Well it finally sank in.. time to change.  I feel like I have squandered several  years of being ahead of the game.  Actually that is anything but true.  This point in my life and career was the perfect time to make the switch.  As of tthis moment in time the whole concept of specializing is really right in my head.. finally.  Consequently this leaves me very excited about the prospects and all the new horizons and challenges.  Considering that I have been severely burned out for at least the last 6 months… this whole thing is huge and invigorating!   So a big YAHOO from me is appropriate.

Funny how things happen.  I was listening to a free online marketing webinar that was directed at creative pursuits and the speaker made reference to the need to “Specialize” as the niche markets are really the most vibrant.  Again I rejected it as I  had already been down this path.. but within minutes I responded in my head with “YES”  GREAT IDEA!!  Pretty simple.. no discussion or anything.   Just a simple conviction that it was the right choice.  Crazy since I had pondered this forever.  Had several marketing meetings with the “people” of EmeraldLight… asked trusted clients their opinions and it always came back the same… stay the course

Just to add some concrete validation I went through all my invoicing records from the last 5 years.   Easy to say that  2/3rds of my income has come from architecture.  I have had a lot of success in this arena.. from features and covers in national magazines to outstanding multi-day projects in some really cool places.  Another bonus…  I am very comfortable with the subject.  One of the bellweathers that this might be the right direction to go is when I create photos for myself I gravitate toward subjects that are architecture related.  As much as I love people to photograph and have been very successful with it… I don’t generally photograph them for pleasure.  I think this points me to a “decision made”!  Pretty much a no-brainer if you go by the numbers and reality of the subject!  What in the world took me so long!  Consequently I guess being a Gemini… I am two people inside… twins if you will.  Hard to be anything but a multi-faceted photographer!

Of course now the hard part.  Creating the look of being a specialized photog.  Changing the website, updating the online ads that are floating around, getting the info out to my social media, etc., no small task!  In the beginning it seemed like such a huge undertaking.  But in reality.. it was not really all that tough.  I have already converted the website over.  Switched out several ongoing ads and my social media is in the process of being changed.  One last piece of  the puzzle is getting the info out to people and business that I am now focused on architecture!!  An email campaign will hopefully start next Monday and follow every 4-6 weeks along with a print mailing on an 8 week schedule.

Whew.. now I am worn out just rethinking this whole process.  Not really.  Just more convinced I made the right decision.. as tough as it seemed over the years!  So I am now in my eyes a “Top Architectural Photographer”!

http://www.fwo3.com/

I routinely attend a workshop a year if possible.  Consequently I have been to quite a few over the years.  Some excellent.. some so-so.  However.. this is the first time that I have ever been SO turned upside down photographically and dropped in an environment that was completely out of my element.  All my normal way of doing things was removed.  No lighting.. no autofocus.. no exposure.. no post-production.. no enhancement.. no composites.. no nothing.  Simply shooting from the gut or the heart.. my choice.  I have been in this business a really long time.. and the experience was truly beyond humbling.

First day we were put in a completely dark huge studio with an open door at each end.. steaming in a little daylight.  The directive was to stay in the middle of the studio and make photographs of each other with a silver/gold foam core reflector that Frank provided for each of us.  You could hardly see.. let alone make a photograph.  This process sent me into a serious tailspin.. I believe along with everyone else.. very hard to imagine anyone escaped the feeling.   Consequently this day was a disaster from inside my head…  along with my dreadful photographic output.  I thought maybe the solution to the problem was the next bus home.. but no one bowed out..  not to stick out like a sore thumb as I slinked out the door with my tail between my legs.. I decided to persevere.

Steadily and starting the process of  building from the bottom up.. we.. the participants all make progress over first of the week.  Small bits at a time for me! By Wednesday we had made enough progress that it was time for a real test.  We traveled south to the vacant “old” New Mexico State Prison.  Might not sound interesting.. but a major riot in 1980 turned it into a partially burned out hulk with a lot of great textures.. spaces and perspectives.  We would be shooting with a variety of professional models which would make this a little more real world.. instead of the boring process of photographing each other.  However the directive from Frank Ockenfels 3 makes the “gig” a tad more interesting.. “I don’t want to see anything that looks like it was shot in a prison”.  What you say?  Tough of course.. but doable.. certainly.  For our tools..  we were allowed a flashlight or two.. plus any lighting gadget we could buy at Home depot.. last but not least the silver/gold foam core reflector.. the present from Mr. Ockenfels.  Once again.. NO photographic lighting tools that are the mainstay of my work… yikes!

On Friday night all the workshops presented their photographic week to each other during a nice big dinner at a beautiful downtown Santa Fe hotel.  Lots of great and amazing stuff from the other groups.. but I have to say what was pulled off in our workshop group was short of amazing.. even if I say so myself.  I sort of had the feeling that everyone was “getting it” (as Frank would say) during the week.. but until you see all the students photographic output married together in one show.. you really can’t imagine that the level of output could have been so high.

The web link to the presentation follows at the bottom of the page.  The media show that Frank put together for Friday night is comprised of each participants handful of best photos. The opening is Frank himself with our studio manager, Sara and her assistant, Taylor providing unique appearances.   What appears to be a short flick.. is really stills shot in rapid succession on a DSLR and strung together into a movie piece.

I truly hope that you have a look as it is definitely inspiring (from my view) as to what can be accomplished in the right learning environment.  Not saying I am special.. just that I turned myself inside out and learned a whole new way to look at a subject.

See..  you really can teach an “ancient dog” new tricks!!  I would love to hear any comments. Meanwhile… here is the link.

http://santafeworkshops.com/FridayShow/82k_u56.html

Someday plan on attending the Santa Fe Workshops for at least ONE go-round.  It will be the best money you have ever spent on yourself and the improvement of your personal photography.

