That Old Case

I pulled out a camera case the other day. It's one that I bought used sometime in the late 70's or early 80's. I marveled at all the scratches, dents, dings, dirt, repairs and rust that covered it's surface. It's a good case and I still use it. So I dug out some more of the old bags, all looking about the same for wear. All still in use.

Then it hit me. I am just like these bags. Banged up, scratched, dented, rusty and repaired. But like these bags, I am still in use. Still doing what I like and doing it well.

I have been around the block, under the bus, abused, loved, put in the dumpster then dragged out, cleaned off and used again.



I wouldn't have it any other way.





I'm looking forward to the next assignment. The next new client and always looking forward to those current clients that put some of the dents and dings in these bags and in me.

It's good to love what you do, and have all those great stories to tell. Did I tell you about the time I dropped my Hasselblad down a 50' silo? Another time, maybe.

Going Away, Far Away

It's hard to keep focused week after week, month after month, and keep that creative drive. So sometimes you need to go away, far, far away. In my case, I like to go back to about 1830. That's far enough.

I like to primitive camp. This is where everything you use, within reason, is correct for 1830. The big 'cheat' is the ice chest in the tent covered in canvas. Come on, you have to have a cold drink now and then! My choice is A & W Root Beer served in a handmade copper tankard.

Here are a few pictures from my seven days and six nights of primitive camping this month.


Ol' Lon cooking on the fire. It's nice sometimes to have no hair on your hands! In the background is my 10'x10' canvas tent. I sleep on the ground inside the tent with a pile of wool blankets. Good sleeping.


The single pole holding up my pyramid tent. It also serves to hold my stuff. My powder horn, shooting bag, quiver full of arrows, my hat with skunk tail and a buckskin coat with coyote cape.
Stylin!

This was the guy camping near me. An 18' diameter teepee.


My hat sitting on my camp box.

Friends and neighbors.



I am back to work. My brain feels rested and I'm enjoying shooting in the studio. However, as fun as shooting stuff in the studio is, it's not quite as good as shooting my 62 Cal. black powder flintlock rifle. Booooom!

The Red Food Project

Last year we decided to do a project where we shot the same item using the different styles of photography that we do here at Atkinson Studios. That was the Red Shoe Project. Here are a few of the twelve shots we did:



A lot of people liked what we did. As they say, we got good mileage out it. The project was a good experience as all of us at the studio took part in coming up with the ideas, shooting the pictures and then then performing the digital magic to finish them.

So, we decided to do it again and call it the Red Food Project. We sat down and had a brainstorming session or two. I think we came up with two legal pad pages of ideas. We borrowed a beautiful model, Kelsey, for some of the shots and found a 2 year old wandering around the studio for others. We visited some interesting food stores also. Here are some of the Red Food Project photos.

All in all, it was fun, creative and everyone at the studio became involved.There will be more. There are more ideas. You can visit our website and see this project as well as two others:
www.AtkinsonStudios.com

This is why we shoot pictures.

Boy, the last half of 2010 became very busy and I sorta forgot my blog. So, for 2011 I am going to try and do a little better.

This version of Atkinson Studios has been in business in San Diego now for 24 years. And we are still going strong. We have noticed that we are not as young as we once were and people are now asking about when we intend to retire.

I became a photographer because I needed to provide for my family. I chose this profession because it was interesting and it utilized the skills and talents that I was blessed with. At the beginning there was just the two of us. But it wasn't long before we had a family of five to worry about. This profession has been good to us. We were able to provide our children with a nice home, clothes on their backs and food in their bellies. It seemed to go very fast and soon we were sending all three off to college.

Now all three have families of their own and occupations to provide for those families. So, for this first blog post of the year, I will show my gratitude for my family and share them with you;the few brave people that stumble upon this blog.

From left to Right: Our Son Dan with his wife Laura and kids Olivia and Sawyer. Dan is a very successful dog trainer while Laura teaches fifth grade. Our son Rob with wife Elaine and kids Ashley and Ava. Rob is an accomplished graphic designer and Elaine is in marketing. Our Daughter Shelley with husband Daniel and MacKenzie our newest grand child. Shelley is a great digital retoucher. Which explains why we all look so good in these photos. Her husband is in the health supplement business.

So why not retire? Because Lois and I enjoy coming to work each day. We love the challenges this profession brings. The good old satisfaction of a job well done.

Here's to 2011. May it be good for all.

Ya gotta be more than just a good shooter!

Been busy. Real busy. I'm not complaining. I took a few minutes and thought about why we are so busy. I have good equipment, a nice studio, great employees, lots of experience, but that's just not good enough in this business environment.

