Welcome to May!

This month we are going to look at Orange Roads for the dream of Sailing. I have many friends who love to sail and several who would like to make their living on a sail boat. I've done some homework on this one and I beleive, one way or another, we can put you on course to be sailing off into many beautiful sunsets!

Just what is Intentional Winning all about? It's about making your dreams come true by taking the paths in life you had not considered. Some might call it getting there in a round about fashion, but I call it taking lifes Orange Roads.

So many of us had dreams when we were younger that for this reason or that, we let go of pursuing. Even as adults, things come up that seem exciting or worthwhile, but we believe we aren't qualified, don't have time to learn, don't have the money, or simply don't feel we can reach the goal. Whatever you think, you're right! So if you don't think you can do it, maybe you could think about it in a way that does seem doable to you. Just maybe, there is another way to bring that dream into reality.

Here's an example: Let's say your dream is to go from San Francisco, CA to New York, NY. Most would agree that the fastest, most direct route would be to travel eastbound on highway 80 in one strait shot - the pink road. You'll see a little piece of green on the pink route which is a planned detour where there's a break in highway 80. As we do this, plug in life goals and normal activities that come along the way such as going away to college, getting married, having kids, changing jobs, etc. If you think about each of the events in your life that stop your progress to your dream destination, it's easy to see how we get stalled and eventually "settle down" in Anytown USA along the way. If you look closely at a United States map, you will see that there are hundreds of other roads to get you to New York from San Francisco - the orange roads. Will it take longer? Yes. Will it cost more? Possibly. Will the journey be full of surprises? Absolutely! When you realize that all those other roads can get you where you want to go, you can see that not only can you make your dream come true, but you may also find other things that make you happy and bring you joy along the way.

As you can see, we are defining IWIL each month. Do you have a Dream Not Come true? Share it with me and let me show you some of the Orange Roads you can take to restart the engine on your dreams and start feeling their joy this very minute!

Say Hello To Debbie!

Debbie is a dear friend of mine who longs to take pictures for a living. Just like many of you, she works full time, has a big family, and juggles all life things that keep us from doing what we really want to be doing.

Debbie started taking pictures of people and things she thinks are beautiful; family, flowers, and local events. One event she attended she took a picture that she entered in the photography contest at our local Gold Country Fair and she won! Isn't that cool?! I'm trying to get a copy of the winning shot, if I do, I'll post it.

Debbie would love nothing more than to make her living taking pictures, but for now, it is her hobby. Some days she takes lots of photos and when life gets busy, her camera stays packed in her bag. The bottom line is that Debbie is making it happen, more slowly than she might like, but the dream is alive and isn't that the real goal? Yes! Do something, a little bit is better than none and will often lead to more!

Tune in next month for a new Dream and we will discover many new Orange Roads to making it come true! Happy Friday!

Contests!

After all, contests are how Intentional Winning was conceived! Photo contests are one way to not only figure out what your point of view is, but also to practice and let other people see your work.

There are thousands of contests out there but one that I like is the Costco Photography Contest. You do have to be a member of Costco, but there are many, many other contests that are free to enter as is this one if you are a member.

Contests on local levels will be easier to win or place in than national or international contests, but i say put your photos out there! You can't win if you don't enter!

Orange Roads, Orange Roads, and More Orange Roads!

Monica of Studio KYK Photography has embarked on another endeavor involving her photography business - Specialty T-Shirts! Your Smile Shop is open and selling specialty T-shirts for all levels of photographers!

This is a great example of taking what you love and finding other ways to be creative, do what you love, and make some extra money! Clearly this is a niche business catering to photographers (of all levels!), but it's a wonderful idea!

Check out her designs on Facebook and you can buy them on her Etsy web site!

What's Your Angle?

When looking at Photography as a possible profession, you have to ask yourself, "What's my angle?" In other words, what do you want to photograph? Al eluded to this when he talked about finding outlets like specialty magazines for submitting your work to. You have to get out there and find that one angle that you not only love to shoot, but that tickles you to edit, review, fame and look at again and again.

Are you a formal portraits photographer? What about wildlife? Babies, or could it be events? When you know what your point of view is, you will be able to get out and market yourself in the appropriate circles and start making your dreams come true!

Photography Orange Roads

Intentional Winning in Life is about finding all the alternate routes to your dreams. When one first sets their sights on a dream, they see one way to get there. As soon as a road block appears, they think their dream is over. No! There are hundreds and hundreds of other ways, Orange Roads you can take to make your dream come true and maybe even find some new ones along the way!

This month has been all about photography and I thought what better way to share the Orange Roads than from the professionals who are doing it? I hope you like this and are taking notes. I would love for you to come back and share what tips were useful and what you have done to make your photography dreams come true!

Special thanks to Carol Gardner and Zelda from Zelda Wisdom for the use of the ever appropriate Road Map image! You can be inspired and see many more of these wonderful Zelda images at ZeldaWisdom.com and sign up for Zelda's Daily Dogma and get a smile in your e-mail each morning! LIKE Zelda on facebook.

Picture U Perfect Photography - Shannon RIch

As a stay at home mom I decided to make my passion for the art of pictures become a dream career as a photographer. I started working at a portrait studio to learn the techniques of the business such as lighting, backgrounds and positioning of people. I was fortunate to acquire knowledge from a mentor who truly knew the depth of creating beauty, instead of every picture being the same.

You might have talent, a keen eye and positive attitude, but if you are missing skills and proper equipment this will become a problem. It is critical to have a professional camera during the beginning of your endeavor because this is the heart of making pictures come alive. I use a Nikon D300 which has given me excellent performance. Many others use Cannon and enjoy its features as well. Additional equipment is necessary to enhance your abilities; these items will include an external flash, reflectors and a variety of lenses.

Three years ago I started my own photography business. I am currently working as a photographer part time while building my portfolio. Being a mother of a 1st grader, I assist at my daughter’s school activities and other functions such as girl scouts as well as caring for my active 3 year old son. This has given me additional opportunities for leads to expand my business. Focusing on pictures in natural settings where children could be comfortable; such as themed portrait events of fairies, country kids and vintage. I love capturing the maternity sessions, even the milestone during birth and after. Family portraits bring back memories in a special way for their favorite location. This is the direction I chose for my passion. It opened my eyes to the world outside, literally.

These are a few tips to keep in mind when gaining exposure and experience.

· Have mini sessions at discount prices.

· Have a strong support group, be it family and friends who can become clients.

· Suggest your ideas with clients but don’t be pushy, let them have their day.

· Learning your skill is a continuous process. Suggestions are offered from mentors through photography clubs or workshops.

Follow your dreams; choices are endless when creativity is the key to your success.

Shannon Rich
916-223-1600
Picture U Perfect Photography
www.picture-u-perfect.smugmug.com

Photo of Shannon by Coree Firchau Keenan