2010ccoming to a close......2011 just begining.................

Hope to bring better information to you this next year....I will be back telling of my forays into HDR and other adventures as I can....so with that....

Have a very HAPPY and SAFE NEW YEARS.......

PayPal....why I love them......

I buy and sell on line....a lot.....I have for many years, well over 10.
I got started when I heard of something called Ebay......but then there was no PayPal,
and I had to pay by debit card......well some how my bank acct was hacked and I lost all my money for nearly 2 weeks, I had overdrafts out the ying yang....but the bank came thru and wrote off the overdrafts and finally after almost 2 weeks I got my money back...........Then I was at the post office and ran into a guy I hadn't seen in a few years and he had started his own online business and he was telling me of this great payment company called PayPal.......He had went from being nearly destitute to racking in over 2 grand every couple of days. So I checked into it and read their terms and it all seemed ok except that if they thought you were doing anything illegal they would close your account and take your money....that did not hardly seem right............Right now your wondering why I love them .....well....read on......

I heard a few weeks later that this acquaintance had lost over 10k to PayPal because they thought he was selling drugs over the internet...it seemed logical to PayPal because he started out making less than $100/month 3 months ago and now he was doing 10K every few days.....so they seized his account........

After a long drawn out battle he got his money back and his attorney fees paid and he actually profited since all went his way.......there was absolutely nothing in the news about this but I got to see the documents as we hung out at the same club and he was proud of his victory.....

So I joined PayPal and used it for buying online as it kept my debit card info hidden from the companies I was buying from....then I got sold some real junk and luckily I had made a screen shot of the auction and sent it to paypal and ebay because the seller was refusing a refund on an improperly described item....(counterfeit memory cards)......took all of 3 days to get money back.....

Now I am feeling good about using them as they were instrumental in getting my refund....then my account was hacked and a couple of idiots in Germany bought several hundred $ worth of cell phone components...and again I had overdraft charges.
Well I took in PayPal's number and my bank called them and the overdrafts went away, that day, and all my bills were paid on time...PayPal agreed to get my money back from Germany, so my bank went ahead and authorized an advance into my account for the missing money...PayPal came thru again.....

I have had no problems since....I really like the fact that i can buy online and no one gets my bank info but PayPal....I do not have to enter any info on selling sites I am visiting to purchase.......

I still feel they are the safest way to shop online and I rad all the PayPal sux sites and all the disgruntled reports, but what I have found is that well of 90% of all the disgruntled reports are from idiots that do not comply with the use of PayPal....most of them sell items and only accept payment thru PayPal as a gift to avoid paying the PayPal fees.....PayPal as far as I know does not prosecute for this but they will shut down your account.........

As I said I am a PayPal fan and I do not accept any other payment method for online purchases, monthly payments on wedding bookings and such........also it means that I never saw or had privy to my clients Credit Cards or bank info....one less theing I need to worry about.

Have a fantastic NEW YEAR!!!!

Mailing Lists...........I hate them......and WHY I use a cell phone for business...

I have an affinity to junk mail or mail sent to me by advertisers that bought my address (whether email or postal mail) from a mailing list provider........just plugs up mail boxes.........so I started a FAN page on FaceBook.....under the NOTES Tab I will be posting my special offers through out this next year....this way when I run a special all of my fans know days before anyone else and those fans can let their friends and family know.

so if you are not a fan then you should become one...........

Why I use a cell phone for business.......simply because I do not want to miss a call, also I shoot wildlife and Landscapes. So when I am out shooting wildlife and landscapes I can sll talk to you about your wedding or portrait needs and when you call you get a silly machine saying I am not in the office....out in nature my phone is on vibrate only but I will call you back as soon as I get the message that a call was missed and no one has to wait for a day or 2 to have a call returned, even if I am out of state shooting a city like Lexington Ky for a book publisher or at a destination wedding........

HAPPY HOLIDAYS and A VERY PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR FOR ALL!!!

Become my Fan on FaceBook.....& HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS and.....

Become my fan on FaceBook, by cliking the banner to the right.
I will be posting specials for Portraits, Weddings, Senior Portraits and also for my Wall Art....that is strictly for my fans......


HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR! ! ! ! !

Christmas Bazaar - Wichita Kansas 12-11-2010 - 9Am to 4Pm.....

X-Mas Bazaar 1156 N Oliver Wichita Ks..... Saturday 12-11-2010 - Time 9am to 4Pm .... come out and look at all the fine X-mas gifts just waiting to be owned by you, including some great photos by me and I also have 4 copies of Wichita Visions, great book about Wichita.............and photos with Santa!!!

1156 N Oliver is the Victory Temple OutReach Ministries Church.....parking and Bazaar entrance in the rear of the Church!!!!

Come one.....Come All..........................

MPIX......Mpix PRO actually - Customer Service Praise!!!

