Another Worthy Blog...

Again, not specifically a still photo-related website, but you'd have to be nuts if you didn't find this movie/video blog useful...

http://indyfilmgear.com

In Honor of Sarah Jaffe...

Sarah Jaffe has played at the Austin City Limits Festival, which is a pretty special and significant accomplishment in its own right. She is signed to a pretty decent indie label - the same label as platinum-selling rock band Toadies. She has toured with Norah Jones and received a lot of love from fans during her own tours, so she's not exactly another nobody playing in the local coffee shop. However, she's not as well known as Beyonce or Madonna, so it was pretty surprising to see that Paste (a very well-respected national music magazine) listed her as one of 2010's top fifty albums!

In honor of the newest achievement by Dallas/Denton's darling, I've decided to post some pics from a 2010 photo shoot we did together...

Paul Has Tips For You...

Not really a photo-related website, but still a great blog on PR, networking and business-related tips:

paulemaynard.com

Gordon Keith as the Grinch...

Fans of local radio and television personality Gordon Keith should enjoy the current issue of Quick, on stands now! Doing his best Grinch impersonation, Gordon got painted up for a cover shoot at my studio. You can see some behind the scenes footage here...

Pricing Your Photography...

Because some people can say it better than I can, I'll just redirect to to their super posts on the what, why and how of pricing your services...

www.mcpactions.com

and

www.stacyreeves.com/greatestpricingguideever.pdf

Just remember, if the client wants rock bottom prices, rock bottom customer service and rock bottom quality, they can easily go to a Wal-Mart photo studio. You are a specialty business with a special skill. You can offer personal customer service and high end products. Don't price yourself to compete with Wal-Mart, because you aren't competing with Wal-Mart. When your client looks at your photo fifty years from now, they won't regret the money they spent on it... assuming they are still together fifty years from now, but that's another story!

Sometimes Stock Sucks...

I just checked my current sales log to see what images I've sold through a stock agency. My most recent sale was a photo of ZZ Top... for $6.10, of which I get 60% of the sale. Yup, I made $3.66 from the sale?!? I need to find out the where/when/who/why of the sale, because that is terrible.

My guess is it sold for some little web banner or some other low-paying usage. Even small printed pics in magazines and newspapers at least sell for a hundred bucks or more. Anyway, not all stock image sales are going to bring in big bucks, but three bucks?!? That sucks!

The Magaziner?!?

Local photo editor and layout pro Alex Flores turned me on to an interesting blog:

http://jeansnow.net/

Anytime I find a blog about layout and design, I'm always interested, especially ones that deal with magazines. Since many of my photos ultimately wind up in magazines and newspapers, I know that a good layout can really make my pictures sing! Of course, the flip side of that coin is the fact that a bad layout can make one of my images look pretty blah - even though the photo looked great by itself.

If you plan to shoot for magazines, like I do, you need to understand the importance of layout/design. You need to know how to talk with your editor, art director and layout person. If you are all in sync, the end result will be spectacular! So, start studying up on everything layout-related, like blogs, books, etc...

The Stoneleigh Hotel...

I found myself shooting at The Stoneleigh Hotel today. The architecture of the building is wonderful. I love the penthouse area, which used to be a special, private residence. After remodeling the building a few years ago, they have really brought back the elegance of the old Dallas landmark.

This Takes Guts...

Would you keep shooting, even after you were injured? He did...

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/its-the-photographer/

I'm surprised the camera gear even worked after that blast?!?

Another Photo Invoice Primer...

I know a lot of people still visit my blog post on how to make an invoice for your clients, but it never hurts to read another viewpoint on the subject. I found this today, and thought you might find it interesting:

www.mac-on-campus.com

There really is a ton of great info on the MAC on Campus website. It's aimed towards students and assistants, but who could use extra information on important subjects like lighting, metering, dealing with clients, etc...

A little Christmas Action...

If you're in the holiday spirit, I figured you might enjoy seeing the current cover of Quick with ESPN radio hosts Ben and Skin. and watch the video to see some behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot!