My last blog posting reviewed 3 important goals I had set for 2012. Now, as I look forward to 2013, I will share some goals for the new year as well. I reduced the list down to 5 goals and chose these 5 for reasons that I'll explain in more detail below.

Starting at the top of the list, my #5 goal is to avoid voting in any online contest, period! Some of my readers will understand this and others will not. Those that understand this goal understand it without explanation. For everyone else, I'll explain it a bit more here. Several businesses conduct online contests, usually aimed at models. The contests work something like this: a magazine holds a "hometown hottie" contest (yeah, I made that name up just for this example). The contest runs anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months. Hundreds of models enter the contest for the opportunity to be named "hometown hottie." All of the contestants are encouraged to solicit votes for themselves online. The contestants then turn around and badger everyone on their friend list--DAILY, to go to the magazine's web site and vote. Thus, perfectly awesome models are turned into social network spamming pests overnight. During 2012 I would offer up one vote for anyone asking for it. During 2013 I will simply unfriend anyone asking for votes.

Resolution #4 on my list is, "stop shooting wrinkled backdrops." That seems somewhat trivial but I've spent countless hours fixing wrinkled backdrops in images that should have taken no more than ten minutes to edit! The bizarre thing is: I know it is going to happen when I set the backdrop up but I choose to do nothing about it. My goal this year is to fix the wrinkles BEFORE shooting. This goal is also somewhat metaphorical for making sure everything is right in camera before shooting. I left a 5 pound bag of flour in that flour shoot that I pictured in the last blog post. The result is extra shadows everywhere and I had to copy and paste a foot in from another photo on more than one occasion. Again, I saw the flour there during the shoot and chose to do nothing about it. Live and learn--and I'm learning!

Resolution #3 is already in progress: blog more frequently. I establish long-lasting professional relationships with my clients--once they meet me. Isn't that part of the experience? You bet it is! My photo shoots are a blast but you wouldn't know it unless you are there. That is why I am hoping to share a little bit of myself outside of the studio, so readers can get an idea of what to expect beforehand and, hopefully, there jitters are put to rest.

Inspired from another photographer in Southern Wisconsin, I decided to start a Picture A Day (PAD) project for the next year. This is resolution #2. I will post the pictures here every day (hopefully). This is going to be one of the hardest resolutions to work on and I might have to take multiple images on one day and spread them out over a couple of days but I think it will be fun. I already went out and took some images today outside in Rock County. Instantly, I was reminded of my re-entry into photography several years ago. I had just purchased a low-end DLSR and I often times took drives into the countryside looking for interesting things to shoot. I got to learn the roads in Rock County rather nicely, thank you! 

That brings me to the final resolution for 2013. This is also a difficult resolution to make but it has been coming for a long time now. Photographers and models sometimes participate in "trade for" shoots, or TF shoots. Here's how it typically works, the model works with the photographer on a shoot. The photographer provides images, either digitally or in print, for the model. Ideally, both parties received something of value and no further compensation is exchanged. I've had a lot of these in 2012--more than I can really remember. The problem is, for me to get any value out of the images, I have to ratchet the shoot up. That means bringing in hair and makeup, costumes, props, special inventions, you name it. What happens is the trade value equation often becomes unbalanced and I simply ended up footing the bills and putting in the long hours to produce images. For 2013, I am putting that equation back into balance. I will no longer take on trade agreements with a model that does not have a well established portfolio. I have several models that I have worked with in the past and I feel they represent the High Impact Creations brand rather nicely. I will continue to work with those models to flesh out new concepts. Of course, if that roster shrinks I will recruit models to fill those positions. 

Along that same line, I will not participate in many group shoots in 2013 either unless there is a compelling reason to do so. As I've pointed out repeatedly in this blog, I strive to improve my craft and to do so, I must raise the bar by using professional hair stylists, makeup artists, equipment, and talent. These elements just cannot be guaranteed at a group shoot and when they are, it usually means several photographers end up producing the same images. High Impact Creations is about providing unique images. 

For models that wish to obtain high-quality images for their portfolios, I offer a very reasonable package that include professional hair and makeup. Your images should be unique, just like you, and that's what High Impact Creations is about. Who knows, we might just be impressed with you and ask you to become part of the creative fun when the opportunity is there.

Have a prosperous new year everyone!

jay