Finding Momentum

This past week has been kind of a “lost” week.  I’ve been trying to get my body and mind back into gear after being away for a month – in China.

Gail Mooney on Chinese TV show

I had been in China for the past 4 weeks, teaching Chinese photojournalists, video journalism.

Before I left for China, I had been consumed with getting things ready for my trip, but that hadn’t been the only thing I needed to attend to before my departure. I was preparing for two talks that I had to present at the NAB Show (National Association of Broadcasters in Las Vegas, setup up a private screening in northern California for Opening Our Eyes as well as fulfilling the needs and travel logistics for three film festivals the film had been invited to. I had my hands full.

Before I even got on the plane to China, I needed a vacation.  I had one night at home after being in Las Vegas for a week, before I left home for a month in China.  Somehow, my body, mind and spirit got through the rigors of China.  My students’ eagerness to learn and my good friend, Todd Joyce, who was one of the teachers, buoyed my spirits. Having someone there to bounce things off of while sharing peanut butter and crackers (a comfort from home) helped get me through some tough times.

This past week, my body just gave out on me after being depleted for so long.  I happily gave into it, taking long naps, walking and just doing nothing.  I’m slowly, getting back to “normal” but at the same time, I recognize a bit of a shift taking place in my life as I wait for the needed momentum before I turn the page to my next chapter.

Once again, I realize that in taking myself out of my “norm” at various points in my life, I am able to step back and reassess where I’m headed and look at my future path with fresh eyes.  This month away – as hard as it was at times – has given me a new perspective on things that I thought were important.  It has helped me to bring closure with some things in my life that had been played out.

My body, mind and spirit will let me know when it’s time to head into the next chapter of life.  I’m not rushing it.  I’m enjoying the simple pleasures of life – a cup of coffee, a walk in the woods or cuddling with my husband on the couch, watching mindless TV. Perhaps we’ll go to the beach this weekend and take a bike ride on the boardwalk in the early morning hours.  Maybe take in a movie or have a hamburger off the grill.  I’m taking it hour by hour and not planning a thing.  I think that is probably one of my greatest joys right now is simply knowing that I can do whatever I want to do and whenever I want to do it.  My liberties are back and that’s enough for me right now – until my momentum returns for life’s next chapter.

Share Some Love Today

Reblogged from Journeys of a Hybrid:

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I came across a wonderful blog entitled “What Does Love Mean to a Four-Year Old?"

I thought I’d share some of the words and wisdom that came from children.

• “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.” Billy – age 4
• “Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” Danny – age 7…

Read more… 198 more words

Women and Photography

I have to get something “off my chest”, so forgive this mild rant.

Yesterday, I attended a conference in NYC.  It was a trade show geared to video production with an educational track.  I was sitting in on one session and there were only a handful of people in the room – I’d say less than 10.  I was the only woman in the room. The instructor went to each person in the classroom and asked them what they wanted to learn from his workshop.  He went to everyone in the room – but me!

I was sitting next to my partner, who is also my husband.  I suppose the instructor decided that he didn’t need to ask ME that question. I didn’t count.  Maybe because we were together and he felt that he only needed to ask one of us.  But if so, why not ask me? I felt invisible. It was an all too familiar feeling that I have had in my 35-year career as a photographer and now a filmmaker. But I couldn’t believe that I was still feeling invisible after all that I’ve accomplished in those 35 years.

When I started my career in photography, it was definitely a man’s world.  I was one of six women at Brooks Institute and the only woman in my graduating class.  I fell in love with a “Brookie” and we headed back East to make our fame and fortune in photography.
We’ve done a lot of jobs together over our 35-year partnership and we’ve done a lot on our own.  I needed to do my solo gigs because I felt I had to prove to myself that I could deliver the “story” or the task on my own.  When I worked with my partner, it was always assumed by the client or our peers that I was the rep for my partner – never the photographer.  People have always asked us why we refer to each other as partners rather than husband and wife – that’s why.

Perhaps that’s why I try so hard – but then again maybe that’s just my nature.  And maybe because I always give it my all, I can’t help but be surprised when I’m treated like I’m invisible.  At this point in my life, I can either let it bother me or I can think about who I am and what I’ve done and contributed to my profession.  I focus on that and I take every opportunity to share and talk to young people – women and men.

The irony is, in photo schools these days the women far outnumber the men, yet there are still instructors out there like the one that I encountered yesterday.  I have to ask myself why? I do know that in giving seminars over the last two years for ASMP, I would consistently get comments from women telling me how refreshing it was to have a woman teaching tech.  But they also told me that I wasn’t intimidating like some male teachers they’ve had.

So what’s the point?

I only have one point and that is don’t hire me because you need to fill the slot with a “female” – hire me based on what I’ve accomplished.  Hire me for who I am.  Think past the gender and teach your children well.