Well I made an order yesterday for prints from Mpix Pro......i had seen thousands of ads of Mpix in various mags and other places, but my website is hosted on SmugMug and they are partnered with Bay Photo......of course no one on Dgrin will ever have a bad thing to say about Bay, but that is of no consequence to me......i decided I wanted to keep my money as close to home as possible and since no one in
Wichita could meet my printing demands without paying hellacious penalties for super rush orders i decided to go to Mpix...they have a plant in Pittsburgh Ks.....so keeping money in state economy...is a good thing....so I posted the order...now not without a bit of frustration, which turned out to be my fault....I had used 2 different passwords on the site and then on roes the ordering system and it could not authenticate me....but it did not tell me where the problem was...just said it / we had a prob........so after about 3 hours of cursing all photo ordering systems called Roes...I emailed customer support then got up from computer to get a drink of diet ginger ale (c-dry only) and to my surprise I had a reply...so off we went, emails flying back and forth......and by the 3 email I got a reply telling me the prob was fixed...less than 30 minutes total and my order was uploading to them.....THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE.....
then today I get an email stating that my order is on it way...should arrive tomorrow - Friday......AGAIN THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE......GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE...

FREE DRIVE RECOVERY SOFTWARE TODAY ONLY 11-18-2010

FREE HARD DRIVE AND MEMORY CARD DATA RECOVERY SOFTWARE...
IT IS FREE TODAY 11-18-2010 ONLY

CLIK MESSAGE ABOVE FOR FREE DATA RECOVERY SOFTWARE............

I Will be Selling Prints at Victory Temple Wichita Ks

On December 11, Victory Temple, 1156 North Oliver Wichita Ks, will hold its X-mas Bazaar and I will have some of my work in the form of matted prints for sale.
They will be signed in an acid free paint that will not harm the photographs.

Short but wanted to let all know of the upcoming sale...............

Watch Carefully - Ebay Sellers

Ebay is a fantastic place to purchase used camera or photographic equipment.....IF YOU ARE CAREFUL.....the novice photographer might get burned and when they do they always scream it was EBAYS fault.
It is not ebays fault at all...they simply host the auction you are bidding on and they place all kinds of guidelines that sellers are to adhere to...but that still doe not stop the unscrupulous seller from lying to you or asking dang near or actual retail price for used equipment.....so it truly is a buyers beware situation on Ebay.......
Just this morning I was looking to price some studio lighting.....my current set of 5 Paul C Buff white Lightning 5000's still work fantastic but I have been needing more power than they can produce a few more times than I like and renting is ok if I won't be doing it a lot...but there comes a time when I would rather just own...and now is that time......so I went looking for used Paul C Buff lighting, either White Lightning units or Alien Bees both are great units...Alien Bees being much lighter and smaller and I do a lot of location work......
So I found some of the upper end Alien Bees and the price was a mere $14 less than BRAND NEW from the factory and of course being used NO WARRANTY....I have sent the seller an email asking why so high priced and it is described as having dents and dings and scratches.......the sad thing is that some one new to photography will see this auction and not go to the Alien Bees website to investigate prices and such...then they will hear some other photog talk about the great deal they got from the manufacturer and be kicking them selves in the tail for the ebay purchase and they will tell people to not buy from ebay as they rip you off...again it is not ebays fault...it is the consumer for not investigating the items they want to buy first.............



Borrow Lenses is a great place to Rent from and they also have good sales on some items.....great fast service.........................

Where to RENT Photo Equipment

People are always want to know to know where to rent Cameras, Lenses, tripods, and all sorts of photo equipment.....and I decided to help out my friends at Borrow Lenses a little.......Over on the right side of my blog is a section title Some of My Favorite Places and they have TOP BILLING.....sometimes they even have gear for sale at discounted pricing .....

Also if you live in an area that doesn't really cater to your photographic needs...Renting a new camera body, lens, tripod or whatever before purchasing is a fantastic way to see if the equipment you are interested in actually is what you want......That is WAAAAAAAAY better than buy from a dealer to only have to return it and wait for a refund.....after a while the retailers catch on and will no longer allow you to purchase and return stuff if you do it frequently...so RENT from BORROW LENSES.............

What if you need a Tilt Shift lens for a single job.....why buy that puppy when you can rent from BORROW LENSES and save some money and make more profit.....

Or you are going on a trip of a life time....maybe an African Safari....and you need a 600mm lens or a great zoom like a 200-400mm zoom lens but you have never needed one until now.....want to fork out several thousand dollars....if you don't think you will need it once a month from then on then RENT It.....Nikon 600mm for 4 weeks a little over $1300.00 as opposed to a purchase of approx.......$5K to 7.9K Or more to get the winning bid USED on Ebay......or new from approx $9800 to 14K.
BORROW LENSES is the way to go..............

JUST HAD ATT-U-VERSE INSTALLED - ALREADY UN HAPPY

Just had ATT Uverse installed and the "Premises Tech"....decided all on his own to start closing my browser windows with out asking.....I lost over 500 tabs.....

This really sucks, as the windows did not show up in my HISTORY or in the recently closed windows or tabs.....so no effing recovery available.......

A Question was asked about HDR Photos.............

Question - How many frames do you shoot for an HDR Photo???

Answer - It is not actually about the number of frames, but rather making sure to cover the whole complete DYNAMIC RANGE of the scene.

JUST A TAD ANNOYED ... at SOME FORUM POSTERS.......

