It's been over a year since I posted anything at all here. This Rewkachu Green idea has never been forgotten, it has always been in the back of my mind. I have been extremely busy with my main business Rewkachu for the last fourteen or so months, which has led to me having to put the conservation design and photography on the back burner.
My whole initial idea (which still stands) is that I would work on conservation in the free time that my work often allows me. Fortunately for me, I really haven't had the usual free time of late but that seems to be changing again - at least for the short term. It's allowed me to focus on strengthening my core business, which in turn should allow me to actually and finally do some conservation stuff.
I'm starting to work in the medium of film a lot more, so maybe this is another angle I can use.
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Thursday, 28 October 2010
#5 Up and running!
The website is now up and running, and I'm very pleased with it. My web developer done a grand job with my design.
Rewkachu Green
Check out the link and see what you think.
I'm now all set to begin approaching the non-profit organisations I've previously mentioned. I haven't heard back from two of them, so I will chase them up. Hopefully they will see that my offer is indeed a serious one - now that the website is live.
Rewkachu Green
Check out the link and see what you think.
I'm now all set to begin approaching the non-profit organisations I've previously mentioned. I haven't heard back from two of them, so I will chase them up. Hopefully they will see that my offer is indeed a serious one - now that the website is live.
Thursday, 7 October 2010
#4 Almost ready to "go live"
Well it seems that I am on a role with setting this whole thing up. I'm really enthusiastic to get it all the website stuff sorted and online before I approach the Woodland Trust. I truly think I will be taken seriously with it up and running. Apparently they get a lot of applications for the VPS (Volunteer Photographer Scheme). I think I probably have more to offer than the average applicant so I'm hopeful at being taken in to help.
As I was saying, it seems as though I'm on a role. I have just spent a few hours writing and re-writing the blurbs for the website. They are now in the hands of my web developer. The last thing I need to do now, is sort through my library and pick out my relevant work for the gallery section. My library is vast, but I am rather short of relevant work at this stage. I'm unsure if this means it will take me for ever to pick the work, or if it will be a breeze?
As I was saying, it seems as though I'm on a role. I have just spent a few hours writing and re-writing the blurbs for the website. They are now in the hands of my web developer. The last thing I need to do now, is sort through my library and pick out my relevant work for the gallery section. My library is vast, but I am rather short of relevant work at this stage. I'm unsure if this means it will take me for ever to pick the work, or if it will be a breeze?
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
#3 Settled on a look
Tonight was spent with my web developing friend, chewing over some ideas for the website. I showed him my initial visuals in Photoshop and we discussed the pros and cons of my design. Over the course of a fun five hours deliberation and tweaking I finally settled on a design. I've very happy with it, and equally excited to get it built and live. Over the next couple of days - afer some reasearch - I'll write all the text.
I've just updated the header of this blog to fit the same theme as the up coming website launch.
I've just updated the header of this blog to fit the same theme as the up coming website launch.
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
#2 First contact
I think the best way for me to gain experience in the conservation world is to start small and local. So that's what I've done. There are lots of great non-profit organisations in the UK, and there are quite a few around my neck of woods.
A couple of days ago I sent an email to two organisations: The Surrey Wildlife Trust, a well known (probably the largest) organisation in my county that are "concerned solely with the conservation of all forms of wildlife in Surrey"; and The Mammal Society, an organisation that specializes in identifying mammal species under threat and acting before they become endangered. I would love to show support in the form of photography and/or design for these two. I will wait another couple of weeks, and if I haven't heard back from them I will contact again by phone. I think there could be a chance that I didn't make it clear that I was offering time "pro-bono". I'll make sure to rectify that.
I am also holding back from contacting The Woodland Trust. This is a larger, country-wide organisation that specializes in saving and looking after trees. Perfect, excuse the pun but trees are the root of conservation in my view - without trees where would we be? They have an application form on their website which I have filled out and printed, and they are asking for a selection of work to be sent along too. They seem to be in shortage of people to take photographs of conservation teams (no shortage of keen nature photographers of course). This is good news for both parties however, because I have plenty of experience in documentary photography. I think I really could help here, they also have a shortage of professional photographers.
