When you take pictures for a living, the reasons to upgrade might be different than for the hobbyist. I mention this first because the first thing I consider before even thinking about the other reasons is, “will I be able to recover the investment?”

At one point, I would buy a newer car when I thought I was getting high mileage. This was because the amount of money to keep it running would soon not make sense to pour into the older vehicle.

Today I no longer think this way about cars. They are made to last much longer than when I first started driving. I have 282071 miles on my Toyota Sienna van.

I think more with cameras as I did with my earlier cars. If you keep your Digital Camera too long, it loses value much faster than film cameras. With film cameras, a newer model wasn’t doing all that much different because the film was what was changing every so often. You bought the film for the assignment.

If you are buying the flagship model most of the time, when the next new flagship comes out, your older one has the most excellent resale value. If you wait for every other flagship to upgrade, your camera’s resale value drops even more.

Typically I find that you can expect to sell your older model for about 50% of what you paid for it if you take good care of that camera. I have found that marketing directly to someone locally is where you get the best resale price.

I have found that selling my cameras on eBay was better than going to a camera reseller.

Reason #1

So, I buy a newer model first to get the most for my present camera. I usually have two flagship cameras of the same model. I often have another third camera that is more of a prosumer model. Today I have the Nikon Z6 as my third camera.

When I do an upgrade, I can usually get enough money selling two cameras to cover the cost of one of the newer ones.

Reason #2

Since I have stayed with Nikon for all my cameras I do jobs with; I have sometimes skipped an upgrade because there wasn’t significant value added in the newer model. So, when the Nikon D6 came out, I kept my Nikon D5 cameras until the Nikon Z9.

I will start with the jump from film to digital. I had been shooting film, and scanning 35mm transparencies and the biggest reason I wanted a digital camera was for digital capture. The amount of time I saved on the average job was days. The time to process the film and then scan each image took forever.

Camera	Benefit
Nikon D100 [6 Mp]	Digital Capture main reason
Nikon D2X (12 Mp]	Better resolution
Nikon D3 [12 Mp]	ISO 200 to 6,400 & OK at ISO 12800
Nikon D4 [16 Mp]	ISO 100-12,800 expandable to 204,800
Nikon D5 [20 Mp]	100-102,400ISO Expandable to 3,280,000, Better Video
Nikon Z9 [45.7 Mp]	Silent Shutter, Electronic Shutter 1/32000 to 30 Seconds, ProRes 422 HQ 4:2:2 10-Bit, Built-in Wireless & Built-in GPS

There is a much more significant difference between the D4 and D5 than the D5 to D6. The gains of the D5 over the D4 are the different resolution which makes a big difference, especially if you have to crop a bit. The AF improvements are substantial and worth the upgrade alone.

The High ISO was the only thing that went backward from the D5 to the Z9. Increasing the number of megapixels while keeping everything else constant (sensor size, technology, etc.) will increase noise per pixel but also makes the noise finer grained, which is less objectionable.

Image size (megapixels) doesn’t directly impact noise, but it indirectly affects noise when considering two sensors of the same size. In this case, all things being equal, the larger-megapixel sensor will show more noise as a side-effect of trying to “squeeze” more pixels onto a sensor of similar size. Although showing this in some instances within a camera line, this factor can be challenging to pin down because cameras also often have upgraded sensor or processing technology that effectively manages noise.

Reason #3

Competition is real. There are numerous ways through the years this has impacted the industry.

If other photographers can deliver a better-looking image due to a camera that has cleaner images at higher ISO, the clients who use photographers will notice the difference. You cannot afford to let your equipment leave you behind.

Until the Nikon D3, all my digital cameras were letting me shoot the identical ISOs as film, nothing better for high ISO. However, the biggest game changer in my career was the Nikon D3. I no longer had to light interiors with flash to get acceptable images. So, I could be less disruptive to my clients because I didn’t have to use flash all the time.

Now the cameras after the Nikon D3’s biggest jumps came in the video side for me. Having a headphone jack for audio was huge.

When I went to mirrorless, I first did so with the Fuji X-E2 and X-E3 cameras. What I loved the most about these was the ability to shoot silent at times, and more importantly, I could look through the viewfinder when shooting video. I didn’t have to plug in live view and attach a unique loupe to see the image while filming.

While I tried a few other mirrorless cameras, I couldn’t replace my Nikon D4 and D5 with them. They were slow with focusing and slow with the shutter release.

The Nikon Z9 was the first mirrorless that I didn’t give up anything regarding focusing, the speed of capturing images, and no special extra attachments to video. Since I rarely shot above ISO 15,600, I didn’t lose anything in the high ISO.

Summary

There were many more factors for each camera that I upgraded to or bought to try out. No question that until the Nikon Z9, the Nikon D3 over the previous cameras was the biggest game changer.

Here are some of the upgrades with the Z9 that are worth mentioning here:

• No Shutter: Silent lets me shoot on film sets, during prayer services, and in other places where I need to be quiet. However, the most important thing is when I am behind people, for the first time in my 35+ years when I take a photo, people do not turn around due to the “Clicking Sound.”
• Focus: This not only focuses as well as my Nikon D5 but even more accurately and all over the frame. It has Artificial intelligence to look for people & animals’ eyes, and even cars it will track. One guy summed it up well when just photographing birds in flight. He had gotten more focus and usable images in just a couple of hours than in the past ten years.
• 45 Mp: This is the first high-megapixel camera for me. More megapixels will allow for larger images and cropping that I could have never done before.
• Zero Blackout Viewfinder: With DSLR, the mirror must move, and your camera goes black. With many of the mirrorless cameras, it also will go black due to the computer processor, but the Z9 is like never losing vision of the subject.
• In-built Image Stabilization – Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds. A big plus with Video
• New mount design: Nikon reworked their mount and came out with new lenses to get better edge-to-edge sharpness. Edge-to-edge sharpness is huge with Video.
• Focus Bracketing – Take multiple photos shifting the focus point
• Focus Stacking – Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
• Smartphone Remote – Remote control your camera with a smartphone
• Continuous Shooting – 20 fps in RAW & 30 fps in JPEGs or If you don’t mind 11MP JPEGs, the Z9 can even shoot at up to 120fps
• Backward lens compatible – You can use all the lenses in the Nikon lineup with the converter.

