Monday, May 24, 2010

Photography's impact on your business

In today's marketplace we are innundated with so many offers and messages from similar businesses that it is imperative to figure out a way to set yourself and your business apart from the others in your field.

Be a trendsetter in your field.

You do your work differently than everyone else, you're not just like the other guy and you certainly have your unique way of doing things. It's time for you to take the bull by the horns and become a trendsetter. One thing that will put in front of the curve is to take the photography of yourself and your products a more seriously. The photograph is the first thing that most people see when they come to your site. In the the case of a product, it's what they are going to base their buying decision on, yet today so many entrepreneurs compromise on this very important part of their marketing. They justify it by telling themselves it's too expensive or they'll do it themselves or get a friend with a camera to do it.

Why compromise on such an important part of your business?  

Photography is as an investment in your company.  It is a reflection of how you view yourself and your business. We come from a place of service holding our customers in the highest regard giving them our best and part of our service to them is to hold ourselves in high esteem as well by honoring the image that we project in public.  This includes our photographic image.

Take a look at your own marketing materials, your website, ezine etc...

What is it that sets you apart from the plethora of people in your same industry?

How will you draw attention to yourself and get your brand identified?

There are several components to this one is the graphic presentation, another is unique attention grabbing headlines but the one thing that will set you apart immediately and communicate your message quickly is a great photograph or series of photographs that captures who you are or captures your products in the most visually arresting way possible.

We've all seen the typical headshot that makes you look like a very respectable person, but what does that photograph say about you and who you are? In addition we've seen photographs of products or facilities that are plain, don't show much detail, aren't well lit or just plain don't bring out the true quality of the product that you are selling.

One suggestion I would have would be to invest in a series of photographic images that set you apart from the others in your field. If you're a life coach or professional think of all the things that you do the hats that you wear in your business. Your customers will have an opportunity to get to know you a bit better through your use of photography on your website. When choosing a photographer look for someone who you feel comfortable with. Who brings something different to the party and can create a unique set of images that you can use in your marketing.

A great example of this is the way one of my clients Dennis Chamberland used the photographs that I took of him to create a unique web presence and business cards showing a more authentic side of his personality. It has allowed his prospects to get to know him a bit better visually without the need to read everything on his website.

Once you have the series of images created then have fun with them. Some clients use the images for different marketing pieces to accentuate the meaning of the piece. If you are in a specific field then you may want images that are photographed using an environment that is similar to the industries that you serve. The important thing is don't let the images go stale. Keep them fresh just as you do your business and the programs, products or services that you offer.

Remember it's your image so have fun with it and keep it fresh and alive, just as you do your growing business.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

5 A Day #8 - Italian Local Men

One of the things I love about traveling are the local people. No matter where I am I love to sit and talk to the local people if possible or at least watch them. I know it seems voyeuristic but I like to see what they look like, how they interact, what they eat, if I understand the language, what they are saying. It's the locals that make the trip for me. 

When I was in Tuscany for the first time, we arrived at the vineyard farmhouse where we were staying. They were having a party, celebrating their 20th year in business and Bastille day. Our hosts invited us to join the party. The people were so inviting and the conversations went well into the night covering many subjects from politics, to music, food and travel. It was a great experience. In Poland we went to a small village that was mentioned in a book that my wife was reading. We found some of the locals who showed us where the places mentioned in the book were. They found someone in the town who could speak english to translate what the grandmother and her friends were saying about the people who wrote the book along with those they wrote about. It was fascinating.

Men congregate in small groups. It begins at a young age. They get together to watch the women go by, talk about sports, politics have an afternoon drink or espresso and just take in the surroundings. It's a quiet time for them to unwind and contemplate life's questions. The images below just happen to be of local boys and men of all ages. They were taken in the area of Viterbo in Italy.

All images are for sale. They are printed to archival standards using 100% rag papers and archival pigment inks. Images are limited to editions of 25 for 13 x 19 and 15 for 17 x 22.

