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Luckily there are 3 ways to minimize the self inflicted pain of having your picture taken so you can finally enjoy those moments and say to yourself I don't hate being photographed. Practice Facial Expressions If you want your biceps to look big you have to lift weights. If you want your photographic moment to look unique and truthful you have to practice facial expressions. That is why I have a photographic exercise I make my clients do during their session which totally throws them off their game. I call it the Funny Angry Cute/Calm Excited and Sad exercise or FACES for short. That is right I have them make a funny face, angry face, cute or calm face, excited face and sad face. Why? Because once a client sits in my chair they automatically think they should start to smile... Survey says WRONG! in fact I could care less if you smile or not because whenever you tell someone to smile both sides of the lip muscle rises up into an awkward arc shape that resemble constipation. So, in order to keep my clients from being constipated (so to speak) I make them go through the F.A.C.E.S exercise first so that they get out of their head and stop thinking so I can take a great shot of them. Here are my F.A.C.E.S
Take Self Portraits Do you have an ipad, iphone, blackberry, or even a camera phone? If you don't then just pull out your digital camera and take a lot of photos of yourself especially right before a photo taking season like the holidays. Don't worry you can delete them when you are done analyzing them and if you are worried that someone will hack your device and post those horrible unwanted photos on the web... think again, you just aren't famous enough yet :). Taking self portraits in different situations helps you learn to fix the things you don't like seeing in the photo. Wether it's the angle you position your face or the curve in the angle of your nose that bothers you, taking a lot of self portraits throughout the year will make it a lot easier to set up your shot when someone in the crowd turns and says, "hey get together I want to take a picture of everyone." 
Self Portrait Of My Wife And Me
Just Say F**k It Have you seen your license and passport photo lately? Were you the deer in the headlights during the holiday family photo? If you think those are bad take a look at your high school graduation photo. Trust me both you and I hope to God those hairstyles don't come back. However the truth is that nobody really cares. Life moves forward wether you look great in the photo or not and sometimes, if you are brave enough, you can use it for a conversation piece. I one time asked a girl out on a date by showing her my horrid license photo and using a cheesy made up oneliner. This is what I said.
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HOWEVER! BIG WARNING... If anyone reading this thinks that this road I'm on doesn't have MANY CHALLENGES both financially and emotionally then you are NUTS. I am an educated man who happens to be born with just a little more risk taking then fear in my heart. If you want to make money then be a money maker. Ok now on to the goodies. I started making Youtube videos because I thought I had the ability to make funny videos that people would love which would bring lots of money. 4 years later I realize that it isn't that easy. However, late last year I won a commercial competition that gave me the emotional, physical and spiritual resurgence to continue making Youtube videos. That's when my loving wife called and said
That was in late October 2011. So, I busted my ass thinking of something that would win us a million dollars so that I could have a little more financial freedom and my wife would finally have enough money to remember my name.
On November 14, 2011 I posted the video and a blog about the experience but thought nothing of it because I had about a 1 in 18,000 chance. However no matter what the outcome I was extremely proud that my submission video was a 100% family affair. 1. I wrote, acted and edited the video. 2. My wife did hair, makeup and costumes. 3. My brother directed and filmed the piece 4. And my 2 kids knocked it out the acting box and stole the show. Disappointingly but not surprisingly I found out that I didn't make the cut on January 5, 2012 and blogged about that experience. However, 2 weeks before the super bowl my video started picking up hits by the thousands and the money started to roll in. Yes roll in. (I will blog about it once the adsense numbers are confirmed) Day after day I would call my wife over to look at what I was seeing which made all of us happy and proud of our success. We danced like little kids in the middle of the floor as our children watched us scream in a Merengue like fashion, "FINALLY WE HAVE A VIRAL VIDEO." So you might be wondering... Did I make a million dollars? No, but I made a nice little nest egg. Does my wife remember my name? No, but now she calls me Joe which is really really close to Jai. Anyway, enough about that... Let's get on to some other GREAT news. IN JUST 45 DAYS OF JOINING THE YAKEZIE CHALLENGE I FINALLY DROPPED MY ALEXA RANKING BELOW 200K. THAT'S RIGHT JAICATALANO.COM IS NOW AT 198,180. Ok I am done typing loudly. :) Before I wrap up for the weekend I want to say thanks to Yakezie and everyone else that has been a part of this fun crazy journey. Thanks to my family... especially my wife and my brother. They both have been super supportive on many levels. And I want to give a big shout out to Fanny (a dancer and friend from Dance On 2) who has always commented on my videos and has continually sent me positive energy. (Next stop 225 Fanny) If you want to read more about this past week and have a smile at the same time, check out the links below. 1. 10 Questions To Ask Your Headshot Photographer Before The Photo Shoot 2. Who Does My Son Look Like Mom Or Dad? 3. What The Buck? Until Monday Jai 
By the time I got home last night I was extremely tired and ready for a well deserved sleep.
Usually when it's very late I go right to bed but something inside me said to open my email. Casually I sat at my computer waiting for everything to load up but sleep was creeping in. KaBOOM!!! Suddenly and to my surprise I wake up to see an email from a Yakezie member. Instead of just telling you what he said I want to take a moment to say it totally woke me up. Not only was I half asleep driving home but I was all alone thinking of my sleeping family. So when I got home I should have just gone straight into bed with all of my clothes still on. Pretty stupid on my part I know but as an artist and a family man I have two sides to me. I am obsessed about being the best in everything I do and I am a tiny whiny bit narcissistic. Really! That is me in a nutshell. I mean I've many more sides to me but that is who I am so... Even though I was tired my tiny whiny narcissistic side woke right up when I read... Hey Jai, Since your Super Bowl commercial entry was going viral, I forgive you for missing your surprise. Enjoy! Buck Inspire Click his name and see for yourself. Buck you are a class act. I don't even think you can begin to know how nice it was to hear all those wonderful things. Buck you do Inspire. Until Tomorrow Jai
Please click the photos above to enlarge them so you can have a better view and then take a second to cast your vote below. Thanks. Until Tomorrow.
