Read These!

[by Blake Discher]

Non photo-centric blogs that get my nod:  Photographer Bruce DeBoer (@brucedeboer) writes an absolutely superb blog about creativity.   Marketing guru Seth Godin’s blog at is read by just about every member of ASMP’s National board.  And for the latest in technology, both current and speculative, check out www.gizmodo.com.

It’s hard to not be inspired to greatness as you view any of the TEDTalks.  The TED folks have a blog that I read just so I know when a new recording is posted to the site for viewing.  If you’re after some immediate creative inspiration, check out this TED talk.

Start Pounding the Pavement

[by Leslie Burns-Dell'Acqua]

Jump start your marketing by calling three targets every day for the next two weeks. Not the same three, of course. If local, try to get a meeting. If not, ask if you can send your book.

(you can keep doing this after two weeks, but commit to that time to start)

If you don’t have a book, don’t do this. Instead, your assignment is to draw up a plan to produce a great book. Several, in fact. Priority.

Remember, personal meetings are the most effective way of getting work. You have to have a real book to do that. And you have to make the calls.

Use an RSS Reader for Easy News Gathering

[by Jay Kinghorn]

Blogs are a tremendous source for information, ideas and insights. However, they can also be a tremendous drain on your time and productivity. If you subscribe to more than a handful of blogs or news feeds, an RSS reader like Net News Wire (Mac), FeedDemon (Windows) or Google Reader is essential to quickly sift through a large number of blogs and find the valuable posts hidden within.

An RSS reader aggregates all the unread blog posts from your favorite blogs into a single window. This allows you to quickly skim the headline of each post and read only the articles you’re most interested in. If you’re really tight for time you can flag articles, or pull them into a clippings folder for later reading.

Here are a few links to get you started:
Newsgator
Google Reader
Best RSS Readers

Get Out of Your Routine

[by Thomas Werner]

Take 6 friends, drive into the forest, desert, to the ocean, a lake, and just photograph each other all day….feed off the energy, creativity and community, and do not worry about the outcome of the shoot.

It is Quick Tip Week …

[by Gail Mooney]

Make sure that when you take a class – like Final Cut Pro – that you have a project to work on. Even if it’s a project that’s self proposed – it will let you immediately apply your new knowledge in a real way.  Otherwise, the information you hear tends to go in one ear and out the other very quickly.

PhotoPlus 09 / Arnold Newman

[By Ed McDonald]

Last night I had the great pleasure of attending the Arnold Newman impact and influence presentation given by Greg Heisler, by the Arnold and Augusta Newman foundation and the Maine Media workshops, Sponsored by PDN and the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP).  Greg Heisler told wonderful, touching, and humorous stories of his time with Arnold in his early days of his assisting career and paid homage to the late Arnold Newman and his intriguing and captivating portrait work. The evening also included a video of Newman at age 71 photographing Heisler in his NY apartment, which was poignant and humorous. Newman commented that many photographers have lost their sense of humor and need to take things and themselves a lot less seriously. Heisler wrapped the evening by fielding questions from the audience. It was an amazing display of a true pioneer of our industry and we are all better for the gifts Arnold left with us.

Go to our ASMP Facebook Page to see photos of the event.

First Day at PPE

[by Rosh Sillars]

Why am I so excited about Photo Plus Expo?

While I’ve photographed many trade shows in my professional career, I have never attended a major photographic industry show.

This is an opportunity to learn from some of the top people in our field and to see some of the latest equipment and technology, which will keep me on top of my game.

Based on experience, I also understand that one of the greatest benefits of a show like this exists outside of the exhibition hall and classrooms. The chance to meet new people in the hallways and at social events can lead to new information, education and opportunities.

If you are attending Photo Plus Expo, take the opportunity to say hello to as many people as possible. Ask questions. Remember, you can learn from people at all levels of photography.

Free Offer for Photo Plus Expo Seminar with Peter Krogh

ASMP and Microsoft are offering 20 tickets to Peter Krogh’s presentation on “Tagging Photos with GPS information.” The first 20 ASMP members to email Peter at krogh@asmp.org can attend this seminar for free! Tickets can be picked up at the ASMP booth (#478) on Thursday or at the seminar door on Friday am.

Friday, Oct. 23,  8:45am to 11:45am
Photo Plus Expo
“Tagging Photos with GPS information”

Registration ©ounts!

[by Susan Carr]

The copyright office tells us that only 5% of photographers register their images. ASMP wants to change that and this week at Photo Plus Expo ASMP will launch a new initiative called Registration ©ounts to create awareness of copyright issues, to encourage all photographers to register their work, and to provide the tools and information needed for registration.

Representatives from the copyright office will be at the ASMP booth (#478) to answer your registration questions. ASMP now offers recommended best practices for registering your work and a workshop to help photographers get registered.

