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Michael [mahy-kuhl] – noun
1. A male given name. 2. A witty, charming professional wedding photographer who enjoys movies, exercise, romantic walks on the beach and large pepperoni pizzas.
Maven [may-ven] – noun
1. A connoisseur or trusted expert in a particular field who seeks to pass his knowledge onto others. 2. An intense gatherer of useful information. 3. An individual who demonstrates passion for learning and teaching a specific topic, particularly through a well connected social network.
Thank you for coming to my blog! I update it regularly, so if you ever want to know what I am up to, please come by and take a peek. Feel free to leave your comments below.
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Master Shots - Chris Kenworthy |
I try to spend at least a half hour each day reading a self-improvement book, and another half hour reading a skill type book- on any subject that interests me. Ultimately, your value is determined by your skill sets, and if you are not improving, you will always peak out sooner or later. You can give yourself a raise by increasing your skill sets your entire life. Always get better than you are today. Find the time to invest in yourself at least half an hour each day and it will always pay off over the long run. Im finding if I read on the elliptical, I tend to enjoy both more. I have a deal with myself that I cannot buy any new books until I finish the last one I am reading.
I'm absolutely loving this book: Master Shots - By Chris Kenworthy
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| It really should be Titled "Moving the Camera for Motion Pictures 101". It's extremely simple, well illustrated, but most importantly, it defines the relationship between the motivation of the story and the movement of the camera. If you are a dSLR owner interested in movie making, I would say this is a must read. |
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Eat This, Not That!! |
I had heard about this book for a while, but never really got around to looking at it until recently. There are many versions of it, I liked the first one which had to do mostly with restaurants and this version, which deals with super markets. The whole strategy of the book is to help you lose weight, not by radical diet / radical exercise (like Im doing), but educate you and the types of foods being offered and why some alternatives are much better than others. It gives alternatives to the things you like, helping you save 200-500 calories in a meal, just by getting different things. It would be impossible to try to remember every little detail of what is better than what, however, it will at least teach you if you are eating something wrong, and how you can improve your diet..
2 Quick Facts:
The "most healthy" fast food restaurant, and the only one to get an A+? Chick-Fil-A (No sandwiches on their list exceeded 500 calories. It was the only fast food restaurant that accomplished this.
The "Worst" as in most unhealthy restaurant food you can get in America: "Cheesy Bacon Fries From Outback" a whopping 3000 calories (and that doesnt include the steak/rest of the meal you are getting either!
Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution |
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Deduct it! |
If you are a photographer (or small business owner) in the US who either owns or is looking to start a business, I would highly recommend this book. It is a plain English way to educate yourself about what tax deductions are, and whether or not you qualify. Its not a boring accountant type book either. I appreciate the clear, real life examples, as well as the tax law references. The hints, tips and real life rules are extremely valuable.
The opening of the book struck a cord with me: The IRS will never complain when you pay more taxes than you actually should, they will gladly accept your money and not think twice about it. This is more often than not the case. (What I am saying is, if you own a legitimate business and are not aware of the tax deductions available to you, you are paying more in taxes than you are legally required to).
On the other hand, there are a lot of myths about what a deduction is, what it can be worth or how one becomes eligible for one. Sometimes hobbyists try to pass their "passion" off as a business, claim unsupported deductions and when they get audited discover they didn't understand the law and owe back taxes with penalties.
I think this book was like $25- a great investment, which if you learn the principles will pay for itself hundreds, if not thousands of times over. Its absolutely worth your time (and money) to educate yourself about what tax deductions are and how you can qualify.
Deduct it! On Amazon.com
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4 Hour Work Week |
This book has been a very interesting read. There are a number of physiological hurdles you will have to overcome if you actually want to mentally digest what this guy is proposing.
1. The title is very fairly-tale-ish. As in "this is impossible", a.k.a. why even bother reading this?
2. The author, Tim Ferriss, in my humble opinion- is incredibly arrogant, not in a good way either, more of a "I am better than you lower humans" kind of way "...and oh ya let me tell you why"....
If you can get past these two hurdles, this book is awesome. Having played division one football, there are some rules when it comes to smack talking, the main one being: "If you can back it up....you can say it" (Doesnt mean you should say it, but at least you have some sort of right to saying it, especially when you win).
Tim Ferriss, is living proof that his life system works, although I wouldnt flaunt it in the same way, he has certain bragging rights and if you listen to what he has to say, it very well could change your life. His book revolves around a set of rules to help "automate" your life and make enough money, not so much to get filthy rich, but to have a meaningful and interesting life, and really do whatever it is you want, working at minimum a few hours a week.
The first hurdle will be the hardest to get over, but if you can...wow...what a great book. I will probably read it again, this was totally my kind of read. |
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33 Strategies of War |
I wanted to throw a shot out to Robert Greene's new book the 33 Strategies of War. If you remember, Greene wrote the 48 Laws of Power, which was excellent. This is essentially a war history book, wrapped up into flexible, applicable principles, that any individual can use in different aspects of life, but particularly well in business.
Green breaks down strategy ideas for approaching problems, and then outlines them in a historical context. I will warn you, it is a very slow and very fascinating read, not something to rush through. Read a chapter, think about it, let is soak in, read the next.
While reading, I find myself asking how the principles can be applied to photography and I must say, if you are starting a photography business...this would be a great read!
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Secrets of Power Negotiating |
We are all salesmen. I cringe at the idea of trying to sell anything to anyone, however the fact has been and will always be, if you are alive, you have to know to sell things, more than anything, these things are ideas, promises or yourself. Something I was not aware of was that there are very specific negotiating skills that can make or break any deal.
