Prejudice Can Hold You Back
Posted on 8 February 2010 | No responses
At the risk of stepping on a landmine, I’m gonna use some words today that are sometimes incendiary and trigger negative reactions at times. This is not intended as a political statement. It’s ultimately about a question you might ask about yourself.
Prejudice and bigotry is wrong. Unfortunately, some people you’ll encounter in life are racists, bigots, or think negatively about others because of age, religion, where they live, what they drive, the music they like, tattoos & piercings, you know the drill. Today’s post isn’t about them or how to change or even deal with them. — I want to talk about you and your prejudices. But not about how you might or might not be prejudiced against others. I want to talk about how you might be prejudiced against… yourself. Read more
My Backdrop Bargain!
Posted on 5 February 2010 | 6 responses
One of my first investments after buying a great DSLR, a speedlight, a couple of bargain lightstands, and a couple of 5-in-1 reflectors, was a collapsible 5 foot by 7 foot backdrop. It’s black on one side and white on the other and it’s incredibly helpful when shooting portraits. It’s one of the key elements to my make-shift, portable studio and I’ve shot all kinds of friends and relatives, usually in their home. The problem is, it’s only big enough for a waist up shot. No full length portraits and no seated shots where you can see their feet and the stool they’re sitting on. For something like that, you need a full size muslin you can drape off of a backdrop stand.
Based on some projects I’m thinking about shooting, I knew I wanted a BIG white seamless backdrop and a chroma key green backdrop. Black would be helpful too but, since I took Zack Arias’s “One Light” DVD class, as well as classes from Kevin Ames at Photoshop World, I knew I could make a white backdrop appear black with the right camera settings and light setups, so black would just be a luxury if I had extra cash.
Since I knew I wanted something 9 or 10 feet wide and at least 15 feet long (to allow my subjects to stand on it for full length shots) I first went to a local fabric shop. No luck. Nothing that wide and nothing hemmed on the edges. Plus, I’d have to sew my own loop at the top edge for my backdrop pole.
Then I looked online in all the traditional places, as well as Amazon. Well, I struck gold at Amazon. I found a company called Cheetah Mounts (no relation to my friends at Cheetah Stands). The Cheetah Mounts people are primarily in the business of wall mount brackets for big flat screen TVs, but they have some photo gear too. I found 10′ x 20′ hemmed, seamless muslins for under $40 each! (White’s under $35.) I got a green, black, and white, all for under $120, and they’re great! Here’s the link.
NOTE for clarification: The actual brand name of these muslins is “Prism“ so if you search by name, rather than by product description, you’ll need to search by that name. However, even though these are listed on Amazon, the “ships from and sold by” is not Amazon, rather, it is a company called CheetahMounts. It’s probably easiest just to follow the link if that’s possible.
Are they as great as the $140+ 10′ x 20′ muslins sold by the big names? — No idea. But they work. So what more do I need? Would $140 each mean my green would be greener? Nope. Does a client know a $140 white muslin from a $35 white muslin? I’m thinking no. Might someone in the backdrop business or someone who paid $140 for their backdrop think that I must be wrong and these can’t possibly be worthwhile? Maybe. But I can live with that. Maybe somebody will set me straight on that at some point, but until then, I’ll just enjoy the heck out of shooting on my bargain muslins.
By the way, Cheetah Mounts also has a more complete kit that includes backdrop stands and a pole, but I’ve already got that gear. So I’m not sure if their stands are decent quality. Maybe, maybe not. (For the record, I trust B&H, Westcott, Midwest, and Adorama for affordable lightstands and they’re all good quality for a very fair price.)
Here’s the thing… they’re good quality muslins, they have the pole pocket sewn into the top edge, they’re thick enough, and when properly lit, they do just what I need. So, as a guy who doesn’t shoot for a living, these are perfect and well in my budget. But I’d be willing to bet that pros would find these to be just fine too. And it doesn’t hurt to save a few bucks on muslins and spend it on softboxes or glass. 
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My Hoodman Loupe Reel Style!
Posted on 4 February 2010 | 2 responses
One of the problems I’ve always had with my Hoodman Loupe (granted this is a small problem) is that the neck strap that comes with it causes the loupe to hang in a place that has a tendency to get in the way of my camera, which is also hanging around my neck. The problem is that I didn’t want to put the loupe away completely, because when I want it, I don’t want to have to dig through pockets or pouches. I want it fast. — Another small problem is that fellow shooters are frequently enamored with the loupe and want to see how it works, which usually means I have to take it off or lean uncomfortably close, while I tolerate mild strangulation, so someone can use it on their camera.
My solution would be familiar to any custodian. It’s a retractable keyring.
