The Going Pro podcast is hosted by Skip Cohen and Scott Bourne, two pillars in the photography community. I have been listening to it since the first episode and usually there is some good information in each episode. But in episode thirty three, every idea was important and common sense.
They talked about how to behave as a professional. What they really did was remind us about how we are supposed to act with everyone we deal with in everyday life. They talked about respect.
How do you show respect?
Dress appropriately. Don’t over dress. Don’t under dress. Dress according to the both the situation and your personal style or brand.
Have a good hand shake. Firm. Confident. Look the person you are greeting in the eye and say their name. And then remember their name and use it in the conversation.
Focus on the person you are talking to. Don’t be looking over their shoulder for someone bigger and better. You choose to walk up to that person and start a conversation. Don’t waste their time.
Show respect in what you call them. Don’t assume a first name basis relationship upon the first meeting. Especially if they are a well established individual in the industry or they are older than you. If I was meeting either of the hosts (and I have), I would refer to them as Mr. Bourne or Mr. Cohen until they said to call them Scott or Skip. Not because they are older (I’m not sure they are), but because I respect what they do and what they have done. Calling someone by their honorific is a sign of respect.
Honor peoples gifts. A business card is a gift. If someone you are dealing with gives you a business card, take a moment to look at it, read it, and complement them on some aspect of the card. The Japanese have a ritual about business cards and take the exchange of business cards very seriously. If someone thinks enough of you to give you a business card, show them respect by actually looking at it.
Don’t interrupt. Even if it is just to say hello, the person you want to talk to is already in a conversation, don’t think your presence is more important than that conversation. I am guilty of this and it is something I am working on correcting. I don’t want to wait to say a thank you or just acknowledge a great contribution, so I interrupt with a quick thank you or such. I will be waiting from now on. It’s polite.
The small, seemingly inconsequential points above have been mostly lost in today’s society. We are all about being cool and casual. We have forgotten that there is a proper, polite, and respectful way to deal with people.
If you remember how to show respect, you will get more from the relationships you are trying to form. Both in your personal life and in business.
Besides, it’s the right thing to do.
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Posted 10 months, 2 weeks ago. Add a comment
I knew I would run out of time today!
Due to a scheduling conflict I am unable to get this week’s 5/5 post out today. I will be posting it up on Sunday afternoon. Thanks for your understanding.
Ok, seriously, I’m in the Eastern Sierras shooting fall color, but…
…until then, here is a shot from Convict Lake from last year.
Convict Lake Fall Colors
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago. Add a comment
Ok, it’s been a little while since I got on here. Lots of things going on over the last three months, but nothing that needs to be gone over here.
That didn’t stop me from shooting and taking part in some other photography related activities. I took some time on the Eastern Sierras, visited Las Vegas for Skip’s Summer School, and of course attended the Orange County FEO meetings. In addition I did some reading and just plain played with the camera.
I will be posting information on all of those things in up coming posts, but until then, it is just nice to get back online and say hello. Please be sure to stop by in the near future for more updates.
Until then, here is shot that I took on the road to the Yosemite Creek campground.
Wildflowers on the road to Yosemite Creek campground.
Posted 1 year, 4 months ago. Add a comment
I listen to a lot of podcasts. I have 23 of them on my iPhone that I listen to regularly and another 10-15 on my computer at home. I listen to them when I am in the car traveling to work, vacation, the store, where ever. I am a podcast junkie. I haven’t listened to the radio in ages. I include video podcasts in this catagory. I don’t watch them in the car, but while waiting for appointments or whatever.
I have learned a few things about podcasts. Some are good. Some are bad. And some are both.
Bad & Ugly
I am not going to list the podcasts here, but if you read between the lines you’ll figure it out.
It is NOT a podcast when you film yourself shooting a waterfall, birds, mountain landscapes or whatever and all the viewer sees is a waterfall, birds, or a mountain landscape with a camera firing off at 6-8 frames per second as the sound in the background. If you don’t have narrative about what you are shooting, why you are shooting it, or what you are trying to do with the camera, it is NOT a podcast. It is just a bad video.
You wouldn’t post or make public the images that you are not proud of, why do that with a podcast? Just because you can post something doesn’t mean that you should.
It is NOT a podcast when most of the material you talk about is a plug for your latest and greatest workshop or light modifier or whatever. It is an ad. There is nothing wrong with advertising, but not at the expense of most of your material.
You have thousands of listeners around the world and you’re plugging a workshop that has room for 15 people. Make your sales pitch and then move on to the reason we downloaded the podcast. If you tell everyone that you will be answering questions about photography, answer some. Or a lot. If your podcast is supposed to be an interview, then get to the interview. 15 minutes of interview and 45 of the workshop plug is not why we downloaded you.
It is NOT a podcast if you produce one every 6-8 weeks. It is a reminder that you are not doing what something on a regular basis. This is the reason I don’t produce a podcast. I don’t have the time to do it right on a regular basis.
It is NOT a podcast when you rebroadcast something you did for someone else. If you want to include it in your feed, fine, but don’t add it to your count and say it is a podcast.
Good
There are some really good podcasts out there. They are done well, educational, and entertaining.
The Image Doctors
This is produced by the Nikonians.org website. Jason Odell and Rick Walker talk about Nikon equipment (obviously) and some of their shoots that they go on. But they include tips, ideas, and other information that can make you a better shooter. Their equipment reviews are honest; giving you both the things they liked as well as the things they didn’t.
Photofocus
Scott Bourne puts together some great guests and all they do is answer questions submitted by listeners. They always answer the questions in depth and from two points of view. It is a VERY educational podcast about photography. And the website that goes with it is one of the best photography oriented sites on the internet.
TWIP
This Week In Photography is a well produced podcast about everything photography. Host Fredrick van Johnson along with co-hosts Alex Lindsay, Steve Simon, Ron Brinkmann, and Aaron Mahler talk about the past, present, and future of photography. They all have an immense amount of experience in photography and are very entertaining as they give tips, opinions, and insights on photography.
The Candid Frame
Host Ibarionex R. Perello interviews individuals in the photography world. Most of them I have never heard of, but they have some great insights and thoughts on ideas that make you think.
Thoughts On Photography
Paul Giguere has a great podcast on living a photographic life. He has interviews and thoughts on being a photographer and producing images that are interesting and tell a story.
Lightsource
Bill Crawford and Ed Hidden talk about and interview people about mostly studio lighting. Lots of interesting ideas and insights on thinking about how to use studio lighting.
LensWork
The magazine is good. Brooks Jensen produces a short (4-5 minutes) podcast about his thoughts on photography. Everyone of them are thought provoking and relevent.
LenFlare35
Dave Warner interviews a lot of the iconic photographers using Canon gear. Yes, it is Canon, but we all know it is not about the gear, but the eye behind the viewfinder and you can hear what those great eyes have to say on this podcast.
Final Thoughts
Podcasts are a great way to learn about photography and lots of other subjects. If you are producing a podcast, take the time and effort to do it right.
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago. 1 comment
Well, this is it. The start of a new website and a new blog. Ok, it really isn’t a new blog, it’s my first blog. I have two photo sites.
This is the first one. I intend to use this as a general photo/business blog. I want to document my photographic life and the start of my business.
The second is Nature Light Photography (which isn’t up and running quite yet). After listening to Kevin Swan on the Pro Photo Show podcast. I realized that I can’t have all of my pictures and thoughts on a website that I want my clients to look at and appreciate everything I can do for them.
This is the start. I am sure that there will be several revisions to the look and such of the website, but I’m looking forward to the journey.
Posted 2 years, 5 months ago. Add a comment
