It’s the peak of summer and time for many to hibernate inside in the AC and literally “chill.” Not really a bad ideal, staying comfortable, but what the heck, it’s summer, might as well embrace it.
I can’t claim to be happy and cheerful in all temperatures but I’m a North American mammal so I’m adaptable by nature. (At least that’s what I keep telling myself.) I love documenting what is, when it is, and I’m likely to be out in all kinds of weather. What I love most about summer is that my toes and fingers aren’t freezing. (And I don’t have to scrape off my car in the morning.)…
A few years ago I was lucky to discover the documentary, “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” and have since watched it over and over. It is masterfully done.
Jiro (now 92) is the world’s finest sushi chef. His restaurant (Sukiyabashi Jiro) only has 10 counter seats and a meal is priced at 30,000 yen ($300), no appetizers, no drinks (except tea), just 20 pieces of sushi, hand-prepared by Jiro. You need to make reservations about a year in advance. Jiro’s sushi is simple but incredible and is considered to be the best in the world by leading chefs and others who truly understand this food.
I’m not really a foodie and know nearly nothing about sushi, but this documentary goes way beyond preparing food. It exemplifies the concept of shokunin, the Japanese word for craftsman or artisan. It is about the mastery of one’s profession. Jiro has truly mastered his profession and still wants to get better at it.
“Once you decide on your occupation… you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That’s the secret of success… and is the key to being regarded honorably.”
“I do the same thing over and over, improving bit by bit. There is always a yearning to achieve more. I’ll continue to climb, trying to reach the top, but no one knows where the top is.”
He literally does dreams about sushi with new ideas sometimes coming to him in his sleep.
I believe that many of us can relate to Jiro and the concept of shokunin. We love what we do and want to get better and better at it. My favorite lines from the documentary is when Jiro calmly and definitively says “Even at my age, after decades of work, I don’t think I’ve achieved perfection. …
The Delaware River is not exactly known for its coral reefs and sunken treasure ships, but if you don’t look how can you be sure?…
Local events like festivals, parades, fairs etc. are especially great for practicing street photography. There is a lot going, people are having fun and no one seems to mind being photographed. It is all part of the day.
Most street photography I see seems to be in cities, where there are a lot of people, but my studio is in a small town. I am in Frenchtown, on the west coast of NJ nestled on the banks of the mighty Delaware river. Our most recent festival, Bastille Day, was a perfect opportunity to get out an stick my camera in people’s faces.
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Creating macro botanical images for scientific stock is one of my specialites. I have a background as an ecologist and enjoy being out photographing wild species for textbooks and scientific publications.
Last week I came across a rare white chicory specimen growing along the roadside. I immediately made plans to return with my gear to document it.
Chicory is a lazy flower. Like a teenager it doesn’t get up until way past sunrise and if it’s cloudy or rainy, forget it. But when the sun shines it opens its sepals wide to enjoy the light and spread its pollen.
The next few days were rainy and other assignments crept into the schedule, but I did manage to carve out some time to make the trip to shoot the white chicory flower. They stay in bloom for a while so it wasn’t an emergency but sooner is always better than later.
Later that very day fate befell this pretty little flower in the form of a lawnmower. I’m going to remember this next time I’m tempted to procrastinate. (although, chances are that I may still procrastinate…)…
If you’ve followed your gut when choosing your career path then the joy really is in the doing.
I’ve heard critiques about people describing themselves by what they do. “Nay, nay” they say, “You aren’t your job.”
Well, I say maybe I am! I’m proud and delighted to say “Je suis photographe!”
I didn’t stumble accidentally into being a photographer and I’ll bet you didn’t wander aimlessly into your career, either. When we’ve consciously chosen our paths and pursued them, then there really is no fun like work (although weekends are great, too!!)…
Executive portraits can be more than a nice PR photo showing great dental work. They can be an expression of what it means to run a company. Sometimes this takes a little extra time and creative vision but the extra effort can deliver a more compelling image.
Being an executive ain’t easy (just ask one). It takes focus, knowledge, skill and the ability to direct and coordinate people. There is more to it than sitting at a desk.
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One of my business segments is being a certified Google Trusted photographer, trained and authorized to create virtual tours and publish them on the Google platform. As part of this program I also create and publish standard images of businesses, primarily architectural and product-oriented photos.
Periodically, Google gives me an update on how well my photos of my clients’ businesses are doing. I am always delighted to learn how many times they are viewed. The number of views per business range, of course, but the vast majority are over 1,000 with many my business photos receiving tens of thousands of views.
I’d love to take all the credit for all the views but a lot has to do with the popularity and locations of the businesses themselves. What is important to keep in mind is that people are looking and businesses need to ask themselves, “What are they seeing?”
The quality and content of your business photos are important. A well crafted image gets people’s interest and sends a positive message about you.
Everyone wants to have their business photos viewed. Having them viewed tens of thousands or millions of times will certainly brand you in the minds of the consuming public and raise their awareness of you and the services/products you offer.
Want to learn more about getting business photos published on Google? Contact me anytime, I am happy to offer advice and guidance.…
There are photo opportunities all around us, every day, unlimited ways we can market ourselves visually. This is the heart of social media marketing.
The challenge is that we are used to seeing our world as we see it. The normal is the norm, nothing special. If it feels and looks normal to us it is hard to make it interesting to others.
That is why we enjoy taking photos when we travel. It’s new and exciting and fun to see.
Become a traveler in your day to day life. Notice what you see and think about how you might make it interesting. Take some snapshots. If they are compelling throw them up on FB or LinkedIn. If the snaps aren’t quite up to your standards, stash them away for future reference.
The more you practice seeing, the more you see.…
We all love candids, good candids of our friends and family having fun, being engrossed in what they are doing. These kinds of candids have a natural, energetic feel, especially if the subject is feeling natural and energetic. They make us feel good.
Good business photos can evoke this energetic feeling too, but it is more of a challenge to create these images, to create images that have a natural candid feel, but it is entirely doable. After all, work is a lifestyle. It is part of our life and most people really do like their jobs.
When considering your next ad campaign, website update or social media strategy lean toward the candid lifestyle look. The less staged and more natural, the better the response will be.…