So, today’s tip is a little off topic, as in not so much camera related. Well actually not at all.

You may have noticed a gap in my posts; about four weeks. Well this is because we are in the process of moving my 93-year-old mother into long-term care. We tease her that she has dementia of the body, not of the mind. She is really sharp for her age. She is in the process of finishing her third book. But I can tell you that this process is not easy.

My parents, early 1950’s

My mother was a woman before her time. In 1947 she graduated in the first class of draftswoman in England and went back to school in her 50’s to become a drafting engineer. She worked at Kitt Peak Observatories at the University of Arizona. She became a minister at the age of 60, retired from Kitt Peak at 67, and had a wonderful second career teaching. Her focus was on the metaphysical teacher Emma Curtis Hopkins, and still is. She is the expert on her teachings.

All this being said, in this country if you are not very wealthy, aging sucks. My mother made a good living, had herself set up pretty darn well in her retirement years. But now she has no choice but to use Medicaid to pay the long-term care costs. Unfortunately, that leaves it to me to navigate through the process and make it right. I am smart enough to know we need help, so have hired an attorney. But heed my advice – have a conversation.

I am about the age my mother was when she started her second career as a minister. It leaves me with the knowledge I still have a lot to do in my lifetime. We tried to get my mother to work on planning for this outcome, but she preferred to live in the ‘now’ and not think about the ‘what if’. I, on the other hand, prefer to have a plan. This means having conversations, with my husband, children, relatives and dear friends. All the people you hope to have around you in the years to come. It would be easy to push through this process with my mother, and not want to think about it anymore. But I am determined to learn from this struggle, take it as a lesson for our own future, and plan for it.

Ordaining her granddaughter’s husband, 2018

You will see articles and ads telling you to plan for your retirement. But as medical science keeps moving forward, and people are living longer, we now need to plan for beyond retirement. I am not sure yet what that is. But having the conversations will open the doors to figuring it out. Medicaid is so final. It strips you of so much of who you are/were. My mother is now down to a small bedroom, $50 a month for personal expenses, and fortunately for her – a large family to pop by as often as possible. She should be proud of what she accomplished in her life. But the system doesn’t help support that pride.

Ok, yes, this is a little obvious. But you would be surprised how many people do not really do this. Or better yet, don’t think they have to. Yes, if you are lucky you do come to a point where you are working with your camera, pick it up every day, and shoot. But there is a difference between shooting for work and practicing.

If you are a musician, you practice your instrument regularly. You learn new songs and become more connected to the music you play. Then you perform. It is no different with a camera. As a child I would listen to my father practice his scales. He was an opera singer, and this was just something that was part of our daily lives. I would hear his voice going up and down, making funny sounds/shapes with his mouth. All this in order to produce the most wonderful sound.

Sadly, I didn’t inherit my father’s voice. But I did learn from his example. Now that I have a new camera it is even more important. Changing brands of cameras is harder than I thought. It would be very easy for me to just give up, put this new camera in a draw and forget about it. But I see the potential, and I just have to practice until I get it right. If it were easy it wouldn’t have the rewards it does.

You have the talent, you have the training, you have the equipment, you are ready to be a professional photographer – now what? I am a strong believer that the education we pursue to become a photographer is often missing one of the most important elements; strategies on business, and how to sell yourself and your craft.

I am absolutely terrible at self-promotion. I hate it when people ask me “how much do you charge?” It has taken me a lot of years to try and find my self-worth, especially when it come to putting a price tag on something I have created. And don’t let me fool you, I still haven’t totally found it. So, take it from me, learn the skills when you are young. It is so very important!

  • Take Business Classes – If you are in college, no matter what your major is, if you ever think you want to own your own business, take some business courses. If you aren’t in college, you can go back or find some courses you can take online. Places like CreativeLive.com have some wonderful courses. Do it early so you have the mindset from the very beginning.
  • You are in Business to Make Money – As a creative person you put all your energy into creating. You aren’t thinking about down the road when you want to be able to make a living doing your craft. When that time comes you have to change your approach and remember you are in business to make money.
  • Don’t Assume – Don’t ever think the clients will find you. Don’t get me wrong, some will. At first, usually by word of mouth, you will find yourself with work. But as you work through your personal network things can dry up. You have to self-promote. You have to get out there and make yourself a household name. Get involved with your community, join your local Chamber, get people to notice you, and most important know your name.
Sitting at an event – they couldn’t remember my last name. It is now Photographer – could be worse
  • Keep at IT! – Keep learning, don’t get too comfortable. There will always be new equipment, new processes, new trends. Not just in photography, but business as well. Remember you have to keep up with the times and stay current with the trends. Most importantly – Educate Yourself!

I was having a discussion with a few fellow photographers the other day about not being given credit for your work. One of them had photographed an event for free, with the only stipulation that credit was given. They didn’t. Now I have had similar things happen; I am sure most photographers have. There are so many people out there who don’t get it. They think if you have a nice camera anyone can take the picture, so why the big deal?

There is also a trap you can fall into. You can end up being known as the one who will do it for free. I worked for a non-profit for a number of years. Your mindset is to help provide things for those in need. So when events come up for something dear to my heart, I want to document it. I have no problem shooting it for free, but why is it so hard to get the credit? If you ask, you become the one that only does it for the publicity. Is there something wrong with that? Isn’t it human nature to desire acknowledgement for a job well done. Whether it be a check, or a simple thank you.

There comes a point when you just have to say ‘no’, and boy is that hard! In my case I had a medical issue, my foot – what this blog began from. Bit-by-bit I pulled away from free jobs, and I just simply won’t go back. But there are a few I will constantly stick around for. One big reason is because they make me feel appreciated, and we all need that once in a while.

My favorite non-profit to work with, American Red Cross

Last week’s tip was to scout locations wherever you go. This brought up another point. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard a photographer comment about how they wish they had checked out the location before the shoot. I hope I am not out of line here, but why wouldn’t you?! I mean there will always be times when it isn’t possible to physically check out a location. But if nothing else I get online and look it up, find it on a map, see what the weather is like, etc.

Here is a perfect example. A while back I was asked to do a shoot at a local event location. I was told it was on the main floor and had lots of windows. The event was mid-day, so I should have a lot of natural light. My instinct was to plan for the light and to keep my back to the windows as much as possible.

This is the first test shot I took, jpg straight out of the camera (I shoot both jpg and raw). As you can see, the windows are all covered with curtains with colored lighting coming up from the floor. The ceiling is painted black, and all the chairs, tablecloths etc. are also black. The floor is reflective – in other words a white balance nightmare. Now, 15 minutes later I had the lighting worked out. I knew what to expect, what I would need to bring, and where the best places were to shoot from, and towards.

For a number of years, I would shoot family portraits at the Kinship Family Fair. Often this was the only portrait the family would get, so it was important to me to get it right. One year the venue was changed so I went to check it out. There was nowhere inside to set up. I ended up at a wonderful location outside, but this meant a totally different equipment setup. Instead of softboxes and backgrounds, I needed reflectors and sandbags to weigh down my tripods!

In other words – Always check out your venue before the shoot!