PixelatedImage Blog

Yesterday I acknowledged that I know the blog has changed over the last month. I’ve been here most days but the consistent 2am PST publishing times have slipped, there are days I don’t write anything, and on those days that I do write, it’s not always the same depth of content it once was.

So this is me begging for mercy. Yes, it’s my blog and I can do what I want, but it’s also a community that I respect and care about. I don’t write this blog just to market my book, which is important. I write it to express myself, to teach, to give back, and to keep anyone that cares to listen updated with things. So these days that includes the book.

The better books on blogging will tell you what I am about to do isn’t smart. But full-disclosure always sits better with me than covering things up and hiding behind a curtain. So here it is: I am really, really busy. I’ve never been this busy in my life. I have more emails to answer than I can wade through in a day. I have not one book but two on the go. I have clients to serve, speaking and training engagements to plan for and travel to. And I have podcasts to figure out and record. And in there I have to live a life close to normal. And I have to do what I can to sell Within The Frame. This is the part where you say, “be careful what you wish for.”

I’m loving it. I knew what I was getting into. Photography and Teaching are my passions and any of you that are inclined to make a transition and follow photography as a vocation need to understand that you make hay while the sun shines and sometimes that’s just dang hard work. And you end up juggling alot of balls in the air.  And some of them are on fire. So you pay more attention to the hot ones for a while.

I know that PixelatedImage Blog is thinner these days. It’s still a huge priority to me. But with my limited time and mental resources, I’m tapped out. Few people realize what it takes to come up with new content every weekday, and after writing close to 700 posts and a string of articles, it’s just harder to think of new ideas. Excuses, I know, but there you have it.

So I’m crying “Uncle.”and asking for help. Love this blog for which I don’t charge a penny and ask for nothin’ but lovin’ in return? There’s three things you can do that won’t cost a dime but will help me immensely in keeping this place thriving.

You can help my by leaving ideas – if there’s something you’d like to see discussed, or a question you have about the way I do things, places I’ve traveled, leave a comment. The easier it is for me to think of content, the greater the chance of getting new posts and articles written without allowing the other balls I’m juggling to fall down.

You can help me by being part of the effort to get the word out about the book. The more word-of-mouth I get through Amazon.com reviews and recommendations on Flickr, Twitter, and plain old relationships, the less energy I have to put into drumming things up myself. At the end of the day I wrote this book to be the best book I could, but it’s still a business thing and my wife insists we need actual food and can’t eat books.

Finally, you can help by just coming back and being patient with me as I muddle through this. I’ve come to know a little about many of you, and this blog is still one of my biggest priorities.

I promise I’ll do what I can to keep it alive, but one guy can’t do it all. Thank you. You’ve made this blog one of the most popular – and nicest, darn it! – spots in our little corner of the blogosphere. Thanks!

A week or so I had a really lovely interview with my Publisher, Nancy Aldrich-Ruenzel for her Author Talk series. Oddly enough the interviews I have done as a photographer have been so much better, deeper, and, uh, easier than any I ever did while pursuing a career in comedy. Man that feels like a lifetime ago. Anyways, Nancy is an exceptional interviewer and this one is probably the best one I’ve ever done. It’s almost 40 minutes long, so this one doesn’t skim the surface. She also made me blush alot.

You can catch the whole interview in streaming audio, or as a downloadable mp3, HERE on the Peachpit site. There are times I sound like I know what I am talking about, try not to be fooled.

I know it’s “all book, all the time” around here these days. The good news is I’m working on another so by the end of the year there will be TWO books for me to babble on and on about.

Hello from sunny Tampa. It’s gorgeous here (and I can see pink flamingos from my window. And they aren’t plastic!) and as I’m heading into another day with Scott Kelby and the gang, I wanted to drop a line and say hi. Yesterday was a blast. I had a lot of hang time with my bud RC and a taping of Photoshop User TV, then more hang time with Scott, and others. Dinner at City Fish grill was awesome – had a steak covered in blue cheese and blueberries and it sent my kidneys and pancreas into shock, but put a smile on my face. Yum. Today we’ll tape for Layers TV, and no doubt they’ll make me eat again. (Honey, warm up the elliptical machine, I’m going to need some quality time on it.)

Mostly I’m writing because yesterday’s post put me at an even 666 posts on the blog, and it just felt way too apocalyptic to leave it there another day. This one makes 667 and that just feels a little less ominous.

A couple great reviews on Within The Frame, one HERE from Robert, who owns the single largest collection of my prints on the planet, and other HERE from Jones Oliver at Camera47. Thanks so much to those of you putting reviews on Amazon. They help a great deal when people who are unfamiliar with me are trying to make a decision on which book to buy. The reception this book is getting is blowing me away and I’m so grateful to those who’ve taken a moment to write in. I can’t answer them all, but I do read them, and they make my day – so thanks.

I fly home tomorrow, inspired, happy, and no covered in little tiny blackfly bites. My hands look like they got chicken pox. (Don’t look at me! I’m hideous!)

