I’m having one of those weeks where I hate everything I do, not feeling very creative, I’m highly unmotivated, and I need to push myself to even accomplish anything.  Lethargic is the word.  I am just getting over a sinus infection, and still feeling a bit groggy physically.  Whether it’s just a case of man cold, or allergies, I’m not very sure.  I’ve got to get excited again about what I’m doing, somehow.  How do I usually do that?  Well in the past I’ve challenged myself to get out of my comfort zone and trying something totally new.  Breaking out of your comfort zone is vital so that you don’t get bored with what you’re doing.  The same daily mundane tasks of designing, editing, keywording, uploadings, emails, etc will get to you after a while.

“I Can’t”
The famous “I can’t” is the only thing holding most people back from trying new things.  Comparing yourself to everyone else can sometimes cause you to figure, “why bother”?  That’s not the right way to reason.  Many times you are your own worst enemy, and the biggest obstacle you face is your own. Read the rest of this entry »

A plate of General Tso’s chicken with broccoli and pork fried rice from the local takeout spot.  This was just the leftovers… otherwise I would have one more piece of broccoli.  This restaurant is a little stingy with the broccoli, but it’s still delicious.  I was way too hungry to shoot the food first.  OM NOM NOM

It’s always fun finding my images in use One of the delights of the stock business. It never gets old.  Back when I was mainly doing graphic design work, laying out ads and editorial spreads, I had a little bit of control over which images I used.  Now, I’m on the other end of the spectrum.  I sell hundreds of microstock images daily, and never know if they are simply laying around on a designer’s hard drive, or actually being used in marketing materials.  Once in a blue moon you will get a nice person that emails you and says, “hey check this out, I used your image in this ____”.  That rarely happens, though.  This advertisement, below, was spotted on the Metro North train by the model herself. Thanks to her, I got to see this cell phone pic.  Model Ellisse was used here in a montage of surprised faces for this poster by Mohegan Sun Casino located in Uncasville, Connecticut. I also noticed another photo belonging to my buddy Jason Stitt (keeweeboy) in the top row, fourth image.

The original photo is found here:

See how shooting a variety of different expressions and poses during a photoshoot can be useful in marketing?  Whenever I work with new models I always explain to them that because we are shooting for stock, their images will be in use and in action in a variety of different places, if they are in fact sold.  The thing is, you never know where they might appear.  We just have to keep our eyes open, and eventually they will show up somewhere.  I’m not sure how doubtful or sure they are that this will happen, but so far the majority of the models that I’ve worked with have been pleasantly surprised to find their photos in use for some incredible tear sheets to add to their modeling portfolios.

#stockphotooftheday

Graduation time is fast approaching for high school and college students.  Many of them are thinking how they will even afford college.  Will they be able to get help from their parents? Or,  maybe some help from the government through financial aid?  Will they need to take out loans that will come back to haunt them once they are done with school?  Be smart when choosing your educational path.  Debt can stab you over with many pains, so be very careful when planning out your education.  I can’t stress enough how thankful I am for paying my way though a state university with a part time job working nights and weekends.  If you are a high school senior, be sure to apply for all the scholarships or grants that you can.  An extra $500 -1000 from smaller or local scholarships might not seem like much, but they will add up over 4 years.

Timing is everything… I think I might be a little late in the year for this image, but nevertheless it was a subject I wanted to cover.