I’ve shown mine around the office a little bit and everyone laughs when I drop the loupe and it snaps to my hip. They they say, “That’s pretty smart. Have you told Hoodman about your idea?… I might just do that too.” (For the record yes, I’ve told the guys at Hoodman.)
There are quite a few different kinds of these things, (the really common ones are especially short and lightweight and are designed for name badges) but unfortunately most of them only have a cord that’s just a little bit too short (standard is 24″ or less). I bought one that has a 48″ cord and that way I can clip it to either hip and still have plenty of reach to bring it all the way up to my eye. That way it’s long enough to have clipped to my belt and I can even use it when my camera’s mounted on a tripod. It’s even possible to easily let someone else borrow it while it stays clipped. - I think I got ripped off a little bit though. I paid $16 at a local hardware store and you can probably find a 48″ key reel for less on the web. - It came with a big keyring which I swapped out for a smaller ring. Then I just used a Velcro strap around the loupe and through the smaller keyring. Works like a charm! The loupe is instantly available and out of my way when I’m not using it, and I’ll never drop my loupe!
If you get one of the shorter reels, you’ll probably need to keep it clipped to the front of your belt or a camera or backpack strap. Come to think of it, if you’re an outdoor shooter who regularly shoots while wearing a backpack, the lighter weight reels clipped to the pack’s shoulder strap might be just great.
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My Cool Photographer’s Shirt
Posted on 3 February 2010 | No responses
A couple Christmases ago I had a photographer’s vest on my wish list, but I wasn’t really sure how much I would use it (I live in Florida and the idea of extra layers of clothes on a Florida photo shoot isn’t very appealing) and my wife knew it wasn’t very high on my list. I didn’t really expect to get the vest, so I was amazed and happily surprised when my wife got me this great photographer’s long sleeve shirt. It’s all cotton, has a vented back panel, a nice compliment of 4 pockets with Velcro closures, and this cool tether inside the upper sleeve so if you roll the sleeves up (they’re pretty loose sleeves) you can hook them in place so they don’t unroll. All in all, a very cool, sweet looking, comfortable photographer’s shirt. - I had never heard of anything like it.
I remember exclaiming, “This is sooooo cool! Where on earth did you find a photographer’s shirt?! This is great. And so much better than a vest because I can wear it in lots more situations.” She smiled at me and in her most patient, kind, loving, Christmas morning voice she said, “It’s a fishing shirt.”
I’m not a fisherman so I had no idea there was such a thing. Since then I’ve noticed that lots of folks I work with wear one to work now and then. And a wildlife photographer I really admire, Moose Peterson, has a bunch of these things and wears them almost exclusively. (On some occasions it takes me a while to grasp the obvious.) Oh, and they’re great for traveling too.
The ‘go to’ brand is Columbia and these are almost always in stock at Beall’s and all over the place online. Where we live, the items in stock locally are usually the light pastel colors, but you can order black and dark khaki online. Columbia shirts are around $45 to $50, but I’ve seen some lesser-known brands on sale for as low as $15. If you’re a photowalker or outdoor shooter, grab a few of these so you’ve got one whenever you need. And if you ever get hired to take pictures of a fishing trip, you’ll really look the part!
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Never Leave Home Without A Good Portfolio!
Posted on 2 February 2010 | 3 responses
Sales opportunities come out of thin air sometimes and if you’re ready for it, you might just get the sale. You run into people all the time, and if you’re instantly ready with a strong portfolio, you might just get a job or two you would otherwise never hear about.
In Business, There’s No Such Thing As Luck
Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement, but I truly believe that there is almost no such thing as luck. So many things people attribute to ‘getting a lucky break’ are really more like having an opportunity and taking advantage of it on the spot. Faster than anyone else can. Let me put it this way… luck never happens if you’re not ready to take advantage of it.
If You’re A Designer or Photographer…
There’s absolutely no excuse for leaving your house or office without an excellent collection of mini portfolios. The technology exists. They’re incredibly affordable and easy to use, and everyone thinks they’re cool. I’m talking about an iPhone or an iPod touch. Preferrably a Touch (even if you own an iPhone and I’ll tell you why later) but definitely not a Palm Pre or an Android or some other smartphone. It must be an iPod Touch or an iPhone because people are comfortable with them. Only gadget nerds are comfortable with the other stuff and I can tell you first hand, the slightly smaller screen and painfully slow render time to show a ’sharp’ image on the Pre will be distracting. You don’t want anything to get in the way of your smooth, sharp, pocket portfolio presentation.
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words, but Not If You Can’t See It
If you’re at a Chamber of Commerce meeting or having a conversation with someone you’ve just met at the grocery store, at your kid’s school, Read more
Check Where You’ve Been BEFORE You Look Where You’re GRowing—Avoiding Mistakes Even the Big Guys Make
Posted on 1 February 2010 | No responses
This applies to companies of all sizes but these few big examples will tell the story.