Hey, one last thing – if you’re on Twitter, be sure to connect with me there @pixelatedimage. As I get busier and less able to reply to emails, this blog and Twitter will be the best place for people to connect, and at 140 characters I have a way better shot at staying in touch.

Gotta run. Cheers!

The first WTF critique podcast is live HERE on the Peachpit site. Hope you enjoy it. Wierdly enough when you click the video there it doesn’t scale, or it doesn’t for me, so click the Download Video file – or just click HERE. Sorry, it’s 7am here in Tampa but 4am where I come from. Cylinders not firing. (When is my coffee going to get here?!)

Sunset on the Malecon, Havana, Cuba.

Hey, folks. Hope you’re having – or had – a great long-weekend. I’ve got a real grab-bag for you this morning before I fade off into a couple days of potentially inconsistent presence here again.

I had a nice exchange with one of my readers this past week about the Photographer and The Blog series I did a while back. She asked if content was still king in light of competing claims that relationships were king. Good question, indeed, and as I’m a fan of good questions, I took some time to let the whole issue percolate, and it raised a more fundamental question:

King of What? No doubt about it, the internet is full of some potentially powerful tools for the photographer – both to create an audience for our work and to find clients, build community and participate in a culture of learning. So, is content the king of the whole darn thing? Or just one piece of it? The more I thought about it the more sure I became that while  – to really belabour the metaphor – there can only be one king per kingdom, there might be multiple kingdoms, and I think it looks like this:

Relevant Content is King of the Pull. Great content is still the king of the castle when it comes to pulling people to your blog. People that don’t know you and have no reason to come to you will come for great content. And great content will keep them there too – so long as it remains relevant. But is that all you want? You’ve attracted people but in order to engage them and build a community, you need something more.

Relationship is King of the Keep. Relationships and a growing community will keep people, and engage them on deeper levels in ways content alone can’t do. Pulling people in to your blog with content is fine, but connecting with them will turn them into fans, and a growing community to which they feel connected in some way will mobilize them become part of the effort to build and grow that community.

If you are looking to merely draw people in, content still works. But if you want to build something bigger (and, I would say, better) then you need to connect with people, engage them with your heart as well as your mind. Why does this matter? It might not, depends on your goals. But most people want to draw readers to a blog for a reason and more often than not I think that same reason might be better served by great content and a level of connection and relationship with the reader.  Not unlike a great photograph, in fact.

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In other news. By the time you read this I’ll be up and heading to the airport en route to Tampa to spend a couple days working and playing with Scott Kelby, RC Concepcion, Brad Moore, Scriv, and the rest of the gang down at the intergalactic HQ of NAPP. Very excited to be back down there among some of my all-time, no-holds-barred, favourite people. They have this great culture of creativity down there, one that just seems full of energy and laughter. And some great restaurants too. Sun. Food. Friends. Could you ask for more? I think not. So, things’ll be light around here.

The Within The Frame Podcast, Peachpit TV. I’m hoping the first of the Within The Frame Podcasts is out by then, and I can point you to that. The podcast is a critique-based opportunity for me to discuss some of the concepts in the book; if you want in on the action, join the Within The Frame group in Flickr HERE, and be sure you also go HERE to give us consent on your images.

Amazon.com Reviews. Hey, do me a favour? My book, Within The Frame, is really gaining momentum and I’m getting some truly gracious emails about it. If you’ve read it, please don’t stop sending the emails – they’re really encouraging – but if you could take a moment to post a comment or two on Amazon.com, I’d be super-grateful.

Within The Frame, Downloadable Bonus Chapter. Also, be sure not to miss the downloadable bonus chapter of Within The Frame. It’s called The Travel of Art, and it’s a gear-focused, geek-out-on-travel-stuff look at my process for traveling – everything from what I take, to how I take it and keep my gear and me safe and healthy. Read the last two pages of the book, the details are in there on how to access that bonus material..

Shot this on the bus the other day with my iPhone. One empty bus, one gigantic hat. It amused me.

Heading into the weekend, I have two things for you this morning.

Got Questions?
Without giving too much away, many of you know how passionate I am about making a life and a living from this craft/art photography thing. I am a fan of doing it intentionally, passionately, and wisely, whether that’s part time on weekends, as a freelancer, or a full blown own-you-own studio shooter. I also love writing. And I am in the middle of a new book. Hint, hint. So, that’s where you come in. In an effort to make a book – if I was writing about this sort of thing – that is not merely more noise in the marketplace, but is truly useful and deep and better than one I could write all by my lonesome, I am asking a favour. Would you be willing to give me one of the two following things?

Thing 1: If you do not shoot vocationally but perhaps have been thinking about it, what is that number one question that keeps you up at night, or about which you just really wish you had some wisdom on?

Thing 2: If you shoot vocationally, what is the greatest lesson you’ve learned as you’ve merged your craft with the world of commerce?

I’m grateful for the input, thank you!

