Turning a page

This has been a year of growth, and I've learned a lot. Part of this growing process has been in the area of marketing and branding my photography. I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with some amazing people who have set my feet on the right path and as a result, I have a more consistent image.

As a result, of this new image, this blog is going to continue on in a different place. I want the image to be consistent with my Web site and all marketing materials. And I want the Blog's URL to be consistent with my Web site. So please redirect your links and go to: http://www.TonyBlei.blogspot.com to keep up with what I've got goin' on.

The Good, The Bad and "Hey Wait! That's My Picture!"

When I'm not taking pictures, I teach Digital Photography to a group of high-school students in Scottsdale, Arizona. We've gone over things like basic exposure (ISO, shutter speeds and aperture) as well as focal length and some of the other things that go into making a good photograph.

Some of the exercises we've done, examined the elements of good photography (does the image have a theme or point of view? Does the image focus attention on the subject? Does it simplify?). How can you tell if a picture is good unless you study the things that make it good?

For one assignment, I had the kids scour the Internet and find "good" pictures and "bad." Some kids were able to show images that clearly didn't have a theme or failed to focus attention on the subject. But the surprisingly many students' examples showed something unfortunate happening and they categorized the image as bad. It was hard to convince them that people running from a tsunami was actually a good picture (of a bad event).

While discussing "good" and "bad" pictures, one of my students told me that she DID NOT LIKE one of my pictures. She was adamant. Her dislike for my picture actually made me happy. What she was really telling me was that she was able to think critically about the image and she wasn't going to let me talk her into changing her mind.

Not everyone likes to eat steak. It's important to know what you dislike and be able to defend your point of view. "Because" is not a reason. It's important to think critically.

Mastering the Universe

Here is what I learned from being a photojournalist: deal with it.

It didn't matter if it was cold and rainy, bright and sunny or dark and whatever, I still needed to create images that changed people's lives. There is no way you could look at a photo editor and say, "I can't shoot this person outside in 12 o'clock light." Well, I probably could have. Once.

Being a photojournalist is the greatest thing on the planet. You get to meet all kinds of people and you are forced to deal with all kinds of situations (good and bad). There is no way you can go back to the newsroom with a pocket full of excuses and expect to be popular. You just had to deal with the situation. Darkness and tight deadlines are a way of life.

Because a photojournalist doesn't get the luxury of planning everything, I had to think on my feet and consider all options to be used in a timely fashion.

Being a photojournalist causes a photographer...or at least me to be a problem solver.

While shooting a job for Agilent Technologies, I was talking to Ken, my assistant. We were photographing a three-million dollar microscope and I asked Ken what he would do and then I asked what others he had worked with would do. He launched into how some photographers he worked with would take all day to light and shoot one picture where I was able to get the same picture in an hour.

I probably could have slowed down and taken longer but honestly, the microscope task was dropped into my lap while we were shooting their CEO. I didn't have time to plan.

Because of where I've been and what I've done, I don't get rattled too easily and because of that, I'm able to deal with it. And what's nice is: My clients are very happy.

Viva Las Vegas!

For Thanksgiving we went to Las Vegas to visit our family. What was nice was I was able to continue my weekend project of finding something interesting to shoot. I probably don't have to tell you that Las Vegas is a visually stimulating place.

These pictures are a personal project but what's nice is that they get me out into unusual environments and force me to find the pictures. For me it's an exercise. For you it can be entertainment.

Click here to see what I did this week!

Thanks

I hope that your Thanksgiving is a wonderful experience where you are surrounded by smart people who mean a lot to you.

Peace.

Tony

When Work Becomes Pleasure

It's been said that work is only work if you have something better to do. When I'm working, there is nothing else that I'd rather be doing. I love my job.

The main focus of my efforts have lately been focused on marketing. I'm pretty pleased with my efforts. One reason is because I've learned a lot about the subject (but have a lot more to learn). As a result I have an amazing portfolio and a plan for the upcoming year.

On the weekends, I've been in pursuit of Wild Art. Random images that just show people living their lives. It's a great challenge and a lot of fun. My previous posts show highlights of my urban safari's (the above image was shot during one such outing where I photographed Chuck E. Baby and the Allstars).

Between Friday and Sunday I've had a couple of distractions to my marketing efforts. I was hired to do a little corporate work as well as some magazine editorial work. I'm not sure which gig I enjoyed more.

The corporate work was simple executive headshots. It was so much fun. I love the challenges of making a conference room look like photo studio. The pictures were stunning. I would show you, but I don't like to show images before the client has a chance to display the images.

As I write this, I think the magazine work was my favorite. It was nice to go meet a couple of strangers, formulate a plan and then photograph them in a story like manner. Skip and his wife, Zenda are wonderful people with stories that made a visitor smile.

I'm probably rambling here, but it is my blog. The point is that I enjoy photographing people and my work is my play.

Yeah, what I do for a living involves photography, but it's all about people.

Peace.

When a "Chore" Isn't a Chore

I like this image. It's simply titled, "Chores." I think "Chores" offers insight into Tierney Garcia, a student of mine. Tierney could have photographed anything as part of her daily routine, but she chose a topic that most of us dislike — and she chose not to make a chore of the assignment. When most people would have done just anything, Tierney created art.

If you like this picture, leave Tierney a comment and I'll make sure she gets it.