So, onto the topic at hand. Family is one of the strongest things you can have in your life. For those who have disowned, divorced, or lost your family members, I give you my deepest sympathy. Sitting in the dining room as I type away. Listening to my mom, sister, aunt, and cousin playing Sequence (if you’ve never heard of the game google it) and enjoying the company. Its funny because being around a lot of people normally makes my anxiety shoot through the roof, but this is a honest good time. We’ve all had one too many and its made the evening all the better. All disputes that came to the house have now dissolved like the sugar in my coffee. The house is warm and full of laughter and love. The hours tick away and feel more like seconds in the end. We’ll all go to bed with fully bellies and sweet dreams.

Its funny how the holidays bring everyone together. Peace on Earth and good will towards men. We’re all sitting around the card table singing Candy Man to my laptop. Texting and calling friends to wish them a happy holiday and to check up on them. I would like to put it out there that maybe we should do this all the time. Why wait for a holiday?? Call your friends, call your family, call your senator, call your teachers, hell call the president! Say hi, check on them and see how life is. Love is an important aspect that many people take for granted and I’m going to try my darndest for stop the rutt.

So heres a call to arms! The World is in a depressing state and all we have is eachother. Lets set aside our petty differences and come together. If 2012 is really the end, I know I’m not going down alone. I’ll have my family and friends beside me.

Truth is staying on top of you technology is a requirement for success now. Looking around for jobs I noticed a lot of companies have requirements for certain computer programs. It used to be just “Windows knowledge required and Mac would be nice”, but now I see Vista and OSX demand going up. Being rather computer savvy myself I have taken the time to learn Vista, OSX, and have even had a chance to play with Linux. In the photography world I know I would need to have Adobe CS4 under my belt but an understanding of Nikko and Photomatrix are slowly seeping their way into the ever growing requirement bin.

I subscribe to a magazine to keep me on top of the newest cameras coming out, their signature features, and prices. The new style of editing and what the newest posting site is. Research is crucial when keeping up with Jones’. It may seem like a spend 99% of my time on the internet, but take a look at what I’m really doing… I’m going to websites that promote, I’m working on photo editing betas, and I’m going through tweets to get the links to whats hot and whats not. Why am I doing this you ask?? The answer is simple, if I’m going to be the best at what I do, I’m going to have to stay ahead of everyone else.

A 15 year old was caught planning an attack on his high school set for April 20th. For those of you with a lagging memory that is the anniversary of Colombine. Police found gas, stuff to make bombs, and a black trench coat. I think minor league homicidal maniacs really need to update their wardrobe. I’m pretty sure he could have gotten away with it if he didn’t have the coat. Lets say they found all those items but then they found a frat boy looking kid in his pressed khakis and pink polo with a popped collar. Case would have been thrown out the window. I hate to sound racist, but you know it was a crazy white kid. One thing I’m never scared of is being part of a massacre done by a black person. Its just not going to happen. If I fear being mugged, yes my mind would resort to it probably being some black gang member, but we need to realize that crazy white people are so much more dangerous. Hell hath no fury like a crazy white guy.

Don’t taze me bro! Police are now using 50,000 volt tazers to bring down criminals. I’m pretty sure I could go down after a thousand volts, but whatever, the police know best. I suppose the best way to have this happen is to be having a heart attack right before the tazer. I get tazed and jumpstarted at the same time. Health officials have advised police to not taze people in the chest. It could cause “adverse heart events”….in other words you’re probably going to die. Maybe I’ll just avoid crime. Robbing a liquor store could result in the instant death penalty.

One last random thought before I enjoy some coffee and breakfast. H1N1 Vaccines are getting ready to ship out mid November. Is it just me or does this sound like the beginning of some zombie horror flick. Isn’t this the same way I Am Legend started? People get a vaccine thinking it will help them and then BOOM….zombies. I’ll be out buying my sawed of shotgun with extra hollow points and a 9mm today to keep alive when the zombies attack. You can never be too careful when it comes to a zombie apocolypse.

These are from my trip to NYC. Enjoy!

