Meltdown!

Wow! Who would have thought this economic crunch would be so deep. In hind sight we all should have seen this one coming, but hind sight is 20-20.

I have seen a fair share of clients given their walking papers. It is sad to see friends/clients worrying about when their cobra will run out. Many of my other clients that are still on the employed grid are continuing looking over their shoulder. When the big guy comes in “busy looking busy” continually seems to be the safe route.

Slowdowns, recessions and meltdowns are all part of the real economic process. Just as the good years of bonuses and good nights sleep. In a way I did see this coming. Not that I am a visionary, but I have clients that cross all levels of budgets and needs. I listened to them and reacted to what they said. Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency. We love your quality and your service, but we all need to find ways to become more efficient. These conversations planted the seed of Ri. River Imaging is the product of this foresight.
A co-op of photo guys and retouching sharing one great studio. All the brands at Ri have
have benefited from this co-op of efficiencies. Not to mention the cross over work, the creative input and the new friendships these professionals have brought into my life.
Ri has been a key to weathering this storm on all levels.

All storms pass in time. The clean up will be messy, but will put everyone back on the path to fulfilling nights of sleep. Creatives will be working ( really working) again. Clients that have lost market share will come sprinting back their agency crying for help. This will all happen. Its part of this crazy cycle we call advertising! We chose this business for all the wild rides. I think that has been my draw over the years!

So I am taking a page of from one of my clients. I am calling all my clients and telling them that I am in the same boat as you. I have been around for 20 years, and have at least that many more, especially since my 401k is now a 201k! When the pooh hits the fan, we will be here to help you through and we will all make a living again. Efficiency, Efficiency, Efficiency, is here to stay. No doubt in my mind. When the pooh starts flying this will still be the number one rule. Ri is Efficiency.

I am the eternal optimist! The glass is always half full, even on its side. So clean off those sunglasses! We will need them in a few months!

PS- There is one open spot at River Imaging. If you know of a photo guy or gal looking to join for Efficiency, drop me a line. www.riverimaging.com

Later!

Thanks little Noah!

 

Todays Chuck is titled “Noah”

This is Noah.  His mom Gina has been a client for several years and a few different creative business units.

At one of those units we photographed babies for private label diaper packaging. Then my oldest son I-Man was 

a spunky toddler, perfect for a test Pull-Up package for the world largest retailer.  Perfect cause well, dad was shooting  and he was cheap.  Anyway, one of the props for the shoot was an classic wood rocking horse.  Ian fell in love with the horse. He logged many a groves in the hardwood floors at home.  Couple years later his brother the H-Bomb fell in love with that same horse.  Hayden won the Belmont on him, twice!  As GameBoys and baseball began to rule, the horse got dusty & lonely.  So when Gina called last spring to shoot some food and showed up in maternity drag, I knew our friend would ride again.

 

Gina could not make last falls Family Photo Day event at the studio, cause, well she just had Noah.  I called a few weeks back to ask if she was willing to adopt loyal & somewhat lonely rocking horse that was looking to train yet another young boy!  I was delighted to know that Noah will be the next to ride!  

 

Since they missed Family Photo Day, Gina & Rob brought little Noah down to the studio last Sunday.  It was such a joy creating some simple fun images.  No layouts.  No Brand Photography principals.  Not even my baby team!  Just the three of us capturing whatever emotion this future pretend jockey wanted to show us.  It reminded why I got into this profession after all.  In this current economic climate all of us in advertising are struggling in this was a pure shot in the arm for my creativity!

 

Thanks Little Noah!

 

Al-Chucks

Hey Everyone!

Hello and welcome to my blog.

My blog (mind chucks) will not be like the the average blog.  For those of you who know me you understand and are laughing.  I am a visual boy and a creature of passion.  My family, my work, my friends and the Charity I support are what I live for.  If you are expecting perfect grammar and spelling I am afraid you will be dissssssappointed!  In many cases I simply make up words to communicate a thought.  Those are called “Al- isms”  and I’m sure you will learn a few.

 

My first chuck is titled “Sam”.

I departed photography school in 1981, YES, I’m showing my age!   After a couple of jobs, a  small studio and a corporate  in-house gig I landed at the door of Sheppard & Asso.  Sam Sheppard hired me to run his in house photo studio.  There I met some of the most creative people I have ever met in my life.  Many of which are creative directors in the present.  It was amazing working with all these people in the start of my photo life.  Being young and stupid I thought this was the normal in the advertising world.  Looking back I can see this was a once in a lifetime collection of creatives.  And Sam was at the helm.   He was the bomb of all hand lettering artist in Cincinnati.  There I go dating myself again!  Dam!  Anyway, Sam was talented big time.  He taught me and my guess most of us what true quality was.  To this day the concept of “good enough” makes me shiver in disscust.  I even find myself at home doing some mindless yard work, tired after baseball practice noticing the few weeds I missed and I can’t help myself from pulling everything back out to complete the job.  I carry that with me today at the studio on a $150.00 product shot or a $50K product launch.  Even helping my sons field a ground ball my core rules me.  This concept of true quality has embedded itself into my core, and Sam played a part in that.  Thank you, Sam.

 

I left Sheppard & Asso in 1990 on very bad terms.  You see we all have our demons.  Some of us can control them and others the demons win.   The demons won in Sam’s case and ulitimatly he lost everything.  I was the one of the first to depart and start my own studio.  The end was painful and I owe my wife for keeping me sane.  I never spoke with Sam again, but through the grape vine heard tidbits from time to time.  

 

The grape vine gave me one tough one last week.  I heard Sam was in a serious motorcycle crash in Flordia.  A drunk driver in a SUV  delivered a nasty blow.  The last I heard was Sam had lost a leg, was put on a ventaloter , and was in the start of renal failure.  I remember that conversation when my father past.  I hope Sam recovers and lives a full and complete life.  If not I can only think of the words in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer”s Stone…..” to the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”  

 

In all my heart I wish you the best Sam, on whatever path lie before you!

 

 Al-Chucks.

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