Documenting Iceland's latest eruption 🌋 + New Era for Fuelled by Creativity
A reader asks about handling the admin side of photography
Hello! This latest edition of Fuelled by Creativity is jam-packed with the usual features but I wanted to kick it off with a special announcement.
I have been in photography education since 2014 when I ran my first-ever workshop here in the Canadian Rockies. In the last ten years, I’ve had the chance to teach hundreds of photographers through workshops both in Canada and abroad. When the pandemic broke out in 2020, these types of learning opportunities became impossible and I moved to online teaching, including launching a Patreon account where I was able to offer my community exclusive access to demos, image critique sessions, and other learning tools. It was a wonderfully vibrant and engaged community, which I am so grateful for.
When the world started turning again and travel (and workshops) resumed, I closed down Patreon but, truthfully, I’ve missed it. And from what I’ve heard from many of you, you’ve missed it too. SO, this all that goes to say, I am excited to launch an upgraded version of Fuelled by Creativity that will give photographers exclusive access to the most affordable and comprehensive photo education I offer on the web. 👏🏻
For just $5/month (CAD) you will get monthly drops with this kind of content:
Image Critiques — I’ll open a request for images and select a handful for critique.
Post-Processing Demos — I’ll take you through my editing workflow one step at a time.
Ask Me Anything Sessions — I’ll hop on to answer your questions about any aspect of photography and the creative business.
Subscriber-Only Discounts — Special discounts on select Paul Zizka products and offerings.
Access to the Archives — Access to Fuelled by Creativity archives of posts 4 months and older will be for members only.
My goal is to provide quality over quantity, as we all have so much demanding our attention these days. I’ll kick things off next week with a post-processing demo using some aurora shots from Yellowknife! 🎉
Here’s what else is in this month’s Fuelled by Creativity!
Reader Question: Keeping up with the business side of photography
New Blog: Documenting the Sundhnúkagígar Eruption in Iceland!
Workshops Feature: The Creative Flow and Elemental at Emerald Lake Lodge
See you next month!
Reader Question of the Month
Want to ask something? Submit your question here!
Q: You travel a lot. How do you keep up with the administrative side of a photography business, as well as your image editing?
A: This is a question I get a lot. It’s true — I’m on the road quite a bit, and often not even close to a WiFi or cell signal. Time away means a lot of time away from the computer, too. This is a real luxury in this day and age but it can also make for quite the backlog when I return to my desk! There are a variety of ways that I keep up with the admin and editing involved in a full-time photography business.
Paul Zizka Photography is more than Paul Zizka. There are three of us handling the operation. I’m thankful that while I’m on the road or in the field, Stasia (Administration and Client Relations) and Meghan (Sales and Marketing Manager) keep things moving smoothly. When I resurface, I have a prioritized to-do list I can start picking away at. Outsourcing has been a key element in keeping the ship afloat.
I make the most of transit time. Most of my flight time is spent culling images and, usually, by the time I get home, I know exactly which files I want to edit. I also try to be ruthless in my culling process so that I only process the cream of the crop — usually fewer than 5% of the files. Yes, this means I don’t sleep much in transit, but it’s already been a challenge for me to sleep on planes. So instead of fighting it, I use the time to sort through images.
I use crucial tools to stay organized. For our team, Slack and Google Drive have been game-changers. These tools allow our team members to stay connected and assist with file and project organization. Plus, they can be used from all of our devices from anywhere in the world. If you haven’t yet explored them for yourself, I highly recommend them!
I stick to my workflows. It’s taken a decade, but we have worked hard to establish workflows that allow for more efficiency and focus in all areas of the business. (We actually have a Slack thread devoted to ways we can continue to streamline our processes!) One example of this is the process that images go through once they are culled and edited. As a team we make our selections for what will get posted on social media, the blog, here on Substack, and also pitched to various publications and outlets. The process may take several months or even a year, but nearly all image collections go through this series of steps.
Want to ask something? Submit your question here!
On the Blog: Documenting the Sundhnúkagígar Eruption in Iceland
Iceland has long captivated me with its dramatic landscapes shaped by volcanic activity. Even before I became a photographer, I was enthralled by this island. At the conclusion of my undergrad in Earth and Ocean Sciences, I walked across Iceland and became familiar with its rugged terrain. Since then, I have returned several times, including last month when the Sundhnúkagígar eruption occurred.
I was staying at the Northern Light Inn with a group, co-leading an OFFBEAT photography workshop, when on our last morning we were awoken very early by the call to evacuate. Just two kilometres away, a volcano erupted along a three-kilometre fissure northeast of Mount Sýlingarfell. We promptly packed our bags and within 20 minutes were walking to our vehicles to join a convoy away from the area. Soon, we got sight of the lava fountains shooting 80 metres into the air. It was an unforgettable experience, and somewhat painful for a group of photographers who would have loved to capture it on camera. […]
Featured Workshops
✨ THE CREATIVE FLOW
April 20, 2024
Banff, Alberta, Canada
Join Paul Zizka for this unique one-day workshop learning one photographer’s approach to workflow in the field, from location selection to composition, settings, and more.
✨ ELEMENTAL: A CREATIVE RETREAT AT EMERALD LAKE LODGE
November 4-8, 2024
Emerald Lake, British Columbia, Canada
A 5-day all-inclusive experience at one of the Canadians Rockies’ most sought-after destinations, Emerald Lake Lodge, in beautiful Yoho National Park. Elemental is the landscape workshop of your dreams in an environment that is as restorative as it is inspiring.
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