Out of curiosity, I did a little research on the subject of turd polishing after my last post, and, lo and behold, it turns out you can polish a turd. I was impressed.

Which got me to thinking. Does this go beyond the literal? Can you resuscitate a poorly formed idea? After mulling it over, I’m starting to think you can. Why would it be limited to turds? Of course, there will be those who contend that if something can be polished to the point of resuscitation, it wasn’t really a poorly formed idea in the first place. And maybe that’s true. There will be those who say they don’t want polished turds. That’s probably even more true. Meh. You … Read more...

Get out before you settle. Don’t pass go, don’t collect $200, just stay on the move, and don’t get comfortable where you are. That’s the key. Because there is no one-size-fits-all formula. There are strategies to employ, but in the long run, success is as much tactical. A series of reactions and adjustments to an ever-changing market. There is nothing self-sustaining about it. Just because you’ve arrived doesn’t mean you’ll get to stay. Take the pat on the back, take the night off, but always get back to it. At best, success is an indicator you’re doing something right, a bump in the paygrade, and a wink and a nod to the ego.

Now is the time more than ever … Read more...

About Richard Avedon’s Beeman:

“In this one (not shown), he feels the sting of the bees. He feels pain. He accepts suffering – like a Christian martyr. But in the other (shown above), he removes himself in a Buddhist way. He’s oblivious to the stinging. That’s the power of the picture for me. It speaks more directly to my understanding of how to endure, of how to prevail.”

You can see both pictures and a description of the process here.

In my authorship workshops, I love talking about Martin Parr and Bruce Gilden. Their perspectives are so clear that’s it’s hard not to understand what they’re after. But this quote form Avedon is truly my single favorite examples of … Read more...

Here’s a brief observation to chew on. I’m curious what other people are experiencing, both in my locality and around the country. But basing my information predominantly on New York weddings, I’ve observed a disturbing trend accompanying the shift from shooting portraits after the ceremony to before the ceremony. Don’t get me wrong. I love having the extra time to take some nice portraits. But along with that, I’ve also noticed that wedding days have gotten longer. Where the majority of my wedding days in 2009 were 8 hours, in 2012, I’ve watched them expand to 9 or 10 hours on average with 8 hours quickly becoming the exception. Now that would be just fine, but in casual observation, what … Read more...

Yeah, it’s true. I just wrapped up a session on the radio with the amazing Jeannie Uyanik from C&G Weddings. And there are few things worse than having to listen to your own voice. Oy! The things that come out of my mouth. But, in case anyone wants to hear me blather on about weddings…

You can hear it here. … Read more...