This photo begs for information. What is ASMP president Theresa Carol
Sicurezza doing here? What does this have to do with a professional photography
association?

Last night the ASMP Atlanta/Southeast had their Holiday party at Kevin
Ames Studio. There was no program, just a time to socialize.

Lifetime member Ron Sherman is talking with Leah Overstreet, who just moved to Atlanta the last month. Leah mentioned how much she had enjoyed working in the past in a studio space where everyone was able to interact and bounce new ideas and old ones around with each other.

Now that Leah has gone freelance, she has discovered the isolation many of us face. Staring at your computer for hours is not the healthiest thing one could be doing. While this can be helpful, getting together with anyone isn’t very productive for your professional advancement.

After all, birds of a feather flock together, which is what happened at the party.

Michael Schwarz talks with new members Anthony and his wife, Stacey. Stacey first said I could see you carry a camera everywhere. Guilty as charged was my response. I did tell them the story of my friend who didn’t have his camera and missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I have also missed some photos by not having a camera with me in the past.

I think the cool thing last night was Anthony met others like him who have cameras around their shoulders when they are not working.

Kevin Ames had set up a photo booth, and James Barker was helping take photos of members. Kevin commented that we didn’t set up a selfie booth; instead, we wanted a photographer to take our pictures.

Now, are you reading this and wishing you were there? This is one of the many reasons photo associations exist. We need to socialize with one another. We also want filters to be sure we have a lot in common with the others. So for ASMP, you must make more than 51% of your income as a photographer. We are not a camera club. We talk business as much as photography.

We have about six local events a year, but you can also go to the other chapters around the country and their circumstances.

Where is your photography community? I would say that for those who came last night, an online community and listening to tutorials isn’t satisfying the need for community. We like getting together and listening and sharing our concerns.

I invite you to join ASMP and be at our next event. Here is where you go to find out more Join ASMP.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.5, 1/220

Your product is part of why people will do business with you in business. Now, if your product is on par with the rest of the industry, then the other thing people are paying for is EXPERIENCE.

We just spent our vacation traveling to London for an EXPERIENCE. One of the major things we were paying to enjoy was to relive the Harry Potter movies. We wanted to experience the film as if we were there in them. So we went to Kings Crossing Train Station on 9 3/4 to get our pictures made as if we were going through the wall onto Hogwarts.

We went to the House of Minalima. Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima met in 2002 when a happy coincidence of fates meant they were to work together as graphic designers on the Harry Potter film franchise. Here they had a unique opportunity to establish the visual graphic style from the outset of the productions. The design aesthetic they created for Harry Potter is still sought after, whether designing collectible merchandise or collaborating on the much anticipated Warner Bros Studio Tour.

Rather than have a store with items on the shelf, they created a self-guided tour of their artwork and made moments as we remember Harry Potter’s invitation letter to Hogwarts. They created an EXPERIENCE for us to enjoy.

One of photography’s most significant phenomena in the past few years has been the selfie. While we have done some form of this with photography through the years, the selfie stick came along to help us include more people in our photos.

Here you can see all the women getting close to London Bobby to get their photos with him. It is an experience they are not only having but are now sharing on their social media. Then their friends will comment on how much they: like love or other ways of expressing their joy in the photo.

On the Harry Potter tour at the Warner Brother’s Studio outside of London, you could do different things on time. For example, my daughter uses a mirror to see her style with a wizarding wand compared to the teacher on the TV screen to the left.

We went on a Harry Potter Muggles tour where they showed us some of the filming spots in London and took us to places like Collier Street, which was J. K. Rowling’s inspiration for Diagon Alley.

Notice the tour guide is dressed in Gryffindor attire and looks like she could quickly walk off the movie set. However, to help us with the EXPERIENCE, she had screenshots of the movie [in her hand] that she would pull out at different stops and pass around to help us see in the film what we were EXPERIENCING first hand.

Now my daughter dressed up in her Gryffindor robe and enjoyed having people ask to photograph her with them, but she was excited to see this guy dressed up as Newt Scamander from the latest movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Even last night, I heard my daughter yell out that the guy dressed like Newt was in another documentary she just saw. So again, it is about an EXPERIENCE.

One of my daughter’s favorite scenes from the Harry Potter series is when Harry Potter talks with Remus Lupin on the Bridge. She is standing where they stood when they filmed that scene. What an EXPERIENCE it was for her.

For me, the scale model of Hogwarts just let me see the detail for which they created this magical place that captured me the most.

