Don't leave it up to lady luck

Pool & Spa News, June 18, 2004 by Erika Taylor

As I write this, the Pool & Spa News art department is starting to lay out pages for our July 7 issue--my very favorite of the year. The Masters of Design is a megasized edition of the magazine that recognizes some of the best pool builders and installers in the industry.

Our staff began collecting entries for this extravaganza in February, and Fin pleased to say there was no shortage of incredible projects from which to choose. As we pored over one amazing aquascape after the next, I found myself getting more and more psyched about this year's issue.

But one problem kept rearing its ugly head.

Many builders sent us informal snapshots of their projects, explaining that they had better pictures or, if needed, we could send photographers to the project sites. But often when the time came to move forward, huge difficulties popped up, either with the quality of the builders' photos or with the homeowners granting entry.

In the end, we were able to get beautiful pictures of almost every project, but in a few cases, obtaining those photos came down to sheer, last-minute luck. Though luck is great, in my experience it's usually not as dependable as preparedness.

In my cramped closet at home, you'll find a copy of every single issue of Pool & Spa News since i became editor. Why do I use up valuable storage space that way? Because this magazine is a substantial part of my portfolio, and I want to keep track of my own work.

Back in July 2003, we published an article on how to take photographs of your projects to use in a portfolio or awards submission. (The article itself won a journalism award!) Photography isn't as hard as you might think, especially with the current digital technology.

So next time you finish up a project, you might want to consider taking an extra 20 minutes to get some high-quality pictures. Who knows? You may discover you have a hidden talent for photography.