Jeremy Kuster, my Co-Lead of Charlotte Photography Meetup Group, who also is an avid (or rabid?) local volleyball player created a unique photography opportunity. We would run an event at the Habitat for Humanity Mud Volleyball games and donate our time and prints to Habitat for getting licenses on the teams and spectators. It was a win-win-win by all accounts.
The games lasted a little over 6 hours and my gear has some mud still on it to show for it. We all had a fantastic time and brought home a bevy of photographs to share with everyone.
It is important that you value your time. Many non-profits look to photographers for free or discounted work when many non-profits make a considerable amount of money. Habitat is a fantastic cause and by working on the right level with them we were able to exchange value for value and thus make it a great event for everyone who participated. Next time you are wanting to work with a not-for-profit but can’t find it to be of sound budget, think outside the box.

If your workflow involves elements of video for clients then you are always looking for ways to make your life easier and stay quality oriented. Video is in and if you know how to transform your awesome photography into something more you are definitely going to make some happy clients and a great experience for all viewers.
Enter Animoto, a young upstart of a company that is revolutionizing the way photos, video, and music go together. The best part being it requires very little effort and the payout is huge. (more…)

The great thing about community is diversity. It is within that diversity that great things are created and moved forward. I’ve been participating in the local photography meetup group since August of 2007 and watched it really take off with members, education and outings. It has been a great experience and I’ve loved helping out. When someone else learns something, you can not help but learn something new yourself.
It’s no secret that I’m a Photoshelter lover. For photographers who sell stock they have a great collection offering solid returns and control on pricing from royalty-free to rights managed. Then they have their archive which offers seamless integration for which I house the rest of my materials.
When Photoshelter released their new brand I wanted one of their new shirts to have. I think that the box of conversation, images, and ideas, encapsulated a lot of ideas that I push out in the world. We were in NoDa with Spring blooming around us I thought of a good shot to take outside. Robin fired a handful of shutters amid curious onlookers and I processed them after the local Art Meetup was done.
After uploading it to flickr it found its way to PSC’s founders blog. What a treat. So before it slides off the radar completely I thought I’d capture the moment of landing on company who I enjoy, and a collection of blogs I love to read.
Continuing to share the love.
Recently we got back from doing stock shoots in Grand Cayman, BWI. An island that has seen it’s share of devastation from Ivan and other hurricanes is making a strong come back. It’s been a while since I did tropical work and I was quickly reminded by how elemental and feisty Mother Nature can be and how good it is to be ready for anything.