photography
Turmoil
Feb 16th
I am exceedingly grateful to be a work at home/freelance graphic designer.
Last week, my father passed away (rather expectedly, aged 81 from cancer). His funeral was on Friday.
The ensuing family feud (courtesy of my stupid brother) took place shortly after.
By the weekend I was over it, and getting on with my life. I took it slowly, and decided to really get ’stuck in’ to work on Monday. Except that in the early hours of Monday morning Reebok started running a fever. Monday night he decided to wake up just shy of midnight with mild croup.
Today, I had a major deadline, that I managed to keep.
There is no way, that I would have coped with the stupid stresses of the past 7 days if I was in some dead end corporate job somewhere in a dingy grey building, stuck in high heels all day.
I am convinced that being able to work in my bunny slippers is the ultimate gift!
Had I been prone to breakouts of eczema due to stress, then no, last week would not have been pretty.
However, I think that the light at the end of the tunnel is drawing near.
So despite my limbs feeling like lead, and trying to curb an overwhelming desire to pack my macbook, and camera and run away to Amsterdam, I’m doing okay.
Thanks for asking.
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Marketing Postcard
Sep 7th
I’ve been working on a marketing postcard for the photography arm of my business.
Now because *I* am the client, AND the designer, it gets really hard! I can’t stick to my own brief, and I keep changing my mind. I eventually forced myself to pick a colour swatch from Adobe Kuler, and stick to it. I also went with a more elegant background, with a more modern shiny twist to the photographs in the foreground. I think things would be much easier if I were designing a marketing postcard for a Tacoma car accident lawyer! Because at least then *they* would have the final say.
It is indicative of the kind of photography that I do anyway, classic, beautiful, with a modern edge, so I suppose the brief is bang on! Well, at least I hope that my clients (both existing and new) will respond to it, and make bookings.
The back of the postcard contains details of my latest rates, and services, and of course all my contact details.
I’m tempted to add some contact details to the front page, and then turn it into a magnetic photo frame (the existing photographs get cut out) for people to put on their fridges with their favourite photos. It’s a good way to keep my contact details front and centre in their daily lives.
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Never Sacrifice Quality for Price
Jul 20th
This is something that one should always remember.
My mom always had a saying (in another language) which directly translated means, “Cheap buying, means Expensive Buying.” Referring to the fact that often buying cheap, ends up being expensive in the long run. As a Mac fan, this is SO true when it comes to buying PC’s. I went through THREE PC’s in one year, which simply either blew up, or the operating system suffered that blue screen of death. My beloved MacBook is two and a half years old and still going strong. Long live Apple.
This is also apparent in other areas of life. Riders (including myself) will tell you that the better quality breeches you buy, the more comfortable you are, and the more comfortable you are, the better you are able to ride. The better quality saddle you buy, the more comfortable your horse.
Now while there are always bargains to be had out there, remember that more often than not you get what you pay for. Sometimes cheaper prices (yes even in this current economy) can often give your buyers the wrong impression (oh well it’s cheap, so it must be rubbish).
Which is why I’m putting up my Photography and Graphic Design Rates. Ha ha. No, seriously. Because frankly, I’m worth it.
Just like this hazelnut latte I’m enjoying right now, is worth the extra $2 vs the takeout coffee I got from the Mickey D’s drive through this morning.
Price=Perspective.
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All Work is All Play
Jul 10th
What a joy to be able to do what I love. Graphic Design. Photography. SEO. All of it. I enjoy it all! I could nothing of so many people right now, that are stuck in jobs that they hate (in fact right now they’re clinging on in the current economic climate), which to me is almost nonsensical. But I realise that I am one of the lucky few that genuinely gets to do a job that I absolutely love. Sure freelancing has its downside too, but on the whole, the work itself is wonderful, stimulating and I love every aspect of it.
It is ever changing, and each project and graphic design job brings with it fresh new challenges, and each new photography client is a blank canvas (if you’ll excuse the ’sort of’ pun!).
So while I’m not stuck in a cubicle somewhere desperate to get away for a Caribbean cruise to retain some semblance of sanity, and a nice holiday would be very welcome, for now, I’m super grateful for all the fabulous work that has been put my way.
Graphic Design and Photography, you rock my world.
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Blog Header Design: Interrupted Wanderlust
Jun 19th
I’m currently working on a design for a blog header, for the blog, “Interrupted Wanderlust“. The author, is actually a freelance writer, and mom to three gorgeous kids.
The brief naturally specified that her three gorgeous bubkins were included in some way, and requested that each kid be given ‘equal billing’ – which I thought was really sweet.
Here you can see how the header is developing.
I started with a cleaner artistic feel, with just two polaroid style photographs. The blue is taken from her blog template.
I moved on from here, to a more tactile looking header, a wooden feel background, and I added some parchment style paper, given that the author is a highly qualified freelance writer, and tucked the photos in here and there, a bit like a desk might be at home.
In this latest version, the blog owner requested a more ‘travel’ feel to the header, given the subject of her blog, and this is why the elements such as the passport, globe, compass and airline boarding pass have been added. I’m eagerly awaiting the latest feedback from the client, as I’m really enjoying this project.
Isn’t it wonderful when you can do what you love for a living?