ASMP has designated the week of April 19-23, 2010 to highlight the issue of copyright and will lead a number of activities and events for photographers and other visual artists. On Wednesday, April 21st, ASMP will host a symposium entitled The Current State of Copyright from an Artist’s Perspective to explore views on significant issues, challenges and trends in copyright. Experts from leading organizations including Columbia University, PLUS and Public Knowledge will participate.

Join with ASMP to create a powerful voice for the defense of copyright law.

I want my ASMP Video….

For as long as I have been on the ASMP board, first as Education chair and now as President, I have heard from members and chapter presidents that we need to know more about video / motion, that we should use video for our education programming and that video should be utilized on our ASMP website.

During the SB2 seminars we utilized video both in the live seminars and later to capture some of the key presentations. They are available on our SB blog as well as a free download at iTunes Podcasts; see link to the right or search ASMP at the iTunes Store.

I have been researching possible solutions for both video podcast and live streaming meeting options. I discovered one possible solution literally below my studio, Vivolive, a local Pittsburgh startup, had just launched a consumer / soho live streaming service at the Consumer Electronic Show. I have been experimenting with the service for a few months now and ASMP will use the service to broadcast for the first time, our ASMP Annual Meeting to members, wherever they are. Members will receive an e-mail link to attend this meeting online.

The broadcast will include a segment featuring ASMP’s Executive Director, Eugene Mopsik, discussing our current education and advocacy efforts. I will speak about some ASMP policy initiatives moving to the future. We will then invite ASMP member Jack Hollingsworth for our Keynote presentation, “Leveraging Social Media for Your Business.”

This ASMP Member Meeting Live Stream is a good test for a very affordable and simple solution for ASMP and our chapters who desire to broadcast their meetings.

One of the initiatives that I will be discussing at the Annual Member Meeting is the creation of a “Motion Study Group” to look at the business practices that we may need to address regarding the business side of Motion Production, as well how ASMP can use video more effectively in our communications and education platforms.

ASMP at Photo Plus Expo – This Week!

Many ASMP members, staff and leaders are traveling to New York City this week attending the 2009 Photo Plus Expo.

ASMP has a packed schedule of events.

Find us at booth #478 on the trade show floor.

• Representatives from the copyright office will be on hand to answer registration questions.
• Representatives from the Picture Licensing Universal System (PLUS) will also be with us at the booth.
• Free consultations, at our booth, for members. SOLD OUT

Annual Member Meeting, Friday, October 23, 6pm to 8pm, Room 1E12, Jacob Javits Center

• All annual member meeting attendees will receive free tickets (value $105) for Saturday morning’s Copyright Education Seminar by Attorney Nancy Wolff and a representative of the Copyright Office.
• Jack Hollingsworth is our Annual Meeting keynote speaker, “Leveraging Social Media for Your Business”
• This meeting will be availabe on-line for those members who can’t join us. Look for details tomorrow.

The following PPE seminars will be sponsored by ASMP:

• Multimedia and Video / Gail Mooney & Paula Lerner — Thurs, 8:45-11:45
  also sponsored by
• Is Your Website Making You Money? / Blake Discher — Thurs, 1:15-3:15;
  also sponsored by and
• What Do I Charge? / Susan Carr — Thurs, 3:30-5:30
• Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover / Steve Mallon & Frank Rocco — Fri, 3:30-5:30
• Breaking into the Biz / Judy Herrmann & Mike Starke — Sat, 3:30-5:30
  also sponsored by

If you are coming to Photo Plus Expo, please stop by ASMP Booth #478 and say hello. We look forward to seeing you there!

Gear to Go

[by Judy Herrmann]

About 8 years ago, after 12 years of being strictly studio photographers, we shot on location professionally for the very first time.  Preparations were stressful, to say the least.  We were so nervous about not having something we’d need that we practically brought the entire studio along.  We got through the shoot without using half the stuff we brought and decided there had to be a better way.
As we unloaded from the shoot, we launched my favorite outlining application and created a master list of everything we’d brought. Before a given shoot, we save a copy of our master gear list and edit it based on the needs for that job. We keep our lists organized by container – each case gets its own category and the items it contains are nested within.  If we edit the gear down to where some of the cases are partially empty, it’s easy enough to drag and drop items into a new “container category” so we’re bringing the minimum number of cases needed and all are full.
As we pack up, we tick off the items so we know when each case is ready to load.  Then, we tick each case off when it’s loaded into the car.

What I love about outlining apps is that they let you create broad categories, nest items within them and track what’s already been done.  They’re a perfect way of organizing location gear lists, especially if you’re not the only person packing up!  Unfortunately, my favorite app for this, Omni Outliner (shown below) is only available for the Mac but PC users have told me that VIP Simple To Do List offers similar functionality.

