The Fourth of July....

A short week again and today I'm making appointments to meet with new accounts. The 4th is more or less in the way as I'm leaving early Thursday to go to Kansas City to celebrate my step dads 90th birthday. He's a 4th of July kid, but because of the logistics of my brother coming in from N.C., his daughter coming in from Scottsdale, and the 4th being on a Sunday this year, Thursday is the day to celebrate. He has decided with this event to start counting backwards. Sounds like a deal to me.

I'll keep you posted on the success of the calling.

Back in the saddle again

I can't tell you how good it is to be back in the office. After what seemed like eternity, but having a good time, the nose gets back to the grindstone. Tonight I'm picking out my new stationary along with the coloring of my logo which I had in the early 70's. I feel as though it is a personal necessity to return to that logo as it has a connection with a very successful past and I am comfortable with the design. It doesn't seem plausible to fix something that isn't broken.......perhaps to the chagrin of the advertising people.

I have a set idea for the colors of the stationary half baked into my mind but I may just go with the color logo on white paper stock.....I'll let you know tomorrow. Also will be researching companies to do business with tonight. I have downloaded the information from a source that is good, inexpensive, and tells me everything I need to know about a company and who to contact. The calling to set up appointments will start tomorrow.

Spreading the word...

While in the Napa area we decided to do some shopping and stopped in a store. While my wife shopped I struck up a conversation with the owner of a consignment store named Maria. I asked her if she had a blog and she said she didn't. I then related to her what I had happen to me with my Blog and explained that I had no idea that ANYONE was reading it. Because of the opportunity that presented its self with the "Aha Moments" I encouraged her to get one going. I saw her the next day and she said she was going to and, in fact, had looked at the instructional pages the previous night. I also took her picture which can be seen at the right, that she said she loved and it and would use on her Blog.

Tidal Pools

While out here in California we met up with my wifes' daughter and her family. The kids had just been introduced to a tidal pool and we decided to go back for a look. The area is a National Park and has the usual rules-take nothing, leave nothing, glad you were here. The area was a bit of a walk from the parking lot that was amplified by having to walk in the sand to the pools. The fine sand made walking in sandals difficult but eventually we made it. There were a bunch of people there that were there and like us, were escorting kids over the kelp strewn rocks that were actually condos for clams. There was no avoiding them and occasionally as you walked you could here one breaking under foot. In an effort to launch the Save the Clams movement I'll start the diet tomorrow.

The tidal pool is an interesting ecosystem as the waves are constantly bringing in new food to the plants and animals but also gives some species the "right" to rule. The larger the crab, the less threats to it, and much more wet pasture to scour for food. Of course to the delight to most of the kids that have wished to become "Crab Wranglers" the confines of the smaller pools in the overall big picture were made just for them. There was always a flurry of activity when a big one was spotted, Over here !! No here !!!, the yell of discovery was constantly being batted about. It was worth the trip.....great to see the kids so involved.

Up Up & Away

Anticipation never fails. I have found that I generally don't need an alarm to get up early for departure on a trip, or to be up for a shoot before dawn, I just seem to get up at the right time. But to take the chance of missing an appointment....never....just be safe, set the alarm. I was scheduled to take a hot air balloon ride meeting the company at 5:30 this morning. The alarm is set and it goes off at the appointed time 4:30 according to the cell phone. Shaving preparations start and a side glance at my watch reveals that it is 2:30. The cell was still on central time.......I lay awake until 4:30.

Meeting the company at 5:30 at a local grocery store/restaurant and everyone in the group loads up in the vans and we take off for the "Launch Pad"....kinda feel like Buck Rogers. I thought that it would be somewhat of an individualized trip, one balloon a couple of people the pilot in the basket, Up Up and Away. Not quite that simple. We get to the site and there are three balloons in different states of inflation. Some nice light is creeping through the trees and everyone is milling around with the exception of the "Inflation Technicians". They are zapping the balloons with bursts of flame and as they do the limp folds of material start reaching for the sky. The crowd is divided into three groups of about ten each and we are introduced to our Pilots. Kevin is ours and seems to be a nice guy that is absolutely in love with flying the balloons. He said that he has been a "Corporate Pilot" for several corporations and has lived in several areas that are connected with the industry. He liked Aspen Colorado the best with the view from the air being remarkable.

