What characteristics and qualities do you see in the people at your internship that you'd like to develop in yourself?:
There are many things I find admirable about my mentors. The first thing I'd like to bring up is their creativity, and appreciation for art. On the first days of my internship, they were telling me that while they watch movies, they sometimes pause the movie to appreciate the lighting, and think that would make a great picture. Sometimes, they even use this as inspiration. They've also shown me examples of the work of some famous photographers that I've never even heard of, such as Annie Leibovitz. I honestly cannot believe I had never heard of this amazing photographer. She's captured so many lifestyles, and has taken so many different creative pictures. It's just beautiful. I would like to find out more about more famous photographers, and adopt and learn from their styles.
Another thing I find admirable about Betsy and Jeff is how outgoing and fun they are. They seem to be able to keep up a fun conversation with everyone, and have a genuine interest for people. They have a way of making people feel comfortable in front of the camera, which is key for people photography. Being a leader in general is needed if you want to be a successful photographer, and to me, they've got that. I only hope to be more like them as I get older. Hopefully sooner than later.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Internship #6
Project description
Internship site: La Vida Creations
Department: The Arts (Photography)
Project Title: Through The Lens
General Description: Basically, I will be showcasing the photography I've been taking through an album (but it will probably be digital), a slideshow, and a blog. Along with this, I will be writing a business plan and budget.
Learning Objectives: To learn more about how math is incorporated into the real world of business, as well as what exactly goes into running a business of my own, and what to consider in pricing photography.
Organization/Company Objectives & Benefits: To create an organized contact system so they can keep up with their business connections to further improve their own business.
Schedule: First week is mostly introduction to photography, the second week is beginning business aspects, and the third and forth weeks are to put them all together.
Academic Skills: Math, design, independent writing, organization.
Technical Skills: Photo-editing, Exposure (all the aspects in taking professional pictures), using Excel to keep information organized as well as create a business plan, and Booksmart to learn how to design and publish an album.
Collaboration—Skills and Opportunities: The skills I'll be learning is all of the above (photography, editing, math in business, organization, and design). The oppertunity I have been given is to start putting my art out into the world, and gain connections in photography, and photo-journalism.
Exhibition Plans: Showing the contact system I have created (probably a har copy), my slideshow, album, and blog.
A Summary of My Week
What were the highlights? What challenges did you face and how did you manage them? How did you work with others? What did you see and/or experience that you did not expect? How would you describe your first week to someone who has never had an internship?:
My favorite part of the week was making my blog, because I have never really designed a blog. Sure, I've picked the skins and such, but I've never been able to pick the color design, header picture, and where the links will go! The hardest part of this week was probably finding the alphabet letters (the shapes of them) in the real world. I couldn't just take pictures of signs with the letters on them, I had to use my imagination and look really hard for all of the letters. I am overcoming this challenge by dedicating more time to finding the letters around San Diego. I did not expect to be given so many materials to read, but I find them very interesting! If I were to describe my first week of internship to somone, I'd probably tell them that it's a little nervewracking at first, but it doesn't take long to get used to it. I'd also tell them to make sure to take plenty of notes, and that to make it easier for themselves, they should probably make an organized schedule. Dedicate certain times of the day to get certain things done.
1/15/10
I worked really hard and really long today, because I really want to get ahead of the game for my internship. I read almost the entire book on Lightroom my mentors gave me, took notes on it, read the packet they gave me, worked on my business plan and such, experimented with blurb (quite a lot), went out and took a bunch of pictures, and so forth. I've gotta say, being busy was pretty fun. I still have plenty more to do, though.
I've been thinking of themes to photograph, as well. I was thinking of doing benches, or old-looking buildngs, or playing cards. I'm still deciding.
Internship site: La Vida Creations
Department: The Arts (Photography)
Project Title: Through The Lens
General Description: Basically, I will be showcasing the photography I've been taking through an album (but it will probably be digital), a slideshow, and a blog. Along with this, I will be writing a business plan and budget.
Learning Objectives: To learn more about how math is incorporated into the real world of business, as well as what exactly goes into running a business of my own, and what to consider in pricing photography.
Organization/Company Objectives & Benefits: To create an organized contact system so they can keep up with their business connections to further improve their own business.
