Free Biz Shots – Gaining Momentum!

I know I promised an informational post about lighting flowers and I will be writing that as soon as I am finished this post. I just have to tell you all how many people are truly inspired by this little project of mine.

I have gotten positive feedback from unemployed people, other photographers, the local TV news (well, 2 out of 4 of them anyway), you name it! I have gotten calls from across the country and e-mails from around the world! On my way to Vermont last Friday I had to pull over 3 times just to take calls about the Free Business Portraits for the Unemployed! This ‘working vacation’ has turned out to be more working than vacation!
But you know, I don’t mind. If this is what working is all about, I have been missing something for the last 30 years. I am consumed by this project. I am so proud to be giving something to people that makes them feel good. Add to that the desire of other photographers to also do the same thing! I just found one this morning that says on their page that they are “considering doing the same thing”. Follow Troutman Photography on Twitter and encourage them to do it. The rewards are amazing!

The project has gotten write ups from Picture Soup and one of my favorite people Beate Chelette who has worked with one of my idols, Helmut Newton. The project itself may become something greater than it already is if people all over the world set dates and do this too! Imagine if at least one photographer in one major city in every state in the US and one major city in every country were to pick up their cameras for free for just one day to give back to their local area. Imagine the energy and the positive emotions that would flow out to the world. Can you imagine it? I can.

To have many more people take the Free Biz Shots to the next level would be the ultimate compliment to me and a fantastic benefit for all the people out of work. I want to dream of it and I want to hear from all the photographers out there that are thinking about doing it. I want to give them all my experience and tell them how to get the idea rolling in their cities and neighborhoods. I want to see the smiles on all the faces of all the people who have their pictures taken and all the smiles from those helping take the pictures. I could go on for hours!

But not right now. I owe you all a blog entry on lighting flowers. After another cup of coffee, I will work on that.

Until then, and I truly, truly mean this, Happy Shooting!

Got a Job? Still Need a Portrait?

Got a job? Still need your portrait done? Guess what? I do those too! Just because you are going to miss the free portraits just because you have a job doesn’t mean I am going to charge you full price. I have my standard rates but I am on a roll here. I am trying to something for the economy too. Call it the “Magick” stimulus package.

So what you have a job? Like most of us that are working, time is always crunched. You have go to work, fix house, do the dishes, walk the dog (or clean the litter box), on and on it goes. So many responsibilities, so little time. When on earth would you have time to go to a photography studio just to sit there for 30-60 minutes and let someone shine bright lights in your eyes? Let me tell you a little secret, you don’t have to. Shhh! Not so loud! Do you want everyone to know?

Seriously, I come to you. My studio is 100% mobile and I will come to your home or office and get those shots you need to find a better job! You can update your LinkedIn or Facebook pages too. And because I am in such a giving mood this month I am going to do something I have never done before. I am going to run a “special”! Set an appointment to have your portrait taken before September 12th and I will give you 20% off my rates!

This doesn’t just apply to business shots either. You can get family portraits too! Heck I will even photograph the family pets! I am easy, and now I am cheap too! Get all the details (and more) on the MMP News page!

I am working on an article about lighting flowers. Check back soon for the article. Until then:

Happy Shooting!

Free Business Portraits For the Unemployed

I have just booked a location to do free business portraits for those that are unemployed, between positions or just plain out of work. I want to give back to the community and the best way I can think to do that is to help others somehow. These are difficult times and what can be more difficult than going to work one day and coming home unemployed? Well there are many worse things, illness, disease… but this isn’t about what I can’t fix. This is about helping fix what I can.

I was at home last week wondering what I can do to help others. I can’t do this, I don’t know how to do that, but you know what? I can take a pretty damn good picture. How can a photo help somebody? Recently many experts have been advising people to include a picture of themselves on their resume or to make their social media image ‘business like’ if they are looking for a new position. Now that is something can help with! Finally I found a way that I know I can help people.

On Wednesday August 26th in Philadelphia, I will be doing as many business portraits as I can squeeze into 6 hours. I have done bulk portraits at events before. You know that photographer standing by the coat room at your companies holiday party? Yeah, that’s me. I have been able to take over 250 shots in just over 3 hours at an event like that. I am hoping that I can beat that record and help some people in need. hell, if only one person shows up and it helps them get the job they need, I will call it a win. If two show up then its a win-win! If three show up, it will be a win-win-win, and if four… You get the idea.

If you want to be included all you have to do is be out of work and be willing to show up in some type of business appropriate attire.

To learn more send your questions or request for a time to bizshots@ (email no longer active) and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. I have no clue as to how popular this shoot will be so please be patient.

Until then or until my next post, Happy Shooting!

Appearance! By me of all people!

I will be showing some of my work at the FRESH GROUND COFFEE HOUSE in Willow Grove PA this coming Friday evening July 24th from 8pm until Midnight! Fresh Ground was put together by a friend of mine in a wonderful little church in Willow Grove and they had their first one last month. I attended and the church wasn’t struck by lightning. Amazing!

You can get all the details on Facebook.com (just click here to check it out) but I can tell you that there will be live music from Bill Haney and Friends, fresh coffee, good people, conversation and you can see my work all for free! I like free, free is good. If you’re like me and thinking, “they are going to go all religious on me,” don’t worry. Last month the only time I heard the ‘G’ word was when someone stubbed their toe and that was followed by a word other than ‘bless’.

I look forward to seeing you there! Yes, you.

To leave a comment, click the link below.

So you’re here. Maybe its not Friday yet, maybe it has past and you came by and said hi. Leave a comment and tell everyone else what you think.

Happy Shooting!

What Camera should I get? Part I

As a professional photographer I am often approached by someone asking me, “What camera should I get?” or “I saw this camera on sale. Is it a good deal?” Well that depends on a lot of things. Certainly you aren’t going to buy a DSLR for an 8 year old! But then does the average 30 year old even want a DSLR or even a prosumer (one step below pro but above consumer) camera? To decide what camera is best for you, you need to ask yourself a few questions.

The very first question you want to ask is, “How much do I want to spend can I spend without my partner freaking out?” The amount you spend isn’t as important as it used to be. Cameras are coming down in price and yet adding features that didn’t even exist 15 years ago.

The next question is what types of images do you want to capture? It’s doubtful you are going to shoot a professional sporting event for the evening paper with a point and shoot. It’s not that it can’t be done, but it is much more likely the editor is going to want either more or better shots than you can get with a pocket camera.

The last of the big three questions is a matter of convenience. Well, actually, the question itself is convenience! Do you want to carry a bulkier, but more flexible, SLR and multiple lenses around with you or do you want something that fits in your pocket or purse? (If you say fits in my fanny pack, leave. Close this browser window and go watch the fashion channel. When you learn why that is a horrible thought, come back and finish reading.)

In future posts I will address each of these questions in greater depth. By the end of the series you will have a better understanding of what to look for in a camera and possibly even know what camera you want! While you’re waiting for the next post, check out my images on http://www.magickmichael.com. See if you can figure out which camera I used for each.

“Magick” Michael