- Recent adventures in photography.

by Jason Dixson - April 24, 2016April 25, 2016

You’re Not Getting the Most Out of Your Event Photography. Here’s Why.

National League of Cities Past President Ted Ellis at the organization’s 2015 Congressional City Conference.

You have an important event coming up. You’ve been planning for months. Hundreds, maybe thousands will be in attendance. With so much going on, photography seems simple. You have the same person doing the job each year—or, you send out an RFP on LinkedIn, and bring in a freelancer to cover the event. The photographer gets you the photos within a couple of weeks. You post a few on Flickr, and use the best shots for your latest marketing brochure.

The thing is, you could be getting much more value out the images. When I enter a room to take photos, there’s any number of possible shots. There’s the authoritative gesture that signifies leadership; there’s the wide-eyed smiles of colleagues as they laugh and share stories; there’s the reflective-look of a board member considering an organization’s plan of action for the coming year.

Each shot carries its own potential. It can be the face of a new branding campaign. It can perfectly complement that blog post you’ll want to write. It can communicate to prospective attendees that can’t-miss-quality your event delivers.

And it doesn’t stop there. When planning your photographer’s schedule, absolutely consider how you can leverage the event for future content, but what about during the event?

Is your photographer giving you images in real-time to execute on your social media strategy? Successful communicators say, you must show, not tell. That great quote in your CEO’s remarks during the opening general session, are you posting it on Twitter with a complimentary photo?

An image is what you make of it. So here are three ways to make the most of it:

1. Have A Plan

Segment the event into two categories: during, and after. For during, consider how you will make outsiders into insiders. First, think about your target audience. Say, the media, potential customers or industry influencers. What social media platforms are they on? Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, have a content plan before you start the event and tell your photographer what you need and when.

Ok, so now let’s think about after. Stock photos no longer work. People can tell that Banana-Republic-looking-model isn’t a real-life executive. What photos do you need to compliment your editorial, media and marketing strategies?

2. Technology Can Help

Did you know your photographer could connect a phone to their camera, via built-in WiFi? Harness this feature by having your photographer send photos in real-time. In a world where information spreads in 140 characters or less, and attention spans are even shorter, don’t miss your opportunity to communicate your organization’s most exciting moment to the outside world.

3. Have The Right Systems

Now we’re ready to execute. We have a plan. Technology is helping us work creatively and powerfully. Have you considered how you’re storing the photos, and the process for retrieving them? This is where creating a system of categorization and tagging really helps. Categorize and tag the photos in a searchable database that allows you get the images you want, when you want them. Images are a valuable asset. Good systems allow you to stockpile images and retrieve them efficiently.

Bottom line. Smart organizations thrive in this new media environment by equipping themselves with the tools to tell great stories. Your photographer matters. The images matter. Make each opportunity count.

Want to chat about your next event? Send me an email. Take a look at my portfolio here.

by Jason Dixson - December 22, 2015December 23, 2015

2015: A Year of Photos in Review

As 2015 comes to a close, I can barely believe how fast the year has gone by. So many events, headshots, commercial shoots, landscapes, and portraits have been fit into this year. Based on the image count in my Lightroom catalog, it looks like I made over 200,000 images in 2015. Many of those images will never see the light of day, but throughout the year I’ve looked at every single of those images to decide what meets the standards that I’ve set for myself and that my clients have come to expect.

2015 marks the first full year (January through December) that I’ve worked as a full time, self employed, small business owner. I couldn’t have done with without the support of friends, family, and clients (both old and new). I’m incredibly grateful to my ongoing clients who continue to work with me to help them build their brands, and my new clients who have taken a chance on something different.