Jai
1. How many photos come with the headshot session?
Most good headshot photographers shoot 200-300 photos per session. That allows for various clothing changes to take place so that you have several angles and natural expressions of each change. Tip - If the headshot photographer shoots more than 500 photos-RUN 2. How long does the photo session last? Most professional photo sessions should last (approx) 2 hours for men and 3 to 4 hours for women. Woman's sessions are more meticulous in nature because of hair and makeup. Tip - Bring lots of music and extra strong coffee. 3. What should I wear and how many looks can I bring? You want to look for someone who allows you a few outfit changes so you can have different looks for various auditions. You can be business casual or sporty and casting agents as well as managers want to know that. I usually tell my clients to bring a suitcase full of outfits that make them feel GREAT. Tip - Bring solid colors with little patterns. The session is about you and not Calvin Klien. 4. Do I need hair and makeup for the shoot? Maggie Flanigan, my former acting teacher, used to say to all of the women that they have to look beautiful as well as be extremely talented. Men can wake up and book a job women have to fight for one. For women I say yes and for men I say no. Tip - Don't do your own hair and makeup. The photo shoot is about you feeling and looking great. There is something magical about having someone pamper you. 5. Will you direct me during the shoot? A headshot photographer is not just a photographer. He or she is an artist who tries to bring out the truthful expressions that are within. Technically once my studio is set up my photos will look great but without the right angles and natural expressions your photos won't sell you. Tip - Practice facial expressions by moving your mouth, eyes and eyebrows. 6. How long until I can view my pictures? Most photographers have a turn around time of 24 to 48 hours. I follow Peter Hurley's method of showing my clients the photos before the session is complete that way the session becomes participatory and you don't have to go home wondering. Tip - Don't look at what you consider your flaws, rather look for the truth in the photo. 7. How long until I get a copy of my pictures from my photo session? Depending on the photographer it can take up to 2 weeks to get a disc to you. However you just need to get an online portfolio to get started on narrowing down your favorites. Tip - Don't cut your hair after the session. 8. How much does the headshot session cost? I saw a headshot session for $29 on Craigslist the other day and I know people who charge $1100. They are both worth the money if you think about what you pay for. You can view my rates here. Tip - Feel comfortable with whoever you shoot with. Headshot sessions are a collaborative work. 9. Where can I print copies of my headshots? When it comes to printing headshots Reproductions is the best. The good news is that with online submissions you don't need to print as many as before. There are several places that you can get your headshots printed if Reproductions is out of your budget. Click here to view the others photo printing places here. Tip - Don't print your own headshots on your home printer. 10. Do you photoshop any of the photos as part of the package? Some headshot photographers touch up a few photos after the session and others recommend places that do it. I touch up 2 to give you a commercial headshot and theatrical headshot. Tip - Know who is touching up your photos. You didn't just spend hundreds of dollars on a photo session for some bad photoshop job. Until tomorrow. Jai 
You want to hear something funny? The photo of my 2 kids above is a well edited split screen of the 2 of them. Actually I had to film all 3 of us (Yes including me) separately for the Doritos video and then blend the screens together to make us appear to be acting in the same scene. Here take a look at the video and see for yourself.
Doritos Crash The Super Bowl Anyway, I have a photo session later today and again on Monday so things are starting to grow very nicely. In addition I will be working with my good friend and fellow photographer Curtis Charles for 4 days next week. He was my videographer when I was putting together my on 2 salsa dvd set. One of my secret goals was to work with him this year and already a goal is about to be met. And now on to the numbers... My new Alexa ranking as of this morning is 239,412. (remember the goal is to go below 200k) I am sure that has a lot to do with my Yakezie Team. Oh you didn't know I was on a networking team. Well if you want to read that story and more check out the links below. 1. Before and After Photoshop - Self Portrait From Ugly To Sexy 2. Family Weekend Breaks - The End Of An Era 3. The Networking Team - Yakezie Team 3 Until Monday Jai 
Leading off for us are the love birds - Newlyweds on a Budget (Alexa Ranking 145.622)
Following them is the economical frog aka The Frugal Toad (Alexa Ranking 89,222) Next in the 3 hole is the very Smart Money Hacks (Alexa Ranking 2,928,451) Our cleanup spot is the stronger than Barry Bonds but with out the steroids Bucksome Boomer (Alexa Ranking 82,398) Batting in the 5 hole will give it to you One Cent At A Time (Alexa Ranking 57,353) After that won't be 12 or 24 but Thirty Six Months (Alexa Ranking 93,323) No question will be unanswered in the 7 spot with Money Q&A (Alexa Ranking 86,735) Continuing the legendary story is The Debt Myth (Alexa Ranking 245,636) And finally me your host in a flash Jai Catalano (Alexa Ranking 247,624) Until tomorrow... and hopefully without debt Jai |
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Jai CatalanoThere are 3 things I can't change... my 2 kids, my 1 wife and my 0 rights. Archives
January 2013
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JAI CATALANO - Photographer | Videographer | Editor
973.715.0018 | New York, NY | Morristown, NJ
973.715.0018 | New York, NY | Morristown, NJ
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