Bottom–up thinking is said to take place through taking in details and building up from there. The fragmented bits and pieces are structured and categorized, and then induction is made—a process that brings rise to something.

Top–down processing, on the other hand, refers to the perception driven by cognition.

In the best of situations, those asking for estimates are often in management, and the key to the project’s success is when they realize calculations require conversation.

This past week I have worked on four very intense and convoluted projects. The client is coming to me with a project they often try to complete. Most of the time, the management has already set a budget. When this is the case, we spend time going back and forth to see what we can do within their budget.

I have one client that came to me looking for the Bottom-Up approach. They are in the budgeting phase for a significant project. I helped them with a similar project in another part of the country. They are asking me to duplicate that in a new location.

The problem is that the person asking for the Estimate was not involved in all the parts of the last project. I have to educate them on the details of the estimate that are much more involved than what they think was involved.

When most people see a video of an interview that is under a minute, they think that is all it took to get that interview. This is one of the parts of the estimate I had to explain to the client.

Here is the gist of my education on the topic of a video interview.

While you may see a 30 to 90-second interview, almost all the ones you noticed that we produced took about 3 to 4 hours to shoot. That includes the time to set up the cameras, lights, and microphone and take it down. The actual time we interviewed was about 30 minutes.

I then take those interviews for a first rough cut. I take out all the questions and significant pauses and create a video that is often first reviewed by another team member. That person is often the writer/editor. Then they send back time codes, and we put together the first actual edit. This includes the lower third graphics. Then this is shown to another person up the chain before we offer it to the main client.

The video has usually gone through about 4 to 5 revisions when the client sees it and makes their changes. This is usually about 8 to 10 hours of editing and reposting this online for the team to review.

The purpose of all this is to help explain why what they think is just a few minutes will be a couple of days of work, and that is why the estimate must reflect the behind the scene position they often do not see.

This is Bottom-Up thinking.

The problem with those who do not understand the importance of the Bottom-Up thinkers working with Top-Down thinkers is that the American Automobile declined from the 1960s till almost the 1980s. Meanwhile, Japan overtook the market around 1970 with the help of Dr. William Edward Deming.

William Edwards Deming (1900-1993) is widely acknowledged as the leading management thinker in the quality field. He was a statistician and business consultant whose methods helped hasten Japan’s recovery after the Second World War and beyond. He taught that by adopting appropriate management principles, organizations could simultaneously increase quality and costs (by reducing waste, rework, staff attrition, and litigation while increasing customer loyalty).

Today most people know his work at Total Quality Management and link this to Toyota rather than Deming, who created it. He broke it down into a cycle.

The Deming Cycle, or PDCA Cycle (also known as PDSA Cycle), is a continuous quality improvement model consisting of a logical sequence of four repetitive steps for continuous improvement and learning: Plan, Do Check (Study), and Act.

Estimates are only as good as the information given to the person creating the forecast. Deming understood that as you work on something like a car, it is often the front-line worker who will first see a problem. They need the power to stop the assembly line to be sure the customer gets the best product.

Estimates are needed for Ex Nihilo [out of nothing] work. This is where something is required to be created versus buying something already in existence.

Bottom Line Take Away

Working on estimates can be pretty frustrating to everyone. They are so disappointing because the customer is asking for the estimate. They cannot go forward with the project if they don’t know what they are getting and the cost of it. For the one writing the estimate, they need all the information to create it, but most of the time, the customer doesn’t know all they need to know–this, they are asking for an estimate.

Customers need to be realistic about the process of creating an estimate. They should never think they can continue asking for revisions without compensating for this work.

The one doing the estimating is doing some of the work you need to be done to go to your bosses to give them the feedback they need for budgeting and making decisions.

If you are the one creating estimates, I believe there comes the point in the process of revisions that you are perfectly entitled to compensation. You are doing all the heavy lifting, and the client can take all your work and shop for someone to implement your estimate for a lower rate.