I’ve been afforded some amazing opportunities. This year alone I photographed President Obama and a dozen members of his presidential cabinet. I traveled to Georgia, California, Florida, New York, and Tennessee on assignment — I suppose you can count next door neighbors Virginia and Maryland too :-). I’ve photographed events ranging to a few dozen in size to over 4,000 attendees. I’ve worked with non-profits, international organizations, universities, publications, startups, and multi-national corporations. I’ve met and chatted with Steve Sasson, the inventor of the digital camera (pretty cool, huh?).This has all occurred because of the trust that my clients have given me, and I am immensely grateful for it.

Most importantly (for me and my clients), I’ve grown as a photographer and continue to grow. Next year’s images should be better than the last year’s, with each year raising the bar. And though I’ve been privileged with access and opportunities I never dreamed of, what’s more important than who I’ve photographed is how the images have turned out. A good photo is a good photo, regardless of whether you know the person in the photograph. I hold this principle at the core of my work, and give every subject my all, wether I know them or not.

I have some big ideas for 2016, and ways to continue to momentum of creativity.

Thank you for everything you’ve done, even if it’s just visiting this site and looking at this post. I’m looking forward to seeing you in the New Year!

If you’re new to my site and are interested in discussing ideas in 2016 for your organization’s event photos, marketing and advertising images, or headshots just send me an email at jason@jasondixson.com.

by Jason Dixson - December 18, 2015December 18, 2015

The Seventh Continent: Antarctica in Photos

I recently traveled to Antarctica spending about 10 days aboard the Ocean Nova, a Danish-built vessel with an ice-strengthened hull. The journey took us across the Drake Passage and along a segment of the Antarctic Peninsula. There’s so much to share about the Seventh Continent that I’ll break the content into a couple blog posts. This one covers the big picture in photos. The next couple posts will cover some of the portraits I made of expedition staff and things you should know when visiting Antarctica, especially with photo gear.

I’ll preface this post by saying I have more photos from this trip than any trip I’ve ever taken, and these images only scratch the surface of what I experienced.

Two special thanks: First, the crew and expedition team of the Ocean Nova and Antarctica XXI. They kept us safe, well-fed, educated, and exploring. Most importantly though, a special thanks to Lina for dreaming big with this trip and making it a reality.

“Why Antarctica?”, most people ask. Going into the trip I didn’t really have a clear answer. In some ways I still don’t — At least not in words. Articulating an experience with language is not my strong suit, but more importantly words don’t do the Seventh Continent justice — For that matter, neither do photos.

Looking back on my trip (which took place in the last two weeks of November this year), I tend to remember the experience as a series visuals and feelings that are difficult to translate. It’s hard to describe a place with language when it’s so vastly different from anything else that I (and most people) have experienced. Most places are comparable to somewhere else in the world — Antarctica is not.

When I try to talk about Antarctica, it mostly comes out as a unsorted list of my experiences, facts, and feelings. There are too many things to cover, and all of them feel so important — I feel like I’m always leaving something out. Nothing I saw is more important than anything else and I have no specific “favorites” from the trip because everything stood out. Everything was so different and impactful.

Antarctica is more than just a place to visit, it’s a self contained experience. Visiting is like entering a different world, much like an extraterrestrial visiting earth only for a short time, knowing that you cannot interact with its inhabitants and you cannot leave any evidence of your own existence.

It’s an entire ecosystem of animals, land, sea, and ice joined together by the serenity of a frozen paradise undisturbed by man — An homage to what the planet once was before we made our presence felt. Words don’t do it justice, and neither do photos from a single trip.

I did my best to curate a selection of photos that convey how vast and impressive the land and ice is, and how much fascinating wildlife there is to see. Here are just a few of the images that I captured:

Penguins: They are everywhere. They come up to greet you with curiosity when you land on shore. Though absolutely adorable, their colonies are smelly and most of the penguins are covered in communal excrement. They are fascinating to watch — Their colonies feel like a complex civilization with social constructs, partnerships, and subgroups. I don’t know enough about penguins to say for sure what’s going on in any of the moments I captured with the camera, but it is very easy to personify them and imagine up back stories for their actions.

