New Model: Alex McBride

Hey Peeps,

So the other day I had the great fortune of shooting with someone that I think could really make a name for herself in the industry: Alex McBride.

She's young, funny, talented and smart.  A great combination to have when trying to survive and thrive in any business.  Especially since her interest is on the other side of the camera, yes, she likes to shoot photography too.

She had a few different outfits to change through and we came up with some great work - if I do say so myself.

Check it:

I had such a fun time shooting this session, I can't wait for the next one.

Cheers,
Michael Carty

Michael Carty Website
Michael Carty Email

NO I DON'T: Getting Things Done By Not Doing What Doesn't

Hey Peeps,

I hate wasting time.  You do too.  

I won't even ask - it's pretty much a given.

If you're going to say,"Hey Mike, I love wasting time."  Well you're an idiot and we should devour your lifeforce to distribute amongst the rest of us.

Moving away from the darkside now.

I know you find that when working on something important, work, play, crosswords, nuclear reactor in your basement, etc, other things tend to come up.

Distractions and interruptions.

Your spouse, kids, favorite TV show, best friend, mother, in-laws, siblings, boss, employees - I could do this all day.

But what about the least obvious and yet most insidious things of all?

The thing you are trying to work on.

I'm as serious as a heart attack here, but let me state that this is mostly found during work.

We all try to get as much going on as we can being business owners - and if you are an independently, starving photographer, well you are a business owner believe it or not.

This overwhelms and most times burns us out.

Which sucks.

If we are done in, we can't work.  Which is what this is all about right?

So what should you not do?

Let's answer that with a story:

I had a call from my mother yesterday to donate something in a silent auction for a community group she is a part of.

She wanted a few photos, but what does that get me?  Nothing.  No new clients, no income, nada.

Someone would bid and win the images and put them somewhere on a wall or in a basement or give them as gifts to someone else who would put them on a wall or in a basement, etc, etc, etc

So I decided to give away a portrait sitting instead.

This gives the winning bidder incentive to come into my studio, meet me, discus photo options, print sales, CD/DVD purchases, creating a walking, talking billboard telling their friends about my business while still making me money.

Good idea right?

When I started to explain some of the in's-and-out's of connecting and product ordering with her, she found some things restrictive to more elderly and/or less web educated clients,"You have to cater to everybody right?"

My flat out response,"No, I don't."

That's the thing, I don't want to cater to everyone.

I don't want to treat every person like they are my ideal client.

I want to treat my ideal client as my ideal client.

I don't - and you don't - need to make everyone on the planet a paying client.  That would be insane.  But if you focus on your ideal client, and what they are about, you can make all of your clients your ideal client.

So no, I will not have a million ways of contacting me(email, phone, carrier pigeon, locomotive, etc), instead I have the ones that serve me and my ideal clients.  

Just like I will not have a million different products to sell my clients - how could you keep them all in your head and still come across with the confidence of knowing what you are talking about?

I find my ideal client, I learn what they are about - everything.  I cater to that.  Everything else that I do is for  my own creative expression.  

And everything after that is garbage.

I won't do it.

It is a waste of time, energy and happiness that could better be used on things that matter.

What do you do "for" your business that is actually taking away from your forward motion?

Tell me and I will let my favorite story-teller guest post on this blog!

Cheers!

Michael Carty

Michael Carty Photography Website

Michael Carty Email

Model Shoot: Spencer Robertson

Maybe it's just me, but I find it awfully hard to find male models in this industry. 

I'm sure that I'm wrong, I'm sure there are lots of male models out there saying,"Michael! Here I am! Why don't you take my photos?"  And why would they say that? 

Because it is hard to find male models in this industry, so it should be easy to find the few who exist.

Maybe it's my location.  Maybe there is just such a huge overflow of female models in the industry that it makes the number of males seem non-existent.  I don't know, but what I do know is that I got to shoot with an extremely determined and fun male model earlier this month, Spencer Robertson.

You may have seen my work with Spencer in a previous post here.

