How To Get Your Foot In The Door

There is a question as old as time when it come to getting started... "How To Get Your Foot In The Door?" I think the worst part about this is so many people have no idea what door to go through or they attempt entering it but do it in the worst possible way. Today I am continuing what I look at as the planning stage for beginning your photography business and this bit is bullet point 3 of 4 or 5 when it comes to the planning of breaking into the photography industry. I have been having a lot of fun racking my brain from my start in the industry and there are thousands of small parts that have come together to make my journey what it was. How do we take that first step though? Well, there are literally hundreds of ways to start... I share a couple ways to avoid and the mindset you should be in to succeed. Although, assiting or getting your foot in the door is one part I really look at this as Building Your 2 Bags. 1 the knowledge and 2 the gear.

Happy Shooting!

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Greatest Game On Earth

Photo World last weeks Monday Message was all about having a social life... Well for me it was about not having a social life. I felt using my time for work now will pay off in the end and help me to find true success. There is nothing wrong with hard work nor long hours to keep focused in hopes to make your career advance or your business grow. However, we tend to over work and not actually achieve much.

For me I would not stop thinking about work, the emails I need to send, the images I must edit, the social media I need to update, or the marketing that needs to be done. That is just the short list when it comes to owning/running a small business. How do we find balance between our work and our social lives or time for the family? Well today's episode is all about how the Greatest Game On Earth saved me from myself and I still play today!

Happy Shooting!

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Harry Potter Gone Wrong

WARNING! Photo World Rob is mad today, or at least he starts out mad but anger can be a powerful tool. Let's see how this one wraps up. For now I can tell you why Harry Potter makes it into the episode and what is this ad for Nebraska all about. Well It started by accident more than anything else. A friend of mine who doesn't do much in the way of photography other than ask me to take the pictures for them from time to time, asked me "what is wrong with this picture". They were seriously wondering how a shot like this makes any sense and why it would be published. Well I don't know why or how it got published but I know my mind filled with rage over this Harry Potter sorting hat peaking in near center of the image take a Halloween spin in the midst of a camping trip. I do not know what magazine this was from, I have no idea who the photographer is, I can't tell you where they found their models, and I don't think this is a successful ad for Nebraska. However, I did learn a lot in a short time just letting the emotions run wild.

Happy Shooting!

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Show Me The Money

You have a business plan beginning but within that what about the money talk? What do you need for your new photography business? Are you a small operation and what would that really cost? How about buying used gear first to save a bundle? Is there a studio space needed or can this be done out of your home? What tax breaks are there for either the studio or even the home?

Knowing how much money you need for this endeavor is one thing, acquiring it is another. A recent study from the National Knowledge Commission shows that 63 percent of entrepreneurs “self-financed” (bplans.com). Not a bad deal... no loans to take out, maybe work and pay as you go, while building something bigger and better.

Start with the personal budget. How much do you need for your bills? The must haves vs the wants. Do you need all the cable channels? Will unlimited cell data be necessary in this wifi connected world? Driving a Mercedes may look good but would a Kia get you where you need to go with enough comfort? There is no shame is part time work on the side to help get things started. If a loan is right for you, what is the best way to go? Investors, a bank, credit bureau, private loan, family, friends, or will crowdfunding work? There are many of those I would steer clear of, almost all, but not all.

Happy Shooting!

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I Have No Social Life

Are you surprised by this title today Photo World? That I, mister: national speaker, podcaster, college instructor, wedding photographer, blogger, swimmer, and singer has no social life… something isn’t right in there. Well, this week I turn back to clock to a time where my future led my thinking and I didn’t see the point in living in the here and now. There are so many takeaways in this episode but a couple I didn’t mention deserved some focus here in the written word. My past was filled with the abnormal. What high schooler has no social life? I get to that but let me tell you… the one who was willing to lose every meaningful relationship. The one who felt the world was out to get him so why not be selfish now while I have the option. That same one who couldn’t accept change or cope well with his own fears. I have no social life when I look back but I have a ton in my past that shaped who I am today. In short I had no social life and now I love my social life.

Happy Shooting!

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2015 © Take&TalkPics

All Eggs One Basket

This topic came to me in the form of an email I received asking about a particular memory card and a camera compatibility question as well. I took the liberty to question the memory card size and bring to light that you should not have all eggs one basket. They say to never place all of your eggs in one basket. Whoever "they" are... I feel the same way about not capturing all of your images on one memory card. There are a few things to consider when selecting your memory cards, price, Class, read speed, write speed, capacity, card type, version, etc. for instance: a common memory card type is an SDcard or Secured Digital Card, but there are SD cards, SDHC cards, SDXC cards; then you have Class 1, 2, 3, 4, ... 10. The higher the class the better the card (typically).