I am a member of SEVERAL different Photo forums and I lurk about a lot on lots of them that I am not a member of.....but that is neither here nor there.....

It is the frequency with which I am seeing what I deem idiot questions or questions from people just too damn lazy to do a little research.....makes me wonder how they dress themselves or decide what to eat .......you know it gets real annoying to see questions like.....I have the lowest end but newest camera and kit lens and I am thinking of buying a slightly better camera ....will my lens work on that camera......good gawd...goto www. your camera brand dot com and read the specs....
Why not just stick with the point and shoot you had and forget doing the DSLR thing as it really does require reading the manual and studying the art of photography....if you aren't willing to do a bit of research on if your kit lens will work on a better model then you are not willing to put forth the effort to learn the fundamentals of DSLR photography let alone the more advanced fundamentals of taking really good photos.......

.....I hope I did not upset anyone with this tirade but I saw this type of question on several forums tonight and all posted with in minutes of each other....it is like the poster found all of that camera brand forums and some that are for all camera buffs and just paste posted the same question across several boards......

ARRRRRRGH.........it just really makes me wonder how these people survive at all.............

Trash the Dress.....WHY???

I really do not understand this fetish with destroying a thing that cost
so much money......especially one that could be sold........do these
women no longer want their daughters to get married in their
gowns any longer???

That was the thing not to long a go, a daughter  wore her
mothers or grandmothers dress.....it was a sign of pride and love.......
I do not understand.....they are not hurting the hubby or soon to
be ex-hubby as he more than likely did not pay for it anyway...the
bride or her mother and father paid for it....it is them that are
getting hurt.
99% of the soon to be ex-hubbies love to see their soon to be ex's
do stuff like this rather than selling to help pay for the attorney.......................

Then again I am not a vindictive person.....that brings on loads
of bad Karma.

Leica and the Jews: A True Story about Freedom

I did a cut and paste of this article from the forum: Dgrin - www.dgrin.com  .......... Art Scott....................



I will probably get hammered for the title and probably this article ... but as an American I place a high value on freedom of speech.

This is a story well worth repeating ...

Gary

--- On Mon, 8/23/10, Greg Spadinger


Leica and the Jews

The Leica is the pioneer 35mm camera. It is a German product - precise, minimalist, and utterly efficient.

Behind its worldwide acceptance as a creative tool was a family-owned, socially oriented firm that, during the Nazi era, acted with uncommon grace, generosity and modesty. E. Leitz Inc., designer and manufacturer of Germany 's most famous photographic product, saved its Jews.

And Ernst Leitz II, the steely-eyed Protestant patriarch who headed the closely held firm as the Holocaust loomed across Europe , acted in such a way as to earn the title, "the photography industry's Schindler."

As soon as Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany in 1933, Ernst Leitz II began receiving frantic calls from Jewish associates, asking for his help in getting them and their families out of the country. As Christians, Leitz and his family were immune to Nazi Germany's Nuremberg laws, which restricted the movement of Jews and limited their professional activities.

To help his Jewish workers and colleagues, Leitz quietly established what has become known among historians of the Holocaust as "the Leica Freedom Train," a covert means of allowing Jews to leave Germany in the guise of Leitz employees being assigned overseas.

Employees, retailers, family members, even friends of family members were "assigned" to Leitz sales offices in France , Britain , Hong Kong and the United States

Leitz's activities intensified after the Kristallnacht of November 1938, during which synagogues and Jewish shops were burned across Germany ...

Before long, German "employees" were disembarking from the ocean liner Bremen at a New York pier and making their way to the Manhattan office of Leitz Inc., where executives quickly found them jobs in the photographic industry.

Each new arrival had around his or her neck the symbol of freedom “ a new Leica.

The refugees were paid a stipend until they could find work. Out of this migration came designers, repair technicians, salespeople, marketers and writers for the photographic press.

Keeping the story quiet

The "Leica Freedom Train" was at its height in 1938 and early 1939, delivering groups of refugees to New York every few weeks. Then, with the invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, Germany closed its borders.

By that time, hundreds of endangered Jews had escaped to America , thanks to the Leitzes' efforts. How did Ernst Leitz II and his staff get away with it?

Leitz, Inc. was an internationally recognized brand that reflected credit on the newly resurgent Reich. The company produced range-finders and other optical systems for the German military. Also, the Nazi government desperately needed hard currency from abroad, and Leitz's single biggest market for optical goods was the United States .

Even so, members of the Leitz family and firm suffered for their good works. A top executive, Alfred Turk, was jailed for working to help Jews and freed only after the payment of a large bribe.

Leitz's daughter, Elsie Kuhn-Leitz, was imprisoned by the Gestapo after she was caught at the border, helping Jewish women cross into Switzerland . She eventually was freed but endured rough treatment in the course of questioning. She also fell under suspicion when she attempted to improve the living conditions of 700 to 800 Ukrainian slave laborers, all of them women, who had been assigned to work in the plant during the 1940s.

(After the war, Kuhn-Leitz received numerous honors for her humanitarian efforts, among them the Officier d'honneur des Palms Academic from France in 1965 and the Aristide Briand Medal from the European Academy in the 1970s.)