The other day I saw the movie Almost Famous for the first time. I know, I live in a hole, but to my credit I HAVE seen Zombie Land and its amazing. My friend the Recruiter Poet (http://recruiterpoet.wordpress.com/) and myself saw this movie and I have to admit that it did change the way I was going to start looking at my life. In the movie a young man goes after his dreams and after wading through all the BS a band can throw at him he ends up learning a life lesson and gets the cover of the Rolling Stone. Everybody wins in the end.

So what if I take that same concept and apply it to my own life? Take the risk of giving up my current job and going after my own dreams. Its a very liberating experience. I did come out of it saving a lot of face and heard something that really meant a lot to me. “There are people here, that are just here. They have dreams, but are too afraid to go after them. It takes a strong person to do what you’re doing….and I’ll give you credit for that.” By far the best quote I’ve heard in a while. What makes it better is that the strong person in reference is myself. The whole situation reminds me of a line from the song You Might Die Trying by DMB, “To change the world, it starts with one step. How ever small, the first step is hardest of all”.

So this is a shout to all the people in the World who are living a life where they are afraid of their dreams. The best part of life is the chase. Whether its for a career change, a change of heart, or maybe you just need to step back and re-evaluate your choices, you need to take the time to go after it. You never want to look back and wonder “what if?”

Further Information
Deutsche Version Camera Lenses
Carl Zeiss AG OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 14.09.2009.
Whether shooting the elegant lines of the Eiffel Tower or the vast expanses of the Grand Canyon, both situations require a lens field wide enough to reveal the unique and full dimensions of each image. With the new Distagon T* 3,5/18 from Carl Zeiss, EOS camera users now have an ultra-wide-angle lens at their disposal while benefiting from all the other optical qualities that ZEISS lenses are well-known for. The lens’s extremely wide 99°-angle view is suitable especially for full-frame sensor cameras, delivering an array of new creative possibilities. From landscape and architecture photography to advertising images, cameras equipped with the new Carl Zeiss wide-angle lens meticulously capture once-only moments and spectacular perspectives.

Despite its short focal length, the Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE has an extremely compact design compared to other zoom lenses in its category. Internal focusing also helps to reduce its size while delivering extremely precise and smooth focus control.

To prevent image aberrations during close-ups, internal lens groups are repositioned individually during focusing in what is called a floating elements design. This allows the Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE to deliver exceptionally high quality—from extreme close-ups to infinity. Thanks to the ZEISS T*s anti-reflective coating and meticulously crafted lenses, the ZEISS T* is not affected by reflections or stray light. The result: razor-sharp images even under the toughest lighting conditions or with wide aperture settings.

Following the Planar T* 1,4/50 ZE and 1,4/85 ZE, already long cherished by photographers around the world, the Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE is the first wide-range lens with EF bayonet mount on the market.

The Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE will be available in autumn 2009 at a suggested retail price of EUR 1,049.00 (excluding VAT)*.

For more information,
visit www.zeiss.com/photo.

* Publication date September 14, 2009
]]> http://chsphotoblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/photography-news-a-tasty-snack-for-your-brain/feed/ 0 amyandphotography http://chsphotoblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/2009-the-year-of-the-relationship-pt-2/ http://chsphotoblog.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/2009-the-year-of-the-relationship-pt-2/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:24:39 +0000 amyandphotography http://chsphotoblog.wordpress.com/?p=11 ]]> So the last blog I discussed how important it was to build long term relationships with your clients. This was followed by the first topic which was building the foundation in your business to, in turn, build that relationship. So today let’s focus on the second part. For those that are followers of my blog please feel free to add your thoughts on the subject.

Part two: Creating and Sharing the Company Culture

Every person has something they believe in, whether it be themselves, religion, science, or even the funnies in the news paper, we often find ourselves in a belief based society. Beliefs are also play a large role in shaping a company. It’s vital that you let the consumer know what you and your business are all about. So your company’s beliefs should be very sound and you should always stand behind them. However, one must not put themselves up to unreachable goals. Don’t promise miracles to the customer, but instead offer them piece of mind. If you make the claim “I will give you the best photos that you have ever seen EVER” you will only be setting yourself up for failure. If you offer the client an amazing, fun photography experience, not only will you be setting reachable goals, but, in backing up your offer you will be building trust with you client.

