Sunday, December 27, 2009

$5 SMUGMUG DISCOUNT CODE

$5 off 1st year SMUGMUG PHOTO WEBSITE with this discount code: mQ3IQYcfdGPyJ

Monday, December 7, 2009

ABSOLUTELY NON PHOTO SUBJECT - VEHICLE WAS KEYED IN PARKING GARAGE

I went to Gander Mountain to look at the offerings of new winter gloves.....haven't purchased any in over 5 yrs.....time for new ones.....after finishing at GM I return to my Isuzu Trooper to find the drivers door KEYED.......Well for what ever reason I had a bad feeling about the full sized black dodge 4x4 that was parked next to me.....and across the white line on my side of the parking space....so I wrote down the lic plate number: SEDGWICK COUNTY KANSAS TAG SFJ 988 FULL SIZED BLACK DODGE 4X4.......
So I call the police to report a crime.......and got a case number.....well you can guess what I was told................

Asked the B**** that was supposed to be taking my info to speak to her supervisor and she f****** hung up on me and I had already been on hold for over 40 minutes............

Monday, November 23, 2009

NIKON's SB900 AS WIRELESS REMOTE - GOTTA LOVE IT

Been Playing trying to get use to a sophisticated flash...the SB900 as a wireless remote flash......on flash bracket, camera rotator type....Stroboframe R4B.......gotta love not needing a cable wrapped around the upright or getting into the way of the viewfinder......I have had so many cam mfg'er cables and 3rd party back up cables just quit no warning just quit......

I tried to use the SB900 as a wireless remote when I first got it, I could not get it work on a flash bracket and just recently redid my settings and have no idea what changes I actually made that made this start working but I am so glad to see that no matter the orientation, landscape or portrait, that the flash sees, feels, hears or what ever it does for communication but it works........even outdoors pointed into direct sunlight it still works like a charm........OH boy no more cables.......

THE HOUSE CLEANING SALE IS STILL HAPPENING ON EBAY.......................

Sunday, November 15, 2009

House Cleaning SAle - Gently Used Pro Equipment

Vlearing out a bunch of my equipment I no longer have a need for, this includes Sigma lens, Konica Minolta flash units for Konica Minolta or Sony cameras, 2 Professional wedding out fits including Konica Minolta 7D with Sigma 24-70 EX DG Macro f2.8 ...... Konica Minolta 7D with Sigma 70-210 APO f2.8 and extra batteries......Links below.............

Sigma 28-200 compact zoom lens

Adorama 4 way Macro focusing rail

Konica Minolta Program 2500 (D) flash

Konica Minolta Maxxum Program 5600 HS D FLASH

Konica Minolta 7D / W Sigma 24-70 f2.8 + EXTRAS

Konica Minolta Remote Shutter Release Cable RC1000-L

Spread the word......help me get this gently used equipment SOLD!!!!

Friday, November 13, 2009

ADDONICS SATA CF CARD READER / WRITER

Well I received my ADDONICS CF CARD READER / WRITER ADAPTER.....very well built and easy install......came with everything to install in the pci slots or in the front panel in a 3.5 drive bay.
The unit it self is well built and the CF slot has metal guide slots for the card to slide in.....comes with a push button ejector .
I could not get my computer to recognize it......I tried everything I could think of and also what the mother board company suggested for me to do and also what the tech from ADDONICS suggested I do......unfortunately it has to go back since I just do not have the patience to keep working with it.....as that keeps me from shooting pix.....

Working with ADDONICS was a pleasure as no one got snooty or just left me hanging waiting for an answer to my inquiry(s).........

I'll wait until I get another computer and probably will try the reader again, maybe a different MOBO might work better but this box is less than a year old so not ready to replace it yet............

Saturday, October 31, 2009

I HATE DECEIVERS AND CRIMINALS.....A very long post....