Why has no one told this story until now? According to the late Norman Lipton, a freelance writer and editor, the Leitz family wanted no publicity for its heroic efforts. Only after the last member of the Leitz family was dead did the "Leica Freedom Train" finally come to light.

It is now the subject of a book, "The Greatest Invention of the Leitz Family: The Leica Freedom Train," by Frank Dabba Smith, a California-born Rabbi currently living in England .

Thank you for reading the above, and if you feel inclined as I did to pass it along to others, please do so. It only takes a few minutes. Memories of the righteous should live on.

HappyFish Designs - - - - THANK YOU

Having come from the film era, I have been looking for an image processor to process my images from portraits and weddings......I found wedding processors but no one wanted to deal with small amounts of image files (12-75)...then I saw a forum post giving Praise to HappyFish Designs .......so I shot them an email , well several emails, asking all sorts of questions...then I needed to find a FTP transfer software and sent them files and still there was more dialogue and phone calls from them......They called me to ask more questions and also sent more emails.....it was they that wanted to make sure they did things to satisfy me.....it is hard to find a company of any sort that will go the least bit out of their way for the client but Karen and Chad went an extra 1000 miles for me it seems....
They are great to work with...I have my processor...I can now concentrate on shooting and not proofing........OH YEAH.....

If you prefer shooting over spending hours glued to a computer monitor then give HappyFish Designs a look over  ( http://www.happyfish.com   )  ......Karen and Chad are great to work with.................. The website is geared more towards album design...but email them with your questions and concerns .................

NON PHOTO RELATED BUT STIULL WORTH THE READ AVD THINK ABOUT

This is a cut and paste from an email sent to me by a friend of mine.

 One Light Bulb at a Time

Come on - Let's do it!

A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very much, a billion of them would. With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American.

Good idea .. . one light bulb at a time . . . .

Check this out . I can verify this because I was in Lowes the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments . They were all made in China . The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA . Start looking.

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job . So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track . Let's get behind her!

My grandson likes Hershey's candy . I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now... I do not buy it any more. My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico ... now I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything ..

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets . I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand labeled, "Everyday Value ... " I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price .. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland , Ohio .

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here ..

So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets... yep, you guessed it, bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA ! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using
for years and at almost half the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!

(We should have awakened a decade ago...)

Let's get with the program... help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U . S . A..

I Passed this on... will you?  

IN GOD WE TRUST

Acid Free Paint Pens for Signing Photos

A few weeks back I posted a short blog on signing photos with a Acid free Paint marker pen by Sanford ....the Sharpie Company.........well I have found that my art store now carries
extra fine acid free archival paint pens by Pilot........ I love Pilot pens for writing...so i bought 2 of these paint markers.....1 silver and 1 gold....for the small price of $3.49 each + tax........that was 1/4 of what I paid for my last acid free paint markers and they weren't this fine........
These will write on all sorts of surfaces........check out this link by CLICKING HERE ......

Have a great week............

Shooting Raw as Insurance against CopyRight infringement

There is an absolutely astonisihing amount of people that shoot only jpg's and then they are asking on various forums how to stop theft of their images from their websites and the other forums they love to post on....and the answer is........YOU CAN"T........if you can see it on your computer screen it can be stolen.....It is just a fact of in the age of the internet and the WWW................

Question pop up all the time like: Can i sue so and so for copyright infrinment or for using without permission???? the answer is yes...but is most like going to be a huge waste of your money, as the theif will lie and say they did not know it it was stealing they had been told anything on the net is fair game...fair use and anyone can use anything they want anythingme they want and I'll have the web guy remove it and promise never to do it again.......and the thief willnot even cross his fingers as we were taught to do if you did not intend to keep your word........
The judge will rule in your favor but only require the thief to remove your images...no cash award ...not even to pay for your lawyer........if you can prove the image(s) is yours........
Since all camera can produce a jpg image it could be hard..especially if the thief has a piece of software that allows him to change the data in the exif portion of the jpg image.......all he needs to change is the date the image was taken........now prove it is yours.............

Did you register your image with the US Copyright Office (or the copyright office in your country), if not then the battle could bode ill for you..........

SO....................................................................................

shoot raw.......do not want to process your images, you're perfectly happy with them as camera generated jpgs....that is cool then shoot raw + jpg and use the camera generated jpg for what ever you do with your images.................

I shoot  raw+jpg (small) for quick sorting of images, especially from weddings.....I sort using windows photo viewer.........but I do process the raw files and then delete the jpgs that the camera made........I can afford to shoot raw+jpg becasue I have more than 1 memory card...they go on sale and I buy 2 or 3 or more....right now I won 12 - 8gb Transcend cards....they have been as good for me as Lexar and SanDisk, both of which I have owned and used.....Transcend is quite a bit less expensive and just a reliable..........

Anyway the bottom line is the raw file can be insurance against image theft as it cannot be uploaded or viewed on online forums or galleries...it can be attached to emails or transferred by ftp.....I use FTP to transfer my raw files to my image processor in Phoenix Az........HappyFish.com.......then they transfer my finished files back to me..........
I never let anyone have my orignal files I transfer copies.........................