My good friend and art director Tony Messano said it “often was the FedEx delivery guy who determined your deadline” before we delivered online.

Only live news is more terrifying for a communication creative.

Throughout my career, there have been a few times where the client came back to the team after a project was started to ask to move the deadline up. Most of the time, the Art Director had to explain to a client that wasn’t possible at this point.

Creatives build a little time into their projects, just like most people in Atlanta traffic leave a little early in case of accidents or some other kind of delay.

Change in Scope of Job

Often I find many clients who believe their job is to get the most out of you as possible. So for photography and video, they say, “While you are here …” The first few times people did this to me, I was caught off guard and didn’t know how to handle those requests.

I have learned to go over all the expectations for a job before I create an estimate. Based on my experience, I know how long and what gear and if I have expertise in something my competition doesn’t have.

One thing I learned is some times; the request will interfere with the ability to complete all the other work they have on the schedule. If this request comes after all the work has been done and they ask for just one more, then I let them know this is beyond the scope of the contract, and I would be more than pleased to accommodate for a price that I give to them for the additional work.

Moving the Deadline Up!

Once the contract is signed and agreed upon, a client can ask to move the deadline up, but they are responsible for the total amount of the contract even if they cannot use the content due to their deadline needing to be moved.

Cancellations & Postponements: Client is responsible for payment of all expenses incurred up to the time Photographer receives actual notification, plus 50 percent of Photographer’s fee. If notice is given less than two business days prior to the shoot date, Client will pay 100 percent of the fee. Unless otherwise agreed, Client will pay 100 percent of the fee for Weather Delays on location or 50 percent of the fee if postponement occurs prior to departure. Client will be charged 100% of fee and expenses for any reshoots required by the client. For reshoots required by an act of God or fault of third party client will pay all additional expenses.

This is pretty much a boilerplate for contracts. These are my terms for projects.

Possible Responses

Say No! This is the oldest response, but you must say this if it isn’t possible. You cannot run a business by overworking yourself or others on your team.

Compromise if you can. Always start with no, and if there is pushback and you could do this without taxing yourself or your team, then look for a way to compromise. For most creatives, the biggest obstacle is a drop in quality. While the client may be OK with it, don’t do it if you cannot afford others to see this and know you did the work. Often the best way to push back is to charge rush fees. These fees are reasonable because you constantly have to work overtime or put other clients’ projects off to complete this one.

Fast Tracking a Project. This is quite different than just cramming the project through; this is often where you hire temporary people to help with the project. Again, this is where you tell the client you can make it happen, but to do so, there are extra expenses to make it work. This is more than a RUSH fee. You are charging for additional resources to make it happen.

The Movie of Unrealistic Expectations

This clip shows how Adam Neumann of WeWork was not running a realistic business model. This clip sums up how his expectations didn’t match what was possible in the timeframe he was trying to grow WeWork. His personality reminded me of many of those problem clients I have had who didn’t understand what they were asking.

[NIKON Z 9, VR 24-105mm f/4G, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 25600, 1/40, ƒ/5, (35mm = 38) Flash Fire = no flash]

I think, for now, my solution for shooting with my Nikon Z9 when I need the high ISO is to use the DXO PureRAW 2.

My Nikon Z9 setting is worth noting for this ball taking place on top of a roof in downtown Atlanta after sunset.

• Aperture Priority
• Auto ISO with 64 – 25600
• Auto ISO with Shutter at 1/250
• Godox V860IIN with Magmod Sphere on TTL
• Sigma 24-105mm ƒ/4 Art
• Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 Art

Click on photos Below to see larger photo

I would shoot with a different lens, but most of the time, I was shooting with the 24-105mm with the flash.

Due to my decision to use the DXO PureRAW 2 after the shoot, I would have done one thing differently. I shot everything in the Lossy Compressed ( HE* / HE ). I should have shot in the Lossless Compressed. Here is a chart from Walter Rowe that shows what software is presently supported with the Nikon Z9 files.

Image Editing Software:

Package​	Lossless Compressed​	Lossy Compressed ( HE* / HE )​
Nikon NX Studio​	optimized support​	optimized support​
Adobe Camera Raw 14.2 (PS/LR) Adobe Photoshop Elements 2022​	preliminary (not optimized) preliminary (not optimized)​	preliminary (not optimized) preliminary (not optimized)​
Capture One 22 (15.1)​	optimized support​	no support​
DxO PhotoLab DxO PureRaw​	coming in DxO 5.2 available in PureRaw 2​	no support no support​
ON1 Photo RAW​	no support​	no support​
DarkTable​	no support​	no support​
RawTherapee​	no support​	no support​
ACDSee Update 2022.1​	supported (no details)​	supported (no details)​

Image Viewing Software:

Package​	Lossless Compressed​	Lossy Compressed ( HE* / HE )​
Photo Mechanic 6​	reads embedded previews​	reads embedded previews​
FastRawViewer​	supported​	not supported​
Windows Explorer​	no support​	no support​
macOS Finder​	no support​	no support​

So here are the steps that I took to process some 800+ images.

