Now and Forever
Some years ago now I worked a day job that I hated, March to September
every year I’d spend the days trying to find a way out, with the
arrival of the autumn each year my ardor weakened and I dung in for
the winter. As the days start to shorten this year and we are
preparing for this seasons wedding fayres, battening down the hatches
and putting my head under the duvet definitely isn’t on the agenda
, although I have to admit it some days I do feel like it.
As we put together our marketing this year I find myself looking
around at the work of my peers, so often we can be so caught up so much in our
own work that it is good to see what everyone else is doing. Two of my
favorites wedding photographers, Yevant and Joe Buissink both of whom I
have mentioned hear before take a similar out look on wedding
photography, capturing romance and elegance in abundance, an approach
I humbly follow. Not all photographers work this way though and it
pays to look around when sourcing a wedding photographer. Reportage/
photo-journalist style wedding photography has been around now for
quite a while although not my personal vocation it too has it’s
advocates. Whichever style of photography suits you there are always a
great number of photographer to choose from, bottom line though, you
get what you pay for.
I rarely get into specifics on this blog as you know, this is just a
place for inane ramblings, but if this subject is of interest to you,
you may want to checkout a blog by a friend of mine
Anna Saverimuttu who explains in a more elegant style than I possibly could
about the qualities required in a wedding photographer, specifically
in this case photo-journalist style of photography.
the new bohemians are coming
As continually developing human beings we are all exposed to
situations and circumstances that are unique to ourselves, we are then
all unque because of those experiences.
As photographers the ssme is also true as we meet and interact with
different people and there work our perspective changes. Lately Black
and White images have gained my attention, the depth and richness that
exists in great b/w images is encouraging me to find more richness
and depth of colour in the my day to day portraiture be it in b/w or
colour.
Rich textures, use of light to inhance and enrichen areas of shade,
locations that suggest a more lavish lifestyle. down and out maybe,
but stylish whilst doing it.
Ansel Adams once said, “I would rather have a fuzzy photograph of a
sharp idea than a sharp photograph of a fuzzy idea”.
That’s a rather profound statement but knowing what your aiming for in
photography and life is half the battle, if you have a clear
direction, the future then is always going to be bright.
So here I am again, dear reader
bohemian, vagabond,
just waiting for the canvas on which to paint them. ( yes this
metaphor may be getting a little tied now, but until I come up with another
one I’m afraid your stuck with it )
It's been a while since I posted on this page. I've been rather busy
of late with quite a few things not least of which being the re-
decorating of my main website, ( the paint is almost dry now but that
flock wallpaper took some hanging ! ). One of the things that as
surfaced during this "rebranding " is my
Gorgeous forever promotion
which started a few years ago as a makeover , now we've expanded it to
include portraiture and urdan portraiture, the later of which we'll be
exploring in more detail during the summer.Our product range is always
high on our agenda as we pride ourselves on quality in everything we
do, adding new frames styles all the time and with portraiture albums
and boxes becoming more in vogue as the new " must have " items we are
set to introduce more packages for portraiture as the year progresses.
As I like to say . . .
Glamour isn't just the right of celebrity
Sometimes in life we all need to take control, whether it be in business, sport, music or just life in general, ” grab the world by the throat “ as I like to say.
The qoute below is something I read this week and thought I’d share it with you dear reader, I’ve included a link below the qoute for site it came from, hope you like it . . .
How I Stopped “Waiting for Jack”
By Kristen Moeller © 2010 , author of Waiting for Jack: Confessions of a Self-Help Junkie: How to Stop Waiting and Start Living Your Life
The first time I met Jack, I ripped a hundred-dollar bill out of his hand.
On a cold winter day in Denver, I waited in line to see one of my heroes, Jack Canfield, the coauthor of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series and the author of The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. Where I wanted to be was a version of what Jack had become — an author, a speaker, an inspiration to thousands of people. He was the whole package — successful, kind — a visionary for what is possible in the world. I thought, “If I can get to know him, I will become that.”
When I saw the opportunity, I grabbed it. Literally. During his presentation, Jack reached for his wallet, pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, and said, “Who wants this?” Hands shot up in the audience; people leaned forward to see whom Jack would choose. But I leapt up, ran up the stairs to the stage, and grabbed the bill from his hand. As I was launching myself in the air, thoughts raced through my mind — was I about to be humiliated in front of 800 people? Would they call security and haul me from the stage? But my desire for bold action was louder than any voice of doubt
As I plucked the bill from his hand, he turned to me and said, “Yes, that’s it! We can’t wait around for the opportunities to come to us. We must take action to create what we want!”
After his talk, I waited in line to formally meet Jack and boldly asked for his personal e-mail address. Over the next several months, I sent him lengthy e-mails sharing my vision and dreams. He kindly e-mailed back one-liners of encouragement such as, “Keep thinking and playing bigger; it’s much more fun that way. Love, Jack.” Then my life got busy with other things. I lost sight of my inspiration and I stopped e-mailing Jack.
