That axoim has held true here on the blog too.  Time and time again, people have told me not to worry about how often I publish posts, but rather to make sure that when I do post – the article provides good quality.  You don’t want to view lame photos and read articles that don’t have a lot of thought put into them.  So, when I get busy at work, or am otherwise unable to give this site the attention it needs, readership tends to understand that while I may be gone periodically – I always come back, and it’s almost always good content.

Today, I’d like to share two stores:

Story # 1 – Basil’s Italian Restaurant in Corbin, KY

Our first story is the result of a recent training trip to that neck of the woods.  The clients I was training asked where I’ve been staying and where I’ve been eating.  When I first started this gig, I was hesitant to share that info – until I realized that they were politely suggesting that they had good ideas for where to eat and visit.  I started tuning in and have been getting recommendations across the country. Sometimes, in fact, I’ve attended a restaurant blindly.

This night was no exception.  I arrived at the place at 7:20, palette readily salivating for some good pasta.  I go in and the place, while nice, appears deserted.  I must admit I was disappointed because it came so highly recommended.  The place is a one-man shop, and he prides himself on his food from what they say.  The next thing I know this “one guy” – Chef Richard – comes out and apologizes but says they are closed.

I acknowledge my oversight at not arriving sooner or checking their hours (they close at 7 because it’s in a residential neighborhood).  I start to head out when he rattles off a few items (7 total) that he could whip up quick for me if interested.  I don’t want to be a bother because this guy must be tired after a long day.  We exchange a little dialogue, and the next thing I know, he is pulling me into the restaurant because he WANTS me to try their lasagne.

Only after being repeatedly assured that it’s not a problem, I take a seat in the otherwise almost empty place (there were a few people lingering at the bar).  I order a merlot, and nosh on some garlic bread until the lasagne arrives.  Oh.  My. God.  My mouth had died and gone to heaven!  You know that taste of Italian – when it’s good but almost instantly when the acidic nature of the tomatoes hits your throat?  It burns a little, right?  This had the taste without the acid.  It was amazing!

On top of that, Chef Richard and I ended up hugging briefly as I left 90 minutes later.  I felt like I had made a true new friend.  He genuinely wanted me to experience a wonderful and delicious meal, which I did!

The place was obviously closed, yet they went out of their way to provide both wonderful good food and stupendous service.  And one man basically did it all!

*****

Story #2 – The Pink Slip, hotel restaurant in Nashville, TN

The Pink Slip

Our second story was at the Pink Slip in the well-esteemed Hotel Preston in Nashville.  I hear from the shuttle driver that their in house restaurant is available, so I decide to try it.  The velvet walls, female lounge lizard singer and guitarist try to evoke “jazz” but really only brings to mind “porn”.  Yet it’s been mentioned, so I ask for a menu… The bar-maid (ironically, named “Bar”bara), takes a beer or something out to another table, gets another pair of gals a drink and a menu, then finally comes back to me 5 minutes later with a menu.  I hear her rattle off some off-menu items to the gals and make a mental note to ask about the burger.  Another 5 minutes go by and she finally gets back to me.  Yeah, I can get the burger.

Do I want a beer?  Fat Tire draft please – been a long week.  A cursory nod, a beer is drawn and brought over.  She tunes into Modern Family on the TV (a repeat by the way) as it starts up.  Meanwhile the over-amped lounge lizard belts out some 90′s Madonna tunage.  Oddly, (during a commercial) she asks if I am ready – uh, yeah, I ordered the burger?  She nods and goes back to put the order in that I’d requested about ten minutes ago.  I sip the brew, and about half way through, while sipping and reviewing email, ask for a glass of water, figuring the food is just about ready.

The water empties, and the beer disappears.  Finally, the food comes, and while it’s not great, it’s not inedible.  I scarf it down because the atmosphere is starting to give me a headache. Within 10 minutes I am done, and wait to get a check.  Modern Family is almost over though, so I wait some more – I don’t want to interrupt, but will definitely make a note if she looks over.  Finally, she looks over and I quickly ask for the receipt.  She walks over and asks if I want some dessert – no thanks just a check please.