Schedule: First week is mostly introduction to photography, the second week is beginning business aspects, and the third and forth weeks are to put them all together.
Academic Skills: Math, design, independent writing, organization.
Technical Skills: Photo-editing, Exposure (all the aspects in taking professional pictures), using Excel to keep information organized as well as create a business plan, and Booksmart to learn how to design and publish an album.
Collaboration—Skills and Opportunities: The skills I'll be learning is all of the above (photography, editing, math in business, organization, and design). The oppertunity I have been given is to start putting my art out into the world, and gain connections in photography, and photo-journalism.
Exhibition Plans: Showing the contact system I have created (probably a har copy), my slideshow, album, and blog.
A Summary of My Week
What were the highlights? What challenges did you face and how did you manage them? How did you work with others? What did you see and/or experience that you did not expect? How would you describe your first week to someone who has never had an internship?:
My favorite part of the week was making my blog, because I have never really designed a blog. Sure, I've picked the skins and such, but I've never been able to pick the color design, header picture, and where the links will go! The hardest part of this week was probably finding the alphabet letters (the shapes of them) in the real world. I couldn't just take pictures of signs with the letters on them, I had to use my imagination and look really hard for all of the letters. I am overcoming this challenge by dedicating more time to finding the letters around San Diego. I did not expect to be given so many materials to read, but I find them very interesting! If I were to describe my first week of internship to somone, I'd probably tell them that it's a little nervewracking at first, but it doesn't take long to get used to it. I'd also tell them to make sure to take plenty of notes, and that to make it easier for themselves, they should probably make an organized schedule. Dedicate certain times of the day to get certain things done.
1/15/10
I worked really hard and really long today, because I really want to get ahead of the game for my internship. I read almost the entire book on Lightroom my mentors gave me, took notes on it, read the packet they gave me, worked on my business plan and such, experimented with blurb (quite a lot), went out and took a bunch of pictures, and so forth. I've gotta say, being busy was pretty fun. I still have plenty more to do, though.
I've been thinking of themes to photograph, as well. I was thinking of doing benches, or old-looking buildngs, or playing cards. I'm still deciding.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Internship #5
In this blog post, write about what you would like to learn when you interview your mentor. Post the big ideas and main topics you want to discuss and why they are important to you.
Also, discuss when this could take place. Schedule a time and place with your mentor (or coworker) and post that info in your blog, if possible (you will need to know this by early next week). Locate and reserve a computer or other recording device to document this interview.
Post all of this info below your writing about your ideas and goals for your interview.
I would like to learn about how my mentor got into photography in the first place. So far, I know that one of my mentors had a mild interest in photography while in highschool, but during college pursued a completely different profession, and the rest is history. I would like to know more about the details of their journeys. I hope this will open my eyes more to the possibilities of life.
I plan on conducting this interview on Friday the 22nd.
1/14/10
I have already finished reading the Lightroom book (at least most of it). There are a lot of sections that have tech talk that I don't quite understand, or I don't have to know right now. Some of it was more advanced than I am ready to learn. I also finished watching what I needed to of the Adobe tutorials. I'm glad I'm getting ahead of the game. Now, I'm working on my business plan (one of my final products), my other blog (another final product), and checking out Blurb.com (which will turn into a resource for another final product). At 2pm, I will be going out taking pictures around La Mesa, and when I get home, I will practice photographing people (using my family as subjects). While taking pictures of my family, I have to use the 50 ways to say "you're awesom" that I came up with (yes, I succeeded in doing that), as well as work on lighting, and everything I learned on Monday.
One of the goals is for me to break out of my shell, so my mentors want me to practice projecting my voice. I'd like to acheive this goal, and I know it's going to be hard, but it's for education and growth. I'm so glad my mentors are this great.
