My Week in LA, May 2012

Hey guys - Sorry it took me a little bit to blog about my recent trip to LA. I actually meant to blog each day I was down there, but after shooting each and every day, mixed in with my meetings, I had absolutely no time for it down there. SO, here is what happened…

DAY 1 - Had a great flight, met a really nice woman on the plane, and arrived in Long Beach to get prepared for the intense week ahead. My call sheets were already finalized, my storyboards done; now it was just a matter of getting my equipment and mind prepped.

DAY 2 - Meetings with three artist agency owners in Hollywood for portfolio reviews, meeting with bookers at Elite Model Management in Beverly Hills, and then a swimwear shoot for Maxim & FHM with Ashlee Ricci in Malibu. So packed, but so perfect. Loved the light that day and loved the results. I’ve already finished editing that shoot, but I can’t post the images yet until they are printed by the magazines in a couple months. Really wish the magazines didn’t have that rule (but I completely understand)!

DAY 3 - Meetings with other modeling agencies and one more artist agency, then an editorial fashion shoot with Stefanie Wood @ Photogenics. The concept for this particular shoot was lots of warm tones, sleek hair, harsh light, and a mixture of water and rocks in the background, but the weather changed on us half way through our shoot… pretty much the worst timing possible since the art direction required harsh natural light. So, I had to improvise in order to finish the shoot while still maintaining that same edge as much as I could. In my eyes, it was still a big success! I’ve already started showing the raws to some magazines and they are considering the spread for a cover story! Thanks Stefanie Wood, Devon Poer, Traci Garrett, Red Dodge, James Gamble!

DAY 4 - Meeting with photo/artist rep Timothy Priano in Beverly Hills in the morning went great. The first meeting I had with him was about a year and a half ago, and we’ve kept in touch ever since. He’s been around the industry for years and definitely knows his stuff. Really looking forward to working with him next time I am in town (soon). Later that day, I had a swimwear shoot with the sexy Bridget Jones (currently unsigned, seeking representation - former Elite LA model). LOVED this shoot, but once again, the damn light changed about half way through. This trip started out at the end of a storm in LA I guess, so I had to change up the art direction a bit once again to maintain the mood for the story. Maxim, Stuff, FHM, and UMM are all currently interested in publishing the story and are awaiting the edited images. The crew and I all went out afterwards and had an amazing time in Laguna Beach! Such a cool place to hang. Thanks Bridget Jones, Traci Garrett, Red Dodge, James Gamble, Devon Poer, Lacy Ditto!

DAY 5 - Took this morning to sleep in a bit & recharge my energy for the next few huge days of shooting, but not before having a couple quick meetings with artists and then heading out for a shoot with the beautiful actress Mara Marini! She’s so sweet! What a cute personality she has. Check her out on Parks & Recreation as Brandi Maxxx! After this shoot wrapped in Santa Monica, I locked my key in my car and had my good friend Traci Garrett bail me out with the help of AAA. Definitely needed a strong drink after I got back to my place. Haha. I really wanted to stay out this night since it was a Saturday, but had to crash early to get ready for my celebrity shoot tomorrow!

DAY 6 - Shooting swimwear with celebrity actress Nadine Velazquez today! My friend & assistant James Gamble and I were driving out to the location, but the skies were FILLED with clouds. Usually the clouds burn off in LA each morning, but these were lingering around and were making me completely nervous since I love (and prefer) shooting with harsh natural light. The minutes crawled by, but thank God, because they cleared up only a few minutes prior to our shoot time! Nadine was a doll, and a wonderful model! Was very thankful to have met & shoot with her after being a fan of “Catalina” on My Name is Earl for the past few years. Beautiful! I’ve since reviewed the images with an agent of mine and we are both very excited for the clients that have expressed interest in publishing this story. Can’t wait! Huge thanks to Nadine Velazuez, HMUA Alfred Mercado, James Gamble, Katelynn Tilley, Rafael Linares, Lacy Ditto, and Chris Engiles.

DAY 7 - Swimwear campaign day with Adicora Swimwear in Laguna Beach! Could not be more excited for this day since the designer, model, producer, and assistants are all dear friends. And the weather today, wow! Could not be better. The colors, light, ambiance, energy, and people really made this day special. Thank you to Niveen Heaton, Will Heaton, Amira Heaton, Patience Silva, Faith B, Sarah, Eduardo Kwaham, James Gamble, Lacy Ditto.

