There are little opinion boxes at the bottom of each post, and I do watch them. There is an option to love, like, dislike, or agree with each of my posts.
Several of my blogs over the last number of weeks have been voted by readers to be 'disliked.'
Most of these posts are similarly themed; they are posts in which I mostly talk about wanting to expand my business reach, whether I talk about wanting to make my business more successful, the strategies I plan to undertake to accomplish that, or things that are coming up.
It doesn't bother me in the least that people would dislike something I have to say. We are each entitled to our own opinion; however, in the aforementioned posts, I am not blogging about opinions. I am posting facts, strategies, upcoming events...things that should make most people excited.
Well, they should excite most people who want to see me successful in my part-time photography business, anyway.
That means, obviously, that there is a person (or a group of persons) who does not (do not) want to see me succeed.
I should be glad that I have stepped on some toes, though, shouldn't I? I should be glad that someone is not wanting to see me improve my business, or get more clients, or try to generate income with something that I enjoy. If I am making people feel uncomfortable by doing these things, then perhaps I am doing something right.
As Winston Churchill said:
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."
The thing I stood up for, and continue to stand up for, and will continue to stand up for, is my fighting chance to do something that I love.
I never said I wanted to be the next Ansel Adams, the next great fashion photographer, or the next photographer being sought-after by Hollywood elite. I never even said that I want to do photography full-time. (That would be awesome, but I find it unrealistic for me and the rest of my dreams.)
All I want to do is take photographs of people at memorable times in their lives and help them to remember the moments that make life special.
The part of this that bothers me is that anyone would want to see someone else unsuccessful, floundering, failing.
If I do fail, flounder, ir face-plant, it will be because of me, not because of someone disliking my blog posts.
Clients seeking a photographer will pass me by if they do not like what they see, so my little, part-time, limited photographic offerings should not be a threat to photographers with a greater arsenal than what I have. Every photographer has something different to offer to their clients: a different vision, a different style, a different attitude, a different way of editing, a different choice of location, etc. I am no different.
Now, if I have blogged about something in those posts that is nonsensical or that is not a recommended path to follow --like it's a direction that someone has already tried, and failed at-- I would love to hear about it. I would love to be redirected to a more recommended path. I can be reached at rebbecca.ella@gmail.com for anyone who has recommendations.
I should also mention that several of my posts --including a handful of the 'disliked' posts-- have been voted otherwise as well: as like, love, and agree. I see those, too, and I thank the readers who have so voted.
Like I have said, the negative votes don't affect my desire to hold a camera or keep blogging or any of that; my skin is pretty thick. The only thing the negative votes on these posts affect is my worldview.
I have long held it close to my chest that there is good in everyone, and that we are all connected, and that we all want to see each other lifted up and happy and doing well and succeeding in life.
The fact that there are people who would try to take those things away from someone else or limit those things for others does not surprise me, but it does hurt my heart.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
On SOPA et al.
As an artist and a weekend warrior of the photographer type, I am concerned with the exchange of ideas, information, and knowledge.
I could not imagine someone sitting behind a computer screen in a government office somewhere, reading my blogs to make sure I am not overstepping my freedom of speech boundaries and that every time I make a reference to something that is copyrighted that I give proper attribution.
I could also not imagine someone stealing my images and claiming that he/she is the one who created them.
Besides, with as many essays as I have been required to write over my college career, I know a thing or two about plagiarism. I know that it is wrong. Why someone would ever want to take the easy way out of a situation and use things that don't belong to them is beyond me.
Like the way someone said something? Great: use it and give them credit for their genius.
Like the pose that the model in that photograph is in? Great: have a model of your own mimic it and then reference the original photo as inspiration, somewhere in the description of your photograph.
I know that this is dealing more with downloading and sharing music and videos than photographs or quotes, but photographs and quotes will be part of it if Congress passes these bills. (It is already happening, the illegal and unfair use of these things. I will not pretend that it isn't. Congress won't.)
