I prefer taking things one day at a time, but sometimes it's not my fault that a whole bunch of days tend to attack me at once.
In other news, I finally finished edited the Hayden Memorial shots. They all just need a watermark which I am going to make an action for tomorrow, and then they can be batched and cd'd for Chief Shear.
Blogger is hating me like any other piece of technology today, so no pictures - but soon! as soon as I get them figured out.
Craigslist hates me, my computer is out of date and won't install my printer driver until the updated (get this: "Snow Leopard") gets here in 3-5 business days, my shoot with Ry Perry's RAW photo files hate me & refuse to open in either Lightroom or PS, and now blogger hates me. I'm going to go read for Pepper because the worst the book can do is papercut me.
Monday, September 28
Sunday, September 27
not dead.
When I'm not complaining about my lack of "what the hell am I going to do with my life come May??" plans, I'm usually Skyping with Kyle like this. You'd swear we're a world away again like this time last year, but no, AT&T and Verizon simply don't enjoy our separate plans, and this is free.
And yes, I'm freezing in a hoodie. Yay fall!!
Aside from freezing in my own room, I love fall, and really cannot wait to bust into some cozy fall clothes. I have ideas. The working out and the watching what I eat is, although cliche and annoying, totally working, even if it is pretty slow to show.
New stuff up tomorrow! Promise!!
xo
Monday, September 21
Angsty
I just want to make stuff.
Is that too much to ask?
No, I don't know exactly what yet.
No, I don't want to be a niche photographer.
No, I don't want anyone telling me what to do.
I just want to make stuff.
If I make money doing it, then fantastic.
If I don't, at least I'll be happy.
Other people have done it - why can't I? I follow a whole bunch of blogs about people who just freelance and make stuff and are incredibly happy with their lives.
That's all I want - to make stuff, and be happy.
Is that too much to ask?
No, I don't know exactly what yet.
No, I don't want to be a niche photographer.
No, I don't want anyone telling me what to do.
I just want to make stuff.
If I make money doing it, then fantastic.
If I don't, at least I'll be happy.
Other people have done it - why can't I? I follow a whole bunch of blogs about people who just freelance and make stuff and are incredibly happy with their lives.
That's all I want - to make stuff, and be happy.
Wednesday, September 16
Casting Calls
For the record, casting calls make me nervous. Honestly, more nervous than actively hunting down a model online and talking to them directly (and basically flattering them to no end so they'll work with me). Too many people can see it, and there's the feeling that no one will answer (ps, no one has yet on Craigslist.. time to think about posting it under a different section) -- or you'll get a bunch of creepy people and accomplish nothing.
I put another casting call up on Model Mayhem, and although I'm sure I'll get a few hits, I'm sure most of them will be looking for portfolio work (ie didn't bother reading the ad itself) or they'll all be from NYC and want to be compensated (again, didn't bother reading the whole thing).
On the bright side, I hope to shoot Ry Perry early next week. This week is too late notice (which suuuucks cuz I'm steadily cutting deadlines close already) but I think Monday will be ducky. I'd love to shoot tomorrow during LF but I don't think he's available. Maybe I'll look into it anyway...
How's everyone else's semester going so far? Creatively, I hope!
I put another casting call up on Model Mayhem, and although I'm sure I'll get a few hits, I'm sure most of them will be looking for portfolio work (ie didn't bother reading the ad itself) or they'll all be from NYC and want to be compensated (again, didn't bother reading the whole thing).
On the bright side, I hope to shoot Ry Perry early next week. This week is too late notice (which suuuucks cuz I'm steadily cutting deadlines close already) but I think Monday will be ducky. I'd love to shoot tomorrow during LF but I don't think he's available. Maybe I'll look into it anyway...
How's everyone else's semester going so far? Creatively, I hope!
Monday, September 14
In other intern-unrelated news...
I have decided on a capstone thesis. Everyone in Corporate America has a secret. I want them to share it with me. I've made it official because I just finished my first ever Craigslist casting call. Not gonna lie, I'm actually really nervous about the whole thing:
http://syracuse.craigslist.org/crg/1373982966.html
I'm scared on two accounts:
-What if someone actually answers?? I'll really have to, like, talk to them and stuff.