Update: Client Loved it! Hurray!
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The Ultimate Mac Office: Viewing Station
May 9th
Finally, a return to my ‘Ultimate (mac) Home Office’ series, I’ve missed it! For those of you who don’t know, I often showcase products that I myself would like to use in my future radically awesome home studio/design space/home office/zen den!
So for today’s showcase, let’s talk tv stands. Why, you ask? Why would a photographer/graphic designer need a tv stand? Elementary my dear Watson…
Every photographer needs an area with a plush, stylish sofa for her clients to sit on, with a whopping great LCD screen in front of them, so that they can view a professionally edited slidehow of their wedding/portrait sessions once they’re ready, so that they can fully appreciate what they have purchased, and to help them make buying decisions when it comes to prints/posters/canvas prints they want etc. The perfect time to do this of course is once the couple is back from their honeymoon, and really still in the glow from after the wedding, providing of course that the honeymoon went well.
They can also invite moms/dads/friends with to relieve their special day, and *those* folks might even purchase their own copies of the Wedding Photo Slideshow DVD. If you can showcase your work like this it not only looks professional, but also enables you to keep an eye on the news, or fashion trends or whatever you need to keep your eye on at work.
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One of My Favourite Industry Sectors
Apr 15th
Fashion.
No, not like everyone else, because I’m talking about Equestrian Fashion!
There is something so delightful, about equestrian fashion. Whether you’re a dressage rider, up on a giant warmblood, with your perfect topper, tailcoat, impossibly white gloves and leather full seat breeches, or if you’re a western trail rider, or happy hacker, there is a multitude of equestrian specific fashion out there.
One of my favourite brands is Ariat, Tuff Rider and Mountain Horse, they are such great quality products and so so cute/awesome and functional! Not to mention sturdy and hard wearing, because anyone who’s been around horses will tell you that if you wear it around horses, it will get dropped in the mud (or you will get dumped in the mud) rained on, slobbered on, with sweet horsey green grass slimey slobber (horsey kisses!), bitten, snagged on errant nails in fence posts, and generally face a lot more action than normal clothing. So it has to be good!
I love shopping for equestrian stuff, from funky hats to wear around the stables, to safety helmets worn whilst out riding. What are your favourite equestrian brands?
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More To Think About When You Start Your Photography Business
Mar 24th
One of the major things to think about, when you start a photography business, is whether you will run studio, from rented (or owned) business premises. Perhaps you’d like to start out by running a makeshift studio from home. Perhaps you’d like to start with no studio at all, and either hire one, for studio work, or even begin by not doing studio work at all.
It is in fact possible to do that, by focussing on natural light portraits, weddings, and covering things like sporting events.
However, if you are thinking of starting a studio, there is one item of equipment that is ALWAYS overlooked, and it must be considered, and that, is a POS system. You have to decide if you’re going to purchase a standalone unit, or if you’re going to use your computer, with POS software. Either way, it’s a very, very important item to consider, as the ease with which you can manage and track transactions is very important in ensuring that you are profitable as soon as possible.
Don’t forget!
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My Dream Photography Assignment
Mar 3rd
I’ve entered the “Name Your Dream Assignment” contest.
Please go and vote for me by clicking here: (takes you to the site where you can ‘pic’ the idea).
My dream assignment, is 3 fold:
1. To make myself available to do portrait shoots for those families who lost all their photographs in the recent fires in Victoria, Australia.
2. To photograph the Brumbies of the High Country, in Victoria/NSW, in their natural habitat, wild and free.
3. To photograph unique Australian wildlife (marsupials etc) in animal sanctuaries such as Healesville, with a particular focus on stories of survival after the recent fires.
I would sincerely appreciate your vote to make my dream come true!
Click here to go and ‘pic’(vote) for my idea!
If I could ask you to help me out, by also reposting my vote link on your blog posts today, or any other day you care to, I would be most appreciative.
Here is the exact URL for you to copy and paste.
http://www.nameyourdreamassignment.com/the-ideas/MacNessa/the-brumbies-of-the-high-country/
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How Fast Can You Run?
Feb 12th
As fast as a Leopard. (Yes that’s a Cheetah, I know, but I’m quoting one of Mel Gibsons earliest movies “Gallipoli” you philistine!) Come to think of it, why were they using the Leopard as an example of a fast runner in that movie? From what I know (which can be limited at times yes) they mostly hang around up a tree until the odd gazelle lollops by, and then they pounce. Or maybe it’s because they hunt at night, so no one can really see how slow they are. (!)
I think Cheetahs are awesome. I saw one up close recently at the Spier Wine Estate, where they also have a Cheetah Rehabilitation Centre. According to the guy who was getting a little closer to one than I would have liked to, Cheetahs pretty much run, and then pass out. They literally will run themselves to a burn out. So it’s best they have a successful hunt as many times as possible.
What’s my point? I’m not sure, but I suppose I do have running on the mind lately. I was looking at some treadmills the other day, and I could really use one. I already have the use of an elliptical trainer, but it’s no conducive to starting slowly, and building up, the way you can on a treadmill. Because everybody can walk right? To start off with. The elliptical immediately starts to kick my ass, like right after 2 minutes. Exercise is not supposed to be hard work. Heh.
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