so i spent a few years living in japan + time between + after that traveling around se asia shooting + taking in the asian culture i had until then only read about. college provided me with a fantastic worldview particularly of that region of the world + i spent countless hours working on projects related to the hmong + other ethnic groups. so by the time i was able to pound the pavement i had a voracious hunger to see things for myself.

when one is living abroad vs simply passing through everything tends to change. i came to adopt a mindset that i feel has served me well to this day. in a nutshell, that is to live as those around you live – barter if bartering is necessary, eat what is served, indulge in a few fresh insects, a dip in the river, a kind ride across town. it always amazes me how people can show up in a land they are unfamiliar with + proceed with the mindset they live with back home.

i spent a month + a half in lao pdr (please don’t rush) as i enjoyed the slow pace + had always wanted to visit. the economy wasn’t exactly booming at the time (mid-late 90′s) + the country doesn’t have a surplus of resources. i mean how many lao restaurants do you see popping up anywhere today even? i remember going into the bank to exchange us dollars + coming out literally with a plastic bag full of bills.

as you can imagine food, lodging, etc were all on a much different economic scale then what we in many places are used to. the key was/is to recognize this + adapt. simply because a serving of sticky rice was going for $1 doesn’t mean it was necessarily cheap. if you think in terms of your old life back ‘home’ then that might be the case but in lao you were getting ripped off. paying this amount works against you, other visitors + the economy in general i’d argue but spiraling things upward artificially.

what does all this have to do with anything you might be asking about now. reading about money + photographers lately left me thinking that it works the same way. when small businesses or individuals come up against larger clients offering good work many people have a tendency to stick with their current mindset. an offer for $50,000 comes in + we think that’s a lot of money. don’t get me wrong, it is. but to be successful in any business i believe that you need to take your client (or anyone for that matter) into mind – what are they expecting, what do they need + what are they used to? this pertains to money as much as it does bottled water. if your working for one of the world’s largest brands + they spend $2 million a pop on ad placement alone, not the campaign, then you have a very valuable skill set to offer + $50,000 isn’t an outrageous number.

don’t knock yourself down. believe in the value you create. put yourself in other positions to more clearly see where you stand.

and if you’re ever in lao, then take a good bag to carry all your money in…

here’s what a bit of sun can inspire after a long day of work on location. interesting story how this came together so take a stab at it (at least the technical part) + i’ll get the perfect in-house designed summer t-shirt out to the closest explanation that comes in.

speed sequence from heathkorvola on Vimeo.

largest thanks ever to the california crew and merrell. crazy good week shooting all over norcal and have the entire gang that pitched in to thank. merrell was fabulous to work with and their agency was pure sweetness. all 20+ of us were on the same level (hard work, early mornings and dirty one liners) and it shows in the final product. can’t wait to see the video clips but we’ll have a few scenes of our own up soon. four days, one skinny dip, one wharf jump, a handful of pumpkins, some pine cones, a few yurts, 1000 miles, 10,000 images and the best laughs in a long time.

and wanted to pass along props to merrell for walking the walk. in spite of the nature of the shoot (RV, driving, flying, etc) merrell bucked up for carbon credits with Native Energy. i’m really pushing to make this a project standard as there’s no reason it shouldn’t be. talked about it many posts ago but it’s great to see it taking hold.

in that vein, it’s exciting to see a few more options being made available as well. car rental site vroomvroomvroom.com “has pledged to pick up the cost of the carbon footprint for anyone booking through (the) site and (will) spend money on neutralizing that carbon with various green initiatives.” more here. and world dominator google has forked over a few washingtons on a plan to save energy as well – $4 trillion to be exact.

quick note as our numbers have changed highlighting my growing presence in oregon. you now have the option of reaching the montana office directly at 406.862.3811 or me in oregon at 503.501.8174. either number will reach me within hours if not sooner.

have been on the road for the past month more or less and off again soon. do have an update on international travel as it affects photographers, specifically between canada and the us, so stay tuned.