Gold Coast :: Thinking Home Business

I’ve been on a new learning curve over the past several days, having said blithely to some colleagues that a recorded Skype video would be forthcoming. Sooner said than done.

The video was needed to help promote the one day Social Media Roadmap workshops I’m presenting next week and the week after, in Brisbane (Sept 29) and on the Gold Coast (Australia) (Oct 2), in tandem with my friend and colleague, Associate Professor Michael Rees of Bond University. The workshops are being coordinated by Bond University’s Centre for Executive Education (CEE) and there are more details on the CEE website. (Update: Brisbane event now postponed to a date to be fixed; Gold Coast event proceeding as planned.)

The video up on the web now – and embedded below in this blog post, but there were definitely some anxious moments and while it is quite short there have been literally hours of learning and experimentation in turning the idea into reality.

One thing we learned was that Skype wasn’t up to the task – our pictures “froze” with our voices still going – but ooVoo was (there was a fee, but it was worth it). I’ll write more about the whole “adventure” in a separate post.

In the video we talk about what the workshop participants can expect and we emphasise that the day is focused on helping those attending acquire information and tools they can put to work immediately.

In a separate post I will be sharing some of the things I learned about the practicalities of recording and uploading the conversation.

Early in April I wrote about some of the things that give me joy in my business, mentioning that it was a way of kick-starting a series of interview-based posts on the topic “What Gives You Joy in Your Business?”.

This post, the first in that series, incorporates a video interview with Tim Bamford, professional photographer and portrait maestro.

Some time ago my partner Suzie Cheel and I were in need of some professional photographs and were fortunate to be able to connect with Tim, founder of Portrait House in Burleigh Cove on the Gold Coast, Australia, about a half hour drive from where we live and work.

Suzie and I were both very happy with the results, which I’m confident Tim did not find surprising, given the care he takes and his combination of high level technical expertise, artistic sensibility and passion for what he does.

Also, as Tim has some wonderful portraits on display in his studio, we could get a sense of his dedication to photographing people in various settings, indoors and outdoors (the latter presumably having some special challenges with managing light, wind and so on).

One thing in particular we loved about the process was that Tim took the time to sit us down and explain his approach and what he wants to achieve before getting us anywhere near the front of a camera. And then he took more time, at a session a week after the shoot, to set us down and take us through all the shots – on a big screen so we could get a really good view – and cull out the ones we liked best.

We now have a great selection of pictures to use for our business. And as the collection is archived, we have the option of getting others done if we wished, say in a large format to hang on a wall, at a future date.

Tim’s quiet enthusiasm and love for what he does is evident in everything he says and the joyful meticulousness of how he goes about the process of making the portraits. The downstairs level of his spacious two-storey house is fitted out beautifully with office and studio spaces and would surely be the envy of any work from/at home portrait photographer. In short, Tim gives a very good impression of someone who has their act well and truly together and is thus able to focus intently on delivering a great product and service.

Although in my experience professional photographers are loathe to have amateurs like me point cameras at them, Tim graciously acceded to my request for the short video interview you see here.