Take & Talk Pics

Today’s featured guest is Kevin Kuster.

Kevin is not only a photographer but an educator and entrepreneur as well. Kevin thrives on the opportunities social media offers and as the CEO of #jj, the largest Instagram community with over 640k followers, he has proven his methods. He is also a contributing writer for TheAppWhisperer.com and has been featured at iPhone Photographyschool, DPconnect, Passion Passport, and Instagramers.com just to name a few.

Equal Parts: Director, Photographer, Producer and Social Media Consultant.

Currently, Kevin Kuster is the Chief Creative Director for Watts of Love, a global solar lighting non-profit dedicated to providing lights to the poorest of the poor in the darkest area of the world.

Prior to joining Watts of Love, Kevin was employed at Playboy Magazine for 18 years. Kevin served as the Senior Photography Editor for Playboy Magazine and Managing Content Director for Playboy Digital. While at Playboy, he was responsible for producing some of the largest pictorials in Playboy’s history, and was responsible for discovering some of Playboy’s most well-known celebrity models. His images graced the covers of many Playboy’s top selling issues, and his pictorials have won countless awards.

Kevin’s career has taken him all across the globe, and he has produced photographs and films under every kind of situation, environment and location. He has created award-winning images with Oscar winning and nominated Hollywood directors including Spike Lee, Kevin Smith, Neil LaBute, George Tillman Jr., Mike Figgis and Michael Bay. Kevin has also created and produced photographs for some of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood, professional sports, politics and world events.

As an photographer, educator, and entrepreneur, Kevin is passionate about empowering and inspiring others to create meaningful community and art through the creative process. In addition to his work as the CEO of #jj, the world’s largest Instagram community with over 640,000 followers, Kevin is a contributing writer for TheAppWhisper.com and has been featured at WeareJuxt, iPhone Photography School, DPconnect, Passion Passport, and Instagramers.com. Recently, Kevin photographed 40 couples too poor to be married on Ilin Island Philippines.

Kevin is consistently invited to speak on the power of social media and how to build brand social media communities. His most recent work has included speaking as one of the keynotes at MacWorld 2014 and as the featured speaker at the Apple Store in Chicago.

Being your own boss may be a great feeling

If what you are doing isn’t working you need to take the steps to make it work!

You need to change – for the better.

A great quote by Chris Voss is “When you blame others you give up your power to change. Take responsibility for your future!”

The way I look at it is:

If you aren’t happy with where you are at… Change.

If your business is so much work the pleasure of being a photographer is slowly drifting away… Change.

If the list of things to do feels so overwhelming you’ll never catch up… Change.

There are ways around all of these feelings and misconceptions about our businesses and ourselves.

So many people I know or meet out there tell me they are unhappy these days. Forget photography for a second. I hear it from a ton of people from all walks of life. The same excuses:

“I don’t have enough money.”

“I don’t have enough time.”

“I don’t have the proper education.”

“No one will want me, so why even try.”

I have two ways of looking at change and if you understand the meaning behind what I’m about to tell you. Then you will have an easier time moving forward, not just in your business, but your life as well.

How to keep going?

Well I find it is helpful and necessary to put many systems in place.

What do I mean by systems?

Well if you remember in episode 024 with Jim Harmer he suggested getting a 30 minute sand timer. So when you have a task you need to do; you start the timer allowing yourself only 30 minutes to complete as much of that task as possible. Once the time is up, you stop whatever task you were working on, flip over the timer and work hard for the next task. - I want to clear a couple things up though first. Just because you only schedule 30 minutes to get a task done doesn’t mean you do what you can and then it’s all over if you don’t make it. Nor does this method suggest rushing though a task in that block of time is a good idea… What this does is the creation of the light at the end of the tunnel for yourself and your work. An end game to help your mind wrap around the fact that in 30 minutes you are going to be done working on that particular task for today. If it’s a bigger project come back to it 2 or 3 times, but give yourself the breaks from one thing and move to the next.

A system I have in place is waking up early. Now, I am not a morning person… in fact it is the worst part of my day. However, when I get up at 5:30am, have my coffee, get ready for my day, and then get to work by 6am; that is the best feeling. It feels like I have a good 3 hours’ worth of dedicated “in the zone” work time. Before most others get to work and before my phone starts ringing.