• Ingest all images using Photo Mechanic Plus – All the NEF images put into a RAW folder and renamed images {year4}-{month0}-{day0}_{hour24}-{minute}-{second}
• Culling of the images – Tagged the ones to keep and then selected all the untagged images in Photo Mechanic and deleted them
• Ingest into Lightroom – Copied as DNG from the RAW folder to a DNG folder [took a while to convert 800 to DNG]
• Process with DxO PureRAW 2 – Put them inside the DNG in a DXO folder [Took about 6 hours to process with Macbook Pro 16″ Apple M1 Max & 32 gig RAM]
  • DxO DeepPRIME – Demosaicing and denoising
  • DxO Optics Modules – Improvements to sharpness & Corrections to distortions, vignetting, and aberrations
• Imported back into Lightroom from the DXO folder and processed. No sharpening or denoising using light room. Just some exposure and color corrections

Why ISO 25600?

I didn’t want a black background. I wanted to show the context of their event at the Ponce City Market Roof Top.

Summary

I can’t wait till DxO PureRAW 2 will support the High-Efficiency RAW files. However, I am looking forward to when Adobe Lightroom optimizes the Nikon Z9 files.

Until then, if I am shooting over 10000 ISO, I will try to remember to shoot Lossless Compressed, and then I don’t have to convert to DNG, saving a great deal of time.

I now love the Z9 even more that my files have little noise at ISO 25600.

We know that nonverbal communication is the most powerful way to communicate because it is the type of communication we use the most daily. 

Much research has been done using eye-tracking technology to see how people react to websites, newspapers, and television. Those research projects consistently show how visuals that do more than just window dressing communicate more quickly and effectively than words alone.

We must spend years learning to read and write a language, but we need no training to understand a photograph.

There can be no words without images.

— Aristotle

More than any other technological innovation, computers are responsible for the explosion in images. Today, 20 percent of the U.S. population can use a computer. But 80 percent of school-age children have learned to become computer literate. By the turn of the century, Sculley predicts that 98 percent of all the words and pictures created in the world will be computer mediated. By that time, virtual reality — the ultimate fusion of computer and television technologies in which viewers become active users of the medium — will be inexpensive and accessible.
Educational psychologist Jerome Bruner of New York University cites studies that show persons only remember ten percent of what they hear, 30 percent of what they read, but about 80 percent of what they see and do. When all members of society whether at home, in school and on the job learn to use computers for word and picture processing, the switch will be made from passive watching to active using. There will no longer be the barrier between the two symbolic structures. Words and pictures will become one, powerful and memorable mode of communication.

— Professor Paul Martin Lester, Ph.D., Department of Communications, California State University

Visual forms of communication grab the attention of today’s audiences. Graphic representations such as diagrams, charts, tables, illustrations, and photographs not only catch the eye; they draw the viewer into the presented information.

Corporate communication departments that took advantage of this visual revolution early on are today’s leaders in the communication field. They saw this “explosion in images” coming and jumped aboard.
Endless, long blocks of type spreading across pages are rarely read. Early editors discovered a visual tool that cured this ill… they broke the copy into short, more manageable paragraphs that didn’t intimidate or bore their audience.

Today, many no longer read traditional texts. Just taking brochures from the past and posting them on the web will not get the message out.

Okay, if it’s true that professional use of visuals will improve communication, and if expertise in this area seems like a foreign language… what then?

We’d probably take classes to learn a foreign language, so to become proficient in using visuals, perhaps we should study art, photography, or theater at the local community college. This is one way to learn how the masters in these fields used visuals. Mr. Bean was a British comedy television series starring Rowan Atkinson. Bean, an almost silent character, used physical comedy to entertain. The series did well internationally because words were not crucial to the show’s success.

Instead of brainstorming, an idea tries playing a game of Charades to express what needs to be communicated about that idea—the game forces thinking in visual terms. Pictionary is a board game where teams try to guess specific words from their teammates’ drawings. More than Charades, Pictionary requires forming mental pictures. Both games provide a fun way to practice visualization.

Here are Ten Tips to consider when thinking about using images:

1. Humanize – Illustrate how products affect people. For example, to show how small something is, put it in someone’s hand rather than using a ruler. If something improves lives – show it by doing just that. Today the trend is to use a more photojournalistic approach or, at least, to make it look like a photojournalist. To ensure genuine expressions, give it enough time, and it can become real.
2. Good Lighting – Sometimes, the natural light is perfect. Cut the flash off and use a higher ISO for the available light. Remember that whatever has the most light will become the main subject.
3. Try Black & White – Some war photographers feel that color may make even war look pretty. Black and white is an excellent way to focus attention on faces and graphics.
4. Get Closer – Almost any photo will be better closer up.
5. Watch the background – Look around the subject. Be sure nothing is growing out of a head or sticking in from the edge of the frame. Use a shallow depth-of-field like ƒ/2 versus ƒ/16 to make your subject stand out from the background. If the location helps tell the story, increase the depth-of-field by using f16 or f22 or vary the background between fuzzy or sharp.
6. Consider a worm’s eye view or the bird’s eye view – Shoot low or high above the subject. Change the camera’s height to the subject; avoid taking all the photos from standing.
7. Variety – Make plenty of photos from different angles. In addition to zooming, get closer and farther away from the subject. Make wide-angle and close-up photos. Try some without flash, some with direct flash, and some bounced flash.
8. Give it time – Make a few photos, then stop for a few minutes. Let the subject get used to being photographed. After a while, they’ll relax, and great images will happen.
9. Action and posed –Show the subject doing what they do. Let the person do their job and take lots of pictures. Then, pose them for a good portrait, not just a headshot, but an environmental portrait showing their work environment or signage of the place they work in the background or foreground.
10. File Size Matters – You can always downsize an image but can’t do much to upsize the image. Many think they can get more pictures on their SD or CF card by changing the file size, and you can. The problem is that unless you ever plan to use the photo for more than an avatar or profile picture on Facebook, you cannot make prints or use it in printed pieces. Use RAW or at least the highest JPEG at the most refined setting possible for your camera. You might have to find the owner’s manual to do this for your camera.