You can see more of my work on my website - www.ricomandel.com




Afternoon at the Café





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Tre Uomini





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Late Night Viterbo





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Viterbo Boys





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Under the Tree





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Friday, January 22, 2010

5 A Day #7 - Singular Images #1

There are times where random photos some how work together. Today my intention was to do 5 single images. The images that I shoot as I see them. They don't particularly go with any one series that I may be working on but they are good images. Images that are worthy of being seen. Some may one day end up as part of a series others will forever maintain the title "Singular Image".

It's interesting that this particular set of images was taken in two of my favorite cities, Krakow and San Francisco. These are examples of seeing the texture and patterns in things. The barber chair struck me as part of a bygone era of the mens barber shop. Simple, a gathering place which somehow seemed out of place amongst the high rises of downtown San Francisco.  The other four images are all examples of the study of patterns and texture. I love repeating patterns that lead you into or out of an image. Images when presented to the viewer, allow them to manifest their own story and stimulate their imaginations as to where the image is taking them.   The Manhole Cover is the perfect example of that. When I see that image it could be representing any era, it lets the imagination wander back in time. It was taken in Krakow in the Jewish quarter and I can't help but think how many thousands of jews walked these streets, the carriages and horses that went before. The colored patina of a metal door built between the great wars as part of a lookout post now stands in all its colorful glory that nature bestowed upon it over the years.  Then there are the repeating lines against the marble stair landing, which almost seem to transport people around the corner to the next set of stairs. These are some of the things that I sometimes think of sub-consciously while I am looking around to find an image or as I am creating a particular image.

It's interesting that all the color shots were taken in San Francisco and the Black & whites were taken in Krakow. Two vibrant cities where the old is part of the new and there is a rich history to both.

All images are for sale. They are printed to archival standards using 100% rag papers and archival pigment inks. Images are limited to editions of 25 for 13 x 19 and 15 for 17 x 22.

You can see more of my work on my website - www.ricomandel.com




The Chair




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Mailboxes




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Landing Stair




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Manhole Cover




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Colored Patina




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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

5 A Day #6 - The Windows of Auschwitz

My first trip to Auschwitz was in 1977. I was 16. I had been ingrained with stories of the holocaust since both my brother and I were fascinated and slightly frightened by the subject. I looked at books and saw films about it. Much of my family was exterminated during the war. My mother got out with her parents, from Vienna Austria, with one of last exit visas, on one of the last boats, in February 1940. And in 1977 on a trip to Poland to see where my grandmother came from my parents took myself, my brother and sister to Auschwitz.  At that time I was fascinated. I finally got to see the most infamous of the concentration camps. I didn't know that there were 2 camps one a converted army training camp, Auschwitz I" was the original and the other "Auschwitz II - Birkenau" was built about 3 km down the road by the Nazi's as a manufacturing facility for the final solution. It's raw material was people and it's final product incineration. It was built as an efficient killing machine with volume throughput capacities of over 20,000 bodies per day. It was efficient. There were plans drawn up, architectural models built and the final solution was constructed. From the main guard tower, in Birkenau, as far as the eye can see to the left and the right were barracks that housed the prisoners.

On my first visit I took photos of everything I could. There was also an anger that welled up inside of me against the atrocities and Nazis. In 1999 I went back and it was a more somber experience. I could hardly take a photo. On my last trip in 2008 I went with my family and my parents to show my children the camp. This time as I went around in the barracks I noticed the windows looking out onto a scene juxtaposed by electrified fences, barbed wire and beyond trees, blue skies and freedom. I put myself in the tattered shoes of the prisoners. How it must have felt to see this sight. What it was like to know that just a few short feet away was freedom, yet the obstacles to overcome were enormous and compounded by a weakened body. What was it like to look out and see this scene?  I can only imagine and that will never even begin to live up to the reality.

One image is through the peep hole of a solitary confinement cell with a small window looking out and a toilet in the corner. Who knows how many people were packed into it at one time. The last image is the only one from Auschwitz II Birkenau, it's from the guards perspective, the view from the main tower which each train passed under. I imagine the guards peering out, overseeing the trains as they brought in the days cargo for slaughter.

The perspective changes each time I go. We'll see what comes up for me on the next trip.

All images are for sale. They are printed to archival standards using 100% rag papers and archival pigment inks. Images are limited to editions of 25 for 13 x 19 and 15 for 17 x 22.