RAW files can be PROOF of OWNERSHIP in court as to who really owns and image.........

BlueGrass Visions - The Lexington Ky. Project

Well I just received notification that the BlueGrass Visions book has been printed and the contributor copies will be arriving very soon......can't wait to see which ones of mine are in it.......Actually I am waiting on the email that has the contact sheet of published photos to add to my portfolio........and the check of course. LOL....LOL...LOL... :-}}

How to be a GOOD PHOTO ASSISTANT

How to be a GOOD PHOTO ASSISTANT ......................................


The title says it all......I read this great article on being a good PHOTO assistant by photographer / blogger Scott Bourne ......Here is the Link to his Article http://tinyurl.com/25pzpbs If you know anyone that is wanting to be an assistant print the article out and give it to them or at least email them the link to the article.................

Post Processing of Digital Images

I started in Professional Photography a little over 30 yrs ago.....At that time there were 4 or 5 Professional labs (plus a plethora of 1 hr labs) here.  i tried each Pro lab out with a roll of film and decided on the Quality of work, customer service, price, & if they were open on Saturday mornings as to who got my business..........so now I was able to shoot, put my film in an envelope with instructions as to what I wanted, slip thru a mail slot in the building and go pick up in 3 or 4 days.......Life was good I could concentrate on shooting and honing my craft.........

Digital came and I was with a processing lab...all the labs still printed but as to the actual Processing of the image, was left upto the photographer.......that means new computer, or at least a better than low end computer, software like photoshop or painter or some other processing software...which is now cutting into my shooting time or sleeping time :-}} ........so I was on the search for a processor that I could trust to turn my images into wonderful files for printing.......well the search literally took a few years.......basically because there did not seem to be any one doing that work, secondly because when I did find a random person claiming to be a professional processor they charged more for processing than I charged to shoot a wedding.........so I was backed into a corner.....it was not that I did not want ot learn to use photoshop but simply a time issue for me.......I like to work in photoshop but just like my 4x5 darkroom in the past, i wanted to do my fine art work myself and leave the weddings and portraits to others.........so I searched on I started seeing a few processing companies pop up here and there but still none that fit the bill with me......mostly because they had minimum quantity for wedding images and they would not mess with fewer images, so no portrait processing....so I searched on............then I found a mention of a company Called HAPPY FISH Professional Album Design and Post Processing ........ Looks promising.....sent an inquiry, got a very profession and swift reply......I asked questions that were actually answered on the the home page, but not once was a scolded for not reading the website......I was politely and professionally given answers and they have pricing set from 0 (yes zero) image on up.........so you can send them 1 image to run thru Lightroom or several hundred or more..........pricing is very good I believe...as I write this I am FTP'ing almost 400 images to be processed............

Life may be great once again........if I can concentrate on the shooting and let Happy Fish be my processor and not have to double or triple my prices just to pay the processing........


My FTP service is FileZilla an open source FTP software.....seems to work good but it is slow...or it could be the amount of stuff open and running at same time that is slowing it down........

I am anxious to see Happy Fish's results with my files..........

TRIPOD STABILITY

I use a Giottos Tripod that has a removable / repositionable  center column.....so I need extra stability to keep the cam from shaking during exposures when I have the center column in a weird angle.....

I get that extra stability from a grocery bag.....before I go any farther...You can carry expensive "sandbags" to fill with sand, dirt , rocks or whatever to get more weight to stabilize the tripod and center column......but why spend $15 - $50 for a specialty item When at your local Walmart or Grocery Store yu can get a "green" recyclable reusable grocery bag for the huge price of 99¢ to $1.99......that is all you need and they fold up very small also and do not weigh hardly anything and are machine washable (at least all that I have had are)........I started useing them by accident.....I was out shooting flowers and got my center column in about a 45° angle......and needed a bit more stability due to the wind.......looking in my car there was the grocery bag....it has loop handles....what the hey......it worked....it was dirt cheap and it serves multi purposes.....groceries and photography.

Have a great week / weekend.......Keep Shooting.......................

Garage / Yard Sell

Garage Sale: Thur-Sat 2738 S Yellowstone Court ....Pro Photo packs/bags, Lots of CD's, books & and non photo related items also...juicer, food processor.....Ice Packs...not blue ice but Medical type: have a special foam in them...man are they great and some small foam chests.........lots more.....

I Really Really Hate Having MY Eyes Dilated............

I Really Really Hate Having  MY Eyes Dilated............well it is not so mujch ahving the dilated but having to drive afterwards.......every year I beg for an early morning appointment and every year
I told there are none available.......my reasoning... the Dr. office is on east side of town.....I live on west side........going to Dr. Office wit ht he rising sun beaming into your eyes (prior to dilation) is not a real problem....I have dark sunglasses.............HOWEVER driving home after dilarion and driving into the yello/orange ball of light in the western sky is total hell.......I do mean total hell......a total of 4 pairs of sunglasses just so I could try to see and of all the stupid idotic stuff to run into (not actually run into as in crash) this idiot in a black car had a silver sunshde covering his rear window and the sun was reflecting off it directly into my eyes.......2 police....yes 2....1 city and 1 state passed right by him and did not even look his way......it was shift change time and the hiway was packed, so I could not pass this idiot at all.....now I sit in the dark with lighter sunglasses on as the  brightness of this screen is killing my head.....I already had a headache from the drive from the Dr.s office but this is adding to it..........