Most of the time, the one doing the estimating is doing the most creative work for a project. They need to be compensated. Also, don’t forget that people will not pay for your first estimate. There will be some give and take, but at some point, the client needs to compensate for all those revisions if they want more clarity in the estimate.

At the beginning of civil twilight, just after Sunset, the colors of the sky change most rapidly. Clouds in the west are illuminated by orange-red sunlight, while the ones in the east remain blue and indigo. Generally speaking, civil twilight lasts for about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the season and latitude.

While Civil Twilight is technically 20 to 30 minutes, the best possible moment to get that perfect balance of the city lights with the night sky is more of a “Twinkling of the Eye.”

⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:52

As you can see, back in biblical times, people understood that some of those things we see are like a shooting star and happen so briefly that if you are not paying attention, they will disappear.

I believe that the Civil Twilight is the best time to photograph architecture. The second best time is “Civil Dawn,” which happens at Sunrise.

What you quickly realize is that during these few minutes of Civil Twilight, artificial light values come into the same exposure range as the sky. Anything that doesn’t have a light will slowly go to a silhouette.

To get the best photos of Civil Twilight requires a tripod. The best photos are generally taken with the lowest ISO. This makes your exposure time for the shutter speed take seconds, not a few seconds, as you can during daylight.

When you use these longer exposure times of 30 seconds, as I did photograph the Pier at Ocean Isle Beach, the water turns into foam.

What happens as the light from the sky becomes darker? The light fixtures are no longer distinguishable; you see the light emitting from the institution.

The other popular thing to photograph is the fireworks after Civil Twilight. They want the fireworks to stand out in the night sky.

Most everything becomes, at best, a silhouette, and challenging to make out what is on the ground.

I worked on this photo in Lightroom to open up the shadows to reveal some of the nighttime skies, but it also introduces a lot of noise.

Tips for Twilight Photography

Sunrise or Sunset ~ Before considering going, determine if this is better as a photo. Do I want the sun shining on the front or back as it sets? In some locations, the sun will be to the side, not in front or back.

Pack Tripod & Bug Spray ~ My friend Morris Abernathy and I went one evening to capture the Fort Worth Skyline; the best location was where mosquitos ate us up. It would help to have a sturdy tripod for the camera and lens you plan to use.

Arrive Early ~ Civil dawn is when the sun’s geometric center is 6 degrees below the horizon in the morning, and Civil dusk is the moment when the geometrical center of the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon in the evening. That is 20 minutes after Sunset and 20 minutes before Sunset. So, whatever the time is for Sunrise or Sunset, you must be in place with your tripod and camera setup at least 15 to 30 minutes prior.

Stay Late ~ I recommend planning for 45 minutes before Sunrise or Sunset.

Take lots of photos ~ don’t just shoot those few minutes of the best light. Shoot some with the sun still up and when it is pitch black sky. Sometimes, these are also great photos.

Second or Third Camera ~ Some locations you may want to compose differently. Rather than miss a great shot, if you have extra cameras, tripods, and lenses, make use of them.

Cable Release or Radio Transmitter ~ Use a cable release to get the sharpest photos. If you shoot on a DSLR, locking up the mirror will help with sharpness. Using a radio transmitter can help you trigger numerous cameras simultaneously if you are using multiple cameras.

There are many times that daylight will reveal things like mountains in the distance that dusk or dawn can hide.

James Dockery taught Adobe Premiere Pro during the Storytellers Abroad Workshop in Lima, Peru. [X-E3, XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, ISO 4000, ƒ/4.5, 1/100, Focal Length = 29]

I am just wired to learn more and more. Once I find a subject, I go down that rabbit hole. I want to know more and more.

Here are some significant changes in my career that required me to learn more or earn less.

