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email mspeermorgan@netscape.net



Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Rooms to rent..Cheeeep...

The last several years I have either found or grown gourds and made bird houses out of them. Something to do on rainy days in the Fall. While cruising through a flea market last year looking for props for shoots, I came across a basket of gourds for sale for two bucks. There were several birdhouse gourds and one long skinny one. PERFECT !!!

Last summer we had such a great time watching a family of wrens raise their brood of 4 kids that I knew we needed more residences for them. I cleaned them out a couple of weeks ago, got them varnished, and hung them yesterday. I'll keep you posted on the "Rooms to Rent".






Friday, February 6, 2015

17,000 !!!!

I was a bit behind myself when I forecast that the 17,000 view mark would be hit several weeks ago. It just happened this morning and I believe the time delay was in part because of the time I have been way from the Blog. Business and holidays took their toll on my time so I wasn't able to be online with it as much as I needed to be. This weekend the weather is to be in the 70's and I have an assignment to fulfill for a client that will require a couple of hours of shooting time. Check out the Blog on Monday to see some new images.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

"When you invest in good photography, you invest in your future success"......Brad Feinknoph

I have never heard it put so well, your personal investment in yourself should be the best investment you make. Having produced thousands of images over my career I have always tried to give my clients a broad choice of images to select from. Head shots are no different. I generally will have a conversational meeting with my clients to see what they are looking for. What is the final use of the image to be and what attitude should we portray. This is critical to the success of the session. To look away from producing just a "picture" helps create an authenticity that many people want, but don't know how to achieve.

This is what makes the creation of the image hard....how do you do it. It's just not a matter of sitting down, smiling, and whamo it is created. The lighting is important in terms of how to define the attitude of the face. The expression is monumental in creating the attitude of the moment, creating a first impression for the viewer. The relationship of the individual to the camera/photographer, is it a comfortable situation. It must be and it takes some time to get there.

Although generally only one image will be selected I shoot until I'm content knowing I have several to choose from. This doesn't mean hundreds will be taken, it means that through years of experience, I will know when to quit. Very seldom do my clients see all of the images I take. There's no reason to muddy the water with unacceptable  images, show only the best. It is always blatantly obvious which one work and which ones don't.

I am always intrigued by images I see posted here and there by "professionals". The lighting is flat with no modeling to the planes of the face. This always leads to a subtraction of expression. It makes me almost ask "why bother"? The investment that was trying to be made missed the mark. This does not mean that there should or must be dynamic/hard lighting for a head shot or portrait. I'm saying that there needs to be definition to the planes of the face for a successful image. That is what creates a successful head shot and investment in yourself and your future success.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Working with Clients.....The Power of the Image

Over the last 43 years I have been lucky enough to cement together solid relationships with many of my commercial Clients. The relationship obviously starts with the first job and then develops as the work progresses and and then extends on through future assignments. As the relationship develops an understanding also grows between myself and the Client. As I see what they are wanting I can fine tune the desire through the work I produce. The initial project could have one specific desire but throughout the production of the project I can generally amplify that desire into a visual sidewalk that will lead to more interest in the Clients business. It could be through more images of the facilities they have, visually driven questions about the personnel and capabilities, or even just a warm fuzzy of the services offered. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Several of my Clients have begun projects without realizing the potential power of the Image. On several occasions I have had the privilege of showing possibilities to them of how to expand the power of their message using the images in different ways. This could be through websites, brochures, individual images used as wall decor, and television commercials. Sometimes this is an easy process and other times you have to lead the horse to the water.

It is very obvious to me how to expand the value of the Image because I have been working with them so long. For some clients this vision doesn't  really come easily and I try to open the possibility field so they see the light. Multilayering the use of images not only makes sense from an economic point of view but also helps develop the "Brand" of the company, organization, or product. The image could be of a product, service, location or individual that is part of the company from which the viewer could start to develop a "Recognition base". Every time that image is seen, the company comes to mind. By starting with one or two images a building process can begin so that any image from the company, whether it is from a service offered, location view, product or individual, the Name of the company comes to mind. That is the Power of the Image.