The day was beautiful!


Had a blast this weekend. I shot a portrait for a commercial that The U of M paid me to do. and this weekend Tam and I got to sit by the lake, have a picnic and look over the terms of the new loft that is being built for us in uptown, by Andersonville. Rockin!

I have a shoot tonight for the University of Michigan. a repeat customer. I can't wait.

Tammy and I,these photos at KPMG's Family day ath Chicago's Navy Pier. Fun event. Lots of work and running around. What a great group to work for. Food, Fun and activities- yah can't beat that!

I did a shoot with Ferita ( peach) a few days ago. She has a band and does weddings. Peach has an upcoming gig that she will share the stage with None other than Cool and The Gang! She rocks!

I shot this for her:







There were just too many great photos to show!

I have been busy lately. I know i need to keep this blog, or Plog up to date. My last blog ran for 4 years with a tons of posts each month. This one I want to keep more towards the Photography industry.

so I shot this great couple Jason and Allison a while back for their engagement photos- they were having a wedding in Mexico so they would not get to meet thier photographer until they arrived atthe resort. On a side not they said not to hire the photog at the resorts! go with one you have access to more frequently than the one there.

Here are some photos







This one you have to see up close!


Patrick

Some photos from a recent shoot.

OUR BOOK GETS ITS FIRST REVIEW!

TITLE: THE WAY OF LEADING PEOPLE
AUTHORS: TIMOTHY H. WARNEKA, PATRICK WARNEKA,
AND LAO TZU
PUBLISHER: ASOGOMI PUBLISHING INTERNATIONAL, 2007
ISBN: 978–0–9768627–4-1
REVIEWER: DONNA COOMER, BETWEEN THE LINES REVIEWS


THE MODERN ARCHITECTURE OF ANCIENT WISDOM
Thoughts of superiority and having figured it all out, have been the accepted norm in the West for some time now. One only has to stop, look, and listen to realize this is not necessarily the case. Our “leaders” fall short every day without a clue. Luckily for us, we have Tim Warneka and his brother, Patrick, diligently working to change this with books like THE WAY OF LEADING PEOPLE. By taking the ancient wisdom of Lao Tzu, put forth in the Tao Te Ching(pro. Dow Duh Jing), and applying it to the modern architecture of current life, we get a chance to change this current way of thinking by becoming better, more informed leaders and over time, replacing those who currently “lead”.

Using Lao Tzu’s chosen format of verse, Tim and Patrick give us easily applicable versions of Master Tzu’s wisdom; “When leaders neither push nor pull/willingly, the people follow.”
As you read thru, choose a verse randomly or take them in order letting the ideas simply sit with you as you go about your day. As I learned when reading Tim’s LEADING PEOPLE THE BLACK BELT WAY, any job, any where, any time can benefit.

Absorbing the thoughts put forth allow yourself to ruminate on the real-life architecture that Patrick and Tim chose to frame the verses. Leadership is yet another part of life that is not black and white but subtle shades of gray. Patrick’s photographs can lead us thru the proffered wisdom “discovering the Way in-between” and developing the sense of strength and balance that great leadership thrives on.

I love TED! there is a lot of info in this video

Just got back from vegas. Had Fun but man was it hot! 120 degrees! What a great city when it comes to bright lights busy sidewalks and what I like to call " the big sell" - they really have the marketing together- we can learn a lot from Vegas.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Tim Warneka at 440.944.4746
P. O. Box 20, Cleveland, OH 44092
Tim@asogomi.com http://www.asogomi.com



Seeing the Light

Author’s Photograph Selected for International Photography Website



Cleveland, OH, -- June 12, 2007 – When professional photographer around the world need supplies, there’s one place they go: Calumet Photographic. This week Calumet selected Patrick Warneka’s photographic work entitled “Millennium Night” for their exclusive “Photo of the Week.” “I am honored to have my work listed with the outstanding photographers that frequent Calumet,” said Warneka, a professional photographer and co-author of the newly released The Way of Leading People: Unlocking Your Integral Leadership Skills with the Tao Te Ching.

“I am excited that others can share in the beauty that I see around us in our daily lives,” said Warneka, whose clients include Colgate, University of Michigan and others. “The photo that Calumet selected was very similar to my photos in The Way of Leading People,” he said. Warneka’s new book, co-authored with his brother Timothy H. Warneka, updates an ancient Chinese leadership text for today’s global culture.