The Future of Photography

About 5 years ago while attending Photo Plus in NY, I noticed an interesting keynote talk on the docket entitled “The Future of Photography”.  When I arrived at the Expo’s theater, there was a sign at the entrance “The Future of Photography” with the word CANCELLED written across it, in red.  I laughed at the irony.

I think that was the first year that I spoke at Photo Plus and my topic was geared toward photographers who were thinking about moving into motion.  It was the only seminar listed that was about video or multimedia.  Yesterday, I received this year’s Photo Plus seminar line up.  Not only was there an entire track devoted to video, but many of the other seminars had video components to them.

What I didn’t see though was anything in regard to the “business of video”.  It got me thinking about the future of photography because for me the future will not define photography by the type of camera that is used.  A “photographer” will have a much broader meaning than it does right now.  Fast forward 5 years – a photographer will more than likely be defined, as someone who shoots both stills and video, or maybe even just shoots video and frames will be pulled from it later for stills.  That is not a science fiction fantasy anymore – it’s real and it’s now.

If you think about it, if we continue to narrow our definition of what a photographer is by the type of camera he or she uses, it may be a big mistake from a business point of view.  We separate ourselves from amateurs and hobbyists and call ourselves professionals not because we know how to use a camera – (these days pretty much everyone can and does – take reasonably good photographs)  – but because photography is our sole means of financial support.  That part is changing and professional photographers are supplementing their incomes by teaching or other things.

The word professional has always been a bit different in terms of photography as compared to other professions.  There’s no test you need to pass or license to obtain to be a photographer.  Just about anybody can take photos and sell them.  So what does it mean to be a professional photographer?  It certainly isn’t just about being able to take a beautiful photograph.  For me it’s about sustainability.  It’s about being able to make a living pursuing a craft that I love.

To sustain oneself these days as a professional photographer is to first acknowledge that  it means you are a visual communicator – regardless of what type of images you are creating. It also means that you must maintain sound business practices in order to be profitable.  I put a value on my time and more importantly on my vision.  I’m grateful that I live at a time that allows me the capability of producing, creating and monetizing my own dreams without the need for validation or a commission. In fact, these days with lopsided contracts that are not  written in the interests of the content creator, we are far better off producing and publishing our own projects and getting a better return as well.

I don’t have a crystal ball but I see a future that’s ripe with possibilities for all types of  imagery.

Will Your New Year be New?

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice.”
- T.S. Eliot

Happy New Year

This is the day that many of us make New Year resolutions. I prefer to look back over the past year and ask myself if I’m on track or on purpose in my life. As I look back, I congratulate myself for my accomplishments and forgive myself for my screw ups. I think about what made me happy and what didn’t. I think about the people in my life – family, friends and work colleagues and how different my life would be without them. I look back at the creative work that I’ve been doing and question – what jobs were satisfying to me and why? Were my creative efforts an expression of who I am and how I see things?

As I look back over 2010, I feel pretty good as far as feeling like I was “on purpose”. The economy was lousy, but I was able to stay afloat and fortunate to be in a position to pursue a “passion project”, that kept me alive creatively and also helped me grow as a human being. But I think the most important part this personal project played in my life was that it pushed me in every way possible and in doing so opened my eyes as to how I want to live my life – the rest of my life, however much time that may be.

None of us know how long we’ll be on this planet Earth. There may not be a next year, when you’ll get around to doing those things that you’re always telling yourself and others that you want to do. All we have is the “now”. So, as I look forward to the New Year and all the promise that it holds, I remind myself that my future is dictated by all those little choices that I make in the “now”.

It’s the little things we do along the way that control the life we live. The choices we make – the way we treat and react to people and circumstances – what we allow in our life that will ultimately determine our year ahead. So, in looking back at the old year, I’m reminded of what did and didn’t work well in my life.

In looking ahead, I won’t be making a list of resolutions, but will try to remember that there will be times, when I need to make those little choices in the “now” along the way. There will be moments when I need ask myself if I should take a job or walk away from it, or times when I need to remind myself that I can’t control how people treat me, I can only control how I react to it. I can only control what I allow in my life. Every day, I’ll be faced with hundreds of little decisions, directions in which to turn that may or may not be good for me. I will try to make the choices that will keep me on purpose.

Like Kenny Rogers sang “You’ve got to know when to hold them – and know when to fold them”. A great metaphor for how to look at life.

Don’t Become a Photo”saur”

A lot of people tell me that I’m way ahead of things since I got into video/motion over ten years ago. Most still photographers weren’t even thinking about video ten years ago. Neither was I. Nor did I have a crystal ball. But I am a visual communicator and that means that I am always looking for the best way to communicate the message or tell the story. And twelve years ago, it became possible and affordable for me to deliver the message with another medium. Not instead of still photography but in addition to it.