Well the visit to the Dr. was a success, I guess.......he was all compliments on my check up.....he siad I had better eyes than a lot of his normal patients ......by normal he was refering to non diabetic patients........so my eyes were really really really good since I have had diabetes for around 12 yrs now......so I can handle a little headache, knowing that the diabetes has not started damaging my eyesight as of now.......which is good since I am a photographer................

Something a few will find useful.........especially if you are selling online

Something a few will find useful...the dollar sign is on your keyboard right above the number four....so for cents where do you go.............. well here are the "codes" for cents, euros and pounds sterling..... alt + 0162 (cents) alt + 0163 (pound sterling) ....alt + 0128 (euros) .

I know I have had to keep searching the internet for how to make these symbols several times......so i just thought I would share......

Have a great weekend,

 

I know it is only Thursday...............

Wet 4th

Glad I did not go to Corpus Christi for this weekend.....rainy, with storms from hurricane....does not add upto good coffee table book photos about city..........Oh WELL soon tho...................

Signing Your Photographic Art Work

As photographers each photograph should be considered as works of Art and treated as such.
I am talking today about the signing of your photos so that later on down the road the owner or new owners
 of that art work know who created it.  So many of us have seen the entertainer slapping down the autograph on and 8x10 glossy at a signing event, whether a concert or sci-fi convention or book signing, and their weapon of choice: THE SHARPIE LAUNDRY MARKER.....however the ink inside a Sharpie is loaded with acid that will deteriorate your art works over a period of time........so why waste the time creating a great piece of art only to kill its value down the road with ink containing acid...........
Many years ago I was signing my photos with sharpies also, until I was in an art store and asked one of the workers, that turned out to be an artists herself, what the store carried as I could not find my beloved gold sharpies any longer at wally world or kay mart......and I got a lecture on why I should never sign a work of art with an acid laden pen......so I was introduced to the acid free paint pen by Sanford.....Tha's right the Sharpie company makes an acid free paint marker that really workd great....do read the instructions and do keep the pen inverted with paint tip up.......it will leak if you don't, also do not try to clean the paint tip with a Kleenex like it was a dirty ball point the tip will come out and the seal is ruined and it will work but not like it should or like yiou want it too.
They are kinda pricy ......around $12.00 per pen.....Gold or Silver and you will not find them, or I have not at least, at Hobby Lobby, Michaels or walmart, kamart, office max or depot, sams club........I have onoy found them at Artists supply houses & Blue Print companies,,,,,,,but they carry small amounts of the best of artist supplies also................

As to where to sign the photo itself......I use a rule of thumb so to speak of approx 1 to 1.5 inches from the bottom of the print and the same distance from the right side of the print......that way the print can be matted and framed and my signature is still visible........if I sign the mat I still sign the print.....because the mat can be changed due to decorating tastes of the owner and the signature on the print will still be there......if you only sign the mat and someone changes the mat your signature is gone........all © copyright statements should be on the back.....I now buy lables with the statement on them....again get a label that is acid free......a lot of the address companies will have the acid free labels and yes they are a bit more expensive........but they will stick to 99.9% of all materials used for Photo production, wood, glass, ceramic, metal etc etc..............

Hope this has helped a few of you.

Hiring a Photographer.......Why we charge what we do

So you're looking for a photographer and you sign up for one of the many websites that you can type in yo9ur needs and it gets emailed to thousands of photographers.............across the world.........and the "bids" start trickling in...........so right off the bat you start declining all the idiots that are posting prices of $750.00 and up........You thingk to yourself...I told them it was only a small wedding with only a few close familoy and friends...maybe 50 people......what is up with you high priced photographers.....damn uncle sid said he'd do it for free with his new Canon S90....and most of the pros use canon don't they...........but the over a thousand dollar offers just keep rolling in.............and you keep declining.......here is why those "high" offers are as they are:
using myself as an example.....I have always done my work with the smallest amount of equipment possible....not the cheapest equipment but the least amount....like this:
2- nikon bodies (D300) - new   ~$1900.00 each
1-70-200f2.8 lens -                  ~$1800.00
1-24-70 f2.8 lens-                     ~$1800.00
2 - flash units                               ~$500.00 each
Flash bracket                                  ~$200.00
Memory Cards (not the cheapes nor the most expensive....middle of the road -  ~$80.00 / 8gb card X3
Tripod / w head                            ~$375.00 on the low end that could actually reach $1500
                                                         for line products......but I use what I like not what the media
                                                            tells me I should use..............
Camera bag / case for security not just to carry        $250.00

Equipment insurance for Replacement Value    ~$850.00 / yr
Liability, personal injury insurance  usually sold in increments of $1million  ~$750.00 / yr