Just for fun, here's the 50 ways I came up with (note that these are the type of things I'd be saying as a photographer behind a camera as I'm taking the pictures):
1. That’s great!
2. Awesome!
3. Sweet!
4. You’re so cute!
5. That’s adorable!
6. Perfect!
7. Great!
8. Beautiful!
9. Lovely!
10. Magnifique!
11. Ooh!
12. Nice!
13. Very nice!
14. Terrific!
15. I love it!
16. The camera just loves you
17. Gorgeous!
18. That’s the way!
19. Give me more!
20. Yes!
21. Brilliant!
22. Pretty!
23. Exquisite!
24. Divine!
25. Marvelous!
26. You’re nailing it!
27. Excellent!
28. Outstanding!
29. Superb!
30. Tremendous!
31. Super duper!
32. Super cute!
33. Super cool!
34. You guys look great!
35. You look great!
36. Aww!
37. Right on!
38. You got this! You go this
39. WooOOoo!
40. Oh yeah!
41. You’re rocking it!
42. You rock!
43. Rock on!
44. Ooh la la!
45. Work it!
46. You’re doing great!
47. Fabulous
48. Fahhbulous
49. Keep it up!
50. Just like that!
Also, discuss when this could take place. Schedule a time and place with your mentor (or coworker) and post that info in your blog, if possible (you will need to know this by early next week). Locate and reserve a computer or other recording device to document this interview.
Post all of this info below your writing about your ideas and goals for your interview.
I would like to learn about how my mentor got into photography in the first place. So far, I know that one of my mentors had a mild interest in photography while in highschool, but during college pursued a completely different profession, and the rest is history. I would like to know more about the details of their journeys. I hope this will open my eyes more to the possibilities of life.
I plan on conducting this interview on Friday the 22nd.
1/14/10
I have already finished reading the Lightroom book (at least most of it). There are a lot of sections that have tech talk that I don't quite understand, or I don't have to know right now. Some of it was more advanced than I am ready to learn. I also finished watching what I needed to of the Adobe tutorials. I'm glad I'm getting ahead of the game. Now, I'm working on my business plan (one of my final products), my other blog (another final product), and checking out Blurb.com (which will turn into a resource for another final product). At 2pm, I will be going out taking pictures around La Mesa, and when I get home, I will practice photographing people (using my family as subjects). While taking pictures of my family, I have to use the 50 ways to say "you're awesom" that I came up with (yes, I succeeded in doing that), as well as work on lighting, and everything I learned on Monday.
One of the goals is for me to break out of my shell, so my mentors want me to practice projecting my voice. I'd like to acheive this goal, and I know it's going to be hard, but it's for education and growth. I'm so glad my mentors are this great.
Just for fun, here's the 50 ways I came up with (note that these are the type of things I'd be saying as a photographer behind a camera as I'm taking the pictures):
1. That’s great!
2. Awesome!
3. Sweet!
4. You’re so cute!
5. That’s adorable!
6. Perfect!
7. Great!
8. Beautiful!
9. Lovely!
10. Magnifique!
11. Ooh!
12. Nice!
13. Very nice!
14. Terrific!
15. I love it!
16. The camera just loves you
17. Gorgeous!
18. That’s the way!
19. Give me more!
20. Yes!
21. Brilliant!
22. Pretty!
23. Exquisite!
24. Divine!
25. Marvelous!
26. You’re nailing it!
27. Excellent!
28. Outstanding!
29. Superb!
30. Tremendous!
31. Super duper!
32. Super cute!
33. Super cool!
34. You guys look great!
35. You look great!
36. Aww!
37. Right on!
38. You got this! You go this
39. WooOOoo!
40. Oh yeah!
41. You’re rocking it!
42. You rock!
43. Rock on!
44. Ooh la la!
45. Work it!
46. You’re doing great!
47. Fabulous
48. Fahhbulous
49. Keep it up!
50. Just like that!
Internship #4
Please refer back to the past two blogs. Can you answer all of the questions? If yes, that's great! If not, then use the first part of this blog entry to tie together any loose ends.
Okay, now that you have done that, please complete the following:
Project title: Project Photo...? (I'm still getting everything together)
Project description: I will be making an album, a blog, and a slideshow to display my work. For the company, I will be getting all of their contacts, and organizing them on the computer.
Project schedule: This is still being worked out. It's not exactly as schedule, more as an overview. The second week of internship is mostly dedicated to learning photography, the third week is mostly for business, and the fourth week is tieing them all together and putting the final touches on what I've done.
Materials & Equipment needed: Lightroom, a camera, Excel, Booksmart, and a slideshow program. The slideshow program is madfe for Mac's and I'm not sure what it's called.
