by successfulbob | photography education, photography marketing, success education
As a photographer you need to be front and center in your town.
The best ways are through referrals and gentle reminders like staying on the pages of your local paper through press releases. As you know you can’t be featured in a press release too often, but you can be featured if you are willing to give back by spending time and sharing your knowledge. Here’s a case in point. I am now writing a monthly column for the newspaper called ‘Photographers Corner’. Here’s the first article.
Article by Bob Coates (hey that’s me!) appeared in The Villager September 1st.
The article will talk about ways a non-photographer may make better images. “Why would you want to tell people how to do your job Bob?” I’m not. I’m helping people who are going to make images better for themselves. These will not be professional photos. When they need professional images they will remember that I was helpful and I have their best interest at heart. Sales trainer and professional speaker Zig Ziglar said that when you help people get what they want you will create a good living for yourself.
The articles will help people and people will remember me when it is time to have professional images made. A win-win-win. “Wait a minute Bob. I only count two wins in your blog post.” Ah the third win is for the newspaper who receive articles to add interest to their pages without having to pay a writer. My payment is exposure and the bio at the end highlighting where people can see some of my work.
I also do a monthly radio show but that’s for a different day… Stay in front of your community there are lots of ways… This is just one.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography education, salute to business, success education
I want to salute Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Scottsdale, AZ. My wife and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary during an Arizona Staycation. We decided to do a little happy hour at Flemings restaurant. We enjoy the social aspects of dining at the bar and this was a great time.
Setting the stage, enter our bartenders for the evening, Brian & Erin. Our experience was wonderful all the way through. Greeted professionally and with pleasant personality. Given a very nice recommendation for wine choice. Food was well presented and flavors fabulous.
Gift box with our surprise sweets enclosed…
Remember, we enjoy the social part of dining at the bar and were chatting with a lovely woman named Jennifer and my wife mentioned in passing that we were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. A little while later Brian appears with a present of a box of chocolate truffles. He said, “Heard you were celebrating and here’s a little treat from Flemings… Congratulations.” (May be some paraphrasing here, but you get the idea.)
So a tip of the hat to Flemings in Scottsdale for a wonderfully memorable evening including stellar service.
But, that’s not really what this post is about…What are YOU doing to go above and beyond so your clients get so excited that they blog and tweet and share how excited they are about YOUR business??
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | Lumix Lounge, photography education, photography seminar, success education
Been away a little bit as I flew across the country to present my ‘Fine Art Photo Synthesis’ program to the TNPPA courtesy of Panasonic Lumix. I was also invited to be a judge for their state image competition.
While I was there I had time to catch Pierre Stephenson’s program on posing and picked up a few new ideas from him. I love learning this photography stuff! You can pick up some ideas from Pierre and you don’t even need to see him in person. He has some online lessons here on his Facebook page.
Some of the attendees at the TNPPA photography convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Thanks to Dorma Tabisz for grabbing some action photos of me speaking!
It was a great convention held by a wonderful group of people. The southern hospitality was on display big time! We took a riverboat cruise as part of the activities and I had a blast. I’ll share some of the people images I captured during the cruise. I was running the new 42.5mm f 1.2 DG Nocticron Leica lens through it’s paces. Wow is that thing sweet!
Here’s a few comments from attendees…
“For the first time in over 40 years in our photographic industry I set through the entire program Bob Coates presented to our Tenn. Professional Photographers convention. Even strained my neck and kept my hearing aids in so that I didn’t miss a thing. Thanks Bob.”
Gary Moor M. Photog., Cr. FBIPP, FRPS, FMPA
“Bob, I sure enjoyed your program last night at the TNPPA. I am not a member and mainly shoot landscape but your program inspired me to try some new directions with my photography.
Thanks again.” Sincerely, Latta Johnston
“Your program was fabulous and held my attention with information I KNOW I can put to use immediately !!! I can now leave the show knowing my time was well spent !!! Thank you for your willingness to share!” J. Wade Tipton M. Photog., Cr., CPP, TCD, TSD, F-PPMo, F-PPO
Til tomorrow…
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | art books, photography, photography - art quote, photography books, photography education, success education
Always looking for inspiration outside of photography to help with the creative side… And today let’s take a walk far, far away from the photographer’s world and into getting the brain to fire on all cylinders for some creativity.
“Only that day dawns to which we are awake.” Henry David Thoreau, in Walden
Have you ever driven somewhere and wondered how you got there??
Do you enjoy the cascade of water flowing over you during your shower? Do you even feel it?
What was the last really good meal you had? Were you actually there for it and can remember it? In detail?
Do you really look at yourself in the mirror or are you so busy doing whatever it is you are doing you don’t really see?
“What the hell does this have to do with creativity Bob??” You ask.
