Category Archives: Business

The t in t-shirt stands for tremendous

The post title provides a clue, but let me give you fair warning: today’s post will feature exactly zero photographs. If you’d like to storm off in a huff, you may do so now.

Those of you who see me on a regular basis know I like t-shirts. (Those of you who know me only on the internet but ask strange personal questions might also know this, but that’s another topic for another day.) How much do I like t-shirts? I like them so much that I’ve even made a few of my own. Not the t-shirts themselves, I mean — I’m no clothier — but the designs on them. And I like all of you so much that I’ve made them available so you can impress your family and friends by wearing these shirts.

All these designs are available on a variety of t-shirts and sweatshirts in a variety of colors. You can see that for yourself by visiting the store.

“Peninsulam Amoenam“

For those of you unfamiliar with the state of Michigan, “peninsulam amoenam” is part of the motto of the state of Michigan: “Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice,” or “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.” If you’re wondering why you can’t figure out how this shirt is funny…well, it’s because it’s not funny. I made this shirt because I like the Mitten. If you like the Mitten, you should wear this shirt. If you don’t wear this shirt, Ohio wins. And when Ohio wins, the whole country loses.

“Introverts Unite“

I don’t know what the criteria are for being professionally certified as an introvert, but I like to consider myself one. (I’m happy to be an amateur introvert because I assume the certification process involves lots of unnecessary human interaction.) I made this shirt in an effort to identify other introverts without having to interact with them. If you’re an introvert, please wear this shirt. That way when we see each other in public we can exchange awkward nods of introverted brotherhood without having to TALK.

There is one possible downside to this shirt: it could encourage cruel extroverts to hit you over the head with their baseball bats of words. But all good things involve risk. This shirt is a good thing.

“If Flying is Wrong…“

I tweeted this silly joke a while back. Later it was suggested to me that the silly joke could make a good shirt. That suggestion seems to have been correct. So…hey, here it is. Also, you should check out the shirts from the gentleman who made the suggestion to me.

And again, go ahead and visit the store. I’ll add more shirts to the store as I have ideas.

Photo of the Festoons and Flourishes Now: 20 February 2012

If you pay attention to the post titles, you might be wondering why we’ve jumped back to February. I’d like to say it’s because it’s been 80+ degrees in March and I wanted to remember a time when temperatures made sense, but that would be false. Well, okay, it might be a little bit true, but it’s not the primary reason. The real reason is that I was waiting for a website to go live before I posted these photos so I could link to the site so you could buy stuff. BUSINESS, y’all.

Anyway. My friend Ashley is one of those crazy artistic people who makes stuff that looks cool. She was preparing to offer her cool-looking stuff for sale and she needed pictures to help entice browsers to become buyers. I have cameras and I have been known to take pictures of various things and such, so she dropped by to avail herself of my cameraocity.

So, with further adon’t: here are the product offerings of the fabulous Festoons and Flourishes.

Those are paper rose globes. In that photo they’re hanging from a tree. You could do that with them, but it’s not a requirement. Here they are in a more conventional setting:

You can also get them with convenient handles:

The paper roses come in a wide variety of colors, and yes, they are sold separately!

They also come in two sizes: wee and not-so-wee. The above are not-so-wee; here’s a photo of the two sizes together:

But wait — there’s more! The roses also are available with Swarovski Crystals.

Guess what? There’s still more! The roses are available with glitter, too.

(If you’ve already made a Twilight joke, we can be friends.)

We’re not quite done with the paper roses. They can be multi-colored, too!

There are bunches and bunches of color scheme possibilities with these roses. Here, this should give you an idea:

And just for fun, here’s what that arrangement looked like from the back:

That took a while to put together. It almost seemed a shame to take it apart.

Ah, but Festoons and Flourishes is far more than flowers! Here’s a fine idea for the soon-to-be-brides:

That’s a bouquet made from the bows from bridal shower gifts. You can send your bows to Ashley, and she’ll send them back looking less like bows and more like a bouquet.

If you’d like a bow bouquet but don’t have a collection of bows, she can still make one for you.

Festoons and Flourishes also offers thank-you notes.

For you kids out there, thank-you notes are pieces of paper upon which you write words of gratitude. You then put the paper in a mailbox for the United States Postal Service to deliver. Think of it like slow email you can touch. It might sound strange, but trust me: it’s wonderful.

If you need eye-catching table numbers or seating charts, Festoons and Flourishes can do the job.

