Very interesting article on doing things differently

Hat tip: Steve D (If he had a blog, I would link him... hint hint)

Most fascinating article on thinking differently, taking challenges on and looking for solutions that are not readily seen. I don't know about the film - looks good - but this article makes me want to see it for sure.

'Bride' Stripped Bare: "With these issues in mind, Watts set about getting his hands on every digital camera he could find. Canon UK loaned a 10D, a 1D, a 1D Mark 2, and a 1DS. Nikon loaned a D1x, a D100, and one of the new D2H cameras. Watts also tested cameras from Sigma and Kodak. Initial tests were held at Framestore-CFC and the Moving Picture Company in London.

“ We shot the same scene on every camera, converted the digital frames using dcRAW [an open-source program that accesses raw digital images], crunched everything to 2K, color-timed the sequences to match using Baselight and then output to film,” says Watts. “Basically, everything looked great until the film-originated version came up, then everyone yelled at the projectionist, ‘Focus!’” The images from digital cameras looked so stunning when projected. The tests convinced Burton, Johnson, Abbate and executives at Warners."

Grrrrrrr.....

Got any Big Dogs that are in your way?

Just wondering.

Fryer's Blog in the Mountains: "Bringing Down the Big Dog

Sometime in your career you will enter an established market with another company who is the market leader. What to do? A knee jerk reaction is to compete on price alone. Not the best strategy.

The first thing you need to understand is how the other company is operating. If they are a division of a large company, chances are they have moved to cash cow mode. Their focus is on bottom line results and they depend upon market inertia to keep them rolling."

Well Stated Kevin...

well stated...

Organized Individualists: "In this scenario, what will set the commercial photographer apart from the unwashed masses isn't so much his style or look, as anyone can crank off that lucky shot, but his consistency of work. A client will hire a pro not because they'll get a unique shot (those will be found online), but because they'll know what kind of a shot they will get, and they'll know the shot they're getting will fit their needs. What will matter then is knowing what you shoot well, and being able to do so for your client.

Which, really, is what matters today, too."

BTW... visit Kevin's images at his Flickr site.

Is your business customer-centric?

Or are we doing things the same way we did in the last century? Photographers need to find ways to be more customer focused, more customer-centric.

Some interesting things I have noted as we do business with the PHOTOtool are that photographers for the most part have not mastered the idea of passing on a level of enthusiasm for the job or assignment. Some basic business things that need to be addressed.

1. Answer your phone. Sure VM is nice, but if all your customers ever get is VM, you are passing a subtle message that you are not interested. Cell phones were designed for the purpose of taking and making calls when "not in the studio at this time."
2. Return calls as soon as you can. Most of the time I am returning your call when I get your answering machine... then, no call back for days.
3. Answer e-mail as quickly as possible. Nothing more frustrating than email being ignored or getting answers weeks later. Doesn't give an impression of timliness and excitement.
4. Work on your phone skills. I wish I had the nerve to tape some of the calls that happen. Some folks sound like they are bored to death, tired, ininterested or just not interested in speaking to anyone.

Note: I do not cold call - these are photographers that I have been asked to call, or who have called us and asked to be call.

Becoming more customer-centric can be an exciting turn for you business... one toward more work and fun assignments.

What's Your Brand Mantra?: "So why aren’t all businesses noticeably moving towards customer-centricity? They’re either holding on because the old way of business is the only thing they know… or the current organizational structure doesn’t support the new way of doing business… or there’s something else that needs to happen first.

Here’s what I think is going on: contrary to popular belief, there’s no such thing as a product company, a telecom company, a consulting company or a retail company. All companies are people companies. People make products for people. People serve people. People work with people and for people. I’d venture a guess that the root cause of business problems is not financial, not product-related, and not structure-related. Businesses live and die by its executives' and employees’ talents, levels of empathy and ability to play well with others… and by their willingness to listen and acknowledge that customers just may have some valuable input. If a business is rife with internal politics, fiefdoms and one-upmanship, I doubt that it will be successful in this new customer-relationship era. If a company’s employees aren’t successful in their personal relationships at home, it can’t become a successful people company."

That Was Nice...

I mentioned my computer crapping out earlier. Was looking for ways to get my system back. I was able to get the files by loading that drive in a new, very cool looking Vantec USB Drive container. They showed just fine and I got them off onto a disk or two. (I back up, but there were some things I really wanted to save from the drive.)

