Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Shore House Bay

Every so often you find a place that becomes ingrained in your memory. You could have some one bring you there, or get directions from someone. Or, like us, you could find it by accident. 

Shore House Bay is one of those spots for us.

Shore House Bay

We found this place one our May fishing trip in 2011. Looking for a spot have a barbecue, we stopped on a causeway, and noticed panfish surfacing in the bay. We rigged up, and started fishing. Mo was throwing a ultra-light rig when a 18 inch pike decided it was meal time. Just as quickly as he appeared to us, he turned and cut the line. Shortly after, Adrian, who was about 25 feet down shore, hooked into a pike. Adrian had a leader tied on, and landed the fish, along with Mo's rig still in his mouth. Must have been a hungry pike.

From that point on, Shore House will always be in my mind.

As the sun started to set, we finished cleaning after dinner and had just enough time to enjoy the sunset and the stars that only the north will show you. Thankfully I had my tripod and I was able to get some great twilight shots.

The stars over Shore House Bay

Passing Car

Can't wait to go back in 2012....or maybe we will find some new memories up north.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

A Wedding Photographers Lesson

How do you convince people you have never met, to let you shoot photos or video on the one day that most people say, "It was such a blur, the day just flew!"?





 How do we stick out? How do we get noticed? What can we do to make sure we leave a lasting impression on the patrons at this overwhelming trade show?

These are the questions many people have pondered over the last little bit leading up to the bridal show. Or at least I thought they were. I visited, not as a vendor, or a potential client, I was kinda in between. One thing I noticed, is the lack of "wow" and creativity that a lot of the studios have. I know that its not that easy to stand out when every one of your models is wearing a black suit and white dress, but the display can be better and most important, the attitude can be better.

We are supposed to be a creative breed, and I'm not saying that the work being presented was bad, or that all the booths were boring, there were some fantastic presentations, and a lot of great work, but there were a lot of uninspired booths. And I truly believe that this relates to poor client relations.



When I was taking a stab at becoming a full time musician, the advice I got most was "You get what you put into it" and I believe that runs true to all aspects of life. Going that extra mile really makes you stick out, and will give you a return down the road. I asked the couple above to step out during the reception because I saw a few photos I wanted to take and they were up to it. It was a little more work than most people would do at a reception, most photographers sit around until the DJ says something is going to happen, or the bride wants family shots. In the end, they upgraded to an extra large book so the cover photo would be larger and to accommodate the extra photos that they wanted.


So my question is, how do I sell my self? Its not just the final artwork that matters. It is one of the most important aspects of attracting clients, but going that extra mile will result in better art, and easier bookings down the line. Imagine becoming so well known, that the bridal shows become irrelevant!