November 03rd, 2018

Where have I been?

Where have you been? Busy. Around. LOL Seriously, I have been doing art just really not able to post it on social media. In 2011ish I went to work for CPI corp as a manager of a portrait studio: Picture Me! I did any where form 2-30 photo shoots a day an just didn't have a lot of time for anything else art wise. The company had a policy of they owned my work so I couldn't really share my portfolio. I shared a tad of it when the company laid us all off. Since then I've filled in for The Picture People in Chicago for a season in the second busiest malls in America. Sold $1100 in one sit even! Not liking the two hour drive back an forth I looked for something else in photography. I ended up traveling working for Lifetouch who recently got bought out by Shutterfly. Then I settled into Mom365 doing new born photography.

What I've found is I miss managing my own studio.

I've been in management my whole life, an it combined with an actual art form kept me happy. The kinda happy you wake up bouncing out of bed thrilled to start a new day. I'd like to manage a studio again for someone else or start my own in the right location. The problem with that I'm running into is there just aren't studios around my area anymore hiring managers. I think their might be two portait studios left around the Rockford area: Portrait Innovations & JcPenny. I'm not even sure Pennies is actively in the area anymore. So I've kinda hit a brick wall in my field of work. I'm actually being left with the only option being open my own studio.

An I have been doing photo sessions “on the side” to keep me in practice but with it comes a slew of headaches. One of them being a proper location for a studio. I work out of my home now but a little uncomfy with people coming an going from my home. In 2016 someone broke into it an stole both my camera an other stuff an wreck the place. I wasn't too happy about having to replace those items. Or the mess an it really but my guard up. My former studio was in a high traffic location: the entrance of Walmart in Beloit. I dealt with all kinds of people, but no one could break in an steal things. I had Walmart security team there to back me up if someone tried to steal some thing or bully me. So security has been an issue on my mind from all this.

In studio, since there was security if someone got aggressive: An they do just about every Christmas Eve all you had to do was ask them to leave. If they wouldn't security would get involved. There was some sort of protection from the part of the public that doesn't understand boundaries. Or thinks it's okay to try to start a fist fight with the photographer. Not so out on your own. And during 2015-2016ish I had some online stalker freak bothering me an it even went so far as deleting all my 800 or so Facebook contacts. So I'm completely starting over networking wise, with the exception this page. I opened a new page just for the photography: If you'd like and follow it: https://www.facebook.com/mrpdstudio/

So anyway, the situation got me thinking about my own security out on photo shoots. It kinda scared me off from doing them outdoors or in my own home studio. I took some leads, did them an you just never know what kinda person your going to be dealing with. So it's kinda why I stuck with Moms365. LOL You can't get a more secure setting then a hospital setting of newborns. Plus I love the babies an the photography from it. I just can't share it online: patient confidentality. But I'm fixen to take a stab at running my own studio despite the security issue. I think I've found a solution of just taking someone with me. An hire an assistant if I have to just to keep it safe. But here is the other problem I'm running into: The Internet LOL
Or should I say photographer hacks. I hate to call them that cause they are just people who want to learn and be better photographers. But the problem is they don't understand the industry. They don't price the product correctly and underbid those that are good who do. It makes me want to bang my head on the desk every time I see a “newbie” ad stating they will do a photography session for $60. The true rate is around a $150 for an hour. You have to include assistant, your pay, the time it takes to edit, travel time, studio overhead ect. They are wrecking the industry! Consumers see that kinda pricing an think professionals are going to do it that cheap: An we just aren't going to. An you add prints into the equation an your looking at at least $250-$350 to get portraits worthy of hanging on your wall.

Don't get me wrong, I love the internet. I just don't like some of the effects it's having on established professions. Namely mine lol Photography. Major studios in the industry are caving in because of it. People are so use to seeing so much photography online they are taking it for granted. I'm getting a lot of: No, I don't need the professional's photo: I'll just take one with my phone camera. This millianal generation is very much I'll get around to printing it later too. Which they don't or finally figure out: It's expensive to print. Let alone own a full wall of family prints. The family photo wall at my house probably ran about $5000 over the coarse of time. Ironically though, printings doing better then it's done in a long time. How do I explain this: It's like when the instant camera came out.

Suddenly everyone was a photographer and had to have one. Which was great for printers. Saved their industry probably. But it about killed the photography industry briefly in the seventies. Until........until people started figuring out the difference between home photos and professional photography. People started to get they still needed to go to a professional once in a while. Thank god, my mom got that or all we'd have is badly lighted Birthday & Christmas photos to look at. An I appreciate those home photos but I highly value the portraits on my wall too.

An I'd like others to as well. Cause they are precious memories. An well that's what I've been up to the last decade: Photography

I have been working on other art, just not as much. That's fixing to change as I go into the fractal acrylic pouring more. I'm just learning it. I also have mural I'm fixing to start that I think will be perfect hanging over at one of the bars (Whiskey's Roadhouse or Rockton Pub & Grub). Plus I intend to get way more into the Photoshopping art. (There has got to be a better name for that) So, you should be hearing more from me as I start a book, getting back into blogging. Lot's of plans in the mix. You know, gotta leave that legacy for the kiddos. If you have a certain question you'd like to ask the artist or topic you'd like to hear more about. Inbox me! Plus don't forget I have several paintings still up for sell on the page.