It’s as straight forward as a few rules:
1) Understand why your customers like your product(s) or services and use that information to educate your target market;
2) Give customers more of what they tell you they like by continuing to improve or expand services or features, but be sure not to take away the things they like in the process, and;
3) If you decide to chase the competition and replicate their features/services, don’t ignore your current customers or assume they’ll stick with you.
With this as a thesis, there is probably enough background material here for a complete business book and corresponding college class. It’s not my intent to explore all of the endless business case studies that support this thesis, but I’m happy to list a few here.
New Coke tasted just like Pepsi… What could go wrong?
What an incredible mistake Coke made when they introduced “New Coke!” Everybody knows the story and how Coke later released “Classic Coke” and, eventually, pulled off a huge recovery. But Coke’s big mistake was going after Pepsi drinkers with the “taste” of New Coke and thumbing their nose at current customers. I’m sure some very well paid researchers did scientifically based studies on how and why some non-Coke drinkers refused to switch to Coke and they determined it was taste. Fortunately for Coca-Cola, Read more
This Tablet Is the Wrong Prescription —for me
Posted on 29 January 2010 | 4 responses
My review of the Apple iPad… in a word… “meh” (with a shrug). — No question, Apple does tech right! The iPad is sure a hit, but it’s not for me (at least not yet).
I’ve seen all kinds of Apple faithful trumpet the strengths and the ‘haters’ slam Apple on the lack of features. Ironically, both are right.
On the down side
It does lack a few things that make it a deal-breaker for me. There’s no Flash so the ‘magical’ web browsing experience will still suck compared with any laptop or desktop. Easily 25% of the sites I visit use Flash so that’s huge. It’s like Ferrari coming out with a killer new car that you can drive everywhere but northbound roads. The price point isn’t $499. It’s nearly $1000 by the time I get a decent amount of memory, 3G connectivity, and a keyboard. It’s too big for my pocket, so it had better replace my laptop so I don’t have yet another briefcase sized thing to carry around.
Apple Innovations Aren’t Always HUGE (and I’m not talking about the Newton)
Folks who hold up the iPhone as a prime example of how Apple is brilliant and ‘haters’ just don’t ‘get it,’ might want to look at another example of Apple innovation that came out since the iPhone… the MacBook Air. I don’t know about you, but I’ve only seen ONE in all my travels in airports, to distant cities, to conventions where people pull out laptops to follow along with Photoshop lectures. I don’t even know anybody who owns a MacBook Air. Do you? It hasn’t been discontinued, but it sure isn’t the monster success I expected it would be. My initial assessment is that the iPad won’t be as successful as the iPhone or as lackluster as the MacBook Air, but it’ll probably fall somewhere in between. As features get added, more people will want one. (Come to think of it, missing features is the core problem with the MacBook Air. If the MacBook Air added FireWire 800, so I could plug in my LaCie Rugged Drive for decent, fast space, pack in 4 or 8 gigs of RAM, throw in the CD/DVD drive, keep the price under $1500, and a faster processor I’d be all over it!!)
The Target Market
So I’m not the target market. I don’t own or care in the slightest way, about the Kindle. I don’t go to the movies and I rarely rent movies to watch. I already have 3 portable devices that give me excellent access to email and the web on the road. I don’t own or even want a Netbook. Look, if I’m gonna carry a computing device in my brief case, why not buck up another couple hundies and get one that can do everything computers do? A MacBook Pro 13″ makes waaaaay more sense to me. — Well then, who is the target market? Honestly, the market is huge without me! It might be a photographer or designer who wants the coolest portable portfolio imaginable. That alone is reason enough for them to buy it. Anybody who owns or wants a netbook of some kind is the perfect target market for this thing. People who own Kindles or who buy and read lots of books are sure to salivate for the best possible ebook experience anywhere. Anybody who needs portable computing power for Office-like activities but couldn’t care less about processor-intense programs like Photoshop. In short, the market for the iPad is huge.
I might just buy one anyway
Okay Larry, you just got through saying you aren’t the target market, why would you buy one after all that? For my wife. Recently my son got some software that requires a Mac to be hooked up to his guitar amp in his room. As a result, he borrows my wife’s laptop all the time. Every evening she has to go into his room, retrieve the laptop and do her email and pay the bills. If she can do email and pay bills with a $599 iPad and we don’t have to buck up a grand for a new laptop for her, I’m good with that!
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Speedlight Batteries
Posted on 28 January 2010 | 11 responses
What AA batteries do you drop in your flashes? Alkaline? Heavy Duty? Nickel Cadmium rechargeable? Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeable? Lithium rechargeable?