Many other ways than these can improve visual communication. Like everything worth doing, visual skills come from doing… from practice.

Think about it this way: Who will SEE your message today?

Today we are living in a very polarized society. How we got to this point is of our own doing.

Not everyone, but almost all of us, have succumbed to being lazy at some time, leading to our creation of this situation.

Making choices requires us to distinguish between fact & fiction. What is true and what is false?

When it comes to communication professionals even, we can succumb to mistakes due to limited understanding of information presented to us. We can be concentrating too much or not Enough on Outliers. Factors such as erroneous processes and incorrect data can also lead to outliers. You can expect to come across a variety of outliers when collecting data.

Unfortunately, we are more aware of the term Gaslighting, which describes a person presenting a false narrative to another group or person, which leads them to doubt their perceptions and become misled, disoriented, or distressed.

High-stakes decisions — which can range from starting a business to consummating a joint venture to hiring or firing someone — have something in common: they involve high levels of uncertainty. Due to this anxiety, we look to others for help. This can come at a high cost. In other words, our natural extinct can get us into a lot of trouble.

Anxiety impairs our ability to accurately judge the quality of the advice we receive.

Now add to this the “Imposter Syndrome,” and we have the making of a significant catastrophe.

If you are following my narrative up to this point, this can make you even more anxious. This can lead to Self-Gaslighting. Your feelings matter and are there for a reason. After facing a conflict, you will most likely do two things: dismiss your emotions, and convince yourself you overreacted. When you feel vulnerable, this reaction intensifies.

All this for the communications professionals creating projects to help their brands grow turn to things like Google Analytics. They are going to use the numbers to help drive their decisions.

What is strange to me is how many communications college graduates have forgotten that nonverbal communication is the most powerful way to communicate because it is the type of communication we use the most daily. How do I know that? Because the weakest part of Google Analytics is its ability to track visuals and how impactful they are in communications.

A great deal of research has been done using eye-tracking technology to see how people react to websites, newspapers, and television. Those research projects consistently show how visuals that do more than just window dressing communicate more quickly and effectively than words alone.

However, we do not have that capability with many of the data points we gather today in things like Google Analytics.

The good thing with Google Analytics is it helped researchers get around those focus group questions that often were not the right question being asked.

I watched over and over-focus groups through the years where they asked readers if they liked photos. The strange part was why they would like pictures of disasters like war or a fire that took people’s lives in their community. Seldom did they ask what they learned from those photos or graphic visuals.

You can create better questions and get more information with Focus Groups than Google Analytics. It can help you fill in some of the missing data.

I think those brands that have the resources should commission research where they run tests using eye-tracking technology to help them understand their audiences even better.

Many articles have shown how Facebook has been used to manipulate the audience. Groups and even government campaigns did some of this to mislead people. Some of this has been done by Facebook itself.

One of the most widely reported ways that Social Media companies like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram work to manipulate their audience is to track their users’ movements on their platforms and then use analytics to drive what they see.

The goal for them was to keep you using the platform longer, which then they would use to promote to advertisers to show they had their audience. They could not only do this but also help anyone or company target their “Tribe.”

Summary

It would help if you took control of your decisions. Do not let anxiety have you give up your responsibility to understand something.

When we let fear control our decisions, we are more likely to be led by misinterpreted data or not getting enough data.

Don’t forget that nonverbal communication is the most powerful way to communicate because it is the type of communication we use the most daily. Words are first recognized as visual. We must spend years learning to read to interpret those visuals, but we need no training to understand a photograph.

Any timeframe that cannot easily be rebooked is what can quickly have you upside down in cash flow. Weddings are an excellent example of why a cancellation policy is essential. In short, you should book your wedding photographer after you book your venue to be on the safe side (ideally 12 months before the wedding).

When a wedding is canceled even six months out, there is a good chance in many markets you have already had to turn down many brides and may not book another wedding this close to the date.

Most wedding businesses [caterers, venues, florists, & photographers] will require full payment more than two weeks before weddings. Believe it or not, many weddings never happen at the last minute or even through the honeymoon.

Clearing checks take approximately two to five business days or longer for more significant amounts. This is why most have a two weeks policy of getting paid early.

Side Note – Knowing that you will turn down other work highlights why you want to be sure your prices are such that if someone books your lowest price, you will still be profitable. Don’t price yourself that if all the clients book your lowest prices, you cannot survive.

Use Some Common Sense

I don’t always enforce my cancellation policy for some reason. Here are just a few things I consider:

• Regular Client – If this client gives me a lot of work, I will often not enforce my cancellation policy. HOWEVER, if this becomes habitual, I implement it to keep them from abusing me and hurting my business.
• Can be rescheduled – If rescheduling works, I would potentially not enforce the cancellation policy.
• Compassion – If the customer has a legitimate family emergency, you may want to work with them instead of creating more problems.
• Salvage the Relationship – “We typically charge a $____ cancellation fee, but we value your business so that we can waive it this time. Would you like to reschedule?” It’s a good faith gesture that could lead to future appointments—being flexible with a new client and one that could turn into a more significant client.
• Applying Cancellation Fees to Future Jobs – This could help build a long-term relationship even though things started rocky.

