Mahesh Bhat, a photographer and author of Unsung and Bangalore: First Person Singular is also a teacher at The One School Goa.

Bangalore, India was home for Mahesh, so when I heard he had started teaching photography in Goa, I was curious to learn more about his new adventure.

Mahesh heads the photography department of a relatively new educational establishment, for those interested in creative fields such as photography, mass communication and multimedia. It's the first of its kind to be totally dedicated to nurturing creative minds in India and beyond. The school is located in North Goa, away from the hustle, bustle and stress of big cities (just check out the images of what the students are experiencing every day!). The school offers a 3-year graduate diploma program. It's an intensive program, Mahesh tells me, modeled after the Santa Fe Workshops or the Maine Media Workshops + College.

I had a chance to speak with Mahesh about The One School Goa. So, listen in:

As we wrapped up our chat, I wondered if I could speak with a few of the school's current students to get their views on the school and what it means to pursue a career in the creative arts.

A few days later, Mahesh connected with Shantanu Sheorey, the school's founder and a few students. Shantanu is a highly acclaimed commercial photographer with a long history in the industry. I was pleasantly surprised to see his own son enrolled as a student at The One School Goa.

Take a moment to listen to that conversation here:

This is the approach to the school:

Dinesh Khanna, acclaimed photographer and educator sits down to critique a student's work:

Paddy fields right outside the school's gate!

I know I can't wait to visit The One School Goa!

Some people are fans of Apple. Some just love Nikon. I happen to be a fan-boy of both. So, when Nikon came up with these video teasers about their November 5th launch of a new full-framed sensor camera, I had to look and share them with you.

Have you seen them? Here they are:

“Pure Photography” is the tag line. What do you think? Will you buy this new Nikon camera? Will it elevate your photography?

Are you ready to play with photography again? Do you feel photography is taking a turn away from digital SLR's? So many questions. We'll find out November 5th, I guess. Hopefully more answers and less hype or speculation after the launch. If you find out about the camera before I do, feel free to come back here and post your thoughts below.

Catherine Just inspires me. It's as simple as that. She is a photographer and a teacher who approaches both with intent and mindfulness.

She and I chatted about The Soul*Full Summit, a program she launched in 2012 to help artists like yourselves hear and learn about how you too can own your greatness.

What's required, Catherine says, is “confidence and courage” to bust past the fear and the baggage that we all shoulder through life.

She just wrapped up The Soul*Full Summit 2013 program. You get to listen and learn from 36 presenters from around the globe and from all walks of life (not just photographers).

Know this: You don't have to listen to them all at one go. That would be 85 hours of great conversations between Catherine and her guests. Instead, commit to this process of listening and learning, starting today. By the end of November, you will have gone through the entire program.

At least, that's what I plan on doing. There are no affiliate links in this post. But I wanted you to know that like you, I am committing myself to moving past the fear of success starting from right now. Will you join me? I would love for us to converse about what we are learning from these 36 luminaries. At about the price of a Grande soy-milk latte at Starbucks, these presentations can quite likely set you in motion again if you are stuck or help you pivot as you pursue what you truly want to do in life. Either way, you win.

One more thing, Catherine is donating 50% of all proceeds to Down Syndrome Education International. Yet another reason to sign up today.

We each have a gift that we can and should release to the world. Find out what yours is and you too can own your greatness. I really believe that!

Please comment below when you have had a chance to sign in and check the presentations out.

Angela Pointon is the founder of Angela Pointon Photography and Steel Toe Images, which offers advice and inspiring motivation for photography business owners. Angela's weekly email newsletter is packed with advice for photographers, which can be subscribed to for free here. In addition, she has authored multiple books for photographers, is a monthly columnist for Professional Photographer Magazine, blogs at Steel Toe Images and posts to Facebook, G+, Pinterest and Twitter.

You don’t need a plan or a path. I mean, really. You don’t. But, if you're in the photography business and you want to successfully compete, earn healthy revenue and achieve goals, then you actually should have an idea of where you're going. Here's what I mean…

Anyone (and I mean anyone) can start a photography business today. You've probably read about the insane low barrier to entry for the photography industry. And while this low barrier to entry creates a photographer, not a creative ass-kicker, it also creates a business owner.

Assuming we eliminate the hobbyists out there, those photographers using a camera to earn money encompass a definitive universe of people. And within that universe of people, there are a small number that you actually compete with. If you serve a certain geographic area or a certain genre, then the others that also try to do that same thing are your competition. (By the way, your competition is also your clients that choose to “shoot it themselves” or not hire you at all.) But for now, let's focus on the small part of the universe that you actually compete with every day for dollars.

What Sets You Apart From Them?

My images are different.

Yea, maybe.

My clients love me.

You're getting warmer.

I've won awards.

You're getting colder.

I'm a better business owner.

You're red hot.

Running a successful photography business involves being a better business owner, marketer and also a better person. If you put yourself in your potential client's shoes, it's really hard to hire a photographer if they're a poor business owner and a really shitty marketer, isn't it? Even if their images are breath-taking.

But you can gain competitive advantage for out-marketing and out-pathing and out-businessing (new words) the next guy or gal.

A Photography Business Plan Can Set You Apart

So many photographers launch businesses (daily) with absolutely no clear plan. They're not specific on what they're shooting. They're not certain of where they're going. They only know they're on a new road called photography.

This presents an opportunity for you to one-up this trend.

By creating a photography business plan, you're not merely laying out your plans for growth, revenue and success. You're planning your opportunity to more successfully compete as a business owner. And perhaps most importantly, you're positioning yourself and your business to be better, whatever that might mean to you.

Download A Photography Business Plan Sample

I wanted to create a photography business plan that made sense for my own photography business. If you've searched around for one, like I did, you found lengthy documents that are more appropriate for photographers looking to get bank loans. In other words, they looked like documents a banker would enjoy reading. They didn't, however, look like plans that would actually help a photographer compete and move forward.

So I decided to just create my own photography business plan based on what I learned from being a customer of Gazelles at a past marketing agency. It includes the few things that photographers will find useful and it fits to just one page of paper.

I wanted to make it accessible to other photographers, too. So I am offering it for download here. The best part about it is you get to name the price you want to pay for it. It has a suggested price of $27, but when you place it in your cart you can edit the price.

Think you'll get tons more value out of it? Go ahead and make it more. Is your photography business budget just too tight? I totally respect that. Go ahead and make it less. No, seriously.

Check it out here

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