Week 1 with ajbc photography (artistic port huron, MI photographer

Let's get right to it. Week 1 of the 52 week project with AJBC Photography. 

Ok, Well. haha
There's that.
Hello Week 1! 

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If you're trying to figure out what this 52 week project is, read about it here.

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SO yes. There's a back story. A big one. Let me break it down for you bc it's too funny not to tell.
We knew we were starting a project. We knew we wanted THIS to be our first week, to show you just how EXCITED we are to be here and how BLOWN AWAY we are with what we're about to start here at AJBC. Yes, every pun was intended with that last sentence. 
Since we do specialize in the beauty of women here at AJBC I also find this hilarious and perhaps comforting on so many different levels. 
So where does one start?
You start with cranking up a huge 2 stroke leaf blower that your husband uses on tree jobs, inside your studio. You then look at each other with that look of, "I'm sorry I'm about to do this," and you blast the leaf blower at full power about 2 feet away from their face. 
After a few rounds of hilarious but not good enough photos we decided to open a window. Which still didn't prevent the smoke alarm from going off. Twice. 
After revving the blower about several more times like the true men we are and getting loads of dry air shoved down your throat you will find that you want to burp that air back up after you are done... who knew. 
We also found that if you wear contacts, like I do, and you try to keep your eyes open they will, and they did, fly out of your eyes. You will wonder for about 5 mins if the contact is lodged in your brain, until you find it half way across the room on the floor. 
All in all I see this as a completely successful first week and wonder where we are going to go from here. 
Follow us on the blog or on the ajbc Facebook every Thursday to see our next week's project for the next 52 weeks. 

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AJBC Photography (Port Huron, Michigan Artistic Portrait Photographer)

52 week artistic portrait project with ajbc photography (artistic port huron photographer)

For the next 52 weeks... that means once every week for the next year... AJBC Photography will be releasing an Artistic Portrait. We will be creating a unique piece of imagery to test ourselves and our audience. That's 52 weeks of new. 52 weeks of experiments. 52 weeks of pushing the boundaries to show you what we truly can offer. 

What's to come!? Starting Nov. 20, 2014 you will find out. 
Keep an eye out on the blog and over on the ajbc Facebook page to see what's new every week. 

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For those of you who have been following me for years now you will know I got my start in the photography world by doing a 365 project. 
Don't know what that is? It's a self portrait every single day for 365 days... 1 full year. It taught me the foundation of what I do and who I am now as an artist. It allowed me to learn on myself before taking on clients full time. It was an amazing experience. You can see a lot of my pieces here. 

About 1 month after finishing that project I thought I would do it all over again, but with objects instead. I quickly learned I resonated better with people and emotion. I quit about 1 month in. 

About 2 years ago I thought it would be brilliant to do an instagram project. 365 images taken only with my old iPhone 3GS. I got about 200 days in and had to give up. I felt as though I wasn't putting out my best work, even for an iphone, and quit.  

So WHY would I want to do it all over again? What if I fail? What if I quit? What if it's too much?! I think the best part about the FIRST time I did it was that I was trying new things EVERY day. I was learning. I was doing it for me and just me. 
That's where I am again, and I am so so happy to be there with this project. It's not for viewers, it's not for clients, it's for me. It's for creative expression. It's to embrace who I really am as an artist so I can give my all and my best as a photographer when creating for you. 
I feel like the timing is right too. I just hired my first employee last month- Taylor. She's amazing and we truly work well together on and off shoot, computer working and brainstorming. You'll be seeing a lot of her as she's going to be doing most of this project with me. She'll be here to tell me there's no way we are quitting and she'll also be here to make sure I don't loose myself. 

52 weeks starts tomorrow. I promise it will blow you away. This is a 1 year journey I will complete. Follow ajbc photography as we take back our creative path. 

Make the Money- a self portrait by ajbc photography (port huron photographer) inspired by Macklemore

I get strongly inspired by many things. Landscapes, sounds, books, pictures, and mostly songs. Macklemore is my current obsession.

"Now, this is my job, I will not quit it

Pulled me out the depths when I thought that I was finished
Yeah I questioned if I could go the distance
That's just the work, regardless of who's listening,
Listen, see I was meant to be a warrior
Fight something amongst me, leave here victorious
Classroom of kids, or a venue performing

If I'd had done it for the money I'd have been a fucking lawyer

A true artist won't be satisfied
So I guess that's the sacrifice
And I say...

Make the money, don't let the money make you
Change the game, don't let the game change you
I'll forever remain faithful

All my people stay true."

Make the Money- Macklemore

I deserve not to starve

I've read TWICE this month about 2 photographers, one local and one not, closing their doors FOR GOOD. WHY?

Because they BOTH said they could NOT survive and support themselves off their FULL TIME self employed photography income.

I checked both of them out on facebook. One had an ok number of likes with ok work. Alright- so that makes sense, perhaps there was room for improvement, on marketing and on technique. I've seen worse though! One had 5,000+ likes and beautiful work. Clearly people saw the beauty in her work and she had quality images!!

So what gives? How can 5,000 people like your work and you not be able to live off that? I don't KNOW, but I can make an assumption... These photographers were not charging what they were worth. Plain and Simple.

As Artists we love what we do- but this is also our job. We're here to have fun but we don't have hours to throw out the window either. So to anyone who wants something for free, or next to nothing- remember- we aren't just selling paper, or are required to give away digital copies bc they are "free." That "paper" holds cherished memories never to be seen again, those files took us hours to envision, capture, and artistically perfect, AND we have to survive just like you.

We have thousands of dollars in to our gear (and if you don't, I honestly don't feel as though you can call this your REAL profession... I'm not talking about hobbyists who have another job, I'm talking about the people who give it their ALL EVERY DAY.) We have years of knowledge. We have a talent no one else has. We have an eye and artistic mind you can't just borrow. And yes- if you want a custom, specialty service, you have to pay for it. Just like a painting, or a limited release item, or a product built just for you!

The SAD part is- I'm still not saying you have to charge $10,000 per session but you can not be the photographer shooting, editing, burning, and gifting EVERYTHING for $100 either.

WHY? Because you will SINK just like these people did unless you have another job or have someone else to support you. AND bc you have a GIFT that is worth more than what it cost me to buy a pair of over priced jeans from the Mall.

Please think of it this way- $100. approx. for 10 hours broken down in to emailing, meeting with a client, shooting, editing, viewing, making a disc / prepping ordering, (whichever you do), delivering products. Done. $100 divided by 10 is $10 an hour. Then uncle Same takes out 30%. $7 an hour. Then you have to pay all your studio bills, your business insurance,  sales tax, or... or... OR.... the list goes on. SO NOW you are working for yourself for like $3 an hour. Really!?

NO! STOP IT! YOU STOP IT RIGHT NOW! YOU are worth more than that and so is your work, and so is your time!!!!!

To all of my clients- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for seeing the value in what I do. Thank you for accepting the fact that I LOVE having fun with you but I am NOT here to play all day and that I create beautiful things for your home to support me in mine. YES- I love what I do but I am also very proud to say my full time job is a business I built, myself, from the ground up, and that it's in a field that many put the word "starving" in front of.

webblog

(self-portrait created during my 365 project in 2011)

Think of it this way- I have the drive and the fire behind me that a starving artist does, except I choose to eat, bc I deserve to.