After exploring many dead ends, I called E-Machines (I have a sweet little 3060 at home for doing my writing and such.)

I tell the guy what happened. "Cannot be repaired," he said. Here it comes, I think, then he surprises me.

"We will FedEX you a new drive fully loaded with your drivers and system."

Wow. Now that is cool. Very cool.

Look, I have lots of computers, Dells, Macs and more. This E-Machines box was very inexpensive. I'm letting you know that the thing runs Pshop really quick : has no problem with Dreamweaver and can multitask like crazy.

And they have really good customer service. Thanks guys!

Nikon shooter? See this.

Just a heads up for ya'll.

Nikon acknowledges DSLR defects - Engadget - www.engadget.com: "According to the company, “electronic components related to exposure control in some D70 cameras may, on rare occasions, fail.” Nikon says the problem can occur in certain D70, D2H and F55 cameras, and the company will replace the affected components, even if the camera’s warranty has expired."

You want a fast machine... really fast?

Check out the new boxes over at Visualville. These babies literally scream with power. I have an older model and it still astounds me. May have to get one of these new ones as well. Never can have too many photoshop boxes, can you?

No, of course not.

At Yuri's Site

Looks really interesting.

Yuri Dojc: "In the opening paragraph of his landmark book Understanding Media, world-renowned visionary and media guru Marshall McLuhan wrote:

In a culture like ours, long accustomed to splitting and dividing all things as a means of control it is sometimes a bit of a shock to be reminded that, in operational and practical fact, the medium is the message. This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium – result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology.

Over the next ten days (September 23 to October 2, 2005), the McLuhan International Festival of the Future (MIFF) will explore the legacy and ideas of Marshall McLuhan at they relate to our future life, work and play. A wide-ranging series of public events (or happenings in McLuhan parlance) will take place in more than twenty venues across the city of Toronto, Canada. Details are on the festival website."

Thanks Bill

Ok... this makes sense to someone (probably in another universe).

Yesterday I was working along on my nearly new PC. It started acting sluggish, so I rebooted.

OOOPssss.. Cannot reboot - system files are corrupted, use recovery disks. (How about booting in Safe Mode, you ask? Noooooo, not there either.)

Recovery disks are inserted. Cannot read recovery disks... need file on the recovery disk, but we cannot get the information off the disk - cause it can't be read.

Go to MS Repair Console.

Do all of that... should work. Nope.

hal.dll is corrupted or missing. Hit Google and find out that there is no repair for this error. NONE. MS says there is, but no one has ever gotten it to work. Ever.

So, MS documents a fix that they even admit wont work.

I love my G5 even more these days.

Argh.....

Photographer sues to recover images (HIS IMAGES)

Dude... the guy just wants his images back. What part of that is so difficult for you to understand?

Unless you are clueless.

Ahh.

Herald.com | 09/24/2005 | Photographer sues to recover images: "''The introduction of anthrax into our offices was a horrible crime that impacted our employees and the entire Boca Raton community,'' said AMI spokesman Stu Zakim. ``We think it's unfortunate Mr. Mathieson has decided to exploit this crime into an economic windfall. We believe his claim is entirely without merit, and we will vigorously defend this action.''"

Photographer captures mystery of Taliesin West

Great story about a place near my home.

Photographer captures mystery of Taliesin West: "Then there are the architectural photographers who insist on functioning as artists in their own right. For a revelatory example, refer to 'Frank Lloyd Wright and Taliesin: The Photographs of Pedro Guerrero,' now at ArchiTech Gallery in River North.

In this small but ravishingly beautiful selection of photographs of Taliesin West, Wright's winter home near Scottsdale, Ariz., Guerrero's immaculately composed black-and-white images capture the almost prehistoric air of mystery that surrounds one of the architect's most enigmatic creations."

Lynne in Black Skirt and Heels

Lynne in Black Skirt and Heels
Originally uploaded by Wizwow.

One more. Couldn't help it.

Lynne at the Orheum II

Lynne at the Orheum II
Originally uploaded by Wizwow.

I meet all kinds of interesting people. Some of them are simply gorgeous. Lynne teaches and coaches skaters where my daughter skates. I have wanted to shoot her for several years. Finally asked her to shoot and we had a great afternoon.

I love my job.

All I can say is...

Screw You Google and MSN... morons.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Stuck in Stupid... for a buck.
I am a capitalist, but this just jerks my chain.
Fools and jerks and....

