Today's Mailbag - Pele Awards 2012 - Negotiating Redux

In a previous blog entry or two, I've mentioned that I get regularly tapped to create a Dream Photo Session for some of Maui's less fortunate youth. The locally based philanthropic program A Keiki's Dream, provides child-directed dream days, one child at a time, for some of the island's neediest children; children often caught up in a web of poverty, homelessness, neglect, abuse, major personal loss & other crisis situations. Program Director and habitual do-gooder Darby Gill takes these kids and provides them with an entire day of fun, according to the dreams articulated by each individual child. Whether it's the opportunity to surf or jet-ski, dine at a favorite restaurant, shopping at the malls & boutiques, limousine rides, meeting entertainment heroes... Darby does everything in his power to make sure that each referred child gets to spend a day "living their dream".


Many of the young girls referred to Darby will ask for a day of wardrobe shopping, an hour or so of pampering at a local salon, finished off with a modeling photo session. I've been doing these for the past several years now and it's always a most rewarding experience to watch these children light up once the lights go on and the shutter starts to click. At the end of each session, I sit at the computer with each child as we review the photos we shot only a few moments before and then send them home with a CD full of the best results and a 13"x17" print of their favorite shot. 


A couple of weekends ago, I had the distinct honor of working with another one of these children, this time - a poised beyond her years and indescribably cute 8 year old named Sara. After a morning and early afternoon of eating, shopping and pampering, Sara waltzed into my studio and lit the place up! And, Sara is also a budding portrait artist in her own right apparently as today's mail brought a thank you note from Sara with her drawn portrait of me!

If you'd like to help out the kids at A Keiki's Dream, there are ways to donate, volunteer your time or even sponsor a needy kid. Find out more on how to help HERE.


Last Saturday evening, 300 or so leaders in Hawaii's advertising, design & media industry turned out for the annual dinner and award presentation stroke-fest held this year at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. One of two Best In Show awards went to the Anthology Group for the four-color, "Come, Play" Magazine Print Campaign for the Maui Visitors Bureau, now running in magazines nationwide. Congratulations to April, David & the rest of the team that worked tirelessly to produce an interesting ad series with a twist! I am happy to say that I had a hand in creating two of the print ads in the overall campaign, along with a group of talented other photogs also contributing spots. 

I shot the one on top!

Another installment of Pricing & Negotiating by photographer's consulting service Wonderful Machine appeared this morning at the APE blog. This time, the assignment was to shoot a single image to be used in print as a Public Service Announcement. Lots of good information and detail presented here, as usual - from questions one needs to ask the client prior to sharpening up the pencil, to suggestions on negotiating certain details in order to fit the client's budget. Read it all HERE. Once again, many thanks sent out to Rob Haggart (A Photo Editor) and the generous folks at Wonderful Machine for providing valuable information.