Spencer isn't your average teenage model.  Although he is energetic, active, tall, funny and smart, he surprises me with little things.  For one, until I took his photo with my phone during lunch, he didn't know what Instagram was.

I was floored.

Not because I think everyone should use Instagram - because I don't - but because I believed in the usual stereotype that all teens were plugged into their phones and the countless apps they can have.

And then, today, while writing this post, he surprised me again by telling me with a laugh that he didn't know how to send me his FB fanpage link.

Que?  No hablo Facebook?

I actually find this refreshing in, well, anyone I guess.  He's not always plugged in, which not only makes him a better model to interact with but also a better person.  He hasn't slipped into that socially inept category that is so easy for us to fall into when we spend all of our time with our laptops, cell phones, smart phones, devices, etc.

So back to Spencer.

We shot in several locations - including instudio, and spanning from the morning until late afternoon.

We even got permission to use someones sailboat for our marina location, which was fun and nerve-racking at once(ever pass $2000+ worth of gear over salt water while trying to balance with the waves?)

Here is a small taste of what we got:

How can you say no to this guy, eh?

Cheers,

Michael Carty

Michael Carty Website
Michael Carty Email

Affiliates Edition 1: Students

Hey Peeps,

I've written about affiliates before and how crucial I believe they are to today's business - whatever that may be.  But I want to go more in depth to specific groups that photographers can work with, how to work with them and what benefits arise for both parties because of such a relationship.

There are a few schools in my area and the other week I decided to select the one I graduated from(am I biased? meh, it was closest) and I had about an hour or so to speak with students working in a multimedia class of sorts, and we discussed the industry as a whole, from music to video and still imagery.

It was interesting to see how involved certain students were to their own personal crafts, the passion was almost tangible and it gave me a little jolt of excitement towards my love of photography.  We discussed the lack of a photography or multimedia club in the school, of which the idea got a resounding,"That would be awesome..."

I stated that there is nothing to stop any of those students from starting a multimedia club if they wanted to, which received a long moment of silence - I assume they had either never thought of that or they were a little apprehensive about starting a club on their own.

So now I am in talks to help with the starting of a multimedia club - now this may sound like an unattractive action to a lot of you,"Aren't you busy Mike?  Don't you have a business to run?  A wife and son at home?  When can you find the time?  Don't you have to make money?"

Answer to all: YES.

I AM busy.

I DO have a business to run.

I DO have a wife and son at home.

I DON'T know when I will find the time(I will cover this in a second).

I DO have to make money.

Let's remember, this is an affiliate relationship right?  So both sides get something out of it.

Let me elaborate on my answers from above.

I AM busy, with paperwork, edits, shoots, family, accounting, blogs, "me" time, etc - but I CAN schedule certain times of certain days to touch base with the club - remember, I am NOT the leader, founder or president.

Those positions are for the students.

My position is more that of a mentor, associate or councillor.  I have no set hours of work set in stone with this group, but I AM available as a resource.

I think that covered all the questions except for the money one and the resource part answers that.

I can offer advice, experience and knowledge.  All of which is practically free for these students.  I also offer rental of my studio for academic and personal projects for a fee. 

This creates an income stream that didn't exist before and increases visibility to my studio/business,

I'm going to be looking for some interns for some projects this year and this gives me a chance to get to know prospective students that could fit the bill, giving them hands on experience and co-op hours, decreasing my own workload and helping to increase my revenues.

Can you say WIN-WIN-WIN?

An affiliate relationship, no matter with students, businesses, other "competitors" or whatever, need to be treated as a symbiotic relationship.  Give and take.

Most of the time it costs you little or no time or money to make and keep them, but it grows your potential, your resources, your abilities, your support and your revenues by leaps and bounds.

So while things are building up at this first school, I'm starting to look at the next one.  Why not right?

Let me know what you think of education affiliations, does my approach make sense?  Are there other opportunities to utilize these relationships that you can think of?

I want to hear YOUR THOUGHTS!!  So send them!

And let me know which affiliate you want to learn about next!!

Laters,

Michael Carty
Michael Carty Photography
Michael Carty Email

What's Your Challenge for 2012?

