What's the story?

Do you ever hang out in places - whether doing work, having a cup of coffee or just waiting for someone and you make up stories about the people you are seeing?  Maybe it is just me, but I like to think that many of us, especially in the creative end of the business - make up these incredible stories about what is going on with this person, who they are meeting, where they have been.  

Ironically, as I thought about this more and more - I realized the correlation between creative minds creating imaginary stories and photography visionaries creating stories with their images - especially still photographers.  One image needs to capture a lot of information - so that the person viewing it can see the details and get it.  I love that!  It's kind of what makes me want to do, what I do each day.  Create a story in one shot (okay - sometimes maybe a few more images than that - but you know what I mean).

So, here's an image.  Joshua shot it......there is a story behind it.

What's the story you think it should tell?

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Something new...........

Ah, putting together a new book.  It takes SO long and is very hard to do.  I'm sure many of you creatives know exactly what I am talking about when I say that.  Lots of long hours struggling to make choices and edits - yet when it is done and people get to look at it and you share your work, it is all worth it.

I was thrilled to meet with Joshua a few weeks ago when I was out in Los Angeles.  It was more of a culmination of many back and forth emails, skype visits and phone calls - resulting in a fantastic book and some pretty incredible imagery.  Some of it I was familiar with and some was entirely new and exciting work that sends a chill up your spine.

Can't wait to share and can not wait to meet many of you in person because BOY does it look good.  Congrats Joshua!

Want to see the work?  Give me a call.

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Joshua............LIVE

Yep.  It's LIVE.

We are excited because Joshua has spent a ton of time pulling together a new site.  It calls for a few minutes of your time and yes, may be partial, but I SO think it is worth it.

Grab a coffee or your favorite libation and peruse.  Fun stuff and an adventure at every turn.  It's pretty much just like Joshua.  Fun. Driven. Passionate. Adventurer.

If you have some feedback.  We're all ears.

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

It's all in the Details.

What a majestic shot!  So many subtleties happening everywhere you look.

Ironic to see this right at this moment in time, as so much of our life seems a bit of a blur.  Yet if we take a moment and really study the details, there is so much more to it.  Don't you think?  I believe that is one of the reasons that I love being a part of the creative process because for all of the hurry up and rush - that often happens, there is a HUGE amount of beauty, just need to peel open the onion and check out the layers.

Creativity is really keeping your mind open, pushing the boundaries, seeing things in a different way, taking risks, checking out all options and sometimes thinking out of the box.  We all could use a little bit more of this in our every day life.  Details are massively important - not just broad sweeping thoughts and approaches.  We need depth and texture, insight and communications, friendship and support.

Joshua and many of the photographers that I work with, strive each day for expanding the boundaries.  Thinking out of the box.  Finding the details and highlighting them appropriately.  Working collaboratively and communicating all along the way.  I am lucky - what a great group of people to work with each and every day.  It's all in the details!

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Are you in or are you out?

Aren't we always looking to be included?  I don't know a lot of people that truly are "okay" if something is going on and they are not included.  It's like Civil Rights - we are all to be afforded the same rights - no matter what.  That's pretty powerful.

We are ALL supposed to be welcomed and included.

Nature is one place that are all welcome.  In some cases, it is harder to jump in and be involved if one is dealing with a disability, yet there are ways to work around or conquer that obstacle.  Life is filled with obstacles.  Photography is filled with challenges.  Each day normally presents a certain amount of trials and it is all in how you handle working through those situations that determine the outcome.

The outcome, if approached correctly, can be fantastic.  Include all voices and perspective.  Think if it's been a collaborative process and if the answer is yes - you probably have a winner product on hand.  Pure satisfaction and teamwork.   Success!!

Joshua strives for a collaborative process with all of his jobs - he's one of the team to make it happen.  We'd love to be teammates with you on your next project.

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

On the horizon........

It's a new year.  A fresh start.  Time to begin again.  Reset.

As cliche as it may be - there is something about a restart being given to you every 365 days that is amazing.  To me, it's kind of like a kick in the tush.  A reminder.  Go forth, do what you love and love what you do.  Yes, we all need to make money to help raise our families, keep a house over our head, but we also need to feed our soul.