Those damn internet scammers.....I hate them with a passion.....about a month ago I was contacted by a gentleman that said he lived in the KC area, and while traveling (for business) he was trying to put together a surprise for his wife of 5 yrs.....a wedding recepting party for their 5th anniversary......Kool....I told him that I could recommend some really good photogs in the KC area and that I live In Wichita.
He fully realized that I lived in Wichita and all that and that it might cost him more to have me travel to KC but that was fine and he asked for a quote and gave me the date and hotel that the party was to be at.....He said that all the hotel reservations for booking the party hall was already done.
I did a map quest and google maps to compare the distance from my house to the even address in KC and took a quick look into booking a room at the same hotel for convenience.....got prices made a quote. All is good. He had more questions......and I GLADLY answered and he made reference to my website and the photos that had been published in the book "WICHITA VISIONS" and how he liked the photos.....How he liked what he saw in general on my Website and FlikR.......so I knew he was checking out my work........Then he made a mistake he sent me an email that did not have his name on it......it was some other guys name and the ending domain extension was no longer a hotmail.com the dot com had changed to a foreign country.......so I immediately called the hotel in KC and no hall booking for that day was on their books nor with any reservation center across the country.....so I played along and told him that I would payment in one of 2 forms....either by CASHIERS CHECK or wired by WESTERN UNION....no personal or business checks or money orders would be accepted and I put a deadline on it...........explaining I had done business this way for over 30 yrs........He wrote back saying his financial officer would be sending the money............
So I made one more demand.....real real name and I explained to him what made me leery of his requests and that the hotel in downtown KC had no bookings for that date for a wedding anniversary party.............I have never heard back from him......

I cannot believe that these criminals think all people that offer services on the web are so damn guilable......did this scammer not realize that any photog would check wit the Hotel for guidelines and floor plans and such that we need to know so we can set up and be ready for our work in advance......did he truly think I would drive almost 4 hours on the day of the shoot and jump out of my car with a camera and flash and just shoot away.....HOLY MOLY......not quite............

Also check IP addresses of all business related emails.......

Right after the above job went belly up...I get another offer for a wedding in California......ok great, I have shot in San Fran., Sacramento, Hollywood, and Santa Monica....not like it is my first time to be hired to travel for a photography shoot......and she was asking all the right questions wanting a detailed list for the quote....what type of equipment I used....actually stated she did not want a photog with an entry level camera....I explained that it was not the camera so much as it was the person behind it......I tried to get her to let me refer her to a few local California photos...... but no she was very satisfied with what she lad learned from talking to me and wanted me to make a quote.....so I did.....a week went by and then 2 and then a surprise an email that I would receive my fee on the following Tuesday......so I promptly replied to her....do not forget that money must be in the form of a CASHIERS CHECK or WESTERN UNION money transfer...no personal or business checks or money orders would be accepted..........Well on Thursday I received a overnight envelope with a return addy of KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SR405 ORLANDO FL 32899......NO NAME.....AND A CHECK FOR MORE THAN THE QUOTED AMOUNT.......$4k MORE THAN THE QUOTED PRICE....Methinks I smell a scam.....so off to the bank and tell the teller, whom I know from the years of banking there, of my suspicions ..... well they can't just scan the routing number to see if it is any good and then she has me take a seat while she does something else.....something else.....she smiles and disappears.....about 15 minutes later she comes back to inform me that this is a SCAM.....the account had been closed for a very long time.....so I came home and told the SCAMMER that the bank would have to hold the check for almost a month and as I had previously stated the funds had to be in the form of a CASHIERS CHECK OR WESTERN UNION money transfer.......I get a reply...go ahead and deposit the wedding has been postponed to later date and I was given a date.......How stupid do these people think other legitimate business people are.........I cannot believe this.....then she asked me to forward the overpayment to the caterer but did not give me a name or address for the caterer.....but being the nice guy I am I asked her for this info.....waiting for next email......

OH I have damn near unlimited email space and I do not throw away email pertaining to my business and I almost never discuss details by phone...only by email....that way we all have proof of what transpired during discussions..........
turned out this scammer all of a sudden had an IP address that I could check (all previous ones would not check at all thru what is my IP dot com) and it was a NIGERIAN IP for a yahoo.it (yahoo Italy) account.....Hmmmmmmmm

Another fatal mistake was she had been referencing Santa Monica Ca and then all of a sudden it was in Santos Montana CA.................

Have to hold all evidence just in Case the FBI should want to make a case...in other words they are not interested in to looking into how someone got the checks from a closed account or whoi actually sent it to me from........not Orlando Florida but Indianapolis IN.......yup it actually originated in Indianapolis........