My desire to explore video and motion at the time, wasn’t coming from a “tool” point of view. It was coming from a cultural one. When I think about it, I wasn’t fascinated by the technology – I was fascinated by what people were doing with the technology. Fast forward a decade later and I’m just wowed by where all this has gone. Our culture has changed dramatically in the last ten years because of technology. And while that is still “fascinating” and like creative adrenalin, it’s also a game changer in how it has affected the business of photography.

Don’t get me wrong and think that my message is to tell you to get into video or multimedia so as not to become a photo”saur” and become extinct. That’s not what I’m saying. What I am saying is that the cultural psyche has changed. Take notice and adapt. That doesn’t just mean, change the subject matter you shoot or how you shoot it to stay “fresh”. And it doesn’t mean to buy a video camera or a hybrid and start shooting motion. Those are probably good ideas but probably not going to be what keeps you in business.

The old days aren’t coming back. The ways of doing business have changed. Technology is democratizing when it’s placed in everyone’s hands. Understand that. Know that your clients understand that. So, think past the tool and technique and focus more on who you are and what you can bring to your customers to stay relevant. Some thoughts to ponder:

• Who are you? (why do your customers come to you and not your competition?)
• What services do you offer your client? If you don’t offer video and your client needs to look elsewhere – you’ve lost an opportunity.
• Are you still a one-man band? I don’t mean you need a large staff but have you considered setting up a virtual company when you need it with editors, sound people etc.?
• Do you continue to learn?
• Are you still using a dated business model ? Consider different licensing strategies for new media.
• Do you utilize social media?
• Are you noticing who’s “coming up” – the new talent? Do you try to see them through your customer’s eyes.
• Are you interested in other things besides photography?
• Are you willing to take risks? Creatively and otherwise.
• Ask yourself the question – how would I have approached this if I was just starting out?
• Think of solutions – then look at those decisions at a total 180.

Learn. Grow. Adapt.

Don’t become a photo”saur” and become extinct.

Getting Your Train Back on Track

I was going to write about audio today, but my mind wasn’t there – it was elsewhere. That’s the fun part about it for me, I write if there’s something I’m thinking about.

This morning my mind was drifting to other things, like the highs and lows of the last couple of weeks. But when I have weeks that are like life on a roller coaster, I remind myself that I have to focus on the peaks and the thrills to survive the plunges. I also know that if I really want to live life then I have to be prepared for both ends of the spectrum.

I’ll share some thoughts that have helped me keep my train on the track.

• I love myself for who I am.
  If timing is everything, then sooner or later I’ll get it right.
  Work is not a negative word.
  Do what I love to do, regardless of what others say.
  Understand my adversaries – I may learn something.
  Some of the things that have upset me the most, have helped me grow.
  Value friendships.
  True friendship continues to grow over the longest distance.
  Understand, no matter how much I care, others won’t. That’s OK.
  Be fearless to love.
  Forgive those who have hurt me.
  Forgive myself.
  There’s a time for everything.
  Be fearless to keep trying even though I’ve lost before.
  If I create from the heart, nearly everything works.
  Be fearless to think that anything is possible.

And one more from Yoda –“ Train yourself to let go of what you fear to lose.”

Maybe I’ll talk about audio next week.

Don’t Let the Music Die Inside You

Einstein said “Logic will take you from A to B but imagination will take you anywhere.”

I have always had a vivid imagination, spending many waking and sleeping hours dreaming and picturing myself in all sorts of situations. Some of my dreams were just crazy ideas running through my head and some were very real dreams that I believed would come true. I was thinking about what I wanted in my life – not what I didn’t want.

Everyone has dreams for how they want their life to be but not everyone believes their dreams will manifest. The future has to become the present in one’s imagination. And one needs to commit to their idea for it to happen – not just have intentions. Intentions without conviction is a waste of energy.

At this point in my life, I have been focusing more and more on pursuing my thoughts and ideas that have been running through my head. It was a year ago, that I made the decision to embark on the biggest personal project of my life, Opening Our Eyes. I’m now in the midst of editing hundreds of hours of footage. It’s tedious because there is so much, and there are interviews in foreign languages that need to be translated and transcribed before I can edit them. All the files need to be transcoded, which is taking far longer than I imagined it would, but now that I have my workflow down, it’s going faster.

When I’m finished with this film, it will be the most satisfying and successful project I’ve ever worked on. I use the word successful to mean that it was an incredible accomplishment for me personally and professionally. That’s not to say that it won’t be financially rewarding, and in fact every personal project I have ever self-funded has always been profitable, just not immediately.