Project documentation: How will you keep track of your work? How will others know about it? What will you have to show when internship is over? Please note that some internship projects cannot be fully documented for legal reasons or because of organizational regulations (i.e., if you are working on an ongoing case at a law firm or working on a project that will receive a patent, etc.):
I've been keeping a seperate blog of what I've been doing, as one result, all of the pictures I've been taking will be displayed in a variety of ways, and I guess I can print out the contact system.
This post is for 1/13/10
Today was mostly independent work. I needed to get ahead of the game, so I could focus more on the final products of this internship. We went over the new pictures I took. These pictures focused on depth of field. These turned out a lot better than my first assignment. But now I am being asked to spend even more time taking pictures. So, I will be focusing and taking pictures of one subject for at least 30 minutes. The lesson to learn here is to take even MORE pictures. The term "break your shutter" comes to mind. I think my interns really want me to break my first camera shutter. I kind of want to as well, because it's sort of like an initiation into the photography world, somehow.
Using the feedback he gave me, he wants me to work on depth of field using a chess board. I also will have to read more. I have tons of materials to read, such as a Lightroom book, an Exposure book, my camera manual, I will also be watching Adobe Lightroom tutorials, and have a packet to read too.
I have to stay really focused in order to get ahead of the game, but I know I can do it.
Okay, now that you have done that, please complete the following:
Project title: Project Photo...? (I'm still getting everything together)
Project description: I will be making an album, a blog, and a slideshow to display my work. For the company, I will be getting all of their contacts, and organizing them on the computer.
Project schedule: This is still being worked out. It's not exactly as schedule, more as an overview. The second week of internship is mostly dedicated to learning photography, the third week is mostly for business, and the fourth week is tieing them all together and putting the final touches on what I've done.
Materials & Equipment needed: Lightroom, a camera, Excel, Booksmart, and a slideshow program. The slideshow program is madfe for Mac's and I'm not sure what it's called.
Project documentation: How will you keep track of your work? How will others know about it? What will you have to show when internship is over? Please note that some internship projects cannot be fully documented for legal reasons or because of organizational regulations (i.e., if you are working on an ongoing case at a law firm or working on a project that will receive a patent, etc.):
I've been keeping a seperate blog of what I've been doing, as one result, all of the pictures I've been taking will be displayed in a variety of ways, and I guess I can print out the contact system.
This post is for 1/13/10
Today was mostly independent work. I needed to get ahead of the game, so I could focus more on the final products of this internship. We went over the new pictures I took. These pictures focused on depth of field. These turned out a lot better than my first assignment. But now I am being asked to spend even more time taking pictures. So, I will be focusing and taking pictures of one subject for at least 30 minutes. The lesson to learn here is to take even MORE pictures. The term "break your shutter" comes to mind. I think my interns really want me to break my first camera shutter. I kind of want to as well, because it's sort of like an initiation into the photography world, somehow.
Using the feedback he gave me, he wants me to work on depth of field using a chess board. I also will have to read more. I have tons of materials to read, such as a Lightroom book, an Exposure book, my camera manual, I will also be watching Adobe Lightroom tutorials, and have a packet to read too.
I have to stay really focused in order to get ahead of the game, but I know I can do it.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Internship #3
For 1/11
Projects should be coherent collections of work samples and/or work experiences that are relevant and meaningful to both you and your company.
Answer these questions to get started:
1. What skills would you like to develop at your site?
Basic photographic skills as well as editing skills in Lightroom. As a bonus, maybe becoming a little more outgoing as well, or at least trying.
2. What interests do you have regarding the work done at your site?
I love the art of photography, first of all. I love finding new beautiful places and angles to create a work of art, purely from what's around us. I am also interested in business all together, since there's so much that goes into it that I don't really consider usually when I'm thinking about it.
3. What needs can you address (needs your mentor has, your company has, etc.) based on your skills and interests?
I can help them stay organized, and make a contact sheet for them so they can keep up with all of their business connections in a more efficiant way.
For tonight:
Remember, an internship projects is a coherent work experience, work sample or collection of experiences and samples that are relevant, useful and meaningful to the company and you.
