Finding your social group is so vital to your health and well-being.

You may belong to many different groups: a religious group, an ethnic group, your workplace colleague group, your college class, a sports team, etc.

A social group consists of two or more people who regularly interact and share a sense of unity and common identity. In other words, it’s a group of people who see each other frequently and consider themselves a part of the group.

Today I met with a small group of photographers who have been getting together every Friday for more than twenty years. There is no leader, no plan, and no dues. They appear every Friday at Einsteins Bros. Bagels, located at 2870 N Druid Hills Rd, Atlanta, GA, from 10:00 am to noon.

My first time today was joining the group and seeing what they were doing. A good many of them were early, and some stayed late.

This past Sunday, I saw Ron Sherman share his lifetime of work in a talk and show at Roswell Cultural Arts Center. It was there that I ran into Chuck Rogers, Eric Burkhard, Jay Kaufman, John Hyjek, Kevin Ames, and many others. A few of them invited me to join the group on Friday.

Chuck Rogers, one of the group’s founders, introduced me to everyone and was the consummate hostess.

Many people brought something they had been working on and passed it around. Most everyone was there to connect.

A few of them were more than ninety years old. I might have been one of the youngest in the crowd. Most are retired and can get together on a Friday.

Everyone loved photography, and either was a professional photographer or hobbyist.

I noticed that everyone appreciates acceptance into a group of photographers. A couple of the hobbyists talked about how much they enjoyed the group. They knew their work wasn’t on par with everyone, which is why they loved the group. They had room to grow.

I have been around a few groups of photographers. In many of those groups, photographers walk around as if they are God’s gift to the industry. But, unfortunately, those people make others not look for a long-term relationship with those groups. I would say this is why some professional organizations struggle.

Takeaway Tips

If you want a group of photographers to join and make it a regular thing, you must learn to accept others in the group as equals. Acceptance does not mean everyone’s skill level is the same but treating everyone with honor, dignity, and respect.

Be giving your time and attention to others.

Be willing to help another person get better. But don’t feel threatened by them.

I recommend finding a group to be a part of for your health and well-being.

Chelle Griggs Leary [NIKON Z 9, 85mm f/1.8G, Mode = Manual, ISO 64, 1/125, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 85)]

My daughter has a new job as a musical theater teacher at a dance studio in Columbus, Georgia. This is in addition to the many other jobs working at Springer Opera House.

She needed a different style headshot for this job. So, I drove down to Columbus and shot some photos of her in her apartment.

This is a simple headshot: one light, Lastolite-TriFlector, and white background. Here is the setup.

I love shooting with the Nikon Z9 paired with my Nikkor 85mm ƒ/1.8G lens. I turned on the eye tracking to keep my daughter’s eyes in sharp focus. Here are some of the different looks we got with the one light.

Shortcuts are generally derived from laziness in an attempt to perform a job with the most minimal effort required. Unfortunately, this creates the opportunity for negative results and possibly severe consequences.

In reality, shortcuts usually lead to disappointments rather than quicker success. The key to any long-term success is to take the necessary steps to progress steadily rather than skip any of them.

Taking shortcuts is well within human capacity and certainly within our nature. It’s instinctual; it’s what we’re hard-wired to do. So to encourage a safe workplace, we must understand this human tendency to take the easy way out and find ways to combat it.

Ways to Avoid Taking Shortcuts

Hold yourself to a higher standard. Do not take the easy way out. Instead, take the time and energy to perform tasks correctly. Make it a habit to follow safety policies and procedures.

My suggestion to get better is to put in the work. The best way to do that is to study with a master artisan and other professionals. Learn to analyze their work and see if you can reproduce it yourself.

I have taken many workshops through the years. These are usually a week long and give me time to listen, observe and then shoot while getting feedback from a pro.

With YouTube, I have found just about any topic I want to know more about covered. Just search for what you want to learn to do. Then, after watching a few different YouTubers, I will subscribe to the channels whose teaching style appeals to me.

“There are no shortcuts to success.”

– Malcolm Gladwell

Twist – Always look for shortcuts.

After mastering the craft, it is a great time to look for those shortcuts. Just don’t make the shortcut your go-to approach.

Innovation almost always tries to choose the path of least resistance. As a result, many photographers discover ways to stand out by doing something different.

