Tony Blei Photography (old)

Turning a page

2008-12-23T08:46:00.003-07:00

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!"

2008-12-19T10:44:00.006-07:00

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

2008-12-09T17:59:00.002-07:00

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!

2008-12-02T17:37:00.005-07:00

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

2008-11-26T08:45:00.001-07:00

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

2008-11-24T23:02:00.006-07:00

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

2008-11-18T08:45:00.003-07:00

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.

Photography One Oh WOW!

2008-11-16T20:58:00.006-07:00

I have to say that teaching photography is an eye opening experience. It makes me realize what I know and how well I can communicate what I know.

Out in the working world a photographer develops his or her way and style of doing things. In the classroom I've found that I need to be careful of how I say things — for fear of misinterpretation.

On my first day in class, I told the students that I preferred real images and that I don't use a lot of PhotoShop. What they heard was: He doesn't use PhotoShop. And so now I'm going back and unraveling the tangled mass of fishing line that I've managed to bunch up.

For the record: I use PhotoShop. I think I use it quite well. I just make sure I use it to tell the truth.

Today's photograph is brought to you by Ryan Hearn. Ryan is in the eighth grade and is already a powerhouse. His pictures are interesting and fun to look at. I look forward to seeing more of his work. This picture reminds me of something I would see on a stock photography Web site. If you enjoy his picture, feel free to leave a comment. I'll make sure he gets it!

The Photographic Interview

2008-11-08T12:33:00.005-07:00

My students have been given an assignment. It's titled: The Photographic Interview. It's pretty easy and hopefully will cause them to have a LOT of fun while being creative. Anything goes with this and the above image is from question #2: What does your fridge look like?

Here is the assignment:

Use your digital camera to answer the following questions. Your goal is to effectively communicate who you are with your camera and not using any words (unless you are shooting a city on a map).

Be creative, have fun and use all of the elements of photography to create fun, interesting pictures that let me know who you are.

1. Where are you from?
2. What does your fridge look like?
3. Who is your favorite person?
4. What is your favorite food?
5. Part of your daily routine
6. What color are your eyes?
7. What relaxes you?
8. What does your mailbox look like?
9. What do you have planned in the next 12 months?
10. Where are you on a Sunday night?

As I complete this "Interview" I'll try and post my images. I think this is going to be fun!

For the class: Look here to see how much I shot.

Click here for the Slide show.

First Friday

2008-11-08T12:05:00.003-07:00

I don't know if you can tell, but I'm challenging myself to get out and shoot fun stuff. These are images that aren't for a client or even for my portfolio. These images are just for fun and my rules are simple: no tripod, no flash, only available light. It's certainly a challenge, but the rewards have been great! Check out this week's First Friday's self assignment.

Making ant hills out of mountains

2008-11-05T10:57:00.002-07:00

Today's blog is brought to you by the Letter "A".

"A" is for ant. "A", "A", "A". I gave my students at BASIS Scottsdale (which clearly begins with "B") and assignment to photograph from an ant's perspective.

Here it is:
For this assignment I want you to get down - literally. We want to see your ant's eye view, meaning your photos must be taken with your camera ON THE GROUND. The idea is to capture the looming, intimidating nature of subjects from that low-down perspective. This assignment is due Monday, November 3, 2008. All rules of composition apply (or if you choose to break those rules, prepare to state your reason).

The students have turned in some really cool art from this. Some of it even looks professional. What's the purpose of The Ant's-Eye-View? I want them to develop their vision and explore the world from somewhere other than five feet up.

The Joy of Photography

2008-11-04T14:17:00.002-07:00

Somehow, more than a decade ago I lost the joy of photography. By shooting everyday, all day long I and my coworkers built our skills and our passion for telling stories — but we lost the joy.

I Remember when I use to go out and shoot stupid things just for the sake of shooting them. How many sticks were photographed that were stuck in the middle of nowhere? And now how many pictures aren't taken because, well, you don’t know what you are going to do with them.