I enter this year, grateful for all I have - my health, my family, my friends.  All of you.

We are here to help you achieve whatever it is that you want to do.  Not sure what is on the horizon, but I certainly love being on the look out, guessing and putting myself out there to make it happen.

Now go.  Who knows what's coming!

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Follow the leader................

Don't you remember playing games as a kid, like Capture the Flag, Simon Says or Follow the Leader?  These games as kids actually started putting each of us on the path toward how well we could do things in the future.  Things that we learn early on, help us as we navigate our direction down the road.  

When on are on a job, you need to pull out all of these learned items and put them to good use.  You must be able to work well with others, show teamwork and patience, navigate differences of opinion, understand the assets and capabilities of people around you, collaborate on ideas and perspectives...........whether it's for business, sports, production and basically, life.

Today, I'm sitting, working on the computer on a production (kind of like study hall), with client, agency and production all lined up working, and our week, so far...........has entailed all of these areas of expertise.  Ironic that along the way - all of our skills have been mustered from experience and some people get it, while others are still learning and working on that craft.  It's simply the way it is.  Fortunately, like follow the leader - we get to learn from each other and store that information away and pull it out sooner or later.

A little bit of knowledge is taken away after each shoot, each job, each experience.  It makes us better and hopefully it improves who we are, as we continue on the path of life.

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Be yourself.......you're pretty amazing.

Joshua shared this image with me and truthfully, it got me thinking.  We are just a small part of a big puzzle.  Every day we make decisions that have a larger impact on something else.  Small things, big things - bottom line.........everything is effected by what we all do, who we are and how we live.  That's pretty powerful when you think about it.  It means that we have an importance, that each of us hold so much incredible "stuff" inside us and that we matter.

Like the stars in the sky.  They all look pretty much look alike, but in the end they all are special for their own individuality, but they weave together to form an amazing canvas when we look up at night.  This picture captures that feeling for me.

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Another Day. Another Mountain.

Basically, aren't you being challenged every day?  Some days, the challenges are a bit more than others.  Most of the time, it is about staying focused and staying on track.  Accomplishing something, not merely existing.

I think we all need to recognize that each day provides us with choices.  What work we want or have to do and how are we going to approach getting those things done.  We can choose to just execute OR we can choose to execute with people that we want to be with, people that we believe in and people that we can count on.

Choose wisely.

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

It's all about perspective.

We are all fortunate and get to "see" things from our own being.  Some of us see, some of us feel, some of us hear, some of us think.  We all do it differently, but it is all about using our senses and grabbing pieces of information and having a take-away.  Whatever that take-away is.  There is something about Joshua's "perspective" that always draws me in, wanting more.  I just read a comment from one of his followers and she said, "Your photographs are beautiful.  I feel better just looking at them."  I do too.  I also love that with each one, they allow me to create an incredible story in my head about what was happening and what else he must be seeing.  It's all about your perspective, isn't it?

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Adventurizing has never looked SO good!

How amazing is this view?
How beautiful is the blue-green of the water?
How lush are those trees?  Shots like these are not few and far between for Joshua, as these are the views he works to find.  Those spots that aren't so easy to get to and are exceptionally hard to get.  Joshua knows how to "get out there" and does it ALL the time.  I actually have a hard time trying to edit many of his landscape images because each of them seem to have a different story they are telling and each story is one I want to hear.

What about you?  Have a story to tell?

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Endless possibilities..............

Each day we have a choice of paths that lie ahead. 

What to do?  Who to speak to and support?  Where to go?  

A lot of unknowns with many decisions to make.  I recognize that with everything going on in our lives - there is a lot of noise and it is what we choose to do with all of that noise around us, that makes our life full or hollow.  The path I choose is the path that works for me.  It is decided upon to support my family and friends and the incredible people that I work with, day in and day out.  You are who we choose to do things with.  We'd like to broaden that group and show how much we have to offer...............endless possibilities lay ahead.

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Moment in the Sun

Awaken the sun and all on the earth beneath.  A breathtaking perspective captured by Joshua reminding us of the glory we have available to us each and every day.  I marvel at the view, but even more, I am continuously in awe that Joshua has found the right perspective and allowed us to jump into his "plan."  What an incredible moment in the sun, glad we could be a part of it.