You know… I have an email address for Rob Krueger Photography and I have one for Take&TalkPics.com and I have one for my teaching at The College of DuPage; with so many different kinds of email coming in I need to keep things organized for my own sake. So what I do is check on one set of emails just once during the day. I have specific times when I allow myself to take a look and get back to everyone I can.

The truth is if you don’t have strict policy in place then there is no reason to follow though. Holding ourselves accountable is the most difficult thing we must do as business owners. For anyone who has or has had a full time day job you can relate to this:

It always seems like your boss has nothing better to do than be checking up on you and seeing if you are keeping up with the unrealistic schedule, but that is the majority of their job. As small independent business owners we have no one to answer to; therefore, we only fear ourselves and the potential guilt we may have for not putting forth our best efforts some days.

I like to say this:

“If I can go to bed at night knowing I did the best I could with my time and my day, then I did okay; tomorrow will be a new test, a fresh start, and a new day to see how I feel before I go to bed that night.”

I’m going to leave you Photo World with a quote by Henry Ford: Whether you think you can, or you think you cannot – you are right.”

We have to change our lives or accept defeat by not trying. Even if we try and fail, we still learn and grow.

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2015 © Take&TalkPics

Today’s featured guest is Juan Pons.

Juan is a nature and wildlife photographer based in Bangor, Main - who is passionate about the conservation of our wildlife habitats and is member to multiple organizations with that same focus. With over 20 years of experience you can easily see the skills in his imagery is driven by the passion to conserve his subjects and their homes. Juan donates his work to non-profit organizations with the preservation mission. Lastly, Juan has been published in countless magazines such as Sierra Magazine, American Photo, and The Independent just to name a few.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Juan is a nature and wildlife photographer, whose passion is photographing our worlds magnificent wildlife and natural features. Juan is a strong supporter of wildlife and natural habitat conservation and is a member of several conservation organizations. Though private individuals purchase photos directly from him, Juan donates his images to non-profit organizations with nature and wildlife preservation missions. Juan never ceases to be amazed by the natural subjects he photographs and hopes that sharing his photographs will inspire others to appreciate and respect natural life.

With more than 20 years experience in photography, Juan has also become a recognized expert on maximizing the capabilities of DSLRs when shooting video, and has published a new instructional DVD titled The Photographers Guide to Creating HD Video with the Canon 5D Mark II and 7D.

Juan travels extensively capturing nature’s beauty, and also teaches during his own workshops and multitude events throughout the world on many photography topics. Click here to learn more about his workshops to Yellowstone and beyond.

Juan’s work has been featured on numerous publications, including: Sierra Magazine, Nature Conservancy, Audubon Magazine, American Photo, Audubon North Carolina, Wildlife in North Carolina, The Independent, and many others.

Juan is the co-host, with his friend Rick Sammon, The Digital Photography Experience podcast, a leading audio podcast that covers many photographic topics.

Both Mike and Jamie are part of the Olympus Visionary Program. Aside from their photographic works Mike and Jamie run a weekly podcast and blog called Mirrorless Minutes. As you may have guessed Mirrorless Minutes is a photographers online resource specifically focused on the use of Mirrorless cameras. As the Mirrorless camera gains more attention so does the need to learn better photography with it and that is where Mike and Jamie come in providing their visitors with information and inspiration.

Jamie:

Olympus Trailblazer Jamie MacDonald is a nature and stock photographer living in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Jamie is the founder of the Mirrorless Minutes website and podcast, as well as a contributor the several popular photography blogs such as the Borrowlenses.com blog and SteveHuffPhoto.com.

Jamie’s work has been featured in several international ad campaigns for Olympus Imaging North America, and can be seen on popular websites such as Phobolographer.com and the 500px blog. When Jamie is not out shooting he can often be found camping with his wife and two sons, or leading photography workshops and photowalks throughout Michigan.

Jamie says that he is, “motivated to teach people capture what they see, and to see what others do not.”

Mike:

Mike commonly finds his inspiration on the streets of his hometown, Detroit, Michigan, specializing in street and urban photography. As the newest Olympus Trailblazer in the Olympus Visionary Program, Mike first caught the eye of Olympus through his work with Out of Chicago and his “Shoot Light, Shoot Often” philosophy.

Over the last five years, he has worked with the Detroit Metro Convention Bureau, covering events and taking headshots for a Fortune 500 company, and shooting sports photography. Mike has shared his love of street photography by teaching and leading groups on urban photography in the Detroit area as well as out of state.

When Mike isn’t behind a camera, he is in front of the camera serving as co-host of the biweekly video podcast, Mirrorless Minutes.

