Monthly Archives: September 2009

Meet Jerry. Recently retired from the Marines, he now does lawn care for a living. Being that I’m very busy/lazy, I was happy to have him mow our lawn. After he was done, he mentioned that he still needed to get some business cards made. I offered to help him out with a set, I just needed to know what he wanted to say on them.

This evening he came back with his info, and his business name. Military Mower Man. I instantly envisioned him in uniform next to a mower. Fifteen minutes later, we were doing an impromptu photo shoot in my front yard. From Creative concept to photo shoot to design all in about an hour. I love being creative like that. Plus now he’ll have the highest quality business cards anyone’s ever had to promote lawn service.

On September 8th, Jeremy Cowart did a live critique of photos people sent him. I thought I’d get in on that action so naturally I grabbed one of the best photos I’ve shot in the past few months (the one above). Out of all the random links submitted, Jeremy grabbed mine to critique. You can see his comments at the 39 minute mark.

It wasn’t until after he reviewed my photo (and loved it, by the way) that I realized I’d just wasted his time and mine. Here’s the thing, before I ever submitted that shot, I knew it was great. I don’t have the confidence to say that about most of my photography, but let’s be honest, sometimes you are blessed with a photo that is universally considered beautiful. This was that photo for me.

And naturally, as I was choosing a photo to submit, insecurity kicked in and I grabbed the one I knew would be well reviewed. But honestly, what good does that do? Even having someone at the level of Jeremy tell me it’s great only confirms what I already knew. My better bet would have been to take a photo a few notches below that and submit it. Something where I could have received advice that would have really helped improve my future work.

So, thanks to Jeremy for taking time to help out the little guys. And sorry for wasting your time.

I make a point to always be looking for that next great photo opportunity. This is probably why I carry a complete lighting kit with me just about every where I go. You never know when a great shot will present itself. Or in this case, himself. I was shooting Devin and Mallorie’s wedding exactly a month ago. Devin’s grandpa attended the reception rocking a kilt. How can you pass up an opportunity like that?

I had about five minutes for a break during the night so I setup a quick one-light rig outside to try an capture a portrait. When you only have a few minutes, it’s great to have someone who can work well in front of the camera. I’m really proud of how they turned out considering how little time we had.