The bar was clearly open for business, had the grill on, yet I never felt less welcome in an establishment.  The burger was on par with McDonalds – you could tell it was pre-made then heated and slapped on a bun before being tossed out to the side of the customer.

This place was almost like they were going out of their way to send the message that they had something more important to attend to than a customer – a repeat TV show.

*****

Which would you rather visit?  Now granted, the food at the latter was not worth writing about, but the service sure was!  Where content is king online, service is king in restaurants!

How does this relate to photography?  Simple.  You are only as good as you make your clients feel.  There is so much competition out there these days – I can get good photographs from anyone.  If you make me feel special though, you will stand out above the crowd.  If you seem genuinely interested in me, it makes me feel special (even though I know I’m just another Joe…), and that can make you stand out.  It takes dedication, passion and a lot of work, but the amount of passion you put into your work is directly proportional to your success.

But when you deliver just average photos, and seem bothered that the person is preventing you from working a larger gig (or table) and otherwise just not interested in even getting to know you, that can be bad for business.  You may get a reputation as an ass.  Which will kill the business first – your average photos or your poor attitude?  While content may be king online, attitude is everything in small business.

Most photo gigs are small business.  Remember the moral of the story here when you get a customer.  Big or small, single or simple order, treat everyone special and you will succeed.  Otherwise, you are doomed to fail.

While clearly we all start in the craft because we love it as a form of expression.  We are captivated by capturing the moment, painting a scene with light and color.  if we learn the craft well enough, and our eye gets discerning enough, others may ask us to take pictures for them!  Or even better, ask if they can have a copy of something we’ve already done.  Praise is a wonderful ego boost and source of flattery, and while we all may mask it with self-deprecating remarks, humor, or coyness – no one likes the compliment better than someone who wants to pay them for their work!

“Getting paid to do something you love” is an oft-quoted sentiment, as is the idea that “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life”.  But, truth be told, if you make your living in photography, there is going to be a certain amount of pressure to perform – or produce results.  And the minute to take something you love and try to earn a living at it – the pressures of running the business side will reduce the passion you have for the subject.  It’s the nature of the beast.  You have to eat.  You have to have shelter.  If you can’t afford those two necessities, how much will you really “love” working as a professional photograper?

The shot today is a perfect example…I absolutely love this shot:

From a critique perspective, this is a horrible shot.  The angle is all wonky, the horizon isn’t straight, there is really no subject, and I probably butchered the saturation in post production.  But, for me…when I was canoeing with my family this last summer, we were cooling off in Raquette Lake, and I was sipping a lukewarm beer.  My brother and brother-in-law were to my left and right…the nephews were out galavanting around being pirates or whatever young kids pretend on trips like this.  We were cut off from the world (well, not really, but as close as one can get since there was no cell reception, and only a 9-5 Park Ranger available to sell you firewood at $5 a bundle)., and this shot reminds me of that day.  I loved that day, and for that reason, I love this shot!

This shot will never sell though – for no one else except those on this trip, this shot is meaningless until now.  I cannot make anything off of this picture.  Yet I feature it today on the blog because I took this shot for fun…

The comparison shot I am about to show you actually sold for me on iStock.  Now granted, it’s not like I’ve made a ton of money off of it (it only sold once or twice), but it actually sold!

I was on a photo walk, scouting out areas for the South Carolina Photography Guild (now defunct),  and the shadow of the guy on the crane, along with the wet bricks from where he was repairing and cleaning the masonry work just stuck out for a reason.  I took it from a few angles and this one was the best of the 3 or 4.  In the end, it was kind of a boring shot, but it was pretty tack sharp, and when I opened my first iStock account ages ago, figured it’d be a good sample to submit to show I had enough of a grip to consider stock work.  The image was approved, along with 4 or 5 others, and my istock account was opened.  Within a few days, there was a sale on this shot.  Do I like it?  Not really.  It’s probably on some construction workers website, or someone wanted it for a church bulletin, or a school project or other long-since completed project.  It doesn’t really inspire me though.

