Yes! New custom design, printed and mounted! I have 3 so far. One is on display at my friend Gilda’s shop, Ambassadors Formal Wear in Rivergate. She has been kind enough to let me hang one of my 20×30 matte posters mounted on gator board, on the wall, in her shop. There are a couple other fine Nashville wedding photographers who have done the same, I am just glad to be in that mix for their clientele to see! So of course if you need tux, suit, or dress rental / fitting, I encourage you to give her your business! http://www.ambassadorsformalwearbygilda.com

One of the others I have hanging in my customer presentation area where we meet to discuss weddings, etc. Will be a nice touch to showcase my wedding and bridal photography, and for the integrity of the print to make it’s presentation as well. I have yet to have the third one mounted but I plan on using that one for bridal or wedding shows. I always liked how larger prints have great presentation value, and it’s those things the discerning customer will notice. Without further ado, here is the design.

I don’t hire models as much as I used to, because the market for selling photos isn’t what it was……but if I like a certain model’s look and it works out, I still sometimes will. I often hire the good traveling models when they make their way to Nashville. When setting up that booking, we become clear on the project details, who will be present, example, assistants, stylist, etc. Also I make sure they know they are expected to sign a full model release and what I need them to bring, ID forms, etc. We agree on shoot times and discuss locations, rates, and I find out if they have preferences for refreshments, snacks, etc. Hey, gotta keep them happy and hydrated LOL. Not a difficult process, and generally I know when they aren’t serious or can’t be depended on. I always make sure we have each others’ phone contact info, and do a confirmation when they arrive into town before putting too much work into the planning and setup.

When they show up, I expect them to be freshly showered and well rested. That’s one reason I always make sure their shoot with me is the first of the day…..because if one thing creeps under my skin it’s having to perk up a lethargic model when it’s time to work. I know their work is hard, and physical, but this is a matter of respect for those hiring them that they don’t take on more shoots than they can do well…..this means allowing time for eating and sleeping and not partying the night before. I can’t say I know how to do their job, but when I hire them, I expect them to. Accurate stats, good skin, nails done, etc. are also important. But the biggest factors are showing up on time, and being well rested. With a tired model, it’s difficult to connect on camera and it’s hard for it not to show in the photos….either of those things will guarantee them to be kicked to the curb before the project is underway or finished and paid accordingly. Too many good ones to put up with that.

I learned on Windows. It never made sense how cumbersome it seemed. But I got used to it…..they own the biggest marketshare of computer users because more programs are offered for them, especially business programs, and they are better suited for gamers and what not because of compatibility. I was never happy with how any Windows machine I owned ran Photoshop and utilized it’s memory, and registries, etc. Plus the viruses and how all that slows the PC down etc. Ugh. I know there are a lot of people who use PC for Photoshop and video editing, etc. but in my own experience, and opinion, this is where Macintosh shines brightly. I had a custom built PC built about 2 years ago after a lighting storm fried my old one…..what an absolute pile of shit. It even lagged in Photoshop while using the healing brush, etc. But did fast web surfing and downloading / uploading….took it in a couple different times, no problem found.

This was affecting my livelihood now, so I went to the Apple store and got a product orientation…..and bought a Mac Pro desktop with quad core 2.66 Ghz processors, 3 gigs ram, since added more ram, 750 gb drive, all 64 bit xeon. This was almost 2 years ago mind you. 3k out the door with tax and Apple care. People might say I’m crazy for spending that much when you could buy 3 pretty stout PC’s for that. I beg to differ. I am working, not troubleshooting…..no virus scans or software, less color management, and it runs Photoshop like a champ, much faster than any PC I have used…..does amazingly fast downloads and uploads, and even their basic program, Finder, views RAW files. So if I count my time as worth something, it’s already long since paid for itself, and 2 years later hadn’t even begun to upgrade anything except some ram….and I can still install 24 more gigs LOL! I really don’t care what tool people use, as long as what they have works for them…..but I know without a doubt I have what works for me, and it was worth every penny…..and the learning curve was easy….AND everything is in applications and library, no weird file locations no one can find.