A year later, my dreams had grown stale. I had this idea if I got back in touch with Jack, he might just provide the perfect, inspiring nudge I needed. I was looking for something that would spur me into action, like a giant arrow that would show me the way.
I emailed him, and then emailed him again — but got no response. As I sat down at my computer to check my email for the fifth time in 15 minutes, I suddenly woke up.
What was I doing?
I was waiting! And this time I was waiting for Jack. I realized waiting was a behavior that began when I was a little girl. I waited to be older — surely freedom would begin when I had my first boyfriend, first kiss, got my drivers license, graduated from high school and went to college. Then I waited to know what to do with my life. I had always waited, thinking the great prize of life was just around the corner. And I had started to believe Jack was the answer; that knowing him would provide something I thought I was missing internally.
I remembered the crowd, most likely desiring that hundred-dollar bill, while they sat glued to their chairs. What were they waiting for? An Oliver Wendell Holmes quote ran through my mind, “Many people die with their music still inside them.” Instantly, I knew I needed to do something about all this waiting. The inspiration came like lightening: I was going to write a book! A book about waiting and call it “Waiting for Jack!” Instantly, ideas and chapter titles came to me.
It all sounded good but then reality hit, I was writing a book. . . . Some nights I cried and wanted to give up; others I celebrated my courage. I wrote, re-wrote, ripped it all up, burned what was left and started over. I hired editors, changed directions then changed back. I danced in the moonlight and curled up in a ball on the floor. I told everyone I was writing, and then wished I hadn’t. I grew, contracted, then grew again, stretching further than I ever thought possible.
Fortunately, I have surrounded myself with a life of personal development and I have access to all the tools anyone could ever want. I know I can “feel the fear and do it anyway”. I know how to take action. I know how to move forward even when every molecule in my body tells me to stop.
We all have a “Jack” for whom we wait — whether it’s a person, a place or a thing. We falsely believe the gifts of life are just around the corner; that anywhere is better than here; that one day we will arrive and everything will be okay. So we don’t try, we give up, we sell out, we forget who we are. We are afraid to succeed, afraid to fail and afraid to say we are afraid. But as Wayne Gretzky said: “You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!” So I stopped waiting and I wrote.
Three years later, Waiting for Jack is a best-seller on Amazon! I have grown in ways I never expected. I know that I am capable of so much more than I ever knew before.
Now I ask you, what are you waiting for?
http://www.wow4u.com
With the prospect of a heatwave hitting our nation this weekend it’s
quite easy to feel positive about life, the world and everyone in it.
That positive feeling is the driving force that gets things done, DIY
around the house, wash the car, wash the dog, what ever it is that
needs doing.
Converting that positive energy into a useful business tool is the
order of the day and this week I’m tying up all those lose ends that
have been hanging around for the last few months. Whilst in the process of
rebranding I have built up a Stock of images and material to revamp
the website a little and to create promotional material to push my new
branding forward, a process that has taken longer than I had
originally anticipated, but hopefully the end result will be worth it.
So, enjoy the weather, enjoy life, take your future in your own hands
and seize the day and oh yes,
The New Bohemians are coming . . .
Birmingham
It was recently explained to me that creative poeple are
prone to mood swings, we are either up or down and are
up and down at regular intervals.
( not sure whether that is proper English, oh well )
This cane as quite a relef to me as I’ve been that way for
years and I thought it was just me beening a moody git.
We have a lot going on behind the scenes at the moment.
Working on new product lines and shoot experiences for
our customers. Getting the customer experience right is
paramount to us, our products are of the highest standard
and our service has to be the same.As a creative person
the photography and any other design inspired task provides
me with my ups along with the continual learning curve that
is an integral part of what I do, the minute you stop learning
your dead in the water new ideas are after all the things that
keep us on top of our game.Val and I recently did a model
shoot for some of our new and existing promotions and I’ll
be sharing some of those images next time till then …
be safe .
Andy Warhol eat your heart out, this isn't one of Joe Photos ...
I have to admit to stealing this from elsewhere, but I think the message is worth sharing.
I stole this by the way from cup of joe photo.com Joe no longer blogs which is a real shame he’s a real nice guy and an excellent photographer, if you get chance check out his burning man photos they are surreal .
but til then …
This story illustrates an important life lesson for me to remember. I hope you like it too.
During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?” Surely, this was some kind of joke.I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.
Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘hello’.” “I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
Joe’s burning man shots – check these out
I recently did another shoot with Singer Songwriter Arron Luther, this time the remit was studio shots. I’ve tried to offer more than one feel to this shoot, as a developing artist the different styles here will hopefully provide an on going supply of useful images.
My wedding and portraiture photography site