~~Quail Sighting!~~

During a recent photo walk at the local Desert Botanical Gardens (www.dbg.org), I overheard a couple talking about a pretty bird they had never seen before.

Trying to be helpful, I told them that this is a Gambel's quail and that they are common in Arizona. Some people even eat them. 

They looked at each other, laughing, and said, "We are from New Jersey, and they only birds we see are pigeons!" Well, some people eat those, too!

This is "Chester," the quail that visited me twice a day, every day, for 5-6 years....
He had one leg, and he must have passed to quail heaven....

~~Clients can be funny~~

Shooting landscapes, architecture, and destinations is easy compared to shooting people.  People can naturally feel awkward when they are staring into a camera and told to "SMILE!"  It is an unnatural situation. 

So I try to get them to relax and have a little fun before I sneak in the snaps!

Feel free to call or text me for your snaps: 480-319-2229

~~Opening Your Heart~~

Being a good photographer starts with opening your mind and your eyes.  You need to see things/event/people in ways that no one else does.  It requires keen skills of observation...not just looking around...observing.  It require that you are mindful when you are looking around.

However, you can be a good photographer by opening your mind and your eyes, but if you want to be a great photographer, you must also open your heart.  Love your surroundings, even if they are not loveable.  Love your subjects without judgment.  Want the best for your clients.  Love your clients and enjoy observing them opening their minds, eyes and hearts.

A client learning how to “see” differently to become a better photographer

~~Confidence is Weird~~

Confidence is critical to success in anything and everything we do. But confidence is not easy to come by.

I have a client that is an antique map trader, and he could not take proper photographs of his maps to sell on line.  He hired a dozen...yep...a dozen...photographers to help him take better photographs. Then he called me.

“I have ZERO experience taking photographs of antique maps, but I will give it a go with you,” I explain to him over the phone. He hires me, and I promptly panic. I have no clue about what I am doing. I reach out to photography forums, to my buddies and to the internet for ideas. I want to help my clients, but I don’t have a clue. I don’t know what I am doing.

The day arrives for me to tackle the task. I pack up all my gear...or a lot of it...and I trek to his place way out in the desert.

After seeing his set up, I simply tell him to change one thing at a time.  He starts to write everything down.  I say, “No. Only write the formula when we get it right.”

After just a few tweaks here and there with his set up, his lighting, his camera settings and his post work...viola!!  He was thrilled!  And by thrilled, I mean he had tears in his eyes, saying that these were the best photographs he has ever made....(and that was after taking 400 before I got to his place).

We never even unpacked my gear.

Yes.... Confidence is weird.

~~One Word~~

I read an article the other day that suggested that ONE work could change your life for the better....just ONE WORD!

(Insert drum roll here....)

The one word:  Nonetheless


Check out these examples of how to use "nonetheless":

• It is cold/hot outside; nonetheless, my entire day goes better after a brisk walk.
• 
  
• That piece of cake is "calling" me; nonetheless, the extra sugar will make me feel guilty and isn't for me anyway.
• 
  
• I don't feel like making that overdue phone call; nonetheless, when I make it, it will be off my mind.
• 
  
• I would like to spend the entire day crocheting on the couch; nonetheless, I get more done after a good hike <---Lacing up my hiking boots right now....

Purrl and I doing yoga after saying "nonetheless"