Do you really need to “do” anything? I’ve found that my blog is a great place to show off fun pictures. At the end of a year I might actually end up with something that I wouldn’t have otherwise shot. And so now I take a camera to a lot of places and shoot pictures of my dog — and other stupid stuff. Only because it’s fun and I think that once again I am rediscovering the joy of photography.

Learning to shoot

2008-11-04T12:05:00.002-07:00

If you are a regular reader of this blog, sit back, relax and click this link to view some colorful images. But be warned. These images are not really for you. They are for someone else. But don't worry, I like to share.

I haven't mentioned this before today, but I have taken a part-time teaching job at BASIS Scottsdale. I'm their digital photography instructor. My students range from grades 8th through 12th. These images are for you guys! Click here to see what I want to show you! (It's the same link as the one above.)

My goal with these images is to show you the joy of photography and how fun it can be. I want you guys to learn to see the world around you and learn to use lenses of different focal lengths. As you view these images, I want you to look for wide shots, telephoto shots and medium shots. What would you say the "Detail Shot" would be?

I wanted to limit this shoot to just four images, but they were so cool and colorful that I wanted to show them all off. What's my rule? Shoot, shoot, shoot! It's great to be the king!

At long last...

2008-11-03T09:22:00.002-07:00

Finally on Friday around 5 p.m., the big brown van stopped in front of the office again. The paper my portfolio is printed on is so beautiful. It's a brilliant white cotton and you can't buy it in Arizona. Well, you can, but it won't be pre-drilled or scored to fit my portfolio. And if you do find it in Arizona, you will find that it's not something that's given away.

Art isn't art until someone sees it. My goal now is to get this thing in front of a few art directors. Wish me luck!

I have a wait problem

2008-10-31T10:48:00.004-07:00

I'm waiting, waiting,

Waiting.

I'm waiting for UPS to deliver more paper so that I can finish my portfolio. It's very good, and worth the wait.

One Print, Two Print, Red Print, Blue...

2008-10-28T08:56:00.002-07:00

Experience is something you get just after the moment when you needed it the most.

I've had InDesign for several years. I thought I knew what it was all about. I didn't. But I know a few more things now.

The first couple of pages of printing the portfolio were wonderful. It was exciting. But then came the red pages...

All of a sudden, everything I printed had a dreadful red cast. And so I started searching for the reason. The weekend went from exciting to frustrating in the time it took to make a print.

I had used InDesign in the past and thought it was ready to rock. But Adobe sent out an update and it seems that all of my links were broken. I fixed those - and that's when the redness set in.

I had never actually printed from InDesign before, I would create my document, convert it to a pdf and ship it. If it looked good on the calibrated monitor, it was going to be great where ever the pdf went. I thought about filling one of the printer's ink cartriges with Visine (to get the red out), but I would have had to buy a whole case.

After a couple hours of tinkering, phone calling and manual reading I found the right switch to flip and voila! We were good to go. But now I was out of ink.

The ink store opened at 8 a.m. I bought the magenta cartrige and rushed back to the office. I slapped it in hit "print" and the next print came out upside down.

A brown van is scheduled to stop in front of my office in the next couple of days. The driver will ask me to sign something and he will hand me a fresh pack of paper. It's MOAB Entrada. Bright white and 100% cotton. This isn't a homemade portfolio, it's handcrafted and worth all of this effort. Maybe next week I'll be able to show it.

Someday my prints will come

2008-10-26T18:21:00.004-07:00

I wanted to get out and shoot this weekend but a big brown van stopped by the office and the driver handed me a package. It was my new portfolio! Well, some of the components, anyway.

Nadine at Brand Envy designed the pages and shipped me the InDesign file a couple of weeks ago. Since then I've been going through my images and ensuring that they were ready to print.

I'm printing my portfolio myself, but don't go thinking it's a homemade project. It's not. The paper is MOAB Entrada, a very bright white paper that's made of 100% cotton. No trees were killed in the production of this portfolio. This is a very beautiful project, and I can't wait to show it off!

