🤠 #018: Want to look more professional to clients?

Morning, everyone. Here are three tips I learned the hard way in January:

1. 📸Making estimates for clients: I found an invoicing software that makes this easy. Previously, I was looking up templates and trying to redo them in Canva. Now, I just use BlinkBid. This isn’t paid promotion, and it has a subscription fee, I just think it’s really helping me. Seems particularly good for photographers, cinematographers, filmmakers, etc.

2. 🎞️The in-app editor for Instagram Reels has one killer feature that CapCut doesn’t, and that’s pinch-to-zoom on green screen video. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to use a video as a green screen background in CapCut and I’d have to either take up half the screen or step away from the camera and be poorly lit. With Instagram, you can pinch-to-zoom and put yourself in the corner at any size you want, just like a still image on CapCut. Overall, I don’t like the IG editor near as much as CapCut, but this was one key feature I liked.

3. 🎬Do formats get stale?: You know what was super fun? Seeing my first “posing tutorial” video last summer really resonate with people. Fast forward six months, and the format has gone stale. They don’t travel the same way anymore, and it has me wondering - am I seeing, for the first time in my short window making videos, one of my things that used to pop no longer pop anymore? I find it fascinating. You’ll see me testing more new stuff this year with video. Much of it’ll flop. But there’ll (hopefully) be some winners in there.

📊PART TWO: TRACKING MY PROGRESS

📡 Fig. 1: Captain’s Log

We’re officially a month into 2025. How are you doing on your goals? 

It can be hard to keep accountable. In case it’s useful for you, here’s an honest assessment of how I’m doing on mine. I encourage you to do the same if you think it’ll help.

1. 🔴Building a portfolio of outdoor work : So far, zero progress here. I’m marking it red, but in the back of my mind it’s January in Seattle. Still lots of time.

2. 🟡Becoming really adept with film photography: Partial credit, because I am incorporating it more into each of my shoots, but there’s still lots of progress to be made here.

3. 🔴Learning video as a skill: No progress here, yet.

4. 🔴Shooting more rodeos: None here yet either, but rodeo season in this area is a few months away, so it’s about time to start pitching.

5. 🟢Consistently make content & keep testing new ideas: Green here. Exceeded my goal to post 13 videos in January, tested some new carousel concepts, a little more on this below.

6. 🔴Building a team in the PNW: Zero progress here but it’s about to change, especially because I just got access to a cool studio.

7. 🟡Pitching & executing brand work: Mixed bag here. I’m getting several really, really cool opportunities to shoot for brands as we speak, but more than 50% of it has been inbound, rather than me pitching. So, I love that it’s happening, and I still need to get consistent about pitching.

Where my head’s at on all this:

• I feel like I’m grinding during my nights and weekends at a really solid clip. Certainly busy, but not overwhelmed.

• There’s tremendous momentum in some of the big important areas that can make a real difference (i.e. brand work coming in, as well as my test work keeps getting better).

• But some of these other areas, it’s time to turn a couple of these reds to yellow & yellow to green. 

• I’m also having more misses than hits with my videos lately. This is how it goes, you’re not always on fire in NBA Jam, but it’s a bit of a rut.

• Ultimately, I don’t have all the answers, but I do think part of the path is just keep going.

🔬 Fig. 2: Experiments & learnings

• Readability: Got a ton of feedback that white text on a red backdrop, which I think looks super cool, is hard to read. The lesson: You’re trying to make visuals for other people to look at? Get feedback. You might be way off.

• Conciseness update: I’m long-winded. Trying to get the fluff out of videos. The “Timeless or Dated” video below is an example where I really tried to go fast. It didn’t travel very far, but I’m not giving up on that series yet. I think there’s something there.

📸 Fig. 3: this week’s stills

🎬 fig. 4: this week’s videos

1/28: Buying Rare Film Cameras IG1/28: “Not Your Average Beer Run” Editorial IG1/29: Compliment Attack #14 IG 1/30: ‘01 Balenciaga: Timeless or Dated? IG (my fav of the week)1/31: Boutique Hotel Design IG

📈fig. 5: audience growth

Instagram: 13,113 followers, +438 (+3%) vs. last weekTikTok: 1330 followers, +28 (+2%) vs. last weekNewsletter: 1313 subscribers, +39 (+3%) vs. last week

Lot of 1’s and 3’s here… weird.

📍Free mood board #10, ray ban never hide: LINK🆓Five free Lightroom presets: LINK🛠️All the cameras + flashes I use: LINK

Shorter issue today - Anything you want to see more of? let me know.

Garrett