Got a title, now what's the story?

It's been a while since I wrote this Blog - in fact it's been a while since I wrote anything!

I had a go at the NaNoWriMo but fell quite early. I just don't seem to be able to write at present and it's extremely annoying.

However...

This morning I woke up with a somewhat surreal phrase running through my mind. Normally I would have forgotten it before the first cup of coffee, but it's still there calling out to me. 

I think I may have the title for a short story (or possibly more) - now all I need is the story to go with it. I will spend today allowing thoughts to run free and see if anything good comes up. If so, I hope to be back on the riding horse very soon.

I'll let you know...

help

A little while ago I had a conversation where the unusual (and potentially volatile) Brussel Sprout lasagne was mentioned. After we had all finished crying with the laughter I was left wondering what other bizarre/unsociable dishes people made.

I'm considering a short item/book about this subject and would welcome any of your own creations or family favourites. If I publish (probably in Kindle form) I will give the contributors name in the item (unless you prefer to remain anonymous).

Thanks everyone

What the hell?

I have just discovered something that I find more than a little worrying.

Today, I brought up my Blogger stats page and noticed the traffic appears to come primarily from one address (see below) -

 
 This is not somewhere I'm familiar with, so I clicked on it (more out of curiousity as to how they knew about me to redirect traffic) and was shocked to discover I was on a site filled with pornographic images.

I would hate anyone reading my blog to think I was in any linked with this site. My blog is all about the ramblings of a would be writer/photographer and in no way would I wish to be associated with this other site.

I am worried that it is either a virus in Blogger (I've certainly never put my blog up for any forwarding sites) or someone has created a link between my blog and this site. Either way, I will be keeping a careful eye on any other 'forwarding sites' appearing in my Traffic report, but I certainly won't casually open them again.

I would definitely recommend caution if you see any unknown sites in your own reports.

Neil

Get back to that keyboard

Well, it's been a while since I wrote a proper blog (no developments on the attempt to earn from it as yet) and I thought it was time to start up again.

The last few months have been a little difficult - my depression makes it hard to find the enthusiasm to do anything - and as a result my writing has stopped completely. 

It's a bit of a vicious cycle as I feel even more down when I stare at the screen and can't even write a simple piece.

Anyway, my wife has finally convinced me to pick up one of the many part written/half conceived stories and have a serious go at finishing it off. 

At the same time I'm also looking into putting together a few of my short stories and creating a Kindle book. If nothing else, it will keep me occupied and might even be enjoyed by at least one person...

The hardest part for me now is deciding which story I feel most comfortable in trying to develop into a book. They say you should write what you know which has reduced it to two choices. I love sci-fi, so that offers one of my routes, but I have started a book with hints of self biography (only in so much as the main character has led a similar life, but without all the cock-ups) and a list of characters drawn from real life.

To be honest, the sci-fi feels a bit of a shambles (different parts seem to be different books) so I suspect I will be writing option 2.

I'm going to try to blog as much as possible, as well as work on the book every day. Maybe the last few months will prove to be the push I needed to actually finish writing at least one book.

Thanks for visiting

Neil

A possible earner?

I've just come across a site that suggests you can earn money from blogging.

As I am currently trying to earn some extra (or any!) money, I thought I'd give it a go.

As such, I'm required to add the fairly random sentence,  an envelope absolutely, positively has to be there overnight, to this blog. 

Normal blogs will return shortly, but I'll keep you up to date on whether there actually is money to be made from blogging.

Neil

Shylock misses out...

Today I want to have a bit of a rant about companies offer quick loans.

A few days ago I heard of a twenty year old, unemployed man who had been given a completely unsecured loan by one of these companies that advertise on the TV.

This young man has no job, does not sign on and has no other income. Yet, on the strength of a debit card and a pound in his bank account, he was loaned £250 for a month. He has no apparent concept of responsibility and is reputedly borrowing money from all his friends. It would seem that one of these friends directed him to the easy and instant money available from this loan company.

The loan was for a month (he clearly had no idea of how he would repay the loan) and fell due a few weeks ago. The company are now chasing him for the money and his family are going to have to bail him out.

You may feel this problem is the sole fault of the young man (as I did initially), but perhaps we should ask ourselves how he obtained this loan in the first place.

This company states it is a responsible lender, but how responsible can you be if you lend money to someone with no way of paying it back? The interest so far is close to 70% and growing. I suspect this is the only aspect of the loan that interests many of these companies...

We need to look at the many loan companies currently preying on the poor, needy and the frankly stupid people who use these businesses. This country has massive debt problems and shocking poverty. How can it be right to licence the companies to drive people into debts they cannot afford? After hearing of this story I googled the company name and found story after story from people regretting ever taking a loan from them.

