From Syl Arena: Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 81–85 Even if you can only manage to read the bullet points, this is still a great post. Soak it in like a sponge. I strongly recommend taking time to read each point in it’s entirety.
From Brian Auer: Your Guide to Making Fine Art Prints. Many photographers want to sell their images as prints, and many professionals make print sales part of their income stream. For those thinking of expanding into this area, this is a great series of short articles that takes you from prepping to printing to shipping. If you’re a pro that already does this, it’s always good to see (read) how someone else is doing it.
From Jack Hollingsworth & ASMP: My Greatest Hits for Understanding Social Media, Recession Marketing and Branding. Jack has assembled a great reading list, and although not specifically targeted to, or about photographers, as he says, “…it shouldn’t be too hard to connect the dots.”
Two from Dan Heller: There are Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics &Photo Agencies and The Stock Industry: a Matter of Proportion. Per his usual, not-a-light-read, Dan does offer some interesting insights in this pair of articles. And whether you agree or disagree with some of his views, he does make some strong arguments worthy of consideration. In the second article, I happen to agree with his assertion that you can’t rely on agencies, and photographers really should be selling their stock photos directly to clients. Warning: I had to print out the first article (‘cuz I couldn’t stare at the computer any longer), and which turned out to be like an 8 page, single-spaced report. So bring a steak knife, a cold drink, your reading glasses – if needed, and have at it.
From Rosh Sillars: Open your ears, open your mind, and check out his great series of Prosperous Artist Podcasts. This week Rosh and fellow podcaster Dean La Douceur discuss inspiration and updating your portfolio. This is worth subscribing to the free podcasts via feedburner, and take time to listen to available previous podcasts while working on your images.
Bonus Link:
From Jonathan Fields: 6 Key Elements and 7 Critical Steps to Reclaim Your 40-Something Body. OK, I admit it, I’m a “40-something” in need of a little help. Following my accident last February, and being laid up for a few months, I found 20+ pounds that I’d been fortunate enough to lose several years back. I’m not to happy about finding these long-lost pounds, but for my efforts to again lose them, this is a great source of motivation and inspiration. Needless to say, it’s a great read for people of all ages, especially if they need a little kick-start.
Good stuff Gary. Must be scary to pack on that much in such a short period of time. Imagine if all you did was lay around your whole life.