A short list of different memory cards:

• Secure Digital card (SD) (SDHC) (SDXC)
• MiniSD Card with an SD card adapter
• CompactFlash (CF-I) (CF-II)
• Memory Stick
• MultiMediaCard (MMC)
• SmartMedia
• xD-Picture Card
• XQD CompactFlash

Too many cards and too little time. Not really, just do your homework and research the card type and capacity your camera may support. Protecting your images should be a high priority and the cards these day are so stable you can get away with some crazy stuff but do yourself a favor and no not put all your eggs in one basket.

Happy Shooting!

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2015 © Take&TalkPics

Business Plan

Make a clear path to the business

Summary – Business overview

Business Details – Brand, who, what, why, customer, location, key employees

Marketing & Sales Strategy – do your homework, target market and how you will sell to them

Management Team & Personnel – is it just you or are you building a team, your and their credentials

Setup – what space do you need? Store front, studio space, or can you run it out of your home. Management systems and IT

Financial Plan & Projections – translate the plan to numbers. Is this viable, will it grow and support growth?

K.I.S.S. – Keep It Super Simple. Be real and honest. Creative to set yourself apart. This happens over time however the earlier you address it the sooner you find sustainable business operations.

There is no rule on how to make a business plan and especially this falls apart for most new photographers because they just want to take pictures. However, if you can prepare yourself for a better beginning, imagine how well you will do toward your middle. A business plan is great way to get the thoughts onto paper and also bring those thoughts to others to review. If you think showing your work is a scary critique, make a business plan and show it around.

Happy Shooting!

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2015 © Take&TalkPics

Is Hard Work Worth It

Photo World, I would like to straight forwardly ask you: Is Hard Work Worth It?

I don't know the best answer for this question but I did come across a quote I think offers an unclear and helpful answer...

"Hard work is only worth it in the right conditions." Francis Underwood - House of Cards writers would be a better credit here. Ever hear of the 80/20 rule? Now, that is a great example of the worth while portions of our work. The 80/20 rule is easy enough to understand and perhaps I will do an episode with my take on the rule, but for today I am more focused on mutual beneficial relationships and how we need to be careful with our business so our hard work is worth it and we are not taken for a ride being used because of our passion. In the early stages of business everyone is just trying to get their foot in the door and so many are taken advantage of because of this. We need to understand how free can be okay but only in the right conditions.

Happy Shooting!

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2015 © Take&TalkPics

How to Charge

So you see "How to Charge" and many would assume I am trying to say how much to charge. I have touched upon that subject in the past and I am sure it will come up in the future. For now I am speaking about the actual payment transaction possibilities we see in our businesses today. Have you ever had a questions and then thought... "Maybe there is an app for that." a quick search later you find many apps out there filling in the blanks of your original question. Well, I had a similar question a couple years ago about payment options for my clients. I wanted to offer as many convenient choices as possible and most of all I wanted to retain as much of the money as possible. An easy way to go would be asking for a personal check. It is no additional coast for them do write a check and I do not need to accept less than the amount due because there are no fees for depositing and/or cashing a check. Credit Cards come at a cost but may be even easier for your clients. Listen to this episode for a more in depth look into this topic.

Happy Shooting!

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2015 © Take&TalkPics

Giles Harrison - Chase The Fun

Giles is the Founder of London Entertainment Group based in Los Angeles, California. It is a full service agency focusing on News, Events, Celebrities, and Pop Culture. You may have seen him recently featured on the latest Jimmy Dean commercial. Since then the Blogosphere has been blowing up with Giles and his work. Being featured on TV is only a drop in the bucket from his over 17 years, as a journalist and the one million plus photos he has captured during that time.

Giles has taken over a million photos and had his pictures appear in hundreds major magazine, newspapers and web sites. London Entertainment, the agency he built from the ground up, has grown into one of the biggest producers of professional image in the world, syndicating over 1000 images each month. Giles himself is today one of the biggest earning photographers in the business.

Under Giles’ direction, London covers a wide range of events including: the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Grammys, Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, World Music Awards, Coachella Music Festival, Stage Coach Music Festival and the Democratic National Convention. Sports is another specialty Giles is proud to cover through London with regular coverage of NFL, NBA, MLB, and Major League Soccer, in addition to World Cup and the Superbowl.