I know the banks have tightened lending, but permitting these  companies to operate in the way they do is not the solution. Sometimes banks refuse a loan because you really cannot afford the extra debt. 

These companies merely provide the opportunity to get further in trouble before the crash.

Shylock would be amazed at the business opportunities these companies would offer him in the 21st century.

Uncle Bob? I wouldn't employ him!

Last year I wrote a piece about hobby photographers and their impact on Wedding Photography as a profession.

To my surprise, it was published in a national magazine and sparked months of debate on the letters pages.

As I couldn't think of much to say today, I thought I'd share it with you.

 

We all know Uncle Bob. Nice guy - owns a camera and will be happy to take your wedding photos. “You don’t need an expensive, so called professional – Uncle Bob has got a decent camera and that’s all you need.”

Every professional photographer has met, or lost business to, Uncle Bob.

In these digital days, everyone with a camera thinks they can do the job as well as a professional. Add in a recession and suddenly a few hundred pounds for a photographer at the most expensive day of your life is an unnecessary outlay. No-one says “I’ve got a garden, I’ll grow my own flowers” despite the cost of bouquets (and the short life), but they are more than happy to leave the photography to ‘some bloke with a camera’ based on price. 

Uncle Bob will usually offer to do the wedding shoot “just buy me a drink” he’ll say. Why on earth do people entrust what may be the most important images of their life to someone who does it for ‘fun’?

Couples spend thousands on the big day, but then try to cut costs on the person who will provide a record of that day. Uncle Bob might seem a bargain before the wedding, but we all know the final price. Poor quality images, disappointment and regret. Unfortunately, a wedding isn’t the same as a family portrait – you can’t come back and try again. Uncle Bob gets one go and that’s one too many...

I recently returned to photography as a profession after a long break. I took a great many pictures to ensure total confidence in my camera, I used everyone I could think of as guinea pigs and I offered free shoots to couples who couldn’t afford a photographer (does that make me Uncle Bob?) in order to put together a proper wedding package. I regarded it as a refresher programme after a break. 

My first paid wedding went very well. My clients were delighted with the quality of the images and also my relaxed style. And that is what makes us so much better than Uncle Bob. We do this for a living; we are confident enough to pose the couple when necessary, but we also work with them to create relaxed, natural images. We don’t ‘point and shoot’, nor do we march around giving orders. We do our best not to intrude in the day. We take the images they want, when they want. 

Our philosophy is different from Uncle Bob’s (or should be). We want our clients to regard our images as the perfect reminder of their day. We want them to show them off with pride. Uncle Bob wants to be known as the chap who took the photos, he doesn’t do this for a living and he doesn’t really care about the long term.

My advice to any couple booking a photographer is simple. Price is obviously a consideration – it’s no good booking a £1000 an hour photographer if your wedding budget is £2000 – but the most important thing to consider is their portfolio. Do you like their previous work? Is it a style you want for your own images? Do you feel comfortable with the photographer (after all, you’ll be working with them all day!)? Are they willing to listen to what you want or do they have a fixed idea? Most photographers will want you, the client, to get the images you want. If someone refuses to listen, I’d keep searching.

If their prices are a little too high, ask about other packages. They may offer lower prices on weekdays for instance. 

Uncle Bob is unlikely to offer a portfolio – if he was good enough to have a number of successful weddings under his belt he would be charging accordingly. Do you really want to entrust your day to someone who has no investment in ensuring you are more than happy with your images? I doubt it, but if you do I wish you good luck......

Too cheap to be worth it?

I hate my job. I don't mean I don't like it - I genuinely hate it.

The job has made me ill, it conflicts with my own moral code and it is pointless in the extreme. If I actually do the job I'm employed to do, I will be over-ruled by people with 'friends in high places'.

Without going into detail, the job has opened my eyes to the type of corruption that is apparently acceptable in local government.

In short - I want out!!!!

Some of you may recall my attempt to find self employment as a photographer. Well, I want to try again as part of a wider range of employment options. I'm also undertaking a proofreading course as part two of 'The Plan'.

The problem I seem to be currently experiencing is pricing. I live in an area with a lot of photography students looking to earn a few pounds to top up their income. This means the customer is swamped with cheap (not inexpensive, which implies quality at a lower price) photographers offering cheap, or even free, wedding shoots.

This, obviously, makes it difficult to find work.

I recently read an article that suggested I should charge a higher price as this makes you stand out from the crowd and implies a higher quality standard of work. Now, I'm always happy to earn more, but will it take me out of consideration for most potential clients?