Answer the following questions to help develop your project:
1. What academic skills could you use on the job?:
Well, math is a very big part of it when it comes to the business portion of photography. What I learned in This American Life really connects to this the most. That's the first thing that comes to mind.
2. What forms of collaboration could you use in a project?
I could learn to keep myself more organized by helping them keep their work cite even more organized. Is that what you mean?
3. What technical skills can you use at your internship?
We plan on using Excel, and Lightroom as well as Booksmart for design, So there's a lot of technical skills needed, since most (if not, all) of their work involves a computer.
4. What new things can you learn while working at your site?
I can learn more about running my own business, and photography as a whole. These are both relatively new aspects to me, so I'm prepared to learn a lot over these next few weeks.
5. How can you exhibit, showcase or otherwise share your work?
We plan on making an album, a different blog for myself (which is one I've been working on a lot), a contact system, and a slideshow.
6. How can your work or your skills & abilities help your company or organization?
When I went to PUG the other night with them, there was a successful photographer speaking, and one of his main points told photographers to be a mentor at some point. I thought that just fit in too perfectly with what we were doing. But I am also going to make a contact system for them.
Yesterday, I went out for another photoshoot with Jeff and Betsy. We went around Little Italy, and I helped carry around the equipment (which was just a hollywood reflector sheet) because they had to take headshots of a customer. I took a few myself for practice, but it was pretty hard to get the right lighting and angles, so I already know I need a lot of practice.
Today, I am continuing to work on my Business plan, and blog (different blog. Will post later). It takes so long to get everything just right, but hey, it's internship, and I can already see the difference in the quality of my pictures, and I'm learning even more than I had expected.
One of my new assignments is to write 50 different ways to say "You're awesom!" or "You look awesom!" to people while I'm taking pictures. The more confident the people feel, the more fun and open they'll be, and the pictures will be more fun as well.
I've got a lot of shyness to overcome, and this internship I think is helping me with that little by little. It's been an exciting week so far!
Projects should be coherent collections of work samples and/or work experiences that are relevant and meaningful to both you and your company.
Answer these questions to get started:
1. What skills would you like to develop at your site?
Basic photographic skills as well as editing skills in Lightroom. As a bonus, maybe becoming a little more outgoing as well, or at least trying.
2. What interests do you have regarding the work done at your site?
I love the art of photography, first of all. I love finding new beautiful places and angles to create a work of art, purely from what's around us. I am also interested in business all together, since there's so much that goes into it that I don't really consider usually when I'm thinking about it.
3. What needs can you address (needs your mentor has, your company has, etc.) based on your skills and interests?
I can help them stay organized, and make a contact sheet for them so they can keep up with all of their business connections in a more efficiant way.
For tonight:
Remember, an internship projects is a coherent work experience, work sample or collection of experiences and samples that are relevant, useful and meaningful to the company and you.
Answer the following questions to help develop your project:
1. What academic skills could you use on the job?:
Well, math is a very big part of it when it comes to the business portion of photography. What I learned in This American Life really connects to this the most. That's the first thing that comes to mind.
2. What forms of collaboration could you use in a project?
I could learn to keep myself more organized by helping them keep their work cite even more organized. Is that what you mean?
3. What technical skills can you use at your internship?
We plan on using Excel, and Lightroom as well as Booksmart for design, So there's a lot of technical skills needed, since most (if not, all) of their work involves a computer.
4. What new things can you learn while working at your site?
I can learn more about running my own business, and photography as a whole. These are both relatively new aspects to me, so I'm prepared to learn a lot over these next few weeks.
5. How can you exhibit, showcase or otherwise share your work?
We plan on making an album, a different blog for myself (which is one I've been working on a lot), a contact system, and a slideshow.
6. How can your work or your skills & abilities help your company or organization?
When I went to PUG the other night with them, there was a successful photographer speaking, and one of his main points told photographers to be a mentor at some point. I thought that just fit in too perfectly with what we were doing. But I am also going to make a contact system for them.
Yesterday, I went out for another photoshoot with Jeff and Betsy. We went around Little Italy, and I helped carry around the equipment (which was just a hollywood reflector sheet) because they had to take headshots of a customer. I took a few myself for practice, but it was pretty hard to get the right lighting and angles, so I already know I need a lot of practice.
