Author: Leslie Burns

You won’t be hearing from me for a few days. My husband is hitting one of those milestone birthdays so we’re off on a trip to celebrate it.

Milestone birthdays (21, 30, 40, etc.) are often surprisingly difficult for creatives. Often, one will feel like s/he hasn’t achieved “enough” by that birthday–like there is some sort of scale and if you don’t have $X or a house (or the RIGHT house) or X awards or whatever, you’ve somehow failed. Of course, there is no such scale. It’s only in our heads, if we have one (a scale, not a head), and we can choose not to hold ourrselves up against that imaginary scale if we want.

That’s not to say that having goals is bad–it’s not. In fact, having concrete goals is a great thing. It only goes bad when you beat yourself up for not achieving a goal. So, instead of using a milestone to hit yourself with, why not choose to look back on all you HAVE accomplished instead? Then you can set more goals, and move forward knowing that you can do it.
My goal for the next few days is to help my husband have a great birthday and to enjoy a couple of days R&R. Of course, a couple of days off for me will mean I’ll probablly have plenty to say when I get back into the office–on Tuesday.

I’ve made and posted my first podcast. Yes, it’s got some technical issues, but for a first try, I think it’s safe to say it doesn’t entirely suck. You can subscribe to it here. It’s called Creative Lube.

The thinking behind the name is simply that I want it to be something that functions as grease for your creative business wheels. Some editions will be me talking about an issue I think is important, but often it will be me answering questions…your questions. So send in those questions! This is your chance to have me answer your question and for you to help others by sharing it.

ASMP Minneapolis/St. Paul is kindly bringing me to their fair neck of the woods to give my New Treatments for PMS (Panic Marketing Syndrome) talk. PMS is that “disease” that creatives often have, where they do little to no marketing when busy, then the phone stops ringing, then they frantically market, then stop again when they get a project…rinse, repeat. The result is feast/famine cashflow and a bad set of nerves, usually. But there are things you can do to get your marketing under control. In this talk, I’ll tell you some of them. And, of course, there will be plenty of time for Q&A too.
That event will be on Monday, October 23rd. On the following day (10/24) I will be available for one-on-one consultations–both in one-hour (ish) and two-hour (ish) blocks. Discounts are available to ASMP members. Call (619.961.5882) or email for details.

I’m excited about the trip and look forward to meeting lots of you there! Book now to be sure of space! And thanks to Steve Niedorf of ASMP-MSP and all the companies who are helping sponsor my trip.

I hear photographers and other creatives complain about the usage model often. Some say that their clients don’t get it so it’s easier to price based on time, but today there is more proof that not only do they get it, they want it for themselves.

In this article on AdAge.com, very important agency heads talk about how the “pitch system” is broken. Even the one guy who says he likes pitches says that the compensation system is messed up:
I understand how costs have to be driven down but the fee-base that we’re on now, it’s like being an hourly worker — like the person who does the drywall, and I believe we should be paid by the idea. If we spend four hours and the idea is worth $50 million, it doesn’t seem right to just be paid for four hours.

So, the next time you have an agency client say “we don’t do usage” be understanding that they may not for themselves, but show them how it is more fair and encourage them to demand the same from their clients.

YouTube is an enormous success and it is definitely changing the way people get famous (see the band that made the great treadmill video and the “LonelyGirl” series). When people use it as its originators claim it was intended to be used, it’s a fabulous thing.

The idea was to have a space where people could post their own “homemade” videos–to get them out to the public. Great idea. The trouble is that more and more users are posting materials they did NOT make and, therefore, that they do not have the rights to post. The posting of these videos violates copyright law.

Universal is suing YouTube for exactly this reason. This article discusses the case. How will it be ruled? Hard call. I think YouTube has been pretty good about pulling a video when they are informed that it may be posted without proper rights. The trouble is, they are going to miss some and it would take a hell of a lot of their time to police all the materials they are getting. Does that make it okay? No, but it is a problem that should be considered.

The bigger problem is, of course, the incredibly effective spin that is out there against copyright protectionists. Napster and others did a fabulous job promulgating this argument: music (and art, etc.) should be shared with the world and the only people who think otherwise are big record companies who just want more money. Thing is, that’s crap. Yes, big music companies are interested, there is that side of this, but there are many, many, many more individuals (artists musicians, photographers, illustrators, writers, etc.) who would lose their ability to make a living, to support themselves and their families, if Napster-like supporters had their way. And, of course, those companies–the “sharing” ones, would make a ton of money off the creative work.

Look at Microsoft’s planned Zune system–users will be able to beam music and videos and images to each other. That can’t be legal (it would be making a copy) unless the rights owners give their okay. But I can’t find a single article that even mentions the copyright implications.

We need to be active in supporting copyright. Now.

So here’s what we all can do: stand up for other creatives as well as ourselves. Bring up the copyright issues of Zune to Microsoft and the press (letter/email to various editors, perhaps?). Talk about copyright to your clients. If you see a video on YouTube that you think may be posted illegally, let YouTube know. And, more importantly, do not post videos there that you do not have the rights to. I don’t care how cool that commercial is that you recorded off the tv, don’t post it (and don’t email it to others–that’s just as wrong). Don’t “share” your music or video libraries (or software). Lead by example.