Strong post may follow.

Freedom = "dangerous"?

!$#@%#^& cretins.

The Tech Zone Computer Hardware Reviews: "All the major search engines have given in to Chinese demands to throttle liberty in exchange for access to the Chinese market. Google has removed news listing from its popular news search to publications critical of Chinese policy such as Epoch Times, Voice of America and a dozen other publications. Microsoft has blocked users of its MSN site from using the terms 'freedom,' 'democracy' and other concepts China has designated as 'dangerous.'"

Does design really matter?

Yes. Design matters more than you may think about more things than you may expect.

Garr Reynolds/Why Design: "Personally, having degrees only in philosophy, communications, and business, I am most certainly not a designer. But I am design mindful. At least I try to be. Since I got my first Mac way back when, the world of graphic design, and then multimedia, were opened up to me. It was at that time that I went to town reading book after book on design. I was inspired. I then joined Apple Computer and hung out with design folks whenever I could. Designers can be weird, quirky people, no question. But I learned a lot by associating with these people and asking a lot of questions. For example, 'why does that poster 'work' for me?' or 'what do you think about this cool, new office chair I was thinking of buying for $2000 — is it worth it?' The answers were often eye-opening, to say the least."

More from Kawasaki

... Read the whole thing.

Rule No. 1: Make Meaning :: AO: "The Macintosh Division—where I started—had, arguably, the greatest collection of egomaniacs in the history of California. (And if you know many people from California, you know that's saying a lot!) The company back then was divided into product divisions: There was the Peripheral Products Division; there was the Autodesk Products Division; and there was the Macintosh Products Division. The Apple II Division, basically, was shipping: It was very profitable, and it made tons of money. The Macintosh Division, in contrast, was not yet shipping, and I don't know if it was losing a lot of money, but it was certainly spending a lot of money to finish the Macintosh. "

Presentation Zen: Bookmark this one

What a cool site. Great information, well presented, thoughtful posts. Links to a plethora of material. For those of us who make presentations all the time, this is a goldmine of info.

Presentation Zen: "Guy's method — the 'Kawasaki Method' — is not a panacea by any means or the perfect method for every presenter or every situation. It is one enlightened, simple method among others. No panaceas or 'final answers' on presentation design or methods exist."

E-sheep do it for themselves... (I have nothing to add to this title)

And just today I had a long conversation with a photographer who didn't think that he needed a web site yet. Well, I will let him know that Sheepherders now have them. And that makes them more productive sheepherders. And it makes them more successful sheepherders.

Sheepherders.

"Sheep can decide for themselves when they're fed, watered, weighed and turned into tomorrow's lamb roast, with a new electronic flock management system being developed in Australia.

The system will produce happier sheep and give farmers more time as they manage their livestock remotely from their PC, says Australian Sheep Industry CRC and NSW Department of Primary Industries project officer Bill Murray."

Authors Guild sues Google over print program

So Google thinks it's simply OK take books off a shelf and scan them, then make them available online. I asked my 14 year old daughter what she thought about that. She said she thought that was illegal. She's 14 and goes to public school. She gets it.

Google doesn't.

Boing Boing: Authors Guild sues Google over print program: "'This is a plain and brazen violation of copyright law,' Nick Taylor, president of the New York-based Authors Guild, said in a statement. 'It's not up to Google or anyone other than the authors, the rightful owners of these copyrights, to decide whether and how their works will be copied.'"

Are you selling the right stuff...

... to the right people?

Does your presentation have to be squeezed into every type of possible scenario? Cause you only have one? Or two?

Are you trying to be a generalist when pitching a niche? Does every client see the same thing? Does your website still have the same images you had on it last year? Month? Week?

Who is that web site supposed to impress? What new information do you impart on visitors that may have seen your site last month? Do you have a "News" section that talks about all the cool things you are doing? Are you doing any cool things? Do you have a way to show new pictures and designs as they are born?

You do have new pictures? And designs?

Right?

Seth's Blog: Would you buy life insurance at a rock concert?: "When you spend all day making stuff (and making it better) it's easy to get carried away with the magic of your stuff. You (and your team) believe that your service, your candidate, your new product--whatever it is--is so powerful and well-priced and effective that any rational person will choose to buy it instead of the competition.

But what if you're selling it in the wrong place?
Or with the wrong tone of voice?"

