Are they listening to You?

 Are They Listening to You?

My wife and I were talking about a mutual friend and she made the statement that “He thinks he has something to say.” We were talking about his seeming frustration when it seemed others were not listening.

Are people listening to you? Most of us have something to say.  Are they listening?

My Rhetoric Professor in college graded on two major categories.  One was “do you have something to say?” or content.  The other was “Did you say it well?” or delivery.  Here are key elements of those two categories.

 Do you have something to say?

·         This is audience dependent. Are they interested? Is it below them? Here is where feedback is critical.

·         You must have valuable content and convincing arguments.  Titles (Pastor, Doctor, Professor) don’t work (at least in the U.S.) like they did years ago. Your audience must be persuaded by something other than “because I say so.”

Do you say it well?

·         This goes beyond good grammar. Do you say it with passion, with concern for the other person? Do you listen to their questions and comments and allow them to modify your thoughts, or do you just argue to win an argument?

·         Most people don’t read today.  Video would be better. (I should practice what I preach.)

·         Short is better than long.  Many have a short attention span.

Keep listening and getting feedback. Adjust your message and delivery based on your feedback.  Listen before your speak. Relationships and trust-building are valuable, and actions often trump thoughts. 

First three steps for a career in modeling.

First three steps in becoming a Professional Model

I have worked with models for decades. They often ask me how to get from being unknown to a paid model position.

Many have wanted the attention, the fashionable cloths, the glamour of being a model.  Here are the first three steps to take.

    1.    Make a declaration.  Let people know your interest in modeling. Sign up at such internet sites as Model Mayhem (modelmayhem.com), or One Model Place (onemodelplace.com). Take any images you have of yourself and get listed (it’s free).  Answer all who write you. Check out the work of the photographers and book sittings with the ones you trust. (Tip: if they do not allow you to bring an escort, you may want to think twice about working with them.) Be professional. If you say you will be there, be there on time and ready to work 

2.   Practice. Get a full length mirror, some fashion magazines and practice getting into the poses from the magazines. As you practice, watch for details like hand and feet placement, where they eyes are looking and the expression on the face.  The poses may feel very uncomfortable at first. You may feel foolish posing in the mirror, but we all feel foolish learning new things, but with practice you will feel more comfortable with the poses.  The quicker you can look like a model to the camera, the quicker your rise to fame will be.  

                                                                              

    

Im  3. Improve your portfolio and images.  The better your photographs look, the more calls you will get and the quicker you will be paid to model.  Great images may be costly. I would recommend a makeup artist (MUA) and the best photographer you can find and afford.  Try to get as many different looks as you want. Some photographers may trade for photographs, but often the better ones will want payment.

When you are on a photo-shoot, always act professional (even when the camera is not pointed at you) and demand professionalism of everyone else there.

If you find these ideas helpful, please follow this blog. Leave any comments and questions you might have, and I will answer. New information will be posted in a few days.

Thanks. Allen

Dba Artistallen.com

How to take better photographs, improve the background.

I had a photo - shoot this week of a beautiful young model, but there was a challenge with the background.  We were in buildings with broken glass, doors and lots of holes in the roof.  Because the eye tends to go to the brightest place in the image, you as a photographer want the brightest place to be the face of the subject. But if they are in a building like I had it is hard to position the subject so that there is not a bright spot behind them competing for attention.

Sometimes I did well

Sometimes I did not do well. And you can see from the images below how the brighter places compete for attention.

But we both had fun and we did get some beautiful images, which is what really counts!

I Passed the written test! Now for the images!

I got back from a trip to Manassas, VA to find that I have passed the written section of the Certified Professional Photographer exam.  Yea!!

Now I have to submit 20 images for the full certification.  Anybody want to be photographed?  The next 18 people who contact me to be photographed, I will not charge the sitting fee if you mention this blog.

More work to do.

And lots more marketing.

Memories in Photographs

I was sitting yesterday with my oldest son, Marshall and my laptop was open and went to the screensaver function.  Marshall started making comments about the family photos on my screensaver, about how his brothers have changed and remembering the family times when they were younger. Now they are all grown and gone, and I sit looking at my beautiful wife (as she works on her laptop).

I am, first of all, thankful for the family that I have been blessed with and our years together.  I am also thankful for the memories and the photographs that bring those memories to the forefront of our minds.  But I thought of something else.  I once told someone that I would not be doing them any favor if I let them put their photograph on their computer - which would someday crash and end up in a pile of garbage.  So, my thought for the day is: save your photos on your computer and enjoy them today, but back them up on a DVD or some other external memory because your computer will not last forever.

The older the memory, the sweeter they are to remember.  Save the images of your memory.

A few of my favorite images from the Leadership Summit.

I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite images from the Leadership Summit that I am photographing.  I must admit that I love these images more because of my affection and friendship with the people in the photographs, but the lighting is good also.

News, determination and hope

I am sorry that I have not blogged in a while.  I was photographing a Leadership Conference yesterday and today and am encouraged to make some changes in my life.  And maybe a blog is part of the changes that need to be made.

One of the speakers was Seth Goden who talks about the changes in our culture and how it effects everything in our lives.  If you are interested in his ideas and blogs, see sethsblog.com or google "Seth Godon".

One of the other speakers that impressed me was Leonard Schlessinger and his call for action when everything is uncertain.  Can today's world, with the economy and all the changes be called anything but uncertain?  A book that you could look up is Action Trumps Everything.  I am looking forward to reading the book.

I guess if there is anything we need now, in today's world and in my world, it is probably leadership.  I feel a paucity of leadership on many levels - from the Federal Government (that is acting more like two war-lord groups fighting over turf) down to the organizations that I work with on a daily basis.  Maybe it is time for all of us, as Seth would assert, to arise and take our place as leaders in the world.

So, challenge me if you don't see a new blog for a while - or if you don't hear about other blogs being tested. Maybe a blog on how to take better photographs. Maybe a blog on being a ditch digger (I'll let you wonder about that one for a while.)