When a client books you for a timeframe, you will be turning away any work from others that need you during this same time.

The type of work they are booking you for should factor into the policy you adopt for your contracts.

Don’t respond right away!!!!

Give yourself time to think and do some research. If you must respond in some way because they called you, say that you were busy with something else when they called and need a moment. Tell them you will call back later.

My Cancellation Policy:

Cancellations & Postponements: Client is responsible for payment of all expenses incurred up to the time Photographer receives actual notification, plus 50 percent of Photographer’s fee. If notice is given less than two business days prior to the shoot date, Client will pay 100 percent of the fee. Unless otherwise agreed, Client will pay 100 percent of the fee for Weather Delays on location or 50 percent of the fee if postponement occurs prior to departure. Client will be charged 100% of fee and expenses for any reshoots required by the client. For reshoots required by an act of God or fault of third party client will pay all additional expenses.

A client booked me for a few days, and they called to cancel. They were hoping I would wave my cancelation fee but said if not, how about just coming for one of the days.

To make this simple for illustration, you have a 2-day project they cancel a week ahead of the event. With the contract, they owe you 50%. If they ask you to cut your time in half, you will charge them the total rate for the entire day and 50% for the day you didn’t shoot.

Phone A Friend

The conversation is a powerful coping tool. Phone-a-Friend is a lifeline in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Game. For the same reason, contestants call a friend for help for the game is why you should bounce off your ideas and have someone who will give you an honest response on how it makes them feel is not just a good idea, but I highly recommend.

Avoid writing your response and instead, call if possible. When it comes to texting vs. calling, new research finds that calling wins if your goal is to connect with someone in a meaningful way. Because text messaging cannot accurately convey tone, emotion, facial expressions, gestures, body language, eye contact, oral speech, or face-to-face conversation, messages will likely be misinterpreted or misunderstood. The real meaning of your message gets lost through the medium.

Summary

Always have a written contract with your jobs. Without the contract, you cannot have an enforceable cancellation policy.

Be sure your cancellation policy is reasonable for the type of work. Best to be confident in your industry that this is what many others are doing.

Be flexible if necessary and firm if required.

“Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.”

– Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt

P.J. Fleck, head football coach of the University of Minnesota, shared this quote yesterday talking to a group I was covering.

This made me want to look at more of Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt’s quotes. But before I share those, there is one more thing I try to do when I study someone.

I look at their environment and circumstances. Roosevelt lived from 1858 to 1919. That period was challenging to navigate. He is considered one of the top five presidents of the United States.

His mother was Martha Stewart (Bulloch) “Mittie” Roosevelt. She would marry Theodore Roosevelt senior in Roswell, Georgia, where I live now.

If you are like me and everyone else going through this pandemic, you have had to endure some challenges.

“It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.”

– Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt

Every time I get a new camera or piece of new gear, I make a lot of mistakes. Just yesterday, I couldn’t get my Nikon Z9 to focus. The problem was I had to have that photo. The keynote speaker and the head of the organization invited him to speak.

I was not just frustrated at the moment but feeling shame. I switched to my Nikon Z6 but had it on the wrong setting and underexposed the photo too much to be usable.

“Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.”

– Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt

I just kept on pushing myself, and I solved my problem. It was a crisis. What motivated me at the moment was fear. I was so scared about ruining my reputation. I must deliver the photos and the best I can do at that moment.

“It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.”

– Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt

Over the years, I have discovered that while I have an aptitude for the technical, this alone is not enough to succeed. I have found that people need to feel safe with you. They need to trust you. Clients are putting their lives into my hands when they hire me to photograph or video something for them.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

– Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt

While teaching the art of storytelling, I had a revelation. I even said this before I realized how true it is to tell someone’s story.

“Forget the camera right now. See how we are sitting beside each other?” I said to a few students. Then I would move my chair a few feet from them. “Which feels more intimate?” It would help if you started by talking with the person I said. Then it is much easier to start with your wide-angle lens to capture them up close and intimate.

While talking about this concept with a student, I had the “Ah Ha Moment.”

“Talk your way in and then shoot your way out,” was coming out of my mouth. I wish I had thought of saying it this way many years ago.

I explained the benefits of this process.

First, I watched many students spend time shooting, and when they asked for their names, the people didn’t want to help them. If they started talking first, they would have saved a lot of time.

You introduce yourself and tell them you want to make their photos and would they mind.

Second, by taking some time to listen to the person and explore their story, you could look for opportunities that might work much better visually than text alone.

Not talking to someone and shooting before you get their information can have you treating them as objects and not human if you are not careful. Talking to them helps avoid this problem.

Third, now that you have been talking, it is easier to pull out the widest lens and take some photos up close. You are sitting or standing next to them.

Once you have spent some time getting to know someone, it is much easier to build a shot list in your head or write it down if you need.

“I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!”

– Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt

Your understanding of your purpose is more important than your gear or ability to connect with people. You need to know your gifts and talents. You need to develop those gifts and use them in the service of others.

In this time of turmoil, spend some time in self-reflection.

Coach P.J. Fleck introduced me to another way to think of family. The way to build a family is through this acronym of Family: Forget About Me, I Love You

After understanding more about yourself and your character, then look for how to bless others with your gifts.

My new camera, the Nikon Z9, requires me to read the manual and test it out to discover what it can do to help others tell their stories.

Pink Floyd’s song “Another Brick in the Wall” is a theme about where significant events in life cause us and many other people to detach themselves mentally from the outside world.