Which image brought me more satisfaction?  Which one brought you more?  Would you pay huge amounts of money for either shot?  Probably not.  I wouldn’t either.  Thus, this is the dilemma we face.

It’s no secret that most photographers don’t make huge amounts of money.  Yet, somehow the ability to say that “I am a professional photographer” is something said often with a sense of pride.  Is it because you know the crap out of pixels, shutters, and apertures?  Or is it because you made 50.1% of your revenue from photography last year?  Or is it because you love to hear the sound of the click?  Last but not least, could it be the excitement at seeing something you made come out beautifully on either a printed tangible piece of paper or in a web page…saying “this is my artistic vision that I want to share with you”.  Why do you take pictures?  What motivates you?

1.  Shoot time versus business time

2.  Shoot time versus continuing education

While each consideration is valid in its own right, my problem as I have these conversations more and more is that photographers are always look at them in an A or B scenario.  The truth of the matter is, nothing ever really occurs in a vacuum.  We can have conversations that start with the platitude of “All else being equal…” with the best of intentions.  But, if you think about it, do things ever happen like that?  Of course not!

So, why do we always look at A versus B scenarios?  A successful photographer is best served (at least I think), by considering all three of the above facets at the same time.  The same holds true in other sectors too.  You have to spend time in all three or else you will find one (if not more) of three things happening:

Stop Shooting

If you stop shooting, you get rusty.  You get out of practice.  You forget how to do some of the advanced things that got you to where you are in the first place.  Mastering your gear means staying on top of it, and like anything else in life, you either use or it lose it.  There’s no two ways about this.  I’ve heard people say that shooting is like riding a bike – once you learn, you never forget.  While there may be a modicum of truth to that, I can promise you that if you’ve not ridden a bike in ten years, your first few outings may be a little wobbly.  You may have the basics down pat as that part is rote, but the rest only comes back with continued use.  The same holds true across any discipline.  This is why the best athletes in the world are training year round (there never really is an off-season for NFL, MB, NBA, or NHL players.  They are the best of the best because they are always practicing.

Whether it’s football, baseball, basketball, hockey, or even cycling – the serious ones are always training:

Stop marketing

If you don’t spend any amount of time marketing, promoting, and working on the business side of things, you may be one of the best shooters in the world, but no one is going to know you very well.  It’s one thing to tweet and Facebook or Google chat with your friends and colleagues, but it’s another thing entirely to cold call or submit proposals to businesses for photographic needs.  If you don’t submit your work or get any buzz out there about your work to other businesses on a regular basis, then you are likely leaving business opportunities behind.  Clients don’t just line up at your door waiting for you to answer, and while some may fall backwards into prime opportunities, most only get there with hard work and persistence.  If you stop being persistent in your business, then it won’t be much of a business.  So, keep at the business side too!

Stop Learning

Probably one of the most needed, least justified, and most difficult things to address is continuing education.  It’s ongoing, never ending, and sometimes the most difficult thing to address.  I’ve seen so many photographers who have reached a certain degree of skill and success who fall into this trap and think “Who is gonna teach me about software or composition?  I know what I’m doing!”  The ego is a fragile thing for photographers, and its important to be cognizant of this.  If you close your mind to learning new things, or consider learning resources as ones that are “beneath” you, there are likely opportunities being left behind.  The best example I can think of here is the film to digital transition.  Many film shooters failed to recognize the benefits of digital and these old school success stories became the ones trying to catch up once the worm had turned and everyone was going digital.  Early adopters were able to stay current and stay relevant.  Stragglers are now struggling to keep up.

If you don’t stay current, and don’t keep fine tuning your talents (because we are always learning no matter who we are), then I promise that you will begin to fade.  Not learning also means that you are not staying on top of new trends and needs of the market.  It’s important to do things like attend seminars, workshops, and to read!  (Yes, I said read!)  There are so many resources out there that it can be tough to whittle things down to the best resources to learn from, and while some are better than others, there’s good material out there everywhere.

