EXERCISE YOUR MIND

Happy Thanksgiving - December, my favorite album of all time by George Winston.
I use to listen to it all the time while I was a NPS Park Ranger in Glacier National Park.
It makes me weepy. I recommend this album to those who want to create visuals.
Play each song and write down the images that come to mind. Start with this one.
Get a piece of paper and play this....close your eyes and see what images appear and what feelings...write it down and than you can go make a photograph or painting or art about the real things that are stirring in your heart. With gratitude Thank you George Winston.

EYES WIDE OPEN

SCOTT MARKEY - A Week With Karen is Very Intense

"My week with Karen Kuehn was very intense, inspiring, creative and non-stop.
I never stopped making images.
Karen opened my eyes, heart, and soul to the possibilities of capturing memorable images.
I thank her so much for the experience, it was with out a doubt my most extraordinary photographic adventure due to karen's unique way of sharing as a
master photographer."

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Screen Door Salesman at Burning Man 2009

Is the customer always right?
Yes, having clients/customers to serve is a priveledge and I was raised old school. My mom and dad always took care of the folks that came into their business. Their attitude was one worth rendering as my life and career grows. I like that I have clients that do return business with my company, with me. I work and huge range of projects; editorial is loose and usually left to my devices to solve problems on the spot. To be conceptual and tell stories is a gift and a better gift to be assigned based on the fact that the editors love the way you think. Its an honor really! Advertising clients tend to have an idea pre-shoot and you have to deliver exactly what they want and why not, they usually pay more. I like to compare dinner to photography assignments.
When I go out and order a fish dish I don't want liver! Assignments are the same to me and I really try to think about my team, the client at large and bring exactly if not more to the table.

Developing relationships with art directors takes time. It doesn't always get cemented in the first project. You have to court them and care for them with kit gloves. Pamper your clients.
Its really important that they not only go back to their world with the images but with a great experience and sometimes a very memorable one. So many photographers, so many people just have a camera and proclaim they are a photographer! And guess what regardless of the quality lots of folks are getting jobs with little lighting or tech experience. Doesn't really matter anymore as long as the end result looks cool. For those of us who are craftsmen and women it puts a bug up our bums. We need to remind our client base that we see differently and that we are an asset to any job assigned.

Refreshing clients memories of your talent is really important. I have a rep and we need to send out promos all the time. Its really a job unto yet many dedicated days of research and making lists and updating and than posting. I am always busy making my next contact to get my next project going and sending out notes and a small smattering of promos to my regular clients.
Its part of the deal. Kicking back was never the way to be successful in the field of photography.

Contracts, estimates can lay out exactly some of the details that can pave the way to a clear and concise shoot. Especially with advertising jobs and even hook ups with friends. Writing it all down backs up anything that could be what I call loose. I recently had a shoot with an old friend and the art director came in after the shoot was done....two months later and says. I want it a different way! Well who do you think they wanted to do it for free? Should I do it ? One has to consider the relationship at hand. My client and friend of 20 years didn't like the idea of shooting and paying again! It was a gently realization that the photographer wasn't at fault here and he did come back to me and book another day. A flat rate was determined and I never charged him much in the beginning but I made certain to shoot a few images and email them to the art director in another state so she could approve going forward without me spending my clients money on a full days shoot. I tried to take care of this client the best way I could by being professional and taking him through each of the steps in a gentle way so he had his assets covered from the team he was working with out of State. They were not paying for the additional shooting. He was and if they didn't like this shoot he'd be in a pickle. So think about each job as if it were you investing your money into branding and TLC your client. I paid for lunch that day as he's a good guy and doesn't fully understand the workings of photography. Its always an education for most. http://www.Blinkbid.com has some cool forms.

Thanking your customers is key. Treating them the way you want to be treated. If they support your year...remember them at the holidays, write notes and check in and even go to lunch with them when you can afford to do so...it could be a cool little dive that is interesting or a picnic or an expensive cafe, your choice but make it interesting for them as most folks work in an office that is less than interesting. You could make a nice impression and when your done with lunch you may be the guy or gal that they call next for a big job. And remember no job is too small or too big. You can always hire a producer to get you golden.