Question for You

What are you doing to create an EXPERIENCE that people will tell their friends about and want to do business with you?

Can you see your customers smiling at specific points in their interactions with you and your company?

Can you think of something that can create more of an EXPERIENCE than you are doing now?

My trip to London reminded me that all those little details like clothing could help create something that keeps people traveling worldwide to get the EXPERIENCE firsthand.

Most importantly for everyone in business is to concentrate on creating a great PRODUCT and creating an EXPERIENCE that separates you from everyone else.

Sports might be the last area of civility I see today in our society.

Stephen L. Carter, the acclaimed author of The Culture of Disbelief, proves that manners matter to America’s future. He says, “Civility represents the sum of all the sacrifices that one makes in a democracy for the sake of living a common life.”

Listen to Carter speak at Yale on the topic:

Now, the reason I say sports is one of the last places I see civility isn’t because people are not at odds; they play hard and still try to get along after the game and during the game by respecting each other.

Over the past 25 years, I have watched many institutions undergo significant changes. I watched my denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, growing up from a front-row seat, not just divide itself but now do even less of what it was doing regarding missions. I was laid off during the infighting because giving was dropping, and they could no longer support my position.

My first job out of college was for a small daily newspaper. The First Amendment protects the media, which reports what is happening in America. However, due to so many financial changes, the media is a fraction of the size it once was to cover our country. At the same time, our country’s population has grown.

I watched as predominately Baptist fundamentalists organized to be The Moral Majority and attach themselves to the Republican party. I would sit in small groups in churches through the years, and it was assumed that you were Republican if you were part of the church because many didn’t see them as separate but the same.

In past presidential debates, the candidates took their turns more than today, where they talked over each other and the moderators. This is only a reflection of how we speak to each other today.

I applaud Andy Stanley’s message to his church not long ago about the election. Listen for yourself:

I think Stanley’s points around the scripture are what can help us restore civility to our public discourse.

Those non-Christians could also live by some of the guidelines Stanley points out. I love how he encourages you to share your opinion and even argue your point. However, this is where I think his wisdom from the scripture would help reunite America. We should not make our points at the expense of undermining our influence.

The Great Unfriending

This weekend, I unfriended a few more people because they crossed that line and jeopardized their relationship with me. I don’t doubt I have probably done something to encourage someone in my life to do the same.

Many will likely remember this election cycle as the time we unfriended someone on social media.

Business Tip

No matter your political position, you must be careful not to jeopardize a relationship or your ability to influence your industry.

In my faith, we believe that Jesus died to demonstrate how much God wanted to restore the relationship. We believe there is nothing one can do that God would not forgive to repair a relationship. The only thing we think can break this relationship is man’s rejection of God’s olive leaf.

As business people, we should live this out in our businesses. We should try to recover customers and do all we can to keep the ones we have.

We should speak up when we disagree with a client and argue our point with them. However, as Andy Stanley reminds us, don’t do any of this at the risk of losing your influence or jeopardizing the relationship.

You will score with your clients when you treat them as people. You will continue to have influence when you respect their opinions as well.

By living out Matthew 22:36-40, you will be the most confident, curious, composed, and compassionate person in the room.

Last night I attended the ASMP Atlanta Chapter meeting, where the executive director Tom Kennedy shared the organization’s status. He was here to listen to the members and what they also see as a need for the organization.

When we asked the question, “What is the value proposition of ASMP?” is when we found that we didn’t have a straightforward answer.

WIIIFM – We realize that one of the first things most photographers ask is, “What Is In It For Me?”

“What Is In It For Me?” is a common theme that every business and organization must realize. We are here to serve our audience/customers. The tricky thing for most volunteer organizations is that those volunteering for the organization are also the audience.

We as volunteers are more prone to give of our time when we are getting something out of it.

In the FOCUS meeting last weekend Greg Thompson, director of corporate communications for Chick-fil-A, talked about this from the perspective of hiring new people to his team.

Greg listens for how long the person talks about what they want to get out of a job versus what they want to give of themselves. Then, he went on to speak about Truett Cathy.

“When you focus on what other people need and want it is amazing how you get what you want.” –– Truett Cathy

While there may be some examples out there on how to be indeed successful, I think, for the most part, that the way to certainly be successful is counterintuitive, which is why it is so difficult for people.

As we were wrapping up the meeting, Tom Kennedy talked about one of the most influential words he remembers shaping America when he was just ten years old from the inauguration of John F. Kennedy.