Indeminty insurance                                        ~$200.00/yr

Computer: run of the mill PC                           ~$600.00
Adobe Photoshop                                             $700.00 / download
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom                              $300.00 / download
Decent 22" Monitor                                            ~$300.00
Monitor Calibrator --decent not high or low         ~$250.00
Vehicle - must be totally reliable .....                            Min. $5000.00
Car insurance                                                    Liability Only  $300/6mo...so X2
_________________________________________________________________________________
Total for the above is...............................................$19015.00 .....if I did my math correctly
and this is with out the rest of what we have to pay for:

Vehicle Maintaince ..........................Hmmmmmmmm............$$$$$
Accountants
Tax Preparers
Equipment maintenance (cameras must be periodiaclly cleaned and calibrated especially digital cameras, computers must be maintained with virus protection and cleaned also or they stop working)
assistants and 2nd shooters
insurance on the assistants and 2nd shooters...............          
  Websites for online portfolios and for clients to be able to make orders for prints from the comfort of YOUR OWN HOME.............
Weekly or Daily computer back ups to a min of 3 hardrives in at least two off location sites.....in case of total computer crash or main harddrive failure...without the back ups your precious memories could be lost for ever.....................
And yet you grumble and complain about spending a little money for what should be the most important day of YOUR NEW LIVES together.........but yet uncle sid shoots your wedding cuts off heads and most of the pics are too dark or too light (under and over exposed) and are printed at one of the Marts and in 6 months the colors start to shift and your wonderful golden tan is now turing a weird magenta color ........but we still love uncle sid he tried........but if this had happened to a hired photog well then we'd be on the phone with an attorney to sue the pants of that Photogrpaher that ruined our memories.................

Folks there is a reason that we Photographers charge $1500.00 and up for a days work.......for every hour I shoot I spend a lot more in front of the computer processing YOUR MEMORIES 1 image at a time (a wedding usually takes around 40 hours to properly process from raw file to finished jpeg or tiff)......unlike  so and so MART that will take a memory card and load it into the printer that is already set to process and print with presets that are supposed to make decent prints...not great prints........I only use the best processor Printer, the same lab that Printed my film photos and still does my film when i shoot film today........their prints will last upwards of over 100 yrs and then who is gonna care if your wonderful golden tan is turning a little magenta...............unfortunately we cannot sit in front of the computer and do a straight 40 hours on your wedding and then hope another client comes along we must be ready to spend a few hours every day shooting portraits, commercial shoots: whether shooting food for a restaurant or toys or clothes for a local manufacturer or go to another town and shoot the city for a book publisher that saw your work on your website....the camera must keep clicking to keep us even with our bills.................
Hope this helps to explain why we must charge the fees we charge and there are incidentals I have left out............like suits to wear to YOUR wedding.............

Just Realized.............

Just realized that i forgot to upload a ton of photos from the Lex.
project of the Interior of Castle Post....well those won't get into
the book.....damn but I will upload them soon to the Gallery

Lexington Project Gallery Now Open to the Public

I have no idea yet how many photos were used by the publishing company but I have opened up the Gallery to the General Public for viewing and if one wants to purchase a photo please contact me by email with Lexington Project as the subject with photo title or number and the print size wanted and I will with in 72 hours send a reply with price including shipping.

Here is the link to the Lexington Project Gallery............    http://tiny.cc/nqrlz  if it is not clikable then copy and paste it into your browser window.


Thanks for all the views.

Cd's

  

FINALLY ripping all of my cd's to hard drive.....getting ready for a sale....in the near future.

I have a problem with FORUMS......

I have a problem with Forums......the photographic type......of which I am a member of several.....
My problems is this.....someone asks for help.........and rather than answer the question asked in a cheerful helpful manner one of the mods comes along and tells the person to follow the links in their signature....in a snotty uppity way.....leaving the newcomer feeling like .......well shit..................then someone comes along and answers the question and even says this or that may not work everytime but it is the way they (the new post answerer) has done it for a long time and it works for them...............then another snotty member of the paid kind comes along to say that the helpful poster lied or what they said was untrue......and gets called on it........and instead of appologizing the paid snot replies that this is how we prefer it to be done.................

Why can't mods and the paid help be just that helpful and actually answer the questions that are asked??
99.9999999% of the time, by the time they get done telling a questioner to look in their links which are not actually clear and precise to the questioners question they, the mod or paid help, could ahve with less key strokes and time actually answered the question ....................


I just do not understgand this mentallity.......if you do not like being asked the same question over and over again.....get off the supposedly helpful, supposedly education and supposedly friendly forums and go somewhere that likes the snotty uppity sort of mentality...................

Lexington Ky Project Finished: Installment 4 - FINALE

Cloudy skies were most prevalent....early morning it was one flat ugly dark grey cloud over the whole of the part of Ky. that I ventured into......when the clouds would separate I could include them in the shots.....more down town financial district.......

As I was aimlessly driving up and down streets, I came across something I found to be quite cool........
TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY...........I had know idea that such a plce existed.......I do know that
Transylvania is the largest district in Romania.......so yes it is a very real place...........so a few of Transylvania University ......................

Haupt Hall

Morrison Hall

A gentleman I kept running into in various parts of town.....it was of those incidents that all of a sudden you go
what is going on with this........His name I found out is Benjamin Bond a street poet or as he like to be called:
The Poet Laurette of the Streets.............

