The DecisiveDesign Blog

A quick update for anyone reading:

I guess I owe my blog some excuses… and possibly anyone else stumbling across. Things have been crazy since I graduated from UTD in August. Dallas Bar Review is moving along – we had our launch party and are populating the site as time permits. I believe we are going to make it a resource before we try to make it the “next big thing.” Venture capitalists feel free to give me a shout!

I haven’t had any time for serious photography, unfortunately, which is disheartening now that summer is already gone, but I hope to get a few shoots in sometime soon – especially since I have models asking for them. I am considering the Dallas Bar Review bar photography a massive project that I will probably try to do a show with once I have over 100 bars photographed – that should be neat.

The main site is outdated, too… and I need to throw some more recent portfolio stuff up there, but honestly there isn’t too much – the current gig doesn’t net much “portfolio worthy” design material.

That’s about it… just a quick update until I get more stuff to post. Blogging for my current job, doing all the social media stuff, trying to get Dallas Bar Review off the ground and trying to write for examiner.com as the Dallas Nightlife Examiner is taking up most of my time!

So it has been a while since I posted – I can explain!

You see, there were finals (projects, exams, procrastination, etc etc…), then there’s DallasBarReview (COMING SOON!), and my experiments with Social & Emerging Media… and of course the ever present attempt at becoming a professional photographer. There just hasn’t been time for an update!

That being said… I’ve got a pretty sweet list of articles/posts/galleries that will be going up in the next few weeks:

• UTDallas Portraits (You won’t see these, but dangit, they consume time!) – Editing Stages
• DFW Supras May Meet Track Day @ Eagles Canyon Raceway (ECR) – Editing Stages
• Xoe’s Pregnancy Shoot @ Halford Park – Editing Stages (almost done)
• DFW Supras May Meet Dyno Day, featuring Mel & Yoshi on sexy cars! – Editing Stages
• DFW Supras May Meet Drag Day @ Dallas Raceway – Editing Stages
• Maggie Mae in a playful, fun, sexy shoot – Tentatively Schedules for later this week
• Lone Star Jeep Club (LSJC) run @ BMRA – This coming weekend

This blog will likely be migrating towards more of a “hey, look what Jason is doing” theme, since there are a lot of projects going on at the moment, so I hope any of those that might be coming back for more will enjoy a look into those endeavors with me.

Peace, for now…

A lot of the images of people we see in magazines, online, or on television are, to a trained eye, severely altered. They are often so manipulated that you might barely recognize the original subject. Many people have ethical or moral issues with this, claiming that it sets an unachievable standard for [mostly] young men and women who don’t have the sense to live their lives without idolizing false beauty [see: Sex, Lies, and Photoshop], but I challenge it on the basis that the art of photography is tainted when many photographs are modified to this degree.

Downsizing a model or airbrushing skin tones to the point of unrealism kills it for me. When I edit photos, I generally touchup lighting issues, smooth or remove major skin blemishes, bruises, etc, and thats about it. You can still tell that it is a real person, instead of a doll, and it’s still a photograph. In the end, though, there is always a client… and that’s who determines the end product. I just wanted to put that out there, and hopefully, as someone getting into the game, I won’t have to take that route just to make it in the industry. Here’s to the people that appreciate natural beauty.

I spent this past Friday and Saturday at the National Student Conference, sponsored by the Dallas Society of Visual Communication, and, looking back, I don’t believe the “how is the economy effecting you” question was asked more than once.  Maybe these “big players” don’t have to worry so much, but it surprised me that there wasn’t more concern over the issue – maybe people were too interested in the other content, which isn’t a bad thing at all.

Everyone has felt the slowly tightening belt of economic downturn, and, unfortunately, it means people are buying less, hiring less, and firing more. For students and young professionals like myself, it means that large agencies won’t be taking on as much fresh meat, and certainly not for paying gigs.  Who can afford to teach us green designers when they can get a seasoned professional at half the price in the current market?

Times like these prove who wants it the most, and its going to take a lot more than a spiffy resume to land a decent job – if you’re not willing to kick a little ass along the way, I’m afraid Starbucks might be the next stop, unless they have already hired their fill of laid-off car salesmen. It’s sad, but it’s the truth.  If you’ve got a steady job right now, it might be worth waiting it out and working on your portfolio – some money is better than no money, and freelancing without a client base isn’t pretty, if thats what you were considering.

Brad Walters writes about Wedding Photography in a Recession, covering many industry wide problems, from being forced to drop prices to the influx of “wannabe” photographers.  Unfortunately, he’s right.  Our industry isn’t immune to forced price cuts.  We have to put food on the table, and if our clients can’t afford what they could last year, they will go elsewhere. On his point regarding newbie photographers – anyone can produce a sharp image with a relatively cheap camera these days, and, like he says, it’s the camera taking the picture. Naturally, I have to defend myself here; I think my background in production lighting, along with passion and a sense of pursuit, qualify me as a viable contender in the “new photographer” market.  Hopefully my work backs me up there…

There is no doubt that 2009 is going to be trying for many of us, we simply have to stick to our guns, make the decisions that are right for our lifestyles and livelihoods, and be ready when the market gets back on it’s feet. Lets hope that’s sooner, rather than later.

Spring Break found me in Austin on Thursday, under a car for fifteen hours, and then followed me to Houston for the TX2K9 race weekend. There was much wrenching, cursing, and beer, so I would call it a success, overall.

Throughout the weekend, I was able to capture a few decent images, though that wasn’t my main focus.  Here are the ones that came out as more than just a quick point and snap.

 

Let me begin this post [rant - maybe? - we'll see where this goes] with a few facts about my communication habits:

• If I can answer the phone when you call, I do… If I can’t answer, I’ll call you back the second I am able to… If I can’t answer or call, I’ll text or e-mail you, pretty much immediately
• All three of my e-mail accounts, along with my twitter feed, are constantly active on my desktop and phone, wherever I go
• I spent 2.5 years in the professional audiovisual industry where I dealt with hiring and managing freelance professionals – Does it really take $$$ for people to communicate at all, much less well?

Now, maybe I’m a freak, or perhaps the only person that doesn’t like to delay people’s plans because of a lack of information from me, but you don’t have to be as anal about communication as I am to keep people informed and up to date.

Now, enough about me, lets talk about you – yeah, the one that doesn’t carry the phone anywhere near your person, or doesn’t check their e-mail, like… ever, or sends an initial e-mail/text/voicemail and then doesn’t continue the conversation after I reply…

WHY!

How can you possibly expect to get anywhere when you don’t communicate with the people around you?  If you want to be a part of something, or get work, you’re going to have to learn to be prompt and punctual, in person and correspondence.  

Through the years, I’ve had anything from zero communication to confirmed appointments that turned out to be no-shows.  What motivates the lack of common courtesy we are seeing?  Maybe it’s the age group I’m usually working with… or the lack of consequences in the freelance world.  Hopefully these experiences won’t continue as I move forward.  

Unfortunately, it’s not just in the industry, many of the people I interact with on a regular basis seem to communicate selectively, and it simply drives me crazy.  A simple “I can’t make it,” “I’m not interested,” “No, we won’t be able to get that for the new office,” or “I’ve got other plans” will suffice much better than an “I’ll be there,” when you’re not going to show up, or no response at all.

Now, while this wasn’t directed at anyone particular, I hope everyone will stop for a second and think about their communication habits.  It only takes a few seconds to avoid wasting hours, even days of someone else’s time.  In todays hectic, fast-paced society we need to maintain professional courtesy for our sake and that of those around us.  Besides, you never know who will give you that next hand up, so you probably don’t want to land yourself on anyone’s black list.

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