The reason I'm waiting before I contact the Woodland Trust is that I am currently designing a Rewkachu Green website, and I feel that I stand a much better chance of getting on their VPS (Volunteer Photography Scheme) with it completed and ready to show.
The Rewkachu Green website should be up and running with a month or two!
A couple of days ago I sent an email to two organisations: The Surrey Wildlife Trust, a well known (probably the largest) organisation in my county that are "concerned solely with the conservation of all forms of wildlife in Surrey"; and The Mammal Society, an organisation that specializes in identifying mammal species under threat and acting before they become endangered. I would love to show support in the form of photography and/or design for these two. I will wait another couple of weeks, and if I haven't heard back from them I will contact again by phone. I think there could be a chance that I didn't make it clear that I was offering time "pro-bono". I'll make sure to rectify that.
I am also holding back from contacting The Woodland Trust. This is a larger, country-wide organisation that specializes in saving and looking after trees. Perfect, excuse the pun but trees are the root of conservation in my view - without trees where would we be? They have an application form on their website which I have filled out and printed, and they are asking for a selection of work to be sent along too. They seem to be in shortage of people to take photographs of conservation teams (no shortage of keen nature photographers of course). This is good news for both parties however, because I have plenty of experience in documentary photography. I think I really could help here, they also have a shortage of professional photographers.
The reason I'm waiting before I contact the Woodland Trust is that I am currently designing a Rewkachu Green website, and I feel that I stand a much better chance of getting on their VPS (Volunteer Photography Scheme) with it completed and ready to show.
The Rewkachu Green website should be up and running with a month or two!
Monday, 4 October 2010
#1 Let battle commence!
My first blog pertaining to my new venture - Rewkachu Green. It's exciting, it's something I've wanted to do for a long time, probably two decades. Two decades is a rediculously long time to think about an idea and not get stuck in, but here it is in fruition and I'm glad.
Back in my early teens I dreamed of changing the world somehow, the earth is a beautiful place and so much of it was being destroyed at an alarming rate. I felt helpless yet passionate to try and make a difference. For years I would tell my family and friends of the planets plight and how fixing it is very simple on paper. It would just need everyone to understand and do a tiny bit of readapting their life to become more green. This was back when the green issue was a joke and in it's early stages. It wasn't yet of social importance, it was never news worthy and it was highly mocked by most of the worlds population. Yes, these days it's very different as there has been a social awakening, global conciousness has been raised and it's now at the forefront on many news topics. So back in my early teens I felt I was completely out-gunned, and as I got myself into large student debts I found myself losing the will to fight about it. I left university and needed income, so I started working in various jobs just to try and stop the debts growing. The debts continued to grow however, and I found myself caught up in meaningless jobs again and again. I continued to talk to co-workers about the green issue and tried talking to managers about how they could make the workplace more environmentally friendly, but I was simply told that it's not efficient for the business etc. After ten or so years I made a concious decision, the amount of flippant remarks and lack of compassion from most of the people around me was making me unhappy - so I decided to just keep it to myself. I believed that I couldn't make a difference and life was passing me by. So I fell into the rat race to pay off debts and gave up on my planet saving mission. My personal ethics and green practices remained, I had just given up trying to convert people.
It's now 2010, I'm older, wiser, slightly worse looking and most importantly to me - free of debt. Over the last seven years I've owned my own company, Rewkachu a photography and design business. I feel I've learned my trade pretty well, and have a photography education of six years prior to the dead end jobs I fell into when I left university. I have a client base that I'm proud of, and I'm doing pretty well. It's now time for me to launch my endeavour - Rewkachu Green.
The idea is simple, I give spare time to non-profit organisations who are working to better our planet. Obviously the time I give will be based on my skill set, photography and design. I've purposefully called the business a relative name to my original business because it makes sense. I see two major benefits to doing so as I do more green/charity work:
1) I will prove my personal ethics to a larger audience of non-profit organisations, and therefore hopefully be able to help out on larger projects to do more good for the planet.