With a blast of hot air we were in the air. Smooth elevator so to speak. As we rose I was amazed by the view and the silence. Actually we rose pretty quickly and floated through different currents which is how we "controlled" our direction. About halfway through the trip Kevin lowered the balloon down to just several feet above the grape vines....I was wondering about when we were to land.....start smashing grapes...do I need to take off my shoes ? We cruised above the grapes for a while and then rose again. Kev had continued conversations with the chase group, the car following us in a car, until we decided to, or had to.... land.

There were several balloons in the air with us and if we had to get them rounded up it would be like herding cats. The conversations Kevin was having also included the other balloons. The comments were mainly concerning the "currents" that we were flying through. Depending on the level of the balloon the general direction of flight was determined. Judging from the conversations he was having, Kevin determined that we would land on a volleyball court surrounded by houses. To me it all looked pretty grim......I could see hordes of people gathering to meet us waving pitchforks, dogs yelping, and small children hiding as the sky was falling. 

It could not have been more uneventful, we landed, the balloon deflated, the chase crew remained behind to repack the balloon, and we went for a celebration breakfast. One more item checked off the bucket list.

Memories triggered

When I was out on the coast yesterday, in the tidal pools looking at remnants of the receding tide, I heard the whopwhop of a  helicopter flying overhead. My mind immediately sent me back to Nicaragua. I was shooting a video concerning the Water Well project for the Tulsa Rotary Club and I was having lunch in the Areoporte Cafe.The only problem with that was that we weren't at an airport or even near one. Painted on the wall was a picture of a "copter" with the machine guns blasting away. I figured there could several reasons for the name/painting..a  longing to be a pilot by the owner, some type of club of retired fly boys met there, or maybe it just looked different. I asked one of the men what the story was.

During the first revolution, a few years back, when the Sandinistas first started their war the location we were on was the airport for them. All staging for the helicopters took place under our tables, it was the scene of the most activity in the country. One enterprising Nicaraguan realized that EVERYONE in the country knew the location of the Areoporte and after the war he opened the restaurant. When I get back to T Town I'll find the picture of the wall.

California/Stock files

Sorry about missing yesterday, I was in the air so to speak. Looking around today to try to find some images for my stock files in Palo Alto today and tomorrow and Napa Valley the rest of the week. Sorry if I miss a few days but photography calls. I'll probably post more today after some coffee starts to work.

Ok, it's working. Nice day may shoot something.........

Cars...........I love 'em

For years I've been a car freak photographically as well as an owner of several that were dear to my heart. As regrettable as it may seem, and a bit shameful as I'm a photographer, I have few photographs of them. The most memorable among them was a 1951 Chevy Panel Truck. My friends nicknamed it the Video Van and it was a real hoot to drive. I had two captains chairs in the front and the rest of the back was open to haul equipment in while on commercial or portrait jobs. I painted it a dark metallic brown with black fenders and running boards, chromed all of the bumpers, and ran it with baby moons and chrome rings. I have one picture of it that I'll have to scan to show you. A great car.

A friend of mine, Tony Candella, Master of car stereo and Hot Rod Wiring, author of one book on the subject with another on the way, and owner of a BAD "72" Cutlass, had me go to Phoenix to photograph images for his first book. While there we also ran around in the Cutlass and photographed it. What a great time.

Promotion and a fond memory

I sent out some inquiry letters this morning and will also send some from California.We are going out to see grand kids and also stay a week or so in Napa photographing for my stock files. I'll try to keep you posted as it should be a great time.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to shoot for one of my Commercial Clients, Freeman Hospital in Joplin,Missouri. I have been fortunate enough to land many assignments over the years with Freeman and St. Johns Hospital in Joplin as well as McCune Brooks in Carthage, Missouri. It is fascinating work and it has covered all of the business of the hospital from accommodations, speciality services, surgery, and to Executive and Board portraits. Really a fun bunch of assignments.

I received a call from one of their public relations departments saying that they would like to schedule a creative meeting and see what it would cost to complete an assignment for them. At the meeting they expressed the desire to come up with a warm and fuzzy image that basically stated that they delivered a lot of babies in their hospital. After some brain storming we came up with a concept and set the date. I arranged for it to be shot in my studio and also acquired the necessary prop for the shoot.