-What if no one answers???? Then what do I do for my senior capstone?
I guess this is growing up...
I'm pumped to start, but I'm scared to death at the same time. This means I'm actually going. The wheel has started spinning. Capstone here I come, full force.
I also bought some driving gloves yesterday that I'm head over heels for:
and the A&D looked really eerie last night, and the picture I snapped from my room made it look like a toy. I love the effect, but I really couldn't tell you how I managed it..
Just thought I'd share.
http://syracuse.craigslist.org/crg/1373982966.html
I'm scared on two accounts:
-What if someone actually answers?? I'll really have to, like, talk to them and stuff.
-What if no one answers???? Then what do I do for my senior capstone?
I guess this is growing up...
I'm pumped to start, but I'm scared to death at the same time. This means I'm actually going. The wheel has started spinning. Capstone here I come, full force.
I also bought some driving gloves yesterday that I'm head over heels for:
and the A&D looked really eerie last night, and the picture I snapped from my room made it look like a toy. I love the effect, but I really couldn't tell you how I managed it..
Just thought I'd share.
Journal Essay Assignment - Question #5
5) What information or advice would you give to next year's interns, to help them be better prepared and better able to perform well during their internships?
Talk. Talk all the time, and to everyone. You never know where or from who you'll pick up a tidbit about the business that you can't learn in a book.
I would also suggest doing as much research into possible internships as possible. I did my best, and still found myself interning at home. If they truly want a NYC internship, it is entirely possible, it just involves a world of effort and self-promotion. I didn’t mind settling at home, as my priorities were saving money at the moment, and NYC was not an option that would fit with me this time around. I also believe that research is necessary, otherwise a student may find themselves serving coffee and not actually doing anything pertaining to their subject of study. I realized after interviewing at NYLON Magazine that I would not be doing anything for photography, but rather calling a lot of people and making lists… aka nothing like what I would want to do all summer. Yes a NYC internship would have looked great on my resume, but let’s be honest – if I wanted to work for someone else, maybe I would have cared about my resume rather than content. In personal experience, learning how to run and manage my own business means more to my clients than a byline on a piece of paper.
Talk. Talk all the time, and to everyone. You never know where or from who you'll pick up a tidbit about the business that you can't learn in a book.
I would also suggest doing as much research into possible internships as possible. I did my best, and still found myself interning at home. If they truly want a NYC internship, it is entirely possible, it just involves a world of effort and self-promotion. I didn’t mind settling at home, as my priorities were saving money at the moment, and NYC was not an option that would fit with me this time around. I also believe that research is necessary, otherwise a student may find themselves serving coffee and not actually doing anything pertaining to their subject of study. I realized after interviewing at NYLON Magazine that I would not be doing anything for photography, but rather calling a lot of people and making lists… aka nothing like what I would want to do all summer. Yes a NYC internship would have looked great on my resume, but let’s be honest – if I wanted to work for someone else, maybe I would have cared about my resume rather than content. In personal experience, learning how to run and manage my own business means more to my clients than a byline on a piece of paper.
Journal Essay Assignment - Question #4
4) What were some of the challenges/problems faced while on this internship? How did you deal with them?
A major problem faced was not knowing the software, and having to reteach myself everything I thought I knew about photography software. The program utilized by Cycle Shots is called DRUMS, and it is basically a batching tool for mass quantities of photos (as in entire leagues, schools, and sporting events all in one program). I was familiar with the data entry aspects of the program, but when I began learning how to Verify Crop and Correct, I struggled. The monitors are not calibrated like they are at school. In Caz, what you see on the screen is (most of the time) what you'll get out of the printer; the colors are least close and it doesn't require too many test prints to get a good looking print. These monitors are not calibrated to the printer, and Frank has never felt the need to calibrate them, since he's the only one who works with them, and therefore is well aware of the quirks and what one needs to do to correct them on the computer before printing. For example, to get a proper skin color to print, the image on the screen must be magenta-blue. Too much green will cause the picture to print yellow. If you make the photo on the screen look perfect to the eye, it will print in drastically (and unsellable-ly) incorrect colors. The contrast works the same way - if the photo's contrast looks perfect on screen, it's going to print incredibly light.