If you have assistants within your company you should strive to make sure that they not only understand your company’s values, but also support and demonstrate them to your clients. It is crucial to choose assistants that will reflect well on you. Someone that will be able to meet all your clients’ needs, as well as, address those needs in a positive way.

Talking with you client is a part of your job that you must always put extra effort into. It’s important in a career based on human emotions that you can relate to your client on another level. Simply talking to them as a friend, rather than a businessman/woman will build their trust in you and your company. Build the relationship before you start to talk about pricing. Yes, pricing is important, but, if it’s the first thing that comes out of your mouth you may come off as only wanted money out of the situation. Keep implying that you are interested in what they, the client, are about. What do they do for a living? What is their family like? What are they interested in? Asking open ended questions and understanding your client will only make the photo session go better. Who knows, maybe learning that little something extra will inspire you to try something new with them that will ultimately end up making you and your client very pleased.

Lastly for today, always remember to build good karma. I’m a strong believer in “what goes around, comes around” and I try to never talk badly about a competitor or vendor. It goes back to the old “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” proverb. Make sure that if a customer brings up a competitor talking negatively about you or your business, you always write it off. Just say that that is their opinion and they are entitled to think or say whatever they want. If you take the higher road in a situation like this it will put your client at ease about your foundation and see that you are not in this to pick fights with competitors. Competition is part of society, but it doesn’t have to hurt your business.

Next blog will be Building a Foundation in your Community. Happy photographing!

If your answer was the client, then you are very good at making short term business agreements.  Many business’ are looking more towards making the quick dollar to keep themselves alive rather than spending the extra time building that relationship thats going to give you a long term client that will in return, most likely refer you to others. So why is the relationship so important in today’s economy?

1. Clients buy from people they trust
2. Clients buy from people they like
3. Clients have a more difficult time saying no to a “friend”
4. Clients will become repeat customers if they feel like they belong to something.

It’s crucial to keep in mind that ”What can I do for my client?” rather than “What can I do for my business?” will help you to grow as a person and as a photographer. When starting a business its important to look at what my goals are, what is my guiding light? If you take a moment to do some research you will find that many retail companies have mastered the Company Vision/Goal technique. Even as a small business you must also take the time to figure out what you want your company’s goals or vision to be as well. If you look at someone elses’ vision it might not be the same as yours, but it may give you an idea of where you want your company to go professionally, emotionally, and community wise.

So we can start with building the foundation. When you have clients in your business giving you the opportunity to make money you have to look at ways of giving back as well. It’s always important to look towards giving back to the community. Giving back to the World as part of your company vision will build the trust foundation. So we, as business leaders, need to look at what our companies can do to give back to the World or even just to our community.

Another way of building your foundation is to start thinking long term. Sacrificing short term benefits for long term relationships will pay for itself in the end. Taking that extra time to get the best possible product into the customers’ hands will not only build a strong relationship, but also brand or company loyalty. A client should only see your best work even if it takes a little longer than expected to produce. One way to counteract a time issue is to always keep your client informed. Any updates about production should be told directly to the customer. In other words, you should be telling the customer whats going on with their photographs before they even have to ask. Plan and think long term with your client as well. If you take the time to get to know your client during a session it can possibly open up other opportunities. For example, lets say that you have just done a wedding session and your clients love the pictures. Why not take that opportunity to reach out for any other needs? Anniversary photos, baby photos, baptisms, graduations, whatever it takes to show the customer that you are in it for the long haul.

Lastly, but very critical, in today’s economy security is a large issue. We hear slogans like “No Hassle Guarantee” and “Buyer Be Happy”, but look at how the companies are backing up their claims. Offering a %100 money back guarantee for you business will help to ease the clients’ minds of most worries thus creating security. Most likely in the lifetime of your company you will only have to fulfill this claim a couple of times, but having the option will bring more security to your company. Having this offer advertised where the customer can readily read it or telling them about this option in the very beginning will build the trusting relationship between photographer and client that will help your company grow.

When building a relationship with a new client one has to remember to be real. Use real experiences and don’t be afraid to show some emotion. Having some sort of connection with your client will strengthen your foundation with them and build that long term relationship that will bring your company business for years to come.

Next blog will be about creating and sharing your company culture as part of The Year of the Relationship.

Happy photographing!