The Citadel Recognition Day – Recognition Day begins much the way the first day of military training began for the knobs — with intense physical and mental challenges. Knobs awake well before the sun rises to start a series of seemingly endless exercises. They do push-ups, sit-ups, and run drills back and forth across Summerall’s field for hours. [NIKON D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 S + TC-2001, ISO 1100, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000]

While there’s no way to avoid sorrow, adversity, or distress in life, there are ways to help smooth the rough waters and regain a sense of control.

Connecting with friends and family during tough times can help ease stress, boost your mood, and make sense of all the change and disruption. Instead of feeling like you’re facing your problems alone, you can draw strength and build resilience from having others to lean on.

Even though relationships are vital for good mental health, building resilience, and getting through tough times, many of us feel that we don’t have anyone to turn to in times of need. But there are plenty of ways to build new friendships and improve your support network. If you know others who are lonely or isolated, be the one to take the initiative and reach out.

⁹ Two are better than one,

    because they have a good return for their labor:

¹⁰ If either of them falls down,

    one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls

    and has no one to help them up.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Studies have shown a correlation between physical well-being and your social circle. Good friends are clinically proven to improve your mental well-being and physical health. Keeping a good friendship circle can also encourage avoiding unhealthy lifestyle habits.

A smaller inner circle means you can invest time in your relationships with your close friends.

I have found that many of us might have a small circle of friends, but do you get together with that small group? I found my work and personal life much more enriched when I would find my small group and listen to them.

“A small team of A-plus players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players.”

Steve Jobs

What I have found strange is that my faith has taught me this for a long time, but I never really found a small circle within any church that I belonged like I did when I saw a group of Christian Photojournalists. While this was my first real connection, I learned I could invite people into this group who were photographers but not necessarily like-minded in faith.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

When I was younger, I went to the small circle of like-minded photojournalists to draw from the well they had created. Forty years later, I find that I am meeting an even deeper need than I have always had by taking a more active role in listening and helping others in the group. I always wanted to feel like I had a purpose.

It is a hard pill to swallow for some of us because the idea of having lots of friends feels…comforting. I am here to tell you that it is not. You have to understand that every person in your life is not there to support you.

When a person genuinely cares, your troubles almost become theirs and vice versa. When having real friendships, you tend to work through things together—taking in and putting out the same energy of love and respect for one another.

Your true circle of friends should not sugarcoat the truth from you. That’s not being a good friend. They are there to tell you the hard and gritty truth about yourself when you are in doubt or when you’re being a straight jerk. You need people in your circle for these times to bring you back to reality when you think your head is getting too big. They’ll snap you back quickly. A true friend is also there to remind you of the magical person you are when you tend to forget under pressure.

Garth Brooks [NIKON Z 6, 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 560, 1/200, ƒ/2.8, (35mm = 24)]

The goal of an event photographer is to capture the gathering’s emotions and highlights.

The photographer should ask many questions of the client to get a good understanding of how the photos will be used. Don’t assume you know how they will be used if you haven’t shot for a client before; always ask.

How event photos are used

1. Archival purpose – A compelling photograph can disseminate information about humanity and nature, record the visible world, and extend human knowledge and understanding. For all these reasons, photography has aptly been called the most important invention since the printing press.
2. Personal Use – There are many events in which the client has no intention of using the photos commercially. Wedding photos are a great example of where the photos are for personal use. Most couples would likely want to share those images on social media.
3. Marketing future events – Photography counts as visual information – when potential attendees have a taste of what an event is going to be like from photos, they can decide whether to attend or not. Therefore, event photography is crucial for the success of an event.
4. Planning Purposes – Most all commercial event planners use the previous year’s event photos to help plan future events.
5. PowerPoint Presentations – Business leaders will often use event photos to remind their people about what the company has done to celebrate.
6. Printed & Online Newsletters – Many business events will have award ceremonies. These photos are often put on their internal websites to celebrate their people or in their internal newsletters.

There are two reasons you need to know how they will be used. 1) this can impact the pricing based on usage, 2) knowing what shots might be needed due to understanding who the audience is for the photos.

Always Prepared

Photographers need to be prepared for just about any scenario possible.

The lighting conditions at a venue may require you to be prepared to light a room.

The room setup may require you to be a long way for the stage, which may require an extreme telephoto lens.

On the other extreme, you may need a super wide-angle lens to capture situations due to not being able to back up enough to get the shot.

It is pretty standard that you need a fast glass to take photos in very low light.

Arrive Early

For significant events, I often arrive the day before the event to walk the venue and look into every room I have to work. For these events, most of the crew producing will often come a week ahead to set up the venue and run practice sessions with their talent. I can see the run-throughs and the lighting setup so that I can know which lenses I will need for coverage.