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Your Choice.

The choice is yours, which path lies ahead.  You can cross the bridge and head into a potentially unknown territory or play it safe and never make the jump.  This morning, as you consider all of your options, will you stay in your comfort zone or might you take a chance.  There is a lot of opportunity out there.  Your choice.  Safe of get out there?

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Flying High

Joshua has this thing about him.............something about always being out in the midst of the action.  It's one of those amazing qualities that for me, makes him.....well, him.  He is all in.  There is NO halfway for Joshua and that goes for his athletics, life and his photography.  He's the kind of guy that you want to work with because he pushes you and the project to its limits.  Take a look at more of his work ~ you'll see what an asset he can be for "getting it."

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Marketing.........oh yeah!

Marketing.

It is the bane of our existence in the photography/advertising/commercial industry, isn't it?  It is somewhat a necessary evil that I wish didn't need to exist, but I understand the push and pull of needing to get it done.  It is an important element, so people out there know about you, your capabilities, what you shoot, how you work and basically - YOU!

I can't say that years ago in High School or even College,  I ever thought that I would be marketing myself or others.  That simply wasn't one of the things that I got taught when I was in school, but quickly after getting out into the "real world" - I got it.

So, Joshua Weinfeld, one of my photographers is getting into the marketing rhythm, direct mail, e-mail blasts, personal emails, calls, follow-up and more........the wonderful myriad of ways to reach out to others and say, "look at me, look at me!!"  Although, in Joshua's case and in my humble opinion, all of my photographers ~ you SHOULD look at them.  They are AWESOME!  Capable photographers with skills that make you marvel and personalities that make the experiences enjoyable and quality people that make you glad that they are a part of your life.  Seriously.

I guess marketing CAN be a good thing, especially when it can introduce or re-introduce good people that are incredible photographers, that can help you create KILLER work!

Cheers!

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Dreaming of Winter, and all the thrills........

Oh yes, I am sitting here working feverishly today. Mailing lists, postings, calls and estimates, but in the back of my head - I am still dreaming of Winter with snow and making some runs down a mountain full of speed and wind running past my ears. The sights and sounds that happen and the pounding of ones heart, as the thrill of tackling the mountain is eerily similar to a crazy production, filled with twists and turns where you don't know what is coming, but you are prepared for anything. It's the life of a thrill seeker or a producer, at least that is how I see it. It's kind of funny how a producer is ready to deal with anything that is thrown their way and actually, that's a lot like an athlete that is ready for anything that comes their way. I love the "fever pitch" and look forward to each opportunity to tackle the mountain and the work. Joshua is also a thrill seeker and actually - all of the photographers that I work with are a bit like that. We all have passions - that is what makes us special and able to take on the projects that come our way.

Thanks for all of the thrills ~ keep them coming!

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

What a way to begin the day AND the week...........

There is just something exhilarating about seeing all of Joshua's adventures and posts. I love that he combines his many talents and passions. Can't we all be so lucky? Out on the path, on our own or with a friend, enjoying the outdoors and sights and taking it all in through your eyes and sharing it through your camera and your way of documenting and creating this incredible vision for others? Simply amazing. I marvel at his tenacity of planning and executing in multiple ways. Go get em' Joshua and enjoy your day!

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Long and Winding Road..............2012, here we come!

This image that Joshua shot actually seems quite fitting, what lays ahead is an adventure. Not exactly sure what is ahead, but I am sure it will present with plenty of challenges and will provide excitement along the way. I'm up for the challenge and look forward to partnering with many of you to see what awesome work we can do together. Let's get going on this new path!

www.joshuaweinfeld.com

Personality is packed within.........a little passion doesn't hurt either!

Since meeting and working with Joshua, I have come to realize how personal someone's bike really is. I mean, avid bike riders are on their bikes for hours a day and I really think they show a lot of personality about who the person is. Joshua rides a ton and has really found an incredible way to allow two passions to collide. Interestingly, many of my photographers have passions that they showcase through their photography. This month, I am going to focus on some of that "love" and "passion." Gotta love passion!

www.joshuaweinfeld.com