• Learning to shoot Transparency film like Kodachrome
• Learning how to use hotshoe flash
• Learning how to use studio strobes
• Learning how to create audio/transparency slide show
• Learning how to control my strobes by understanding all the light modifiers
• Switching from Film to Digital
• Learning PhotoShop
• Learning about Metadata
• Learning how to create Database
• Learning how to create Website
• Learning how to create a blog
• Learning how to create digital audio slide shows
• Learning how to shoot video with my DSLR
• Learning about mirrorless cameras
• Learning how to use Sliders & Gimbals
• Learning how to fly drone and become a FAA Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot

Only 15% of hiring managers say most job seekers have the skills their company is looking for.^* If you want to increase your chances of getting a good job, you want to be in that 15%. This means you want to take the time to acquire the skills employers are looking for. 

This is also true for those doing Gig Work. [The term “gig” is jargon for “temporary job.” You’ve likely heard it used conversationally, especially when freelancers say, “I’ve booked a gig.” Additionally, you’ve probably heard of a “gig economy,” which means a free market system in which businesses use independent contractors—for short periods—to handle.]

There are two ways to decide what you need to tackle next. You can be on the Bleeding Edge, which is a little riskier. If you pick the exemplary “New Trend,” you could quickly get a lot of work. However, when you try to guess, the next big thing is, being too early.

When I switched to digital from film, I did it when it was a little more economical, and the technology had come closer to giving me a similar quality to my film. That was the year 2002. I paid $1,999. A similar Kodak back for the Nikon F5 year-earlier went for $16,000. The year before that, it was $25,000. I was not making enough money in those years to recover the cameras’ cost.

In 2013 DJI introduced their first Phantom Drone. This drone began the modern camera-equipped drone craze. Within a few years, DJI would hold a commanding position in the consumer drone market, with almost 80% of consumer drones manufactured by DJI or one of their subsidiaries.

I had bought a couple of toy drones and could barely fly them without crashing. So, I was waiting until the technology was solid enough that I stepped into the drone world this February when I studied for and passed my FAA Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot test. I bought my first drone just a few days before I took my test.

While we all know about the “Learning Curve” and think it will be like this one above, it is more like it.

William S. Burroughs is credited with saying, “When you stop growing, you start dying.” This is the best way to think of the alternative to becoming a Lifelong Learner.

Here is one more way to understand why you want to also “Learn More, To Earn More.” The odds of increasing your income from one year to the next are directly related to what new things you have added to your skill base. Now I am not saying you should be chasing money, but the cost of living will increase just to stay at a similar income. The only way to keep up with this is to produce more content or better content that is worth more.

This photo above was taken by Dorie Griggs, my wife, last year during my time interviewing Dr. Charlie Weiss.

This past week my daughter said her friend liked that I was direct with conversation. They used the gaming term “Speedrun.”

So with some research, I found this about Speedruns.

Speedruns are artistry. Not only do they demonstrate complete mastery over a game, but they also poke away at the edges of what a game intends you to do. Watching a perfect speedrun is similar, I imagine, to watching good gymnastics, but they’re more than just skill-based. They’re borne of curiosity about the edges of games: the things we’re not meant to see and the things we aren’t supposed to do.

There’s a whole science behind speed runs. Players spend weeks and sometimes years chiseling a perfect path through a game. They exploit minor traversal bugs to gain speed, they tap away at the outer limits of a game world in search of hidden routes, and then they move to execute all these tricks in one graceful swoop. There’s a strong collaborative spirit among speedrun communities because, in the end, it’s all about what’s possible, not who wins.

These are some of the strengths I have as one with Asperger’s. For each of these, there is an equally opposite trait. You will find many with Asperger’s are direct.

Before sitting down to interview someone on camera, I have done lots of research and preparation for the path I need to take to get what I have as content needs to tell the story. I have done many informal interviews before I sit down.

I become focused just like a kid on an Easter Egg hunt. I know what I am looking for, and I go for it.

It is essential at times for you to have this kind of focus like the “Speedrunner.” However, there are times you need to slow down.

One of the times I slowed down was my first time in Burkina Faso, West Africa, with a writer.  African time is the perceived cultural tendency in parts of Africa and the Caribbean toward a more relaxed attitude to time.