The huge events often are designed for the video to capture the meetings; therefore, having to add my lights to the event is unnecessary.

For smaller events, the lighting situation requires additional lights. One of the most common problems is speakers with PowerPoint presentations. The speaker is much darker than the screen and often lit with tungsten light. Most All projectors are daylight balanced. So, lighting the speaker to balance the PowerPoint is often necessary.

Often the client wants the audience’s reaction to what is happening on the stage. Often the people near the stage have enough light spilling over that a fast lens can work to capture them. However, there are times that you need to light the audience and not necessarily the stage.

Experience lets you bill more.

Knowing what questions to ask the client comes from experience. This is why it is best that you work as a second shooter to a photographer when starting. Learn the ropes.

Event companies charge rental fees for equipment. Sound companies charge for each microphone and speaker, for example. They may have packages, but they charge for the event’s equipment.

Photographers can do the same by creating a line item for the extra gear needed to cover an event, or as most do, roll those extra expenses into larger buckets like additional lighting.

Your reputation will slowly grow, and those seeking you will understand your pricing. This is especially true when working with event planners. They work will many vendors and are generally aware of the industry rates.

When working at events like weddings where the public hires you and not a wedding planner, you will still have a reputation in the community. Many new brides hire the same photographers their friends had for their weddings. Also, wedding venues and planners will know which photographers are worth the extra price.

We need to be flexible.

In this industry, things change all the time. I have the attitude that I need to be as flexible as possible with the client. I need to be the solution and not another problem. The outdoor event has to move inside at the last minute, then be ready to do so and still get the photos.

Be as friction-free for the client. Look for ways to make their day smooth sailing. Look for ways to add value.

This is some of the leadership for Roswell Fire Department in front of their brand new ladder truck. [NIKON Z 9, 14-24mm f/2.8G, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 250, 1/200, ƒ/6.3, (35mm = 14)]

First, I am not a Volunteer Fireman. I do not have those skills or knowledge.

I do have my photography/video skills to donate. I think everyone needs to find something to be involved in as a way that they give back to society. Volunteering some of my time and photography skills is one of those things I do.

My wife is the chaplain for the Fire Department. I have been showing up at events and taking photos to support my wife and the Roswell Fire Department since 2017. My first event was Roswell Fire Department’s Ole Timers’ Dinner, where they have sponsors in the community who put on the event.

I have watched as leadership has changed, and the Fire Department is changing from part-time firefighters who have full-time jobs in neighboring communities going to move to full-time staff. We have been lucky that no significant disasters like a tornado, flood, or hurricane have created a crisis for our community and those around us. If that happened, we wouldn’t have enough firefighters since their priority would be their full-time jobs.

I have done many different group photos.

When Dorie had her installation service, Fire Trucks drove by and even blasted their sirens for Dorie. They have done similar drive-bys for others in our community for different milestones in our people’s lives.

We are part of the family of firefighters, for sure.

That is what happens with the organizations that you decide to volunteer your time and talents in your community. They help you connect and extend your family. This is how we serve one another.

Here are some photos I have taken lately for the Roswell Fire Department.

Find your place to serve your community. Find your place to connect and find community.

Communication skills are one of the core issues for those with Asperger’s syndrome.

Given these difficulties with language, one might predict that individuals with Asperger’s syndrome are likely to struggle in composing written text. Current research suggests that writing is difficult for individuals with Asperger’s syndrome.

I struggled with writing and specifically grammar. I need a good copy editor.

Early in my life, I was tested and was believed to be on the autism spectrum. Since this was in the 1970s and high functioning, they didn’t do anything about it.

It wasn’t during my time studying social work at East Carolina University, but rather when my sister was doing her masters in social work there that she thought I might have autism.

This was in the late 1990s that I started to research and read more and more about Asperger’s Syndrome. I felt like this described many of my struggles in life.

Grammarly advertising popped up on my social media feed in the past couple of weeks.

I tried the free version, which was doing a much better job of helping catch my grammar mistakes than Microsoft word or any other software had done up to now.

I decided to try the paid version. The first thing I started to do with it was to revisit all my blog posts. I knew they could use some help. I couldn’t justify paying someone to copy-edit every blog post, even if that would have been best.

I have rewritten four years of blog posts, plus a few more popular posts from way back.

As long as you have an internet connection, the software works great. I have it helping with my social media posts as well.

