Take & Talk Pics

Never Wrong - episode 192

Photo World "You are never wrong to do the right thing." - Mark Twain

That seems like a straight forward quote that wouldn't require much explaining. Come on Photo World what kind of podcaster would I be if I couldn't fill up at least 15 minutes over one seemingly simple quote. I can tell you it is the little things that count, therefore the most meaningful things come to us in a simple way; such as a 9 word phrase. In this episode I pull off of my experience as of today. That's right what I know and the many times I have been wrong to find and understand how to be right. Right is a hard word to understand sometimes and so many hot topics are blown out of proportion over the idea of "right". I like to say: logic will never fail me, so long as I am right. It is in my logic I try to do right by mu customers and right by my business.

Happy Shooting!

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Jay Dickman - The Electricity

My words would do little to introduce this man. I have seen many of his images over the years and hadn't know his name til recently. Photo World this is the episode to listen to... It will not disappoint. On a more personal note: This opportunity to speak to Jay as well as so many other great photographers I have interviewed is the reason I continue to do what I do, and bring a part of their stories to you Photo World! Jay Dickman A Pulitzer-Prize winner and National Geographic Photographer, Jay’s career has spanned a multitude of experiences, including three months living in a stone-age village in Papua New Guinea, a week under the Arctic ice in a nuclear attack sub (both these for National Geographic), and aboard a sinking boat on the Amazon. With more than twenty-five assignments for the National Geographic Society, Jay has taught workshops for Santa Fe Workshops, the Maine Media Workshops, Photography at the Summit and American Photo Mentor Series. Jay and his wife, Becky, are founders of the FirstLight Workshop series, having hosted workshops in Italy, Spain, Scotland, France, the Chesapeake, and Wyoming. Working with National Geographic Expeditions, Jay has been on more than 40 trips as the “National Geographic Expert.” These have included several of the" Around the World by Private Jet" Expeditions, Central & South America by Private Jet, trips to Svalbard and the High Arctic, Cape of Norway, British Isles, Dalmatian Coast, the West Coast of Africa along with multiple trips to South Georgia/Falklands/Antarctica, Baja and the Galapagos Islands. Jay has led the National Geographic "Wyoming's Cowboy Country" Photography Workshop since it's inception in 2013. His input and design for the workshop was critical to its success As a working pro, Jay is an Olympus Visionary, a Lexar Elite Photographer and an HP Prestigious Photographer, using the latest technology from these companies-for backup and storage, Jay uses state of the art equipment from CRU-Dataport. Jay is co-author of the best-selling book, “Perfect Digital Photography”, published by McGraw-Hill. Jay is proudly sponsored by: Happy Shooting!

W: jaydickman.net

Blog: firstlightworkshop.com/wheres-jay

Workshops: firstlightworkshop.com

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Battery Power

I sometime talk about gear like I had with the what's in my bag series and I even got specific about the AA and AAA batteries I prefer. Well camera batteries seem like a conversation most people just don't have all that much. I was thinking back over the cameras I had and currently have and looked over my choices for batteries. Name brand Nikon or third party like a trusted Promaster, or even the no name brand that fits and powers. This episode is not in depth on the tech side because I haven't done that much research on the subject other than for my own use. So that is the episode you get today; my experience and my thoughts as I reflect on this  quiet subject. Ultimately, this topic comes down to preference, reliability, price, and trial 'n' error. As I grow in my own career I find price becomes less of a deciding factor and reliability mixed with preference take the forefront of the decision making process. When I talked about the AA and AAA I mentioned there are too many options camera batteries, not so much.

Happy Shooting!

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Think Before You Speak

Life's a little easier when you Think Before You Speak... Photography is much better when you Think Before You Shoot. Basically I am saying Don't "RUN & GUN"! So many photographers new and seasoned over shoot and aim carelessly. Now I know I am not always capturing an amazing work of art every time I release the shutter but I can say with some confidence that I take that split second where a picture is made very seriously. I want my frame to be meaningful and thought out, regardless of the meter's suggestion I want my exposure to really count, and I want the moment I am capturing to matter. Some days I feel my brain on overload working hard to continually care about each image. However, this is totally worth it. So many photogs out there say "I can fix it in Photoshop"; isn't that just a waste of time? Fixing it in Photoshop is not a great solution. Spend the time (you already have) in creating a great image so you don't have to waste time "fixing" a bad one just to have something okay.

Happy Shooting!

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Shoot Some Video

We have such advanced tools in our hands and most of the photographers out there only use about 1/3 the amount of functions their cameras have. You could double your use if you just add some video work into the mix. Okay maybe not double because you wouldn't really use this function at 50% as our skill for stills is the main priority within our businesses. However, what if you could increase your business revenue by 10% with only adding 3-5% more work to your usual gigs? You would do that in a heart beat right? I know I would and now I do. By informing your clients why they need some B-roll video capture you can up-sell your products fast. I am not a videographer and I am not really interested in becoming one but if I can do just a tad more on a wedding day and squeeze another 10% that's not a bad day. Also it is a way for he client to save a bit because they may be satisfied with just some video and not the whole days worth. Besides Videograpohers are always stepping into my frame and bumping into me. Most seem to be ill mannered and I always stay professional. I know it sounds like I am telling you to cut into the videographer business out there but you really aren't... you are offering a bit more than what you normally do and a videographer could do the same with stills. No matter what people get what they pay for so I say practice then try to sell it. Don't learn on their money.

Happy Shooting!