2) My business portfolio will reflect this and I become a more attractive company to do business with. In a way, Rewkachu Green will pay for itself.
This is all new to me, I'm unsure if I need to get the idea registered as a non-profit company or not. I'm not sure how this works, I guess I need to do some reading!
I have a few people to thank in inspiring me to go ahead with this. I recently volunteered at Telluride Photography Festival 2010, and I met alot of very like minded people. I was lucky enough to get my portfolio reviewed by Cristina Mittermeier who is the president of the iLCP - The International League of Conservation Photographers. She praised me and was extremely inspiring to talk with. She also critiqued my work honestly and I have come away with some very handy advice. The second person I need to thank is Emily Loose, who is the director of communications at The Wild Foundation. She gave me some valuable tips on how to help out in a non-profit world. Rewkachu Green was born from my inner longing to make a difference, and inspired by these two commendable women.
Let battle commence!
Back in my early teens I dreamed of changing the world somehow, the earth is a beautiful place and so much of it was being destroyed at an alarming rate. I felt helpless yet passionate to try and make a difference. For years I would tell my family and friends of the planets plight and how fixing it is very simple on paper. It would just need everyone to understand and do a tiny bit of readapting their life to become more green. This was back when the green issue was a joke and in it's early stages. It wasn't yet of social importance, it was never news worthy and it was highly mocked by most of the worlds population. Yes, these days it's very different as there has been a social awakening, global conciousness has been raised and it's now at the forefront on many news topics. So back in my early teens I felt I was completely out-gunned, and as I got myself into large student debts I found myself losing the will to fight about it. I left university and needed income, so I started working in various jobs just to try and stop the debts growing. The debts continued to grow however, and I found myself caught up in meaningless jobs again and again. I continued to talk to co-workers about the green issue and tried talking to managers about how they could make the workplace more environmentally friendly, but I was simply told that it's not efficient for the business etc. After ten or so years I made a concious decision, the amount of flippant remarks and lack of compassion from most of the people around me was making me unhappy - so I decided to just keep it to myself. I believed that I couldn't make a difference and life was passing me by. So I fell into the rat race to pay off debts and gave up on my planet saving mission. My personal ethics and green practices remained, I had just given up trying to convert people.
It's now 2010, I'm older, wiser, slightly worse looking and most importantly to me - free of debt. Over the last seven years I've owned my own company, Rewkachu a photography and design business. I feel I've learned my trade pretty well, and have a photography education of six years prior to the dead end jobs I fell into when I left university. I have a client base that I'm proud of, and I'm doing pretty well. It's now time for me to launch my endeavour - Rewkachu Green.
The idea is simple, I give spare time to non-profit organisations who are working to better our planet. Obviously the time I give will be based on my skill set, photography and design. I've purposefully called the business a relative name to my original business because it makes sense. I see two major benefits to doing so as I do more green/charity work:
1) I will prove my personal ethics to a larger audience of non-profit organisations, and therefore hopefully be able to help out on larger projects to do more good for the planet.
2) My business portfolio will reflect this and I become a more attractive company to do business with. In a way, Rewkachu Green will pay for itself.
This is all new to me, I'm unsure if I need to get the idea registered as a non-profit company or not. I'm not sure how this works, I guess I need to do some reading!
I have a few people to thank in inspiring me to go ahead with this. I recently volunteered at Telluride Photography Festival 2010, and I met alot of very like minded people. I was lucky enough to get my portfolio reviewed by Cristina Mittermeier who is the president of the iLCP - The International League of Conservation Photographers. She praised me and was extremely inspiring to talk with. She also critiqued my work honestly and I have come away with some very handy advice. The second person I need to thank is Emily Loose, who is the director of communications at The Wild Foundation. She gave me some valuable tips on how to help out in a non-profit world. Rewkachu Green was born from my inner longing to make a difference, and inspired by these two commendable women.
Let battle commence!
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