That’s all the photos for this post. What are you waiting for? Go check out Festoons and Flourishes!

Photo of the Data Centerin’ Now: 19 January 2012

On a snowy Thursday morning I headed towards Ann Arbor with one of the fine folks from Edgar Norman Creative for a photo shoot with the fine folks from Velocity Data Centers. Oh, look! Here’s one now!

That’s Steve. Everybody say hi to Steve. He’s a nice guy. And if you need a sturdy data center for your business, Steve is your man.

The appealing texture of those doors distracted me…

…but eventually we got back to Steve.

Hey, do you remember that I said his data centers are sturdy? He had a sample of the wall:

Believe me, it’s solid.

After a while, Mike stepped in for his moment in front of the lens.

Mike is a nice guy, too.

Then Steve came back for a few more photos.

Eventually, Steve put an end to it.

Okay, I’m sorry. That was a terrible joke. Actually, Steve was still cheerful, but we had what we needed.

Bait and click

If you’ve watched tv in the past year, you might have seen this outstandingly creative Canon commercial hyping its line of Rebel entry-level SLRs:

You may notice the commercial features only one small-print notice: “Weather proof covers used,” it tells us during the rainy scene.  This, of course, is helpful, as there are those who would use the Rebel without a cover in the rain and then complain that the camera got wet!  And stopped working!  This is an outrage!  But while the attention to litigious detail is important, the commercial is missing an important disclaimer: “Product not used to create commercial.”

Yes, that’s right: a camera commercial composed almost entirely of photographs features exactly zero photographs taken with the advertised camera.  Instead, the photographs were taken with one of Canon’s high-end professional cameras (which costs four times what the Rebel costs) and a raft of equally high-end lenses (all of which cost considerably more than the cheap lens shown with the Rebel).  So, while I suppose this comment from a Canon marketing director is technically accurate…

“The idea made perfect sense because Canon’s all about photography, and the best way of showing what our products can do is to shoot with them.”

…it’s also a little misleading.  It does show what Canon products can do…when they’re high-end Canon products in the hands of professionals shooting under controlled conditions.  It does show what Canon products can do…but it doesn’t show what most consumers will actually do with that particular Canon product.  And that’s why it’s the one commercial I both love and hate: it’s a wonderful (and, as I said, creative) concept that’s beautifully executed, but it’s not connected to the reality of that camera in the hands of the typical consumer.

Why does this matter?  Well, for most of you, it doesn’t really matter.  But for working photographers, this matters quite a bit.  The manufacturers are trying to sell more cameras, and they’re doing that by selling the idea — through not just the aforementioned Canon commercial, but also that series of obnoxious Nikon commercials featuring Ashton Kutcher — that you, too, can easily take all those AMAZING pictures if you buy their cameras.  This effort has two results:

  1. More cameras sold, and
  2. More consumers who, paradoxically, expect better photographs but settle for worse

The second result may sound confusing, but it’s dishearteningly simple.  Since cameras are so capable and, at the lower end, so affordable, expectations are higher now, especially for affordable digital SLRs that look like “real” cameras next to tiny point-and-shoot cameras (largely because they are real cameras).  But the problem is that these expectations stem from advertisements that sell the technical capabilities of the cameras without seriously acknowledging the necessary human component of genuinely worthwhile images.  Simply put, these advertisements sell the extraordinarily backwards idea that photography is more about the camera than it is about the person behind the camera.  It’s an absurd notion — is music more about the guitar? — but there’s enough gear reverence out there to make photographers laugh at this shirt:


(For more laughs, read What the Duck.)

This brings us back to the main question: why does the dishonesty of the Canon advertisement mattter?  Because as cameras become more capable and more automated, the manufacturers are selling photography not just as accessible, but also as easy.  And while the former is true — photography is among the most accessible of art forms — the latter does a disservice to professionals who have worked hard to develop their skills.  The act of taking a picture is simple and easy, but the art of photography is no easier than any other; no camera will itself make beautiful photographs, because beautiful photographs are created not simply by the right tools, but by talented people using the right tools.

—–

I’ve published this effort to assert the creative hierarchy because as a professional photographer, I’ve seen too many people forgo reasonably-priced photographers in favor of cheap or free family or friends who overestimate their abilities because they bought an SLR.  For those who offer this art as a professional service, it’s frustrating and infuriating to see it popularly devalued by weekenders and hobbyists who have no interest in charging sustainable prices and who produce images that aren’t worth sustainable prices.  If you’re looking for quality photographs, please: hire a professional.  It’s worth every penny.