*****

So, whether it’s shooting time to keep your skills up, business time to keep things afloat, or learning to stay on top of new and trending markets, it’s important to balance all three of these.  Do I have a magic number or proportion that will fit for everyone?  Of course not – this formula is not a static number, and will change depending on not only the person, but where you are.  If you’ve spent the last 4 years in a photo school, the practice and education are likely good for a while, but the business needs attention.  Likewise, someone who’s at the five year mark may need to consider getting in a few workshops or conferences to get up to speed on current trends and market shifts.

What formula do you need?  Only you can really know what the best thing to focus on next should be.  The important thing though is to make sure you keep your skin in the game – on all fronts!  Where you go from here is up to you, but hopefully today’s post has given you food for thought!

With that in mind, what are your thoughts?  Are there other factors here?  Sound off in the comments with your own ideas on how to keep current and stay afloat.  As is always the case, you gotta keep shooting, so don’t forget that part of it, and we’ll see you back here next time!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

On the flip side, as a photographer, I am also a small business owner.  This means that I take deductions on my taxes for using part of my house.  I take partial deductions on the mortgage, utilities, internet, phone, and car.  Heck, I even am entitled to take deductions on equipment (depreciation and all that).  It’s just good business sense.  The money I save from that has found its way into a retirement fund (a pittance really, but still – I’ve invested in the stock market).

So, in that vein, the conservative platform usually will try to reward investors by limiting capital gains taxes, while the other side of the aisle tends to prefer to tax those profits I’ve made on investments.  Call me crazy, but I don’t think I should have to pay taxes on my investments.  After all, I’ve paid taxes on my income.  I then take that income and invest it, why should I be taxed again because I happened to make a smart investment that made money?  I don’t think so.  So, that means I should shy away from the Democratic platform then, right?

It’s really an odd position to be in, because I don’t really identify with either party – either Republican or Democrat.  I consider myself more of a libertarian – conservative on fiscal issues, liberal on social issues.  Neither party really represents me.  Has anyone ever thought of how many people fit into this niche?  One where your interests really aren’t represented by either party?  I am thinking now about anyone who identifies as either an Independent, Libertarian, Tea Party, Green Party, or any other party not represented in the coming election.  Who are we supposed to vote for?  After all – we need to vote, right?  it’s our civic duty!  What if neither party really has our interests at heart?  Don’t vote?  That’s a tough pill to swallow.

In my mind, if we don’t participate, we really don’t have a right to complain, and I’ve got some complaining to do!  That means I have to vote!  But who gets the nod?

It’s definitely a quagmire and there’s obviously a lot more to it than that, but when you look at it from the perspective of a photographer – there are points that make me lean toward Obama, and others that make me lean back toward Romney.  I keep hearing that it’s a critical election, so this time more than ever, my vote may count (I live in a swing state).  I’d love to hear others thoughts on this.  Very few photographers talk politics, and it’s probably worth discussing.  You don’t necessarily have to tell me who you are going to vote for – but what issues are big on your mind these days?  Raising cost of living?  Taxes?  Copyright?  Gas prices?  There’s a lot to consider, and I know the presidency doesn’t really control all of it, but something tells me this election will matter more, and I want to make the right decision.

Help me decide who to vote for in 2012…

So, while the video was masterfully compiled of all these snippets from Disney movies, and brings up good points about the current laws, the overall message is that copyright has gone overboard!  They say through the compilation that Copyright used to last only 14 years.  More recently, copyright has been extended to the lifetime of the owner +70 years and companies retain copyright for over 100 years.  The message given here is that “there seems to be no limitation on how long copyright can last.”  Instead, the message is that converting work to the public domain (free for use and derivative works) is an important .  A couple lines are rather interesting:

1.  Having to pay someone for use of their copyright protected work is all about money…”I prefer to think of it as capitalism”

