by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography education, success education
A recurring thought and one I fight on a regular basis is fear.
Fear of failure.
Fear of not doing something right.
Fear of making a mistake.
And strangely enough fear of success can come into play.
I’m guessing that fear plays into a lot of artists’ lives as this theme keeps appearing in many quotes from writers, painters, sculptors, musicians and of course photographers.
“Do not fear mistakes – there are none.” Miles Davis
Mistakes are magnificent opportunities to learn new lessons. If you are not making mistakes you are not stretching and giving yourself the chance to become the best you can be.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography, photography gear, photography lighting resources, salute to business
I’ve been a little off in my posts between travel for speaking, holidays and general ‘taking a little break’ kind of mood. It’s time to saddle up and get it rockin’ again. And today’s post was one I had to share as I think good customer service is the one of the most important things you can do for your business. Here’s an example and a salute to a stalwart in the industry.
Paul C Buff lights have been in my quiver of tools ever since I first started. Quality, consistency and great customer service has made me a fan. Before the end of the year I was looking a a tax bill that could be lowered by a ‘179’ purchase where I would get to use the money in my business rather that giving it to Uncle Sam. I am a great believer in paying taxes, it’s what keeps this being one of the greatest countries in the world. BUt, the rules are there for a reason and should be taken advantage of.
So with some money I had to invest I decided to beef up my lighting kit. I ordered some modifiers like strip and octagon boxes and a couple Einsteins. Very happy to say the least…
Now here’s where the service comes in… I got out the Einstein lights and after working with them for a little bit I realized that they were way more than I needed electronically speaking. I didn’t want or need all the extra controls. I emailed and asked if I could swap them out for a similar powered but less ‘busy’ flash unit more like my other units. Here was their response…
Hey Bob,
No problem! We do not do exchanges but you can return anything during the 60 day guarantee for a refund and then order the X3200 units at your convenience. You do not need any RMA# and we do not charge a restocking fee. All you need to do is box up the flash units with a note that includes your name and contact info and something stating you would like to return for a refund. Once we receive it we will apply the refund to the card the original purchase was made on. This is usually done within 2-3 business days of us receiving the return and we will email you a receipt for the refund once it is done.
Please send return to:
Paul C. Buff, Inc
ATTN Returns
2725 Bransford Ave
Nashville, TN 37204
Please let me know if you have anymore questions or need anything else in the meantime.
Have a great day,
Kimberly
Paul C. Buff, Inc
Alienbees, White-Lightning, Einstein
Be sure and check out our NEW products:
Vagabond™ Lithium Extreme Check out our must-see VLX™ comparison video at https://www.youtube.com/user/paulcbuff
Foldable Giant Stripbox
The OMNI™ 18-inch Reflector
…..and if you’re looking for some technical help visit our tech forum here http://www.paulcbuff-techforum.com
I salute their superior customer service!
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | bird photography, Lumix Lounge, photography
I get a warm feeling in my heart when I see this cold hummingbird…
Humming bird on the feeder during snow in Sedona, Arizona
Why? Because I know the story of how this hummer (AKA ‘little shit’ because he chases away the other birds).
It’s my wonderful wife Holly. She was a big feeder of hummingbirds when we lived in the Virgin Islands to the tune of many pounds of sugar every week. (And may have single handed made it possible for many of the critters to survive after the 18 hour hurricane called Marilyn but that’s another story)
After being stopped, literally, by a hummingbird from cutting back some blooms she thought were past prime in our yard she started hanging a feeder for it after swearing many years ago to not start that again. Now we have four feeders. And because it has been going below freezing she is taking down the feeders after dark, sometimes trudging through the snow, and hanging then at first light.
She’s one special lady my Holly.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | Lumix Lounge, photography, photography competition, photography education
Imaging competition has helped me become the photographer I am today. There I’ve said it again and I’ll continue to sing it from the rooftops and encourage every photographer that want to grow, or continue to grow to participate in two to four imaging competitions a year.
I recommend you choose between your local PPA Affiliate, PPA District Competition, International Photographic Competition and the WPPI 8×10 and 16×20 competitions.
Why??
It stretches you to push your image making to a higher level. It makes you aware of minor mistakes in posing and exposure and composition and the awareness works its way into your everyday captures keeping you from having to deal with the mistakes over and over again.
Making better images leads to better sales.
Making better images leads to winning awards which leads to having an excuse/reason to send out press releases which leads to press coverage and name recognition in your community.
