Project Update, October ‘09

October 8th, 2009
Published in Books, Photography
1 Comment
Tags: headshots, personal projects, photo book, projects, Ticketholders

It’s been kind of quiet around here lately. I’ve been busy with all sorts of good things, from client work to various personal projects. As faithful readers will know, I tend to have more projects going on than is probably recommendable, and every now and then, I will post an update on them here.

First and foremost, I am proud to announce the publication of ‘Ticketholders‘, a 68-page photobook based on the headshot event, I ran back in August. Turning it into a book was never part of the original plan. In fact, I remember thinking about it, and concluding that an entire book of similar headshots might be downright boring. But then I saw the ticket photos, which were taken just so I could tell each person apart. Held up next to the polished headshot, I now felt the ticket shots added an extra dimension, taking the whole thing to a new level.

So I went to work, deciding to mix color and black and white, inspired by the memory of an old photography teacher telling the class, that mixing the two was aesthetically a bad idea. In this case, I think it enhances the viewing experience. But don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself – there’s a 15 page preview available on Blurb.

My other book, the expanded print edition of ‘The Microstock Photographer’s Guide‘, is almost ready for publication as well. The copy has been given a once-over, and all I really need to do is add photos. I admit, I haven’t given it much attention in the last month, simply because I’ve been too busy with paying work, but it’s coming!

My ‘12 Seattleites‘ project is slowly moving forward as well. I’m talking to a few new subjects and finishing shoots with others. On the other hand, my retrospective book, first described here in March, has been shelved indefinitely. I wrote a first draft, but had a very hard time finding the right photos. So I took a step back, and I’m now in the process of going through my personal archives from 2005 till now. When I’m done, I’ll re-evaluate.

When working like I do, constantly testing new project ideas, some will fizzle out and others fail completely. I try not to get too attached to them, until I’ve done enough work to know. It’s all part of the whole creative ratio thing, I’ve talked about before. Besides, shutting down a project makes room for new ones. Waiting to get started, I have another two books sketched out and a brand new blog-based project as well. But I’m not quite ready to reveal any details yet.

In my last post, I talked about using online tools to set up my business, thus taking it out of the administrative stone age. I did this because I had a sudden influx of clients, and having tested my setup in the real world, I’m happy to say that it works. All the tools were found online for either free or a very low subscription price. I’ve never been a very efficient business person, which is one thing I hope better tools will help me improve on, and it is still very much an ongoing process. But you can certainly expect more updates on this down the road.