I have this really nice printer that cost more than my first three or four cars. The ink is archival and so is the paper. It's going to be around for a while. The nice thing about doing this myself is...well...I can't think of any reason. It's very time intensive and I can't help but baby sit the printer. You can't buy this paper in Arizona, so it's a bit pricey (by the time the man in the brown van drops it off). And then there's the ink...

Yeah, I was going to get out and shoot, but right now all I can do is watch the printer's head go back and forth. It's a bit hypnotic.

Saturday Night Fever

2008-10-19T00:58:00.005-07:00

Over the summer in Phoenix it's really hard to go out and take pictures when it's 6000 degrees outside. Besides, I heard from a friend that pixels melt at 397 degrees. He could be wrong; he shoots with Nikon.

Last week I shot some images that were described by Nadine, my designer, as "The Burning Man of Bikes." Yeah, it was a lot of fun.

Today there was a Western style festival that I could have gone to — or I could have gone to the State Fair. I chose None of the Above and after dinner went to Mill Avenue. I challenged myself by shooting only with available light. No flash. No tripod. All fun.

I encourage you to see my pictures by going here.

Shoot. What's a photographer to do?

2008-10-18T11:35:00.003-07:00

Once a month at my studio, affectionately known as The Photo Cave, I meet with a group of photographers. Their skills range from beginner to the very serious. Two of the members were talking about taking a class from some guy who has a Web site and they wanted to know if I had heard of him. I hadn't.

I went on to say that if you wanted to learn about photography in a formal kinda way, that the community college was a great avenue to explore and that shelling out money to some guy with a Web site was possibly not a great choice.

My ultimate advice is: Get out there and shoot. Shoot, shoot, shoot. And when you aren't shooting, look at pictures. Notice what others are doing.

I love going here to look at images. I enjoy good photojournalism and these images are pure cream.

Brand. New.

2008-10-15T15:20:00.007-07:00

Tomorrow I meet with Nadine. I can't wait.

I've learned so much in the past year. Canon camera had an ad campaign where they said, "Image is Everything." Not only is it clever, but it is so true. Brand parity is just as prevalent in photography as it is in cameras and ketchup. Which one are you going to buy? It often seems that the way the product is packaged is the determining factor.

Of course you already knew this. So why am I bringing it up? Well, there was a time in my career that I didn't have to deal with this issue. If a photo editor wanted to see your portfolio, you simply sent twenty slides in a clear page that held slides. The photographer who, in the mind of the photo editor, had the nicest images would get the job. Easy.

I've learned that talent alone won't get you the clients you need. It's important to compete to your fullest ability. Oddly enough, I see photographers and assistants who do their own Web site and even go as far as making their own business cards. I wonder if these people realize that there are some amazing photographers that they are competing with.

I love photography. I love the creation of the images, I love looking at them and I love seeing the reaction that others have when they look at my work. It's almost spiritual. And when I have the opportunity to work with people whose budgets are bigger than my own, well magic happens and I get to do that thing that I love and take it to a higher level.

Nadine is my designer. I'm told that she is the best and with her amazing talent, she is helping me get to a higher level. I can't wait for tomorrow. It will be the start of a New Brand Day.

I oughtta be in pictures

2008-10-12T23:02:00.004-07:00

So I once photographed Red Skelton who was one of my favorite comedians of all time. Man that guy was funny. He was smart too.

Red said that wherever I go, I should have someone take my picture. I was puzzled by this and asked why. He said, "When you go home tonight, walk around your house, up and down the hallway and look at all of the pictures. There's someone missing, and it's you." Without skipping a beat, I flipped the camera around, held it at arm's length with one hand, while I put my arm around Red and pushed the button. Flash! And Red was laughing! That was the day I cracked up the comedian. I'll never forget that day.

The role of the photographer is to be behind the camera, not in front. Red was right. Not too many pictures of me floating around.

After Vanity Fair magazine invited me to send in my portfolio for a review, I was pretty excited and e-mailed almost everyone I knew — and a few that I didn't. Southwest Graphics magazine asked if I would like to be interviewed for their next issue. I didn't have to think about it for very long.