Anyone who decides that it is easier to steal an image than make one of their own, steal words than rephrase them in their own original words, share movies / music that they paid for with their hard-earned money, is just lazy. (Come on, let's be real here, though: anyone who is sharing music / movies illegally online probably did not come by them honestly with their hard-earned money.) There is a difference between posting a copyrighted video on YouTube and having friends over to your house to watch the video with you. And those warnings at the start of the movie, about INTERPOL and all that? Yeah, don't collect money at the front door for the showing of the video when your friends are over, either. {If you cannot afford a rental fee, do what my friends and I do: one of us gets the video, another one gets snacks, and another hosts. Then we rotate duties and repeat at our next meeting.}
I could not imagine someone sitting behind a computer screen in a government office somewhere, reading my blogs to make sure I am not overstepping my freedom of speech boundaries and that every time I make a reference to something that is copyrighted that I give proper attribution.
I could also not imagine someone stealing my images and claiming that he/she is the one who created them.
Besides, with as many essays as I have been required to write over my college career, I know a thing or two about plagiarism. I know that it is wrong. Why someone would ever want to take the easy way out of a situation and use things that don't belong to them is beyond me.
Like the way someone said something? Great: use it and give them credit for their genius.
Like the pose that the model in that photograph is in? Great: have a model of your own mimic it and then reference the original photo as inspiration, somewhere in the description of your photograph.
I know that this is dealing more with downloading and sharing music and videos than photographs or quotes, but photographs and quotes will be part of it if Congress passes these bills. (It is already happening, the illegal and unfair use of these things. I will not pretend that it isn't. Congress won't.)
Anyone who decides that it is easier to steal an image than make one of their own, steal words than rephrase them in their own original words, share movies / music that they paid for with their hard-earned money, is just lazy. (Come on, let's be real here, though: anyone who is sharing music / movies illegally online probably did not come by them honestly with their hard-earned money.) There is a difference between posting a copyrighted video on YouTube and having friends over to your house to watch the video with you. And those warnings at the start of the movie, about INTERPOL and all that? Yeah, don't collect money at the front door for the showing of the video when your friends are over, either. {If you cannot afford a rental fee, do what my friends and I do: one of us gets the video, another one gets snacks, and another hosts. Then we rotate duties and repeat at our next meeting.}
Monday, January 16, 2012
Ushering In Change
When 2012 dawned a little over two weeks ago, I had dreams for changing things with my photography business: about making it more successful.
Well, the puzzle is being unscrambled and things are being put into motion.
There is so much exciting stuff I can't possibly talk about it all right now!
I will, however, give you some of the highlights:
You may recall from an earlier post that I mentioned that I am going to display photo prints at a local craft fair in October. Well, I have been referred to a great printing company, for which I hold out hope. I'm awaiting my test prints, but I have heard great things about them. They also seem like they are good people: very professional, honest, and down-to-earth. Hard qualities to find all wrapped up in one company, these days.
(If all goes well, this will also be the place from which I order prints to sell on Etsy.)
I am also going to expand my revenue base by accepting more than just cash and personal checks. Yep, that's right: last night I signed up for Square! I figured it would be easier for the craft fair if I accepted more than just paper. Plus, if all goes well, as I hope it does, I can also accept payment for photo shoots via credit and debit card.
This semester, I am enrolled in two photography courses: Studio Photography and Landscape Photography. They are my two "fun" classes. This is my last semester at my community college, so I figured, "Hey, why not take a couple of classes that I have been wanting to take and may never get to take here again?"
(Of course, that should mean that I be in school 8am - 8pm Monday through Friday, as there are so many courses I want to take, but there is only so much time in the week.)
Those two classes will keep me updating my sites regularly, so be sure to watch for those.
I have also fallen in love with LightRoom 4 (beta). When the software officially drops in March, I will have to buy a copy. I could get into all the techno-photo babble about why I love LR4, but only people familiar with the software would understand what I'm saying. Just know that with LightRoom 4, your photos will look better than ever!