Whales: They appear without notice and leave just as quickly. As beautiful as they are spontaneous, they are difficult to photograph and exciting to watch.

Orcas: Followed the ship just to figure out what it is. We spotted a group of rare “Type D” Orcas (shown below) that have only been spotted in nature 13 times since they were discovered in 1955.

The Continent: When no person is moving and the snow stops crunching under your feet, there is the most deafening silence you’ll ever know. The landscapes are vast and dramatic. The weather changes from clear to stormy within minutes.

Icebergs and Sea Ice: The ice is dynamic and moves quickly. Icebergs glow like emeralds below the water. They play an important part in Antarctica’s ecosystem, from the microorganisms and krill in the water all the way up the food chain.

Seals, Sea Birds, and Other Critters: They go about their business as if humans aren’t even a factor. Something I’ve never witnessed before in the wild.

by Jason Dixson - September 5, 2015

Personal Project: 24 Hours in San Francisco

This has been a very busy year with new clients and some amazing opportunities, but it’s been increasingly difficult to make time for personal projects, which are an important part of growing as a photographer and developing a creative skill set. On my recent trip to the SF bay area, I was determined to come up with a personal project that would push me to think outside the box in terms of lighting and composition.

The below series of images is a departure from my usual work as an event, headshot, and commercial photographer and attempts to see the common place through new eyes while recreating the feeling of being face-to-face with the subjects.

All these images were made during a 24-hour window on August 25 and 26, 2015, during which I walked throughout San Francisco asking strangers if I could make a portrait of them.

Everyone I approached were generally willing and kind. Some of them I spoke with for only a minute – the longest conversation lasted a full hour after I made his portrait. This personal project reminded me the value of walking with nowhere in particular to be and making conversation with complete strangers.

Ten of these images are currently hanging as 60×15 inch prints in Flying Fish Coffee in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, DC. None of the images are for sale.

Note: If anyone who was photographed is looking for a copy of their image, I plan on emailing it to you. I’m currently on travel and have not yet finished editing all the images or emailing them out. Thanks for your patience!

by Jason Dixson - April 28, 2015May 4, 2015

Corporate Conference Professional Headshots

Last month I photographed about 350 business professionals attending the 2015 Oracle HCM World Conference at the National Harbor, near Washington, DC. The professional head shots, a benefit for folks attending the conference that needed a new profile photo, were done on-location at the Gaylord National Convention Center.

The headshot experience, or “professional portrait gallery,” was sponsored by Deloitte. Individuals attending the conference first were given the opportunity to have their makeup done by Bobbi Brown Cosmetics before making their way over to me to have their headshot captured.

During the conference, participants provided their contact information via a form on my iPad. Immediately following the conference, I directly emailed each individual their edited headshot. Anyone planning a corporate conference, convention, or meeting should consider doing this. With the rise of LinkedIn and other social media in business, this is a great idea to give something back to your attendees!

Below are a few images of the conference headshot portable setup and final head shots:

Learn more about booking Jason for headshots, either at your office or at a conference.

by Jason Dixson - March 13, 2015March 13, 2015

Conference Photography: National League of Cities

This past week I had the privilege of photographing the National League of Cities (NLC) 2015 Congressional City Conference. The conference was packed with excitement and a range of activities including large plenary sessions, musical performances, networking receptions, and small group meetings.

The highlight of the conference was the Monday morning keynote address delivered by President Barack Obama. This was followed by an impressive showing by his cabinet and staff including HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, Secretary of Energy Dr. Ernest Moniz, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Jerry Abramson. Following the main events of the conference were a visit to Capital Hill and a summit at the White House.

All-in-all, the NLC team led the conference to be a huge success with many memorable moments. There was wide spread media coverage of the event by hundreds of publications. One of my images alone appeared on over 200 websites and was viewed by over 21,000 people, according to NLC’s press wire data.