More importantly, by executing my ideas, without needing validation from someone else, I am following my purpose. I am doing what I’m meant to be doing in my life. That in itself is the biggest reward of all.

We all have our own music inside of us. Find yours. Don’t die with the music still inside of you.

New Stuff

I haven’t done a lot of tech talking lately, but a couple of new items have me thinking that way. Here’s some interesting news about products, firmware upgrades and video delivery.

To start with, for all of you who own a Samson H4N Zoom digital recorder, and have been frustrated that you aren’t able to independently change recording levels on inputs 1 and 2 – you now can. Here is a link to the firmware download and instructions.

For all you “big chip” aficionados, Sony just announced the PMW-F3

Sony PMW F3

camera with a 35mm CMOS imager. However, with a price tag around $16,000 for the body and an extra $7000 for a set of three Sony prime lenses, it seems more like a competitor in the RED market, rather than in the DSLR niche.

Read more about it on engadget

PhotoCinenews.com had a great blog post by August Bradley, a couple of weeks ago that I almost missed, Thoughts On Motion Portfolios.

August writes:

“We recently went through the process of re-designing our website with one of the primary new objectives being adding motion content. So I did extensive research on the websites of directors, cinematographers, and leading production companies to see how they presented videos. I was surprised at how little effort most are making in this area.

I suspect the thinking of the directors and cinematographers is that nobody hires them for a serious commercial gig by discovering their website. It’s very much a matter of relationships and playing the inside game.

But I also think the world is changing fast with the barriers to entry lowering in the motion world, and with talented people increasingly able to compete on creativity rather than on access to expensive cameras and lights. The importance of a strong web presence is rising and becoming fundamental for directors and cinematographers.

So I set out to find the best-in-class practices and leading suppliers of related tools. I found some methods of integrating and presenting video to be more engaging than others.”

Read more

PhotoCinenews has also announced that the DVD set of their 2010 PhotoCine Expo is hot off the presses. It’s an 8 disc set of presentations from 14 filmmakers. I am honored to be one of them and as one who attended many of the other presentations, I can tell you it’s worth every penny. Check it out.

Here’s a big piece of news released yesterday. ” Steve Jobs to launch iPad Newspaper with Rupert Murdock” by Chris Matyszczyk.

Chris writes:

“Women’s Wear Daily offers a report that this iPad-o-newsthingy, which has been in covert development for several months, will be called “The Daily.” It will, apparently, have as its pulsating spirit “a tabloid sensibility with a broadsheet intelligence.”

Oh, and there is a price for this melange of the tabloid heart with a broadsheet mind. A ticklingly enticing 99 cents a week.

The Daily will, apparently not enjoy such dated concepts as a print edition or even a Web edition. Instead it will be beamed straight to the iPad (or Galaxy, if you can afford one) from News Corp.’s high pod somewhere in Manhanttan.”

And here’s another milestone news item about YouTube. “YouTube: 35 hours of video uploaded every minute” by Don Reisinger

“YouTube attributes the growth to several factors. First, the company’s decision to increase time limits from 10 minutes to 15 minutes per video has helped. It also pointed to the site’s file size limit of 2GB. With the help of mobile phones, YouTube said that consumers are finding it relatively simple to quickly add videos to the site. It also doesn’t hurt that “more companies [are] integrating our APIs to support upload from outside of YouTube.com.”

Lastly, a thank you to everyone who has contributed to my film Opening Our Eyes, on Kickstarter.  We have gone past our half way point, meaning we are more than halfway toward our goal.  And to anyone who may be thinking of making a contribution – it’s a win/win because you get a DVD of the film if you make a $25 contribution.  The money will all go toward the hire of a professional editor who will give the film the polish it needs to have a chance at wider distribution – and with that, the possibility of inspiring more change makers in the world.  Here’s the link - please pass it along to people you know who may like to be a backer.

There you have it – a mixed bag of some interesting “new stuff”.

HDSLR Video – The Camera is Just the Beginning

Many still shooters make the same mistake when jumping over to video – they only think about the camera and the shoot. When this happens, what quickly follows is mild to severe panic when they realize that audio is even more important than the visual and post-production is video is far different than in stills. On top of that, if you shoot video like a still photographer – you’ll want to kick yourself when you get in the editing room.

The good news is there are plenty of resources when embracing these various skills and learning curves than when I started shooting video over ten years ago.

Here’s a few great sites, listservs and blogs that you should bookmark:

http://asmp.org/tutorials/video-tutorial.html

http://photocinenews.com

http://www.cinema5d.com/index.php

http://phillipbloom.net

newspaperVideo@yahoogroups.com

http://worldwide-studios.com/Worldwide_Studios/Resources.html

So have fun and remember, the more your learn, the more you realize you need to know.