Time for another post

Well, this post is LONG overdue... I don't understand where the time goes to. First off...

I'll be doing a book signing and photo workshop at Barnes and Noble in Cranberry, PA Thursday, June 12th at 7PM. I'll be talking a little about the making of my book, Pittsburgh: A Photographic Portrait and then giving a presentation that will help
photographers take better vacation pictures, use their camera better, and get more keeper photos. It is especially geared to photographers who simply would like to take better pictures and who are having trouble understanding what all those funny little buttons are on their camera. Please come out and say hi. The event is free and will last a couple of hours. And...they have cold air conditioning!

The two photos I've posted for this blog were rejects that didn't make the book for whatever reason, but photos I like.
They were shot at the Pittsburgh Zoo PPG Aquarium and the Scaife Gallery at the Carnegie Museum.

I've been quite busy both personally and business wise the past couple of weeks. Business has started picking up again and my senior portrait side is preparing for what looks to be the busiest season yet. I've also been attending a number of conferences and seminars that deal with the retail side of photography and how successful portrait and wedding photographers run their businesses. It is a whole different world and approach than what I've spent nearly 18 years learning and practicing in the commercial world. That side of the business knows how to make money and from what I have gathered many seem more interested in making money than shooting pictures.
Nothing wrong with that, but really different from what I learned where you have to eat, breathe, sleep photography 24/7.
For many portrait studios, it is a 9-5 job and I can tell that many of the successful shooters don't spend a whole lot of time after hours worrying about how they are going to make their next great photograph. I guess actually having a life outside of photography works for some people, but honestly, I'm not sure I'd be one of them. I do have many interests that isn't photo related, but in the back of my mind, I'm always shooting, even if it is just my imagination. This is something that photographer Jay Maisel calls doing, "visual pushups". I started doing them as a photo student where I would walk around guessing what a camera exposure would be and then taking a light reading with a meter to see how close I was. I actually got pretty good doing this! I'm also the weird guy you see walking down the street looking through two hands held close to my face (as cropping L's) framing up shots. At some point, I just quit caring about how crazy I looked because of my passion for the visual.

Another wonderful thing happened in May...I finally recovered from a ruptured/herniated back disc injury that I have had since last July. I wouldn't wish that one on anyone. Being in constant pain effects your personal life, work, and emotions. I worked through the injury the best I could and am so thankful I cleared the last hurdle towards well being.

My kids got of school for the year on Friday. My oldest, Mike is looking forward to attending Carnegie Mellon University Design School for the Pre-College program this summer. My youngest, Tyler will be in his first fencing competition since taking up the sport earlier this spring. College tours, vacation, and bass fishing is all on the horizon for the summer along with a bunch of portrait sessions and maybe even a little weed pulling around the house if I get ambitious (doubtful)!
Have an OUTSTANDING SUMMER!
Mark

QUOTE OF THE DAY: The satisfaction comes from standing next to 500 photographers and coming away with something different.-David Burnett