Giles was trained by Fleet Street veterans after studying photo journalism and political science at California State University Northridge. Starting out as a video photographer, he provided breaking news footage to top entertainment news shows like Hard Copy, Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, and Extra.

Giles has appeared as an expert on celebrities and pop culture on tv shows like Tyra Banks, Access Hollywood, GMTV (UK), and Today/Tonight (Australia). He has also been featured by Stuff Magazine, Radar, Venice Magazine, and in a popular series of ads for NBC News in Los Angeles called “I Am LA”.

London Entertainment is so revered amongst its peers that a rival agency head was once quoted in GQ saying of Giles “I hate his #@*% guts, but he’s the best celebrity spotter I’ve ever seen!.”

Happy Shooting!

W: londonentertainmentgroup.com

Blog: tmi.buzz

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2015 © Take&TalkPics

Never Wrong - episode 192

Photo World "You are never wrong to do the right thing." - Mark Twain

That seems like a straight forward quote that wouldn't require much explaining. Come on Photo World what kind of podcaster would I be if I couldn't fill up at least 15 minutes over one seemingly simple quote. I can tell you it is the little things that count, therefore the most meaningful things come to us in a simple way; such as a 9 word phrase. In this episode I pull off of my experience as of today. That's right what I know and the many times I have been wrong to find and understand how to be right. Right is a hard word to understand sometimes and so many hot topics are blown out of proportion over the idea of "right". I like to say: logic will never fail me, so long as I am right. It is in my logic I try to do right by mu customers and right by my business.

Happy Shooting!

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2015 © Take&TalkPics

Jay Dickman - The Electricity

My words would do little to introduce this man. I have seen many of his images over the years and hadn't know his name til recently. Photo World this is the episode to listen to... It will not disappoint. On a more personal note: This opportunity to speak to Jay as well as so many other great photographers I have interviewed is the reason I continue to do what I do, and bring a part of their stories to you Photo World!
Jay Dickman A Pulitzer-Prize winner and National Geographic Photographer, Jay’s career has spanned a multitude of experiences, including three months living in a stone-age village in Papua New Guinea, a week under the Arctic ice in a nuclear attack sub (both these for National Geographic), and aboard a sinking boat on the Amazon. With more than twenty-five assignments for the National Geographic Society, Jay has taught workshops for Santa Fe Workshops, the Maine Media Workshops, Photography at the Summit and American Photo Mentor Series. Jay and his wife, Becky, are founders of the FirstLight Workshop series, having hosted workshops in Italy, Spain, Scotland, France, the Chesapeake, and Wyoming. Working with National Geographic Expeditions, Jay has been on more than 40 trips as the “National Geographic Expert.” These have included several of the" Around the World by Private Jet" Expeditions, Central & South America by Private Jet, trips to Svalbard and the High Arctic, Cape of Norway, British Isles, Dalmatian Coast, the West Coast of Africa along with multiple trips to South Georgia/Falklands/Antarctica, Baja and the Galapagos Islands. Jay has led the National Geographic "Wyoming's Cowboy Country" Photography Workshop since it's inception in 2013. His input and design for the workshop was critical to its success As a working pro, Jay is an Olympus Visionary, a Lexar Elite Photographer and an HP Prestigious Photographer, using the latest technology from these companies-for backup and storage, Jay uses state of the art equipment from CRU-Dataport. Jay is co-author of the best-selling book, “Perfect Digital Photography”, published by McGraw-Hill. Jay is proudly sponsored by: Happy Shooting!

W: jaydickman.net

Blog: firstlightworkshop.com/wheres-jay

Workshops: firstlightworkshop.com

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2015 © Take&TalkPics

Battery Power

I sometime talk about gear like I had with the what's in my bag series and I even got specific about the AA and AAA batteries I prefer. Well camera batteries seem like a conversation most people just don't have all that much. I was thinking back over the cameras I had and currently have and looked over my choices for batteries. Name brand Nikon or third party like a trusted Promaster, or even the no name brand that fits and powers. This episode is not in depth on the tech side because I haven't done that much research on the subject other than for my own use. So that is the episode you get today; my experience and my thoughts as I reflect on this  quiet subject. Ultimately, this topic comes down to preference, reliability, price, and trial 'n' error. As I grow in my own career I find price becomes less of a deciding factor and reliability mixed with preference take the forefront of the decision making process. When I talked about the AA and AAA I mentioned there are too many options camera batteries, not so much.

Happy Shooting!

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2015 © Take&TalkPics