4.02.2011

Following thru on your projects is good practice for following thru on life.


It's so much fun to shoot stuff.  It really is.  The camera makes fun noise and the little screen on the back of your camera does a good job letting you feel as though you are creating art with each gentle mush on the shutter button.

But it really doesn't count for much if you don't go back to the office and edit, and then do some color corrections, and then put up a web gallery for your client.  And even more importantly, when you get a list of images from your client you really do have to sit back down and do all the post processing you crowed about being an ace at on the shoot day.  The retouching, getting the color exactly the way you want it (as opposed to settling for the "correct" way) and then burning the disk you promised your subject.

Otherwise..........

But, once you get into the habit of following thru you start finding yourself getting things done almost unconsciously.

I promised Selena I would take photos of her for her nascent but quickly blossoming career as a singer/performer if she would give me some time as a model for my just finished LED book.  She did her part and now I've done mine.

I hear from a lot of models who get burned by photographers.  The photographers promise something in exchange for a model's time and energy and then toss a few unprocessed files into an e-mail and walk away.  No wonder models don't take photographers as seriously as we'd like to be taken.  So, I'm encouraging everyone out there with an uncompleted project to jump to it and get it done.  Once you've cleared the decks you've let the universe know that you are ready and able to jump onto the next fun project.  And generally the universe delivers.  (No 30 minute guarantee.  That's just for pizza.)

4 comments:

  1. Very nice shots. Where were they taken? I'm currently working on a project involving old Texas churches and from the looks of it the one you used here looks good.

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  2. It's hard, the follow through. Takes so much longer than taking the pictures. But I agree, it's more important than clicking the shutter button.

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  3. Kirk, I agree with you 100%. This is the only way to go, and not just in photography, of course.

    Love the Selena against the Church picture. Powerful portrait. And the church is very appropriately OOF in the background.

    I am fascinated with churches. I'd like to show you a couple of mine from very different parts of the world:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregshanta/4948521308/lightbox/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregshanta/5480862890/lightbox/

    Kirk, I hope it's OK with you that I try to show you some of my pictures from time to time? I see it as some sort of a visual dialogue.

    Cheers,
    Greg

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  4. I've heard that rant from quite a few models I've had the pleasure of working with. I just don't understand the mentality of making an effort to schedule some time with someone and not following through with providing a finished product to the "customer".

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