Here what I believe. We are so busy living in the past or the future that there is no way to truly harness our brains for as much creativity as possible. By that I mean we spend way too much time fretting over something in the past like an angry conversation that keeps playing over and over in our head. Or, we are constantly worried about the possibility of something that might go wrong in the future. Or, trying so hard to get to that ‘successful’ place that will make us finally make us happy – you know, having more money, or being able to travel to that magical destination, or finding a new partner… Pick that thing that’s always in the future that we KNOW will make us happy, rather than being happy now.
If we enjoy THIS moment – RIGHT NOW – and live in this moment as much as possible we open up our brains to concentrate on what we are working on with no distractions from the past or future will allow us to be open to new ideas and creative combinations.
The job of the brain is to create thoughts. LOTS of thoughts. Many of these thoughts can take us away from where we might want to be at any one moment. It is also responsible for doing many things automatically to keep us alive like breathing, our heart beating, muscles moving so we can walk and move. The problem comes when we are so busy allowing our brain to do so many things automatically we don’t control our thoughts and allow our them to control us our life can pass by in a flurry and we have not had a chance to enjoy it – or be as creative as we might be.
How do you gain back control? Meditation is a great way to find out how the brain is working to our detriment. “Wait a minute Bob, I’m not going to sit in a corner looking at my navel!” I don’t suggest that by any means. What I do suggest is learning how to “be in the moment”. Learn a practice called Mindfulness.
I’m still workng on it myself but finding it to be extremely helpful and this is a great place to start. A book called Whereever You Go There you Are, – by Jon Kabat-Zinn Give it read. (I’ve given you a link to the Kindle version as the hard copy is currently out of stock) Try some of his suggestions and let me know how it’s been a help to you. It’s under ten bucks and a little bit of your time. I think you will be extremely surprised… in your everyday life as well as your creative life.
Your in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photographers health, photography, photography education, success education
Thanks for checking these posts about our health working as photographers. Let me remind you I am not advocating that you follow blindly anything I share here. These are ideas and programs that are working for me. I have found most of these to also be regular problems for other photographers too. Consult with a physician or do your own research before embarking on any ideas shared here in this or other Photographers Health posts.
I reiterate – I am not a medical professional. I don’t play one on TV. I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night…
Photographers Health – Computers Part 2
Once the work station is properly set up we need to work on our habits while sitting in front of our machines. Regular breaks are a necessary part of good work health. But, you say, “Bob, I take breaks all the time!” I’ll bet you don’t take near as many or effective breaks as you think you are. If you are anything like me you can get lost in a project and hours can pass in what seems like a moment. That’s a good thing. Concentration is great. It’s also a bad thing as we have not moved our bodies properly for a long period of time.
OK. Time for a little experiment with time.
Download a Countdown Timer. Here are five available for Windows OS’s that are free. I use the Apimac timer freeware version on my MAC machine. You need OS 10.6 and an Intel chipped computer for this software. There is also a pro version for under twenty bucks that will also turn your computer on and off schedule down and other stuff too.
Apimac Software Timer for Mac
Now that you’ve found and installed your timer set it to countdown for thirty minutes repeatedly for all the time you are at your computer. Most timers have a way to pause or restart the timer as necessary. What you will find is constant surprise that, “It’s been 30 minutes already?” Yep it will!
OK now how do we make this work for us? Every time the timer goes off do one to three minutes of stretching and or exercise. I mix mine up throughout the day. I’ll do a minute of jumping jacks with 30-60 seconds of stretching shoulders. On the next thirty minute cycle maybe do 5-10 push-ups and stretch wrists and elbows. On the next cycle get up and walk around while reaching behind and stretching chest muscles. I try to mix a little aerobic movement with some stretching while changing it up throughout the day. This gets the blood flowing and saves you from the dreaded RSI! Physiotherapists have a name for what happens when you don’t get off your butt and do this stuff. Repeatetive Stress Injury. If you are already experiencing pain see a Physician or Physical Therapist for a set of specialized exercises to get your body back on track. Then use the timer. You’ll be amazed how much better you feel at the end of the work day.
Ideally You’ll be looking to work up to thirty minutes a day of the exercise, walking and stretching. Keep some notes and see how you do. You’d be surprised how fast it starts to add up.
What else?
If you spend time on the phone while you work make sure you get a hands free head set to keep you from sticking the phone in the crook of shoulder and neck. That will keep you from crinking (yes that’s my word) up your neck.
As mentioned in a previous Photographers Health post here on Successful-Photographer use a Pen Tool with a Tablet vs a Mouse for making your selections and navigating around the screen. At the very least if you still are using a mouse make sure it’s a good quality mouse that requires minimal pressure to click, and be sure to position it on the same level and as close to the keyboard as possible. Keep your wrist straight and move the mouse with whole arm movements where possible.
