Chase Whitehill named Sircus Magazine Cover Model

Chase Whitehill is named cover model for Sircus Magazine's  special swimwear edition releasing on August 4th 2014 at www.sircusmagazine.com

Eco-Friendly Photography & Design: When Being Green is Better

I believe that eco-responsibility is something that extends to all of us. Unfortunately I still don't hear photographers, graphic designers, and general business owners talk about it enough. Or talk is all they do. We all share the same planet, breath the same air, and these commonalities bond all of us. We are all ecological neighbors on this world. As a photographer and graphic designer I have wondered about things I can do to decrease my carbon footprint and try to become more eco conscience.

Print design has the potential to use large amounts of paper; particularly during the proofing process. Despite having monitors, print designers often have to see how each image or each layout might look on different media. We experiment with textures of media, weights, colors, acidities, and varying opacities. We have to be more conscience of our waste. We have to start exercising a higher degree of mental retention and write and record what works and what doesn’t instead of increasing the size of our landfills. We have to think about the amount of ink we use and try to reduce our use of inks with toxins that can harm the environment such as lead based inks. The recycling of empty ink cartridges is a start and disposing of them in the proper way is extremely beneficial. Email more proofs instead of using paper. 

Consistency is important in this business and our responsibility to give our clients a perfectly repeatable image and message is tied to our success as designers and photographers. There is a high degree of variance that can come with proofing from monitors and different printers but we can limit our paper proofing a little until we’re near the final designs, where color is consistency becomes more critical. Buying a series of printers with a recognized standardization on color is a beginning to reducing paper waste. Using energy efficient equipment and turning off our monitors and computers when they’re not in continued use is a start. Requesting recycled paper when possible for our large less critical print jobs is a huge bonus. 

Even as a web developer I’ve searched for different things and I discovered a web host that harnesses wind power to run their servers while others are utilizing solar energy. I had never heard of such an ingenious solution being applied to such high technology and I have plans to use these hosts for upcoming web projects when plausible. 

We have a great responsibility but also a wonderful opportunity to do some amazing things.

Should You Get a Model Release for Photos?

A Model Release document is a formal document used largely by photographers and publishers to outline the allowances and restrictions of images and photographs that contain the likeness of an identifiable person or persons. For photographers, it largely protects them from civil liability of image use and publication.

The Release often confirms the legality and consent of the party to have their likeness captured, and/or distributed; or as outlined in the details of the Release document.

Why is the Model Release important? It identifies all parties. It demonstrates consent, age appropriateness and legality, due consideration, allowances and restrictions of relevant parties among other things. It may serve as protection against inappropriate image use by a publisher, a photographer, or any individual whose identity and likeness is clearly recognizable. The Model Release may also establish copyright ownership and image publication allowances.

All Releases are not created equal. Some are established purely for proof of age while others are considerably more detailed. Make sure you understand your rights as a subject, a photographer, and/or a model in order to protect your privacy and avoid potential liability.

Branding Yourself

It's amazing if you sit briefly and think about how surrounded we are by visual communications. Billboards, flyers, posters, logos, websites, product packaging and labeling. Even fashion and industrial design is all a summation of studies of consumer psychology, trend watching, and determining what will appeal to mass audiences and/or specific markets. While it may be argued that we're on the cusp of information and visual overload, it's incontrovertible that we all have a need for graphic design and photographic services.

Visual imagery is one of the defining characteristics that we use to separate and distinguish one product from another. Product packaging and branding helps organizations build brand identity and grow market share. Corporations spend millions trying to determine which color might incite an interests or pleasant responsiveness to their products and services. While even more money is spent attempting to ascertain what shape a product should be or how much is too much on a website design. You may not have known that certain colors on products aren't received well in other countries. Companies have had to shift or alter their visual identity to permeate new and foreign markets. Ideally, the goal is to create a perception of value; a perception that separates one organization from another, one product or service from another and passing those perceptive benefits down to you, the end user.

But what does this have to do with you personally? EVERYTHING!! You, like everything else around, is a brand; an identity that you have the ultimate control over. Your look, your reputation, and your general first impression. If you're an executive your corporate picture is important. Your online professional profile is representative of who you are as a person. It shows your work ethic and your attentiveness to detail and precision. If you're a real estate agent you have to stand out. You need to create a persona of professionalism and success at your job.

In today's job market your identity has to be strong. Create an image and historical profile of yourself that represents you positively that helps you to stand out. Create an online presence that identifies you as someone to be trusted and able to accept responsibility.

So branding and identity is not just about products, it's also about you and me. Imagery translates across media and bridges over context. Make sure your context is appropriate and applicable. Make sure you're saying everything you want to say about you is visible and accurate. Who says a business card has to be for people that own or work for a business? We all have to market ourselves today more than ever. Do you have a business card? If so, what identity are you conveying? Think about giving yourself an edge.

Get help working on a profile picture or get help designing a web site to promote yourself or your business. Consult with a marketing specialist on how you start creating a brand identity for yourself and your small business idea. If you're seeking employment, consider starting an at home business and find out what it takes to market your services and what resources it takes to start branding. If you have plans to work for an organization, consider how much stronger your identity will be if a prospective employer can find positive information about you.