2 Legit

Burrill Strong Photography officially opened for business on 15 March 2007, and that means last Saturday marked the beginning of the third year of BSP.  Each year this venture exists is a blessing, so I think it’s important to recognize each year the business continues to operate and to look back at the growing history of BSP.

—

Just a few days after I left my office job for the last time two years ago, I was in Milan shooting a Chelsea basketball playoff game; Chelsea held a comfortable margin at halftime, so I joined the team in the locker room to get a few shots of the coach talking to the players.  As I was standing off to the side shooting pictures of the coach talking to his team, suddenly I realized: this is what I do.  There was no day job in the background; I was a photographer.  Period.  That wasn’t the moment of decision — I’d decided to pursue photography full-time shortly before my office job ended — but it was the moment decision became reality in my mind.  It was a little strange, a little surreal, a little frightening … and completely exhilarating.

Two years later, that moment still sticks in my mind as a watershed.  To that point I’d worked jobs that provided a paycheck but little else; when I stood in that locker room photographing that team, I knew I’d found something that would be more than a paycheck.

This is what I do.


Jennifer Jones portrait session, 16 March 2008


Spring cleaning, 6 April 2008


Chelsea baseball vs. Milan, 8 April 2008


City directory photos, 9 April 2008


Chelsea House Orchestra concert, 19 April 2008


Chelsea soccer vs. Milan, 21 April 2008

I’ve learned a great many things since I started BSP, and chief among them is this: even for a simple operation like BSP, being self-employed is more work than having a job.  The lure of Being Your Own Boss sounds great on those absurd commercials featuring people who are making thousands of dollars each month!  Working part time!  At home!  With no experience necessary!  Call now!  But the reality of actually being your own boss in the context of a real business is that you have to worry about the numerous important details of running a business without having a boss to catch your mistakes and to keep you working when you’re feeling lazy.  Being your own boss doesn’t mean you answer to nobody; being your own boss means you have to answer to your own clients and your own balance sheets.

But while that may sound intimidating — and when you start out mildly clueless as I did, it really is — there’s a major upside: if you’re your own boss, you’re probably doing something you enjoy.  And when you’re doing something you enjoy, the hassles are bearable and the satisfaction is significant.  I don’t really enjoy the organizational details of running BSP, but when I’m out somewhere with a camera in my hands and I get The Shot, all the non-photographic details are worth it; when those details are in order, I know I’ll be able to spend more time pursuing The Shot.

This is what I do.


Chelsea water polo vs. Holt/EL, 29 April 2008


Chelsea shopping center fire, 5 May 2008


Memorial Day, 26 May 2008


Ron Mead retirement farewell, 28 May 2008


Wind storm damage, 3 July 2008


Zoe Rozsa portrait session, 13 August 2008

Last week I visited Beach Middle School to talk to Jason Morris’ eighth-grade digital photo classes.  Public speaking is another one of those necessary details I don’t enjoy, so when I’m compelled to speak, I grit my teeth and make an effort to sound like I know something about the English language.  In this case it wasn’t too difficult; I showed the classes my camera equipment and answered their questions, and that covered most of the time.  With the remaining time, Jason put all my photo books around the room and gave the students time to flip through the books.

Nearly all of the books I’ve produced have been sports-related, but there is one non-sports book in my catalog: the BSP Year One book, featuring a selection of my favorite images from my first year in business.  When one small group of students finished looking through the Year One book, one of the girls closed it with a slightly exasperated sigh, lamenting that her pictures never seem to turn out that well and wondering if she’d ever be able to take such good photos.

I didn’t say anything in response to her plaint, but I couldn’t help but smile.  Why?  Because there have been many times I’ve looked at the work of more accomplished photographers and, with a slightly exasperated sigh, lamented that my pictures never seem to turn out that well and wondered if I’d ever be able to take such good photos.  This is one of the truths of the creative world: unless you are one of the very few elite in your field, you’re always going to be looking up at somebody else.

It’s important to remember, though, that it’s a damaging truth only if you take the wrongly self-deprecatory view — that is, that your work somehow isn’t good enough because somebody else’s work is better.  The last two years have helped me learn that while my work doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it also doesn’t exist to be endlessly and unfairly compared with that of more accomplished photographers.  I’m not in this line of work to measure myself against other photographers or simply to be better than somebody else; I’m in this line of work to produce the best images I can.

This is what I do.


