Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from October, 2022

Bookkeeping tips for freelance photographers

The life of a professional photographer is defined, in part, by the once-in-a-lifetime moments: the trips to faraway places, the collaborations with stylists and other artists, and the chance to work with inspiring brands. But behind every exciting moment are countless not-so-exciting moments: the travel logistics, the gear rentals, the invoices, the bills, and perhaps most importantly, the bookkeeping. Bookkeeping is essential for running a sustainable freelance photography business, tracking your success, knowing your budget, and setting manageable, realistic goalposts. It’s also relatively manageable, whether you’re outsourcing to a pro or doing things yourself. All it takes is a little know-how and a lot of consistency. Disclaimer: We are not offering any financial or tax advice! For tax or financial advice, consult a CPA or financial advisor. What is bookkeeping? Bookkeeping entails the recording, organizing, and storing of all your business transactions, including but not

Tiny homes, digital nomadism, & life off-grid: Ideas to incorporate into your commercial photography

In 2020, IKEA joined forces with Vox Creative and Escape, an RV and tiny home builder, to build a mobile tiny home in hopes of promoting awareness around sustainable and affordable living. Complete with solar panels, kitchen surfaces made of repurposed plastics, and sustainably grown pine paneling, the house clocks in at just 187 square feet, and it comes pre-built. For those working remotely, the kitchen table can be collapsed to form a desk. Over the past two years, amid unprecedented changes and challenges worldwide, individuals and families have pivoted to more sustainable, affordable, and fulfilling ways of life. And brands like IKEA have met consumers where they are, creating products that help us make informed choices for ourselves and the environment. With the tiny house movement and others like it entering the mainstream, commercial photographers have an opportunity to tap into this cultural moment by representing the true diversity of career paths, lifestyles, and accommod

NFT Trends: Exploring AI in NFT projects

Alice has a personality and a face, but “she” doesn’t exist—at least not in the traditional sense. Inspired, in part, by the Lewis Carroll character, “Alice” was created by the artist Robert Alice in collaboration with a synthetic media company called Alethea AI. Her “face” was built from generic CGI stock models, and she can hold a conversation—thanks to GPT-3 deep learning technology from OpenAI. Alice was the first of her kind: an iNFT, or intelligent non-fungible token. The token sold at Sotheby’s for $478,000 last year. Alethea AI is the driving force behind the next evolution of crypto art and assets on the blockchain: iNFTs. iNFTs have an embedded AI or “personality” as part of their smart contracts, opening up endless possibilities for us to interact with—and even enjoy conversations with—our NFTs. These iNFTs “live” on Noah’s Ark, an Intelligent Metaverse from Alethea AI. The team at Alethea sees some of these potential applications for the technology: Cryptopunks could

Tips for photographers on how to tackle pre-shoot anxiety

Consider this: according to research from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, artists experience more stress and anxiety when compared to those in other fields, but they also measure higher in terms of strengths such as hope or ego resilience—or the ability to recover from difficult times. In other words, artists might have more anxiety than people in other professions, but they might also be particularly skilled at navigating that stress and overcoming challenges. For many of us, stress can be a daily challenge, even if we don’t talk about it. Freelance photographers wear many hats, seamlessly transitioning from the role of artist to businessperson to shoot director. Some nervousness is normal in a professional photography setting, and it’s something everyone in the industry faces at one point or another, regardless of their talent or experience. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are a few simple tips for coping with those pre-shoot nerves. Disclaimer: We are