What else?
Get the proper eye wear for your eyes and your body’s health
Don’t be a squinter! If you have any problem viewing the screen break down and get those glasses! See your optometrist for the best results instead of getting cheaters at the drug store. It can make a huge difference. Before you go in for your eye appointment measure the distance to the screen from where your eyes are regularly. Your prescription can be tailored exactly for that distance. Ask for UV protection on the lenses. You might even want to have a pair of glasses fine tuned just for the computer and another pair for the rest of your life. You may especially want to do that if you wear bifocals or trifocals because there’s a tendency to hold your head in a strange position to use the proper section for seeing the screen. Or you bend toward the screen in order to see it clearly. These postures can result in muscle spasms or pain in the neck, shoulder or back. To prevent eyestrain, try to rest your eyes when using the computer for long periods. Rest your eyes for 15 minutes after two hours of continuous computer use. Also, for every 20 minutes of computer viewing, look into the distance for 20 seconds to allow your eyes a chance to refocus. To minimize chances of developing dry eye when using a computer, make an effort to blink frequently. Blinking keeps the front surface of your eye moist.
Back to the equipment – you should have a shield around your monitor to ensure there is no glare on the surface which can adversely affect your eyes causing strain.
I hope the Photographers Health posts this week have been helpful for you. Other ideas? Jump in and comment!
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photographers health, photography, photography education, photography gear, success education
This will be a new series of posts about our health working as photographers. Let me preface this by saying I am not advocating that you follow blindly anything I share here. These are ideas and programs that are working for me. I have found most of these to also be regular problems for other photographers too. Consult with a physician or do your own research before embarking on any ideas shared here in this or other Photographers Health posts.
I reiterate – I am not a medical professional. I don’t play one on TV. I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night…
Computer Work Station Practices for Photographers
We spend an awful lot of time at our computers these days and that can be a severe health issue in and of itself. We hold ourselves in odd positions for long periods of time. We don’t move enough thereby putting ourselves at risk for back and neck issues, carpel tunnel syndrome and more.
My work station at Bob Coates Photography.
Here’s how I’ve started to take back my health from the computer station.
Here’s a place to find good set up information for your work station. OSHA gets you moving in the right direction.
A quick review of the important stuff.
• Top of the monitor at or just below eye level.
• Head and neck balanced in line with your torso. (You might want to get someone to watch you while you work to make sure you are in a correct position. If no one is around to help you set up a video camera and watch yourself for a while you might be surprised by what you see.
• Elbows close to your body and supported.
• Some support for your lower back.
• Wrists and hands in line with your forearms
• Plenty of room for your keyboard and tablet.
• Feet flat on the floor
Here’s a link to a more in-depth checklist for good practices and to see how your current workspace is helping or hurting you.
As photographers we have an additional piece of equipment to work with that is not addressed in the guidelines above, a tablet. If you are not already using a tablet for your work I’d put it high on your list. “But Bob, I tried a tablet and I can’t get used to it. I hate it!” “No Excuse!” I reply. The way to fall in love with your tablet is to hook it up. Make sure the settings are correct for the click and double-click sensitivity and pen pressure. Yes there are settings and preferences and ways to test all that before you get started. Most who don’t like a tablet didn’t realize that this machinery is also software driven to customize your experience. Once you’ve got the settings correct for you disconnect your mouse for four to five days. By the end of that time you will be an old pro and realize not only the health benefits of not having your hand in an awkward position trying to make selections with your mouse leading to possible Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, but the time savings. Where you put the pen on the tablet is where your Curser will appear. This seems to be one of the most difficult things for newbies on the tablet to grasp. You don’t drag your Curser from place to place. You put your pen where you want it to be. Very cool.
When you use a mouse you do a lot of work moving your wrist back and forth. When using the pen tool your wrist is held in a more neutral position using your arm and fingers to do more of the work making it much easier to make selections. This is a classic tablet I bought well over ten years ago. They design them a bit more sexy these days!
My tablet of choice over the years has been the Wacom brand. They have all different types, sizes and styles of tablet at different price points to meet every need and every budget. That sounds like an ad but it’s not. It’s an industry standard piece of equipment. I have a larger Wacom Tablet for my work station in the office that I bought a bunch of years ago and a smaller one for when I teach on the road with my laptop. If you have a question about which might be best for you drop me an email with info on the type of work you do, how long you do it, in the office? on the road? etc… and I’ll give you some ideas.
I mount my tablet on a roll-out tray so it is right in front of me. My keyboard is on the desktop right in line and above that and the monitor straight above that.
This is probably enough info for today. This has definitely turned into a two part post! In the next installment I share more ideas on staying healthy while working on your computer. Please don’t hesitate to share your ideas here too!
Yours in Photography, Bob