Yesterday, I went to see the Dalai Lama speak in Los Angeles. He gave a public talk on compassion, held at the Gibson Amphitheater. It was great. While his English is halting (he has his translator sit with him for when he gets stuck), he still manages to express serious and important concepts. He also makes great jokes.

“What does this have to do with photography?” you’re probably asking.

First off, it was an experience that not everyone will ever have and for most of us there, it was really special. For a lot of your clients (and subjects) a photoshoot is something they think is very special. For some it’s special on the “I have to get the right shot because we’re spending millions on marketing and I may lose my job if I screw this up” level, but for an awful lot of others, it’s just a really cool thing they never (or rarely) get to experience. We in the industry get jaded about the production side of the work because we’re in it all the time, but for someone unfamiliar with professional/commercial photography, a day shooting with you will be the stuff of stories to their friends and families! If you can give those clients a great experience, they will remember and come back. If you can make them really feel a part of it and share their enthusiasm (even when they’re trying to hide it to appear not-too-eager or cool)–bingo, repeat client.

Secondly, the event in LA serves as a great example of how the experience is more than just the event itself, and a bit of attention to the surroundings can make a huge difference. In the case of the talk, the Gibson Amphitheater is located inside the Universal Studios theme park and commercial area they call City Walk. Turn the corner at the Jurassic Park ride and there we were at the entrance to the amphitheater. If that’s not strange enough (in this context), when we exited the place, we were in the middle of the City Walk, which is this out-of-proportion series of confusing “streets” lined with stores and restaurants and blasting music. A more annoying, over-the-top, buy-buy-buy environment, I have never been in. The shock to the system, after 90 minutes of hearing words like “compassion” and “calmness” coming from a man with a soft (but strong) voice and a kind smile like a grandfather, was jarring. Painfully jarring.

Now, the theatre itself, inside, was great, and maybe the space was donated (I don’t know), but the organizers would have served us better if they had chosen someplace else to have the event– someplace less insanely commercial, environmentally-speaking. Yes, it would have been a bother for them to look some more, but the payoff would have been worth it.

When you put together a shoot, location or in the studio, remember that the event is only a part of the experience. You want to give your clients (and the end-clients) a great experience from the moment they park their car (in spaces you provide for them) all the way to after they get the finals (that is, when you send a thank you note). Paying attention to details like having an extra assistant to be a “go-fer” for them (get drinks, etc.) or valeting their cars can make all the difference between a good shoot and a great experience. Give ’em a great experience.

Conceptual photography is a great thing. When a photographer goes beyond the act of capturing what is available (NO disrespect to photo-journalists! this is very different than what they do!) to creating an image that expresses a clear concept, something amazing happens. When there is true creative collaboration between photographer and art director, art happens, even in the commercial realm. Think about the incredible Amnesty International ads, for example. Or, on a more business-y level, the work of Stephen Webster.
But, concepts and their executions can become trite. Forty Media nails this phenomenon with their post on the Top Ten Stock Photography Clichés.

It’s a great self-assignment for a photographer to give him/herself a concept to express. Doing work like this can help you think in new and exciting ways. Just be careful to avoid the obvious and the trite.

Need another example of why using stock images isn’t a good choice for your client? Why it would be better to shoot a custom image?

How’s this (thanks to Åsk at AdLand).

I mentioned in an earlier post about how violating copyright is a criminal offense which can result in jail time. I also mentioned how I thought we’d see more copyright violators going to jail. Well, it is happening.

Good.

Don’t forget to remind bloggers and others who use your work AND the work of others without permission about this. It’s theft, plain and simple.

It’s called “intellectual property” for a reason. It’s property. You wouldn’t let someone rent out a corner of your home’s lot to someone else, would you? No, you’d call the cops. Do the same for your other property.

Just like any right–if you don’t protect it now, it may not be there for you in the future.

Lots of people ask me if I’d be interested in being their rep. Thing is, I don’t rep anymore. In my world-view you can’t do both, at the same time, ethically. I don’t mean to slam other consultants who do (and it doesn’t make them “bad” if they do–it’s a personal choice), but for me, I just can’t help feeling that I’d be playing both sides of the fence.

See, a consultant gets to know waaaay to much intimate detail about most of her clients and that can cause conflict of interest. Imagine if, say, one of the consultant/rep’s repping clients and one of her consulting clients both get asked to estimate for a project. It would be in her own best financial interest for her repping client to get the project and she could use her knowledge of the consulting client to help make that happen.

While that scenario would be relatively rare, for me, I can’t sleep soundly with even just the possibility of that happening–not in my business. So, I don’t play both sides like that.

We all have to make ethical choices like that every day. Will you shoot for some less-than-honorable company like, say, Halliburton? If you don’t do it someone will, so why shouldn’t you get the money? My answer to that is that you can’t control what others do with their businesses, only what you choose to do with your own. Sometimes doing the “right” thing (whatever you decide for yourself is “right”) may mean making less money (in the short term) but the payoff of knowing in your heart you did is worth it.