March Desktop Wallpaper Calendars

Happy Leap Year! The desktop calendars are a slightly different format this time. (I have to mix things up a little bit for you, after all...) Since March signals spring here in the lowlands I thought I would brighten your monitors with a little bit of spring's first colours. The crocus and daffodils are popping up here, which means next month is Keukenhof! (Can you guess what next month's theme will be boys and girls?)

So without further ado, here's the link to the desktop wallpapers.

Since we are on the theme of photography this morning, I thought I would share with you a few things I stumbled upon this morning. As a bit of background, there are over 20 photography related blogs in my Google Reader. Some of them are daily photos, some are industry news and others are tips and tricks for photography and photoshop. I probably spend on average 10 hours a week going through them all and learning new things (yay for the internet). Photography, especially in the digital age, is something that you never stop learning. I stumbled upon a very interesting little story in my reading this morning:

Your job as a professional photographer isn't just taking the picture and letting your client have the image. It's also about seeing what others don't see. A professional photographer has the ability to see things in unique ways, and give their client above and beyond what they could get anywhere else.

One of my favorite stories is about Pablo Picasso. Picasso was sitting in a restaurant having lunch with a friend when a woman came over and asked Picasso to create something for her on her napkin, and she would happily pay him for what it was worth. After a few minutes, he gave her back her napkin, and a bill for several thousand dollars. After the initial shock, she questioned why he could charge so much for a few minutes of work. Picasso responded the price wasn't based on the few minutes it took him to create her artwork; it was based on the years of studying, education, training, and mastering his talents. She happily paid the price.

As a photographer, your prices should reflect your talents, not the final output. Anyone can snap a photo and print it out on their home computer. Where the real talent comes from is within the photographer herself.

This was taken from 7 Ways For Photographers to Increase Sales by Lori Osterberg.

Finally I want to share two incredible inspirational Photography Portfolios I discovered today. The first is Gregory Heisler who shoots incredible portraits of some folks you may recognize.

Finally, if you look at nothing else today, go, go, go, see the stunning travel images on the Pixelated Image. They are breathtaking.