THE SUMMER OF IMPROVISING

With the economic climate many shooters are scurrying to make ends meet. I am in a community that loves photography yet getting jobs here that can sustain you are difficult. Most of my work aside of a few very loyal clients come from out of state, NYC, Midwest and LA regions. I travel to work, usually four hours by truck one way or flying to a destination.

This summer I expanded what local photographers call the "Bake Sale" where we manage to sell artist proof prints and editions on the weekend to workshop students and other locals out of Santa Fe New Mexico. I have this posted on Facebook as the Bake Sale. This was an excellent way to create community and was very up beat for many of those who chose to be part of this event.

Feeling driven to make art, I decided to head west to shoot at Burning Man. I was on my way with a buddy who backed out and than I felt squeezed for cash flow so I fundraised my trip to make art. Many friends and strangers supported this raising about 10gs for a 25g project in one month. I am still forging forward with my work which is in the works right now!

Now it is fall and the photography work is trickling in....ad clients are beginning to call my agent in California and we're getting booked. The year as been all about re-inventing and positioning my future to make art and at a moments notice, do the editorial and ad jobs that so support making creative work such as the Burning Man project.

It's said that if you feed the fire of your mind with negative thoughts then you will do just that...and I am feeding my mind with doing and making and creating art...and my life is moving forward and the work is being manifested. I am so up about this next chapter of my life that I have no room for pondering but rather just DOING IT.

If there is a lull in this economic storm then I go out and make art images.... I shoot just about every day and it is really apart of my skin. I look at my inspirations in black and white photography and that propels me into the abyss of shooting. Sometimes I just have piles of film to process. When it gets huge, I get to it. The dark room isn't my favorite place to be...I love being outside in nature. But this winter, I will wrap my head on printing and producing a show of my work hopefully for the Annenberg Space for Photography, ICP and/or Aperture along side the book in production, be it self published or produced by a publisher...it's all good.

I am like a shark, I can't stop swimming or I will die.

Einstein said something to the nature ..."nothing happens till something moves"

STUDENT SHOW SANTA FE WORKSHOPS 2009

Summer season started with a very intimate class of photographers from all around the world.
Class starts Sunday night and I decided to break the barriers with a NUDE SELF PORTRAIT.
I love this project with a group it lets everyone open up and leave there lives back home a little bit more and be present with the week that they so gifted themselves.
The week was filled with many emotions and also lessons on pulling emotional feelings out of subjects. We explored with wonderful models using local spots for backdrops. We did a blindfolded project to heighten all our other senses. To stop doing what we always do in patterns and to get the mind thinking rather than reaction, to dig deeper into their creative beings to produce more vital images. I love teaching for the Santa Fe Workshops and this class is my favorite one to teach to date. Normally I do one on one workshops and work with individuals to expand what they have and manifest more of what seems to be an untouchable dream for some. This years class was sweet and peaceful, a bit more on the calm side than most.
I enjoyed the experience and I want to share with the world the wonderful work everyone did in our class. Thank you everyone I hope your summer is great.

STUDENT SHOW OF WORK 2008 CLASS SFW

I am very proud of the work that is created in the workshop setting with a variety of students, photographers, artists whom dare to take a workshop. I think it takes a ton of courage to jump into a group situation and share and expose yourself and the thing that is really a given is that learning will be an on going process. I don't think I have the back bone to do it. I can come out of my world of shooting assignments to do workshops here and there and one on one workshops however I am a very private person even thou those whom truly know me can say I'm a social creature...that's right I am peeking my head out...teach a bit and back to my reality of which is peace filled and creative on a solo level often supporting the needs of others. I am always amazed by the fabulous connections and work shared in the workshop setting. this particular class is still almost a year later very much on my mind. All my past classes were equally as special however the world of media and internet are just now allowing me the gift of sharing classes images and work to the world at large. Here's to all of you in all classes. Big hugs keep snappin with a caring eye and kind heart.