Aye... you Mangy Dogs

Don't forget, it's "Talk Like a Pirate" day. All day.
Hey, this stuff's important. Really.
Arghh, maties... Ah'll be runnin ya through, ya sea dogs...

Interesting and Entertaining

Unbelievable how fast things have changed, eh?

Duluth News Tribune | 09/09/2005 | Kodak comes from behind in digital photography: "Sasson, now 55, never imagined as a relatively new Kodak hire in 1975 all the dazzling ingredients that have, in just a few years, put digital cameras in 50 percent of American households: fiber optics, the Internet, personal computers, home printers.

His invention began with a 30-second conversation.

Sasson, who'd recently earned a master's in electrical engineering, said his supervisor, Gareth Lloyd, gave him a 'very broad assignment: He just said, 'Could we build a camera using solid-state imagers?' ' -- a new type of electronic sensor known as a charge coupled device, or CCD, that gathers optical information."

Think Personality: 20 Tips

Good ones...

1 Know your= customers by name.
2. Be a stats junkie. You can't be more effective if you don't know what works.
3. Make your customer's lives easy, and they'll make your life easy.
4. Don't forget people. Behind every number and every dollar is a person. They are your livelihood.
5. Don't assume last year's sales as a given for this year. Everything has to be earned.

"No Work? No Problem" Some Thoughts

Over at Speak Up there is a great thread on distingushing yourself in an interview or presentation situation. Fun reading. Get involved.

: : Speak Up > No Work? No Problem. Part II: Distinguishing Yourself : :: "There’s no formula to finding a job, and this holds true for graphic designers as well as anyone else. However, ours is a visual domain, one that requires us to present our best self and our best design solutions. Whether you call yourself a designer, project manager, art director, programmer, typographer, educator, or creative director, it boils down to whether or not you and your skills can fit in and how you will contribute to solving visual, marketing, and/or communication problems."

What if you did a new portfolio....

...every month. 10 - 12 new images that you could send around (email, web site, ezine, sets of prints in cool little aluminum boxes.... whatever.) They would say... "This is what I'm doing now. This is how much I love what I do. I don't give a crap whether you hire me or not, I am still making images. I make cool images. I am a photographer (designer, writer...) and it is what I do... (sounds like a catchy name for a blog...hmmmm).

Would you actually do something that is "remarkable?" Possibly. Probably. No one else is doing it. Would you impress anyone? Who knows? Who cares? You would be establishing your self as the person who does - 'it'. Or you could keep showing that portfolio you showed last year...

Seth nails it with the Von Furstenberg metaphor. Think about it.

Read this article on being remarkable as well.

Arghhhh... Cell Hell

I have two Cell phone accounts, one I had saved from my daughter and hadn't cancelled it yet. Had it for several years, and recently got her and my wife another phone company for several unrelated reasons.

So my old cell phone breaks. The one with my business number on it. It is insured, so I go in and find out that I will be getting a brand new, 3 year old technology, phone. Ok. fine. Stupid, but fine.

But lo-and-behold there are new plans with services I need... IM, Text, out-of-town service and such - but they require a newer tech phone. I buy one and have the business number transferred to the new phone so I leave with a working business line. Cool. New old-tech phone arrives a week later and I go down to put the second line number on it.

Nope: That's insurance fraud I am told. Insurance fraud? I must, MUST, put the business line on to the old tech phone and then move it to the new-tech phone. Will take 24 hours.

Me: "But I have 2 lines and am not defrauding anyone!"
Them: Blank stares.
Me: "why didn't you tell me this when I transferred this number when I was here?"
Them: Blank stares.
Me: "Well can I do it and then transfer it immediately?"
Them: Blank stares.
Me: "Well, I will just cancel the number on the line I haven't used for 4 months and get a new line and phone.
Them: "That's fraud. You cannot cancel one plan to take advantage of another plan."
Me: "That's twice I have been threatened with very serious crimes since I walked in here. That makes me a little nervous."
Them: Blank stares.
Me: "How can you tell a citizen of the US that they are unable to cancel a cell phone plan in order to take advantage of another plan? And then to tell them that is a felony? How do you say something like that with a straight face."
Them: Blank stares.

So in order to evade prosecution and incarceration from the cell phone company, I just agreed to do the stupid thing and I will drive all the way back to Tempe tomorrow to have it transferred back.

NOTE: This cell company office (and all of their offices, I am told) have an armed, uniformed guard in the store. Armed. In a freakin' cell phone store. I now know why. Infuriating. To treat customers like that is a crime.