I am looking forward to using props, getting more portfolio work done, and possibly getting some business leads. There is also more business stuff going on, but I don't want to talk about it just yet. I want to make sure it's completely ready before I unveil it. (It's not a secret or anything, it's just not the right time.)
Well, the puzzle is being unscrambled and things are being put into motion.
There is so much exciting stuff I can't possibly talk about it all right now!
I will, however, give you some of the highlights:
You may recall from an earlier post that I mentioned that I am going to display photo prints at a local craft fair in October. Well, I have been referred to a great printing company, for which I hold out hope. I'm awaiting my test prints, but I have heard great things about them. They also seem like they are good people: very professional, honest, and down-to-earth. Hard qualities to find all wrapped up in one company, these days.
(If all goes well, this will also be the place from which I order prints to sell on Etsy.)
I am also going to expand my revenue base by accepting more than just cash and personal checks. Yep, that's right: last night I signed up for Square! I figured it would be easier for the craft fair if I accepted more than just paper. Plus, if all goes well, as I hope it does, I can also accept payment for photo shoots via credit and debit card.
This semester, I am enrolled in two photography courses: Studio Photography and Landscape Photography. They are my two "fun" classes. This is my last semester at my community college, so I figured, "Hey, why not take a couple of classes that I have been wanting to take and may never get to take here again?"
(Of course, that should mean that I be in school 8am - 8pm Monday through Friday, as there are so many courses I want to take, but there is only so much time in the week.)
Those two classes will keep me updating my sites regularly, so be sure to watch for those.
I have also fallen in love with LightRoom 4 (beta). When the software officially drops in March, I will have to buy a copy. I could get into all the techno-photo babble about why I love LR4, but only people familiar with the software would understand what I'm saying. Just know that with LightRoom 4, your photos will look better than ever!
I am looking forward to using props, getting more portfolio work done, and possibly getting some business leads. There is also more business stuff going on, but I don't want to talk about it just yet. I want to make sure it's completely ready before I unveil it. (It's not a secret or anything, it's just not the right time.)
Friday, January 13, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
January?
By virtue of two heavy snowstorms in October and a heavy windstorm on December 31, we have plenty of firewood.
(We also have a broken fence and lawn tractor gate, courtesy of the limb that came down in that last storm.)
We have whittled the workload down, slowly, over the last two and a half months.
We are down to about 1/6 the total cleanup. (There's still a ten foot limb in the yard and some storm-related detritus to rake up and haul, but for the most part, the yard has returned as close as we can get it to the state it was when we moved in a year ago.)
It has helped that several days in the last week has been 50-60 degree days.
In Colorado.
In January.
Most of the firewood still needs split so it will (a) fit into our fireplace, and (b) so it will ignite easier.
Today, we did a bit more than just haul wheelbarrowfuls of branches, twigs, and leaf detritus. I also pruned back the dead hollyhocks at the front of the house, cleared out the area where the lilies are planted, and got rid of some of autumn's leftover leaves that accumulated on the sidewalk.
I acted like it was a spring day, not a day toward the beginning of winter.
I have the rose thorn scratches on my arm to prove it.
In my frenzy of yardwork, I noticed that there are green sprouts everywhere: the Japanese irises are peeking up; the lilies are sprouting their dandelion-like leaves; the Vinca are spreading.
The other day, even, as I was loading a wheelbarrow up with logs (from my parents' house, where branches also came down in those heavy snows) I noticed that there, under the logs resting on the ground, were two-leaf sprouts already showing.
Keep in mind there are still clumps of crunchy snow and patches of ice on the ground. From the location where I was moving the aforementioned logs, some of the logs closest to the ground were still frozen to the ground and I could not remove them.
I'm sure I'll remember that it's winter tomorrow: the high is expected to be only 27 degrees.
...guess who's hiding in the house tomorrow?
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Three.
It's amazing how little has changed since I snapped this photo.
I have longer hair and different glasses.
