BetterPhotoJim

Sneak Peek at Upcoming Video

I am putting the final touches on a video on developing the mindset of the successful creative photographer.

Here's a preview:

Happy Friday!

Forget to Be Unhappy: How to Lose Yourself in the Moment

One of my favorite things about photography is how, when I'm out making pictures, I completely let go of everything that would take me out of the present moment. It happens naturally. I start moving about,  looking through the viewfinder, searching for unique and beautiful views, and, in the process, I forget about my worries. I let go of negative self-talk, guilt, anxiety, frustration. Without being aware of it, I am freed of all those little devils that try get me out of the now, that try to rob me of fully living every moment of my life.

That's what happened when I made this image of a cowgirl and her horse. I was leading a photography workshop on a ranch in the Sierra Nevada foothills just south of Yosemite. In addition to 7 or 8 students, I had invited a few close friends, including some famous photographers - grand masters with real clout.

As we were all getting good (but not necessarily great) images of wild horses and rugged ranchers, I had an idea: why not combine "old" with "new". So I ran to my car, retrieved my laptop and cell phone, and gave them to this cowgirl. I started clicking and within seconds, I lost myself in the fun. I tried all sorts of things - images with the cell phone, images with both cell and laptop, as well as images like the one below. "This," I thought to myself, "is what photography is all about." Having fun and feeling creative - completely lost in the moment.

A few minutes into it, I peeked out from behind the viewfinder to see that all of my photographer friends had surrounded me and were equally engaged in the moment. That's another thing that happens when you're fully in the now... you give others permission to release themselves from their own concerns. If the people around you are ready, they will begin to pull the potential out of every moment themselves, in their own way.

Are you present right now?

If not, do you need to grab your camera and head out for a half hour?

I'll see you back here when you're done. In the meantime, have fun forgetting to be unhappy, getting great photos, and living in the now!

A First Assignment for Photography Enthusiast Self-Improvers - Find Your Values and Goals

As a first step, I want you each to do two things for me:
 
1) List your top 7 or so core values. What you stand for; what you stand against. What you consider important. What you would be willing to sacrifice other less important things for.
 
For example, one of my core values is "Work is Play" and by that I mean "doing what you love without delay... not waiting for retirement or vacation to be creative and have fun." But this is just me. List out what is really important to you. This may not be an easy task. Give yourself some time and work on this in a private place, without any possibility of interruption. Once you have a working list, feel free to dialogue with a friend or loved one - someone who you trust, someone who cares about you and wants to see you succeed.

2) Now, do some more soul-searching and write down your top 100 lifetime goals. This too can be a challenge and will take several hours (at least) of serious thinking. Once your done, go over your list and select your top 5 most important goals. (In order to know what your important goals are, you might refer back to your core values. Alternatively, you may learn your core values by looking closely at the goals and dreams that feel most important to you). If some of your goals are personal, feel free to keep those to yourself and only share your other, more "public" goals.

In addition to listing your top 5 important goals, list the 5 you think might be most challenging, as well as 5 that you think might surprise your friends or loved ones.

For example, one of my top goals are to be in the best shape of my life (able to touch my toes; strong core muscles; under 170 lbs).
 
A couple of goal-setting tips:
 
a) Try to make your goals specific. They don't need to be totally fleshed out but vivid, specific goals are much more powerful than vague goals.
 
b) Think positive, not negative. Don't use the word "don't". Don't describe the problem, or how you don't want to be. Describe how you want to be. "Become a millionaire by New Year's 2012" is better than "Don't use credit cards anymore." BTW, a goal of "Getting totally debt-free by 2020" would not be bad. Being "debt-free" is positive, not negative.
 
c) Attach a time-limit.
 
Example: "Get organized and eliminate the clutter in my home and office by December" is better than "Stop being disorganized".  "Sort and label all my folders by the end of this month" is better than "Learn a musical instrument." 

But if you can't get specific at this time, it's okay to jot down a semblance of an idea... something to fine-tune later.