The interview was done via e-mail and they asked if I could send in a couple of images along with a photograph of myself. Sorry Red. I may have let you down. I don't have very many pictures of myself (especially for publication).

I asked my friend Brad to photograph me.

Man, you don't know how much I learned from this little exercise. I think that if you are a photographer, it's important to get your butt out there and have someone photograph you. I learned what it's like to be the subject rather than the one pushing the button. It's hard! Brad shot exactly 1000 pictures of me. It wore me out.

I learned what I liked and what I didn't like. I liked the creativity and seeing what another photographer might see and react to. But I didn't like not being told what was working and what wasn't. I found myself posing my body, but then letting my expression slip. Or I would find myself getting tired and drifting off while the rest of me was on autopilot.

When I shoot, I'm continually talking to my subject and doing what I can to let them know what looks good and what doesn't. I want them to be with me in the project and not day dreaming about the Bahamas.

My lesson rewarded me with a plum that I didn't expect. Brad took me into a tunnel-like area at Arizona State University that had a huge door made of bars like you might see in prison. I turned and saw the doors and the daylight streaming in. I stopped Brad and told him that I needed to make a picture.

I posed Brad in the bars and shot him with the blaring light coming in from behind. To me the picture represents that he is soon to be released from his self-imposed prison and that there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

So here's Brad doing what Red Skelton told me to do almost twenty years ago. I'm just hoping that light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train!

Tour de Fat

2008-10-11T21:28:00.010-07:00

Brad Armstrong is a dear friend. When I first came to the Tribune newspaper 14 years ago (yesterday), Brad and I worked together in the photo department and every day we did the same thing. We were like two kids who couldn't wait to show each other the pictures we took that day. Those were good times.

I left the Trib three years ago and Brad was promoted to Director of Photography. We hang out and frequently have lots of laughs. I recently asked Brad if he would take my portrait for an article for Southwest Graphics magazine (they're doing a story on me). Of course he said yes.

The other day, Brad and 141 others found out they were being laid off. Fearing that Brad's plate might be a little too full, I called him to offer a chance to opt out of our photo session. He wouldn't hear of it. While we were talking he said that Saturday was out because that was the day for Tour de Fat and there was no way he was going to miss that. He said I should go too.

Tour de Fat is an event hosted by the New Belgium Brewing Company. You know, the Fat Tire people. I can't figure out if the event is designed to promote bicycle riding or Fat Tire beer. I will say though, that I've never seen so many bicycles in my life.

The event kicked of at 9 a.m., with a marching band of sorts and a bicycle parade through Tempe. Did I mention that almost everyone was in costume? Did I say the part where the bicycles looked like something out of a Dr. Seuss book? Before lunch, I'm sure I heard a Who.

Brad and I talked about being motivated and he said that he had a hard time photographing in places like this because, he asked, "What are you going to do with the pictures if they're not for the newspaper?" I told him that if nothing else, shooting something like this is a good exercise in what I call, Finding The Picture.

Just because you are in a visually stimulating environment doesn't mean you are going to automatically walk away with a good picture. You have to find it. While everything is whirling by you, you need to be able to make good decisions. Lens choices, exposure, composition, even ISO. Find the picture. Have fun and let your style flow.

Another good thing about going to things like Tour de Fat is that it allows me to shoot things for myself and not worry about anything else. I told Brad that at the end of a year, I'll have a lot of really nice images to add to my portfolio. Some things will be from assignments and other things will be self generated. By the time I finished flappin' my gums, Brad had gone to his truck for his camera.

With a couple of exceptions, the day ended like it did about 14 years ago. I posted the equivalent of a proof sheet to a Web site and called Brad to show him what I did. He liked it.

If you would like to see what I did today, click here for a slide show of really fun images. And even if you don't check out my images, say a prayer for my former coworkers. They need something positive.

Woe in Mudville

2008-10-06T20:04:00.008-07:00

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play...

Some of my dear friends and former coworkers of the East Valley Tribune received troubling news today. One hundred and forty-two people are to be laid off. They get to keep their jobs until the new year.

