Season 1 · Episode 26

The Right Opportunity

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0:00Welcome, welcome, welcome back
0:04to Alien Eyes Photos Industry Talk
0:08with your host photographer Jackson,
0:11Steve Jackson of Alien Eyes Photos Media.
0:16And I am bringing you an episode about
0:20take the right opportunity.
0:24Now, sometimes we may feel obligated to say yes
0:28and I will do a much longer episode later.
0:32But, you know, we feel obligated to say yes
0:36at a lot of things,
0:38especially when things are not going
0:41to the best of their abilities
0:42in our businesses or in our life.
0:50Saying yes to everything,
0:53saying yes to everything
0:56means you're saying no to a whole lot of other things,
1:02especially the right thing.
1:06And there may be things that you really like
1:08and want to do, but is it the right thing to do?
1:15And you think about your brand
1:16and you think about your business
1:17and what you stand for.
1:21What are some of those things?
1:25Is it worth it?
1:28Not only financially, but physically, mentally,
1:34just showing up, spending that time,
1:36spending that attention, being in that environment.
1:43Is it the right opportunity?
1:48Now, sometimes we actually need extra revenue.
1:53So we may do things at a discount
1:57or say yes to something
1:59we normally wouldn't say yes to.
2:04But, you know, use your best judgment.
2:10There won't always be the right opportunities,
2:12but we always seek the right opportunities.
2:16And sometimes we can do things for practice.
2:20You know, practice.
2:21Do it at a discount and try a new technique.
2:26But let the client know.
2:30Just let them know, be honest, be candid
2:33that I want to try this.
2:35I've never done this before.
2:39So I'll do this at a discount or price.
2:44You know, you could accept it or you don't.
2:48But practice, whatever you do, practice.
2:53Like as a photographer, videographer,
2:57media producer, director, you know,
3:01those tangible things that I could just go out
3:04and practice on my own.
3:06Go out in nature, try to photograph a bird.
3:10That's movement.
3:12So if I was doing fashion photography,
3:15when I have a high energy model walking down a runway,
3:21I'm able to capture that same essence
3:23like catching a bird through a camera lens.
3:29What is the right lens?
3:31What is the right focus?
3:33Shutter speed, all of this, just practice.
3:37The different light, look at different lights,
3:39add more light, take out different lights.
3:42The color of the lights,
3:46a lot of things you have to consider.
3:50And again, that's just me as a photographer,
3:52even though I focus more on events.
3:54So it's like, okay, go to a nightclub
3:58where it's low light.
4:00So when I'm at a conference
4:02and they have these parties and receptions,
4:06I'm able to capture that same essence
4:09and be a professional.
4:11Already have that wisdom,
4:13have that muscle built for moments like this.
4:18Being in venues where it's mixed lighting,
4:20where it's window lighting and overhead lighting
4:22and the color's just wonky
4:24and then it makes people's skin tones funky.
4:29Like not the right color.
4:33And you add flash and trying to balance it all out,
4:36the colors, the light, it's just so much going on
4:41that you have to be prepared for.
4:43And then a lot of the venue owners
4:46or event organizers don't know about this
4:50or don't have that in mind.
4:52So it's up to us to control these situations.
4:57Again, that's just me as a photographer,
5:00being a photographer.
5:04But whatever your craft is,
5:06if it's basketball, which is another love of mine,
5:11practice bouncing the basketball outside of gym,
5:14outside of practice, outside of the games,
5:16outside of the sprimmages.
5:18Practice shooting, practice free throws,
5:23do workouts tailored to what you wanna improve
5:27if it's defense, okay?
5:29What do you need to do in defense?
5:31Put on some ankle weights and drag your feet side to side.
5:36Don't let them overlap.
5:39Practice your technique.
5:41Practice squats to be able to jump higher,
5:45actually jump.
5:48Do these things without being hired
5:51or before that game or whatever it is.
5:56Read, read about the craft, the history,
6:01how it even got started or even got thought about.
6:08The history of things is so much more important.
6:13Currently right now I'm studying the history of money.
6:17You know, I could say I want more money in my life.
6:23I want to increase my prices, increase my worth,
6:26increase my value, but I have to work on myself first, right?
6:31And that's what I'm doing.
6:33But also want to know where money came from,
6:37how money was even thought about.
6:40I want to get to learn money much more
6:43before I can even ask for much more money.
6:46Feel what I'm saying?
6:48And do that with your relationships.
6:51Get to know the people that you work with more.
6:54Have those conversations, not just, you know,
6:57on the job or at work, you know, behind the scenes,
7:01you know, if you are a drinker, go get a drink.
7:04You know, I don't have to be a lot of drinks
7:06or a long time, maybe 20 minutes,
7:09have a cocktail or sip of wine.
7:13I prefer to you wines if you want to have a drink with me
7:16or a humble morning's coffee.
7:21Oh my goodness.
7:23Those two brands, wine, coffee, I definitely support,
7:27I definitely recommend, and they're in Cleveland, Ohio.
7:35But pick up the phone, have a quick chat,
7:39a quick text message exchange, catch up,
7:43or how's the fam, or this and this and that.
7:46You know, what do you like doing with the fam?
7:48Oh, I never thought about that.
7:49Let me try that with my family.
7:50Did it like, you never know if you don't communicate
7:53and then you could do that together and build that bond
7:56and like, you know what?
7:58We should try this on our next shoot
8:00or we should try this on our next gig
8:02or we should try this on this next building
8:05that we have to construct and build.
8:09And that's for the construction workers,
8:11construction teams, project managers, stuff like that.
8:16But whatever it is, practice.
8:22That's how you build your worth
8:24and that's how you keep ready for the right opportunity.
8:29You can't just seek and hope for the right opportunity.
8:34You have to prepare yourself, prepare your mom,
8:36prepare your skillset, prepare your life,
8:41your career for the right opportunities.
8:45You have to be great,
8:49but you have to practice being great.
8:51Practice being excellent.
8:53You can't just demand excellence or say you excellent
8:56without even practicing being excellent,
9:02pretending to be excellent
9:06before you even call yourself excellent
9:11to perform excellence and to be excellent and great.
9:18It starts with practice
9:19and then you bring that same practice principles
9:22and habits, perfect practice, not just practice,
9:26perfect practice so you can begin to be
9:32where you wanna be.
9:33Again, this is just encouragement
9:37for you to take that right opportunity.
9:40Only you know what is that right opportunity.
9:43Don't let anyone influence you or sway you
9:48any direction that you don't wanna go
9:51or be, you only know what's the right opportunity.
9:56So again, remember to take the right opportunity
10:00and I'm closing out.
10:03This is photographer Jackson, Steve Jackson
10:06of Alien Eyes Photos Media.
10:09And this is another episode
10:11of Alien Eyes Photos Industry Talk
10:15as we discuss the right opportunity.
10:19And if you wanna book me or find more information
10:23on Alien Eyes Photos Media,
10:26visit alieneyesphotos.com.
10:29That's alieneyes with a Z,
10:32photos with a S.com.
10:35And on all social media and also Instagram now,
10:40well, Instagram and YouTube.
10:43Coming to TikTok soon, but I still have a page.
10:47Follow me on all media at Alien Eyes Photos.
10:53And again, this is Alien Eyes Photos Industry Talk.
10:57Like, share, subscribe, all that good talk.
11:00Make a review if you can.
11:02Let me know how you like these episodes.
11:05Until the next one, we are out.
11:07Peace.