As if correcting a "good looking" picture wasn't hard enough, I frequently had to correct images that were ... shall we say, less than professional looking. Cycle Shots formats and prints for multiple photographers that work for a separate company altogether, and what we think is a good picture doesn't usually match up with what they give us. Because Frank is so good with the program and the correcting, and the prints often turn out near-flawless, the photographers he processes for are none the wiser that their photography skills may be lacking here and there.
Cropping within the program was an issue as well, as different photos needed to fit into different templates. I was unfamiliar with the templates, and therefore struggled sometimes to gauge how tight of a crop was necessary. If the crop was too wide, I would lose heads and feet when put into the template later on, and if cropped too tightly, definition in the faces would be too difficult to see.
This type of eye-brain coordination was something I had trouble adjusting to. I couldn't seem to get it right for the longest time, one particularly hard day being June 1st. I was not used to having to edit the colors so much just to get a good print. I'm used to it being easier, I suppose. What you see is what you get, right? Not this time around. I eventually got better, but I still don't think I made them perfect every time like Frank; he's been doing this every day for the past 10 years. Because he knew what he was doing, I frequently asked for his help and approval to get better. His criticisms were sometimes very direct, almost cutting, but in retrospect I needed it. I spent a few days telling him how this was never something I wanted to have to do the rest of my life, but eventually I found a calmness about it, a sort of lullaby of repetition, and found it almost relaxing.
A major problem faced was not knowing the software, and having to reteach myself everything I thought I knew about photography software. The program utilized by Cycle Shots is called DRUMS, and it is basically a batching tool for mass quantities of photos (as in entire leagues, schools, and sporting events all in one program). I was familiar with the data entry aspects of the program, but when I began learning how to Verify Crop and Correct, I struggled. The monitors are not calibrated like they are at school. In Caz, what you see on the screen is (most of the time) what you'll get out of the printer; the colors are least close and it doesn't require too many test prints to get a good looking print. These monitors are not calibrated to the printer, and Frank has never felt the need to calibrate them, since he's the only one who works with them, and therefore is well aware of the quirks and what one needs to do to correct them on the computer before printing. For example, to get a proper skin color to print, the image on the screen must be magenta-blue. Too much green will cause the picture to print yellow. If you make the photo on the screen look perfect to the eye, it will print in drastically (and unsellable-ly) incorrect colors. The contrast works the same way - if the photo's contrast looks perfect on screen, it's going to print incredibly light.
As if correcting a "good looking" picture wasn't hard enough, I frequently had to correct images that were ... shall we say, less than professional looking. Cycle Shots formats and prints for multiple photographers that work for a separate company altogether, and what we think is a good picture doesn't usually match up with what they give us. Because Frank is so good with the program and the correcting, and the prints often turn out near-flawless, the photographers he processes for are none the wiser that their photography skills may be lacking here and there.
Cropping within the program was an issue as well, as different photos needed to fit into different templates. I was unfamiliar with the templates, and therefore struggled sometimes to gauge how tight of a crop was necessary. If the crop was too wide, I would lose heads and feet when put into the template later on, and if cropped too tightly, definition in the faces would be too difficult to see.
This type of eye-brain coordination was something I had trouble adjusting to. I couldn't seem to get it right for the longest time, one particularly hard day being June 1st. I was not used to having to edit the colors so much just to get a good print. I'm used to it being easier, I suppose. What you see is what you get, right? Not this time around. I eventually got better, but I still don't think I made them perfect every time like Frank; he's been doing this every day for the past 10 years. Because he knew what he was doing, I frequently asked for his help and approval to get better. His criticisms were sometimes very direct, almost cutting, but in retrospect I needed it. I spent a few days telling him how this was never something I wanted to have to do the rest of my life, but eventually I found a calmness about it, a sort of lullaby of repetition, and found it almost relaxing.
Journal Essay Assignment - Question #3
3) What are the best and worst parts of this internship? Why? How are both of these aspects to your internship part of your learning experience?
The best parts of the internship, hands down, were the flexibility and all of the hands on, direct interaction. There was nowhere else I could have interned that would have given me that level of attention. Worst side? I suppose if there was a downside, it would be that I worked for my dad. That simply means that the criticisms were rougher (there was no level of “Maybe I shouldn’t hurt this stranger’s feelings") – but at the same time, his critiques of my work certainly taught me faster than someone who sugarcoated things and gave me too much time to correct any issues. Problems got solved much quicker because he didn’t have to create a friendship first, as it was already well established.
