My tag line is ‘Who I am begins with who I was’.
It’s difficult for me to dismiss what I used to do for a living. Not just because I loved it so, but also because what I now do has so many parallels between the 3. Directing a department that deals primarily with people in creative services places me directly in a comfort zone that I have been living/working in for 30 years. My consulting business as Job Search Therapist also positions me nicely in the arena of ‘people’.
One of the keys to making good pictures (when you work with people) is establishing an instant rapport. You assess and process quickly the subject and the circumstances with which you are working. As the director, you think about concept, talent, studio, location, sets, props, your production crew and of course clients, as they are all involved.
My job was to funnel all of that activity into a concisely produced structure and make a picture that tells a compelling story, satisfies the client and feed my own creative juices.
As a recruiter, I meet with potential clients and talent that we represent. My approach is no different. I try and establish a quick rapport that elicits a sense of trust and comfort. It’s that relationship that makes or breaks communication. If you can create that feeling of confidence and make clients and talent feel protected by who you are, how you behave and your ability to deliver – you have made a good picture.
Connection. Connection. Connection.
That is the driver as Job Search Therapist. It’s essential to find a common ground quickly with a client. The time you have is limited and my responsibility is to maximize every minute, get inside their head and help them reduce stress as we partner to create a plan that enables them to move their professional life forward. Not much different than having a 1 hour booking with a model and capturing a great moment on behalf of the client.
Simply put, photography is the act of building an image within the frame and connecting all the elements within that frame and arrange them in a given space and time. Things don’t always go according to plan, so you have to think on your feet and improvise. How can you find an immediate fix and still make everything come together? That’s the challenge – but it’s the job and your responsibility. You have earned the trust and everyone counts on you. Making pictures, telling stories, capturing content, connecting with a client, establishing rapport with new talent – it all adds up to the same thing…..Relationships and Partnership.