I don't wear makeup as often.
My face may be a smidge pudgier.
It's also amazing how much has changed since I snapped this photo.
I am no longer working. (I think I took this before work.)
I am in school, and a few months away from graduation.
Jake and I have been living together for nearly a year.
I have (unfortunately) gained weight.
I now shoot a DSLR. My beloved PowerShot is MIA. (The search continues.)
><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
I posted this photo to remind me that unless I make a point to make change, they rarely happen.
Sure, the above list of things that have changed might outweigh the list of things that haven't, but that all the more serves to prove my point.
I am no longer working because I made a decision to leave a job I hated and was curbed in.
I am in school because I made the decision to stop just talking about it.
Jake and I have been living together by chance, but there were a lot of decisions we made along the way.
Gaining weight is partially my fault; a health condition contributes a great deal to an increased difficulty to lose weight.
I also did not make sure I knew where my PowerShot was, so its misplacement is my fault as well.
I have goals for this year, like anyone else. (This year, I even gave myself a week to figure out what I wanted them to be.)
1: Get healthier. This means continue drinking more water than soda (a goal I started last year), take my pills faithfully (something I have not been great at lately), exercise regularly, eat healthy (something I have been trying to do anyway), and take better care of myself. I need to go to sleep when I'm tired, take vitamins to supplement my diet, not stay up so late, and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. (My skin is so horribly dry most of the year.)
2: Set a life plan. Set some goals in common with my man in motion, timeline-wise at least.
3: Read more books. I am already one down, and am working on another. I have three more books checked out from the library, and I found four more of my to-read books for cheap at a thrift store today. One of the classes I'm taking is Masterpieces of Literature After 1600, which means I'll be reading more for that, too.
4: Sell some crafts. My mom and her friend have been feverishly making some baby bibs to sell. There are plans in the works for other things, too, that I can be a part of. I'm going to help my mom's friend design purses and bags to sell. I'm also going to make cards & bookmarks to sell. There are a bunch of other crafts that are percolating as well.
5: Sell some prints and get my art out there. The craft show that my mom and her friend and going to is a great opportunity to display and sell some of my artwork. Have some prints ready to take home; be available to take custom orders. Maybe have a photo book or two available for customers to browse and order. (Even if I don't sell any books, I will have a copy of my work for the last few years!) I'll also need more business cards for this. Hmm...
6: Eat more leftovers. I threw away three dishes of leftovers from our fridge today. One was a single serving, but the other two were doubles. No me gusta.
7: Save some money. That means making some money.
I cannot forget what these goals are or why I have set them for myself.
Forgetting them is the one way to make sure they don't happen.
I have longer hair and different glasses.
I don't wear makeup as often.
My face may be a smidge pudgier.
It's also amazing how much has changed since I snapped this photo.
I am no longer working. (I think I took this before work.)
I am in school, and a few months away from graduation.
Jake and I have been living together for nearly a year.
I have (unfortunately) gained weight.
I now shoot a DSLR. My beloved PowerShot is MIA. (The search continues.)
><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
I posted this photo to remind me that unless I make a point to make change, they rarely happen.
Sure, the above list of things that have changed might outweigh the list of things that haven't, but that all the more serves to prove my point.
I am no longer working because I made a decision to leave a job I hated and was curbed in.
I am in school because I made the decision to stop just talking about it.
Jake and I have been living together by chance, but there were a lot of decisions we made along the way.
Gaining weight is partially my fault; a health condition contributes a great deal to an increased difficulty to lose weight.
I also did not make sure I knew where my PowerShot was, so its misplacement is my fault as well.
I have goals for this year, like anyone else. (This year, I even gave myself a week to figure out what I wanted them to be.)
1: Get healthier. This means continue drinking more water than soda (a goal I started last year), take my pills faithfully (something I have not been great at lately), exercise regularly, eat healthy (something I have been trying to do anyway), and take better care of myself. I need to go to sleep when I'm tired, take vitamins to supplement my diet, not stay up so late, and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. (My skin is so horribly dry most of the year.)