I understand some photographers’ reasoning for using a watermark or logo on images used on the web. To protect from theft or unauthorized usage by another party, for one….and to build a presence with their work, promotion, name recognition etc. Reasonable enough. I have used them in the past and am not against it….though watermarks or image stamps of any kind have no place in print work or portfolios. I have never been one for large or intrusive image logos, it really takes away from the visual appeal of the image and creates a distraction. However a well placed small tagline with your name, etc. is fine. I see it being in bad taste when it becomes too large, loud colors, distracting, and the first thing the eye goes towards as opposed to noticing the work itself first and foremost. Or when being placed anywhere in the subject area of the photo……it’s just TACKY! Now we’ve discussed reasons for it and ways to use it in a tasteful way.

Now, reasons against it. The exposure and name recognition argument is the best one in my opinion. As far as image theft….not a logical argument. Anyone who steals other peoples’ images or retouches other peoples’ images are talentless hacks. They can remove the logo without much trouble. On the other side of the equation, most web use images are 600-900 pixels on the long side. Not much you can do with any quality result to a low resolution image pulled from the web, as far as creative retouch work goes. Hacks will be hacks, image logo or not. Images I use on my site or on my Facebook page, etc. are seen by many, and they are representing my work since they are my pages…..so watermarks aren’t really needed, are they? I have used them in the past, small and subtle. The main reason why I don’t any longer use one on my images is really quite simple. Certain types of clients, which I am going after, find it tacky. Also when I had my designer create my logo as my company brand, that’s how I want to keep my company name written, with that logo. And my particular logo would have to be too large and distracting to use on web images, to be legible. And with it’s colors and shape it would be distracting on an image. So I’ve opted against it mainly for the branding reason.  And your work is what is largely responsible for being your own identifiable style.

I’m talking about things you weren’t going in there looking for…..excluding lenses and memory cards, etc. But more rather UV filters some retailers push, buying damage warranties and service plans etc. This is usually a ploy used by electronics stores or camera store chains, not so much reputable professional photography pro shops. Which speaks volumes right there! I don’t think there’s any value to either item pushed, assuming those are the 2 main ones. For one thing, with regular sensor cleaning and lens cleaning, there isn’t much maintenance to do to a digital SLR camera…..they are a repair as needed item, and the factories have good service centers should there be a problem. The chances of needing a repair during the warranty period is slim to none, when shutters are rated for over 100 k frames even on entry level DSLR’s these days. And those warranties are probably as much as the average repair. Really dumb.

About UV filters…..it’s a $20.00 piece of glass that goes in front of your lens that costs much much more. Oxymoron? Yep. Kindof. Modern SLR lenses are already UV coated, so the UV haze benefit to those filters is non existent. The only argument that works here is they can protect your lens in extreme conditions. Older lenses made for film cameras did not have that UV coating, which is why photographers could use vaseline or chap stick to create a vignette on their lens with no damage, which you cannot do on modern lenses…..for that reason also, older lenses being used on a DSLR will create a stop or so more exposure,  over the lens with UV coating, provided they have the same lens mount of course. It’s one thing if you want it for protection in extremes, but there is absolutely no other reason to buy one or use one all the time. My 2 cents. Sales pitches suck. Brought to you by your crazy Nashville wedding and portrait photographer, Jay Farrell. LOL!

Photoshop is a wonderful tool that can take care of lots of different details that can help add polish to a photograph. How Photoshop is used, and to what extent will vary with each artist / photographer. The type of Photoshop training and knowledge I personally have is to repair flaws on people and do some re-proportioning if needed…..not to manipulate backgrounds etc. I’m a photographer. That’s how I look at it…..knowing Photoshop is convenient and saves me time and money, but I do have a tier 2 retoucher for more involved jobs that my time is better suited doing other work, when she can do that type of work better and faster. But what I do myself is done well and neatly, and I don’t have to spend an excess amount of time behind the desk doing things this way.

Generally with clients, whether for weddings, headshots, portrait work etc. I do basic retouch, such as adjust contrast  / curves and make sure color is perfect, do some repair under eyes, neck wrinkles, stray hairs, shirt wrinkles, etc. All the things that aren’t super time consuming to do, repairs are subtle to where people they know won’t ask who the hell that photograph is of, LOL….and it still makes a huge difference in the final product. Any image that is over retouched and over smoothed, for almost every purpose for any client, is useless! I mostly use the healing brush and clone tools, and liquify to fix teeth a little or re proportion some. But the changes I make are subtle enough to where people who see them every day find it believable. Oh and skin texture is intact, no smoothing or overdoing whiteness of eyes and teeth. When in a client market, it’s not about what the artist thinks is cool, it’s about providing an accurate but flattering portrait of your client, that flatters them. To me, Photoshop work should be clean and traces shouldn’t be left. How a professional should deliver to his / her clients in my opinion. The photo below, there is no actual Photoshop….first I have been this raw in a while, but I felt like doing more cleanup on him would take away his character which I know him for, and how other people know and recognize him. Just did a slight curves and highlights and shadow adjustment and a conversion process to black and white.