DAY 8 - Another big day today, shooting swimwear with adult mega-celebrity Jesse Jane in Malibu! She was SO much fun! What a down-to-earth girl. Completely rocked that day. We nailed out 9 looks/outfits in under 2.5 hours! Showed these to some clients as well and so, so excited for these images to get published with them. Huge thank you for this day goes out to Jesse Jane, Digital Playground, Traci Garrett, Red Dodge, James Gamble, Lacy Ditto, Katelynn Tilley, Rafael Linares, and the Malibu city police for being nice guys. Haha.

DAY 9 - Shoots are all done, gear is all packed up, but not without my final meeting of the trip at Jed Root LA! Such a great meeting, very inspiring, and very motivating for me to get my butt to Los Angeles. Thank you, Chris, for your time and for all your words of wisdom. I will be seeing you again soon! And thank you, James Gamble, for helping me with everything while I was down there!

Can’t wait until I see all of you again and crank out some more gorgeous images.

See you soon, LA!

View My New Headshot

Took this shot today for my new headshot. Would love to get your comments. Thanks!

Tip #6 - Opinions or Onions

If you are fortunate enough to have the respect and position where people come to you for your opinion, you more than likely have had many people do exactly that. Now, it is up to you to either give it or hold it back. What do you do?

If you ask someone for their opinion, take it as exactly that, an opinion. Do your best not to get offended, become defensive, or worse - let it effect your relationships. If you are not ready for constructive criticism, maybe you aren’t ready to ask for opinions from anybody. Take it as a personal opinion from one professional to another. They are merely trying to express a thought that may in fact be helping you.

If you are being asked for your opinion, give it honestly, openly, and straight-forward. Just make sure that you are not being too cold. After all, the person asking for your opinion is still a human being. Make it a humble opinion.

Opinions are very much like onions. Some people love them, some people hate them, but done the wrong way - it might make you cry.

Cheers and happy shooting,

Kyle Goldie - www.KyleGoldie.com

Tip #5 - A Can of Spam

In the world of the Internet, thousands of photographers send out e-mail blasts to their address list. Is it current? Is it accurately targeted? And most importantly, is what you’re sending SPAM?

Ask yourself, do you like receiving spam e-mails? I sure don’t. In fact, 99.9% of the time I never even open an e-mail if I don’t know the person or company that sent it. Why expect more from the person receiving your e-mail? Spam is almost offensive, as it takes much more time to sort, open, read, analyze, and then store/delete than it does to send that same e-mail. The balance between time is not equal. After all, you are sending an e-mail to someone in the hopes that they work with you. Give them the respect of taking the time to produce a unique, specialized e-mail that introduces yourself in accordance with their specific style/clients.

Give people the respect they deserve. Don’t waste their time and they won’t waste yours. Don’t assume you will be given time from others without first giving them this respect. You must earn it. You must earn the right to earn their time. Spamming them is the fastest way to destroy that right.

Cheers and happy shooting,

Kyle Goldie - www.KyleGoldie.com

American Photographic Artists (APA) NW Success Team Coach

GREAT NEWS! I am now officially not only the American Photographic Artists (APA) Executive Events Chairman, but now also the Northwest Success Team Coach! If you are interested in learning more about APA and/or it’s Success Teams, please do not hesitate to get a hold of me by e-mail, phone, or Skype. All of that information is available on my blog and website. This will be fun! I hope you can take part of it.

Cheers and happy shooting,

Kyle Goldie - www.KyleGoldie.com

Tip #3: Attitudes

Simply put, keep it in check. This may be an obvious tip, but we all experience various kinds of unprofessional attitudes on a daily basis - and we all don’t like it. Yet all of us are at some point culprits ourselves.

Being arrogant, from what I have personally experienced, is at all levels of a photographers career, but is typically strongest amongst those who are insecure about their own work. Therefore, those who are referred to being arrogant is a deep attack on not only their character as an individual, but an attack on their photography as well. By definition, it means that their exaggerated statements can’t be backed up. In all honesty, I have been accused of being arrogant. Looking back on that time of my career, it was because I was insecure about my work. Since I began my career in a relatively small market, my name became bigger fast - a little too fast. I learned the hard (and quick) way to never let this happen again. Luckily, I nipped my attitude in the butt before it got out of control. It is incredibly important to remember to keep yourself in check. I can’t stress this enough.

Some people tell you to keep to yourselves, to not say what big job you might have, and to not give advice to others - all for fear of appearing arrogant. Then again, how do you expect to market your business and let people know what’s new if you can’t talk about yourself? How are you able to help others and build your positive karma if you can’t give advice? It is a VERY fine line. Personally, I suggest you walk that same line. Anything less than walking that line means you aren’t marketing yourself as hard and as fast as you could, but anything over that line means that you are hurting your positive perception in the industry.

