Future posts can be found here!!

So after much thought and testing, I have decided to move my blog to another host. Blogger has been very good to me, but I this new one fits more my brand. Short, clean, and to the point!

Check it out!

michaelmanphoto.tumblr.com

See you all soon!!!

M.

Guest speaker - Amber Terranova

Last week I met with a friend to dish the dirt and shoot the shit as we usually do and he told me about an email he received from Dawson college. Now considering we are both alumni, and I didn't receive that email i was a little peeved. Regardless, it was good news. On Monday Feb 15th, PDN's photo editor Amber Terranova was speaking for Dawson students on photographic trends in various markets. She spoke about how to navigate the world of art buyers and photo editors in order to reach the decision makers in the photo industry. As an emerging photographer, I jumped at the opportunity to join fellow colleagues and students and take it all in.

Coming from the mouth of a photo editor of a magazine I've been subscribed to for years, her advice was not taken lightly. Who to contact, how to do so and how often? A few key elements I took away from this two and a bit hour lecture were vision, "bodies" of work and not simply images and persistence. Those that stand out are the minority and its because of there vision. However, that alone may not cut it. Their vision must be expressed as a body of work or images and not single images. Years of effort to create large volumes of example to express a single vision is what makes them stand out. Finally, in order to accomplish such a volume of work, persistence will be what keeps you going.

I was happy and humbled to be there. If only that were all, also the following morning she graciously spent a few hours reviewing portfolios of those willing to share. In my opinion she may have kept a few comments to her self and was more gentle in judging the work, but the overall experience was a first for me and many attendees.

Since then, I've been assembling promotional materiel to send to local and American publications. Here are my preliminary samples.







Also, because i was actually paying attention here are a link to some of the artists she discussed:
Elinor Carruci
Ryan McGinley
Alex Prager
Cole Barash
Corey Arnold
Ryan Heffernan
Yassine Ouhilal
Kittra Cahana
Lucas Zarebinski
Brad Dececco
Jacqueline Di Milia
Redeye reps - Maren Levinson
Visitcenter.org
Lillian Bassman
Jim Fiscus
Terry Richardson (she didn't mention him, I just like him.)


Thats enough for now.

A little late, but hey!!

Well late last year, I shot some free time and used by shooting a friend. Let's call her S.B.
It was a pretty run and gun shoot, meaning that there was no prep, preprod or planning. Basically she needed some images and I was more than happy to indulge her needs... sounds dirty!!!
Her requirements were simple.
S.B.- I need shots of me.
Me - Ok cool. I'd love to help out. Do you know what you are looking for?
S.B.- Ya shots o me!
Me- LOL!! I get it.. I'll take car of it.
Now this isn't necessarily a quote of the conversation we had, but its a close approximation.
I have decided to shot a straight forward set, due to a time constraint, but I knew I wanted to stylize the images in post. So her image would be a starting point. Now these are tests, and I dont usually divulge tests to the public, but I dont think too highly of myself, so I dont really care anyways. Also I had a new toy I wanted to try out.

All images bellow are © 2010 Michael G. Manoukian ALL RIGHTS RESERVED and may not be reproduced used in any other way.

About the test I was talking about earlier, I had purchased an Orbis ring flash adapter for my Nikon Sb-800 flash unit. I loved the results. Didn't have much time to play more with it, but its been real useful for 3/4 shots of people or used in large aperture fill light settings.



This wraps up this post for now.

A new year to tackle

If you haven't noticed yet, we are now in 2010. Like most bloggers out there, I've been evaluating 2009. Evaluating my personal and business decision and how I did on my goals checklist. This checklist is put together every year around this time and briefly lists, well obviously, my goals for that year. Now as you may or may not know, 2009 was a year of firsts. I was fired, or "let go", for the first time in my 12 year professional life. I'm wasn't too upset about that because I not only started my first business, but at the same time my first successful business.

I learned more about myself last year than I probably wish I had. Growth wasn't necessarily a goal of mine, but I'm happy it happened. He'll, I didn't even think it was needed. Well that's one thing I learned.

Growth is not one of those things you can plan for, it seems to happen when you are most comfortable and the metaphorical rug gets pulled out from under you. What else, well I suck a few things I had never even considered to be that difficult.