Or learning film even after experiencing digital? The print industry really doesn’t rely on film anymore, so from that standpoint, it’s not mandatory…..so I guess results will vary. So we’ll discuss both sides of it. I think for the most part, yes, knowing how to shoot with film and a manual camera will make you a better, more resourceful, and more efficient photographer. For one thing, if you are shooting with an all manual camera, that forces you to understand how to meter and use light, and understand how apertures and shutter speeds work, how they relate to one another, and film speeds which are the analog equivalent to ISO on digital cameras. Whether shooting film or digital, knowing those things will make you a better photographer! Knowing the fundamentals is the difference between having a trip mapped out or wandering aimlessly.

Another thing that happens, is you are limited to a certain number of exposures when shooting film. My medium format uses 120 film, which usually has 12 exposures. My 35 mm can have 12, 24, or 36. So this teaches you a discipline that digital doesn’t…..to pay more attention to the framing of your shot, and make each shot count more so you don’t burn through a ton of film rolls. That’s where you will become a more efficient photographer. Plus how can you say you are passionate about something without knowing something about it’s history?  I enjoy the different feel of it, and just do it for fun sometimes…..but let’s face it, digital is more practical especially for photography jobs, weddings, etc. As for me, having experienced it, has made me a more careful and efficient shooter. Just as riding a motorcycle will make you a different driver when behind the wheel of a car, waiting tables will make you a different restaurant patron (well it should at least) etc.

Sure, we all go through problems in life, and experience some misery and tragedy. In fact “misery art” can be created during that time……in fact creating is one healing way to get past your issues and moving forward. But allowing negativity and drama to remain in your life seldom works when it comes down to getting down to business. Like meeting with clients, bidding shoots, shooting on set around people, and meeting deadlines, etc. It can also get in the way of your creative process because you are allowing your vision to be clouded, and in fact you are then taking your eye off the prize. It will affect how you do things and how others deal with you. Let me share one really awesome example, about one person’s negativity and how the rest of the group dealt with it.

Last time I was in Santa Fe for a really amazing photography workshop with a very famous and decorated photographer as instructor, there were 12 of us in the class. The first half of the day was educational and critique time….the afternoons were for shooting, in our respective teams of 3. Evenings were for presentations, editing, and retouching, and conferring with others in the class, as a certain amount of our best images were to be presented in class that next morning, no questions asked. It’s very grueling but also very rewarding, and the demand was certainly worth the education we all got from the course.  Most of us in the class were professional photographers, and there were a few advanced hobbyist photographers as well…..but everyone there was very serious about developing their photography craft! We all paid a lot of money for it and came a long way for it, (Nashville to Santa Fe was a 1300 mile flight and one hour drive from Albuquerque) so might as well be passionate about it, right? The main course requirements were good working camera equipment, knowledge and experience level  to be accepted in that course, as well as a good working laptop computer with a current version of Photoshop, to prepare images for presentation. This was well articulated.

A couple days into the class, I noticed one lady in the class, not in my group, who seemed distracted and overwhelmed but didn’t really open up to anyone. Up until that point we all worked very well together! For some reason she didn’t have images ready for presentation, and informed the instructor in a frantic manner that she was having laptop problems, and needed to sit out that day’s trip to the location shoot to sort things out, meaning personal problems. The instructor and the rest of the class was baffled. The instructor asked her why she didn’t come to anyone there for help before, as there were unlimited resources at that school! He also asked her why she would pay that much for that class if she didn’t wish to participate and complete assignments she was supposed to. She was getting defensive and he just said, that’s fine if you don’t want to join us today, but you are also letting your group down by not being there and participating…..and if you were shooting for a magazine or other advertisement, and had a deadline you didn’t meet, you’d not get work from them or that ad agency again! She fretted and walked out and stayed in solitude that day…..not sure what she accomplished except stewing…..she attended a few courses back to back which is not recommended and alluded to the fact when I went to her dorm room later that night that she had personal trouble etc. I just tried to encourage her to pull her head out the mud and focus on why she is here, and join us for dinner. Nope. Well, I made up my mind that I tried, and I was going to forget about it. Once she told me the instructor was insensitive, I quickly told her, no he is not…..you didn’t do your job and you wallowed in self pity rather than reaching out to the many who would have, and would still be glad to help you….I politely left her company and went to the group to prepare my images.