2: Set a life plan. Set some goals in common with my man in motion, timeline-wise at least.
3: Read more books. I am already one down, and am working on another. I have three more books checked out from the library, and I found four more of my to-read books for cheap at a thrift store today. One of the classes I'm taking is Masterpieces of Literature After 1600, which means I'll be reading more for that, too.
4: Sell some crafts. My mom and her friend have been feverishly making some baby bibs to sell. There are plans in the works for other things, too, that I can be a part of. I'm going to help my mom's friend design purses and bags to sell. I'm also going to make cards & bookmarks to sell. There are a bunch of other crafts that are percolating as well.
5: Sell some prints and get my art out there. The craft show that my mom and her friend and going to is a great opportunity to display and sell some of my artwork. Have some prints ready to take home; be available to take custom orders. Maybe have a photo book or two available for customers to browse and order. (Even if I don't sell any books, I will have a copy of my work for the last few years!) I'll also need more business cards for this. Hmm...
6: Eat more leftovers. I threw away three dishes of leftovers from our fridge today. One was a single serving, but the other two were doubles. No me gusta.
7: Save some money. That means making some money.
I cannot forget what these goals are or why I have set them for myself.
Forgetting them is the one way to make sure they don't happen.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Dusting Off the Compass
With my impending graduation getting ever closer, I am faced with the choice of deciding what to do next. Do I work for a while? Do I go right to school?
Part of me says, "Hey, you'll be in a new city; why not do both? Go to school, and you'll have weekends to do photography part time."
Another part of me says, "Hey, remember when you tried that and it didn't go over so well?"
I have been doing a lot of thinking about my future where photography is concerned.
I know that it is something I will always do -- it is a part of me now: that cannot be changed.
But what to do about it? How big of a role should it play in my life? Should it just be something that I do for fun? Should I do it for fun and try to sell my better art pieces? Should I offer my services on the weekends?
I will not lie: there have been a few times when I thought about hanging up the camera strap completely. [Insert ramble of negative thoughts and things that may make potential clients eschew my services.]
I think that moving to a new town will force me to market myself in new ways. Here, I haven't been doing everything I could (or should) do. I know that. I recognize that. I've even had things ready to market myself, I just...haven't. [Insert shaming finger-wag here.]
Perhaps focusing more attention on getting my work out to local eyes would elicit more business. I do not plan on taking this action where I am presently, though, because in five and a half months, when it comes time for me to move to Denver, I will have just established myself in the local eyes, and then uproot and do it all over again 50 miles away. No, it is much too late for my Greeley client- / fan-base to grow.
Besides, Greeley is not regarded at the moment for being a center of art. No one seeks Greeley out for the artisan shops. There is the annual Arts Picnic, but the majority of the vendors that I have seen when I attend come from other cities, 20+ minutes away. The University of Northern Colorado draws minor artisanal-quality shops and lifestyles around it, supported mostly by the larger-city students who attend the school.
I have also thought about making photography a bigger part of my life.
I would love to offer traditional packages to people: engagement sessions, weddings, family photos, portraits, senior shots, kiddo sessions, newborn sessions, maternity sessions...
...but seeing as how I do not have much experience in those arenas --I have never shot a maternity session, but the others I have-- it will be harder to get clients for those arenas because there is not much to see in the way of examples of my work. (Offer some free shoots on Craigslist? Don't mind if I do!)
Honestly, yes, I have thought about majoring in photography. But, I would be focused on shooting things, objects, and food, like doing spreads for household magazines. I do not know what it is about those shots, but they have been appealing to me.
That is not to say that I will stop offering the traditional shoots.
I have been meaning to take inventory of my life for a long while: to define where I want to end up, living-wise and career-wise.