If you don't have any clients, it doesn't matter how good you are or what you have: no clients equal no business.

I read other blogs regularly, such as Seth Godin's blog: www.sethgodin.typepad.com/ There is a lot of good stuff out there to read and a lot of people read them. But I think there is one basic, simple business principle that a bunch of people just don't get: Be good to your clients.

Here is an example from my business. A couple weeks ago, we were buried with work. An ad agency that we have shot for for many years called. They had a chance to pick up a new good client, but they only had a few days to present them some comps and ideas. They wanted us to drop what we were doing and shoot some products for them. Guess what we did to celebrate
the 4th of July?

Yeah, that's right, it's a piston.

Our client loved our shots. But then two days later we had to re-shoot one of them (not our fault). We worked an extra long day to get that shot squeezed between our scheduled work.

The agency completed their comps. The new client told them they had never seen such great photos of their pistons. Now the agency has been asked to work up a year contract for all the work.

Guess who will be shooting a boat load of pistons?We could have told them we were too busy. We could of charged them a huge fee for working on a holiday. They are not our biggest client. But as they have for years, when they need photography, they will call us. We understand the importance of treating clients as we would expect to be treated.

This is not heavy stuff. But why do so many photographers (and other small businesses) just not get it? Well, I appreciate the clients they throw away.

LIfe is a journey

"A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles" Tim Cahill

Apparently I have been on this journey called life for quite awhile now. At least that's what my body tells me when I get up in the morning. I have done a lot of stuff, seen tons of things and met a bunch of people. Every now and then, someone wanders into your life and becomes a part of it. And sometimes, they have to leave.

Denis Asprey left this past month.


I have only known Denis for ten years. I wish I had known him longer. He used to be a hippy and he lived in a commune for awhile. He was an artist, musician, biker, Boy Scout leader, and a tremendous family man. He was also one of the best friends anyone could ever want.

Denis always wore sandals. He wore them to work as a hardwood floor installer. He hiked in them, including climbing Mt. Whitney at 14,000 feet. He wore them to church, which he attended faithfully. He did wear moccasins on occasion.

He loved to teach the youth. He taught them about life. He taught them how to throw a tomahawk, shoot a bow and arrow, to enjoy the sunrise on a mountain peak.

He loved to ride his motorcycles. Including a real sweet Harley Springer Soft Tail. He would jump on it in the summer, put his great wife on the back and travel several thousand miles. He also had a Russian motorcycle that was copied from a 1940's BMW with a side car. He would throw a grandchild in the sidecar and give them a joyous ride around town.

Denis will be missed by a lot of people, including me. But he will never be forgotten and his influence to do good will be with me always.

Just a Cell Phone Battery

The other day a photographer friend of mine published a photo on his Facebook page. It was a beautiful shot of a pretty girl photographed at the beach. I commented on his page about his photo and said something like 'wow, you spent the day shooting a pretty girl and I spent the day shooting cell phone batteries'. He commented back, 'yeah, but you made more money'. It made me stop and think about that for a while.

Here is Stan's photo of Grace Bristol and my photo of a cell phone battery.
(to see more of Stan's work go to: http://www.stanliuphotography.com/)

Yeah, it does look like Stan had more fun. But the question it raised is am I in this for the money or do I have the passion that artists talk about? I became a photographer because it sounded interesting, fun, and kinda cool. I liked the idea of saying 'Yeah, I'm a photographer'! But by the time I graduated from college I was married, in debt and in a hurry to join middle class America.

Photography has been good to me. I have a nice house, three kids that we sent through college, a big red truck, a souped up Mustang and a hot rod Volkswagen Bus (see my blog entry: Buster goes to a show, Aug. 2008). Middle class America here I am.

I'm happy. I have a nice studio that I look forward to working in every day. I have clients. I do shoot a lot of boring things. Rarely pretty girls. But shooting boring things can be fun. They are a challenge, they have curves, corners, bright colors, reflective chrome, strange shapes and someone wants a pretty picture of them. I had a fellow photographer come into my studio years ago while I was shooting copy slides of some blueprints. He told me he wouldn't do that work, he only shoots advertising. Last I heard he was a salesman. So, I think I am creative, I am passionate about making my clients happy and I do work for money. I don't apologize. And I still feel good when I tell someone 'Yeah, I'm a photographer'. Maybe I should get one of those snazzy khaki vests with all the pockets!

Here are a few samples of weird things made pretty in the studio. Of course thanks go to Lois the good stylist.