The news makes me sad. The Tribune was a great newspaper when I was hired fourteen years ago. But the news business ain't what it used to be. It seems that chasing news is not for the career minded. The pay was always low, but I kept telling myself that at least I was making a difference in the lives of others as I photographed stories related to poverty, sickness and inhumanity. In January, some amazing people are being shown the door.

Any other year it's hard enough to find a job. I think this year, it's even harder. Add to it the 142 people who have dedicated their lives and careers to journalism and hoped to retire at what was once a solid company. They have talent and experience — but not many people are paying for talent or experience.

...Oh! somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville -- mighty Casey has been shut out.

Up With The Sun

2008-10-05T17:40:00.002-07:00

OK, so if you have to be on location at 7:30 a.m., what time do you have to go to bed? Just kidding!

A friend of mine called me yesterday afternoon and asked if I could help him. He had been shooting a project for several days and somehow had double booked the morning. He said he needed me on the bigger of the two jobs and that I would be done by noon.

I was thrilled that my friend respected me enough to have him fill in for him (what the heck, even teachers have substitutes). I was concerned that the client my friend had been shooting for, would be a bit tense over a sudden switcheroo. I think that by getting down to business, I was able to ease the clients mind.

While I don't advocate tag-team photography and this wasn't the most complicated session, it was cool that I could assume my friend's style of shooting. It was seamless. If his client hadn't been there, he never would have known that I had stepped in.

My camera is an extension of my vision. But this time I made it an extension of someone else's vision.

I've Been a Bad Blogger

2008-10-03T11:36:00.006-07:00

It's been said that a shark must continually move, or it will die. I think we are like that too.

We need fresh things to keep us going and movement in our life to continue being interesting. Things that are static gather dust and rust and fall apart. But you already knew that.

After leaving the news biz, I've had the opportunity to work with some wonderful clients. But, as a business, I need more clients. Without fresh clients, my business become like the shark that doesn't move. If that happens, people will never know or experience what I can do for them.

So here''s my plan: redo the portfolio. Stop putting up images (on the Web site) that are designed to impress my photographer friends. Since I don't know which images those are, I hired Suzanne Sease in Richmond, Virginia to be my editor. Already I'm seeing a difference.

Right off the bat, my photographer friends started to complain and criticize. I saw this as good. My portfolio isn't for them. It's for art directors and art buyers and others who might hire me. I think the new portfolio creates a feeling while showing off my work.

But wait. There's more!

After Suzanne was done, I hired Nadine at Brand Envy in Seattle. Right now she is designing a new Web site as well as a hard cover book to show clients. She's doing a lot more too. By the time she's done, my photography business will have a highly polished marketing machine that hopefully will attract new clients, which will keep me shooting for a long time.

Already I've gotten some great feedback from potential clients. Topping the list is Vanity Fair who, on Tuesday, e-mailed and asked if I could send in my "Book." I didn't have to think about that too long.

Bizy, bizy, bizy

2008-08-11T16:28:00.002-07:00

It's been an interesting summer. So interesting, in fact, that I've been a little distracted and haven't been here as often as I would like. Let me bring you up to speed.

It was my goal to shoot something fresh at least once a week. I went to the airport and shot vintage aircraft. I photographed Sandra Day O'Connor. I photographed fly fishing. It was just what I wanted to do, but a trip to Las Vegas for a family reunion followed by a really fun project for Kyle Moyer and Associates turned my view away from the blog. This is a good problem to have.

After the Kyle Moyer project came an amazingly fun and funny promo project for R Squared Graphic Design. By the time we were done, not only were we laughing hard, but so were the clients of R Squared.

What did we do? Rick and the crew wanted mug shots of the staff along with a picture of them in jail. The storyline we were following was: The R Squared staff was arrested and thrown in a Mexican jail after trying to buy fireworks for their clients.

This was a project that could easily be messed up, but together, we made a top-notch promo. First, I photographed the staff with a ringflash, which can be a harsh light, but throws a wonderful shadow which surrounds the subject.