This may be one of the best software programs I have come across.

While I can do an OK job of communicating, I needed a copy editor to help polish my writing. I now have that in Grammarly.

If you can get people to see themselves in the story you put forward, you have engaged them in the story.

This skill isn’t about you. This is about something great storytellers possess.

The great storytellers are bridge builders.

Bridge builders are people who create relationships that cut across the lines of conflict. No matter their occupation, anyone can help forge ties across borders, cultures, religions, etc. Bridge builders help establish relationships, improve communication, and build trust between conflicting people and groups.

Communicators know how to pull you into the story using words and visuals. Some photos, phrases, or sentences give details to round out the story.

Capturing people doing what others do around the world is something that connects across borders, cultures, religions, etc. One place I think people connect quickly in the kitchen.

Children playing is another way we connect. I like to get on the ground and be at eye-level with the kids. It puts the audience on that same level. The audience becomes their height. For adults, it is like transporting them back to childhood.

Parents love to show off their children and love it when someone [the photographer] is showing appreciation for their children and their bond with them.

Whenever I am in a hospital, I look for moments where care is being lovingly given, but you can still sense the pain the patient is struggling to get well.

Since this isn’t the audience’s story, they see elements in the story that they can relate to. Maybe like these tents at a grand opening of the first Chick-fil-A in Seattle, Washington. They relate to the excitement of camping. The story has introduced some new twists to the way they go camping. Instead of in the woods, this is in a city’s parking lot.

Those who have helped pull the stories out of people understand why you may have spent lots of time gathering the content; distilling this into something digestible and engaging is where the bridge building takes place.

Photography is used in training for corporations. Companies have learned that step-by-step instructions with visuals help improve compliance.

Now, these photo shoots are so detailed oriented.

Even my clients know how stale this can be when teaching procedures. These photos are so important. These photos teach how to put on and take off PPE so that major problems are avoided.

Teams of writers, producers, camera crews, and compliance officers are present at these video & photo shoots.

These videos and printed materials are used in workshops teaching teams how to prevent contamination.

To make the workshops a little more fun, we look for ways to introduce some excitement.

During my latest photo shoot, the models were also those who did the training. They wanted to capture some of them doing different Ninja poses in their presentations. Both of the models were athletic. One played sports like basketball, and the other was a dancer. This made the action photos possible.

One of the models had studied biology in college and had wanted to be a teacher. She was helping us refine the photos needed for the project because she had to teach these steps herself and wanted the images to help her clients. After we shot a few products, I told her that she was doing the teaching she had wanted to do early on. The difference was that she was teaching adults and not children.

Those teachers that made learning fun were the ones doing like these trainers and introducing their Ninja moves to make the subject a little more fun.

With various media competing for people’s attention, teachers who employ acting techniques have a better chance of engaging their audience.

One person on a project doesn’t always do creativity. In this case, it was a mixture.

I have more than 40+ years of shooting sports. Getting peak moments is core to a great sports photo. Shooting basketball, I shot using strobes. This meant I only could shoot one shot and then wait three to four seconds before I could click the shutter again. The strobes needed to recycle and be ready to fire again.

Freezing people in the air is about anticipation.

While clients hire me to shoot something as simple as a detailed photo in a training program, they get all my experience on the job. So, when we want to do something spur of the moment, I bring all those years of experience to the idea.

Creativity takes everyone to execute to make what we dream about a reality.

Do you remember your teachers when you were younger pointing out to you or someone else, “If you can’t find something nice, then don’t say anything at all?”

There are other variations of decorum we have been taught, and sadly, many adults need to be reminded.

Just the other day, I heard a wife giving her husband talking.

“Were your comments necessary? Did they uplift anyone? If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything. Did you hear me?”

The person who attempts to ‘one up‘ you in a conversation is a person who needs admiration and adoration from you and your other listeners. They will use this tactic to show others that they know more than you, which is demeaning.

Don’t respond. Just listen and watch. In time to come, people will want to interact with you only because you have been gracious all the while to let this narcissist have their way.

You don’t need to spar with PIGS. You are a high-value, gracious person. You are not the same as that desperado who constantly needs attention and admiration.

What’s Their Problem Not Yours

Don’t ever be the person who thinks you can say whatever you want and not care how it impacts others.

The hardest thing to do sometimes is not to comment. You may have a bright mind and intellectual capacity beyond many people, but be very careful, or you can become condescending.

How often do people ask for your opinion as compared to how often you offer it without people asking?