A monkey can run a business. At least that's what I used to say. Really, you make a product or offer a service that people want, don't make it crap and people will want it. Now in my case, I started a photography business. 2009 was the first time I learned about invoicing, taxes, marketing, customer service, etc. All the "monkey business", as I put it, isn't "monkey business" at all. I offer a great service, which last year was focused on photo assisting. I am more than capable, knowledgeable, and experienced to offer a great reliable service to my potential clients. Well then why aren't they calling? Oh wait, duh dumb ass! They don't know you exist. Well that's where the marketing comes in. Now some are calling, I do a job and everyone is happy and now what? Well, I'd like to get paid. How much to charge for a job I've never invoiced or better yet, I've never actually invoiced anyone before. So I figured a competitive rate and how to invoice and taxation, both income and gov't. Then come the collection once the invoice is sent out, etc, etc. Every step of the way, I had questions and not many resources to get answers from.

So i searched, read, emailed and blogged, or more recently twitted, to get answers. Well I got them. A ton of them accompanied by another ton of questions and it went on. Growth just happened.

I'm looking forward to trying to decide on a preliminary list of goals for 2010. I know shit will happen along the way, like impromptu trips abroad or to Alberta or car accidents. So I'll adapt and learn and change the list. But for now here they are.

1- work more. 2009 was a food year for a starter but I'm greedy. I want more!

2- learn more. Again, I'm greedy, I want more.

3- meet at least one new person in my industry per month. So far that's the one I'm most excited about. Why isn't it number one? Well I'm greedy! Come on, try to keep up.

4- travel for work. I not asking for anything fancy, but I'd like to get away for a short time and combine my work with my passion for travel.

5- shoot more. Last year was a good time for learning new things about myself, nut none were artistic in nature. I need to meet more people (that's number three, still paying attention) and shoot more. I've got ideas.

6- blog more. I tend to only blog when I realize I haven't done it in a while. Now in definitely hooked on twitting, but that's a little restrictive. I sometimes wanna say more.

I'll stop there for not because that's all ice come up with for now.

I'll leave you with a few of my fav iPhone images I've taken.

Now, I take several a day, but I don't share all of them. Maybe that should a goal.

7- share more.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more to come. Like a new website design.


- Posted from my iPhone

G.O.M.A. (read to find out more!)

CAPIC newsletter submission.


"Itʼs noon on Thursday november 12 ʼ09, I log into my emails for the first time in a few days. Finally have a chance to look through my buffet of blogs and unread tweets. Iʼm still barely awake and trying to recover from a 14 straight days of crazy jobs. I was looking forward to relaxing with friends and enjoying the unusually warm November weather. Now, itʼs 12:30 and what do I notice? Chase Jarvis (chasejarvis.com) is speaking for CAPIC Toronto in 7 hours and Iʼm 6 hours away in Montreal.

Iʼve been religiously following Chaseʼs blog posts and tweets for 2 years now. Needless to say, I registered for the talk, booked a hotel for that night through Hotwire and drove to Toronto.

My spontaneity was not in vain. At the Gladstone Hotel, Chase spoke about social media. If you donʼt know what that is, you are already behind the times. Through his charm, enthusiasm and charisma, Chase delved into uncensored details about his
blogging, twitting, behind the scene videos of major international campaigns and volunteer work in the photo community. However, the night did not end when his speech did. After his book signing, and until a little past 1 am, Chase casually sipped his beer and chatted it up with those of us who stayed behind. No matter the question or number of beers or time of night, he was just as excited to be there, then we were to hear him digress.

I woke up one day, spontaneously drove 6 hours to hear a man speak, spent the evening and part of a night drinking and conversing with him and others present, checked in to my hotel room for the evening and drove home. I met great people, had a great time and Iʼd do it all over again in a heart beat.
Michael G. Manoukian
www.michaelmanphoto.com
“When the choice “to go or not to go” comes up, the answer is always “go”.”
Chase Jarvis"

I've previously posted about G.O.Y.A., which stands for get off your ass. Well last thursday I Got Off My Ass!!!

My goal for the end of this year is to participate in Help-Portrait.com event and try to travel for Worldvision.ca and document children. Go big or go home!!!