"The Secrets of Power Negotiating" by Robert Dawson is an absolute classic. It was given to me by a friend a few years ago and was the turning point in my business. It's a 6 CD audio book, the first four cover most of what Dawson calls "Gambits", or negotiating moves. It is rated very high on Amazon. Since I have looked at several negotiating books, this remains my favorite. It runs about $20.
It has helped me most by:
1. Teaching me to listen to my clients and what they want, instead of what I want. By focusing on the client, identifying their key points and addressing them, you know exactly how to make an offer they will want. These skill sets, when used properly aim for a win-win and makes selling so much easier.
2. It has taught me how to walk-away from potential clients by identifying a few warning signs. I am still a little uncomfortable turning clients down, but a very important part of the wedding photography business is to not book everyone who calls. I estimate I turn down about half of those who inquire.
If you are in any business which requires you to negotiate and haven't listened to this audio book, you will thank yourself later. I cannot recommend it higher.
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Book Review: Secrets of The Millionaire Mind |
Looking for something to read on my way back from Utah, I picked this up at the airport. I had heard so much about it, but never got around to reading it, and I must say it is very, very good. (BTW- I do occasionally start to read "bad" books, but if I get bored with them, I usually stop and never write a review about them.)
I liked this book because it teaches you not only how millionaires think, but also how to think like them. Wealth it seems comes more from a process of thinking than anything else. I appreciated the chapter on the willingness to promote your goods and services....even if you have the most amazing product in the world, it means nothing unless you know how to market it.
This is probably one of my all time favorite personal finance help books, second only to Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Richard Kiyosaki. (Which was what convinced me to start my very own little business, at the time a pool cleaning business, which through a long road led to wedding videos and now wedding photography.) I am very grateful for the insight of these two authors and if you are tired of working 9-5 for someone else, I would highly recommend them. |
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Book Review- Blink |
I listened to "Blink", the audio book during my travels in Utah. It was outstanding! Blink is about understanding "rapid cognition", that vibe we have when we encounter a person, situation or object...and we pick up a "vibe" we arent sure about, we dont know why we have it, but we do.
Gladwell covers many interesting scenerios, but most importantly discusses why it happens, when it works, when it doesnt work, the relationship of time and experience to rapid cognition, and the importance of identifying key criteria for getting "rapid cognition" or what he calls "thin slicing" to work.
The first example of the book had to do with a statue being sold to a museum. The price was 10 million plus, and the museum owners called in several experts, both scientists and artists to determine its authenticity. The scientists spent 14 months measuring, taking samples, calculating, etc and determined it was authentic. The artists looked at it and within a few seconds gathered that something wasnt right....it turned out to be a fake. It is this type of "thin slicing" that blink is about- gathering the correct critical information quickly and immediately making a decision.
Gladwell is careful to point out that "rapid cognition" can also be very wrong, as well as when it is wrong. He even covers "pre-programming" when an individual can be steered to making incorrect choices and judgements based on a set of words, images or ideas presented before the choice is made.
It was interesting that I was listening to this in Utah, that I discovered a key criteria when dealing with people. It is simply: "Do they do what they say they will do?" Intelligence, creativity, appearance, sense of humor, etc all go out the window, and everyone is on an even playing field....if you meet someone who specifically says "I will do this" and they do it, repeatedly, you can "thin slice" that they are trustworthy.
If you meet someone who says they will do something, and they repeatedly do not fullfill these commitments, it is a good indictation that something isnt right. While there are always exceptions, most people who honor their word will do everything they can to notify you if they cannot keep their appointment, etc. This is especially true with brides, if they do everything they say they will, this is a very very good sign...its someone I want to work with.
I believe this to be a solid criteria in working with people.
Again, Blink was excellent- I highly recommend it. This is exactly the type of book I enjoy reading / listening to. |
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The Goal- Eliyahu M. Goldratt |
On my trip to PC and back I listened to the Audio Book "The Goal" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt at the recommendation of my good friend Mike Madsen after I attempted to explain my clutter book to him. When I was in MBA school, one of our professors suggested we read it, but I was too busy with teaching freshman biology, genetics research and MBA classes to possibly even think about it.
This is a dang good book (or audio book) not for it's story line, (because it is written in a fictional format) but because of the principles it teaches about bottlenecks and the theory of constraints. There are some similarities between The Goal and the Clutter book I have written, such as using the scientific method in practical problem solving (which I also use to teach photography) and workflow optimization but I will say that mine is very different in that mine deals with the management of thoughts in relationship to clutter as well as eliminating clutter causes and the Goal deals with management of dealing with bottlenecks in dependent workflows. Goldratt has written so brilliantly subtle (and deep) that I think most non-business minded people will miss what he is saying, as well as the potential for application.
The Goal isnt for everyone, but if you have a systematic mind and regularly battle dependant (step-by-step)processes in workflow, I highly HIGHLY recommend it. |
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Zag |
This is an excellent book on marketing. I still think "Selling the Invisible" is more important because it covers so much more ground, but Zag is top notch. To sum it up, it steers you in the direction of differentiating yourself from your competition, whomever, or whatever it may be, by doing something different than everyone else. Something VERY DIFFERENT. I found it particularly interesting because it discussed the problems of marketing clutter and how when we act and do as everyone else, we are categorized as everyone else, or even worse...clutter. Good read for a plane trip.
When everyone else is zigging, make sure you zag! |
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