2.  Hear that sound?  It’s the sound of your freedom fluttering out the window…

3.  The Public Domain is necessary for a living, thriving society

4.  Copyright seems to be getting longer and there seems to be no limitation on how long copyright lasts

I started shifting in my stance a little – because initially I was laughing quite a bit at the parody (and at the skill/time it took to produce the video), to realizing that some of the sentiments meant I would lose ownership of my own work if some of these ideas were to come to pass.  Conversely, it also struck me that I use a lot of Public Domain and Open Sourced content myself.  Is it fair/right to sit on both sides of this debate?  Something in me says no.  So, I asked myself the question?  How long should someone retain copyright over their work before it becomes available for public use without compensation?  Wow!  I’d never really thought about the number.  A couple numbers came to mind:  Does 14 sound long enough?  What about that other one – the lifetime + 70 rule?  Maybe something in the middle?  The lifetime of the owner?  Perhaps 50 years?  75 years? 25 years?  There’s no easy answer, is there?  What do you think?  How long should  copyright last?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

The other little nugget is that if you liked the ebook update, you can help me let others know about it, and get in on “the action” yourself.  For everyone you refer over that buys a copy (whether they use a discount code or not), you’ll get a little kick back.  Since it’s only $4.99 normally, I’m saying thanks to those who are helping me promote the book with a 20% buy-in.  So, for each referral sold, that’s $1 back to you!

Simply hit the Affiliate Program link either here, or at the lower left corner of the main blog page!  Enjoy the reading, let me know what you think about the iPad, and help out with a few referrals – every dollar helps!  Happy shooting all and we’ll see you back here next week!

Affiliate Program

(You’ll be directed to an affiliate link that gives you an affiliate number and a way to get your own unique code to give to others for getting 49 Photo Tips – The Sequel – no purchase necessary, no sign ups, hidden fees or anything, just a buck a referral paid out via Paypal at the end of every month!)

Share with your family, friends, colleagues, whomever – I’m really interested to see where people are in this whole smart phone deal…have a great weekend!

ETA:  Sorry all, the polling service starting spamming the blog with some pretty unrelated questions so it’s been deleted.  I was looking to see how many people listened via iTunes, via PLM, or direct download…thanks!

For those that do not listen to the show,  there are a few questions I would like to ask you too.  First off, why don’t you?    Seriously though – I realize that not everyone has the time to listen to podcasts, or the resources to afford things like iPods, Touches, and iPhones, and all that stuff.  So, for the non-listening audience (just blog readers), I am trying to come up with ideas for you too.  So, here’s a chance to tell me what you want! Sound off in the comments with your ideas too – things always change and it’s the reader and listener interest that keeps me in touch, so let me know what other types of material you would like to see!  Is it more contests?  More interviews?  Worksheets and practical exercises?  Workshops and seminars?  All are options (and anything else you have in mind).  I’ll check back in on Monday to see what everyone has to say.  Happy shooting and have a great weekend!

Now in week 22, see if you can identify the latest picture of the day for the “What’s This?” series shown above.  Lastt week’s shot as a constructio garbage chute from the inside.  As promised I am including an exterior shot today so everyone can see what they look like from a “normal” perspective.

In other news, don’t forget the poll on the sidebar!  We’re at 30 votes and counting – let’s see if we cna break that 50 mark!  I also noticed that the feed readers are now over 500, and CB also hit a new one day high of 572!  Very exciting stuff to see that many people enjoying the blog.  Tomorrow’s Thursday Thoughts is none other than Rob Jones ot Towner Jones Photography.  You may recall he asked me to guest post on his blog a few weeks ago, so I invited him to come in here and do the same!  He’s got some great insights to share too, so be sure to stop back for that.  Until then, happy shooting!  Hope all your shots are good ones

So, what can I afford?  Well, believe it or not, the significant other has asked for a camera for Christmas!  That’s right – I am winning her over, she’ll become a member of the dark side soon.  So, in the spirit of the Christmas lists that I started last week with cards, this week, I am suggesting one of three different price buster point and shoots.  One actually is not a Canon camera!  My picks for consumer P&S cameras this year are:

• The Canon G10
• The Lumix LX3
• and the Canon A590

Okay, so the G10 isn’t exactly entry level, but it’s super sweet!  The blogo-sphere seems to have settled down about the in-camera processing that the Lumix does to correct for barrel distortion and chromatic abberation, so the LX3 is back in people’s good graces.  The A590 also made my list primarily because of the feature set it has relative to it’s price (it comes in at just a hair over $100!)