Hey Peeps,

I hate New Year's Resolutions, don't you?  They never work.  The main reason they fail is that after a few days or a week after you begin, some small, insignificant thing happens and it gives your resolution a hiccup.  

Just a little bump in the road.  But for some reason, that's all it takes to totally derail you from your objective.

Here's an example:

You want to lose 20lbs.  

So you start eating better and exercising, but then it's someone's birthday; or a friend is visiting; or a wedding or *fill in social excuse here* - and it's cake-city and bar-hopping time.  

Your hangover makes you sleep in and you miss your workout the next day and on top of that your pounding head/queasy stomach can't deal with any more effort towards food preparation than a call for pizza delivery.  

Oh well, at least you tried right?  Wrong. 


Screw that.

Want to look like this?  Check out my budd Brad Gouthro @ http://www.bradgouthrofitness.com

I want a Challenge, not a Resolution.  I know, I know, you're saying,"Hey Mike, isn't that the same thing?  Isn't that just semantics?"  

And I say,"In a way, yes,"

"But in another way - it is completely different."

A Resolution is so absolute; without room for flexibility or better yet - adaptability.  Especially in the ever-changing and busy world we live in.  Resolutions are unreal, unobtainable and by design - made to fail.

A Challenge on the other hand is something that the human world was perfectly made for.  Life is about Challenges and it is by adapting to the obstacles we encounter within them that makes us smarter, stronger and better at succeeding.  

When we hit a wall in a Resolution, it's game over(or start over), total fail, our winning streak is finished, it was good while it lasted... 

When we hit a wall in a Challenge, it's call a time out, huddle up, and reevaluate the current situation to see where we need to adapt to continue on from here to our goal.

Notice the difference?  It's more than semantics. This clear and vital distinction can define your unfathomable success or unrecoverable failure.


So back to the Challenge - and the whole point of this blog post.

I'm inviting you to connect with me and share your upcoming challenges and concerns in the New Year.


To get the ball rolling, I will list a few of mine:  

• interview/photograph a minimum of 3 major Canadian icons(I have a HUGE list of names)
• outsource ALL non-creative work
• grow my blog monthly pageviews to a minimum of 3000+
• create small information products within my business to be available online that will create automated income
• shoot with more professionals(models, MUA's, stylists, other photogs) than I ever have before 
• get studio/online support that promotes my work to the clients that fit me(and why my website is temporarily under construction this week :()
• make a difference in this world through my work/website/blog, by promoting worthwhile causes that hold meaning to me and connecting people to organizations and people who can make the difference that I can't in my position
• remember to, and I quote from my interview with Dane Sanders,"...leverage the moment..." in everything I do

It CAN be done!!

Now you will notice this list contains moderately specific challenges, but they are also simply put.  

You can't be vague about this.  Get as specific as possible.  

My mantra this year is:  Keep it Simple - Keep it Specific.  

Simple steps - but specific steps.  

The simplicity keeps the minutiae to a minimum and the specitivity keeps focus on the goal by giving direction to actionable steps.


So what are your Challenges?  Are they work related or just personal?  Do you want to only shoot with prime lenses instead of zoom?  Do you want to run your first marathon(I highly suggest this one)?  

Don't wait - Challenge yourself now.

In fact, I'm not just requesting you share your Challenges - I'm CHALLENGING YOU to share them.  

Love this brand, heed the slogan.

Do it, I dare you.  


Unless there is no challenge for you, you have done it all and are perfectly happy in your life right now.  If that is true, well I feel bad for you, we NEED Challenges to live.  

Or maybe you fear the Challenges ahead of you, the ones that are crucial in achieving what you desire.  

Hmmmm?  Possibly?


If you don't have the perfect life(what is that anyways?), or you are tired of making excuses to cover your fear of success or failure(or milk products), then heed my call and tell me what Challenges you, what you're going to stride towards to change your business/life/health/family - whatever.  


What is going to make 2012 different?


What is going to make 2012 the Year of Challenges for YOU?

Laters,

Michael Carty
Michael Carty Photography Website
Michael Carty Photography Email