So, you’ve been putting off getting those new head shots done? Purchase a shoot with me before St. Patrick’s Day and we’ll schedule your shoot in March. Then, I’ll provide MASSIVE EXPOSURE to your photo on not only my website, but on the immensely popular and influential SLC Talent Factory website, Facebook and Twitter posts!

Unbelievable Value at $249!

Thanks so much!!

***Arrangements can be made to have the shoot at your location or mine. (Danville, CA or Hayward, CA studio) Clients are responsible for travel expenses. Payment will be paid in full before scheduled photo shoot date.   All photography is technically guaranteed. Clients will receive a complimentary subscription to © “The Camera-Ready Life – Steve Cozart Photography” newsletter. http://www.thecamerareadylife.com ® All rights reserved info@thecamerareadylife.com
24326 Mission Blvd. Suite 8, Hayward, CA 94544 – 925-640-3087

1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

10. Give up labels. Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

13. Give up the past. I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,  attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

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I”m always looking out for your image.

~Steve

In December I was the guest of host Nilofer Safdar in the “Illusion to Illumination” Summit. I would truly appreciate you listening in and enjoying my fun and informative program called “The Five T’s to Looking Your best in Photos
Anytime.”

Download the recording of this call!  ———–>>
You can also right-click and Save!

What is it?:Beginning on November 11, 2011 the global web of energy began with the Illusion to Illumination Summit, as the world’s established and emerging luminaries, visionaries and teachers empower you to awaken you the TRUTH OF YOU. From 11.11.11 thru 12.12.12 for one hour each Monday & Wednesday at 4pm PST our

Nilofer Safdar

wondrous teacher’s will offer their unique message and teaching that may be precisely what YOU NEED NOW, to go deeper into connecting with your own divinity. I urge you to become a part of this amazing event. By registering and joining in, you are a then part of the Global Web of Energy that we are creating together. Just by registering for the summit, you are plugged into the incredible love energy which we are tapping into as a collective. Just by being a part of this community, you will experience the shift and transformation.

Download the recording of this call!

• Having trouble getting an agent?
• Not getting any paid gigs?
• Feeling Invisible?
• Feeling like giving up on your dreams?

It could very well be that you need your head shots or other photography replaced or updated! I’m an agent-recommended photographer who can help you get where you want to be! Ask any of my clients who have sought after agency representation – 99% of my clients have signed with an agent after submitting photos/head shots that were shot by me. They get signed because we create exactly the type of branding they need to not only land an agent, but it actually gives the agent something to begin marketing the talent immediately. This photography makes you irresistible to agents.

I don’t believe in mass-production. I work very closely and carefully with my clients prior to the shoot on every aspect of the images we’ll create together and ensure they fit with your goals. If this resonates with you, I am your photographer. If you’re tired of feeling like you’re in this “acting thing” on your own and need to take the next logical and productive step up in your career, hit me up. We’ll discuss your goals and your needs and I’ll give you a fair quote. I also believe that quality and results should be attainable and be a real value.

Together we can make it happen. I’m always looking out for your image. Happy Holidays.
– Steve

 P.S. – Getting an agent does you no good if you can’t win auditions. An agent is in the business of making money, and they rely on their talent to book.  I’m also offering a workshop that teaches actors and print models the vital secrets and skills to win auditions.

Click here to read more!

Hello All My Wonderful People!

I’m growing my community of confident, Camera-Ready people, and would like to invite you to get a some knowledge on how to prepare for a photo shoot.
As an incentive, I am offering up a gift for you!
It’s a Fr^e^e Download called “Secrets to Looking Great In Photos!” It’s full of tips, tricks and advice to looking your best anytime, but focusing on pre-shoot preparation.

Don’t worry – I would never give out your info or abuse your privacy. Also, you’ll not be constantly SPAMMED by me. You’ll get the occasional update, tips and tricks, eZine announcements, etc.

It’s my goal to provide a safe place for YOU to finally:

• STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS
• GAIN KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO LOOK GREAT IN PHOTOS
• UNDERSTAND YOUR ROLE IN THE SUCCESS OF PHOTOS
• GET EXCITED ABOUT BEING IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA
• FINALLY – BE SEEN!

I’m always looking out for your image.

–Steve

I was working with a client who was deciding to fly out to have a photo session with me – or not.  She asked, “An insecure person may trust the photographer, but what if she trusts the wrong photographer? Wouldn’t that do more damage than good?”

She is absolutely correct.

The wrong photographer working with someone in a depressed state of mind can make that depression worse. Depression is so deeply damaging. Depression comes in many forms, including post-divorce, postpartum depression, past abuse, etc. The problem is, most of the time we photographers don’t know what’s on a person’s mind. It’s really not a typical thing for a photographer to build into their workflow.  Usually, the client makes an appointment and the photographer works with this “stranger” to put them in standard posing and backgrounds, etc. The client “hopes that this time will be different” and typically ends up not loving their photos. Seems rather clinical and rather futile.