So, when combined with the list from last week, there are now six items on my Holiday Guide!  I’ll get another four added here soon to give you a full top ten, but for those keeping score, here’s what I have thus far:

1. Personalized Gift Cards
2. Memory Cards
3. Christmas Cards (share the holiday cheer on a budget)
4. Canon G10
5. Lumix LX3
6. Canon A590

In other photography news, I am working on the photography site some more to really get a new look in place and I’ve got a new header to set the tone.  Feel free to stop over and take a gander.  Then, come back and tell me what you think!  I am listening in the comments, on the Twitter, and via email.  Don’t forget to vote in the poll – we’re on pace to shatter the previous record!

That’s it for today – I’ll be back tomorrow with the weekly audio podcast series, so be sure to stop in for that.  Until then, happy shooting!

• Making Money in Photography
• The Value of Social Networks
• and some Free Web Resources that you may have missed

I also take the usual spate of reader/listener questions (great ones this go around, so thanks and shout outs to Marcus, Krista, and Nick! In the future, send me links to your websites so I can return the generosity on the podcast and here on the blog post. For now though – thanks! So, share your questions, comments, and feedback through the many opportunities here at the blog and via email.

A couple of show notes:

The 1st segment is a more detailed look from yesterdays post on “The Cost of Doing Business“, and talks about the details involved in creating a business plan.

The 2nd Segment looks at the value of social networking, so naturally here, I will suggest you stop by and say hi to me on The Twitter, LinkedIn, and through the various forums I participate in.

And last but not least, on the subject of freebies, my apologies for the two contest mentions from Popular Photography, but they have since closed (I hate it when they don’t indicate that at the source page!), sorry! Dave Cross blog can be found here though, and Scott Sherman/Michael Stein’s podcast can be found here. Anyway, thanks for stopping in, and as always, share your feedback, comments, and ideas either in the comments or via email.

That’s it for today, don’t forget to vote in the latest sidebar poll at the blog! Hope all your shots are good ones… happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

[podcast]http://www.canonblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/CBPodcast60.mp3[/podcast]

Also as a reminder, today is the last day to participate in the contest poll – we’re sitting right at 19 votes thus far, so do stop in to the blog and share your thoughts by participating – it’d be super cool to see that vote tally get up over the 30 mark!

We got our first wave of snow overnight last night, and the dusting was just enough to remind me of how beautiful the winter months can be.  Once we’re completely settled in and I am back out shooting more often, I have a feeling the blog will be a venue for much of this photography.  So, there’s a prediction of things to come.

I’ll leave this Friday on that note, along with your weekly episode of What the Duck:

Enjoy the weekend, Happy Shooting, and we’ll see you back here Monday morning!

As always, those who correctly identify the image from this cropped portion win fabulous prizes, win fame and fortune, money, money, money, and lots of photo gear and software….yeah okay, that part’s not true…but you do get bragging rights!

Some of you may have noticed that there is now a widget on the sidebar for my twitter account.  It’s kind of fun actually and I can see how so many are addicted.  I’m trying to post there more regularly, but cannot guarantee a lot of activity.  It’s really just daily stuff – work stuff, occasionally photo-related, but if you want a glimpse of the “personal me”, that would be the place to find out.

Also, don’t forget – today is the last day to vote in the TWIP photo contest.  The prize is a 1st generation Drobo.  I am currently in 7th place for vote tallies, so any help would be appreciated (not that I expect to win or anything, but stranger things have happened…)  The link to vote is here (you have to have a Photrade account)

In other news, be sure to stop in tomorrow for the latest Thursday Thoughts with Jason D. Moore!  Thanks in advance to Jason for taking the time to sit down with me and talk about a variety of photography subjects.  It really was an informative session and I learned a little more about him (which of course is the goal…).  If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming edition of Thursday Thoughts, and get some free referrals to your blog, let me know in the comments or via email and we’ll see what we can work out to help one another!