Friday, October 23, 2009

GARY FONG STYLE DIFFUSERS

I really do not know how the Gary Fong style of diffusers have gotten so popular.....they really are:

1- very ugly...looks like a tupperware bowl attached to your flash

2- is heavy and will cause stress on the flash head over time

3- are made flash model specific....so if you have say an arsenal of flashes...lets say Nikon SB600, 800 and 900 and a Vivatar 285HV.....then it would take 4 gary fong styled diffusers to be able to have one to use on each flash......With a LumiQuest Soft box or a Bounce diffuser....one will fit all the flashes due to the way the difuser attaches to the flash head......by a velcro strap....and zI have never had one come loose in the many decades of using the original LumiQuest Softbox.

4-take up lot of room in a cam bag.....a least all of the LumiQuest line folds flat and take up vey little room, I actually slide mine between the padded cam bag wall and the outer shell.....so I do not loose any actual cam bag real Estate..............


I like the LumiQuest brand as they are well made and not really expensive.....a lot of people swear by the DO IT YOURSELF diffusers but I do not want a client questioning my abilities because they recognize a piece of equiptment as HOMEMADE.........just my 'umble opinon.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

NEW LOGO FOR INTERNET


I just finished a new logo for internet use.

Here it is:














Let me have your comments......................

Friday, September 25, 2009

October and IMAGES FOR A CURE 2009

The month of OCTOBER will be dedicated to helping find a cure for Breast Cancer.

On Sunday October 11, I will be shooting Classic Standard Portrait Sitting and DONATING all the SESSION FEES TO IMAGES FOR A CURE ....... I will be taking appointments for times from 9am to 7pm.
Included in this package is a session consisting of: sitting of upto 30 minutes 1 clothing change, upto 10-15 proofs on a free private gallery to view and order photos from.
Galleries will be up and photo proofs uploaded by Oct 25 for all Oct 11 Sittings, all other Oct sittings will be loaded shortly there after.

Each client will be notified by email when Gallery is set up, Portraits loaded and user name and pass word are set.

Great way to get senior, family, business and headshot portraits done while SUPPORTING a fantastic cause.


IMPORTANT NOTICE:
For those that cannot get an apointment on Sunday I will be lowering my Session Fees by 50% for the month of OCTOBER and will be donating $25 of the sitting fee and 25% of the portrait orders to Images for a Cure until OCT 31.




HERE IS A LINK TO THE IMAGES for a CURE DONATION PAGE
(CUT AND PASTE INTO YOUR BROWSER ADDRESS WINDOW)
http://www.imagesforacure.com/schedule-a-session

By making your donation at the above link I do not have to handle any money and see it gets into the proper hands....all I need to do is make your beautiful portraits.


Instructions from the DONATION PAGE.
{{{ [quote=images for a cure]

Step One:

Contact the photographer you’d like to schedule a session with. Once your appointment is confirmed, come on back to this link and continue on to step 2.

Step Two:

Use this handy little widget below to make your donation of the session fee (set by your photographer) directly to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation!

http://www.imagesforacure.com/schedule-a-session
(cut and paste the above address into your browser address window)
Scroll down to find the widget.............at the images for a Cure website

Step Three:

Forward your donation confirmation to your photographer and they’ll confirm your appointment time! Easy as pie![/quote] }}}


Besure to follow the instructions ESPECIALLY STEP #3......It is vitally important I get the confirmation email so I can guarantee your appointment time.

My contact info for this event is:

PREFERED CONTACT METHOD

EMAIL(cut and paste into your email address line) :

Images-for-a-Cure@ArtScottFotografie.com


Alternate contact method.

Cell Phone: 316-250-8761

Saturday, September 19, 2009

WATERMARKS, COPYRIGHTS AND SIGNATURES

Watermarks, copyrights and signatures are all ways for an artist to TRY and safe guard his work from internet theives......for what little it actually does......it does slow them down a bit especially if you toss in the right clik prohibitor (for what little good that does)........however I have been catching all kinds of hell of the use of watermarks on some forums I constantly frequent.



























