Being more creative is not something you wish for. It’s something you do. You don’t hear athletes saying, “Gosh, I sure wish I were stronger, or faster.” What you hear them saying is, “I’m going to the gym,” or “I have to train harder.”
Wishing for creativity is a lot like proclaiming you're going to start eating healthier next week. The idea of it sounds fascinating but it holds little value unless you do it enough for it to become a regimented routine. The people who are able to make the most out of anything or the ones who aware of how they spend their time and make time for the things that matter. For me, being active, spending time with my family and pursuing my photography while maintaining my focus with a company I've been with for the past 8 years.
It doesn't matter if a video disappears in 24 hours. What matters is the experience someone had. That doesn't go away. People will remember the experience you gave them. They will remember the journey.
The idea of using Instagram Stories is a lot easier than it is to act upon the urge to create anything. I often build up an entire sequence of events in my head but when it comes to the process of capturing, I fail miserably because I doubt as to whether any of it is worthy of being shared.
Will anyone care? Will anyone derive value from it? All valid questions but very often we forget how things that may seem inconsequential for us have the potential to be of value for other people. Like Sean McCabe says, what you share matters, but equally impactful is how you made someone feel with what you took the time to create. Friendly reminder for myself in how I should just take more initial using Instagram Stories as oppose to viewing it as a feature that's optional.
For as long as I could remember, my wife and I have never vacationed on our own. It’s something we’ve thought about but never acted upon. The more you ruminate on it, the closer one gets to the possibility until that parental guilty begins to surface.
It’s almost as if thinking about embarking on a little escape with your spouse is not something you’re suppose to even consider as a parent and yet according to research, a lot of the recommendations seem to advise otherwise. You shouldn’t feel guilty about being selfish. You’re more than just parents. Amongst all the parental responsibilities, you’re also a husband, a wife, a partner and a friend, all of which require us to take the time to remind ourselves of our other roles because it’s too easy to forget.
This past November I surprised my wife with 4-day getaway to Tulum, Mexico. I’ve seen more than enough photos of Tulum via Instagram to realize it was a must visit on my list and to my surprise the trip was a lot more affordable than I expected.
Four days may not seem like a lot but it was enough for us to take a breather together as a couple. My goal is to make it an ongoing tradition where we go away every year for her birthday as along as we meet the following requirements:
Fight time should not be more than 5hrs
No checking-in of any luggage pieces. All carry-on
The dollar needs to go a long way (like in Mexico)
Airfare and hotel combined for both should not exceed $1,200
Utilized money saved via Qapital account to pay for airfare and lodging
Don’t visit the same destination back to back. New destination every year
Splurge on delicious food and experience while on vacation
With that said, here’s the photos I took while vacationing in Tulum with my wife for her long birthday weekend.
Pricing your photography work is a lot like calorie counting. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily imply it will work for you until you take the time to crunch out the numbers for yourself so that you have a deeper understand why everything you take or don’t take into account is vital. I hate it becomes it takes time and it’s not fun but it’s one of those necessary things to remain sustainable.
I want to make it clear that my sole income doesn’t come from photography. I do have a day job but like Bryan says, “most of us get into photography because we love the art and creativity of it, but we quickly realize that unless we can get people to pay us for our work, it'll be nothing more than a hobby.”
So how much do I charge for my work? Back then I use to just blurt out a price but now, I can’t give you an answer on the spot until I step back and consider what exactly the client is envisioning and what it’s going to cost on my end in the even I have to rent anything out. The great thing about the web is that you can find every possible answer. The downside is that the amount of answers you come across could be overwhelming.
I wanted to share with you this article written by wedding photographer and founder of Sprout Studio Bryan Caporicci where he breaks down on how to set your prices as a professional photographer. I had to toss this one into Instapaper to review, keep and refer to.
While photographing at the 2018 Strong New York event at Solace in December, I unquestionably walked away not simply with an appreciation for the large amount of trainers here in New York who I had the opportunity to meet but equally with those who I was able to keep in contact afterwards. Jacob Thomas was one of them. He really enjoyed the portrait I captured of him at the event that he commissioned me to shoot a few looks for him for his brand with his being one of them. To view the rest of the photos, please visit the gallery.
Recently I was commissioned to be the photographer on site as Theragun held a seminar at True North Training in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with some of the best trainers here in New York City to introduce not just they're newest product (G3PRO) but educate trainers more on the value of percussive therapy that involves growth and rapid of tissues by providing a rapid and short-duration pulses into the tissues of the body.
Dr. Jason S. Wersland, D.C., a chiropractor and the founder/inventor of Theragun created the device a few years ago, after a motorcycle accident left him with a herniated a disc, and it has ballooned into a whole thing ever since.
The seminar was accompanied with an intense 45 minute workout in which all the trainers pushed their bodies while being treated with the G3PRO during and after the program. Several of the trainers present I've know of them via Instagram and some I've had the pleasure off shooting with in the past.
At least from my perspective, it wasn't long ago that shooting tethered seemed like it was an approach reserved only for those photographers who had big budgets, assistances and super expensive gear but the more I've educated myself with the technical aspects and creative advantages of shooting tethered, I've come to realize it's nothing to be scared of until you try it.
I've shot numerous times in a studio setting and when you're just starting off, you're perfect find with just glancing at your LCD screen to ensure your vision is being translated to your camera. That's all you know what to do in the beginning. I've yet to shoot tethered but I anticipate to experiment with it on my next shoot and in preparation for that, I found this article by photographer Caleb Kerr extremely helpful on how to get started, especially with the needed and recommend gear.
2019 has by far turned out to be very amazing with regard to my photography. I keep reciting in my head how it'll be by far the year I've find myself photographically because up until this point there's no question where my passion lies in terms of the type of work I love to shoot. Luckily the fitness community in New York is so vibrant and diverse that working with one person has translated seamlessly to connecting with other trainers who specialize in other areas and who's sole mission continues to be in educating people on how to live a more active and healthy lifestyle. To view the rest of the photographs I shot with Callie along with a short video, visit here.
I’ve never gotten into the ritual of establishing New Year’s resolution the same way I’ve never been great at maintaining a planner. The idea of it sounds great but it just never seems to stick. Instead, I much prefer Julia Rothman’s approach to drawing a line between things she would love to do “more” of and “less” of. On that note, here are mine:
More:
Reading books on topics I know nothing about
Educate myself on nutrition
Allowing time to write
Learning to be more patient
Traveling
Planning of dates with wife
Speaking up
Pursuing personal photography projects
Vocal about my photography vision
Meet people who challenge me in a new way
Visualizing
Investing
Sleep (more than 6hrs)
Less:
Negative self-talk
Social media
Thinking about ideas and more doing
Feeling guilty about wanting to spend some time alone
Talking and more listening
Waiting for things to happen and take more initiative
Feeling guilty about investing in things that will benefit me in the long run
In the same way that Eat, Pray, Love has resonated with so many people and for me personally her book Big Magic has, there's never an instances when I don't make the effort to find a quiet corner in the house, put on my noice-canceling headphones and really listen to a latest Elizabeth Gilbert talk and this latest one really set me in place and I really encourage you to view it especially if you're the type that's been questioning your next move in life with regard to your profession.
Elizabeth says, “just recognize your job doesn’t have to be your whole life. Your life can be outside of that.” This is particularly important to recognize because while we may spend more of our day time at work than anywhere else, it becomes easy to identify yourself as someone who just works non-stop and that your are your job/career and so you fail to discover a pastime outside of work to clear you mind. For me it's photography but for you it can be anything else. You are your own person but you'll never conscious of that if you don't take the time to discover it.