After that we went into that harsh afternoon sun and photographed everyone with a long lens so that the background would be blurry (and remove any sense of place) and the trip to Mexico would be more believable.

A few days later, we all met at Rawhide Western Town and that's where everyone went to jail. The backdrop of the western town was also a fun setting for the images where they were escaping from Mexico.

Rick and crew took the images, whipped up a promo for mailing as well as created a page on their Web site that allowed viewers to leave comments. From the looks of the comments, everyone had fun -- and they were popular.

How cool is that?

Studio Time

2008-05-20T22:47:00.004-07:00

My quest for Northern Pike was a bust. It was nice to get away, though. We had the opportunity to meet some new friends, sleep amongst the trees (in the trailer with the heater on) and practice my fly fishing techniques. Normally I would put down the fly rod long enough to shoot some pictures, but the most amazing thing I saw all weekend happened around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday as the sun began to rise. It was beautiful. I was sleepy and chose to log the memory and go back to sleep.

Monday was Promo Day. I had this crazy idea to photograph myself in the fashion of Nick Nolte's booking mug. The picture's a scream. All I need to do now is figure out how I can effectively use the image. I'll post it tomorrow when I'm on the computer over in post production. If you would like to see it, let me know and I'll e-mail it to you.

Break time!

2008-05-16T12:04:00.004-07:00

It's been a good week. I sent out a small e-mail blast, met some prospective clients and updated my Web site. And I think I recommitted to this blog. I plan on linking to this blog from my Web site so that more people can become involved.

If you are reading this, send me an e-mail. Let me know who is out there.

In the mean time, I'm going to go fly fishing. I hear there is Northern Pike in the lakes around Flagstaff. I'm intrigued at the prospect of a fifty lb. fish with hundreds of teeth — and catching it with a fly.

I'm also going fishing so that I get out of my surroundings, and become inspired by the beauty that's in our back yard. I plan to take some pictures, catch (and release) some fish and have some fun. If I still have all of my fingers on Monday, you can check SmartAz-Photo.com for pictures. If there are no images, you can call me "Lefty."

An investment

2008-05-15T17:15:00.006-07:00

When I first started SmartAz Photography, I wasn't sure of what I wanted to do, or who my customers would be. After 20 years in the news biz, I certainly didn't know anything about pricing my photography. One thing was certain however, I didn't want to simply pluck numbers out of the air when giving a quote. That method seemed far from fair — and certainly not professional.

The first thing I did was establish my Cost of Doing Business and from there established a Day Rate. I then broke it down into an hourly rate. A few of my photographer friends adopted this way of doing things as they recognized that this seemed to have more integrity. After almost three years, I have to say, that having an hourly rate was less than favorable.

The problem with that method is that it put me and the client at odds. While I'm working through the job, they see it as an open checkbook as they are thinking, "Dude, hurry up!" And I would be thinking: "I'm a photographer, not a plumber. Creating art takes time."

My current pricing structure is based on: My talent and what personal style I bring to the shoot + the shot's complexity + production costs + your actual usage. My goal with this pricing strategy is to deliver to you, the best possible image. Period. You won't be hoping that I hurry, and I won't be hoping to drag this out (not that I ever did).

After almost three years, I'm a little more aware of what I want to do and who I want to do it for. In the end, I see that the photography I will create for you will be an investment for your business. My pictures will have a return on your investment. And to quote Leslie Burns-Dell'Acqua, "Creativity ain't cheap." Invest wisely.

Run for your lives! "It's The BLOG!"

2008-05-12T13:41:00.002-07:00

While I love photography and taking pictures for others, I really enjoy photographing things that are associated with the shoot, but are just outside of the client's boundaries. This image is one of those.

Larry Shurz, and eight other American Indians graduated from Grand Canyon University on May 3, 2008. I photographed the graduates as they prepared to graduate, and when my assistant asked Larry for his name, he proudly popped up his name tag. Bam! I don't think Larry ever looked more proud.

In the end the client, BJ Communications and Grand Canyon University received the images to complete their job -- and I got a gem that makes me happy.