We are all just the same as when we were kids. We want to have fun together. We all love to learn.

Squirrel moment

The squirrel moment is when you suddenly start talking or thinking about an entirely new subject or pursuing a somewhat related or irrelevant course while neglecting the main issue.

In most communication, a person moves from point A to point B. If how they communicate doesn’t change the audience following them from point A to point B, then any comment by another person is a “Squirrel Moment.”

If someone is telling people about a great restaurant and where it is located, adding a comment that it is a great restaurant, but they are closed on Monday so going any other day is helpful. You are adding to the conversation.

Negative

However, jumping into the conversation to say it isn’t an excellent restaurant is a way of just putting down the other person’s comments.

With A Client – It Can Wait

The most challenging conversations I deal with where I cannot just walk away are with customers and prospects.

Before I can get a job, most of the time, I must put in a bid on that job. I find that clients are often not interested in discussing a project, and you cannot just give people a bottom line price without managing those expectations of what they are getting for that price.

My work isn’t a commodity in most situations where the lowest price always gets the job.

My product is very customized, so the price is often difficult to compare to another creative.

Finding your creativity is a journey. It also isn’t a linear journey. It is more cyclical where you get bursts of new content that are often followed by a time of searching.

Our lives are not a trajectory that continues to build on past experiences leading us up a large stairway.
Creativity is more about doing something new and different. Most ideation isn’t born in a vacuum. We draw from our environment, experiences, and others our new ideas.

While early in our career, we are inspired by others and will copy their work until we learn the skills necessary to reproduce that style. During that process, we slowly put our spin on that skill set. We try putting our spin on the other’s art and create something new.

No longer linear trajectory

While we grow in some form of a trajectory that shows progress, we often revisit the process of taking what exists around us and copying it, then modifying it to find our way of expressing something in our hearts, minds, and soul.

When you have those breakthrough moments and people notice, you are often copied by other creatives for the same reason you copied others to develop something new.

Actions to take

The key to the creative process is to ensure you add yeast to the ingredients. This is where you cause fermentation and leavening. Fermentation is the process of breaking down the components.

Let’s say you notice a photographer’s work and want to try and duplicate it. You take the time to study the work.

What lens did they use? How did they light it? What are they doing in the post process to get that look?

Innovate

Leavening is when you are modifying or transforming it for something better.

That is how you become a leader or expert as a creative.

Now, if you are copying other artists’ work and never creating something new, you are just being led. You are not creative. You are a commodity.

Those needing a nice headshot will call you. As long as you are priced like most others in the marketplace, you will be getting work.

Others who recognize creativity and are looking for someone to help them take their brand to the next level will not look to you. You are the vanilla in the creative field.

While trying to always come up with something new is good to keep yourself interested in your work, remember that this helps you create your niche.

More Than A Product

What is just as important to realize is that creativity isn’t limited to your product [photos]. How you treat people is something that shows just as much creativity. The more you WOW people with your service you also separate yourself from the crowd.

Study brands that are known for their service. Copy them and then put your spin on them and do something that adds more to creating a unique experience for your clients.

Thinking you have arrived are being led by others in the industry. Recognizing clients are leaving them is essential. Copying other brands to keep clients is a short-term solution. Other creatives are not seeking them out or copying them. They are selling their product and pricing.

Leaders in the creative field are always looking for a way to improve or at least do something new and different.

Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water!

What I notice about the big brands is they have the signature products they continue to produce that keep their clients happy. Then they have new products. Often these are limited-time offers. These are the things that keep things fresh and exciting for your clients. They may try some of these, but they let your clients know you are constantly innovating.

Be a leader – Embrace change!

89% of shoppers stay loyal to brands that share their values

Your message is likely very sales-heavy if you’re focused on simply selling a product and not building a brand. Consumers are constantly being sold to. Instead of focusing on what you can get from them, brand-building allows you to focus on what you can give, and after you’ve built a foundation of trust with your audience, they will be more likely to hit “Buy Now” on your next offer.

Selling products in the short term may be a necessary goal to launch your business, but branding can set up your business for success in the long term.

Selling stuff you no longer need on eBay to get some cash should look a lot different than how your business sells its products or services.

Steve Jobs’s impact on Apple was continually pushing products back to his team for simplifying and design. He went for the clean back of the MacBook Pro. Something that most in the industry were not paying attention to that kind of detail that customers didn’t see when using. Jobs knew better.

Build your brand, and don’t just succumb to Good Enough for your marketing.