TIME

These same forums do not any......yes I sad any type of security for the posters and tha is ok, I do not mind but I will take the time to try and prohibit the easy access to my images that I worked my ass of to produce.......these same bitchers, keep asking.....can you post large images......wholly snotball cheese brain......why the hell would I post larger images with no security for my work...Lets get real........I have been praised by several publsihers for the watermarking of my website galleries and now some snotballed cheese brain asks me to take away my security and openly post larger images so they can ge stolen and easily used with having to go in Photoshop and do a shit load of cloning that due to the type and size of the watermarks, copyright notice and my signature is going to take several hours of work.............I DON'T FREAKIN THINK SO!!!!
I am sure these are actually well meaning forum participants that do not realize that they are virtually asking you to just openly give away my images to any Dickless tom or harry that is looking for free art.......and I cannot do that............
Rant done for n0w.......................................................................................i think.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

WICHITA VISIONS......the Book......

I was 1 of 7 featured photographers for this book. I was given 2 weeks to produced a library of 300 images......and was given the ok to submit ~30 off my website. so that gave me a total of 270 to produce in 2 weeks.........loads of fun and STRESS......but well worth the experience.

Here is the photos that were used in the book "WICHITA VISIONS".
I am posting the original versions, as the Art Director and Art Editor cropped the hell out of some of the photo, which is fine but I have not taken the time to try and match the crops .................yet.
So For those of you that had probably forgotten about this thread.......without furhter adeau......my photos published in "WICHITA VISIONS"..........................

The Book...Front Cover



2-Jim Dandy of Black Oak Arkansas
3-The ANCHOR BAR Neon Sign

4- WILD TURKEYS


The rest of the photos that were published
can be seen HERE

The book can be purchased from me by contacting me at INFO@ArtScottFotografie.com , with your paypal name and I will invoice you for $55.95 + $15.00 for s/h ...... all Kansas residents will be billed Ks state sales tax.


Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Built in Light meter......not in the cam but inside of me

I just noticed a funny....no not funny but very cool thing about my shooting.....since getting the Nikon D300's and a Sigma Bigma (50-500mm) lens and the persistent shooting of wildlife in Manual mode.......that is totally manual man..............I have been able to damn near just look at where a deer or duck or egret is setting and go let me see I am always at either f11 or f8 and the shutter needs to be........at 1/125 and I am normally with in less than 1/2 of a stop off.....pic will either be a touch under or over exposed but still very usable.......not is the time to widen that and get away from the city lakes to open fields and see if I can get my internal lightmeter working on top of all situations I get into outdoors........................
This was my own explanation to myself of how i was able all those years ago, when shooting concerts I was able to walk in and take a look at the lighting as the lighting engineers were running tests on the different combos and i was able to pick a shutter speed and an aperture and get an over 80% good keeper shots...........

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

EMPTY POST...............WOW just found it................how could that happen????????????????
Strange to find an empty post box so these 4 lines were posted cause I could figue out how to delete.....................

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Newest Wichita Visions Update...................

I have been waiting on info about my pics used in a book called Wichita
Visions.....so here is last info received to day.......DRUM ROLL
PLEASE...................................................................................

4 each at 1/4 page
12 each at 1/2 page
5 each at 1 page ...........................AND..........................
3 each at 2 pages...............for a grand total of ...........................

24 images used total......

OKAY...back here on earth....I did not win the lottery and this is not my very
1st time being published.....but for me the excitement does not get any
lesser......it might if I was shooting and for a publisher that want to publish
10 books a year..but that would be just a job...just like
machining.........still do not know which pix they used.......but that is a ok
hopefully book will be in my hands by next week so i can make on line gallery to
sell prints from........and see if I can convince a a brick and motar gallery to show MY Visions of Wichita....................................................

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Wichita Visions Update

Received and email from the CityScapes Art Director tonight informing me that my copy of Wichita Visions should arrive by the end of next week.

Oh yeah...finally........can't wait to see which pix of mine were used!!!!!

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

A hair cutting Academy{The Eric Fisher Academy} here in town has just given me approval to come and shoot a runway show this Friday.......I have not had a chance to shoot any thing runway for over 15 yrs and 911 did not help either!! Now I have one camera off being repaired so no good back up.....I be just a little nervous about this.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Wichita Visions

Received an email today from Thad Pickett (the Art Director for City Scapes books ) asking for a bio on me, myself.......damn what to write.......ok this means that at least one of photos are, is.....oh what the hell.....sounds like I am being published....or he would not have asked for the bio.......sound like a kid don't I ...... I damn near feel like one.......but I remembered yesterday that this is not my first time for being published in a book......I was published before on a cookbook......more on that later......ok.....now I gotta write a damn bio...........

I'll edit this later..............save for now as is.................