After a few conversations lately, in conjunction with the Make Better Pictures & Show the Right People talk I gave in Portland a couple weeks ago, really has drove this point home to me. In the end, it comes down to having a great product/content.

We attended a Creative Minds Salon last night at the Soho House, and was fairly disappointed to say the least. It was a lot of hot air talking about “influencers” and brands. I can’t even say I walked away with any new information of value. What it did help me to do was confirm in my head that it comes down to creating a great product, or content. Not that I didn’t know this before, but it’s sure making me realize that through out all the noise these days, the better product wins. Great successful companies listen to their consumers and strive to make their product/service better and better. Something worth talking about and spreading.

How often do photographers think of their work as a product? Do you ever look at your work as a whole, analyze it, and figure out where you can improve and diversify? I feel like I’m constantly doing this to grow, expand, and attract more potential clients. Making better pictures is about developing a better product. Learning to see better and better. Develop a style, but be a creator of content, and create a lot of it. If you’ve read Seth Godin’s book, Linchpin he talks about the idea of “shipping” pushing a product out the door, even if it’s not always ready. The point of “shipping” is to give yourself a deadline and level to live up to, which push you to create better quality. I just watched Kanye West’s MTV interview on his short film RUNAWAY, and one of the things he said was he started G.O.O.D. Fridays(where he put a new song up for download every friday), was to push himself to “Ship” a product and keep producing.

My point being, Keep producing better and better work, but analyze your work as a whole, and figure out where you need to improve, or add to your repertoires. Broaden your content, AKA your product.

After the Make Better Pictures, and Show the Right People talk I did last week in Portland, I decided to share my recommended reading list with you all in blog form. This is a list of books that have helped shape my perspective in life and business.

Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferazzi
This book was amazing in learning how to best network and build relationships with people. Keith focuses on giving and helping people without any pretense for reciprocation. Built on a philosophy of when you give to people it will be given back to you. Maybe from someone else or that person. It’s an idea of something I truly believe. If you give and help people it will come back to you. This book is one of my faves. Pick it up here: http://nonk.it/ee2Hpr

The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris
This one is a great concept of designing your life and having it’s elements work for you to what you desire. Some of his concepts are a little overboard, but overall the book is a great read and changes the way you think about designing your life and lifestyle. Pick it up here: http://nonk.it/evJYol

The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell
A basic well done study on economics of business and the culture of how trends/products hit their “tipping points”. Malcom talks about the different types of people that aid in the process. A good mind shifter in thinking big. Pick it up here: http://nonk.it/fJ6ceF

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell
Yet another fave of mine. Malcom does a study on successful people, why and how they’ve become that way. He talks about opportunity, hard work and talent. One of my favorite chapters is the 10,000 rule which many people have come to talk about. The idea that it takes 10,000 hours of practicing your craft to hit your tipping point of where enter into professionalism and success. Pick it up here: http://nonk.it/hzW6g7

A Million Miles and a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
A book recommended to me by my homie Jeff Holt. This book shapes your perspective on creating better life experiences, essentially a better story. Experiences come through in our art and the more we make memorable moments in our lives the better our stories become. Pick it up here: http://nonk.it/i4Vp2j

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kawasaki
Robert has many books on the subject of money, but learning and understanding how money works is a key essential in running a business. He talks about learning to see cashflow and how it works. This series of books goes hand in hand with the 4-Hour Work week. Learning how to use money to give you financial freedom and design the lifestyle you want to live. Pick it up here: http://nonk.it/ffIdiO

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Creating a life of art isn’t an easy process. In The War of Art, Steven talks about the resistance and how it keeps us from creating. The resistance being that thing inside of us that makes us want to be lazy instead of getting to work. A perfect read for any artist. Pick it up here: http://nonk.it/f0GmXb

The Brand Called YOU by Peter Montoya
In the business of a freelance artist, YOU are the brand. Everything you do is a projection of who you are and what your brand represents. This is a great read to help understand the idea of a personal brand and it’s outlets. Pick it up here: http://nonk.it/faG2Ot

Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuck
Yet another great idea, but a little over the top in some areas. Still a great quick read on using the world of social media, blogging, and the web 2.0 world to boost your brand. Youtube stars have taken this idea to a whole other level. Pick it up here: http://nonk.it/h6kPhj

A quick little note, just to say that life is short and family is important. Sometimes we glide through life in our younger years and forget about our families. In this world of photography, it can become all consuming, and easy to lose sight our priorities. In any adult working world, our lives become so busy time just flies by faster and faster.

I became an uncle about a year and a half ago, and being able to see this little man(Isaiah) only a few times a year and how fast they grow, you don’t want to miss it. When it became this close to me, it made me realize how important it is to be a part of my family’s lives even from across the country.

No matter how good/successful of a photographer we end up to be, what truly matters is our relationships and the legacy we leave with those we love.

I’ll be doing a talk this coming January 11th, 2011 in Portland for the ASMP. I’ll be talking about making better pictures, and showing the right people. In the end, running a successful photography business breaks down to making better images, and showing more people. The key is the right people. Here’s a rough breakdown of what we’ll be covering. If you’re around Seattle, or Portland would be great to see you!