Truly building rapport with the subject is critically important before, during, and after the shoot. I strive to know enough about the subject to understand her state of mind, and work with discussion, meditation, visualization, etc. to begin the healing and clearing of the Photosphere. For those who aren’t familiar with it – I believe that we all have an unseen layer of energy around us called a “Photosphere”, that can distort how we appear in photos based on how we affect it with our negative thoughts and feelings about ourselves and the photographic process. A Photosphere that is clear and strong – not warped, clouded, distorted or polluted will allow our true essence to be shown and photographed.

I also realize that I can never replace a trained, medical or clinical professional.(My clients say I’m more fun than a doctor or shrink anyway!) I learn when to listen and know when to ask the right questions, how to ask them, where to ask them, and why to ask them, to help build that rapport and better understand my client. If a photographer’s is depressed and that photographer doesn’t know how to recognize it, no matter how slight the depression may be, it can lead to a bad situation.

In my experience, the trust that is built in phone calls, Skype video work and of course, the webinar I offer prior to any shoot I do with my Camera-Ready VIP clients truly produces a happy and more confident client.

I Believe In… “The power of photography to help build or re-build self esteem by first gaining useful knowledge about photography, developing skills that provide confidence and empowerment, then becoming “WEDDING DAY EXCITED” to reveal your truly beautiful and authentic photos to the world! Yes – YOU can learn to love the camera and your image!

Oh – my client? Happy and loving her new photos. She immediately got the confidence to put her face on her business and launch a tele-seminar series that sold more seats than she ever had before!

I invite you to join my community and keep in touch with how you can learn to be Camera-Ready everyday! Don’t worry – I’ll always respect your privacy. I also will not spam you with tons of dumb offers, etc. You’ll get occasional updates, offers and valuable tips on looking your best in photography everyday.

I’m always looking out for your image!

–Steve

Excuses. Excuses…

Here’s a doozie I heard recently: “I will do it later this week …like Friday, because I don’t want to run out of things to do before I get around to it.” (what??)

So many people are procrastinating – putting off what they KNOW they need to do! I believe that it’s a form of self-sabotage. It’s also a form of rationalization that gives us permission to put off what makes us uncomfortable or inconvenienced. By the way – break down the word “rationalize”  – it’s RATIONAL LIES we tell ourselves.
Many times we seek out enablers who co-rationalize the procrastination by telling us, “well, you’re only human”, or “yup, you gotta pick your battles.” They may think they are comforting us but that just reenforces the behavior.

I’m a photographer who not only shoots models and actors, but who specializes in helping people who hate the camera because they don’t like how they feel about how they look in photos to learn to (finally) love the camera. Some people will go to great lengths to avoid photography and will tell me they want to wait until

1.) They lose that last 20 lbs.
2.) They get their hair done next.
3.) They get ‘just about finished’ with their website, book or products.
4.) skin clears up.
5.) etc.  (yawn…)

Don’t get me wrong – These people are amazing individuals! They are often heart-centered, blessing-driven entrepreneurs who are just regular folks who want to change the world. They aren’t always trained in business, accountability, marketing, visual media and workflow discipline. In my experience, time passes so quickly we soon look in the mirror and find ourselves wishing we had done more, loved more – lived more. My advice is to really find an expert who can coach you to the next level of self-awareness, brand knowledge and accountability on productive, actionable activity! Believe it or not, my clients begin this process by truly learning to love themselves as they are today and how to jump into their true purpose, free  from the constraints of “I will” into the liberating state of “I DO” –

I’m always looking out for your image!

~Steve

Sound like a ski lesson? Yup! Looking good in photos is a learned thing. Most red carpet types are taught – it’s not something you’re born with.

The truth is, most people don’t think about looking great in photos until they book a photographer. My goal is to teach you how to be Camera-ready everyday!

Want to learn even more on how to look great in photos – everyday?

Check it out! http://wp.me/P1vogC-7j

I’m always looking out for your image.

Steve

This post marks a big shift in the content of this blog.  For those of you who read for advice, strategies and inspiration on your quest to being working actors/models, I think you’ll be even happier with the content, discussions and point of view I’m about to add to this labor of love I’m calling “The Camera-Ready Life” – - and it’s gonna get a bit “woo-woo” at times. (Don’t bother looking up “woo-woo” – just think touchy-feelie and all sensitive ‘n’ shit!)

I was on a call recently with one of my Photo Therapy clients. She said, “I tend to avoid being the center of attention, because I feel like when people are looking at me – that they’re just looking at my flaws.” Broke my heart. I have 100% faith that I can help her. People are in such pain these days.

