What is the purpose of life?

Spirituality and philosophy have been trying to answer this question for centuries, so I don’t pretend to have a quick answer. I certainly don’t know what comes after life or why humans were made to exist.

But having worked as a psychiatrist for the past decade, I can tell you this: the one thing that gives meaning to life, in the here and now, is connection. Especially the connections you create with your immediate family.

Although we often hear about how one should behave to create closeness with loved ones, the field of psychology hasn’t done a good job of teaching families how their home environment can also make or break family bonds.

Why is this important? Because, our environments prime our moods.

You see, our brains tend to pick up things in the environment and incorporate them into emotions almost unconsciously. For example, studies have shown that when people are in a room where, among many things, there is a computer with an image of money as a screen saver, we tend to become more self centered and less likely to help someone out. This is even when we have no conscious recollection of a monitor in the room!

In another example, a British University cafeteria kept an honesty box next to the coffee machine. The idea was that anyone who took a cup of coffee would be trusted to pay for it. A study then found that if a small image of a pair of eyes “watching” was placed above the coffee machine, more people tend to pay up!

If the power of an unconscious visual cue is so great on our self image and behavior, imagine how powerful real images, such as family photographs, could be?

Dr. David Krauss, PhD has spent his life researching the ways photographs influence self image and family dynamics. Here are some of the ways:

I Matter: He says when parents choose to display pictures of their kids at home; it sends a powerful message to the children that they matter. They sense that their existence is important to their parents. After all, wall space is limited, and what you choose to give it up for says a lot about your priorities right?

I am growing: Photos often create a visual narrative of time. Children will enjoy seeing themselves growing up across the wall! This reinforces a healthy self image. I once had a nine year old patient tell me “When I look at all my photos at home, I know that even the worst thing will soon be okay and I’ll still make it and keep growing.”

I am loved: There are times in every family when the daily rush of life takes over and days go by with no time to express your love. But as we saw with the priming example, photos can be unconscious reminders, reassuring us even when words and actions are temporarily absent. In fact, a study by Open University found that people felt 11% happier just by looking at a photo of a loved one (TV, alcohol and even music didn’t have such a big impact!). And who wouldn’t like to feel 11% happier in an instant? I know I would!

I belong: Whenever I go back home to India, my siblings and I spend a lazy afternoon with my grandmother, looking through photos of the past fifty years, all the way from my great grandparents to today. It’s amazing the stories that come out of these sessions. And amidst the talking and laughter, I recreate my cultural roots and relearn family traditions. Knowing where you came from is very powerful. As much as possible, cherish your time this way with your older relatives and pass this gift on to your kids.

I can: There is a negative voice in everyone’s head that often makes us doubt if we are capable enough for something. Whether it’s to try out for the school drama or to work up the nerve to ask for a promotion, we all need reminders that can prime our brains to recall potential. Photos can be a rich medium for this.

Imagine having a picture of you climbing a mountain, graduating from college, proposing to your partner or your kid hitting a difficult shot; anything that truly took guts and skill. What a powerful reminder of potential that would be right?

So, these are all the ways in which real photos influence who we are.

But what about digital photographs?

With the ease of modern smart phones, we are all taking more photos than ever. Which is wonderful. But sadly, most of them are quickly forgotten in a computer drive or in your camera’s memory card.

Photos that don’t get looked at or talked about are almost useless. They lose their whole purpose.

Today, I invite you to take a look around your home. Does it make you feel happy, loved and connected? I look forward to hearing your thoughts below.

Kavetha is a psychiatrist who is passionate about all things brain/psychology related.

Jason Aten is a photographer and the author of Starting Out Right: Building a Profitable and Sustainable Photography Business. In addition, he is the CEO of NinetyNine Beans, which provides Full-Service Accounting for Photographers. You can read more posts like this on his blog: www.startingoutright.net

Some of the most common questions asked by photographers are: how much should I charge? How do I set up packages? Should I do packages or a la Carte pricing? These are all great questions. They are important questions. Often, though, the problem is that this is the first question a photographer is asking – before they ask some other, very important questions.

The first question I encourage people to ask themselves is this: how much does it cost you to be in business? I know it's not necessarily as sexy a question – and it's a hard one to answer – but it's impossible to really start figuring out things like pricing and packages, without a good grasp on the answer.

Do you know how much it costs you to be in business? Do you have a system in place to track your expenses? Surprisingly, even though they are running a small business, many photographers don't have a good system in place. In my business, I TRACK EVERYTHING. I want to know where my money is coming from, how I spend it, and whether or not it helps – or hinders – the business.

