It takes twice as many muscles to be miserable and frown than it does to smile.  Instead of asking people how they are and hearing about all their aches and pains, tell them they look great and the response will always be positive.  And for those of you who keep complaining about business being bad – take a break.  Then, do what so many photographers who are surviving today do, think about how to re-invent yourself.  Listen to what your customers are telling you – you can’t create images that tug at people’s hearts if your heart isn’t in it yourself.

And if you can’t get yourself out of the rut, instead of pulling back, maybe it’s time to spend a little more on advertising, promotion and networking…maybe it’s time to invest more time…maybe you need to hang out with other photographers dealing with the same challenges, like Summer School - while I admit it’s a shameless moment of self-promotion, I know what I saw last year and how many photographers left Vegas with renewed energy and new ideas.

The biggest thing is to not give up…

Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touch down.  Ross Perot

Make it a great Sunday and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touch down.”

If I ask a group of photographers about advertising, somebody will always say, “We tried it once, but it didn’t work!” Ask some people about trying some different lenses or shooting wide open for a different look and you’ll hear almost the same, “I’ve tried it, but my clients like the look I have!”  Ask them to move the lights in the studio, the ones that are put in the same spot every day on the masking tape on the floor and you’ll sense the same concern.

Well, what if those photographers are all standing on Ross Perot’s one yard line?  What if they just needed to run that ad a few more times for people to contact them?  What if they only needed a little more patience to wait out the economy?

Trust me, I know it’s tough waiting for your ship to come in.  In fact, there’s a great line I’ve used, “It’ll be my luck when my ship comes in, I’ll be at the airport!”  But I’ve seen so many photographers who were able to stay focused, stay aggressive in their marketing efforts and believe in themselves and things did come together.

It’s all about taking action, being patient and not giving up.   And since Ross Perot put me on the one yard line this morning, might as well stay with a football theme and give Vince Lombardi the spotlight:

“It’s easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you’re a winner, when you’re number one. What you’ve got to have is faith and discipline when you’re not yet a winner!”

Happy Sunday everybody – make it a great one!  It’s Al Pacino’s birthday and the anniversary of Freud opening his practice in 1886 – how’s that for an obscure fact ?  I’m just not sure what to send either one of them!  LOL