DISCLAIMER: All opinions expressed here are strictly my own and have also been known to change over time. I am a work-in-progress. I do not consider myself an expert at anything or necessarily uniquely qualified to provide advice (if given) that may be helpful to you. But advice, when given, is intended only for a positive purpose. All readers are encouraged to always inform themselves in greater detail and make up their own minds with regards to anything I might write. To get a better idea of where I'm coming from, see my this blog entry.

Since 2007 is the year I finally decided to be a bit more diligent about keeping a blog, I figured I should take some time to actually tell you a bit about myself.

I have two reasons for writing this.

1. To give you some more information that will allow you to determine whether I'm entertaining, informative, or knowledgeable enough to bother paying attention to for more than 10 seconds.

...Whoa, I should've expressed that better. By now, all those 10 seconds or less people are gone already. So much for a rivetting intro!

And 2. I think you'll find me absolutely fascinating and this is going to be one heck of a thrill ride! Remember Die Hard? It'll be like that, but without Bruce Willis, a building, explosions, gunfire, and "Now I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho!" On second thought, it won't be like that at all (but I had you hooked, didn't I). ;)

The real #2 is that by telling you a little bit more about myself, you'll get a better idea of my personality and who I am. And my personality & who I am is directly connected with what I do.

After all, besides my camera, my personality is what I bring to every photo shoot and it's the main thing that makes me so unique and sets me apart from other photographers (and you thought it was just the name!). And just to clarify, being set apart doesn't mean I'm better. It just means I'm different and I've got some different things to offer. Though technically, we're all different, but I'm going to trust that you get my point here.

In any case, it's probably best if you stop thinking of me as "a photographer" right now. Or at least don't fit me in with any stereotype (and yes, there are a few photographer stereotypes). If you must think of me at all, I'd prefer it to be in a pink tutu with bunny ears on. No, I'm kidding! No bunny ears. ;) And yes, I'm actually straight, not that it matters (but I know that comment made some of you wonder - heck, I've already received some emails about it).

What I meant to say is that I'd much rather be thought of as "that cool guy with a camera that you had some fun and did a photo shoot with", than "the photographer you worked with".

That's also one of the reasons why, in the middle of December 2006, I had to take an axe the text on my web site (not literally!). In my eager attempt to compete for peoples' attention with all the other photographers out there, my web site turned into an infomercial! Not intentionally! And although I received many compliments on how "professional" it was, and everything on my site was true, it was hiding one of my most significant assets, me!

And although I'm the "genius author" responsible for it, my former site came across as representing me as some sort of cold, impersonal corporate entity and made it look like I take myself waaay too seriously. Which, if you knew me, you'd realize couldn't be further from the truth.

I'm much more about laughing, smiling, enjoying what I'm doing and who I'm doing it with. I mean seriously, photo shoots are supposed to be fun, aren't they? Maybe they're not supposed to be? No one ever told me. Maybe this is supposed to be all work and intense? I don't know!

The reason for that is because I'm a self-taught photographer. I didn't go to school for this. Never took a class. Oh my god, I don't know what I'm doing! ;) 

But actually, I've been a "visual artist" all of my life (hey, my mom will tell you I could paint a "masterpiece" with baby food!), with at least 11 years of that professionally. So I do have some related experience. And in one case, I was deemed edumacated enough to design and teach a college level 3D computer graphics course (you know, the kind where you light & compose a scene in a 3D world? Hmmm...sounds a little like photography, actually). So I know at least a thing or two.

Hey, at least you can be sure that I never took "Creepy Photographer 101" or  "Irritated Artist 102". Hey, I know those classes must exist, otherwise I wouldn't keep hearing so many first-hand stories about the graduates of these classes from the people I work with.

So anyway, classes or not, I believe I'm good at what I do (hey, at least I can make a living doing it), but I'm not silly enough to think of myself as an expert in anything. Nearly everything I know about what I do is through careful (or even accidental) observation, analysis, practice, a couple years of professional experience, as well as the personal insecurity that if I don't continue to expand my knowledge or skillset, I'll die (or at least not be able to do what I love for a living).

But even if I was an "expert", I'd still tell you that anything I might say is simply my opinion, that I'm not always right, and that any advice I might provide certainly doesn't apply to everyone or all situations. And while I will also admit to being confident as well as opinionated (in my blogs/articles) at times, I'm not self-righteous or here to convince you of anything. Heck, I'm not even here to sell you anything.

I may be relatively new at what I do, but what I don't yet have in experience, I try to make up for with passion, positivity, and a strong desire to continuously seek paths that lead to improvement (both personally and professionally). Again, that's based on my insecurity that if I don't do a good job, I eventually won't have a good job! Pretty simple, eh?

After all, I'm doing what I love now. I love photography, I love people, and I love to create. And I love being able to help other people with whatever skills and knowledge I have to offer. It's great to feel like I can make a positive difference in someone's life. And I can hear you saying, "Geez, you're just a photographer!" Yes, that's true. I'm not a plastic surgeon and I don't perform life-changing butt implants.

And I'm not even suggesting I make a positive difference often, but based on some of the great things people have shared with me about how something I did impacted them in a particularly positive way, I'm confident it's happened a few times. That's one of the reasons I like to share what I've learned or observed with others and also why I'll be doing it more consciously via articles and blog entries this year.

Something else. Last year I finally came to realize that excelling in this business is as much about relationships and interacting with people as it is about being able to take a decent photograph (I know, that's probably in "Photographer 101", but as you now know, I was absent that day). And if I wasn't passionate about both, I'd definitely be doing something else.

After all, at the age of 32, with no business experience or significant savings (can you tell what I'd change if I could do it over again?), I took a leap of faith and left a well paying and stable career in computer graphics (where I could interface with a computer 50+ hours per week) to undertake what has been the most difficult challenge of my life, "pursuing my dream".

But as challenging as this seemingly sink-or-swim situation has been at times, it's also been one of the most personally rewarding and amazing experiences as well. The work and services I provide are especially "personal" to me because I put so much of myself into everything I do. And as you might imagine, since the results of what I do are on display for everyone to see & judge, and because my name and my business are inseparably linked (part of it is the "Zero" portion, but the other part is simply due to me being an artist), it's very important to me to do as good a job as possible.

Not far into my career (and not that long ago, actually), I discovered that when I stopped doing what I felt  was "expected" and consciously started following my own instincts by doing what "feels right" instead, it led to far greater and more rewarding experiences. And at least if I fail (I won't), I'll know it didn't happen because I was trying to be like someone else.

Ok, that's all for now.

See you next time in my pink tutu. ;) Again, I'm kidding. No seriously. I am. Kidding.

Zero Dean

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