
Field Notes
Essays, tutorials, and tools from the creative edge
This is the working log—where ideas take shape. A collection of how-to’s, reflections, case studies, and thought starters for creatives, educators, and brand-builders walking the path less travelled. Some posts are polished. Others are in process. All are shared with the hope they’ll meet you where you are—and help you keep moving toward what matters.
Categories
- Accountability Sessions
- Balancing Work & Family
- Behind the Scenes
- Building a Strong Family Foundation
- Business & Productivity
- Career Fulfillment
- Creativity & Flow
- Decision-Making & Strategic Thinking
- Family & Parenthood
- Filmmaking & Production
- Finding Meaning & Purpose
- Gear & Equipment
- Lead Generation & CRM Strategies
- Navigating Burnout
- Navigating Career Transitions
- Resilience & Human Experience
- Systems Design
- The Healing Power of Nature
- Time Management & Habits
- Tutorials & How-to’s
- Wellness & Creativity
- What Is Life? Series
Looking to Start a Business? Here are 10 Tips to Get You Started
Being successful as a multi-media artist is extremely challenging and requires a lot of hard work.
How to Prep Your Gear for Timelapse Shooting
One of the biggest challenges when shooting a time-lapse is gear management. This post talks about how to best prep your gear.
How To Shoot Day To Night Timelapses
As many people have proclaimed, day to night or night to day time-lapses are the ‘holy grail’ of time-lapse shooting. In this blog post, I will quickly walk you through a few different ways of capturing these types of shots.
How to Shoot Motion Controlled Timelapses
Once you have mastered static time-lapses, the next thing to add to your repertoire is the ability to shoot motion controlled time-lapses. Like static time-lapses, it is key to think of each frame as a unique image.
Talent Versus Skill // What Separates the Good From the Great
This post talks about the difference between the two and do so by using a set of case studies based on my experiences since my start as a full time freelancer in November 2011.
Finding a Balance Between Creativity & Running a Business
Finding a balance between creativity and running a business can be challenging.
The Pros and Cons of Film School // 5 Questions That May Save You From Unnecessary Debt
In this post, I break down the pros and cons of going to film school while offering some insight with actionable items that you will be able to take with you on your unique journey as a multi-media freelancer.
How To Shoot A Static Timelapse
In this post, I will first walk you through how to setup your camera and then will follow with the 7 questions that you will want to ask yourself before heading out to shoot.
Long Exposure Time-lapse Photography // Pushing The Medium
In this article, Armand walks us through his journey developing his unique look and also shows us how he achieve long exposure timelapses.
Overcoming Obstacles When Traveling with Gear
Filming in unfamiliar locations can pose an array of challenges you must overcome. These challenges inevitably determine the success of your trip. In this post, I want to talk about a recent trip I took to the US Virgin Islands which forced me to resort to a back-up plan in order to save a trip that otherwise would have been wasted.
Relationship Building - 4 Reasons Why A Positive Attitude Leads to Success
Relationship building is a constant learning experience and requires a lot of work. Without sounding overbearing or unclear on what I mean, I am referring to how I feel when the lines of communication are not 100% clear.
How to Manage a Project - A Step-By-Step Guide To Success
Projects take a lot of coordination to complete. It is key that you maintain an open communication with your client and that you over-deliver on your services if possible.
How to Prepare a Quote & Invoice
One of the first things you will need to learn as an entrepreneur is how to invoice. To aid in the process, I have broken down a few different elements you will need to consider.
How to Create HTML Signatures Inside of Emails
Professionalism is key in any business, especially when you business is built off of your creativity.
How to Build an Audience - A Few Helpful Tips
Creating an online presence is a daunting task and takes a lot of work and dedication. There is no fail safe solution that will ensure success, however, there are a few things you can do to develop a foundation to grow from.
How to Find Your Niche and Build Your Business
Defining your niche market and establishing a clear picture of whom it is they are marketing to is critical in the overall health of your business.
How to Write a Blog Post – The 7-Step Workflow
One of the hardest parts of writing a blog post is knowing where to start and how to structure your posts.
What is a Filmmaker? Redefining for the Close-Minded
I recently had a discussion on twitter that was less than supportive and I was really frustrated with the way in which the conversation transpired. As a result, I wanted to create a post that dealt with both the influence and power of social media as well as break down the conversation in question, which in my mind tried to define ‘The Filmmaker’ in a very narrow-minded way.
How to Shoot In A Cold Climate - 7 Tips To Keep Your Camera Rolling & Improve Your Final Image
In this post, I want to provide a few tips that I have learned to keep my camera rolling even in less than ideal conditions. I have devised a list of tips to keep your camera rolling, how to improve your final image and most importantly how to keep warm.
What Are The Ideal Settings for Shooting a Timelapse?
One of the challenges you need to overcome when shooting is determining the ideal setting for your camera. In this post, I will walk you through the basic functions of a DSLR.