Heart palpitations in exchange for a paycheck wasn’t my idea of a career. The relief I felt after handing in my resignation was cathartic!  I was finally free!

Your business will thrive based on your ability to make friends, cultivate relationships and interact with other humans.  Since people do business with people they like, it behooves you to spend some quality time meeting and greeting others.

Whatever happens, don’t stop loving the game. Your passion will fuel the amount of heart and drive you put forth.  If you love it, keep those legs moving!  It will all pay off, in time!

Can you imagine going through your life as an anonymous member of a larger community?  Sure, you’d get plenty done, but no one would recognize your accomplishments, or pay you for excelling at your duties.

Clothing is only part of the equation. The rest is in your presentation; how people receive you, perceive you and interact with you.

It has been said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.  If your product and service is awesome, you will likely be copied.

Tell your story in a way that makes your desired client feel something. You want to shape how people view you, and enable them to begin forging a connection with you and your brand.

“I hate having my picture taken.” I hear this a lot.  You may need to have your photo taken for one reason or another, but you'd rather jump off a cliff.

No one can replicate your style quite like you can.  It’s your style and you have to rock it!  The goal is for you to look AND FEEL like yourself!

Everyone wants to be received positively and recognized as the authority in their respective fields.  You have worked hard. You developed a niche, and are well respected in your industry. Being SEEN as the expert is the next step.

What is your song? What is the vibe you want your viewers to find in your pictures? Your expression is the key to the song. It's that hook, the catchy melody that people hum while walking through a store, long after the music has stopped playing.

I caught up with Pratik Naik, a high-end retoucher, educator, and one of the world's foremost authorities on the subject, to ask a few burning questions on the minds of photographers and end-users alike.

Ensuring that my clients are educated in my process, and understand what is involved each step of the way, is essential.  I even provide a play by play of the workflow on my website for reference.  Keeping clients guessing or being incommunicado is an amateur move and I don't subscribe to that.  

In the culinary arts, it is said that a diner eats with their eyes first. The same can be said of a potential client or casting director.  When they view your professional headshot or profile image, they are making a judgment about you, your character, personality and suitability.