1. Road Trip

I love road trips. Planning them, packing for them, and doing them. Unpacking… well, not so much. But road trips are one of the most fun and inspiring things you can do. I try to take small road trips whenever possible.

Last week I was in Vancouver. Instead of flying into Vancouver, I opted to fly to Seattle, rent a car and drive the 3 hours up.

It was cloudy and rainy on the way up, but stopping for lunch with my friend Bret, and a side trip down the Chuckanut road into Bellingham (Hwy 11) made it quite fun. Although I didn’t get as many images as I had hoped, I still had a blast listening to jazz and seeing places I had never seen before.

It was refreshing to the soul, and a lot of planning for the future LE changes was made.

2. Clean Up Website

We can always get into that website and freshen up the client lists, bio page, and images. Check in with your Analytics and see if there is some trend you need to capitalize on. Some new keywords, tidy up the home page content, change out that tired slide show and… hey – that’s my list. Heh.

3. Learn Something New

Have you thought about putting together a WordPress blog? Or opening a small online store? Have you thought about writing some articles for a favorite blog? Now is a great time to take some online classes in WordPress or Photoshop or Dreamweaver.

Take a writing class, or some sort of art class. If you play an instrument, get some lessons and see how your brain kicks the visual areas into high gear.

Take a workshop in a new place. The mix of road trip and workshop can make for some amazing images, and some incredible creative flow. (A plug for Kirk and Don in San Diego at this point.)

4. Make a Book

Blurb. Take your images and make a Blurb book. Edit it down to something you are proud of. Write some text, make some decisions. Work hard on it. Make small prints and edit edit edit.

Maybe it is a compilation of all the best images you made last year. Or maybe it is a set of images you did of your favorite model, or subject, or location.

Purchase a few copies of the book and make sure they are out in view in your studio / office. Show everyone you know the new book. Love it.

5. Add to Portfolio

Shoot some stuff. Shoot some stuff that you have never thought about shooting.

Find a project to work on, then get it done. Working keeps you sharp, and it keeps you fresh. Keeping the trigger finger going, and the Photoshop cranking keeps the ideas coming in at a furious pace. And having a project keeps you focused.

Get that project edited, then get it onto the website and into your print portfolio. Get ready for the fall, and the next big season for our industry.

Or simply look at your book and see where the weak images are. Take them out, add some new ones in. Shooting is the best reward.

6. Blog

Share your ideas, images and projects with interested people. Show clients what you do, how you meet challenges, and how you provide visual solutions to the projects they are working on.

Brag. Share. Engage with the people who drop by. Invite conversation, and meet new people through your blog. Don’t do it because you ‘have to’ – do it because it is fun.

7. Try Something Different

Ever shoot film? Try it.

Ever shoot a Hasselblad with film? Try that too.

Rent a view camera and learn how to use it. Shoot something that just ‘feels’ like a large format shot.

Do a video on your project. Add sound. Create a storyboard, script and shoot schedule. Shoot it on a pocket camera – or shoot it on your DSLR.

Find out what photographers mean by ‘motion’ and give it a shot. How about a headshot with motion? Or a small story about a creek in your neighborhood? Go on, its new and different – and that is all it has to be for now.

8. Organize Your Gear

I do this every year. Get the gear out, spread it around the studio and do an inventory. What needs to be fixed? What needs to be touched up, or tossed out? Do I have all the gear I need (including one more stand than I have… perpetually), and is it accounted for?

I make a list of gear and what containers they are in. Standbaggers are audited, and a ‘packing list’ is created, laminated and attached. Now I know where all the gear I have is, and with careful re-packing I can keep control of what I have – and not end up on a gig without something really important.

9. Build a List

Planning for the fall means a good time to make a list of perspective clients. Hit the bookstores and get the names and publications into your iPad or smart phone or laptop. Organize the list for the work you do, then get ready to begin the push in email, direct mail, and any other contact forms you want to work with in the fall.

If you work with a list company, take this time to organize it and get it ready for your push.

Plan the marketing with your list carefully and create a strong plan for getting your work in front of the people you have identified.

10. Market Your Ass Off

Just do it.

Show everyone what you do. Get a new set of cards done and pass them out. Make sure you wear your branded tee shirts, with matching branded walking shorts and that cool little branded beanie where ever you go.

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OK, that beanie thing may be a little over the top. But only a little. Being top of mind with as many people as possible means that there is a better chance for a referral, or a mention or a call for a gig.

So there ya go… 10 ideas to keep you busy.

Here’s one or two more:

1. The Lighting Essentials “Summer in My Town” photography contest with prizes nearing $1400.

2. And there is always Project 52 – an assignment a week for aspiring commercial photographers.

Follow Me on Twitter, Like the Facebook page, check out the lighting workshops, and learn more About Me if you like.

Hey – did you notice that Lighting Essentials now has a newsletter? This will be a blast, so sign up top right column. I won’t fill your inbox, we’ll only send out cool stuff twice a month.