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Mileage

When you run a small business every bit counts. It could be saving a buck on a few ting here and there or spotting a great deal on a new piece of gear. It is all about making money doing what we love and not spending too much trying to get there. Well there are many business tricks to consider for not spending as much as we could or saving once in a while. One way we get financial breaks it through our taxes. You and I can have very different views about taxes or the way the government performs taxation but the truth is there are options for us to save some money through tax breaks. One major saver is our Mileage. So many small business owners do not track their miles for every bit that goes into their small business. YOU NEED TO! Those miles add up. I did something like 12,000 miles last year for my business and the number climbs each year as more and more work comes my way. Just like almost everything else there is an app for that.

Here are a few to look into:

Auto Miles

Mileage Log+

klicks

Triplog

TrackMyDrive

MileGuru

BizXpenseTracker 

Easy Logbook

MileWiz

Hurdlr

MileBug 

Everlance

SherpaShare Mileage/Expense Tracker

MileIQ

GPS Mileage Tracker

Fuel buddy

Stride Drive

MetroMile’s

TaxMileage

Happy Shooting!

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So the past few weeks have been focusing on acronyms such as: N.O. for Next Opportunity and E.N.D. for Effort Never Dies. This week is all about one of my favorite questions to ask in interviews and that is Fail! Now I did not come up with any of these three acronyms. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam; 11th president of India, is quoted for each of these three. In the spirit of Failing I share a big failing story where I almost ruined someones wedding in 2014. I can honestly say this was the biggest failure I have ever encountered in my professional career. If I discuss my personal live this episode would never end. That's not sad at all...

There are enough horrible things going on in our lives and throughout the world that it is helpful to a shift your perspective form negative to positive and these acronyms have been a huge help to me over the past year or so. I know that even with all the failure I have plenty left to learn and I look forward to my future mistakes.

Happy Shooting!

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Davin Lavikka - The Alternative Processes

Davin is a Fine Art and Commercial Photographer based in Scottsdale Arizona. You may know Davin from his YouTube channel filled with instructional videos on all things photography. From understanding gear to learning on how to be better prepared on your next shoot.

Davin Lavikka is a photographer and artist in Scottsdale Arizona. Photography is his primary tool and has been for the last fifteen years. He is known for his architectural and commercial work but has become known for his fine art photography first. He is influenced by early masters like Eugene Atget, W. Eugene Smith, Diane Arbus, Walker Evens, Ansel Adams, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Horst P. Horst, Ernst Haas, Herbert Bayer, Jacques Henri Lartigue and Edward Weston. From the very beginning Davin has been a visionary translating his ideas into a physical form through drawing, painting, illustrating and photography. Davin's ultimate goal is to fully explore the artistic side of photography through alternative processes and ideas. He is fascinated with visual composition and how we react to it. "You can look at a master painter's work like Marcus Pierson, Philip Curtis or Van Gogh, see a painting they did and automatically know it was them. It's harder to do that with photography but that's the goal, to see identify me without knowing the work."

Happy Shooting!

W: http://www.lavikkaphotography.com/

http://www.dxomark.com/

http://www.photozone.de/

http://www.method-wedding-photography.com/ 

Blog: http://www.lavikkaphotography.com/blog 

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Mark Wallace - Change Humanity

A friend of mine introduced me to Mark's YouTube channel and his work in 2010 or so and I have been wanting to get him on the show for a long time now. after a couple quick emails he was game and I am so glad. I could not be more pleased with the conversation, the value, and the inspiration Mark has shared with me and you Photo World. Give it a listen but definitely watch his videos for Adorama TV

Mark Wallace is a photographer based in the United States. Best known for his web-based video series “Digital Photography One on One” and “Exploring Photography” sponsored by Adorama.

Millions of people have watched Mark’s videos on YouTube, and the numbers continue to grow. Mark has a strong social media following on Facebook and Twitter, where he spends time interacting with viewers and workshop attendees.

In 2014, Mark left the United States to embark on a 2 year worldwide adventure. He visited 28 countries and captured thousands of unique photographs across the globe.

In 2016 Mark decided to give up planes, trains, and automobiles and is now exploring the world on his motorcycle.

Happy Shooting!

Adorama: http://www.adorama.com/alc/tags/mark-wallace

W: http://www.markwallacephotography.com/

Blog: http://www.markonabike.com/

http://blog.snapfactory.com/

Workshops: http://classes.snapfactory.com/

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Job, relationships, projects, motivation, and power... thing end. Just like the ones listed here or maybe something you are thinking about, one way or another, there is an end to it. Sometimes and ending comes about when it is unexpected or inconvenient and we can feel lost or afraid about what we may need to do to overcome that end. It is amazing how our perspective can be a solution to most any problem and when we talk about the ends of things that same mind shift can be the help we are looking for. Rather than throwing in the towel and accepting the end, we can give the future a chance to thrive with the idea that E.N.D. is really "Effort Never Dies". There is something to be said about not giving up. However, before I get deep into this topic and the idea that we should always strive to keep going. Let me be clear that an ending may be the right solution to that job, relationship, project, motivation, etc.

My real thought process here is that we can think positively and take our learning with us. When I was younger with part time jobs I would see things coming to an end. It may have been the people were not great to be around or the money wasn't enough/I found a possible new job with higher pay, whatever it was, I always had a plan. I always made the effort to continue and move on, grow, and  in my mind continually succeed. I have mentioned in past episodes that I had something like 16 or more jobs before I finished college. I sound like a flake but it was just meticulous planning for what is next and how to always overcome the ends.

Happy Shooting!

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