Triangles let you toggle categories open and shut, hiding or revealing nested items. A click in the box creates or deletes the check mark. You can drag and drop items from one category to another. Tab and shift+tab let you indent or un-indent items.

Tagging Images with GPS

[by Peter Krogh]

When I’m looking for one of my images, one of the most valuable tools I can use is the location list in Lightroom or Expression Media.  My awareness of where a picture was taken is deeply tied to my memory of that image. By using Country. State, City and Location tags, I can organize my images in a really useful way. (Add date information to this, and it’s even better.)

But adding that information can take some time. Furthermore, some locations are impossible to pin down with any specificity.  “Okavango Delta” is a pretty generalized location.  So how do you pinpoint images more accurately.  And even more important, how do you add the location names without endless retyping.

Enter GPS – Global Positioning Satellite. It’s possible to add GPS tags to your images, and it’s even possible to use those tags to fill out the IPTC location fields, so that the Country, State, City and Location tags show up in the program of your choice. Take a look at this movie to see a bit more about how this is done.

Tips for Shooting on Location

[by Gail Mooney]

I’ve been shooting “on location” for over 30 years.  That’s all I do – location shoots.  Each job and location vary greatly, and that is the challenge of location shooting. So the key is to be prepared for a variety of issues, problems and challenges that you may encounter on location.

Here’s a typical pre-production list of needs that I work from:

• Travel arrangements – Arranging for flights, rental cars, hotel rooms, carnets, visas
• Crew – finding and lining up assistants, sound guys, additional shooters, stylists, hair/makeup
• Talent – casting
• Special Job needs – rental equipment, backgrounds, generators
• Permits – many times a location requires a permit like shooting on the streets of NYC
• Insurance – I always call the building management prior to a shoot to ask them if I need to name them on my insurance policy.  Many times I need to add them to the policy for that time period and add additional coverage.
• Talk to my client and/or subjects in advance and prepare them for what we’ll be doing – what equipment we’ll be bringing in – how long our setup will take
• Prepare a solid shoot list – this helps make the shoot efficient as well as keeps you on track so that you get all the shots you need
• If shooting outside – find your location geographically and what may be around it – which way does it face etc.
• If shooting inside – find out about any shortcomings they may have as far as power supply or lack of.  I’ve actually shot in fairly new commercial skyscrapers in NYC where we thought we were covering ourselves as far as plugging into different circuits – only to find out that we weren’t – after the circuit blew and left the Board standing in the dark!  So now I always have a building electrician standing by.

Ultimately I try to think of everything I may need on location before I ever get there.  A client once said to me “the more I see you worry about the details – the more I know that I don’t have to and that you’ve got it covered.”

The Executive

[by Sean Kernan]

Someone once said that executive portraiture is basically a still life problem. Still, crabby execs do things like turning up for their portraits early while you’re still setting up and insisting that you shoot right away because they have a meeting. On one annual report shoot an angry VP of Something-Or-Other walked into the setup and said, “I don’t have time for this crap!” I replied that I understood completely, but that it was his company’s project, not mine, and could he tell the chairman that he was too busy to do it. Otherwise I would tell him if he didn’t have time. He relented, and I got my picture of my guy…a little graceless and angry, but there it was.

Most people are not like that. What they are is a bit afraid, unsure of what they are supposed to look like. The best approach is to behave as an equal, which you are, of course, and let them know that they are supposed to look like who they are.

You can’t think of everything that might dislocate your location plans, but then preplanning is not the solution to the more baroque problems that come up. Best to just be present and let solutions arise from the situation.

Dealing With Security

[by Paul Bartholomew]

This is one of those situations you can never be too prepared for. I often do commercial architectural photography projects that involve public locations. Security or police may be notified or notice photography going on and may become suspicious. People tend to feel uneasy when someone is photographing certain areas. I wish I had an answer to why but it depends on the situation.

Here is my advice to help make things less painful. First of all be prepared. I always have my client’s name on hand with contact info. A letter from the client also helps but none of this matters if your client or you didn’t notify the proper people for permission. Have this permission info on hand and ready to reach for.

Prevention is key. When I photograph a building in New York that is owned by a certain company I try to stop by the front desk and let them know who I am. Don’t be surprised if stopped by other security people even though you cleared things upon arrival. Not everyone gets the memo.

Here is another very important point. Security and police are just doing their job so don’t over react and act outraged. This is sure way to end up with problems. When you see security approaching don’t try to avoid them or give them a nasty look. Try to give a smile and have your info ready. I mention who my client is and why I’m photographing the location. Of course mention right away that you have permission.