On the shoot day my subjects arrived with their mothers and we started. Everyone behaved well and were impressed with my imitation of a dog barking, we wrapped it up in less than 40 shots. The finished image was used in print and in billboards throughout the area. I just wonder if any of the Moms took pictures of the billboard to show the kids as they got older. It was a great time.

Cold Calling...Wet Calling

As fate would have it the skies opened up and when accompanied by 60 mile an hour winds....we didn't cold call today. I went to the library
and did research on companies I want to do work for. I'll drop them all a letter of introduction and then call on the phone and try
to set some appointments.

New revelation !!

Just realized that I hadn't entered any thoughts today and checked out the dashboard and was amazed. I have my first follower. That's really pretty neat from the standpoint that I was picked up by the "Aha Moments" people and didn't know ANYONE was reading this blog. NOW someone has admitted to it !!!
YeeeeHawwwwww. I've been working on the finalization of structuring the studio into workable form. The desks are amazing...photo following....and I have enough room to work. One more bit of furniture to add and it's all done.

Tomorrow is cold calling in the suit. Gotta do it and actually it's kinda fun. One on one selling, telling the story and explaining why my services are desperately needed by a company. It only takes one yes to make my day. I'll keep you posted.

Ramping up

Saturday again, last of the old week and start of a new one tomorrow. I have decided that Monday and Tuesday I'm going to do some cold calling with my portfolio and see what happens.The generation of new business is crucial to survival in this market. The digital revolution has, in all outward appearances, taken away the necessity of knowledge i.e. F stops, shutter speeds and their relationships with the finished images, and the thought of previsualization. I find that a truly a shame. The quality of imagery as the average commercial client sees it has taken a real hit. Photoshop can't make up for poor photography, the computer note of Garbage in Garbage out still exists.

Cold calls are always interesting...I'll keep you posted.

Right Thing

I had been gone a month when I arrived back in Carthage. The Building that housed my studio was still there, the key still worked, all good signs. The following day after my arrival I opened the doors with a new attitude, new enthusiasm, and the realization that I had it made. I could do what ever I needed to do to make the studio work. The paper ran a few articles, the local TV stations had me on, and I had created a multi-image slide show that I showed throughout the 4 states to different schools and organizations. The business didn't go away, it increased. Yes, it was the right thing to do. I'll never forget what I saw, the people I met, and the images I captured. It opened doors for me that I didn't know existed.

In passing I received the image of yours truly while being interviewed for the Aha Moment in the Airstream. It was taken by Tom Gilbert from the Tulsa World......thanks Tom.

I'm BAAAACKKK !!!

Sorry for the delay in writing but I was gone over the holiday and not around a network to get on to. Back to the Li  River.

We all were in a state of shock so to speak as the mountains were surrounding us. Jagged peaks that rose from the ground reaching for the sky. We were all in a Chinese watercolor.....I can't relate the experience adequately to let you know what it was like....it was better than the end of the rainbow. We stopped the boat and I ran to the top of the nearest hill with my 4 x 5 and equipment. I got set up as the light changed, actually softened a bit, thank you Mr. Cloud. I had time to snap a few with the Nikon and my 4 x 5  Linholf then we were back on the boat. We sailed the rest of the morning then made dock in Guillin.  The images is from the Linholf and actually made it worth it to haul halfway around the world. I have several other images from shots I took on the outside of the wall surrounding the Forbidden City that are also favorites from the 4 x 5. I have to get them scanned and I'll get them to you.

Throughout the trip we met individual Professional Photographers that were working under intense pressure as the images had to be within the framework of Party lines. I met one man though that became an instant friend and we corresponded till his death in 1994. His name was Yang Tang and he was the former owner and then manager of China Photo in Beijing. He owner the store until the Revolution and then was made a manager and only could work one day a week due to the fact that the Party has to give everyone a job. I had broken my camera strap and went in for another. I tried to get it across to a clerk that I needed another and he didn't understand. He called Yang and he came over and spoke fluent English. I explained the situation and he gave me three. I tried to pay for the one I wanted but he wouldn't let me, in fact he asked me where I was staying and he want to bring me one more that evening to make a final selection. I told him and he showed up with his son that was wanting to practice his English with an American about 8:00. We talked for an hour or so and parted company. Yang and I wrote for years back and forth. Just cards but it solidified our friendship.

To be continued... Did I do the right thing.....