Warneka, a professional photographer who lives in Chicago, Illinois, says that his passion involves photographing urban landscapes. “There’s something very powerful about the structures around us,” he noted. “When the light is right, it’s that power I capture in my pictures.”

To view Warneka’s “Millennium Night”, visit Calumet’s website at:
http://www.calumetphoto.com/

Warneka’s website can be found at:
http://www.patrickphotography.com

More information about Warneka’s book can be found at:
http://www.wayofleadingpeople.com

END

Need an author or book cover picture? Download your complimentary photos at: http://www.asogomi.com/pressroom.html

A beautiful day!

Well I was about due for a good day! I check my email and I have U of Mich Asking about shooting an advertisement in the Chicago area. then bang! an email stating that one of my stock photos sold today. then later on, Another email looking for pricing of a Medical based shoot. Can I retire from this? No, Can I pay some bills? Yes. Remember you have to celebrate the little stuff.

Yeah Me!

More upscale news.

Along with the articles about Lexus going upscale. I was reading that GE and Mens clothing ( suits) are also going upscale to follow the growing group of millionairs and baby boomers that want to spend some money. GE is adding 50% to their advertising budget. These ovens go for $5,000+ so we are not talking about a 600-$1,000 ovens on the market. Mens suits- designers have come out with a line that is 30% higher than their highest price suits on the market. Notice how that are not raising rates by $10 or $100, doing that can lead to failure. The suits that range from $2,000-$6,000 are not hand made, they are made from a pattern then tailored to each client. Looks like alot of companies are re-adjusting to the new economic class that is out there.

Go Upscale!



That's it. I could write 1,000 words to try to convince you, but If you don't understand my first sentence, the rest will not make sense.

Pricing trends.

In the last week I have come across multiple articles about what I call trends in upscale pricing. Lexus Automobiles (Toyota- to the rest of the world) realized that the upper tier of the economy is growing. They wanted to get their cars into the hands of that growing group of millionaires. Lexus held parties with magazines like Vogue all around the country. The found that the Bentley, Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Aston Martin crowd liked their brand but did not buy it. What I gathered from the article is 1) they (Lexus) was priced too low. 2) they did not give the service that this target market expected. Lexus learned that these clients owned more than one car. Cars that complemented one another. So to sell to the Market, Lexus needed to give the level of service demanded and make sure that the model offered (which will probably cost about 2 times what a Lexus costs now.) fits in with the complete lifestyle of the client.
Microsofts X box game system. The Xbox 360 came out priced at $399.00, about 2 times the price of the original x box. Now they come out with an “elite” version. Yes, it has more gizmos but will price out at $480. Do you see a trend yet?
Recently, resort/ hotels in places like Aruba, Bahamas and Miami have started “gold clubs” or “royal club” levels of service. Separate pools, air conditioned restaurants, faster check in/out are some of the services this status will run an extra $50-$500.00 a night depending on the resort. Keep in mind this rate is above the already $480-$800.00 guests might be paying, so we are not talking about mid-market level of service to begin with here.
Hotels are responding to the unprecedented number of US millionaires and the large number of retiring baby boomers, with luxury room rates up 9% over the last year. This is the beginning of the trend towards pricing aimed at the high end market, with a lot of growth in the next few years. People will pay for quality services and products. If you are in the position where you are not making all the money you deserve from your work. It might be time to rethink your brand position in the market. The top market is growing larger every day, how much of that business do you want?

This is a good time of year to take an overview of your business. Not only what you are doing but what can be improved? look at your accounting system, the process you use to store your product. your presentation method. Are these areas in need of improvement? are you using a current method? Not that you have to have it, but what is the cutting edge methods being used out there by others? I highly recommed reading Business 2.0 and Fast Company both magazines cover up coming companies and some new methods that they are applying tosometimes, old markets. - a great resource to get your mind set ready.

A smart business person will look at the methods that they use and see if it can be improved. if it can, maybe somebody else is looking for a solution - like the one you have created. find a need and Fill it. it is not always wise to rely on one single product. dervisify your business - Can you sell a method that you created for your business that others may pay for?