I hear the same comment over and over…”I can take the product shot. I’ve got a digital camera”.
A few years ago, I was walking through “Ace Bargain Center”. Ace was a combination of connecting buildings that went for an entire city block. This store had every kind of used merchandise you could possible imagine. It was like an indoor junk yard (but clean and safe). As I was walking by one of the rooms I noticed that it contained all the materials for a complete operating suite; gurney, cabinets, lights, autoclave and even some surgical utensils. I realized that for the paltry sum of a couple of thousand dollars, I could set up my own operating room. I would have the equipment. The problem was, equipment doesn’t make you a surgeon, talent does. The same thing goes for photography.
A GOOD PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER IS MORE ARTIST THAN PHOTOGRAPHER.
A pro realizes the effect of lighting, positioning, backgrounds and even the image your product conveys. Lots of people can take “good” photos with a digital camera and they can be the hit of the picnic, but the professional photographer takes it the extra mile to make your product shine.
You’ve put a lot of time into developing your product and you’re proud of it. Put your best foot forward and show it in the best possible way. I think you’ll find that most photographers can work wonders and are a lot less expensive than you’d think.
Another tip: Don’t dictate to the photographer, let him ask questions and give you his best possible recommendations. If you let an artist use his vision, chances are you’ll get something much better than you had hoped for. In my 35+ years of experience, it’s worked every time.
Next week: The Car Dealer and TV.
Always let the artist make the suggestions!
Bob Martin is principal of Martin Creative Consultants, providing advertising consulting and services to manufacturing and retail businesses. His MCC VoicePros division creates audio voiceovers for radio, TV, internet ads and presentations.
This tiny island of fewer than 300,000 people was the sacrificial canary in the coalmine for the global economic collapse just 3 short months ago. The Icelandic economy, laden with overseas debt of more than 10 times GDP, was the first to collapse in what will most likely be a global domino effect from the credit fallout, despite huge bailouts.
SO WHAT IS A GUY GOING TO DO?
You have lost your life savings, your job and possibly, your home…what comes next?
This story is near to my heart because of my Icelandic roots…and my grandfathers story.
This “Monday” blog is written to honor what we believe are enlightened organizations and communities, and is normally posted on Monday, but our Monday posting has been delayed in hopes of results on a great story coming out of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Unfortunately, the City Council will not vote until tonight on a resolution that will determine what you, if you live in Vancouver, can have clucking in your back yard. So I felt I could be late no longer. Lets talk about it and on Wednesday, I will give you the results of their vote.
IN A NATION OF FOOD BANKS – WE ARE JUST BEGINNING TO GET IT…
IS THE WORD -VALUES-AN OXYMORON IN THE BANKING INDUSTRY?
VANCITY IS PROOF POSITIVE -IT IS NOT
VanCity, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is in its sixth decade of operation, offering a form of social and spiritual capitalism that proves doing business in alignment with high values and integrity can also be profitable.
This unique blend of more than-a-credit-union and more than-a-bank, is a breath of fresh air in the midst of the tornadeo of devastation wrecked by banking institutions whose operating philosophies are more of a testament to the capitalistic prophecies born out of the ancient Greek myth of Erisychthon.
That seemingly constant, gusting wind I cursed when I lived in Grande Prairie, Alberta, had a different look and feel for Drennen and Jamie Hallett. It was the whiff of opportunity.
The Hallett’s, owners of Golden Sheep Power, officially opened their doors for business in Grande Prairie on February 1, 2009. They will be the first company in Alberta to offer home-owners a chance to get off the grid by using home-based wind turbines and solar panels.
A NEW WIND IS BLOWING
Their timing could not be better. The provincial government just passed regulations to allow for micro-generation in Alberta. And the City of Grande Prairie, a city that has seen explosive growth in the past 5 years due to oil and gas exploration, has shown its openness to explore other sources of energy by allowing the Halletts to set up a pilot project to demonstrate and test the home-based units.
Introducing Kiva.org, a Web 2.0 company focused on connecting generous contribution with the creative potential of those living in poverty. Kiva’s mission is simple: “to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.” I had the pleasure of listening to Co-Founder Jessica Flannery speak this past weekend at Jubilee in Pittsburgh. Her speech offered two valuable insights:
1) A glimpse of hope -the poor of the world have the talent and creativity to become self sustaining…all they need is a boost in the form of capital
2) Advice – on how to realize the dream of any company, Kiva’s Story has something to offer to all of us.
INSPIRATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE WITH A UNIVERSAL HUMAN MESSAGE
click to visit Jubilee’s homepage
I never thought attending a Christian conference would present me with such an abundance of culture and progressive thinking. This weekend started out with a talk by Gabe Lyons, co-author of the book “unChristian,” describing perception research into how the world views Christians. This research was conducted the same way a company conducts market research to understand brand perceptions, awareness, etc .
His research suggests, among other things, that people perceive Christians as having lost touch with culture and creativity – they are sheltered…out of touch with reality. These opening remarks began a weekend of inspiration, insight, and an exposure to some remarkable individuals who prove such an argument couldn’t be more wrong.
THE ULTIMATE FOCUS…THE HUMAN MESSAGE
How will you use your God-given talents, abilities and opportunities to cultivate learning, creating, building, and serving? And…how can you accomplish these goals in such a turbulent world?
A 15+% return on
investment – for real!
click for details
enlightened orgs: inspiration
ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS WILL BE FOUND AT THE LOCAL LEVEL
Michael Kalmanovich, owner of a unique, organic food supermarket in Edmonton, Alberta, does not lack for inspired, innovative ideas to fulfill his passion to sell locally grown organic food, socially conscious products, and a free dose of education in the process. He took his first step of faith in 1991 by opening a store with $20,000 invested, $167.00 in his bank account and a huge abundance of dreams.