I would have preferred, ideally, to have not interned in Binghamton and rather been out in a major city. I think that's simply my pride though - I had a lot of friends/peers in the city and I was so jealous I couldn't be with them. But at the same time, the money I saved and the local connections I gained gave me a lot of encouragement towards how to start my own business post-graduation, and the comfort of being close to home should I fail (the safety net is a good feeling that I know won't last forever, so I'd like to take full advantage of it). I'm sure the city would have found a way to break my spirit if I was at all in the "wrong" internship.
So really, there was no major upside or downside - they played off of one another until there was a happy medium that I was glad to leave the internship with.
The best parts of the internship, hands down, were the flexibility and all of the hands on, direct interaction. There was nowhere else I could have interned that would have given me that level of attention. Worst side? I suppose if there was a downside, it would be that I worked for my dad. That simply means that the criticisms were rougher (there was no level of “Maybe I shouldn’t hurt this stranger’s feelings") – but at the same time, his critiques of my work certainly taught me faster than someone who sugarcoated things and gave me too much time to correct any issues. Problems got solved much quicker because he didn’t have to create a friendship first, as it was already well established.
I would have preferred, ideally, to have not interned in Binghamton and rather been out in a major city. I think that's simply my pride though - I had a lot of friends/peers in the city and I was so jealous I couldn't be with them. But at the same time, the money I saved and the local connections I gained gave me a lot of encouragement towards how to start my own business post-graduation, and the comfort of being close to home should I fail (the safety net is a good feeling that I know won't last forever, so I'd like to take full advantage of it). I'm sure the city would have found a way to break my spirit if I was at all in the "wrong" internship.
So really, there was no major upside or downside - they played off of one another until there was a happy medium that I was glad to leave the internship with.
Journal Essay Assignment - Question #2
2) How does your internship relate to what you have learned in your classes?
My internship related to my classes in an odd way. I needed my classes as a foundation for my photography as well as my computer knowledge. On the other hand, I found that I relied more on my common sense, as well as things I learned in extra-curriculars. My ability to bullshit and be the most polite, delightful person in a situation of chaos led to the job getting done smoother. Classes are necessary and I don’t mean to knock their value one bit, but when it came to real world situations, no class could teach you to think on your feet (other than debate, which I never had schedule time for…) and the ability to be polite but have a sense of humor about it after the fact. The reality is, not everyone is nice, but in order to get the job taken care of, you are required to be. I am sassy, and I’m well aware of it, but I know when and where it won’t get me anywhere. If classes taught me that, they didn’t mean to.
Journal Essay Assignment - Question #1
1) Name at least five ways in which this internship can or will benefit you in the future. What steps must you take in order for these things to happen?
My internship allowed me to learn the basic concepts associated with entreprenuership through the direct interaction with the owner of Cycle Shots. I worked every day a desk away from him, and we often discussed the basic principles of LLC work versus a sole proprietorship, among other things. Taxes and taking on a lifelong workload came up, as well as how one takes a paycheck when they’re the only ones working. Frank is the only “paid” employee in the business, and the business is his life; it is often difficult to distinguish what money is “the company’s” and what money is his paycheck. I would like to run my own business one day, with as few employees as possible in order to keep complete creative control (because I don’t share well with others) and all of the subjects of money and the like got me thinking of what I’m truly in for. With all of the power comes all of the responsibility.
I made a lot of professional contacts while interning – many of which have very little to do with the direct photographic process. I learned that, although yes it is important to know the people to know within the business, it is also incredibly important to recognize, appreciate, and get to know other people who can be involved such as gas station attendants, public relation folks, the ladies at UPS, and those involved with rental cars. Networking is important, and necessary, even if all contacts aren’t directly involved.
Studio versus on location shooting was something I’ve been trying to come to terms with for years now. Frank shoots entirely on location for sporting events, and I have always preferred shooting outside of a studio. However, the equipment required for shooting on location is very different, and led me to thinking about what I’ll need in order to start my own business and exactly what kind of photography I want to focus on (ie what sort of technology I’ll need to establish as I establish myself).