You can see more of my work on my website - www.ricomandel.com


Freedom is Just Over the Fence
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The Obstacle Course
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Looking Up From Solitary
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Obstacle Course II
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Tracks of Death
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Monday, January 18, 2010

5 A Day #5 - Arizona Desert

In 2004 I got my first digital SLR camera a Nikon D70. I was amazed at the quality of the images that it produced. Up till then I had been shooting film, having it scanned, then processing the images on the computer. The direct to digital was such a time saver and offered a freedom that I previously didn't have with film. The ability to change ISO as well as not worry about film and processing costs.

We took a family vacation to Arizona in 2004 to visit Sedona and the Grand Canyon. During this trip I noticed something magical about the desert, it's personality changes completely in the early evening. There is this light that happens just after sunset till it becomes night that offers a wonderful opportunity to capture images with a subtlety and hue not available at any other time except at dawn. The landscape takes on many wonderful hues. The light becomes soft and blankets everything around it with a cool even luminessence.

The desert becomes silent with the exception of the occasional Coyotes were howling in the distance.  It gave me an opportunity to think and contemplate life as I photographed my surroundings. After dark the sky became speckled with stars, more than one could keep track of.  As I think back on this time it was a wonderful experience which opened my eyes to that other magic light and the flexibility of the digital age.

All these images with the exception of the last were taken in Sedona Arizona at dusk or later. The last was taken at the Grand Canyon in the late afternoon. 




Agave




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Agave Curls




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Desert Detail #1




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Naked Tree




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End of the Road




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Sunday, January 17, 2010

5 A Day - Shadows Tate Modern

I couple of years ago I found myself at the Tate Modern in London. It was my first visit and I was there with my family. The museum is a wonderful space.  We were on our way out, but first the bathroom break as well as a stint in the gift shop kept everyone occupied. I was left alone in this grand lobby.  I sat and watched the people entering and exiting from the building as I waited. It was hypnotizing. I began to notice the shadows they cast and what they were doing. Then it struck me to start shooting. I had to capture some of these images.  I was more interested in the shapes rather than the actual people. In doing so I was able to let my imagination run wild as I made up stories for some while I was shooting. like playing with shadow puppets. Some people looked as if they were caught in a tractor beam, while others looked as if they were in a walking race. The shadows they cast added to the fantasy changing the shapes of their bodies or bringing me back to the story of Peter Pan. I'm not one to shoot many silhouettes, but in this case I couldn't help myself. It was one of those instances that was calling to me, it made perfect sense as I could not see it any other way.

All images are for sale. They are printed to archival standards using 100% rag papers and archival pigment inks. Images are limited to editions of 25 for 13 x 19 and 15 for 17 x 22.

You can see more of my work on my website - www.ricomandel.com
Click on images to enlarge.




The Light Will Guide You








Semaphore








On-Looker








Chess Pieces








Waiting





Friday, January 15, 2010

5 A Day #4 - The Hollyhock House

When I was a child my mother used to take me to Barnsdall Park on Saturday Mornings for a film making class for kids. I looked forward to it every Saturday. I let my imagination run wild as I made a new movie each weekend. Also at Barnsdall Park is the Hollyhock House, built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1921 for Aline Barnsdall. I remember climbing on the concrete walls and using it as a backdrop for some of my movies.

A couple of years ago I was in Hollywood with my Daughter Gabrielle and thought it would be cool to show her where her father took classes when he was a kid. She and I walked around and I showed her my old stomping grounds along with the Hollyhock House.

The Hollyhock House was an icon of my childhood.  I love the angularity of the home that combines the rough-hewn texture of concrete with some arts and crafts style details mixed in. After 30 years I saw it from a brand new perspective.  I was intrigued by the shapes of the house, geometric details and aztec like influences of the house. This group of images is a study of some of the interesting details from the back of the house.

All images are for sale. They are printed to archival standards using 100% rag papers and archival pigment inks. Images are limited to editions of 25 for 13 x 19 and 15 for 17 x 22.

You can see more of my work on my website - www.ricomandel.com
Click on images to enlarge.



Hollyhock House







Hollyhock Back Tower







Hollyhock Corner







Hollyhock Geometric Window







Hollyhock Back Door