Mike is passionate about what can be accomplished with the Olympus Micro Four Thirds systems, using the OM-D E-M1 for his outdoor shooting exploits.

Why Schooling:

·         Everything is on a manageable timeline

·         Community/network

·         Multiple perspectives

·         Work opportunities

·         Low pressure practice

·         Regular critiques

·         Build a portfolio

Schooling isn’t for everyone… in fact I have a blog post titled: Why Schooling is the best thing you can do for your photography/Why assisting is the best thing you can do for your photography.

We are all on our own paths as image makers and some forks in the road take different photographers different directions. None of it is right or wrong it is just about finding out what is right for you...

Today’s featured guest is Angie McMonigal. 

Angie is an award winning fine art photographer based out of Chicago IL. Her work has been internationally exhibited and she has been published in Rfoto Folio, Stark-Magazine, F-stop Magazine, and National Geographic’s just to name a few.

After growing up in a small town in central Wisconsin, Angie has enjoyed calling Chicago her “hometown” for the past 15 years. She strives to combine her love of the bustling big city, its architecture and her childhood roots in nature to create meditative, contemplative imagery out of the broader urban landscape.

Today’s featured guest is Mike Moats.

Mike is an award winning photographer who specializes in macro photography. His company, Tiny Landscapes, is based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. What started as a hobby in 2001 quickly turned to a full time business. Aside from his stunning images Mike is a writer for Tamron’s blog, has images published in countless magazines, offers workshops, and has published two books on macro photography.

Episode 28 Breaking down the #1 easiest step to take for better success in your photography business.

I would like to break down 1 thing that has come up in several interviews so far and I imagine it will come up many more interviews to come. It is a simple quote I have on my wall in my office, it is the title of a book I often recommend, and it is the one thing that will make an enormous difference between those who are successful in their business and those who are struggling.

First off we should define success. Now my definition may be wildly different from yours when it comes to success, but the basis is similar for all of us. It usually lines up with financial stability, ability to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, health and happiness for your family, and satisfaction or happiness on a personal level. Again this is open ended and will change from person to person but whatever the ideal definition of success you have those common themes tend to overlap for most.

So what is this mystery topic? What is so secret that this build up is needed?

Today’s featured guest is Skip Cohen.

Skip is the president and founder of Skip Cohen University. His approach to education in business, marketing, social media, and networking influences the ability to “thrive not just survive” in one’s own photography business. SCU is a radical difference from your typical educational options. The site alone has a rich saturation of information through their blog, videos, podcast, and the Skip Cohen University community at large.

Skip Cohen is President/Founder of Marketing Essentials International, a marketing consulting firm specializing in projects dedicated to education, primarily in photography, along with social media support across a variety of different marketing/business platforms. He’s been actively involved in the photographic industry his entire career and previously served as President of Rangefinder/WPPI and earlier, Hasselblad USA.

He founded SkipCohenUniversity.com in January, 2013. It’s considered one of the fastest growing educational sites and blogs in professional photography. The site is a resource center for aspiring and working professional photographers. The faculty includes over fifty of the industry’s finest artists.

He has been a guest editor and consultant for Photo District News, educational consultant for PhotoPlus Expo programming and has contributed editorial to PDN magazine. Other clients have included PMA and PhotoShop World. He currently writes ongoing features for both Resource Magazine and Shutter Magazine; is a co-host on SPTV.me; is the anchor on the Weekend Wisdom podcast and is co-host for “Mind Your Own Business” a monthly webcast with Photofocus.com. He has co-authored six books on photography, The Art of Wedding Photography, The Art of the Digital Wedding, The Art of People Photography, Don Blair’s Guide to Posing and Lighting Body Parts, Wedding Photography from the Heart and GoingPro, released in 2011.

Today’s featured guests are Tim Ryon & Sarah Lockhart of Ryon Lockhart Photography.

These two lovebirds found one another despite growing up a world apart. Their shared passion for photography just adds to their love story and this could be the very influence that allows for their wedding photography to be so beautiful. Tim and Sarah bounce between LA and NY but they travel everywhere between and beyond capturing newlyweds.

Sarah and Tim are an easygoing, travel-addicted, animal loving husband/wife team! With extensive backgrounds in wedding and commercial photography, we bring a sense of ease and professionalism to every wedding, keeping things natural and fun! Our goal is to tell your story through timeless images full of laughter and love.