The Parallax View: All Work & No Play Makes My Brain a Dull Place

 

I've been in paradise. I traveled thousands of miles to play. But that's when my real work happens.

It's not surprising; my right brains kick into high gear when it's in "play mode." 

Brain scans reveal that when you think you’re not thinking, your unconscious mind is doing sprints searching for solutions.

Einstein’s theory of special relativity came as an epiphany after he daydreamed he was riding on a beam of light. 

Greg Swartz, director of innovation at golf giant PING, claims he creates the best tees and loftier drives by stargazing. After immersing himself in golf, he hangs out in his backyard at night and lets his mind settle into what he calls a “hyper state.”

As photographers, we are content creators. And content doesn't create itself; it's born from your brain.

So, give your brain a break. Disconnect from reality and connect your brain to its core creativity. You might have a eureka moment when you least expect it.

 

ShootQ Integrates with ProSelect

 

What's new with Q?

Experience the new integration between ShootQ & ProSelect, the revolutionary presentation, projection & sales software that transforms your client's cozy living room into your sales center!

ProSelect Integration learn more... 
 

• Create an experiential sales environment in your client's home or in your own studio.
• Boost your sales by using projection tools to sell photos.
• Crop and compare photos in real-time.
• Project actual size photos onto walls.
• Easily export client orders from ProSelect and import directly into ShootQ.
• Correspond Products in ProSelect with Products in ShootQ.
• Include those products in reports for a refined view of your business growth.
• Connect orders from ProSelect with existing clients and shoots in ShootQ.

• Impress your clients by displaying their orders and invoices in their private client portal!

• Photo thumbnails for ProSelect orders are imported into ShootQ and shown to clients.

• Benefit from ShootQ’s invoice tracking & reminder features with imported ProSelect orders!

  ProSelect sold separately.

Cooler Calendaring

• When you send appointment requests to clients, events from your external calendars will respect the “Busy/Free” setting on individual events.

Don't be Duped

• Importing contacts into ShootQ via vCard? Cool. We'll detect duplicates so you can update your records.

Other Cool Stuff

• The Quick Lead form now enables you to enter partial-day events on the fly.
• Toggle "on" or "off" the visibility of Lead and Booked events in your monthly, weekly, and daily calendar views.

The Parallax View: Making Your Mark

 

Humans love to create. 

We have an uncanny, universal desire to make our mark. 

It's why we photograph and paint. It's why we build towers and businesses.

One of my favorite shows, MadMen, dedicated a scene to the concept of human creativity. The scene lingered in my memory for weeks.

Two characters are discussing a Kodak marketing campaign about memory and legacy. 

Harry says to Don: 

"I've always been fascinated by the cave paintings at Lascaux. The bison get all the attention, but there are also these handprints, tiny by today's standards...It's like someone is reaching through the stone right to us, saying "I WAS HERE."

These cave paintings are among the earliest known works of art. They were discovered in 1940 near the village of Montignac in central France when four boys stumbled into a cave. Inside, they found paintings that were nearly 17,000 years old.

Secluded cave walls bear real imprints of humans who created the most beautiful Stone Age art. Something about these ancient human handprints is magical.

I remember when I first saw them. My Art History professor turned off the lights and projected an image of tiny handprints onto the classroom wall. The class was hushed, as if we were hearing a sacred secret.

Why does something so simple impact us so deeply?

I think it's because we're witnessing a tangible legacy left by fellow humans who responded to their desire to create. They made their mark. They reached through stone to tell us WE WERE HERE.

How will you make your mark?

What's the Word - iPhone App

Big News for You & Q!

With Pictage's support and resources backing us, we're announcing that ShootQ's iPhone App will be FREE!

How to get it?

---

• The latest version of the App is live in the App Store.
• Simply update the App directly from your iPhone.

You're Good to Go - On the Go!

Already bought the app?

We've got you covered. You'll automatically receive a $39.95 credit toward your next month of ShootQ service.

The Parallax View: July 27, 2010

"Civilization is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, stealing, shouting and doing the things historians usually record – while on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, make love, raise children, sing songs, write poetry. The story of civilization is what happened on the banks." 

– Will Durant

Reflections on Roots

Last night I did something I haven't done in years. I sat under a starry sky and watched a slideshow of my friend's photographs.