One interesting thing is that not one person in the group really seemed affected by her behavior, and were done feeling sorry for her because all the rest of us had our eye on the prize. She remained pretty uncooperative for the rest of the course but we all blocked it out pretty well by then. Even the people in her group said that if she’s going to breed negative energy in their group, they were fine with doing the same. I really hope she ended up being ok, but my point is this…..that course was the coming together of true professionals, and no one was going to hinder their experience…..if she sought help, she’d have had an abundance of it. Since she was insolent, people avoided her. This applies to a lot in life……but I know that in terms of creating and doing business, mindset can make or break you.

When I paid off credit card debt last time, I had emergency veterinary surgery to cover, and did not yet have savings / emergency fund to cover that unexpected bill. So I had no choice but to use a credit card…..and I just now recently dug myself out of THAT ordeal, so I am once again credit card debt free. YAY! My thinking prior to listening to his show, was, well…..why wouldn’t you just knock out that debt and then build your emergency fund, to cover 3-6 months expenses? I found out why, when that veterinary emergency occurred. His program advises you to build $1000.00 in savings / emergency fund before even finalizing your debt. I had to scratch my head about that at first…..but I learned first hand why. $1000.00 is a start, and it will cover the average emergency…..like an unexpected car repair, water heater goes out, washer or dryer craps out…..etc. And you don’t have to use debt as an avenue to fix that problem. When you’re done, you’re done…..once you do that, it greatly reduces the chance you will have to use a credit card again before or after you pay off your debt. Plus you feel a sense of peace knowing you have some cushion.

That’s the step I am currently on. So now my goal is to increase my emergency fund, and then increase my Roth IRA contributions. It’s funny how you are less likely to spend your own money rather than someone else’s, hence the credit card companies LOL! That way, I need a new lens, I use my savings and replenish the funds as I generate income. No interest to pay, no idiots on the phone, done deal.

For a while, years ago, I had too casual of an attitude about credit cards, and used them to help build my photography business, and cover unforeseen expenses and gradually chop away at them. Some of which I had no choice but it didn’t have to get as out of control as it got. I quickly saw that making even double the minimum payment would take years to get me out…..and I quickly saw how much of my money was getting sucked up by them. I remember at their peak seeing $150.00 a month in interest. I made up my mind by that point, I was sick of it and would pay it off, whatever I had to do…..and what sacrifice I had to make. It meant getting really creative what outlets I would find work, and even doing some retouching work on the side…..which I still do have one retouching client that helps provide a little filler income while I don’t have shoots to work on, fills the gap. After about 4 years of hard work and hustle, and sacrifice, which robbed some of my life, I got out of credit card debt. To mail that last check felt amazing, and I think the thing that makes me feel the most satisfaction is that I’ll never have to talk to another idiot in a cubicle 500 miles away ever again! That and not even knowing what I owe for, just knowing I do owe.

I have also gotten some help from the Nashville based Dave Ramsey show on the radio, which teaches financial peace. His slogan at the top of every hour is “debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid off home mortgage takes the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice”! I listened to that over and over as I got closer and thought…..hey, I don’t want to be dumb anymore! LOL.  Having that hellish debt paid off will free up a bit of money at the end of the month. According to this article, the average American household has $14,000.00 plus credit card debt. http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-card-industry-facts-personal-debt-statistics-1276.php And if you think about it…..at that balance, the way interest compounds, it’s not like paying a simple interest loan…..they can raise the interest rate anytime they want, up to around 29% I think. Then you have to hope you can get a balance transfer from a lower interest card, and pay 3-4% transfer fee. Your credit score will suffer if your debt to income ratio is too high, therefore costing you the good rates. These credit card companies have been luring people in for years, and giving people far greater credit lines than they should even qualify for. The whole, you work hard, you deserve it mentality is what causes people to lose their brain…..I’ve been there. Thankfully not nearly as bad as some of Dave Ramsey’s callers have had, up to 6 figures of credit card debt and no real way to pay it. Just no way to live.