On the wall there are photos of people wearing t-shirts that state "I don't count" to show how 'cool' the unlimited service is. Now I realize there is another meaning to the slogan. Yeah, I'm a customer and when it comes to them providing me some customer service, I don't count either.

Morons.

"stooped shoulders and sad eyes..."

Seth recounts a trip to Akron with a very strong message for people who have 'given up' in the face of terrific change. I have seen some of this myself lately. It makes me uncomfortable. It makes me angry. Get excited, get happy, get motivated.

Seth's Blog: The end of Akron, part I, stale bread: "It starts with the bread they serve at dinner. The people in the restaurant have given up. The bread (on a Thursday!) is stale. The chefs don't care about what they're doing, and the waiters don't care about their customers. The people I encountered (more than a dozen), were, with just one exception, beaten. Stooped shoulders and sad eyes, they've given up."

"I'm an Artist, But Not the Starving Kind"

Newsweek publishes a pro-business for artists article. Read it. Print it and pass it on to everyone you know. Especially newer entries into our field. This guy could be any photographer, illustrator, web designer, writer... (Actually he is a web designer) - but the reality is the same.

I remember something some sage photographer told me and I have actually used a few times...

Phone rings. AD from an agency I recently called on. "We have a great job. Shouldn't take too long. We need someone like you to shoot it right. Give us a good price on this and we will make it up with the next job."

Yeah. Right. The next job.

My response. "Wow. Thanks for the opportunity. I am not in the position right now to make drastic adjustments in my fees, so I will do this job at full rate and give you guys a great deal on the next job."

Your fees are not something that should be "adjusted" for every job. If they are, they aren't really fees... they are "whimiscally applied fiscal policy as applied to personal accumulation of wealth - or not."

I remember being told of a photographer who quoted $6k for a job. The agency called him back and told him they couldn't afford 6k, but they could get 2k from the client. Photographer instantly agreed. Fool.

If I had been the agency I would never have used this clown again. If the job was doable for 2k, what the hell was the other 4k for?

Look, it may be too late for this industry to repair its image as 'business challenged arteeeests", but I hope not. I really do.

Anyway, read the article and pass it on. (Hat tip: Steve D)

Sept. 19, 2005 issue - "I could get an art student to do it for $35 and a six-pack." I remember the first time a prospective client said that to try to intimidate me into accepting dramatically reduced fees for Website design services. I was newly self-employed and hungry for work, so I conceded. I delivered a great Web site, but I hated my client for making me work for so little—and myself for not knowing how to get what I deserved.

Reinvention

At "Brand Mantra" Jennifer Rice has a wonderful blog post about change, life and the growth that bloggers feel after a year or more of blogging. Some of us start to realize that the approach we first began with may not be the direction that we want to go. I have been struggling with what this blog will "Morph" into over the next couple of weeks (Yes, I promised site reviews and they will come. I just really have trouble with pounding on folks who are struggling to find their place in the new landscape of photography. And most of the reviews I have done are not particularly positive for their owners, so I have them sitting here and will decide when to publish them soon.)

Jennifer's decisions to be more personal, less full-court business and more open to the wider experiences in life are similar to my own. She writes a whole lot better 'n me, so go take a look at her site, read the post and think about your life.

Thanks for a well written post Jennifer.

Links per Jennifer:
Gaping Void
Jack/Zen
Evelyn Rodriguez

What's Your Brand Mantra?: Reinvention: "Fourth, I'm going to expand my writing to reflect my diverse interests. I will stick to branding as the core of my writing, because my blog continues to be my best new-business tool. Yet I've been too focused on other's brands at the expense of my own. Every good brand is consistent yet multidimensional. My company brand is myself. So I'm going to risk being politically incorrect and say some things that may cause potential clients to wrinkle their foreheads... but I'm not going to worry about it. I think that's the beauty of Hugh McLeod's blog; he's quite unapologetically himself. And it certainly hasn't hurt him."

This would have been my choice...

A Memorial

On September 11th, our cities, our landscapes and our lives were under attack. Their rhythms and harmony were disturbed. That day, the 40 passengers and crew of Flight 93 acted as the country’s first line of defense.

It is design, heart, emotion and power... without controversy. It is so subtle in the landscape, delivers a powerful punch and will remain a very strong reminder, through design, of heroism beyond imagination.

My opinion.

The "E-Bay" of Stock Photography?