Making Better Pictures, and Showing the Right people

1. Shooting better pictures is ultimately what gets you hired and is YOUR product. You must have a great product to sell.
A: Curating your vision- Curate great photographs that you like, and break them down to why you like them. (inspired.nickonken.com)
B: ABS Theory- Always Be Shooting. This is the only thing that will make you better. Clicking the camera. Expanding your Default. Exercising the Decision Making muscle
C: 10,000 hours of hard work- Malcom Gladwell’s theory of putting in the time to take you through the artistic journey.
E: Testing- How to Set up a Test
F: Shoot Vertical, Not Lateral

2. Showing the right People
A: Getting your ducks in a row first- Create your portfolios, your website, your brand(developing a visual style before you invest in branding), and working with a consultant
B: Hiring a graphic designer
C: Editing
D: Creating a client driven website- Breakdown of my website, and what features I included and why.
E: Creating your own Branding Imagery- Iconic images you’ve shot that represent who you are. These are integrated into your promo pieces and brand extensions.
F: Promo Pieces- e-promos and Printed Promos. Samples of what I’ve done in the past
G: Creative Buying Decision makers
H: List creation- Agency Access

3. The Creative Journey
A: Transitions, Passions, and Sacrifices- Juggling the beginning years to get to where you want to be. Sacrificing and fitting the puzzle pieces together to make achieve the end goal.
B: There’s no such thing as Fairy Dust, Only you can make Shit happen, You Gotta Wannit- Pushing through the resistance. Making it is not easy.
C: Lifestyle Design: Inspired by the 4 hour work week, designing your lifestyle as to what success means to you. Everything stems from this.
D: Creating Personal work- mine is travel photography. creating my book, and the process of. Photo Trekking.

4. Business & Numbers
A: Big Jobs, and little jobs- Difference in mentalities
B: Get Producer
C: What Low-Balling does

ASMP info and Register here:

http://asmp.org/education/event/info?id=149
The Event will be held January 11th at Michael Jones Studio, 1937 N.W. Quimby St. Portland

Since I’m working on prepping a couple upcoming talks, I decided to browse through the past entries of my blog and pull some links to educational posts that have pertain to the Business of Photography, Creative Theory, the artistic journey, etc.

Exercising the Decision Making Muscle

http://nickonken.com/blog/2010/10/exercising-the-decision-making-muscle.html

Why I Feel My Website was a Good Investment
http://nickonken.com/blog/2010/09/why-i-feel-my-website-was-a-good-investment.html

Thoughts Behind the All New nickonken.com
http://nickonken.com/blog/2010/02/thoughts-behind-the-all-new-nickonken-com.html

How to Set Up a Test
http://nickonken.com/blog/2010/07/how-to-set-up-a-test.html

The Ridiculous Amount Of Work
http://nickonken.com/blog/2010/04/the-rediculous-amount-of-work.html

Shoot Vertical Not Lateral
http://nickonken.com/blog/2010/04/shoot-vertical-not-lateral.html

You Gotta Wannit
http://nickonken.com/blog/2010/04/you-gotta-wannit.html

Only You Can Make S*#$ Happen
http://nickonken.com/blog/2010/01/only-you-can-make-s-happen.html

New School Vs. Old School Adapt & Change or Get Left Behind
http://nickonken.com/blog/2010/01/new-school-vs-old-school-adapt-change-or-get-left-behind-2.html

2 Rules of the Photography Game
http://nickonken.com/blog/2009/08/2-rules-of-the-photography-game.html

nickonken 2010 Promo
http://nickonken.com/blog/2010/04/nickonken_2010_promo.html

The Secret is Seeing
http://nickonken.com/blog/2009/11/the-secret-is-seeing.html

Expanding Your Default
http://nickonken.com/blog/2008/10/expanding-your-default.html

ABS Theory
http://nickonken.com/blog/2008/09/abs-theory.html

Transitions, Passions, and Sacrifices
http://nickonken.com/blog/2008/09/transitions-passions-and-sacrifices.html

There’s No Such Thing as Fairy Dust
http://nickonken.com/blog/2009/02/theres-no-such-thing-as-fairy-dust.html

Lifestyle Design
http://nickonken.com/blog/2009/10/lifestyle-design.html

10,000 Hours of Hard Work
http://nickonken.com/blog/2009/01/10000-hour-of-hard-work.html

Your Own Branding Imagery
http://nickonken.com/blog/2009/02/your-own-branding-imagery.html

Reps, My New Rep, and the Process
http://nickonken.com/blog/2008/08/reps-my-new-rep-and-the-process.html

Testing for your Book
http://nickonken.com/blog/2008/09/testing-for-your-book.html

A Few Thoughts on Lenses
http://nickonken.com/blog/2011/03/a-few-thoughts-on-lenses.html

The decision making muscle is one of the most important things in photography and the business of. Over the years, I’ve learned that making decisions faster in everything, especially business you can be more efficient and profitable, even if you make the wrong decision. Sometimes making the wrong decision and making a mistake, is better than not making a decision at all. At the very least you’ve learned something. Making decisions in business take you another step further from where you are.

More of what I wanted to parlay this into, is the decision making muscle of shooting. This really directly correlates with my ABS theory, in that you should always be shooting. The decision making muscle is the muscle that is exercised every time you push that button. This is the element of photography that assisting will never ever teach you because until you’re looking through that camera deciding wether the light is right, the composition is right, the model is in the right position, the wardrobe is spot on, the hair and make up are perfect, everything is lined up right, and everything else that you have to think about in creating a picture is to your liking, etc. You’ll never be actually logging those learned pieces of information into your brain. Making decisions of every element in your photograph is like exercising a muscle, and you learn more with every shot you take. That’s why it needs to be exercised, so that each time you shoot you are making better and better images.

Your vision is refined by the decisions you make. What ingredients to add to a photograph. Locations, clothes, models, hair and makeup, lighting, etc. These decisions all add up to create your vision which is portrayed through your portfolio. Learning to make better decisions makes your imagery better, and in the end that’s what sells you.

All these little decisions that you learn along the way get amplified when you’re running a bigger set. When you have a 15-20 person crew to steer. Learning how to direct more than just your subject, but your team. You are the leader, and that’s what leaders do.