As far as equipment goes, I learned that good investments over time pay for themselves. I will no longer fall victim to the “newest” product. It is not the price of your camera, but how you use it. It is not necessarily the newest products that will last the longest because Frank works with lighting from the 1980s that still work fantastically. They’ve been under constant supervision and had the utmost care and maintenance over the years. The newer batteries used in Frank’s cameras don’t hold nearly the charge expected, and the chargers are not always reliable. The old school equipment used seems to never fail, and has yet to be updated. Cameras still had to be updated, but the lenses haven’t.
Finally, I learned that, although I have extensive “photographic” training, I truly know nothing about business, and I have all intentions of taking a few business classes at Broome Community College. I don’t need another degree; I need a solid level of knowledge that I haven’t had the opportunity to gain at Cazenovia due to credit and scheduling constraints.
In order for all of that to happen, I simply need to follow through. With the right attitude, and a little start-up cash, I think I can start my own business. This internship definitely better prepared me for the “real world” in that some days will be slow, some days you’ll be up late and away from home, and when you shoot on location, rain happens.
A Note of Warning
I must preface this update for those of you who read my blog semi-regularly, and were perhaps unaware that it's main purpose was to be an outlet for my information of my internship - to communicate with Anita throughout the summer rather than emails. My next few entries (more than likely back to back as I'm almost completely done with them in Word) will all be the separate "journal essay assignments," each in their own post for convenient unity and understanding. Sorry this won't be terribly sassy per usual, but anyone who reads regularly knows I can't wholly remove myself from anything I write, professional or otherwise.
To begin, here is the breakdown of my intern hours & activities by the date (I didn't feel the need to post these mundane little notes every time I updated, but I did keep a written journal the whole time):
5/17 - "Joe shoot" = 9 hours
5/20 - Data entry = 4 hours
5/21 - Data entry = 3 hours
5/26 - DRUMS verify crop & correct [training] - 4 hours
5/27 - DRUMS verify crop & correct; post office run - 4 hours
5/28 - DMV, paperwork, insurance, DMV; Billing totals for Joe [paperwork], Month-end Billing on FileMaker; post office run - 4 hours
6/1 - Data entry, VC&C [bad day] - 4 hours
6/2 - VC&C; Run work to packager, post office - 5 hours
6/3 - VC&C; number & chronologically organize upcoming jobs; Shipping & Receiving @ UPS - 5 hours
6/4 - VC&C; UPS - 4 hours
6/8 - VC&C; UPS, bank - 4 hours
6/9 - Data entry, VC&C - 4 hours
6/10 - Data entry, UPS - 4 1/2 hours
6/11 - VC&C - 4 hours
6/15 - VC&C; post office; Flamingo duty - 5 1/2 hours
6/16 - VC&C; UPS - 4 hours
6/17 - Data entry, UPS - 5 hours
6/18 - VC&C - 3 hours
6/23 - Data entry, Joe shoot [Bainbridge] - 7 hours
6/24 - Data entry - 3 hours
6/25 - Data entry, UPS - 3 hours
6/29 - Data entry; Packaging material drop off, post office; Retype & rework Cycle Shots, LLC's cover letter - 5 1/2 hours
6/30 - VC&C; Cover letter (50 copies); UPS, Staples for supplies - 5 hours
7/1 - VC&C, Photoshop; Stuff sample envelops for Sales - 3 hours
7/7 - Data entry; UPS - 2 hours
7/9 - Data entry; Sales correspondent emails; VC&C - 4 hours
7/10 - Finished Flamingo - 1/2 hour
7/14 - Data entry; Sales meeting with Jeffery Yoder - 3 hours
7/15 - Sales research - 2 hours
7/20 - Data entry; Staples - 4 hours
7/21 - Customer service calls & emails; Worked out a price & facts list for Yoder - 3 hours
7/23 - Email correspondence & sales, further sales research - 3 hours
8/4 - Data entry, Anniversary Reservation Maker - 2 hours
Altogether - 129 hours
(required: 100-120)
Towards the end of summer, the season became less busy, and needing me every day became few and far between - there just wasn't the work to be done. At the time of school starting up again, the fall season picked up, and I am currently needed once more, and working when in the area.