Benjamin Bond : Poet Laurette of the Streets

He was quite nice and never asked for money or anything like I am used to with street people........like I said he turned up all over town every day I was there........

Big Blue is the Tallest building in Lexington and yes i took quite a few shots of it.....according to its building manager, Nick Schwendeman,. it was 90+ occupied ......which is real good in this economy......

Nick is a very nice and tolerant man, he took time out of his extremely busy schedule to let me look over Lexington from various floors and rooms in this very large building.......I felt as if he was showing the rooms and views just as he would if I went there to lease an office from him.....and when the first day was way to foggy for good shooting he did not hesitate to let me back in the next day....which was my last day......

 Big Blue

 the above photo was taken just down the street from Transylvania U. and the Carnegie Library shown below.

Gratz Park

A shot thru the Gratz Park gate looking at Morrison Hall at Transylvania U....photo taken off the back steps of the Carnegie Library............statues and fountain in Gratz Park..... 

A Fountain Dedicated to Youth

This statue and fountain were gifted by James Allen to the Children of Lexington in 1933............

A couple of old houses from Gratz Park of no important significance ......just cool looking

more views of downtown including a Big Blue........ bewing the most promenent building it is hard to keep it out of the shots :-}}

The Cheapside Bar at the corner of CheapSide and Short street.....time for a tiny tale.....a tale of why this is called CheapSide......it was during the slaving days that this block got its name.....The story is told to be true........this is where all the run down, worn out and thought to be no good slaves were brought to be sold or traded.........Sold on the or at the Cheapside.....a very sad but true story..........and no the drinks and food are not on the cheap side :-} but it is a place for great food and entertainment, I am told.

Just down from the Cheapside and Cheap Street is this very nice building....

 269 W. Main Street....shot from the Big Blue Parking Garage......................

A bit farther west.................

Hilliyard Lyons Offices

directly across the street from the parking garage is the Lexington Historical Center housed in the Old Fayette County Courthouse ........just wished there had not so dang much street repair going on.......

Old Fayette /county Courthouse / Lexington Historical Center

Just a short ways back to the north of downtown......

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL EPISCOPAL DIOCESE

 

CHRIST CHURCH GARDEN

more cloud reflections in Big Blue.................

Now we are headed out along the Kentucky River and a few shots of the Shaker Village and a snap of the Dixie Bell Paddle Wheel Boat

Muddy Kentucky River and cliffs

The Dixie Bell 

An ornate Shaker built dry wall  hand laid Fence outdoor exhibit ........

A few Shaker Buildings and Farm implements below......Buildings were quite large and plain........

Childrens entertainment at Shaker Village......

Winding road back to Lexington............

No where to pull over so I shot this thru the windshield while driving

The Lexington and University of Kentucky Arboretum..........

Entranced to the University of Kentucky.....

Shops in the Chevy-Chase District..............

Worlds Apart

Christoper Michael Fine Art Home Furnishings

A look down Chevy Chase

Barney Millers

A cool looking entrance.......for a home theater establishment........this entrance is waaaaaay cooler than their website store front photo..................

Lexington's oldest working Firehouse........Fire house number 4.......the Voght Reel House.........

Capt. Samuelson and the newest driver

Fire Fighter / Paramedic  A.T. Newman

I almost forgot.....what fire House #4 is called:

Yes it is supposed to be Haunted.....the Captain would not confirm or deny the allegations.....but take a closer look at the stairway detail........Could That be the Phantom of Engine Company #4????????

Lexington City Library and Veterans park area.......................

Lexington Public Library

A really Bicycle Rack 

8:37:58 on 5-10-2010

15:37:09  on 5-10-2010

The above 2 photos are showing the rotation of the earth beneath the Pendulum ........ It is an Earth Rotational Pendulum.........There is no motor to swing the cable and it has been in place for several years and has never stopped swinging.........................

Part of the "I Read Therefore I................" campaign of the Public Library

Random shots from around Lexington.........................

Could that mark have been left behind from an Alien Visitation ????

Blue Rising...........

Tully......

Tully leaving ...........

Another Reflection

Clock Shop on Short Street

SUNSET ON CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Cool Mod Cow Revisited

Shriners Hospital

JAMES HARDYMON BUILDING

 

A few Areial Shots of Lexington: shot from the 31st floor east balcony

of Big Blue

University of Kentucky Library and Dorms

 

 

 

 then the fog rolled in

Chevy - Chase thru the Fog..

Yassie B.

The Sleep Inn front desk clerk that greated me nearly every morning that I was in Lexington.....

.

John the Manager at Sleep Inn.....a very personable gentleman

well that is it for Lexington Kentucky.......Hope you enjoyed the photos and the story.....not much of a story but then I am not a writer..........my name is Arthur...but an Author I am not........  :-}}


Oh damn I alsmost forgot I did say that my trip was not 100% successful at keeping with the no horse photos......here is the one that dropped me to under 100% on my mission...................

Now I am done with the Story of my Assigment to Lexington Ky and to shoot the city but NO HORSES......Hmmm,,,,,,,,,...........too cute not to shoot......errrrrr....Photograph..........

THE END!!!!