Santa Fe Digital Darkroom – Photographic Workshops

August was full with two separate 1 week trips to shoot in California and then a weekend shoot in Ohio – the weeks in between filled up with post-production of those shoots.  In September we had several local shoots plus a packed 8 day shoot in Park City, Utah at a conference!  William attempted to take some time off on the way back from Utah to explore but that didn’t last long.   It was back to shooting for two straight weeks a couple days after getting back from Utah.  Last  week we made a trip to Portland for a cover shoot with This Old House – it’s so fun to get to explore neat, old homes and see how their homeowners or the hired remodelers have kept the old features and incorporated them into new designs!

This week it’s back to catching up on all the things that get pushed aside when a shoot takes precedent – like updating our website!!   This week we’ve added a new portfolio of some of William’s photographic work in Shanghai, China this past year.  Also, we have added more of our specialty projects to the “Special Folks” library under the “Faces” tab.  Check out some of our work for various organizations and businesses like the American Red Cross and Pittman & Brooks, a CPA firm in Portland.  As always, we would love your feedback on the updates!

Ah, Monday – a great day to begin “BLOG-DOM”, according to Beth…

I was remembering a recent conversation I had with someone who means the world to me, someone I love even more than Crème Brule. It was one of those serious but non-threatening conversations where you don’t have to think about your words but are free to say exactly what you’re feeling. It was one of those I refer to as a “reconnect” conversation.

One of the big reminders (for lack of a better word) that I took away from that chat was that regardless what changes have taken place on the outside each of us are exactly the same person on the inside that we were 10 years ago. The same fears, uncertainties, dreams, desires, hot buttons and warm fuzzies.

In my opinion, that’s what photographs give us, any photograph really. A slice of the past – recent or distant – a place, a person, an emotion, a connection, yes Elizabeth, a pearl.

A wedding photograph is like a pearl. Wedding portraits may not accumulate monetary value over the years but their sentimental and aesthetic value is brought to life, especially as the human lives captured within them enter into old age. This field of photography captures a moment in time defining a beautiful change in two individual’s lives. While the pictorial memories in one’s mind of that special day are brilliant, photographs of those memories are things that can be passed from one generation to the next in a way that memories cannot be. They allow for little Anna to see the youthful beauty of Great Grandma or for Jacob to see the father he never knew that passed away soon after his birth. I began to ponder this as we photographed a wedding this past weekend. Whether or not it’s a wedding, a birthday, or just a quick trip to the coast – a memory in the form of a photograph is a bit of life that can transcend time. What a great treasure it is to be able to put a face to my 5^th generation Grandmother after reading the handwritten letters describing her journey across the Oregon Trail! Photographs are not to be taken lightly in terms of sentimental value. Whether or not you consider yourself a professional or an amateur I encourage you to take your camera with you wherever you go and capture those moments most dear to your heart. That way someday, years from now, defining bits of your life and cherished memories can be shared in a way that most anyone can relate to.

Back in November of ’08 I had something fall into my lap that I truly had to follow through on.   I was given a business card by one of our client’s business managers.  Apparently he had been to a luncheon and had a brief conversation with the Public Affairs person from the local chapter of the Red Cross.   He had expressed to the Red Cross individual that he knew a photographer who might be able to help them with telling their story.  Upon receipt of the card it did not take me long to make the decision to at least make the call.  Within a week.. Elizabeth my assistant and I.. had a meeting with the local chapter and the result of that meeting was very positive.  I signed up to do what I could in creating imagery that would go hand in hand with their programs.  In the hopes I could assist in bringing them more community involvement and also provide recognition for their unsung volunteers.  As a bonus my assistant.. Elizabeth made the decision to go with the whole enchilada and donate her time as well.

That was November of ’08 and it is now darn near the first of July.  We are having a blast and at the same we believe we are doing our part to contribute to a wonderful organization and cause.  Since day one we have produced several great projects all involving wonderful people.  Our first opportunity put us in the position of photographing a gentleman that has 61 years of volunteering with the Red Cross.. simply amazing.  Next up we produced a one day photo shoot that involved capturing a very good cross section of the people that volunteer their time on a regular basis.  Currently we are working on photographs of individuals that have gone way beyond their normal everyday lives and duties and significantly contributed to the well being of another human being at a time of extreme need.   Now we are meeting a whole new group of people that are not necessarily volunteers of the Red Cross.. but have contributed unselfishly to help resolve a bad situation.  Pretty moving stuff.

This is silly, but it would be great if I could somehow manage to transcend time.. then have the “transporter” drop me back into my space.. only a few years back.  Of course I am only interested in returning with the full knowledge of what the Red Cross stands for and how it works.   It feels like I have lost a few years of helping out in some way and would love to regain them.  But since that is not possible I have to give it full throttle from here on out and contribute as much as I can. Since the Red Cross is not funded by the government, only “John Q Public” and the donations that they make.. whether that come in the form of a dollar here or twenty there. Maybe even a thoughtful company might get involved.  Then of course there are those that provide the manpower to make things happen at the time of need.  The drivers who shuttle blood in the middle of the night during a blizzard.. the army of cooks and bottle washers who feed thousands at a disaster.  How about the folks who teach CPR to school kids.. that they may save another kid’s life when he goes under at the public pool.   The list goes on.   Then here we are.. EmeraldLight.. trying to show in a photograph what these people give of themselves.. pretty difficult to do.. showing their heart and soul is beyond monumental and I can only hope to show you a glimpse in the photograph.