by successfulbob | photography education, salute, Uncategorized
Here’s a quote from the Dali Lama that captured my attention this AM…
“True peace with ourselves and with the world around us can only be achieved through the development of mental peace.”
It caught my attention because as I was putting together my morning meal I was suddenly overwhelmed at how fortunate I am.
Having a spouse and partner that complements and completes me.
To be a photographer pursing the career that keeps me challenged.
To live in a land where I can make choices to speak the way I wish.
To have a forum like this in which to share ideas about photography and life.
To be able to have a meal like this…
I’m not normally one to take pictures of my food and share it on social media… (OK maybe sometimes) But this was the spark that got me thinking about how truly fortunate I am and have been throughout my life. I think a large part of my good fortune comes from recognizing and noting gratitude on a regular basis.
What are you grateful for???
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Ever have one of those days when things just aren’t going right?
NO matter how hard you try??
“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment.”
Ansel Adams
Ain’t it great to know you are in good company??
We all have ups and downs. The secret is to not let the downs rule the day. Next time you are feeling like it just isn’t coming out the way you thought it would be good to remember the above words of one of the greatest landscape photographers of all time…
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
http://www.biography.com/people/ansel-adams-9175697
by successfulbob | architectural photography, imaging competition, photography competition, photography education
Coming soon!
If you are a PPA member you’ll be able to stream the International Photographic Competition (IPC).
Even if you don’t have images in the competition there’s a wealth of information and ideas that get shared during challenges.
A challenge is put forward whenever one of the jurors doesn’t agree with the result of an image being accepted as a Merit or non Merit. The challenger states his/her reasons. The other jurors respond with their thoughts and the challenger has an opportunity to rebut then the image is scored again. Sometimes it seems as if the judging is moving quickly. But, please remember there are 7 sets of eyes, 6 jurors and the Jury Chair, and any one of those may challenge the result. Sometimes if an image goes by and a juror feels it was missed the image can be called back for further review. We are all charged with doing the absolute best for our makers while still protecting the value of the Merit which is the basis for earning the imaging degrees of Master of Photography and Master Artist.
By the way PPA members are invited and encourages to watch the process live. The event is held just outside Atlanta.
The address for streaming the event is http://stream.theipc.org
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Competition Judging Live Stream
- Monday, Aug. 3, 8: 15am-6pm
- Tuesday, Aug. 4, 12:15-9pm
- Wednesday, Aug. 5, 9:15am-6pm
- Thursday, Aug. 6, 8:15am-6pm
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IPC Live with Booray Perry
- 11am & 2pm
- 2pm & 6pm
- 11am & 2pm
- 11am & 2pm
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Here’s one of my images that was accepted into PPA’s Loan Collection last year. Here’s a link to all eight images that either were awarded a Merit or Loan Collection status.
by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography education
I’m going to wax nostalgic on this Sunday’s Photo/Art Quote because of a quote from Alfred Stiegltiz who was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his fifty-year career in making photography an accepted art form.
Think about all the memories that you can relive through old photographs. By old I don’t mean ones that are a month or a year old. I mean the ones from your childhood or some time in your life when things were quite different than they are now. Good times. Or possibly bad times you made it through. Those memories are priceless. And a lot of people from the digital generation are going to miss out on those opportunities to relive the past in the future because we aren’t printing images and other than professional like ourselves people aren’t backing up that digital media often enough – or even at all!
“What is of greatest importance is to hold a moment.” Alfred Stieglitz
Now Stieglitz may not have been referring to holding the moments of memories. It could have been he was thinking of the moment the light was exactly in a certain form. Or an expression was just as needed to tell the story of a person in one photograph. I would like you think of this in saving moments of memories for people, including yourself, for an older age and future generations.
In many ways I believe this means printing images. At the very least it is a reminder to back up our files in multiple ways. And to remind everyone at every chance to remind them to make prints and back up their photo files.
Yours i Creative Photography, Bob
This is my sister Kathleen and myself in the early 80’s working for a bar called Jelly’s in the Caribbean on an Urban Cowboy night…
by successfulbob | marketing, photography education, photography marketing
…And then I noticed there was a button hole sewed into one corner of my napkin!
This is a definite shirt saver especially during a bumpy flight…
Now this might not seem like such a big deal to you, but to my wife who lovingly takes care of keeping me presentable to the public, my being able to easily secure a napkin across the front of my shirt while eating on a sometimes bumpy airplane can save a lot of time for her.
It’s the little things I’ve started to notice now that I’m traveling quite a bit and it brought me around to thinking about small flourishes of customer service ideas for our photography business.
Here are a few things I’ve noticed on the last couple trips.
On this US Airways flight (now the new American Airlines) I was bumped up to First Class for my travel to Houston to speak and judge for the Texas PPA Summerfest. In addition to the cloth napkin with the buttonhole sewn in are the little hot towels that are served up to refresh you before the meal is served is a great touch.
On a trip to PPA headquarters in Atlanta, GA, the Hyatt Regency had my name on the television that stayed in place for the length of my stay.
We all like to see our name in lights!
At the Phoenix Airport Hilton in Arizona as I was checking in I was presented a dark chocolate caramel candy bar complete with ribbon and a personalized note letting me know they were ‘Glad I was staying here with them’.
So how can we use some of these simple ideas to keep us ‘front of mind’ with our customers? A monitor could be playing images from the client’s last session in a little slide show for them to see as they walk in the door. Or more simply, at a studio portrait session a chalk board could be utilized to welcome clients by name in writing. Clients could be gifted with some small item when they leave the studio. A very small but elegant looking frame could be gifted as your clients leave the studio with a small image from that day’s session.
How will you (or do you already) make customers feel special? Let me know here. We all become better when we share ideas…
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography education
While I wouldn’t have used the word *’INFESTED’ I love the thought behind today’s Photo/Art Quote from Leo Steinberg.
I’m going to guess that being an art critic and historian old Leo was used to using some seriously negative pejoratives in his writing… But I digress.
Why does this quote resonate with me enough to share with you today?
“All art is infested by other art.” Leo Steinberg
I would like you to take this quote literally and be aware that your brain is like a computer and the old saying, ‘garbage-in=garbage-out’ is true. As is the opposite. Fill your mind with fabulous and wonderful imagery whether it be from standing in museums studying the Masters of photography, painting or sculpture, reading books and magazines with imagery you admire or looking at advertising photography. I have art books. I stand in front of paintings in museums and art galleries. I will fire up my I-Pad to view and study a single artist for 15 minutes before sleep so those images will be processed in the night.
As you study the artists you admire you will begin to see their influence coming out in your work. And, that’s a good thing! We all stand on the shoulders of those artists that came before us. Do so proudly and as you mix and match the artists styles you admire you will begin creating work that is uniquely your own. Allow other art to ‘INFEST’ your work.
Then others will eventually be standing upon your shoulders and the cycle continues.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
*Which is probably why you won’t find me quoted in lists of photography quotes!
