2. Clients cannot tell you what they need.
Clients hire you because they have a problem. They need a great visual representation of something, a solution. They think they know the best way to photograph something, but they don’t really. That’s why they hire you. Take their suggestions to heart, because they definitely know their brand, product, their vision–perhaps even shoot a few versions of the images they THINK they want to see first–but then go nuts with own vision. Add value. Show them something they didn’t expect. Don’t be a monkey with a finger. Remember why you got hired…that YOU are the badass image maker. If you are good enough to get selected for the job, you should be good enough to drive the photographic vision.

3. Don’t aim for ‘better’, aim for ‘different’.
It’s funny how related “better” and “different” are. If you aim for ‘better’ that usually means you’re walking in the footsteps of someone else. There will often be someone better than you, someone making those footsteps you’re following… But if you target being different–thinking in new ways, creating new things–then you are blazing your own trail. And in blazing your own trail, making your own footprints, you are far more likely to find yourself being ‘better’ without even trying. Better becomes easy because it’s really just different. You can’t stand out from the crowd by just being better. You have to be different.

4. Big challenges create the best work.
If you get assignments that are pushing your vision, your skills, then awesome. Kudos to you, keep getting those assignments. If you’re not getting those assignments, then you need to be self-assigning that challenging work. Give yourself tough deadlines and tougher creative challenges. You do your best work where there is a challenge that is clearly present and 10 feet taller than you think you can handle.

5. Aesthetic sensibilities actually matter.
Go figure on this one… I’m constantly surprised as how much this is overlooked. Read this and believe it: You must develop a keen understanding of design, color, light, and composition. To just say “I know a picture when I like it” isn’t going to get you anywhere. You need to know –for your own sake as well as the sake of your clients who will ask you– WHY a photo is a great photo. WHY is this one better than that one. If you don’t have any visual vocabulary, opinion, or aesthetic sensibility you won’t be able to explain these things. You won’t get the job. Or if you do get the job, you won’t be able to explain why your photos are worth getting hired again by the same client for the next campaign, story, or video. Trust me on this. Develop a sense of visual taste.

6. Simple is good.
Almost every photo that is bad has too much information. Outside of technical basics, the number one reason that most photos fail is because there is no clear subject. Often this is the case with design, film, fashion, you name it. Remove clutter, remove distraction. Tell one story, and tell it well.

7. Make mistakes, learn quickly.
Simply put, you need to be able to learn from your mistakes. Avoiding failure is not the goal. The goal is recovering from mistakes quickly. That goes for ever element of your photography–creative, business, vision…you name it. If you’re not willing to make mistakes, you’ll be paralyzed with inaction. That is the devil. Get out there and do stuff. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn’t work, change it. Quickly.

8. “Value” is different from “price.”
Don’t compete on price alone. That is certain death in any creative field. Focus on delivering value and price yourself accordingly. If you deliver great value with your images — better than expected, and better than your competition– and you can illustrate that through any means, then you should be more expensive. And remember that value comes in many forms.

9. A-Gamers work with A-Gamers.
If you are good at what you do, then you work–or seek to work–with other people who kick ass too. If you suck, then you put yourself around sucky people to feel better about yourself. If you want to be the best, seek to be around awesome people–be it other artists, assistants, producers, clients, partners, whatever. Shoot high. Shoot for better than yourself.

10. Real artists create.

Stoked to partner up on a colab with a great Florida based company HOO-RAG  who produce some of the most bad ass Seamless Bandanas on the market. The Leaping Tarpon Hoo Rag is the first in a series of Signature gamefish photo rag that will come out on the next few months. They are available here for purchase  click here

bonefish

Florida fishing is, to some degree, synonymous with Bonefish. Bonefishing in Florida is unique in and of itself and some of the biggest bonefish in the world are consistently caught on the flats of Florida. Believe it or not, January and February are great months to catch double digit bonefish on the flats. These are world class bonefish that range anywhere between 10-14 pounds. Even though it can be relatively “cold” for Florida during these winter months, the bonefish can be exceptionally good. The areas that we fish, Biscayne Bay to Islamorada, are prime bonefish fishing grounds and from January through April the bonefishing can be excellent throughout an entire day of fishing.

Bonefish are known as “the ghost of the flats” and they are a rewarding species of Florida game fish to catch because they can often be a challenge to find and catch on the flats. Bonefish are also addicting and one bonefish is just never enough. Fly fisherman and light tackle fly fisherman worldwide come to Florida year after year to try their luck with Florida Bonefish.

Biscayne Bay and Florida Keys Bonefish feed on the flats and it is one of the most exciting things in saltwater fishing to see a bonefish tailing or waking on the flat, make a good presentation with your fly or bait, and watch as the bonefish eat. And, the fun really begins when the bonefish eats your fly or bait. A big Biscayne Bay or Florida Keys bonefish can rip 100-150 yards of line off a light tackle fishing reel or fly reel in a matter of seconds! Pound for pound, the bonefish is one of the hardest fighting fish you will ever encounter.

bonefish

Bonefish

Bonefish

Lots of fun stuff coming up in June. First June 15, 16, &17 Ill be starting my Bass Pro Shop shows at the Dania Beach store, there will be a huge photo gallery of my work, Cressi Dive Gear give aways, and autograph signing. The second big thing goin on is the launch of my signature series Hoo Rag, The first one is a leaping tarpon i photographed in the Florida Keys. So its goin to be a very exciting month.

Cressi Dive Gear shoot.

Cressi Snorkeling shoot.

Captain Ryan chatting w/ the Fort Lauderdale Police

Some Shark stuff I shot on the grass flats in the Keys.