I knew what we needed, but I realized quickly that over three weeks, we had the time to get our content and even more. So, I learned to look around while the writer was interviewing and just observed.

The one thing that helped me to observe even more had children. I would take my camera and enjoy seeing them take in the world and grow up in front of my eyes.

Speedrun vs Taking in the Roses

My mentor and friend Don Rutledge took me on many assignments that he self-assigned himself. I did this with Don for many, many years. We traveled around the country doing some of these stories.

When I asked Don why he did so many of these smaller self-assigned stories, he said he liked it when he could take his time. Sometimes he would go back over a few days to work getting everything he could think of to make a solid visual story and the written story he would also craft.

He said these stories let him master his craft at a slower speed so that he, like the “Speedrunner, ” could make the most of his time when he was working on reports where the time was limited.

Most professional musicians like Pam Goldsmith, who sits the first chair in many movies you see in Hollywood, must practice for hours each day. Most professional musicians practice 6 to 8 hours daily, 6 out of 7 days a week.

When Pam goes in to play on the latest movie, she and all the other studio musicians have never seen the music before. An orchestra has never played it. They take a moment to look it over. They may make a note or two, like bowing motions, and then play it. By the way, they recorded it that first time as well. Then they are done. Seldom do they go back and redo something.

When they go back, the composer may see they made a mistake and need to change something.

Asperger’s also processes a lot before they are “Speedrunning.”

This may sound contradictory, but it is what I do. Time is such a precious commodity in life. It is the most important thing you can give to anyone. So to make the most of my time with people, I must know when to ”Speedrun” and when to just “Chill.”

The best tip I have for getting your headshot is to take some advice from singers.

• Yawn-sigh Technique. For this quick vocal exercise, yawn (take in air) with your mouth closed. 
• Humming warm–upS. 
• Vocal Straw Exercise. 
• Lip buzz Vocal warm–up. 
• Tongue trill exercise. 
• Jaw Loosening ExerciseS. 
• Two-octave pitch glide Warm–Up. 
• Vocal Sirens Exercise.
• Vocal Slides Technique

You see singers stretching their vocal cords. In a way, they are calibrating their voices.

While photographing some actors a few years ago, I thought they wouldn’t love to perform. That was when I was trying to get them to enjoy themselves. I accidentally discovered that after they have been going through different types of characters, the expressions that follow are more relaxed and engaging.

Have fun in your headshot session. Keep the lighting simple and spend all the time getting a variety of expressions.

When an actor comes to me for their headshot, they are a little reluctant at first.

This past Saturday, I set up a studio in the lobby at Riverside Theatre Complex – Columbus State University.

My daughter, Chelle Leary, is a student in the Theatre program at Columbus State University and was helping me. She would help coach some actors by asking them to imitate professors and students in the program. Ronald Walker was getting into the roles once he had some ideas to play with.

After playing with some characters, I would get a few natural moments and then move on to another character. I continued to shoot these so they could later use them for fun with Social Media.

I think the actors love seeing the results of the different characters they created.

I like to think of taking this variety of expressions to calibrate the face. You need to push or stretch beyond the best expression for any mood you are trying to achieve to make the one that is dialed back just a little look natural.

Here are some more tips for you in a downloadable PDF

Now fully vaccinated, I am ready to take on clients once again. Call me, and let’s set up a portrait session for you.

The photo at the top is the same as you see here moving. You need special software installed on your website to make them come alive.

Put your mouse on the photo and pull it up and down. Go side to side to see how you can control the experience. Pinch the screen and spread your two fingers on the screen to zoom in and out.

Shot with Drone – Chatham’s Greenway Neighborhood @ Bent Grass Drive & Putting Green Intersection

I have been shooting 360º panoramics for many years but from the ground. I was excited to see I could do this with my drone.

You can see more examples of my Panoramic 360 on my main website. Go Here To See Them

I love being able to put the audience into the scene.