So, the more settlements they have to make, the more it costs those who are trying to be responsible and pay as scheduled. The way interest compounds, it could take longer to pay off a $15,000 credit card if making close to minimum payment, than it would to pay off a 30 year mortgage. How dumb is that? Really the only way out, is to generate extra income, cut expenses and chop away, diligently. Just say no to these idiots.

It’s only natural for any artist, not excluding photographers to have their sources of inspiration, and it’s essential for their own development. Like an emerging guitarist would probably be inspired by Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix, etc.  Same with photographers or any other type of artist. That basically means you appreciate certain, or all aspects of how they capture their work……whether it’s their technical or lighting quality, ability to bring out amazing moods in their subject matter, ability to create amazing images with simple setup (a big one for me), ability to capture life, etc. But not to try to BE that person. We all have to find our own style and methods, and be unique in our own ways of capturing our work. Trying to imitate someone else or duplicate their style will only lead to failure, disappointment, and being handicapped with what you do…..but using certain qualities you learn from them to shape your work is a good thing in my opinion. To test this theory, get 3 different photographers to try to duplicate a certain image with the same subject matter, or model…..and you will still see differences in the 3.

Now I will tell you about 3 different legendary photographers of the past who inspire me. This time I will not mention those I have met and learned from, just to make the point that you can still learn from and be inspired by intangible sources.  Because of my street photography background which was a hobby in my earlier days, Henri Cartier-Bresson is very inspiring to me. Talk about great reflexes and ability to capture life, in such a way most of us miss it.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Cartier-Bresson . Also Diane Arbus. Dark analytical mind, and she had the ability to capture the most interesting characteristics in her subjects…..and wasn’t afraid to get to know her subjects and even patronize them just to get the photo she wanted you to see. Not afraid to capture socially offensive subject matter. A true master.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Arbus . And George Hurrell. Truly amazing Hollywood Photographer who had such great lighting skill, I really can’t say enough about how many today can’t make nearly the same impact with their photos, with all the Photoshop in the world….. http://www.google.com/images?q=george+hurrell&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=GWH&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivnso&source=lnms&tbs=isch:1&ei=BbRzTduFKsqDtwej-ujqDg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CAwQ_AUoAQ&biw=1680&bih=897

Here are a couple street photography images of mine that I shot at a fairly recent street festival, with my old 6×6 Yashica Medium Format. Just the occasional fun outing to relive what brought me to the dance.

These days there’s no excuse for not having good ones, and plenty for backup as the price has gone down dramatically over the past several years……I can remember paying $300.00 for a 1 GB Hitachi Microdrive for my Digital Rebel, back in ’03 when I was new to digital photography. These days it may cost a tenth of that LOL! Microdrive cards had faster write speed, but the down side was they have moving parts inside rather than a solid state unit……they were cheaper but more fragile…..if you drop them, that’s pretty much it.When they were still ridiculously expensive, I used to buy used CF cards off Ebay and accumulate several 2 GB cards just to have and use, and in case of a corrupt card, which happened more then, I didn’t lose everything…..Now I just prefer to buy new since they are affordable.

Now we are not bound to those options. There are better cards with faster write speed and better data recovery programs if a card should go corrupt. The write speed relates to how fast the buffer on your camera and your memory card records the images as you shoot…..especially in the event of rapid fire shooting or using burst / continuous mode. Fast write speed does make a difference and it’s worth paying for. And these days, not much more. I always recommend Sandisk Extreme series cards……for example my 8 GB Extreme III has a 60 MB per second write speed. Which in most cases, is really fast and more than ample. My approach these days is to rotate out my most used ones every 3 years or so, and sell them on Ebay or Craigslist while they work fine, and buy new ones……mainly as a precaution to preserve important data for my customers, especially for wedding photography and commercial shoots that I am on site and this is a no-do-over event. Just less chance of failure and it’s a cheap insurance policy that I am protecting my customer’s shoot. And again, having backup cards along with backup of other types of gear…..can’t say enough about how important that is for a professional photographer.