Today, I am continuing to work on my Business plan, and blog (different blog. Will post later). It takes so long to get everything just right, but hey, it's internship, and I can already see the difference in the quality of my pictures, and I'm learning even more than I had expected.
One of my new assignments is to write 50 different ways to say "You're awesom!" or "You look awesom!" to people while I'm taking pictures. The more confident the people feel, the more fun and open they'll be, and the pictures will be more fun as well.
I've got a lot of shyness to overcome, and this internship I think is helping me with that little by little. It's been an exciting week so far!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Internship #2
What have you actively done to start off on the right note?:
I've stayed focused on what I'm supposed to be doing, and have made sure to write notes and do the assignments they've given me using my effort. I've also been reading the resources they've asked me to, and am starting to understand exposure.
What have you actively done to create interesting opportunities for yourself?
I've been open to trying new things while at internship, and asked questions about their past, how they established their business, and asked some of the things they learned along the way. Beyond that, I have gained resources into the world of Photo-journalism, and have been emailing with that person. We plan to talk together some time in Febuary.
What have you actively done to advance the interests of your mentor and/or site?
I'm not exactly sure what you mean by this question.
What can you do in the immediate future to improve yourself and your experience in the above areas?
I can try to break out of my shell more, and push myself to be more like my mentors. It's a hard task, but neccisary. I can also make sure to practice what they teach me each day, and help them with whatever I can by accepting any oppertunities they offer me.
So, Friday, being my second day of internship, was pretty simaler to the first, except instead of talking about what we were going to do, we started. Jeff looked over the picture I took of the alphabet (it was an assignment) and gave me feed back on what would make these pictures look better. I'm not going to lie, they were pretty lame, but that's mostly because I could only take pictures around my house when I had the chance to. So we decided that it'd be cooler if I would explore around San Diego, using the feed back he gave me, to make even better pictures.
I also started making my business plan. I'm currently working on the executive summary. There are a lot of sections I'll have to write!
We went out on our first photoshoot on Saturday (because we know that if I want to have a good final product, I have to start as soon as possible), and went around University Heights. We took pictures between 10:30am--2:00pm. Apparently, that's the worst time of day to take pictures, since that's when the sun is heighest in the sky, and it's hard to get good lighting when the light is so bright. My pictures came out really well, though. They taught me how to work on Av mode (which is Aperture Value/Aperture Priority mode). This setting allows me to control how in focus the picture is. And finally, I started to leanr about how Lightroom works.
I've stayed focused on what I'm supposed to be doing, and have made sure to write notes and do the assignments they've given me using my effort. I've also been reading the resources they've asked me to, and am starting to understand exposure.
What have you actively done to create interesting opportunities for yourself?
I've been open to trying new things while at internship, and asked questions about their past, how they established their business, and asked some of the things they learned along the way. Beyond that, I have gained resources into the world of Photo-journalism, and have been emailing with that person. We plan to talk together some time in Febuary.
What have you actively done to advance the interests of your mentor and/or site?
I'm not exactly sure what you mean by this question.
What can you do in the immediate future to improve yourself and your experience in the above areas?
I can try to break out of my shell more, and push myself to be more like my mentors. It's a hard task, but neccisary. I can also make sure to practice what they teach me each day, and help them with whatever I can by accepting any oppertunities they offer me.
So, Friday, being my second day of internship, was pretty simaler to the first, except instead of talking about what we were going to do, we started. Jeff looked over the picture I took of the alphabet (it was an assignment) and gave me feed back on what would make these pictures look better. I'm not going to lie, they were pretty lame, but that's mostly because I could only take pictures around my house when I had the chance to. So we decided that it'd be cooler if I would explore around San Diego, using the feed back he gave me, to make even better pictures.
I also started making my business plan. I'm currently working on the executive summary. There are a lot of sections I'll have to write!
We went out on our first photoshoot on Saturday (because we know that if I want to have a good final product, I have to start as soon as possible), and went around University Heights. We took pictures between 10:30am--2:00pm. Apparently, that's the worst time of day to take pictures, since that's when the sun is heighest in the sky, and it's hard to get good lighting when the light is so bright. My pictures came out really well, though. They taught me how to work on Av mode (which is Aperture Value/Aperture Priority mode). This setting allows me to control how in focus the picture is. And finally, I started to leanr about how Lightroom works.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Internship #1
The picture above is how they dress.