There were no swanky stadium seats or high-definition effects, just plastic lawn chairs and a plain white screen. It was my last night on Cape Cod. It was magical.

My favorite photographs in the show celebrated the extraordinary in the ordinary – folks sharing coffee and conversation at the local donut shop, sunburned kids slinging water balloons at summer camp, fathers teaching sons to sail, mothers reading storybooks to dozing daughters, older gentlemen playing pool, preachers shepherding families through weddings and funerals.

The images flashed onto the screen like flickers of an incandescent bulb swinging in my grandmother's pantry, recipes replete with heaping humanity and well-stocked stories.

Each image reignited my passion for photography and inspired me to reconnect with communities where I feel respected and remembered.

And just like the communities that embrace them, such moments cannot be contrived. They occur organically, floating unnoticed by historians. I think the best moments are the quiet ones; they don't demand your attention, they petition your patience.

My journey on Cape Cod, culminating in a slideshow under the stars, led me to discover more than memories. I discovered myself among a community of photographers who celebrate civilization as it happens – quietly along the banks.

 

The Parallax View: July 20, 2010

"We can take a picture that communicates, one where we can see the problems and the people from around the world...so we can understand them."

— Sebastiao Salgado

Today we are announcing the third annual ShootQ Grant. While, simply put, the Grant is a monetary award, it's more than just that.

ShootQ exists to make photographers purposeful and profitable. The Grant allows you to focus on being purposeful — an opportunity for ShootQ to provide you the resources to work on a meaningful project, unencumbered by daily work, with the creative freedom and financial support necessary to produce photographs that raise public awareness about important issues.

In 2008, Grant recipient Sherryln Borkgren traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to photograph the effects of atrocities against women by rebel soldiers. The result was a powerful story of a little girl and her family overcoming oppression in a redemptive, hopeful way.

Sherrlyn's story was published on CNN.com, and was the most read news story that day, with over 3 million views, appearing on the same day as Secretary of State Clinton arrived in Africa on a humanitarian tour.

We hope that Sherrlyn's project is just the first of many powerful stories funded by the ShootQ Grant that affect change in the world. The next story could be told by you. If you would like to shine light on an important social, environmental or economic issue, please apply.

Learn more by visiting grant.shootq.com!

Together, we succeed.

 

The Parallax View: July 13, 2010

 

Rachel and I are in cool Seattle today, escaping the dog days of Atlanta's summer. We shot a wedding here this weekend, and were testing our brand-new Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. Rachel, who is a better photographer than I am, shot a beautiful image of the groom and his mother as they were watching the father-daughter dance. I thought I'd share it with you.

Rachel and I are back in "weekday mode" and working hard (along with the rest of the ShootQ team) to make ShootQ even better for the photographers we serve.

Jim Collins, my new boss (weird!), shared some thoughts in the Pictage and ShootQ forums yesterday. In short, he was noticing that there were a wide variety of reactions to ShootQ becoming part of Pictage. Some people were elated; others felt like the world was coming to an end.

The ShootQ-Pictage merger was something we thought long and hard about. On face value, it may not seem to make sense. But, that's because of things that have happened in the past.

We didn't join forces with Pictage because of what has happened. We joined forces with Pictage because of what's going to happen. As Jim says, "What's next is what's important." 

Pictage has a brand-new management team with a proven track record. Over the past few months, I've worked closely with them, striving to make this deal a reality. In the process, I've gotten to know Jim, Kevin, Simon, Danny and others, who sincerely care for the very people that ShootQ serves - you. These guys have years of experience that will not only make Pictage a success, but will also empower you to be successful, both directly and via ShootQ.

Here's what's already happening as a result of our merger that will make ShootQ better for you:

1) Justin Lund, Director of Customer Support, is at Pictage HQ in Los Angeles today working with their customer support team so we can develop an even more responsive  support infrastructure to serve you better.

2) Jonathan LaCour, VP of Product Development, is at Pictage working with their development team to plan cool new integrations between Pictage and ShootQ. We're already searching for another developer who will be working specifically on integrations, which will free up some of our other developers to write new tools for you!