Normally I have to give my name and info related to the project. This may take 5 minutes of your time unless security wants to call the people you mention. Usually a report or note has to be filed and that’s it.

Like I said earlier, just have a positive attitude and usually things go fine. Of course I can’t be 100% on this because you never know but be prepared and that’s all you can do.

Blog Smart

[by Judy Herrmann]

In the past few months, I’ve worked with a number of photographers who are struggling with their blogs.  Their technology is fine – they’ve been successfully managing their blogs for several years and have worked out the kinks.  They post regularly and have a rhythm down.  Their site analytics reveal lots of unique visitors who leave lots of nice comments. Their blogs are perfect in every way except one.

The community they’ve spent all this time cultivating will probably never spend a dime supporting their families.  Why?  Because instead of posting information of interest to the client side, they’ve focused on what interests them. As a result, they’ve built a strong, vibrant community ofŠcompetitors.

Now, I’m not saying that everything you do has to be rooted in a profit motive.  If the compensation you’re getting takes another form (like giving you a platform to push yourself creatively) that still counts.  These photographers would tell you, though, that after awhile the novelty wears thin and as much as they’ve enjoyed the ego strokes, the effort they’ve put into building this community has used up a lot of time, energy and elbow grease that could have been tapped more profitably.

In times like these, few of us can afford the luxury of investing time or money in places where the return on investment is low to none.  These photographers now have a tough choice to make. They can come up with a way to generate income from the community they’ve built or start over and focus on building a new community of people who’ll pay cash money for what they already sell.  Either way, they’ve got a lot more time to invest before they’ll see much return.

If you’re gonna blog, blog smart.  Make your blog interesting and useful to the people who need what you sell.  Show them your value.  Show them how you can help them.  If doing this consistently seems overwhelming, consider guest blogging as a way of reaching the right audience.  As these photographers have learned, blogs can be a powerful marketing tool but that marketing doesn’t help you much unless it’s reaching the right people.Blgo

Attracting Readers to Your Blog

[By Rosh Sillars]

Attracting new readers is a big part of the blogging game.

Many people keep blogs for their own satisfaction. It’s a place to share their thoughts or show off their creative efforts. But deep down inside most bloggers want more readers and subscribers. They want their blogs to be successful.

In order to be a successful blogger, you need a plan. You need to develop a theme and focus on the type of audience you want to attract. Here are a few suggestions that will help you grow your reader base:

First, comment on other blogs. Be authentic and engaging. Don’t make the comments all about you; develop a voice that will attract your audience.

Second, make sure your headlines and posts contain key words related to your blog and theme. We live in a key-word world. If you have a Twitter account, use the same key words on Twitter to help drive traffic to your blog. Don’t be afraid to share relevant older posts with your social media followers. In many cases, the posts are still new to them.

Third, create a group related to the theme of your blog. You can use Facebook, Linkedin, Yahoo, Google or Flickr to attract your target audience. In some cases, you should create a related forum under your blog domain or use a site such as Ning.com to develop a community.

Some people prefer to receive blog updates via e-mail. Make sure you have an easy-to-find RSS (Real Simple Syndication) subscription button and an e-mail subscription invite box. Do do this, you can use services such as FeedBurner.com or Feedblitz.com.

The most important action you can take is to reward and champion the followers who support you. These are the people who will help make your blog a success.

Your Blog As A Client Resource

[By Paul S. Bartholomew]

Blogs are a great extension to a website. They keep people updated on recent activities and are a great way to bring up some constructive discussion. Another great way to use a blog is to educate and inform.

For me it comes down to the topic of the week and what’s on my mind. If I have a great photo shoot or personal project, I may share some images and talk about the challenges involved. If I run into an interesting situation that catches my attention, I may post an informative topic that can be used as a resource. Not just for other photographers but also to clients.

I had a nice conversation with not just one but two clients this past week. Both enjoy reading my blog and seeing what I’m up to. One client found my informative topics interesting and said he reads them during his lunch break.

Placing a blog link on your website is one of the usual ways to drive clients your site, but what about using it as a resource? I occasionally post topics that are inspired by client interactions. A common question I’m asked is about post-production fees, so I created a blog post explaining the process along with images for examples. Not only does this reinforce the explanation but it also attracts future visits for other topics. It’s a great way to keep your name in mind.

Top Ten Blogs I Read and Recommend

[by Gail Mooney]

• Copyblogger – great tips on writing
• WSJ.com: The Middle Seat Terminal – Wall Street Journal’s blog on travel
• Philip Bloom’s blog about video and filmmaking
• CNet Digital Media News – blog about digital media
• Guy LeCharles Gonzalez – marketing blog
• Seth Godin’s blog about marketing
• Mac Video News – current news in the video world
• Fresh DV – all about digital video
• Your Life is a Trip – travel and life

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