Business

Red Canoe in Algonquin - Click for larger

(Above image published in the Summer 2012 issue of ON Nature magazine)

It's not always the fun part, although I love getting paid for what I do. The business aspect of photography takes up the majority of our time. If it were just clicking the shutter this would be a very simple business. It is a lot of hard work and grueling hours at the computer. Phone calls, emails and dealing with clients can eat up your day. Not to mention, backups, processing and adding the captions, keywords and other metadata.

Labrador Iceberg - Click for larger

(Above image selected as Editors Choice, National Association of Photoshop Professionals June 21, 2012)

It's not why we got into this. It wasn’t for recognition or the money. It was for the shear joy of capturing a moment, a slice of time that inspires and shows the wonder of the world. But eventually, you have to sell to keep doing it. Publish or perish.

I remember the first time I had a nature image published. It was very exciting. I think I got $50 for it. It was a cow moose from Algonquin. That image is no longer in my database of images. I probably still have it somewhere but it is not as good as the moose images I have now. Still, it was the beginning and holds a special place in my memory. I'm still a regular contributor to that magazine 20 years later.

There is an energy that is released when you get published. It's validation and yes; it helps the ego although it is best to keep that in check. You must remember there are so many great images out there. I am just a very small part of a very large industry.

St. Lawrence River - Click for larger

(Above image published in the May 2012 issue of Canadian Geographic Travel magazine)

I often don’t get to see my published images. If they are sold by one of our many agencies, we get a quarterly statement and a cheque. The statement indicates what image sold, what rights where sold and how and where geographically it was used. It does not list the company or publication. So we rarely see most of our images in print. If we sell it directly to a client, we ask for copies. However many of our sales are through an agent.

Killarney Provincial Park - Click for larger

Many years ago, a photographer friend of mine saw the above image in the United Airlines in flight magazine. Photographers often read the credit line. He noticed my name and grabbed several copies for me. He knew it was very important to have examples of published work and I'm grateful that he sent them along.

We continue to establish new clients on our own:

Meadowlark - Click for larger

(Above image published in the October/November 2011 issue of National Wildlife magazine)

Getting and keeping new clients is what it is all about when it comes down to business. That takes time and hard work. There is no way around it.

Selling your work changes the dynamic of your photography. In some ways it takes some of the fun out of it. In other ways, it adds joy and a sense of accomplishment.

Dinosaur Provincial Park - Click for larger

(Above image published online at: National Geographic Travel Trip Ideas)

Whatever you do, there is a cycle. The cycle of photography is not really complete until you show the image somehow. Whether it is published or printed and hung on the wall, it all starts with your eye and what is in front of you.

After all these years, the process is still fun, challenging and rewarding.

Friendly Manitoba!

The trip is going nicely. We finally made our way out of Ontario. It’s such a big Province; it takes days to get to the northern border. As we approached Kenora, we drove through some flooded areas on the road and stopped in to take some photographs in Rushing River Provincial Park.

Rushing River Provincial Park - Click for larger

It rained so hard the night before we were happy to be in a motel.
We travelled to our friends Frieda and Dennis Fast’s place in Kleefeld Manitoba. Both are wonderful photographers. I had the pleasure of sharing a trip to the Seal River in northern Manitoba with the Fasts last November. (See previous posts) We arrived mid-afternoon and had a great visit talking non-stop through dinner. They took us for a drive through the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve and we photographed Western Prairie Fringed Orchids. It is the only place in Canada this endangered flower exists.

Western Prairie Fringed-Orchid - Click for larger

The next morning we got up early and worked the Tall Grass Prairie while Dennis and Frieda ran some errands. We dropped in to see Christie and Laura who work in the preserve, had a good chat and then headed back to have brunch with the Fasts. It was another good meal with endless conversation. They are such great hosts!

Our next major stop was the Chaplin/Morse area of Saskatchewan. This area off Hwy 1 is packed with birds and wildlife. We camped at Morse. This is not a quiet place to camp. It’s clean and well looked after but it’s right on the train tracks and the freight trains come through all night long with horns-a-blasting. Makes for interesting dreams though. I love working this area. There are not many people and you can work right from the car with little interruption from other vehicles. We see thousands of Avocets and some still are nesting.

Avocet on Nest - Click for larger

From Morse, we headed to The Great Sandhills of Saskatchewan. Unfortunately it was raining so hard and the roads were so wet, we didn’t get in to see them. We wanted to photograph this area again and we wanted to see the signs they put up using some of our images. If you have ever driven in Saskatchewan “Gumbo” you will understand why we didn’t risk the roads! Maybe we can drop in on the way back. On the way south from Leader, we stopped at this old one room schoolhouse - The St. John’s School Historical Site.

St. John's School Provincial Heritage Site - Click for larger

We continued on to Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta. It’s hot and buggy. Lots of mosquitoes! After getting a campsite we scout for the evening shoot. We do a hike after diner. It really is an interesting landscape but the bugs!

Hoodoos - Click for larger

We have decided to move on tomorrow. Too many bugs and too many screeching kids! We will head to Calgary to replace my ailing 24-105mm lens and then head to the Rockies.