At least that is what some in the blogosphere are saying is the goal. This looks quite interesting. A similar, yet totally different approach to stock and the handling of shooters. I will be following this, and I suggest that you do as well.

StockPipeline.com Photography Ecommerce Licensing Fulfillment: "This stock photography pipeline directly links photographers and picture buyers, providing everything necessary to completely control ecommerce, licensing and hi-res image fulfillment."

Related: The Google of Stock Photography

Maybe The Ladies Recognized Him

... as a local spammer. Sounds good to me.

BTW... Don't be eating or drinking when you listen to this... LOL.

The Morning Show

Just found this great blog

Do you love design? Do you live it? Check out design sponge for some fascinating posts and information.

design*sponge: "boston: hometown of my dear ac and the fabulous home store, lekker. busting at the seams with elegant, stylish accessories for home and table, lekker really is a fantastic resource for classy, timeless homeg goods."

The Long Trail - dissected -

Whether it is a tail or a 'trail'... this post is very informative... as is the blog itself. Spend time... learn stuff.

Naked Conversations: The Long Trail: "First the metaphor part. Picture, if you will, a comet. The front of it is brilliant and solid and stunning. It's brightness makes it perceived ac cross many light years. Behind it there is a very long trail. It doesn't shine so brightly. It doesn't get the oohs and ahs of the front end of the comet, but it is vastly larger. It contains more particle matter and is in a great many ways more enduring that the front of the comet which is destined inevitable to burn itself out.

Blogging is right now exists exclusively in the glorious front end. The trail is just forming. It is filled with businesses and people in all sorts of places and of a great many ilks. They are the future of blogging. They may not burn as brightly, but they will endure for a very long time."

Sometimes Crisis and Tragedy come in single instances...

Michael Brecker, Jazz Legend, is in need of some help. While we are all helping the thousands of victims of Katrina, lets not forget that there are many, many smaller, but just as desperate, situations out there that we need to address.

Susan Brecker Letter:

"Dear Family and Friends,

My husband, Michael Brecker, has been diagnosed with MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) and it's critical that he has a bone marrow or blood stem cell transplant (which has nothing to do with embryonic stem cells). The initial search for a donor, including Michael's siblings and children, has not resulted in a suitable match. We now hope to have as many people tested as possible that share a similar genetic background as my husband. There are some important points to understand concerning this process:"

Please take a moment to read this and I hope if any of you fit this criteria you could help. Let's all wish Michael success and speedy recovery.

Art in Abundance

This creative coach has some great materials for you to download. Wonderful site with lots of good stuff.

writings: "Some of these writings may address issues you're already facing. With a little luck, you might just find ideas you've been looking for, or at least some signposts along the way."

Another reason to make Say Leaderships blog...

a bookmarked site. Wonderful articles like this. If you read it you may wonder of what use you could make of it. I'm sure it will inspire at least thought, and hopefully action.

Talking Story with Say Leadership Coaching: Serendipitous Learning: "Serendipitous Learning

One of the commonest but least useful questions people ask about learning is: 'What use will it be to you?'

The plain answer is there's no way of knowing in advance. Sometimes you find yourself needing something and there it is; right from an area of interest or piece of learning you undertook years ago with no thought it would ever be useful. I've proved many times that nothing I learn is ever wasted."

Want to Lead?

A strong little article on the values of leadership. My thoughts exactly. Hat Tip: Say Leadership... and you should visit there as well.

"Over one week ago a major disaster hit part of the Gulf Coast of the United States. I have been reflecting on the disaster, the response to it, and what lessons we can draw about leadership.

Don't worry this isn't a political piece..."

Well, uh sure...

Ya know, hmmmm, ...ya know - some marketers do not understand the true value of brand. They think they control the brand. They think we have all invested lots of energy in caring about what THEY think we should call them. I love these toys, but man-o-man... talk about clueless. (This is not a slam at the company, so don't send hordes of lawyers to my house. this is an OPINION on the silliness that I see.)

But hey, you can 'splain it all to your kids. They will surely understand.

LEGO.com : Redirect Page - LEGOS

US Route 89 Blog

Wonderful images from Jim Cowlin.

US Route 89

On Location With Rick Lee... Really...

On Location With Rick Lee: "I found myself driving along a scenic country lane this morning as the sun was coming over the hill."

Woot : One Day, One Deal

WOW.

