sat down and had a quick chat about my ideas for doing a shoot real soon at my new offices.

SHE LOVED IT! So either next week, or another time real soon, she's going to come over after work and we're going to play! Can't wait!!

I also can't wait to share the results with all of you!!

More soon...

Planning

It's amazing how much this area of "creativity" is actually about planning.

Planning what equipment to purchase, and where to purchase it from;
Planning your next photoshoot and the ideas behind it;
Planning how you're going to setup your new studio (and what shade of white to paint it);
Planning how many metal CD containers you're going to need to send your DVDs to people in;
Planning how you're going to make money in this mad mad mad world of photography;
Planning how your going to achieve a photographic look and style that's different and unique from all the others....

It just never seems to end!

One thing is for certain in all of this planning...there are some calculated financial risks that need to be made, and there are some strategic risks.

I've been a lucky duck lately and stumbled on some gently used photo gear: umbrella, flash stand, modelling light, felt backdrops....But I'm at a crossroads right now. I want bigger lights. Don't get me wrong, small lights are great, but I want the octabanks, the strip lights, the grids. I want to light something with 9 big lights in a massive warehouse. Sighhh...I don't gots the money for 9 big lights in a massive warehouse.

So, the calculated financial risk stems from this. I swore up and down, left and right that after I purchased my fitty 1.8 I would only buy more camera gear from the profits of any photo sales that I made. Yeah...I'm starting to think that I may have to purchase an Elinchrom kit that I've been eyeing lately. Oh, and did I mention the backdrop stands I've been eyeing? And now that I mention it....the 85 1.8 would make a perfect indoor portrait lens...am I right?

See? It's never ending. Either I need to start setting up more photo shoots with people I know, go out of pockets for models, or start selling something somehow. If I work with what I've got, is it really what I want to achieve? Is it really my photographic vision?

Not sure yet.

More soon...