Vancouver Book Launch for WTF
OK, so that’s the favour. Now, on June 13 I am having a small book launch event here in Vancouver. By small I mean, tiny. We’ll fill the studio space of a friend and have some drinks and munchies and celebrate. Just me and a small handful of my closest, randomly chosen friends. I’ll be inviting some family and friends, but if you’re a reader and would like to come, I’d love to have you there. But there’s a catch. I can’t just have 100 people show up. Not enough room, not enough food. So if you want to come, please leave a comment letting me know you want to come and once I crunch numbers I’ll ramdomly choose as many people as I can to come. Then I’ll give you more details. For now all you need to know is that it’s Saturday, June 13, in Yaletown, Vancouver, at 3pm.

Have a great weekend, y’all.

My mother and my niece last weekend. Sometimes family just lives too darn far away, ya know?

It’s quiet in the blog world this morning. Too quiet.

Ok, a few things for this morning and then I’m off to walk on the Seawall as the sun comes up – which it’s doing now and I’m late.

First, speaking of the Vancouver seawall, that’s the location for the Vancouver leg of Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk on July 18. We’ll begin at the historic Sylvia Hotel at 6pm then take out time walking to Siwash Rock and then have a picnic dinner at Third Beach. It’s BYOF (bring your own food) so I though this would free everyone who’s on a budget to be able to stick around and enjoy the company of 50 of your closest photographer friends. Then we’ll walk back to English Bay, or you can have someone pick you up right there.

Second, Matt Brandon has an audio interview with renowned travel photographer Bob Krist over on his blog HERE.

Vincent Versace, the poet-warrior of the photography community has an excellent post on Scott Kelby’s blog that you can find HERE.

I don’t have all the details, but I will be doing an event related to Within The Frame on June 21 in New York City at B&H. You’ll have to get free tickets because space is limited, but don’t try doing so until it’s announced. I’ll keep you posted but mark it down. Afternoon, Sunday June 21. Joe McNally’s got a workshop going on that Monday if I have my facts straight, so it’s a good time to make it down and see us both. Or go to see McNally and make a sidetrip to see me. Whatever

Lastly, though I’ve alluded to it, I’m in the process of working on a second book and you won’t have as long to wait for it this time. That’s all I can tell you but the pre-marketing should be starting soonishly, which means I’ll have details to share with you. I’m very excited about this one and think it will bring something new to the photography community, especially those wanting to pursue their craft more vocationally.

Right, off for a walk and then back to the grind. Thanks again for your patience. I know I said I’d be inconsistent these days and with all the new readers it’s a lousy time for that, but life just kind of gets in the way sometimes. I’m off to Tampa to see the Kelby Gang on Monday and will be there until Thursday, so I’ll do what I can to post.

The second annual photowalk has been announced for July 18 and I’m leading it again here in Vancouver this year. For more information, go to the official site HERE,or straight to the Vancouver page HERE. When I posted this there were only 15 spots left, so act fast.

Already signed up? Here’s your chance to put in your suggestion for the route. Leave a comment in the comments, let me know where you think the walk should be and your meal’s on me at the end of the walk if I use your idea.

Just walked in the door from a long flight. Did some figuring on the plane, in the next little while I’ve got flights to Edmonton, Tampa, New York, Ethiopia, Thailand, India, and Vegas. And then? I start it all over again.

Lots of great comments on yesterdays post re. Art and Craft. The purpose was not to set out to define these terms, nor to argue about it, which didn’t happen because I have intelligent, wonderful readers who live and let live. But I was amused that the purpose – at least in my brain – was to say, “Hey, what art is or is not just isn’t the point. The point is that we love doing it – whatever it’s called – and we connect with people as we concentrate on bettering our craft instead of finding a label for it. ” But in the end it just went where it always does, only more civilized! I guess it’s just something we love to talk about. Do I hope my work is art? I sure do? Do I believe that whether my work is art is only in the hands of others? Not really. But the discussions raised were great. Thanks to all who got involved for being both so thoughtful and so open to the opinions of others. Now, where did I put my beret and turtleneck?

Hey, this one’s going to go quick but I have decided to bail on the Epson Print Academy in Vancouver, this Saturday. It’s the pro track and it’s paid for. First one to claim it in the comments, so long as you leave an email addy so I can find you, can have it. Epson Print Academy on me. Just leave a comment if you can attend and want mine. Things just got too nutty busy and when the choice is spending time with your awesome wife or hanging with a bunch of geeks, well ya know I love you geeks, but..UPDATE – It’s gone, Mark O jumped in and claimed it. Have a great time, Mark.

OK, it’s late, I’m heading to bed. Let me know if you want the Print Academy thing.

The latest PSU TV Episode (Episode #186) is live and if you’re looking for some kind of confirmation that Within The Frame ain’t too shabby a book, from people who know what they’re talking about – the book makes an appearance around 28:30. Check it out HERE.

While you’re tolerating my shameless self promotion, Matt Brandon has some very kind things to say about my book HERE, and Vanessa “Shouty Crackers” Jackman has some beautiful words HERE. (See, this is one of the benefits of being part of this community, catchy nicknames.)

Head over to Photoshop User TV for a chance to win a copy of my book and Jeff Revell’s excellent guide to the Canon 50D.