To begin, here is the breakdown of my intern hours & activities by the date (I didn't feel the need to post these mundane little notes every time I updated, but I did keep a written journal the whole time):
5/17 - "Joe shoot" = 9 hours
5/20 - Data entry = 4 hours
5/21 - Data entry = 3 hours
5/26 - DRUMS verify crop & correct [training] - 4 hours
5/27 - DRUMS verify crop & correct; post office run - 4 hours
5/28 - DMV, paperwork, insurance, DMV; Billing totals for Joe [paperwork], Month-end Billing on FileMaker; post office run - 4 hours
6/1 - Data entry, VC&C [bad day] - 4 hours
6/2 - VC&C; Run work to packager, post office - 5 hours
6/3 - VC&C; number & chronologically organize upcoming jobs; Shipping & Receiving @ UPS - 5 hours
6/4 - VC&C; UPS - 4 hours
6/8 - VC&C; UPS, bank - 4 hours
6/9 - Data entry, VC&C - 4 hours
6/10 - Data entry, UPS - 4 1/2 hours
6/11 - VC&C - 4 hours
6/15 - VC&C; post office; Flamingo duty - 5 1/2 hours
6/16 - VC&C; UPS - 4 hours
6/17 - Data entry, UPS - 5 hours
6/18 - VC&C - 3 hours
6/23 - Data entry, Joe shoot [Bainbridge] - 7 hours
6/24 - Data entry - 3 hours
6/25 - Data entry, UPS - 3 hours
6/29 - Data entry; Packaging material drop off, post office; Retype & rework Cycle Shots, LLC's cover letter - 5 1/2 hours
6/30 - VC&C; Cover letter (50 copies); UPS, Staples for supplies - 5 hours
7/1 - VC&C, Photoshop; Stuff sample envelops for Sales - 3 hours
7/7 - Data entry; UPS - 2 hours
7/9 - Data entry; Sales correspondent emails; VC&C - 4 hours
7/10 - Finished Flamingo - 1/2 hour
7/14 - Data entry; Sales meeting with Jeffery Yoder - 3 hours
7/15 - Sales research - 2 hours
7/20 - Data entry; Staples - 4 hours
7/21 - Customer service calls & emails; Worked out a price & facts list for Yoder - 3 hours
7/23 - Email correspondence & sales, further sales research - 3 hours
8/4 - Data entry, Anniversary Reservation Maker - 2 hours
Altogether - 129 hours
(required: 100-120)
Towards the end of summer, the season became less busy, and needing me every day became few and far between - there just wasn't the work to be done. At the time of school starting up again, the fall season picked up, and I am currently needed once more, and working when in the area.
Tuesday, September 1
2009.
Happy first day of classes.
Holy shit senior year how did this happen?
Goals to accomplish before the end of the semester:
* Website finished (or rather, started). Designed, paid for, up and running.
* New contact cards.
* Purchase new Canon.
* Finalize large prints for a solid professional portfolio.
* Shoot entirety of my senior project.
* Find a creative outlet that I can embrace every single day.
* Get to the gym and become healthy.
* Begin designing clothes with the help of Miss Locatelli & Miss Manning (neither of them know this yet, but it's in my grand scheme of backup plans for when I can't make a living on photo alone).
These are among the obvious "make deans list" "make projects I'm proud of" "finish FAFSA" "survive these weddings" "Make this senior theater show something spectacular" sort of goals I'm working on anyway.
What are your goals?
Holy shit senior year how did this happen?Goals to accomplish before the end of the semester:
* Website finished (or rather, started). Designed, paid for, up and running.
* New contact cards.
* Purchase new Canon.
* Finalize large prints for a solid professional portfolio.
* Shoot entirety of my senior project.
* Find a creative outlet that I can embrace every single day.
* Get to the gym and become healthy.
* Begin designing clothes with the help of Miss Locatelli & Miss Manning (neither of them know this yet, but it's in my grand scheme of backup plans for when I can't make a living on photo alone).
These are among the obvious "make deans list" "make projects I'm proud of" "finish FAFSA" "survive these weddings" "Make this senior theater show something spectacular" sort of goals I'm working on anyway.
What are your goals?
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