Start by tracking your expenses. Start with the expenses you have, whether you photograph anything or not. These Fixed Expenses include things like Administrative Expenses (insurance, supplies, training and education, etc), Capital Expenses (new gear, large purchases that you depreciate, real estate, etc), Advertising Expenses (website, business cards, marketing materials, bridal shows, etc), Overhead Expenses (utilities and expenses related to a physical space like electricity, gas, etc), and Employee Expenses (wages and benefits for all non-sales related employees).

Next, track all of the expenses that go into the products and services you offer. In addition to what the lab charges you for an 8×10, this includes all of the expenses that go into SELLING and PRODUCING a product. These are your Cost of Sales Expenses, and include things like the wholesale cost from your lab, design charges, editing and processing expenses, shipping, sales related labor, retouching and travel.

Understanding these two types of expenses will give you a good idea of what it will cost you to be in business – which gives you a good idea of where to start when thinking about pricing for a profit. It seems like a lot of work, and it is, but its worth it.

Second, develop a system to help you keep track of revenue and expenses on an ongoing basis. Even if it's just a simple spreadsheet – that's better than nothing. There are some great tools available, including Quickbooks (and their online version). My personal favorite is Kashoo, which makes it super easy to input transactions, track expenses and generate really useful reports you can use to make decisions about your business. Many of the photographer-specific Customer Relationship Management tools (like ShootQ and others) have features that make it easy to keep track of your revenue and expenses.

Whatever system you choose, using it will only be as useful as the effort you put in. Make a commitment to understanding the financial health of your business by getting a grip on your numbers. Understanding what it takes to be profitable and sustainable means that you can make decisions that help your business grow – and add value to your life.

By the way, once you're using a system to track your expenses, it becomes easier to measure your performance. The Professional Photographers of America publishes benchmarks to help you measure the financial health of your business. Those benchmarks are designed to help every photographer take home 35% of their gross revenue as owners compensation and profit, and can help you evaluate where you may need to make changes in your expenses.

Finally, it's worth it to hire a good accountant that understands your needs. Someone who knows small businesses and can help you set up a plan – and stick to it. Accountants aren't just for saving money at tax time! A good accountant can make you money all year long by helping you know exactly where you stand. Having an accountant can mean having a trusted financial advisor on your team, helping you make the right financial decisions for your business.

Want to know more? We're hosting a free webinar this Wednesday designed to help photographers “GET A GRIP ON THE NUMBERS: Bookkeeping Basics for Photographers.” Simply visit www.ninetyninebeans.com/webinars to sign up for FREE.

When Jens Lennartsson, a Swedish travel and commercial photographer turned 30, he struck upon an idea to create a movement around the world that would empower children in some of the poorest countries in the world to tell their own stories.

Visually.

Jens is joined by Sara Hansson, also from Sweden, in this new global photography project called: Eye Am.

“By doing two week photo workshops, we teach kids in developing countries how to photograph, giving them the opportunity to show their life from their perspective, instead of just letting media tell their sometimes flat and generalizing story. And together with you, we create a more realistic view of the world.”

Jens and Sara sat down with me yesterday to talk about their project. Please check out this video below:

Lennartsson and Hansson are seeking to raise $33,000 in the next 12 days for this project. They want to be able to buy 20 cameras (and accessories like memory cards) and also computers that these young photographers can use in the field to process their images. These devices will be used in all three locations – 1) Renl, Ukraine, 2) Addis, Ethiopia and 3) Nairobi, Kenya

So, here's why this project appealed to me and I am helping Jens and Sara spread the word.

First off, I am from India and from what I have seen in the nearly 45 years of my existence, the images of India seen by those in the US are largely by non-Indians. While it's true they brings their unique perspectives and skill sets to capture images of either daily life or strife, there is nothing like reading, hearing or seeing the story unfold from the perspective of a local inhabitant. There are nuances that outsiders may simply miss that highlights the actual situation on the ground.

After years of being offered only a one-sided view of a situation, isn't it time we saw the world from a different, and thus, enriched perspective? By asking children to take part, we can be hopeful that their sense of spontaneity and living in the moment will garner us a fresh look into their lives and perhaps more importantly give those children a way to boost their confidence and appreciate themselves.

Whether it is the Ukraine, Ethiopia or Kenya, these kids are going to have an incredible ride into discovering who they are, for themselves. This project appeals to me because I am a father of two young boys who, given the opportunity, love to express themselves in sports, music and the visual arts. As a photographer, this is a no-brainer: we need to foster visual literacy among our young so that they in turn can continue to the tradition of recording and interpreting the world around them.

Learn more about this project and to support it, check out Eye Am's IndieGoGo's campaign page. I ask that you take a moment now to go to that page and give what you can.