Depression occurs in situations where you are so overwhelmed by your thoughts that you can’t relax to process these events.

Some events like a death of a loved one can get us stuck in grief. Grief is personal and individual, and every person experiences its nuances differently. While most of us learn how to live with this grief, I don’t think it has an expiration date.

The past couple of years has been hard on many of my friends. Some have prospered these past couple of years. However, most of my friends have been experiencing untold amounts of grieving.

The first Brick in the Wall in Pink Floyd’s lyrics is about the father leaving his son to go and fight the war. The father dies and leaves him alone.

The second Brick is one where school teachers don’t get to know him and are more about the boy conforming to their rules rather than trying to understand him and help nurture him.

“All in all it’s just another brick in the wall. All in all, you’re just another brick in the wall.”

– Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd’s twist in the lyrics is when those bricks are not just what is happening to you, but you become them.

The power of the song is in the art of storytelling. The listener resonates with the feelings of the storyline. They develop empathy for the story’s hero because the tension of the problem they are dealing with echoes their struggle. They, too, have a brick.

Yesterday I went with a group of photographers to see Minamata. The movie is about photographer W. Eugene Smith who travels to Minamata, Japan, a coastal city ravaged by mercury poisoning in 1971. Ushered by a passionate translator and encouraged by local villagers, Smith’s powerful images expose decades of gross negligence.

“I’ve never made any picture, good or bad, without paying for it in emotional turmoil.”

– W. Eugene Smith

His wife, Aileen Mioko Smith, said, “This kind of communication is essential; rather than just hammering facts, you get to know people, your heart is moved—and that’s what creates core change.”

Aileen Mioko Smith said, “We went there at a time when already lots of media had been there, and if anything, patients were burned by people coming in, intruding and shooting for 30 minutes and then leaving, just using them as an assignment.”

Now the most exciting thing about Eugene Smith that is different from most photojournalists today is his commitment to the subject with his time. He would live with his issues for periods.

National Geographic has always understood this was the key to powerful images and storytelling through the years. It takes time.

Bricks are so helpful in a building. In the story of the three little pigs, we realize the house made of bricks is the one the wolf could not blow down.

I see many of these Brick Events in my life as what brought on depression. In some ways, depression enhances your life and improves your functionality. For example, I find depression to give me insights that help deepen relationships.

Most everyone will have Life Events or, as Pink Floyd describes, Bricks. Those who can help us see these events in perspective are the storytellers. They are the mortar that allows us to construct those events into a foundation, for which more bricks can be added.

Every story has a brick, or as Joseph Campbell, author of the Hero’s Journey, put it, a crisis/tension that people cannot solve alone. The hero departs on a journey that, when completed, will be different.

The best storytellers are the ones that do the best job of introducing the character and the problem that they are dealing with in the story. In the movie I saw of Eugene Smith, he realized he had to spend the time to get to know the people of Minamata. At the turning point in the film, Smith becomes the mentor to the people of Minamata. He does this by asking them to let him photograph very intimate moments in their lives so that the world will understand their plight with mercury poisoning.

Ah Ha Moment!

Not long ago, I realized that my degree in Social Work and my work as a Photojournalist were similar. As a counselor, you spend a lot of time getting to know someone. You use the technique of mirroring.

The skill and art of this seemingly simple strategy of mirroring lies in being fully present to hear what has been said and in being able to take on the perspective of the other so that you can pull out the underlying theme from what is sometimes a long, rambling, almost incoherent speech where fleeting, free-floating ideas are being put into words.

I found that the mirroring process in counseling was me hearing their story and then repeating it, but in a more concise way than they had delivered it to see if I truly understood their plight.

As a journalist, I was doing the same thing and listening to and clarifying their story. The power of the photograph and video I use today is their ability to pull an audience into the story powerfully and authentically.

My joy comes from being able to do like Eugene Smith and help a person or an organization to tell their story more effectively using my visual storytelling skills.

Eugene Smith knew that the audience needed to see the hero of a story dealing with their conflict.

I resonate with Eugene Smith’s words, “The first word I would strike from the annals of journalism is the word objective. I think you need to understand the subjects, not worry about losing your objectivity, and side with them if you get close. It was about understanding their reality and what they were really like.”

I think Eugene Smith was an advocate of using the principles in photojournalism.

“The journalistic photographer can have no other than a personal approach, and he can’t be completely objective. Honest—yes. Objective—no.”

– W. Eugene Smith

So many of my friends in the creative fields have been struggling with COVID wreaking havoc on their dreams over the past couple of years.

Before COVID – 19, I counseled many younger people who were exploring using photography/videography as a career. Many of these were people feeling a call to do work in the nonprofit world.

Dreaming ample means having the mental freedom to think about what you want out of life and forget about all the reasons why you can’t make it a reality. For the first time in my lifetime, many people had mental freedom due to COVID. I think this is why there was “The Great Resignation” in our culture.

“It’s better to have an impossible dream than no dream at all.” 

– Anonymous

Dreamers are not going down a well-worn path that so many have done before them. Developing a growth mindset—or the belief that growth and that learning are more important than success or other people’s opinions—can help you shift your focus to the journey instead of the end goal.

Explore What Really Matters To You

Don’t get stuck in dreaming small. The one thing that is core to dreaming big is wanting to have a purpose in life. I want a sense of meaningful direction in life. I want to use my gifts to help others, and the bottom line is to be appreciated and feel like people need me in their lives.

I felt like I had achieved one of my dreams while on the Georgia Tech staff. My dream was not to work at Georgia Tech. My goal was to use photography to help tell stories that engaged people in learning more about their world and how to improve it.

