Getting Creative when the Weather turns Monsoonal !

As of late the weather is Sydney has been , well pretty dismal...( and I'm from the UK ). Not the best of times to get out and about with your camera, but fear not -here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing, keep you shooting and increase your skills into the bargain !

1. Practice your Portrait skills on whichever family member is around at the time - if your not lucky enough to have studio lighting then use whatever available light there is - sit your "model" near the window and start snapping away ! Home Alone ?  - Im sure the cat would throw a few poses for you!

2. Macro photography. From flowers to coins to stamps, you can polish your skills at close-up photography and capture some really detailed images. Often a macro lens or close-up attachment will help. 

"You pointing that Camera at me again" ???

3. Lighting - use whatever lights you have around the house , from spotlights to ordinary lamps. Put these into various positons around your still life subject ( ie The ubiquitous bowl of fruit) and you'll be amazed at the outcomes you can achieve just by playing with the light direction.

4. Get Arty - take some everyday shots of items/people around the home and then get busy in Photoshop making some abstract images from everyday items - you'll have great fun and hone your "shop" skills at the same time.

5. Let the rain be your friend - try shooting images through rain streaked window pains, especially if there is some external light to distort with the shot. Or if you dare to take your beloved Canon out into the elements then there are a myriad of shots to be had - from rain soaked plants with fresh water droplets to reflections of buildings in still puddles. ( I would recommend at least putting your camera in a plastic bag and making a hole for the lens to poke through - although not perfect will at least afford your camera some protection against the elements).

Making your clients and prospects feel appreciated ! ( non-industry specific)

Lets face it, we are in business to make money...plain and simple, yes some of us are lucky enough to work in a industry that we love, but at the end of the day we need to be able to make money at what we do.Unfortunately too many businesses let the dollar signs in their eyes dictate their behaviour towards the most important part of any business, the client. Often treating clients and prospects as a dollar value, not only is this type of behaviour down right rude, but it also happens to be very short sighted indeed. 

A delighted customer is a customer that will readily talk up the virtues of your business to all who will listen and as we all know a personal recommendation is the best type of referral. But, in the same breath a customer that finds dealing with you and your business to be an unpleasant experience, will be sure to warn their friends and family to give your business a wide berth. 

So how do we as business owners go about making sure that ALL our clients fall into that first category:

Well it is not that difficult really, by following a few simple ground rules, based on nothing more esoteric than common sense you can ensure that your clients experience is a happy one:

1. Do what you say you will when you will

In most of my experiences with so called customer service departments of many businesses, this seems to be somewhat of a lost art. Time after time I have been assured that I will receive a call back or an e mail, but in the vast majority of cases I find that I am the one having to do the chasing. This leaves any client feeling unappreciated and unwanted. Rule No1. Always, always, always keep the client in the loop - even if you don't have an answer for them, call them to let them know that. The client will appreciate being kept informed and will feel valuable.

2. Listen to the client, no really....LISTEN

Yes, you do know more about your business and your products/services than anyone else, but that doesn't give you carte blanche to steam roller clients. Before you do anything listen, really listen to what the clients needs are, then suggest a number of options and discuss the pros and cons with the client. This way they feel a greater part of the decision making process and buy into the whole idea on a deeper level, which can only be good for the likelihood of up selling or repeat business.  Selling something to a client that doesn't really solve their need will leave them feeling shortchanged and rather flat, as you drive off into the distance on your self importance powered steam roller !

3. Consult

During the whole process, especially if their are any changes, even minor ones, always consult with the client, dont just think that something is too small to bother with, you never know how much a client may love a particular aspect that you might overlook. So to make sure that there are no nasty surprises, always discuss any changes with the clients and again it makes the client feel part of the process and that they are actually "the client" not just the paycheque at the end of the transaction.

4. Outperform

Go the extra mile, do something that will make the clients remember your business for the right reasons. Wether it be simply producing the best result for the client, beyond their expectations. Small additional gifts in addition to what the client has ordered, conveys a message to the client of appreciation and value, way beyond the nominal cost of the item.

5. Follow - Up.

When everything is signed, sealed and delivered, follow up with the client to make sure that they are happy with everything- even  just a simple " how are you going?" phone call. Even better a call followed by a feedback questionnaire, this maintains the relationship with the client beyond the simple transaction and lets them know that you value how they feel they have been treat during your relationship, but also that you value their thoughts on how you can improve/do better in future. Yes, this does open you up to scrutiny and at times you will need a thick skin, but all feedback ( as long as it's constructive), is positive. Further more you can even drop a few business cards or discount vouchers for your clients to give to friends/family they think will benefit from your business - generating more business in the best possible way.

As you can see the above is mostly based around communication, keeping the clients informed and part of the process makes them feel valuable and appreciated and likely to shout about you and your business from the treetops.

Upskilling for Modern day Photography

With the advancement of the digital age and nearly every person carrying some form of camera ( via mobile phone), the world is awash with imagery. Some of it good and some of it awful. The skills set needed to improve your photography has changed so much since the days of film, some of the basics remain the same but as you will see below some of them rules of engagement have moved on !

1. Post Production

Hone your ‘developing’ skills to where you can take an image and get the very best out of it in your digital darkroom. This is a vital capability whether you want to be primarily a ‘photographer’ or an ‘image-maker’ and allows you to take greater control over your work so it’s the very best that it can be. This means choosing a solid piece of editing software and learning how to use it to its full potential. It doesn’t mean buy the most expensive thing and learn that – you have to choose something that best suits your interests and needs.

2. Knowing the basics 

You need to know composition, exposure and how to utilise your camera to get the most out of it. It doesn’t matter much what camera you’re using, if you don’t really know how to point it then you’re going to struggle to get anything good out of it. Know your manual and what your camera can (and can’t) do. Study and understand phenomena like depth of field, focal planes and shutter speeds.

3. Diversify

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut taking the same kind of shots and processing them in the same way over and over again. Or just adopting one set of tools and failing to implement new ones as and when they become available. Developing your work means that you do need to develop the way you work. This means being conscious of issues such as workflow and how they impact on your ability to produce good images. 

4. Learn from others work

Spend time every day looking at the work of others, thinking about how they created a specific look or effect and work out how you could replicate it. An important tool for the modern photographer is networking with other photographers on-line or in real life. On-line communities such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr are a great way to get your work ‘out there’ but are an even better resource for inspiration and discussion.  In real life, you should check out your local camera club or photo-walk group. Interacting with other photographers in the flesh is a great way to learn new things and increase your engagement with photography overall, it might give you access to new shooting opportunities and equipment and will certainly challenge the way you see your own photography.

5. Get out there

You can read all the books, internet sites or magazine articles you like but there’s no substitute for actually picking up your camera and using it. Passion for photography comes from the feeling of having created something unique and interesting with your camera. There is just no substitute for picking your camera up and pointing it at things in earnest and ideally, you should be using your camera as a portal to show others something you yourself passionate about. Having the ability to show something you love in a new and visually exciting way onlycomes with practice and thus practice is the thing that more that anything else will make your photographs stand out from the crowd.