The picture above is where I'll be working most of the time.First day of internship, and I woke up at 6:30am as usual. Pretty disappointing, since my internship doesn’t start until 1pm. But in order to get there, I had to go to my mom’s work so I could get a ride. At least I got toast and peanut butter for breakfast. But I figured I should spend my time wisely while waiting for my internship to begin, so I worked on my new blog (link will be provided later) where I talked about how I spent my Monday at a photographer’s convention. Then, after an hour of working on that, I walked around downtown to look for good photo-spots. I went all the way from the symphony towers, to Seaport Village. It didn’t seem like I had gone that far, but there was a lot to look at, and I got back in time for lunch (PB & J).
When I finally got to go to my internship, which is in Betsy and Jeff’s house, I was handed lots of information in a binder, and we went over our schedule and plans for the next three weeks. Jeff taught me the basics of Aperture, ISO, and the lenses they use. This was only a small fraction of what we went over. I learned so much that I’m still processing it all even now. Photography just got even more technical, and it’s really interesting.
I don’t necessarily have a specific area that I work. So far I’ve been working in their living room, which is also their meeting room. Within the next few days, I’ll be taking pictures of the assignment they’ve given me, and building a business plan (we have it all on a schedule), and working on my blog. I feel most prepared for my blog, since I’ve already got a good design for it, and I love to write.To succeed, I’ll need to practice my photography a lot, and be sure to ask plenty of questions in order to help Betsy and Jeff effectively. I’m really excited about this because I’m interested in what I’m learning, the first day was already quite successful, and the schedule is really fun.
When I finally got to go to my internship, which is in Betsy and Jeff’s house, I was handed lots of information in a binder, and we went over our schedule and plans for the next three weeks. Jeff taught me the basics of Aperture, ISO, and the lenses they use. This was only a small fraction of what we went over. I learned so much that I’m still processing it all even now. Photography just got even more technical, and it’s really interesting.
I don’t necessarily have a specific area that I work. So far I’ve been working in their living room, which is also their meeting room. Within the next few days, I’ll be taking pictures of the assignment they’ve given me, and building a business plan (we have it all on a schedule), and working on my blog. I feel most prepared for my blog, since I’ve already got a good design for it, and I love to write.To succeed, I’ll need to practice my photography a lot, and be sure to ask plenty of questions in order to help Betsy and Jeff effectively. I’m really excited about this because I’m interested in what I’m learning, the first day was already quite successful, and the schedule is really fun.
Recession Questions:
When it comes economics and business to you as a self run business really need to be aware of?
What the market will bear, not just how it’s effecting us but also our clients. We need to be aware our client base. For example, our client base is not bargain brides, our clients are appreciators of fine art. There are two types of brides. They are either looking for a bargain and don’t really care, or they really care, because after the wedding is over and done with, all that’s left is the photography. We have to make sure we are priced in such a way that we can book who we want. If we price ourselves too low, people will undervalue us.
So, basically: Market, ideal client (how much they are willing to spend), and a good understanding of where we fit in compared to competitors. It’s not just about low prices, but also the experience, products, and services.
What is largest economic impact on you personally?
What part of you business is most effect by recession? (these two connected to him)
The wedding industry is not recession proof, but resistant. Weddings are still going to go on, some people still have a lot of money because they were prepared. Some people have that big budget. You just have to find them. We had fewer bookings, but not enough to destroy us.
Portraits and family sessions were most impacted, since they are considered luxury item, in general. Maternity sessions were not affected, because when you’re pregnant, your pregnant.
One thing I noticed is that people didn’t book far in advance like they used to. It went from booking 1 year before hand, to 3 months beforehand, because they’re not sure if they can afford it.
Things are getting better now. There’s even more bookings this year than we had last year.
There is one key. We did not lower our prices. If you do that, it will take three times as long to get back to where you started. Do not lower prices during a recession. You can offer less stuff. We removed stuff from our packages, taking away things so it would be less work, and cost less, rather than lowering the price, but getting the same thing. That would be undervaluing our work, but that’s not good, because we’re still working just as hard.
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