...even mine! I learnt a few different things in school; primary amongst them were:
1) How to tie a real bow tie - yep, I actually learnt this during a math lesson - the teacher brought in a whole bunch of bow ties and taught us how to tie them. You may be wondering how this could ever be useful - well...if you're a little tipsy at a black-tie event there's no better chat-up line than actually knowing how to tie up a bow tie.
2) The other lesson I learnt was that only your friends would tell you when you "stank"; your real friends, the useful ones. And this was a really useful life lesson.
I've long been told and believe very strongly that the best way to find success and to accomplish great things very quickly is to find mentors...ones that will tell you that your poop stinks AND how to freshen it up a little, or even make fresh, better poop, that isn't poop at all. This proved invaluable as I made the shift from architectural designer to photographer, a career move that has been unbelievably enriching and challenging.
In architecture the first mentors I found were those seasoned industry veterans who could tell me the pitfalls and the trampolines and most importantly how to think completely differently - learning how to think is very useful. As I moved into photography I found many mentors in the ranks of local and national photographers who were willing to give me incredible advice on how to look. Learning how to look is pretty much essential in this line of work. They also told me how the industry worked and taught me how even though I was a small part of the industry it was essential that I protect that industry and play a roll in improving it. So who are my latest mentors? Luckily my mentors now include the people that work with me at the studio. Last week I had a really challenging conversation with my studio manager, Kate, who's kinda awesome. We made an overview of all the work I've done and then chatted about the industry, clients and both the strengths and weaknesses of my work in it. It was one of those tricky conversations where it's really important to be objective and have an opinion and it was a lot of fun and really bloody productive. You will definitely be seeing the product of this conversation very soon.
So, I would definitely recommend finding yourself a mentor and making sure you keep them very handy as you make decisions and develop your portfolio, your business, your brand and you.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Everyone's Poop Stinks...
Friday, May 25, 2012
Cabin In The Woods...not that cabin.
We photograph a lot of very unique buildings - but this one was a little different; a stunning lakeside log cabin. We originally photographed the exterior for Ply Gem's marketing materials and had a really fun time - we were then approached by the contractor and a magazine to photograph the full interior and off we went again. This time we worked with the fabulous Glenda Bailey and the home owner on some beautiful styling and created some really lovely images - a huge thanks to the home owner (you know who you are!) for making all of this happen.
Credits:
Ply Gem
Stylist - Glenda Bailey
Assistant - Adam Caselman
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Nutella = Yummy.
So we've been doing a lot of images in the studio with strobes, and so today we decided to play a little with our windows. You may not have had a chance to taste Nutella - it's one of those European things - but if you see it, buy it, spread it, eat it. It's yummy.
Credits:
Food Stylist - Trina Kahl
Assistant - Adam Caselman
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The importance of impartial input to your business.
We all know how it goes…you've created something. Whether it's an image, a piece of art, a campaign or even a recipe it's something you spent your time and energy creating. The creation of anything, whether creative or not is an emotional event. It's exciting, exhilarating and wonderful. You have experienced a range of emotions surrounding this amazing thing you've created. The downside is you've experienced this range of emotions and now you are emotionally connected to this creation. So when it comes time to decide how to edit it, share it, ditch it, promote it or sell it you can't separate yourself from the emotions you now feel for it. And the emotions aren't always good ones. Let's face it not all projects go as smoothly as you want them to. Some projects take more out of you than you anticipated. Some projects weren't as exciting as others.
Does that make the work any less impactful? Not to the end viewer, but sometimes you have trouble seeing past the emotion and experience of the creation to be impartial. It's these times when you need to engage and rely on the input of someone you trust to be impartial and help you select the best of your work to represent your talents and skills.
We trust our portfolio to the talents of Amanda Sosa Stone. She takes a years worth of images and culls them down to the few we need to showcase on our website and in our printed portfolio. She has the amazing knack of looking at an image for what it is, not how it was created, what the experience was like shooting it or GASP how much money we made or didn't make creating it. We benefit in more ways than we can count by having someone like Amanda as part of our team.
Check out her work on our latest website update.
Credits:
Amanda Sosa Stone