It just so happened to do this would require my science & technology geek side to make these photos. I had to use my lighting, photojournalism, and storytelling skills to create strong images that helped tell these stories.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

— Henry Stanley Haskins

Big dreams rarely have an instruction manual; you figure it out as you go. What will drive you is this sense of curiosity to figure things out.

Without action, big dreams are simply dreams.

When I started, my uncle told me to go and talk to his mentor and former boss, Don Rutledge. Find someone who you admire and respect. Go and take them to lunch. Ask them how they got to where they are today and if they have any tips to give someone starting.

Be Vulnerable

Ask people not if you are good enough to make it. Ask those who are experts what you can do to get better. Assume your work could use improvement. Watching the Olympics is an excellent insight into why you always need to look for ways to improve. Shaun White five-time Olympian and a three-time Olympic gold medalist in half-pipe snowboarding, have to develop new tricks for each unique Olympics. His competition is already copied what he did last time.

Ask lots of questions about different things in life. Why are things the way they are?

Why So Many Fail

There are so many reasons. Here are some things I have observed by colleagues that went away over time.

• Gave Up Too Early – Persistence and drive are needed to make it
• Not Asking For Help – Too many think they can do it alone. No one can.
• Think About Failure, Rather Than Success – Giving in to naysayers and negative self-talk
• Desire For Instant Gratification – Most marketing campaigns take 6 to 18 months before seeing any returns
• Afraid To Make Mistakes – Dreaming is about taking risks
• Not Wanting To Leave Your Comfort Zone

Find a Mentor & Coach

A mentor is someone you don’t necessarily pay for, and a coach is someone you do pay for. Both, I think, are needed. Sometimes one person could serve both roles for you. However, mentors tend to be those who have achieved what you seek, and coaches are those who know how to motivate you and ask questions to help you focus.

Comfort Zone

We have it well documented that many abused wives find it hard to leave their situation. These battered women’s paradoxical responses to their abusers have perplexed professionals and laypersons alike. They know that this survival mechanism and their ability to see beyond their situation is complex.

Too many creatives have this same problem. However, just like those battered women, there is help. ASMP [American Society for Media Photographers] helped me navigate this profession with education, coaching, mentoring, and peer support. The one thing they realized that other photo groups don’t always acknowledge is that while we know how to take pictures, we don’t know how to run a business.

Battered women have organizations to help them; creatives need to realize dreams are realized when they seek out help.

Meeting A Need Is Key To Success

Donald Miller is the CEO of Business Made Simple. He teaches how businesses need to make their customer the story’s hero. The first step a company has is to identify the problem that their customers have that they can solve. Then they must find a clear and concise way to communicate this to their market.

Miller tells those companies to add something that distinguishes them from all their competition. What is funny is that there isn’t anything they do that other companies don’t do, but Don Miller says to communicate it, which will separate you from your competition that isn’t sharing it.

Miller has identified the key to success as you must meet the need of the customer and communicate how you know their problems and can solve them in all of your marketing.

Next Steps

I hope this helps to motivate you and clarify your dreams. Part of achieving your big goals involves working through others. A single person is rarely able to accomplish a big plan on their own.

I think your first step is to find someone to talk to about your dreams. When you say them out loud, they become real.

You would also need to show the connection/connect the dots between other people’s input and the achievement of your dream to enable others to see the big picture and enthusiastically support you.

To keep your fire burning and your dream alive, read inspirational material such as books, blogs, articles, and magazines; listen to motivational audio CDs and podcasts; watch motivating videos and talks; attend workshops, webinars, and courses to inspirational, uplifting and inspiring music.

A sound support system of like-minded people helps in preserving big dreams.

This past week I was covering the Chick-fil-A annual meeting. Andrew Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A, shared a quote I think we all need to hear now.

“When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near.
When your dreams exceed your memories, you pioneer”

– Andrew T. Cathy

The “Great Resignation” is when Americans quit jobs at a record pace during the second half of 2021, and more plan to resign in the new year.

If you have been paying attention, you will also know that this is complicated and not just a simple complaint. Experts continue to say the lack of adequate childcare and health concerns about Covid, exacerbated by Omicron, is one major issue.

The widening gap between labor demand and supply appears to be most significant in low-paying industries like the service industry.

Mothers with college degrees and telework-compatible jobs were more likely to exit the labor force and be on leave than women without children. Again, this seems to be directly related to the childcare issue.

What seems to be the issue is they cannot afford to keep the jobs they have for various reasons.

Shane Benson did an excellent job with a video of a burning forest fire behind him on stage. It painted the perfect picture of all the stress of running a business today.

Ruben Gonzalez was terrified every time he did the luge event until a coach told him to concentrate 30 yards in front of him. Ruben was no longer afraid, and his times got better with this advice.

“If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain.”  

– Dolly Parton

The Vision must be communicated to be successful!

Your job as a leader is to generate a commitment to your organization’s vision. To do this, you must communicate the idea in a way that matters to people.

When you tell a good story, you give life to a vision. A good storyteller creates trust, captures hearts and minds, and serves as a reminder of the image. Plus, people find it easier to repeat a story than to talk about a vision statement.

Use visual aids as Shane Benson did above. Create updates to keep everyone aware of your progress toward your vision. 

In 2022 – Companies will be measured by the way they treat their workers

Employers have shifted from asking what they can get from employees to ask what they can do to support employees and their families.

One of the most significant gaps for the best companies is from what they do to employees to what they communicate.

There is a communication gap at the root of all company’s failures. If you are having trouble recruiting people, have you asked if people outside the company know what you offer to work for you?

Large companies that employ people all over the country and globe cannot have a one size fits. They must let the local leaders have the flexibility to cater to the local culture.