I had a conversation with Skip from Skip Cohen University on the Weekend Wisdom Podcast on Sprouting Photographer about Photographic Imaging Competitions. Check it out.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | fine art photography, inspirational video, photography - art quote, photography education
Happy New Year!
Going to head in a slightly different direction for this Sunday Photo/Art quote. Was directed to this video on creativity by Nick Pappagallo, Jr. from the Photographers Adventure Club. The message is designed for beginners but I posit that we all need the reminder, especially if we are trying new things. To push the envelope and keep the creative mindset.
The video is about a minute and a half and I recommend you give it a look…
Nobody tells this to beginners.Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | fine art photography, graphic design, photography, photography education, photography marketing
You know those little strings you get when you peel a banana??
Banana bowl.
When you ‘pop the top’ on a banana from the stalk end like we have all been taught there are often banana stringy thingys hanging on. Did you know if you slice the banana at the bottom and peel it toward the top you get almost no banana stringy thingys?? How many bananas have we peeled over the years and dealt with the strings when if we had done it in the opposite way they wouldn’t be there?
Banana Art
As we are moving into the New Year let’s take a look at how we do many things within our our businesses. Look at everything with fresh eyes and see if we are dealing with ‘stringy thingys’ in our shooting. Things that we do all the time just because ‘that’s the way we’ve always done them’. Try something new… and/or make sure the way you are currently doing things the best way possible!
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | commercial photography, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, musician photography, people photography
Sound Bites Grill keeps bringing new acts to the Sedona area. The latest is Andrea Marie and the Magnolias Band from Austin, Texas. Andrea has one sweet yet powerful voice. You can check out their latest CD sound here.
Here’s the artwork for the Wall of Fame at Sound Bites.
You can follow and like the band on their FaceBook page.
The images to put this together were captured with a Lumix GH4 and the 35-100mm f2.8 Leica Lens. The GH4 has a great density range to capture the full range of tones even under LED lighting. ISO 3200 f2.8 approx 1/50 sec.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography education
Aspiration!
Today’s Photo/Art Quote has to do with something I aspire to.
And I’ll bet you do also.
“You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again.
You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all of your life.” Joan Miro
To create an image that sticks with people long after they have seen it is an amazing accomplishment. I’m not sure I’ve gotten there yet but the constant striving for creating this kind of photography keeps me going. How about you?
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – Joan Miro was not a photographer but was a Spanish abstract painter, writer and artist. You can check out some of his work here.
by successfulbob | fine art photography, photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Let’s pick up where we left off in last week’s Sunday Photo/Art Quote where Diego Rivera shared that he got more painting done when he wasn’t actually painting. Here’s another artist that gives us more thought on that subject…
“I think good dreaming is what leads to good photographs.” Wayne Miller
Wayne Miller was a Magnum photographer who also worked for Life Magazine. Mainly known for his series of photographs The Way of Life of the Northern Negro. He was inspired to photograph is own family and produce a book after he was inspired by Edward Steichen’s “Family of Man”art exhibition.
In his quote I think Miller touches on a very important idea. Creation of images starts long before the press of the button on the camera. It starts with allowing your brain to roam free. To connect ideas. To anticipate what might be. Many times we get caught up in the business of photography and forget to allow for the ‘down time’ to allow our mind to help us create new imagery.
I found after I started scheduling time to ‘play’ and mess about with personal projects my images took a step up in creativity with more depth. When there is no pressure to create a specific image you take away the fear of making a less than stellar image but you learn so much more.
Cut some time out of your schedule to dream. Some time to play and see where it takes you…
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | charity photography, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, people photography, photography
While on vacation in Sararsota, Florida I was asked by my buddy Skip to help create an image for an ad campaign for the Friendship Centers. The look of the requested image was based on previous photos from the campaign. The speaker would be in the foreground and sharp with the secondary person in the back slightly out of focus. Here’s the resulting ad that will run full page and on their web site…
Photographed with Lumix GH4 & Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f1.2 lens
Settings – f1.2 ISO 200 1/250 sec Window light from 4×6 ft window with shear curtains camera right
MeFoto Backpacker tripod for support (because I was traveling – came in quite handy because it’s small for packing)
It was a pleasure making the image. I just happened to have the proper tools with me. The Nocticron lens is sweet and allowed me to get just the right fall-off of focus that was needed for the photo. If the MeFoto wasn’t so small and easy to pack I wouldn’t have had a tripod with me on vacation.
Small light and powerful tools are amazing to work with and I’m enjoying photography more every day.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