“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” –– John F. Kennedy

Ah Ha, a Moment for me.

Last night the Ah Ha Moment for me was hearing people talking about how they wanted to help the organization and were volunteering. The moment it clicked was when someone offered to go to the area colleges and art schools to talk about ASMP.

I have been doing that for the past fifteen years or more. I have been speaking to colleges and art programs regularly about business practices.

I realized that many of my colleagues were having the same trouble with volunteering as they do with talking to clients about work. Of course, they are more than willing to help and would if asked, but that is the problem.

By the way, when speaking to those groups, I represent ASMP. I also represent every other group I am a member of, like NPPA, Roswell Presbyterian Church, Atlanta Press Club, and many hats I wear. So you see, ASMP is doing a great deal. Just see what our members are already doing.

As members, we act on behalf of the organization informally all the time. Member’s actions are how new members will decide to join or not based on how they see us conduct ourselves. Many people join organizations because they are impressed with the members or stay away, saying they are just hypocrites.

Now I am not sure we see that we often create another problem when we ask a client if there is anything we can do to help. Sure there are times that if you have a good relationship already with a client, they may be able to tell you something, but the reality is most of the time, they would have to stop and think about their needs and then think about your abilities.

It is the same thing as someone coming to your house offering to help you. Often they would be embarrassed to let you see the inside of their house and then for them to know how YOU can help.

Possible Solution

Let’s take a problem situation: a family has just had a loved one seriously hurt in an accident and is now in the hospital. Calling the family and asking if there is anything I can do is not as effective as offering them some specific services that you can do for them.

Here are some ideas:

• Can I bring you a meal today?
• Can I go by your house and handle some things for you?
  • Cut their grass
  • Get their mail
  • Check on their pets
  • Pick up some clothes for you
• Your children can stay at my house, and I can get them off to school for you – can I do that for you?

When someone is in a very stressful time, for them to stop and think of things you can do for them isn’t easy. Yet, this is where genuinely service-oriented people thrive and rise to the top. Be proactive and not reactive. While you think that asking if there is anything you can do is bold, it is fishing for something that you can be reactive to doing.

Volunteer Suggestions

I think I will be taking my advice and reaching out to Tom Kennedy with some things I can offer to do for the organization.

• Hey Tom, I would like to volunteer by writing some blog posts and am willing to coordinate getting others to write some positions. Would this be something you could use?
• Tom, I have been going to area colleges and speaking on Business Practices and could videotape one of my presentations or share my PowerPoint if that could help others do that around the country.
• Tom, I would love to create a multimedia package for some of our Atlanta chapter members who are great success stories on how they are helping clients reach their goals.

I think it is easier for the organization to react to my proactive actions than for me to ask what I can do for the organization. By the way, all this bold conversation about helping your associations you might be a member of also works for how to get more jobs.

Faith Peppers, the director of public affairs and chief communications officer for the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, recommends that communications professionals ask themselves, “What do you want to be known for?”

Peppers says that she often hires for a character and may also consider if someone has particular skills like storytelling.

Listen to her advice here:

Dr. Houston Davis, interim president of Kennesaw State University, addressed what he hears the industry wanting from all college graduates.

I believe his list applies to the communications professional.

Dr. Houston Davis’ Essential Skills

1. Critical Thinking
2. Global Engagement
3. Information Discovery – Able to deal with Ambiguity
4. Communication Skills – Written & Oral
5. Ability to have had an internship, apprenticeship, or some real-world experience in a profession while in school
6. Undergraduate Research
7. Have all this documented so that employers can see the skills you have acquired.
   1. Creative
   2. Global
   3. Documentation
   4. Leadership
   5. Research
   6. Service

Listen to Dr. Houston Davis explain these Essential Skills here:

Nikon D5, Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 DG Art, ISO 2500, ƒ/3.5, 1/100

During our FOCUS panel discussion, Michael Schwarz said a mouthful in just a couple of minutes.

When he was new in the profession, he asked clients, “What do you want me to do?” Later he would discover that wasn’t the right question.

Listen to Michael explain this evolution in his career.

“What are you trying to accomplish with this project? Or Why are you hiring me?” is the better question. Which often is met with, “I don’t know, let me get back to you with an answer.”

While the client had a shot list, the better question helped to focus all the content and also gave Michael ideas on how to pitch some of the solutions he could deliver.

So what question do you ask your client?