Woot : One Day, One Deal: "With the Omnifi DMP1 20GB Car Media Jukebox, you can take your entire music collection on the road like Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show! Pack up the babies, grab the old ladies, and leave those lame old truck-stop Sound Saverz in the visor-mounted CD wallet where they belong. When you’re packing Omnifi’s DMP1 jukebox, you’re rolling with your whole mp3 collection, all the time, on any remote highway or byway in this wide, weird land."/blockquote>

Viral marketing for Photographers?

Why not.

Put your thinking cap on. How many ways can you think of to sell yourself (and your work) online with a viral campaign.

Cyber Calendar. Have a set of downloadable calendar shots at various sizes for screensavers.

The same above with areas for the owner to add photos of themselves (like in front of a glacier, or a scary house... be creative)

Small ads with your images. Download and create an online ad. Gratis from you.

Free image per month. User agrees to send you the 'tearsheet' or usage on line. (small files folks... don't panic)

20 free backgrounds for websites...

How to papers....

Anyway, that was in about 1 minute. You can get creative and get viral.

Viral Marketing - Saw The Viral, Bought The T-shirt: "So don’t give up on things too soon. Keep tweaking and testing to see what the optimal approach is. And get the techies involved early to avoid putting up technical roadblocks that might hamper the spread of your message.

Secondly, businesses don’t have to be big. When thinking about setting up a business online - particularly e-commerce - most people default to “I’ll be Amazon for curried noodles” or something like that. They imagine a virtualized version of a traditional store with lots of selection, interesting information, check-outs and the like."

Seth's Blog: Who's There? the new ebook (free for now)

This is a good book. Get it for free now. Get it today. Go ahead, I'll wait. (hmm hmmm hmmm)
Good, you're back. Now we get down to work looking at and examining poorly done sites, good sites and excellant sites. I will be reviewing and notating at least two sites per week and I hope to have my e-Book finished by next week. It and the reviews will create a body of work for benchmarking good practices for photographers and artists doing business online.

First reveiw coming later today.

Seth's Blog: "Who's There?" the new ebook (free for now)

Blogs, on the other hand, are changing the consumption of information far far faster than either of those two outlets ever did. Yes, it's different, it's not a winner take all world, but no, that doesn't make the opportunity any less interesting.

If KnockKnock the ebook I published in June, is about how to make websites do their job better, then it's only natural to turn our attention to blogs.

David H. Smith, is now Photoblogging

...over at his new site. Watch his site grow, he has some great stuff.

Tips for News and Political Hacks

...from a commedienne.
The shameful way the reporting is being done at NO makes me want to move somewhere... but I will get over it.

Hat tip: Kevin

Without Annette Blog: Montreal Improv Comedy: "Being positive is a little more complicated. To start, being positive means ideas result in positive consequences. Player A hands Player B a sheet of paper. Negative: “Oh, you got an F on your paper!” Positive: “Wow! Is this a picture of the cottage you built?” Now, being negative isn’t automatically a bad thing but if you are positive then everyone onstage will subtly feel more comfortable and instead of having to address negative consequences, there is space to build character, environment, or, more generally, a scene in a more relaxed setting. If someone hands you an idea and it frequently turns into a disastrophe, this is not conducive to good scene-building. First of all, you’ll have a hard time setting up because being negative off the top results in Instant Trouble (which can be painful or at least less interesting). Secondly, you’ll have trouble resolving a scene if problem follows problem. You do need to be negative for things like conflict or friction, but you cannot be consistently negative and expect much to come from a scene."

Louisiana Designers... Need a place to work in Phoenix?

Hey, if any of you know of a designer in NO that may need a place to work, we have room and computers and such for him / her at our studio in Phoenix. If they can get here and have a place to stay, we are most happy to help get them back up and running.

Have 'em let me know.

Anniversary Upcoming

I have been remiss on the blog as of late. With all that has been going on with me, and the devastation in LA, it has seemed a bit uninteresting to blog about photographers and marketing. I apologize, but the horrible situation has produced quite a funk in me.

I will work through it and come back strong soon, perhaps later today even. I hope all have contributed to the relief fund. I hope all have made efforts to help in whatever way they can.

My one year Blog anniversary will be on Tuesday. I will have some thoughts regarding the year and some links to my fave posts. I will also be slightly changing the direction of the blog to be more educational and editorial. Not a big change, mind you... just a little direction that will dovetail more into my life and energies. Stay Tuned as they say.