Well, that’s it for this Wednesday. Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow with Jason D. Moore!

First off, thanks to the 27 people who participated in the last poll on whether the economic downturn was shaping their photo purchases.  The results were pretty even:

The new poll is now up and on the side panel, so for the RSS readers, be sure to visit the blog to see the question and possible answers, as well as participate!  It’d be really cool if a poll broke the 50 count barrier this go around, so let’s ROCK THE VOTE!

In other “me” news, the photo contest over at TWIP (This Week In Photography) only has three days left, and every vote counts.  Again, the photo is listed in the side panel, but you can visit the Photrade site directly to vote by following this link here:

Since this last weekend was a particularly non-photo themed weekend, there’s not much else to share for now.  Tomorrow will be another day with a new podcast and other photo news and information, so be sure to stop back in then.  Happy Shooting, watch those apertures, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Oh, sorry, this is a photo blog, not a football one!

Okay, here’s the latest and greatest from CB. First and foremost, CB Episode #55 went up today. I took about twenty minutes to talk about off-camera lighting. I looked at the radio transmitters available, infrared transmitters and a number of different companies that deliver products. Pricing from various websites was also reported. As prices may change, and sales may happen, those are approximate according to the date of publication. So, if you have questions about off-camera flash, this may be a good starting point. I look at everything from PocketWizards to Cybersyncs, Skyports and more. It’s about a 20 minute listen, but chock full of information, so download it and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments – I’d really like to hear what people think of the “new format”.

Other news from CB – the header is updated! I’ve got new header shots rolling out every day this week, so make sure you visit the blog and look at the new images (this is for all you RSS readers out there). For the regular visitors, you may also notice that I finally took some time to sit down and add some of the common links above the header, so now you have quick access to The Online Photography Test (more questions and ideas are needed for the “Expert exam”, not linked like yet), the Colors and Textures Gallery, and my own website of personal photography work.  Finally, I also added a link to the  CB Flickr group (I’d love to see some more members sharing photos and ideas). Pretty cool stuff that I am happy to finally have in place. Thanks go out to Erik Bernskiold of Bernskiold Media for taking some time to jog my memory on the particulars of HTML editing – it’d been a while.

As promised, here are the links from the show (a.k.a. show notes):

• Pocket Wizards (B&H) $380
• Elinchrom Skyports (B&H) $180
• Alienbees Cybersyncs (Alienbees) $130
• Cactus Triggers (Gadget Infinity) $25-$50
• Nikon (B&H)
• Canon (B&H)

As I said in the show, I’m migrating from the ST-E2 from Canon to the Cactus transmitters. If you’d like to hear a follow-up episode on my experiences when I am done, let me know and I’ll try to get that “in the can” too.

Well, that was just a ton of information for a Tuesday, so I’ll leave things at that, and let everyone come back tomorrow rejuvenated for the Wednesday “What’s This?” Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

P.S.  Don’t forget the poll on the sidebar or the Photrade contest – both are ending soon so get your votes in today!

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Turns out there are some LR issues with a few tools and with XMP sidecar files versus database entries.  If this is all gibberish to you, then don’t worry you are probably fine.  For the more technically inclined though, their readme file is something to look at before you upgrade ACR this go-around.

Linked here

Proof positive that the old adage of “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” can still apply in a modern world.  If you don’t have a specific need for the update (a very recent camera purchase), I’d hold off until the next update ships as this could break Lightroom to a degree, as well as prevent respecting of previous edits if you use the database option for XMP data.

In more CB-specific news, the last poll finally wrapped up today.  With 30 responses, here was the final tally:

The newest poll is now up on the sidebar.  2 weeks does seem to return more meaningful information as that gives people enough time to respond.  Feel free to chime in at your leisure.  The question is:  Does the current economic downturn had an impact on new photography-related purchases?  For those reading in feed readers, stop in to see the options and vote!  Let’s try to crack the 50-count this go around!