Do I need to find a new way to market myself to the higher spending clients? If so, what is this marketing method? I hate the sales side of things, but I know I'm going to have to push hard to break away from the herd. 

I intend carrying out a few model shoots during the upcoming weeks and will update my portfolio with the type of images my competitors seem unable to offer (I visit opposition websites to assess quality). Hopefully this will give me the slight edge I need to get moving forwards.

As far as the pricing goes, I need to give this a lot of thought and get feedback from everyone I know. Does price reflect quality in your eyes when seeking a photographer? Is it better to do inexpensive packages and hope someone wants a better service, or do I charge more on the basis I'm better than the 'Uncle Bob'* photographers out there?

The next few weeks are going to involve a lot of market research in the hope of answering this question. If you have any thoughts, please let me know.

Thanks

* Uncle Bob was the subject of an article I wrote for a national photography magazine last year.

Confidence - I'm certain I don't have any!

Since I was a child I've wanted to be a writer.

For over thirty years I've also been a photographer.

These have been constants through my life.

And yet...

I have never believed - truly believed - that I am any good at either of them.

It's a very strange situation as I'm someone who has always been able to do anything that they wish to do. I was in all the top classes at school, my IQ is extremely high, I learn things very quickly and I'm generally confident in myself.

But for some reason, I doubt myself in two of my favourite past-times. Why?

My wife, friends and even academics have praised my writing. People have bought my photography and booked me for their weddings. My current employer uses my photos in their PR work.

Surely this should convince me I can do these to a good standard?

As a child I knew I was good at anything I chose to do. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to me and I didn't always understand why some of my friends would struggle. As I grew older, life began to wear away my self belief, but I was still capable of rising to the top in most situations.

I now suffer from depression, and have done for some years, which causes very low days. My camera is often a source of great help on such days. Recently I was very low. My wife took me out with my camera and I spent hours taking photos of everything in sight. By the time we came home, my spirits were high.

I would love to believe that something which gives me such enjoyment (and therapy) is also something I can claim to be genuinely good at, but I still doubt my abilities (as with writing).

I guess this is a situation I will have to learn to live with and not allow my self doubts to undermine the two skills(?) that I may possess and certainly enjoy practising.

Support British small business - or the US...

I've previously mentioned I have a small photography business (can I call it that if I don't have any clients?) which I am struggling to get going.

Last year I returned to the world of office work, as I desperately needed an income.

Now, a year later, I'm trying to find a few wedding shoots to supplement my income. As a result I need a new website. Looking around the internet, I came across a site called www.gbbo.co.uk which has been set up to help get UK small businesses online.

Great, I thought, a site that is designed to specifically meet a UK business. This will be perfect. I signed up straight away and was directed to the host to begin building my site. That was when I realised this site was US based!

The free site is pretty basic - but probably sufficient for many businesses - and I needed to upgrade to use the functions I need. Fortunately I left it a few days, as the cost changed from £5 a month to free for a year before I had time to sign up for the upgrade.

My real issue with this is the fact that small businesses are being led to believe they are dealing with a Uk provider and only discover too late that they will actually be supporting the US economy if they upgrade, rather than supporting another UK company.

I know we now live in a world where there are no international boundaries (in the virtual world of the internet), but I do feel it would be nice for small businesses to feel they are helping other UK businesses grow along with their own business. I personally would prefer to know any growth in my business could be passed to the UK economy - not sent overseas.

Anyway, moan over, the site is exactly what I wanted and it has cost me virtually nothing. So I guess I shouldn't really complain...

Realistic - or am I losing my mind?

It's been a while since my last blog, but my wife suggested I share a recent experience with you.

Last Saturday morning I was watching breakfast TV in bed, when a feature came on about the new Muppet Movie. I smiled at the thought of another muppet film and then began to wonder what they'd been up to during the last few years - not the puppeteers, but the actual Muppets!

After a few moments of wondering if they were just enjoying life and all the money they must have made, I suddenly realised I was thinking of them as actual, living beings.

I must confess I was a little embarrassed (until I began laughing) at the thought I could be so stupid.

But then it occured to me - this is a tribute to the skills of the guys behing the Muppets. They have created characters of such strength that we forget they don't exist. The next day i saw an actor talking about working with them and talking of trying to catch their eyes. I think it is marvellous that the muppets have 'come to life' in our minds.

If I could ever create one character with that such a strong sense of 'being' I would be exceedingly pleased.

Congratulations to the Muppet team - and pass on my best wishes to Kermit and co...