***

I am giving you this assignment now so you can complete it over the weekend.

Note: you may have heard a lot about goals and perhaps even about values... but I want to make sure you've applied this knowledge. Put these techniques to use; they work.

Email me at jim at better photo dot com when you're done. Feel free to share with me what you got out of this assignment, and where you are hoping to go in the near future, and what's important to you.

But most of all... Let yourself play, dream, have fun! Be a kid writing his Christmas Wish List... Ask yourself... What would be exciting? What would be fun? Would would I love to be, have, do?

You'll find this process more rewarding than you can imagine.

4 Solutions for Photography Enthusiasts With Big Dreams

Okay here are the solutions. Are you ready?

Well, first, I suppose I should state the problems, before giving the solutions. So let's do this as a collection of questions and answers:

 

Where do I begin?

You began a long time ago. At this moment, you are arriving. You’ve arrived. You are a photographer, right now.

 

How do I gain respect, or get recognized?

Respect and recognize yourself. It doesn’t matter one fig what “they” think. You are good enough. In fact, you are far better than “good enough” – you’re amazing. Validate from within. Every chance you get.

 

Where do I find the time?

Sacrifice and multiply. Eliminate less important time-consuming activities. Multiply your effectiveness by doing things like building upon your strengths rather than putting energy into fixing your weaknesses.

 

How can I do it when I have no money (for lenses, a pro camera, Photoshop classes, etc.)?

Stop chasing dollars and instead focus on contribution and how you can go about solving the problems that plague other people.

Be love.

An Invitation to Photography Enthusiasts

While walking on the treadmill this morning, I finished Garrett B. Gunderson's excellent book, "Killing Sacred Cows".

Wow! What a great resource! Even though I just finished it, I already feel empowered with the truth about wealth and prosperity. I know I have a lot more to learn (several more books on financial principles are next up to bat on my "To Read" bookshelf) and I have yet to fully apply many of the principles Garrett teaches, but I already feel inspired and far more in command of my finances. I highly recommend this book if it's one of your big goals to be truly wealthy in the present (not some future mythical land most call 'retirement').

As I finished the final pages, Garrett talked about what he calls "Soul Purpose" and made the point that living our Soul Purpose - the reason we were born - brings us the most joy and, at the same time, creates the most value for others. Since his own Soul Purpose has to do with finances, he talks about the destructive power of myths surrounding money: He writes:

"Everyone stuck in a dead-end job, everyone afraid to leave a bad situation for fear of losing benefits, everyone dependent upon the government or a corporation, everyone who watches their 401(k) and realizes that it's not going to do for them what they thought they were promised, all of these people know deep down that something is wrong with what we're being taught. We all know that there's something better out there than what we're taught to pursue. We're afraid to try something different, but also, we don't even know what else to look for."

He goes on to say that Soul Purpose is what we need to look for and that, once we find it, we will feel the desire, courage, and strength we need in order to break through to the next level of success.

When I read this, I could not help but think about us photography enthusiasts. Since my Soul Purpose is to help photography fans become their best through an understanding of the best principles of self-improvement and personal development, my thought immediate goes to this question:

What myths

are holding us back

from being the most successful,

happy,

creative photographers we can be?

I feel inspired to re-word that quote from Garrett's book, and I need your help.

What are your biggest complaints about photography?

What are your greatest fears and worries?

What frustrates you the most? What makes you feel stuck?

You probably want to learn about advanced techniques, and maybe revisit some of the basics. Perhaps your frustrated with Photoshop. Maybe it drives you nuts that you cannot seem to find the time to go out shooting or to edit and print your photos. What is holding you back?

Let me know:

Click here to take a quick, fun survey.

(And members of Team BP, let me know if you want to read Garrett's book and I will see what I can do :)

Have a great day, people. Create value, be wealthy right now, and enjoy as much of the present-moment-living-in-the-now bliss that comes with creative photography!