On a lighter note, the WTD series this week was really pretty darn funny.  Here’s my favorite:

Have a great weekend everyone, Happy Shooting, and we’ll see you back here Monday morning!

Well, as a temporary release, I’ve put a few together using the Auto-viewer format.  It has naturally been customized a little, but is up and viewable right now!  Check out the images I’ve included here:  CB Photo Galleries They are mostly images of colors and textures thus far with a few other test images thrown in to determine sizing.  Hopefully I’ll get all the full versions from “What’s This?” incorporated soon too.  Feedback, comments, and suggestions on this are not only welcome, but encouraged.  Ideally I will be setting up a dedicated website for this material at some point too (provided there’s enough interest).  So, what do you think?  Don’t quit my day job?  Good idea?  Yawner?  Sound off in the comments!  Here’s a few sneak previews of what’s in the gallery right now:

In other news, I got word from Michael Johnston over at The Online Photographer that his final post on “Must Have Photography Books” has been published.  Like an oracle, when he suggests a book, it quickly sells out, so be sure to stop over to his blog to see what photography goodness is available.  It can be read here.

Last but not least, there’s only a few more days to participate in the “SLR features” poll – I think it’s set to expire this Friday, so be sure to jump in and share your thoughts on what the most important features are.

Happy shooting, watch those apertures, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

As we all know by now (unless you are in a cave somewhere in the Congo), Canon has released the 5D Mark II and the specs were posted here a few days ago.  Forums and the blogosphere have poked and prodded at just about everything they can until the camera itself comes to stores in October.  So, for the time being we will likely see just more pontificating.  As for the content here at CB, I am probably gonna draw back a little and let others wax on about it.

In more current events, Adobe released the Camera Raw update for all your product needs.  It’s now at version 4.5, and is available for Mac and Windows download free here:  Camera Raw 4.5

What the Duck had a great week from the comedic standpoint, and I really can’t pick a favorite, so just go there and read through them all!  Great stuff!

Nominations are now open for the Podcast Awards for 2008.  They close at the end of the month, so be sure to stop in and let them know who you think is deserving of the awards for this year.  I’ve also got a link to them on the sidebar with a suggestion for CB (hint hint:  Education).  There’s 22 different categories so be sure you’ve got the URL’s for all your favorites handy to plug in the appropriate content areas.  Others that I would recommend for nominations include:

• This Week in Photography
• The Tech Guy
• The Digital Photography Show
• Terry White’s Tech Blog
• Jason D. Moore Photography

The list goes on and on, but there’s only one tech category and most of the blogs I visit fit that area.  Although there is a People’s Choice category too.  As for CB, I’ll stick with the educational theme.  So, if you think I’ve helped with education in photography and photoshop at all, then add a kudo in there.  Who knows – maybe I’ll actually make the top ten in that category! (I doubt it though…but it never hurts to self promote, so there it is!)

Also, I’ve got a new poll up on the sidebar.  After posting the features about the 5D Mark II, I thought it might be interesting to see what features people would like to see in their camera gear.  You can pick any three, so let’s Rock the Vote (so to speak), and get those opinions in.  I wanna hear from YOU!

Finally, I thought I’d share a shot I did kind of by accident.  I was trying to do some night photography with HDR in mind.  Nothing came out all that well so I just started trying all sorts of things.  Came up with this:

3 of Me

Do you like it?  Too much?  Not enough?  Is it too processed?  I’m kind of biased, so rather than reveal my own thoughts on this, I’ll leave it to the readership to decide if this works at all.  Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Okay,  so much for a quickie!  I’ll just leave it at that, and wish you all an excellent weekend filled with productive and creative results.  Happy Shooting!

Today I thought it might be fun to share a few links to fun Photoshop resources – reasons to laugh and just take a break from it all.  Here’s 3 of my favorites:

Photoshop Disasters

You Suck at Photoshop

What The Duck

Fair warning, the second one could be considered “not safe for work”.   Do you have any fun Photoshop resources or web sites that you visit just for laughs?  Share them in the comments.  Have a good weekend all, and, as always, happy shooting!