Photography is not my only prospective major. Neither is art or ceramics. I have considered everything from teaching (as shared in a previous post) to being a counselor, one who specializes in addictions or just a regular therapist-type. My Creative Writing class really re-stimulated my dormant *not dead* love of writing these last two semesters, and with that reawakening came a dormant dream of possibly pursuing it in the future as well. {Ideas have already started forming for books to write about; some of them have already been presented to the classes over the last two semesters.} I have also thought of possibly becoming an editor for a publication (newspaper, magazine) or for a publishing company. (Y'know the ones to whom authors submit their works to be looked over...etc.)
The app for MSCD is due in March, so I have until then to decide on a major.
I just cannot believe that this is happening again. Every time something happens with me going to college (even when I enrolled at Aims) I always have a hard time deciding what to do. Maybe it's because I want to do it all!
There we go, that's what I can major in: Renaissance Womanhood! =P
Part of me says, "Hey, you'll be in a new city; why not do both? Go to school, and you'll have weekends to do photography part time."
Another part of me says, "Hey, remember when you tried that and it didn't go over so well?"
I have been doing a lot of thinking about my future where photography is concerned.
I know that it is something I will always do -- it is a part of me now: that cannot be changed.
But what to do about it? How big of a role should it play in my life? Should it just be something that I do for fun? Should I do it for fun and try to sell my better art pieces? Should I offer my services on the weekends?
I will not lie: there have been a few times when I thought about hanging up the camera strap completely. [Insert ramble of negative thoughts and things that may make potential clients eschew my services.]
I think that moving to a new town will force me to market myself in new ways. Here, I haven't been doing everything I could (or should) do. I know that. I recognize that. I've even had things ready to market myself, I just...haven't. [Insert shaming finger-wag here.]
Perhaps focusing more attention on getting my work out to local eyes would elicit more business. I do not plan on taking this action where I am presently, though, because in five and a half months, when it comes time for me to move to Denver, I will have just established myself in the local eyes, and then uproot and do it all over again 50 miles away. No, it is much too late for my Greeley client- / fan-base to grow.
Besides, Greeley is not regarded at the moment for being a center of art. No one seeks Greeley out for the artisan shops. There is the annual Arts Picnic, but the majority of the vendors that I have seen when I attend come from other cities, 20+ minutes away. The University of Northern Colorado draws minor artisanal-quality shops and lifestyles around it, supported mostly by the larger-city students who attend the school.
I have also thought about making photography a bigger part of my life.
I would love to offer traditional packages to people: engagement sessions, weddings, family photos, portraits, senior shots, kiddo sessions, newborn sessions, maternity sessions...
...but seeing as how I do not have much experience in those arenas --I have never shot a maternity session, but the others I have-- it will be harder to get clients for those arenas because there is not much to see in the way of examples of my work. (Offer some free shoots on Craigslist? Don't mind if I do!)
Honestly, yes, I have thought about majoring in photography. But, I would be focused on shooting things, objects, and food, like doing spreads for household magazines. I do not know what it is about those shots, but they have been appealing to me.
That is not to say that I will stop offering the traditional shoots.
I have been meaning to take inventory of my life for a long while: to define where I want to end up, living-wise and career-wise.
Photography is not my only prospective major. Neither is art or ceramics. I have considered everything from teaching (as shared in a previous post) to being a counselor, one who specializes in addictions or just a regular therapist-type. My Creative Writing class really re-stimulated my dormant *not dead* love of writing these last two semesters, and with that reawakening came a dormant dream of possibly pursuing it in the future as well. {Ideas have already started forming for books to write about; some of them have already been presented to the classes over the last two semesters.} I have also thought of possibly becoming an editor for a publication (newspaper, magazine) or for a publishing company. (Y'know the ones to whom authors submit their works to be looked over...etc.)
The app for MSCD is due in March, so I have until then to decide on a major.
I just cannot believe that this is happening again. Every time something happens with me going to college (even when I enrolled at Aims) I always have a hard time deciding what to do. Maybe it's because I want to do it all!
There we go, that's what I can major in: Renaissance Womanhood! =P
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