My business has always been about transforming people who want to be models and actors into just that, by following a plan that is proven to work. We work with people of all ages and types to assess their marketability in the commercial San Francisco market. We ensure they have the right photos, specific auditioning skills and business coaching to be seen by agents as marketable talent immediately. That business is established and successful. We have a 99% success rate at placing our clients with agents. It’s very satisfying and rewarding.

The universe made it very clear to me, recently, that my blessing is not facilitating a process that creates working models and actors. My blessing is helping people to be “seen” – maybe for the first time in their lives.

There’s been a trend rising, especially in the commercial acting/modeling world. That trend was people – especially women over 40 – really seeing a huge surge of demand and success in commercials and commercial print. A common scenario would be a woman bringing in her child or grand-child and asking us to evaluate them. Often, I would tell her, “well, your child is definitely cute, but you are the marketable one!” This would often embarrass her and she would start nervously laughing, pushing back and then even sometimes get very emotional – sharing deep, personal feelings – feeling about herself. So much would be revealed, and after many of these interactions it became so clear that these lovely age 40-plus women felt as if they had lost, or given up so much along the pathway of their life that they had nothing left to offer. They’d say that their husband doesn’t look at them anymore. Their kids see them as a taxi cab. At work, they were just “that lady at the desk”. She is seen as the cook, the maid, the mom, the wife, the “ma’am”. (FYI – most women don’t like being referred to as “ma’am”)

So, once we would start to work together I could start to see glints of smiles – hints of confidence. We’d work together on video, and watch it back…usually resulting in uncomfortable squirms and lots of “OMGs!” During the all-day photo shoots, it was amazing to watch the “light” turn on and see these women confidently work with my camera, have the confidence to know how to pose, how to use their faces, eyes and mouths to produce vibrant photos. Long story short – by the time we spent our 4-6 weeks together, there was such a marked and miraculous transformation in my client. Of course she’d get an agent and of course she’d start auditioning and booking commercial gigs. But even more special – these women found themselves again! Or – maybe found themselves for the first time! They tell me that they finally see that they still have something to offer – that they have value! That their image, right now as they are – actually has value!

I have taken this trans formative process and am now offering it to every woman who feels that they want to reclaim that which they may have lost along the road of their life. I feel that everyone deserves to own at least one photo of just themselves (not a family photo, etc.) that they absolutely love and cherish. A single photo like that can be transformational. It can bring out the fire, the juice, the courage to finally be SEEN! Maybe this transformational photo – or the results it bring – will remove that one last barrier to writing that book, starting that business or maybe – just because it’s empowering to have a that “perfect” photo. I’ve had many of my clients tell me that on a bad day they just look at the photo and it makes them feel beautiful. It reminds them of the fact that yes(!), they have value, purpose and worth in this world that often forgets people over 40. They finally feel “seen” – Priceless!

So, that is my blessing.
My mission is to bring this feeling to everyone!

Then………………….Silence. Nada. Nothing.

The callback date comes and goes. The shoot date approaches. Obviously, you did not book.  Rejected. You didn’t cut it! The audition must have sucked, right? You wonder what you did wrong. Why did they hate me so much!!?

Every actor goes through some or all of this.

If you EVER plan on being an actor or model, you must be able to deal with this situation on a regular basis.  Here’s some good news – or at least some information that is intended to make you feel better – because it’s the truth. Stop personalizing everything! This was NOT rejection.

“But Steve – I didn’t get the gig!”  Yes, I know. You probably auditioned perfectly. You smiled, inflected at the right times, handled the props like a pro and even nodded at the end at the most perfect time.

It doesn’t matter. The person entrusted to make the casting decision selected someone else.

Yep..they selected the person/actor/model who they think can best sell their product. period. Yes, they watched your audition video. My guess is, they were impressed. My guess is that they even watched past your slate.

The truth is – sometimes your “perfect” audition might have reminded the decision maker of his sister….who he HATES!  You can’t help that. But you won’t get a call you to tell you why he didn’t book you. He’ll just move on. Does it suck? YES! Is it fair? NO! Is it reality. Absolutely!

Forget all that. We actors love to act. The work is the reward. I truly believe that the actor continues to work, to improve, to practice and to strive for what feeds their soul. I believe that miracles will come based on honoring the work.

We have no control – zero influence on who will book us from our auditions. We have complete and total control over our performances, our auditions and our training.

Advice: NEVER hound a director, casting person, agent, theater director or ANYONE who you think stands in the way of booking.  What would you ask them, anyway? Think about it? It’s not personal. It’s not you.

Keep in mind that commercial work is just sales. It’s marketing. Recently, I found out that, even though I was the director’s first choice, they had to pass me up because the other actor/family they booked was multi-ethnic. I am a straight up, pale white guy. It just wasn’t a match for the campaign.

Bummer. But I get it. It’s not a match…in the commercial. I won the audition, but didn’t book the gig.

I celebrated just the same.

It’s all about selection – not rejection. Stay the course. Keep auditioning. Never quit.

Oh, if you want to know more…hit me up.