Having the economy where it is also makes it difficult to stay positive. Nobody likes a whiner, so why do you think it is okay to complain on set - or worse, to the Art Director or Photo Editor across the desk in front of you? Stay positive and you will be surrounded by positive people. Become negative and you might just see another decrease in the workflow that has made you cynical in the first place.

Whether you are positive or not, whether you had a bad day or not, appear positive and sociable and you will increase your network and, in turn, your workflow. Remember, when you are on set, at a networking party, or even bump into a colleague at the grocery store, you are not an individual - you are a brand. You are a company. Act in according with your brand. Set a positive perception every day with everyone you meet.

Cheers and happy shooting,

Kyle Goldie - www.KyleGoldie.com

Tip #1: Sear Your Brand

Over the years, I have had many people come to me for advice/suggestions/humble opinions, so I figure making a section of my blog for tips would be a great way to help others - and to continue to brand my company. Brand, brand, brand!

Branding your company is more than merely putting your logo on your stationary, business cards, website, mailers, etc. Absolutely everything from your website, positioning statement, press releases, resumes, and photographic style needs to be a solid, consistent representation of your company’s image.

So, what can you do to further brand your company? It is a huge topic, but here are some of the things to consider:

• Create a color scheme for your branding, maxed at three colors.
• If you haven’t created a logo, create one and stick with it. Error on the side of simplicity. Do not get too graphic. You’re a photographer, not a graphic designer. Even your logo (colors and typeface) should represent your photographic style.
• Develop a positioning statement which can be used as your “elevator pitch”
• Regularly write updates to your blog, or social media site (new photos, editorial, campaign, things in the works, etc)
• Develop a “dream client” list and create a marketing plan to develop an attack plan to get your work in front of them
• Create an easy-to-remember slogan/catch phrase/tagline. Mine is simply, “beauty.fashion.advertising.”
• Create a calendar to maintain your goals for the month and stick to the calendar. Treat your business like a business.
• With your calendar, add relevant niche events that fit with your style and let your network know where you will be.
• Pitch ideas Photo Editors/Art Directors at magazines
• Attend as many professional networking events as possible. Consider joining professional associations (American Photographic Artists (APA), American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), … there are many more). Personally, I am on the executive board at the APANW chapter. It has helped me attain contacts otherwise extremely difficult to reach.
• Ensure your photographic style and branding packages are adaptable across various markets
• Consider contributing artwork to charities for auctions and get your name in the press associated with the event.
• Network not only in your local market, but internationally as well. Keep them updated on your career. This network should include corporations, ad agencies, designers, magazines, graphic designers, photographers, retouchers, makeup artists, hairstylists, fashion stylists, models, modeling agencies, PR agencies, etc.
• Update your professional websites (and others) on a regular basis.
• Do not let your work go stale.
• These are just some of the things you can do to brand your company’s image. There are many, many others…

Brand, brand, brand! The quality of your branding will not only show everyone your updates, but it will (hopefully) increase the name-recognition of your company and it’s value. We have all seen the shots in high-end magazines and campaigns that are really quite simple to shoot, but those artists are getting the jobs because of their name recognition (perceived value, consistency, quality, professionalism, etc). Those artists are well branded. The next time you ask yourself why they got the job and you didn’t - the answer is because they are BRANDED.

Hope this helps. Now go brand yourself.

Cheers and happy shooting,

Kyle Goldie - www.KyleGoldie.com

When Lightning Strikes: The Creative Feeling

Regardless of your status as a photographer, we all get that same sense of overwhelming happiness when we get that amazing frame. After hours, days, weeks, or even months of preparation for that shoot, it all comes down to being in the moment that day and working your magic with the team. When everything comes down to it, the model is styled, the makeup & hair look brilliant, the assistants know where to be before you ask, the budget has been spent, and the Creative Direction is spot on - the final element is the photographer to create the best image possible. And when all the elements align, a smile comes across your face and you are speechless. You nailed it precisely as you had planned - or better. Although we have all experienced this (some more than others), you never can predict exactly when it will happen. The best way I can explain it is that it’s like a lightning strike. It’s shocking, beautiful, and filled with energy. Just remember, it’s about the teamwork. Without all the right elements in place, all you might get is rain ;)

- Kyle Goldie www.KyleGoldie.com