Internal Communications BEFORE External Communications

Before the team took the field, the coach handed out a playbook for each person to memorize. They also ran the play over and over in practice. It wasn’t new to them when they ran the space for the world to see. If they executed it flawlessly, most likely, it was successful.

Effective communication builds a positive atmosphere where teams can flourish, when positive and encouraging communication, team members become more muscular and work better together. 

Good communicators are vital to a business’s profit margin and reputation. Employees who communicate well and understand the company’s vision help make the company successful. Using practical communication skills can benefit a business and its employees.

I believe the best way to communicate today is to be sure you engage in many ways people learn from your messaging. Therefore, writing alone misses how most people know.

Research has found that 65 percent of the general population are visual learners, meaning they need to see information to retain it. Visuals add a component to communication that written and verbal methods do not: speed. Studies have shown that the brain can process images and videos 60,000 times faster than text, making image-based communication remarkably valuable.

Call to Action

Call a professional communicator known for using visual communications and not just writing skills. Bring them in early. Tell them your vision and dreams for where you want to go this year and communicate this to all the stakeholders to make it happen.

Georgia Bulldog’s Freshman Running Back #35 Brian Herrien Scored his first collegiate touchdown. At the same time, UNC’s Safety #15 Donnie Miles could not stop him during tonight’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, September 3, 2016, at the Georgia Dome. [NIKON D5, 120.0-300.0 mm f/2.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 45600, 1/4000, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 240)]

I just got this question today and thought it would make a great blog post.

“How do you get credentials to be able to shoot at some of the college football games? Huge UGA fan and would love to be able to shoot at a game if possible.”

Instagram Follower

I would first send a link to my photos and ask for feedback on my work before I presumed I would be good enough to shoot the game. Always be sure people can see what you can do when asking permission to shoot for a sports team.

I highly recommend getting your domain name and a website. Your website will be your online portfolio.

You must first establish you can shoot good action photos and the best place to start is in your community shooting the recreational leagues. Once you have 10 to 20 great shots, please put them in an online gallery that you will use to ask for access to the next-up venue.

The question you will get from the Athletic Director or Coaches is what you plan on doing with the photos. For example, you may say I want to offer these to the parents and players. However, if you sell them, you may compete with someone who has a deal with the school, and they will turn you down.

You ask around until someone wants you there to shoot photos. Then you build a better portfolio.

For college football, the Sports Information office for the Athletic Department is who gives out credentials. Here is a list of the type of photographers credentialed at Division 1 games.

• Sports Illustrated
• Associated Press
• Reuters
• USA Today
• Local Newspapers
• Wire Services other than AP
  • Zuma Press
  • Icon Sports
  • Athletic Image
• School Newspaper/Yearbook
• Shooters for Athletic Department

I suggest not going straight to the major Division 1 schools but finding those smaller ones. They don’t have everyone and their brother or sister asking to shoot the games. They are more likely to let you on their field. However, they may want you to make some of your photos available to them for purchase. When first starting, you may want to give them some to get your first access, but once you have a portfolio of good images at that level, start charging for your pictures.

There is a level of shooters above most of the editorial shooters. Those are the ones hired to shoot for advertising purposes. So, brands like Nike, Under Armor, Addidas, Coca-Cola, Gatorade, and brands around the sport, will employ the very best to get them those “unique” images.

Now along the way, you may find that you have an opportunity to help another photographer cover a significant event as a photo assistant. They help by carrying extra gear or are helping by editing images. So if you ever get that opportunity–TAKE IT!! Assisting is about learning from the best. You will learn about the expectations before all the pressure on you.

SECRET TIP!!!!!

While a list of people is lining up to ask for credentials for shooting University of Georgia football this year, very few are asking to shoot their Track & Field. Every Sports Information office has trouble getting photographers to shoot some of their other sports. If you want to build a good relationship with them, see if they need coverage of their other sports.

Always ask them for their photo needs. They have to fill out a media guide each year. Believe it or not, they need fewer photos of the seniors than everyone else. Sports Information people are looking for fresh images of the players before next year. The following year, they will need many more pictures of the rising starters. You still shoot the star players but keep the client’s needs in mind.

Study the photographers at the top in the industry. See what they are getting and do everything you can to make your photos as good as theirs. Also, look for unique shots as well. Just be sure always to have safe pictures.

Shooting settings NIKON Z 9, VR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 8000, 1/200, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 170)

While all of my previous Nikon Cameras could have covered this meeting in past years, there are some adorable things that I see as valuable.

EVF vs OVF

An Electrical View Finder with mirrorless is much better for me than the Optical View Finder with the DSLR. You see, in low light, it is brighter in the EVF. You can see what you photograph so much better than natural light.

As I look through the EVF, I see what it will look like when I shoot it. That isn’t the case with the DSLR. You have to stop and check the images with the DSLR.

I have the settings on the Nikon Z9 set to show me what the scenes will give me.

Another thing that is good with seeing what you are getting is White Balance. You can see if you are off. When I was shooting the stage, I set the White Balance to Kelvin setting so that things like all this red didn’t have my camera compensating and adding a lot of cyan, which would make the skin color off.

Now while I am shooting RAW and can fix this in the post, the more you get correct in the image on the camera will save you time editing.

For metering, I set this to Highlight-Weighted.

So which focus mode was I using?

Auto-Area Auto Focus in the AF-C setting.

Now one other thing I love about the camera is not having a shutter and the ability to turn the sound off.

The lenses look sharper since the focusing is off the sensor.

I cannot say anything, but this is a great camera, and as I learn how to maximize all it can do, I hope I also deliver better images that the customer notices.