3) Feedback and ideas are pouring in from both the ShootQ and Pictage communities. Excitement and frustration alike are being stirred together into a huge pot and we are working to distill them into new features and services. Some amazing idea soup is in there - and we need to taste all the ingredients.

It's always been our goal at ShootQ to develop an ecosystem of tools that help you be not only successful photographers, but successful business people. Remember, that ShootQ and Pictage only succeed when you do. We're here to fuel your success.

Together, we succeed.

Andrew

"The Parallax View" is a weekly column featuring unfiltered thoughts of ShootQ President & Co-founder Andrew Niesen. He calls his column "The Parallax View" because parallax creates depth, and Andrew would like to provide depth and context with his column. That might happen on good days. On bad days, Andrew may just reveal how eccentric he really is.

ShootQ joins Pictage

 
ShootQ is a community built by photographers for photographers. You've been patient as ShootQ grew. There have been growing pains along the way, but you've stuck with us! Today, we're writing to share some exciting news about the next steps in our journey together. After weeks of planning and discussion, Pictage has acquired ShootQ. The reason for the acquisition is pretty straight forward. Pictage’s mission is to become a one-stop-shop for photographers. Tighter integration between ShootQ and Pictage is a logical step. But that’s not the reason we did this deal. The real reason is that we discovered kindred spirits who are devoted to making photographers’ lives easier. When we watched the new Pictage management team in action, we were impressed by their passion for serving photographers. The combination of Pictage and ShootQ will create the first comprehensive platform for photographers to manage their workflow, promote their brand, connect with community, and sell their work. Plans are in place for the joint development and integration of Pictage and ShootQ, as well as nationwide town hall meetings. These meetings are designed to provide an in-person opportunity for photographers to talk through the opportunities, plans, and benefits that arise from such an exciting, impactful collaboration. To learn more and join the conversation, visit the pictage.shootq.com or the ShootQ forums. We'll be hanging out and answering questions between 12:30pm ET to 2:30 ET today! See you there! Together we succeed. Andrew Niesen President and Co-Founder, ShootQ

Welcome to Your Business Command Center

Experience ZENTRUM, the next generation of ShootQ. 

It's your central platform to create a purposeful, profitable business. Zentrum comes from the Latin word "centrum" — the center, core, hub of your photography business.

Centralized Calendaring & Scheduling

• A new integrated calendar gives you convenient monthly, weekly, & daily views of your schedule & your staff's schedules.
• Quickly browse available time slots in weekly or daily views. Then, click anywhere to schedule appointments or events!
• Outsource scheduling. Simply select a duration & send your client an invitation to schedule an appointment or a shoot. Sit back & relax while they choose a time that suits your schedule.
• Protect your personal time. After your client chooses an appointment time, you can review & accept or decline.

Introducing the Help Hub & Q-Lounge

• The new Help Hub includes updated training resources, video tutorials, knowledgebase & simple support ticketing.
• Need help fast? Now you'll have one-click access to support from anywhere within ShootQ. Also, you can reply to help requests via email instead of logging into ShootQ.
• The Q-Lounge is your new community forum. Share tips, tricks and answers with other photographers who are using ShootQ to streamline their business.

Sometimes, Bigger is Better

• ShootQ’s native screen resolution has increased a whopping 25% for an incredible view! Photographers with massive monitors can take advantage of additional screen real estate.

Confident Correpondence

• Improved email sending infrastructure gives you increased deliverability & less pesky spam!
• Studio & Hub members can track email bounces, including explanations of the cause.

Other Cool Stuff

• Create a branded experience for your clients by uploading background images in the Colors & Themes settings.
• Filter Mad Mimi & relationship exports by birthday & anniversary month (e.g., “Show me all brides with an anniversary in August…”).
• When marking a lead "dead," you can provide a custom reason.

Dynamic Duo Luke & David Edmonson

 

ShootQ's Community Concierge Katie Van Buren was thrilled to join talented father-and-son duo Luke and David Edmonson this week in Austin, TX. 

The Edmonsons presented to a great group of photographers at the Austin PPA Guild Meetup. The evening was a unique opportunity for them to share their experience shooting weddings and taking superlative care of their clients. They have a big business, but more important, big hearts! If you'd like to get to know The Edmonsons, check out the Livebooks RESOLVE Blog. 

Thanks for inviting us along guys!