Part of the problem...

... is that it is part of someone elses solution. (Hat Tip Kevin)

Wired 14.06: The Rise of Crowdsourcing: "He can’t, of course. For Harmel, the harsh economics lesson was clear: The product Harmel offers is no longer scarce. Professional-grade cameras now cost less than $1,000. With a computer and a copy of Photoshop, even entry-level enthusiasts can create photographs rivaling those by professionals like Harmel. Add the Internet and powerful search technology, and sharing these images with the world becomes simple."

Fairly Simple. Hosted Images for Free

There will be many, many applications for this service. We are working on a dynamic mini-page tool that will utilize this service.

Free Image Hosting at AllYouCanUpload.com

If You Aren't Familiar...

With Michaels work... you really should be.

michael regnier photography: "My photography has evolved over the years, guided by a desire to interpret the world around me with the freedom that other interpretive mediums offer. I want to go beyond the reality of the image in the camera."

A Very Good Read

How to Make Great Photographs © 2005 KenRockwell.com: "Photography is communicating passion and sparking excitement in the mind and body of another person. If you don't care about the subject then the results won't get beyond the basics. Care deeply and incredible things happen. Don't care and you are quickly forgotten.

'If I feel something strongly, I make a photograph. I do not attempt to explain the feeling.' Ansel Adams."

Ryan and Chris for Arrogant Menswear

I had a ball this morning shooting Christina and Ryan with some of our Arrogant Menswear lines. These images show Fender, Jimi Hendrix and the English Laundry Collection. It's kind of a story, but you can figure it out. For more information on the men's fashion, visit StraightRazr.com.

Just think about that statement...

“One of the biggest reasons people upgrade their PCs is digital photos”

Hey, I had these back in... uhh

...well, it was a while ago. These are great!

epic store: "Hippie Style Retro Camera Strap

The 'Express Yourself' straps are available in a variety of popular patterns inspired by Native American art (see examples below), and are made with the best hardware available. Each strap has 3 traditional 'film loops' for 35 mm film canisters. "

Guarantee Your Successful Failure

Sorry the blog has grown a bit cold lately. I am in the middle of three huge projects and they are crushing any time I would have for writing. However, this will make you think a bit. If you recognize any of these traits in yourself, well, fix it.

Achieve-IT!: 10 Steps You Can Take To Guarantee Failure: "3. Think and speak negatively about your goals - Try using words like 'I can't' and 'It's too hard'. Goals such as 'I can't get a promotion, It's too hard to take on more responsibility' will certainly keep you at the bottom of the food chain. If you can put it in writing or work up enough courage to tell your boss directly, he or she will almost definately avoid promoting you from that point on. Who knows, you might get lucky and get fired! It's worth a shot anyway."

Stunning...

Ok, you gotta see this IKEA web ad. If you enjoy clean concepts, flawless execution and technical brilliance, you will love it. Hey, Kevin... check out this VR....

http://demo.fb.se/e/ikea/dreamkitchen/site/default.html

So I have to cut down to only 2?

Maybe that will help. Currently working with 3-4 browser windows open. Hmmmm... yeah.

Personal Productivity Blog : Training Yourself to Work at Home - ( Small Business Blog Center ): "Problem: Too much time spent surfing.

Solution: Try two browsers. My friend is an avid internet user and finds watching videos on YouTube far more addictive than preparing an expense report. He needs to use the internet for research and communication, but every time he opens up his browser, he heads to his favorite fun sites instead. I suggested that he use two different browsers. He uses Firefox normally, so he should keep that one for personal surfing. He should then use Internet Explorer for his business surfing. His business browser won’t have any of the bookmarks that his personal browser will, so he won’t be as tempted. By separating the two uses, he can more easily discipline himself to work when he needs to work and play when he has the time. It’s not foolproof, but you need some self discipline to work at home. This just decreases how much you need."

Nicely Done: throw some of these in your bag

It is nice to have such a small set of cards with organizational tools on them. I put them in my businesscard holder along with my business cards. they are always ready for me then. At the end of the day, I add to my Google Calendar and dayplanner, then load a new set of organizers. Takes about 3 minutes and it is a wonderful help for me.

Success Begins Today » Blog Archive » Five Minute Organizer: "The simple answer is the “Five Minute Organizer.” A simple tool for organizing your thoughts, goals and even your life. This simple little device requires no batteries, is totally customizable, and fits neatly in your pocket or purse. You can create one in five minutes and be on your way to organizing your day. With some simple options your desk will be transformed into an organization station. You’ll be able to see your appointments, daily goals and your next actions in one place."

This will be cool...

Look out social bookmarking... coming next week from the folks at Google... Notebook. Gather information, images, posts, pages and put them in your notebook. Tag 'em, share 'em... useful for authors, researchers and photographers looking to find clients... ya know.

Flickr: EricaJoy's photos tagged with notebook

Find a need....

... and fill it. That is what we call 'niching' in web world. You don't have to have thousands of clients. Just a few who really, REALLY, appreciate what you do, how you do it, and how you make it unique, to make a business these days.

DCist: DCist Interview: John Vanderslice: "It's a strange time to be a studio owner, don't you think? Ever since the Pro-Tools revolution, everyone is doing things digitally now. And you're 'Mr. Analog.'

I was thinking about this the other day in terms of sexual fetish, like if you have one particular thing that you're into. Immortal Technique has this incredible line dissing record labels that says something like 'If someone can sell scat videos on the web and make hundreds of thousands of dollars, then someone should be able to market my record.' Whenever you stake out your own aesthetic area, your own niche, your own specialty, it doesn't matter if the world is against you or not. And the world is against analog. It's a museum piece, it's finished. Everything is going digital and I'm basically running an audio museum. But the thing is there are enough hard core analog people out there that come to the studio. We're not competing against all the millions of Pro Tools studio and home demo places."

I really, really love my job...

Today's Workshop: Lynne
Originally uploaded by Wizwow.

The workshop went extremely well. All the photographers in attendance got images that were amazing. Christina and Lynne were accomodating and worked hard to give the photographers images that were glamorous and powerful. I will post another shot or two of Lynne here as well as Christina.

My Friend Judith

Classical photographer Judith Faust was just signed to a new gallery opening in the Bay Area. (More on that later). You can see her work at her website. I have a couple of her images that draw lots of attention in my home and studio.

This is an area of growth for photographers. Find places to show your work and use the placement as credibility strengthening.

Some Polaroids of Old

Touching Up (Polaroid)
Originally uploaded by Wizwow.

I have posted some of my extensive Polaroid 600 images at my Flickr pages. Simple scanning of these images.

I used the Polaroid for making one-of-a-kind images for the studio gallery. I don't have that gallery anymore, but it is fun to dig out the images and see them online... ya know.

Freelance Information

If you freelance, you will appreciate this post by Cameron Moll.

Full-time freelancing: 10 more things in 360 days ~ Authentic Boredom: "6. Staying focused is a luxury few freelancers enjoy. Did I just write that? I did. Think about it: You’re on your own. You’re the boss. If you lack the necessary self-control to stay on task, life as a freelancer may not be your cup of tea. I struggle much like anyone else, so it’s a continual battle to keep waywardness in check. Refresh the RSS feeds only once per day. Use IM sparingly. Multi-task less (yes, less). “Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes” suggests one Chinese proverb. Stay on task, or you’ll be left wishing you had."