According to my informal testing, Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh) rechargeable batteries give me the most shots per charge. While the new Lithium rechargeables are getting good reviews on some tech blogs and supposedly have a somewhat longer overall life than NiMh batteries, the rechargeable Lithiums are too new for me to have tested. Another problem is that they still sell at a premium and aren’t widely available. NiMh batteries are available everywhere from Walgreens to Target and they’re really affordable online.
Another great thing about the NiMh batteries is that they recycle your flash faster than anything else tested by me or the manufacturers. (Keep in mind, rechargeable Lithium may recycle faster, I don’t know, but most Speedlight manuals don’t even mention them, manufacturers haven’t officially tested them, and they might even void your warranty.) So, I’m sticking with the safer, known NiMh rechargeables.
A couple things to note
When you buy NiMh AA batteries, look for batteries with the highest Miliamps Per Hour (mAh) rating. The higher the number, the more charge they can hold. Many less expensive batteries are rated at 2100 mAh but I use 2500 and 2700 mAh batteries.
Another BIG advantage of NiMh rechargeables over Lithium rechargeables is that I bought a 15 minute Energizer brand NiMh fast charger for around $30 and I haven’t seen any such fast charger for rechargeable Lithiums yet. When it comes to getting ready for a shoot, that’s huge! I have half a dozen sets of 4 NiMh batteries and I can charge them all in 90 minutes with one charger. The same charger is also available with a car plug. (Mine is 120 volts household.)
Oh, and one final note
In my admittedly informal testing, Energizer NiMh batteries seem to last longer and be more reliable than the Duracells I bought. Maybe there’s a problem over time with the fast charging method my Energizer 15 minute charger employs that caused my Duracells to go bad, but they did. And none of my Energizers have so far.
The key to flash happiness is a good set of fully charged NiMh AA batteries and I’m sticking with my Energizers and the rapid charger. That setup hasn’t let me down yet!
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A Cool Per-Client Filing System
Posted on 27 January 2010 | 3 responses
Let’s say you’re a photographer or designer and you’re done working with a client on a particular job. It’s time to clear off your internal, working hard drive to free up working space, and save your important client files to an archive for possible future access. Most people would save those files to a hard drive and organize the files according to a particular filing system. And lots of those same people would have that hard drive mounted in one of those toaster configurations. And when the drive gets full, they’d just eject it and store it someplace safe. If that’s what you do, great!
But there’s another option I heard about a few years back and it’s actually a pretty practical way to handle client files if your typical collection of client files is under 16gigs. Put all your client files on an appropriately sized thumb drive and put it in a file folder with all of that client’s related paperwork. Those little thumb drives can be purchased for next to nothing in 2, 4, 8, and 16 gig configurations. And I’m not talking about some off brand stick. I’m talking about SanDisk Cruzers. These things are only about a buck per gig at places like Buy.com. Then the 32 gig drives are a bit more, but you could always use a couple drives.
On a cost per gigabyte scale, hard drive space is far cheaper and it holds much more data. But if a hard drive crashes, it loses far more data.
I know this solution isn’t for everyone, but it is a solid working system for lots of small businesses and it makes keeping track of individual files quite easy.
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Subtractive Lighting
Posted on 26 January 2010 | 1 response
Today’s photography blog post is painfully obvious to pro shooters and some readers might think of this information as beginner basics. And I guess it is. If you’re a pro shooter and you’ve got a good command of light-shaping tools, feel free to skip this post. We’ll see you tomorrow.
On the other hand, I know that many of my readers are hobbyists and might just appreciate my little revelation.
I remember a few years ago at a photography show I bought my first 5-in-1 reflector/diffuser. No big deal and it seemed pretty obvious what all the surfaces were for. It’s the standard setup for a 36″ diameter disk, with a zip-on sleeve that’s silver on one side and gold on the other. And when you turn the outer sleeve inside out, it has white and black. And the center disk itself is white diffusion material. (Like this 40″ reflector by Westcott).
Based on the colors, I thought I understood what their intent was. Silver reflects sunlight or flash, very bright, without changing its color. Gold warms the color of the reflected light. The white side bounces the flash or sun, but tones it down just a bit compared to the hotter reflection of the silver side. The inner diffusion material could be used to create an “artificial cloud” softening and spreading light that might be just a bit too harsh on your subject. And the black is used as a complete light blocker or “gobo.”
While all of that is true, I was watching a class on Kelby training over the weekend, taught by one of the real masters of explaining photographic lighting, and a personal friend, James Schmelzer. He did the coolest thing with a black disk, and his example pointed out exactly what was going on.
James had a model under a covered walkway on a cloudy day. As most people know, cloudy days cause a great deal of soft, scattered light and it seems to come from almost everywhere. So the problem shooting his model was Read more