Krystin Schwarze portrait session, 17 August 2008


Chelsea Community Fair demolition derby, 19 August 2008


Phil Wickham concert, 14 September 2008


Chelsea football vs. Lincoln, 19 September 2008


Chelsea Area Fire Authority training, 5 October 2008


Chelsea football vs. Dexter, 26 October 2008

Before I officially started BSP, I was spending some of my free time photographing a few Chelsea High School sports.  When I launched the business, I knew I’d have to branch out into different areas of photography to make the numbers work; however, I didn’t know how much work it would be to step outside the sports box I’d unwittingly built.  Covering sports teams is an excellent way to meet a lot of people, but the more time you put into it, the more your identity becomes attached to those sports.  Where do many potential clients see me most often?  At sporting events.  Which photos are most regularly featured in the newspaper?  My sports photos.  Which photos have won awards?  My sports photos.  I’m glad to be recognized for my sports work, but that’s not all I do!

Now, despite the frustration displayed in that paragraph, I have to be honest: I love the work I do with the local sports teams.  As a sports fan, I enjoy the time I get to spend on the football sidelines or in the baseball dugout; it’s fun to get a chance not just to watch sports from afar, but to experience them close-up as I work.  But I have to be honest about something else: to this point, I’ve probably gained more enjoyment than revenue out of sports.  That makes the sports box considerably more confining because, sadly, enjoyment doesn’t pay the bills.

The good news is that the past year has shown some progress in my efforts to move beyond sports: I had more portrait sessions, I shot most of the photos for the current Chelsea School District brochure, and I produced a poster for the Chelsea District Library.  It’s been encouraging to see the public perception begin to shift in the right direction; the progress can seem glacially slow, but there is progress.  My sports work may always be one of the most prominent facets of my business, but finally, the word is starting to spread that it’s not the only facet of my business.

This is what I do.


Jennifer Jones concert, 26 October 2008


Youth Dance Theater’s Nutcracker, 6 December 2008


Chelsea hockey vs. Lumen Christi, 10 December 2008


Wind storm damage, 29 December 2008


Chelsea basketball vs. Dexter, 30 January 2009


Bruneau Dune, Idaho, 4 February 2009

Over the past year I’ve done a fair amount of freelance photography work for the Chelsea Standard and Dexter Leader, and I’ve come to enjoy the variety and community connection that work brings.  Since I started shooting for the paper, I’ve attended numerous events in the area that I might not have attended otherwise and met numerous people I might not have met otherwise, and I’ve gotten to know both towns a little bit better through those events and those people.  From youth theater productions and Christmas festivities to classes at the library and fundraisers for local nonprofit organizations, I’ve been able not just to experience many different parts of both communities, but also — and perhaps more importantly — to become more a part of my community through my work for the Standard.

When I hear positive feedback about my newspaper work, or when somebody asks me to shoot an upcoming event because they’ve enjoyed my published work in the past, it’s both professionally and personally gratifying; my newspaper work is a part of my business, but it’s also a part of my interaction with the local community, and my hope is that it makes some small contribution to that community.

This is what I do.


Ethan, 13 February 2009


Chelsea basketball vs. Pioneer, 17 February 2009


Chelsea hockey vs. Lansing Catholic Central, 21 February 2009


Chelsea basketball vs. Tecumseh, 4 March 2009


CHS faculty & friends concert, 6 March 2009


CCA’s Jazz & Chocolates, 13 March 2009

When I announced the beginning of BSP two years ago in a blog post here, I concluded the post with a verse from the book of Proverbs:

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

A great deal has happened since I jumped headlong into photography, but it doesn’t matter what happens: that verse will always hold true.  I don’t know what the next year — or five years, or ten years — will hold for BSP; I know only that I’d like to see it grow into something much greater than it is now.  But this business rests not in the plans in a man’s heart, but in the purpose of the Lord, and it will grow or fail according to that purpose.  If that includes another year of BSP, then I’ll be back here next March, looking back on one more year filled with images from the life of a small-town photographer.  After all…

This is what I do.

Check out this poster

The fine folks at the Chelsea District Library have been preparing their push for the Chelsea Reads Together 2009 events, and when they needed a poster to spread the word, they asked me to shoot a photo and design the poster.  I’ve found it’s good business to give the people what they want, so behold, the Chelsea Reads Together 2009 poster:

The table featured in the photograph is piled high with Michigan food products, including bread from Ann Arbor’s Zingerman’s Bakehouse and — of course — muffin and biscuit mixes from Chelsea’s Jiffy Mixes.