Escalate 2010
I spent the last couple of days at a photography conference called EscalateLive hosted by Dane Sanders, author of The Fasttrack Photographer. It was held in a vintage movie theater on Lido Island in Newport Beach. Geared toward wedding/portrait photographers, it featured speakers like Dane, Becker, Jerry Ghionis, and Jasmine Star. All of them are amazing photographers who are willing to share their ideas and thoughts on marketing themselves, and therefore yourself, in a highly competitive market.
Probably the most amazing speaker was Jeremy Cowart. He spoke about the power of photography. How it can be used to make the world a better place for both the photographer and the subject. He founded Help-Portrait; an organization that gives people who can’t afford to have a portrait taken the chance to be made up and get a framed print of themselves. It was an emotional presentation and I’ll be writing more about Help-Portrait later.
The common thread that they all brought into their presentations was that each of us MUST connect with ourselves, our clients, and other photographers. We must make them feel important by sharing and making their experience with you one of the best of their lives. But we need to be ourselves.
They talked about bringing energy, inspiration, and creativity to every shoot. They talked about seeing the possiblities in situation. See the light, the poses, and the solutions in every setting. Know your equipment, how to use it, and what it can do.
Use the equipment and location to shoot what inspires both you and your client. Capture images that may be outside your comfort zone and you can learn from or hone a skill you might use in the future.
Outside my comfort zone and give back to the community. That’s my take away. I need to get uncomfortable and make my future happen. And I need to find a way to give back. In other words, I need to get off my ass and get it done.