Earth’s General Store was opened in a small location on the fringe of the university in the capital city of the province. It is also smack dab in the heart of a ranching and oil-based economy. It was in this province that KD Lang, a home-town celebrity, riled local extremist ranchers who defaced community signs outside her home town of Consort, Alberta, after her public service announcement in which she spoke out in favor of vegetarianism.
If opening an organic food store in a business culture like that sounds like it takes guts and a leap of faith, that pales by comparison when you hear Michael’s latest dream!
In a kindergarten assignment to bring 100 things to school, marking the 100th day of class, six year old, Tarak McLain took a very different spin on the 100 pecans, raisins, or M & M’s that mostly appeared. Tarak, who was born in Thailand, was attending kindergarten in Austin, Texas, when he surprised his kindergarten teacher with a very different approach to this assignment.
HE COMPLIED 100 OF HIS BELIEFS….
I believe it’s OK to die but not to kill … I believe war should stop. I believe we can make peace.
Will we sleep better knowing we have made a few million dollars on a “paper” or “security” that is not tied to something tangible and could collapse at any minute? … or will we leave this world pleased we have restored the planet to the beauty and abundance it once held for all?
We had the Slow Food industry, as a backlash to unhealthy eating, now Woody Tasch has initiated his Slow Money movement to offset the lust for speedy profits, at any cost. Tasch is our honored CEO of Enlightened Orgs for the work he is doing to bring sensibility to a world made giddy by financial greed.
THE MOST POWERFUL SOLUTIONS ARE OFTEN THE SIMPLEST…
Around the world, there will be no shortage of great commentary today as millions of people gather in Washington, or huddle in front of their television sets, to watch the inauguration of Barak Obama. It will be one of those, “Where were you when…” days.
COLLECTIVE MINDSHIFT
But I want to focus less on the man – and more on the consciousness of the moment.
We all admire and respect the dreamers we run in to. Sometimes we can run into them in unusual ways and in unusual places. Sometimes their impact is profound and sometimes it is more subtle, but almost always it makes us pause and reflect about how a different perspective or vision can alter our world view.
I have a story from my college days that takes a lighthearted look at optimism in action. I hope you enjoy it.
STRETCH YOUR LIMITS
The real voyage of discovery consists not in making new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust
I like the quote from Andy Warhol, “They say time changes things but you actually have to change them yourself.” One of my best life lessons was coming to the realization that when I changed the way I looked at a situation – the situation itself seemed to change - when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change!
enlightened organizations: global trends: inspiration: best practices
Everyone Eats
click for more info
ACTING ON EPIPHANY
Denise Cerreta’s business model at One World Everyone Eats is more about giving of herself and her business -than taking. She says when she told her first customer, “Just pay me what you think the meal is worth… it was like my heart expanded and I realized my true purpose in life.” (epiphany – wikipedia)
Five years ago, Denise awoke with a new awareness that the patients she had been treating in her acupuncture clinic…“were not sick, they were lonely.” That revelation prompted her to open a daring and innovative restaurant in Salt Lake City.
Music & Arts: If you want the art, you have to stroke the ego…
PROFESSIONALS AND NOT-SO-PROFESSIONALS
The music industry is a crazy place. Its so dynamic that it contains some of the richest and some of the poorest people in the world. However, regardless of what level a musician stands on or climbs to, there is always one underlying nuance poised to raise its ugly head when the time is right – THE EGO…
Joe Scutella, lifelong entrepreneur, musician and deep-thought kind of guy. He created Pal Joey’s, a wonderful restaurant/club in Erie in the 1980s, relocated to Florida to run a chain of sports bars, then Nashville. He played the southeast and southwest for a decade. Now he mixes his music with wine as a connoisseur, broker and journalist. Joe retains his philosophical and poetic bent. And what better place for folks to hone their word-smithing craft than in country music, the home of the 3-minute story. In his latest post… “Joe is contemplating the view in the rear view mirror and hoping it stays where it belongs.”…
Today, I would like to introduce you to a very unusual “Enlightenor(tm) “…Art the Tibetan Lama Llama! – and Art’s creator, Karen Manganye of Avant Garde Art Studio in Spruce Grove, Alberta Canada.
An “enlightenor” in our definition, is someone who is living the new values and mindshift of the future, and who is making a contribution to a peaceful and abundant future for all.
“I have an Art the Tibetan Lama Llama, seated in the lotus position. Although the story for Art is not complete, he, like all of my other sculptures are made mostly from all recycled garbage.
Vancouver, British Columbia’s, Alisa Smith, free lance writer and journalist, and partner J.B. McKinnon, author, challenged themselves to a one year mission to eat only locally grown foods from a 100 mile radius of their Vancouver home as a statement in support of the environment and local growers.
Steps Count www.stepscount.com is a small Ontario company with huge inspiration. I have chosen them as the first company I want to profile as an exemplary Enlightened Organization. Located in an office building basement, off the main street in Deep River, Ontario, a little town 2 hours north of Ottawa, it is nothing like any basement office you have been in!
Our Thursday blogs are dedicated to a discussion of the network marketing industry, what it is, and what it may offer as a model for the future economy. We welcome comments and debate!
Network marketing is a six decade old industry which, in terms of the life of an industry, makes it not much more mature than a teenager – and like most teenagers – it is incredibly misunderstood. It is a model we want to pay a great deal of attention to because we think it has a great deal to offer for emerging marketing methods.
Entries
Always let the artist make the suggestions!
Rognvaldson Spinning Wheel
What do you believe?
A Day for a MindShift
The real voyage of discovery consists not in making new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust
