Cleaning out the camera...

A few snapshots while waiting for my camera to return from the repair shop…

Camera freak out: I had a momentary panic attack when I logged into Sony’s repair tracking web site to see how much fixing my camera was going to cost.

Staring back at me was a figure almost twice what I had been initially quoted over the phone. I cracked the display screen while at a wedding, and had been working somewhat blind until I saved the money to get it fixed.

I called in to see which quote was correct, and after some rigamarole, was told, “Well, the website isn’t always updated.”

That seems like a significant customer service flaw to me, but I’m not saying anything until my camera is safely back in my hands.

The funny bit about this is that Sony’s repair center for this region is in Laredo, so it would at least be a relatively short drive to go get it back.

Lesson learned: Always call and double-check.

O Captain, my Captain:  I am a fan of the Boston Red Sox.

These days, that brings either a snort of derision or a fist bump of pride.

It was more fun to root for the Sox before they became successful, because then there was some unity in the fact you knew the other person had had their heart broken at least once.

Once – or twice – a generation, the Sox would get close to winning the World Series, and then something heartbreaking would happen and another dream would be snuffed out. It was part of the fabric of New England.

I would never swap the satisfaction of the 2004 and 2007 titles, but it’s kind of sad to see fans now complaining about the team being more like a corporation and less like the lovable losers they once were. After 86 years of losing, it may take that long again to learn how to win gracefully.

Jason Varitek, one of the last ties to the pre-championship Sox, is retiring Thursday. I’ve never met or spoken to Varitek, but I always liked the way he carried himself. Quiet, strong, and did the hardest job on the field with pride and purpose.

He was named the Captain in 2005, and naturally there was a lot of 'Oh, Captain, my Captain,' floating around Fenway Park after that. (Which led to my little rewrite above. Apologies to the Whitman purists.)

Good luck, 'Tek. It won't be the same without you.

Geeking out: The new Avengers trailer is out, and it is a Hulk-sized dose of awesome.

The nerd saliva is hip-deep around here with the drool over Avengers, Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic summer for comic book movies.

Now, I’m a Joss Whedon fan from his Buffy and Angel days, and I have had high hopes for Avengers since I first heard he was going to be directing. But I thought the Dark Knight would be the highlight of the summer, with Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale wrapping up their dark and twisted trilogy.

That trailer made me change my mind. All that badassery, plus Robert Downey Jr. delivering Whedon’s snarky script is like watching Walter Iooss Jr. take Gisele Bundchen’s picture. It just doesn’t get any better.

Next week’s assignment: The Superwife and I are headed to a renaissance festival, assuming I kick this cold and my camera comes back in one piece. Those are always fun to shoot, so I’m looking forward to a good time.

It creepses in the dark, my preciousssss...

It gets very dark when you’re a quarter-mile underground. Very. Dark. I waved my hand a few inches in front of my face. I felt the breeze, but couldn’t see the tips of my fingers. Finally, the guide turned his light back on. I nearly ran to him like Gollum, “My precious! My preeeecious!” Now I’m not a complete newbie when it comes to cave photography. I’ve had a little experience underground before, on a photography tour of Longhorn Cavern in Burnet. Part of the state park system, its a well-lit cave with beautiful walls carved by the wind. It regularly hosts orchestras and wedding receptions. It’s a great place for photographers to learn about light painting and practice some of the basics of cave photography – long exposures in low light. Kickapoo Cavern, near Brackettville, is something entirely different. Kickapoo is a wild cave from the moment the gate is opened and you duck down the small opening into the vast opening. Huge chunks of loose limestone rubble cover the floor, rattling and rocking underfoot. There aren’t any lights other than what you carry in. Stalactites and stalagmites rise in jagged points from floor and ceiling, forming columns with alien shapes water-worn into the sides. Water drips from the ceiling and pools on the floor in spots, building new formations in milky puddles of limestone. This makes for some very interesting photography opportunities, but also some serious challenges. Intense humidity – the guide says there is regularly over 90% humidity in the cave – kept fogging up my glasses and soaked me with sweat before long. Carrying a camera, tripod and flashlight made for some dicey moments when I needed to react quickly and choose a hand to reach out with and grab a rock to keep from sliding. I came back with a few images, but this turned into more of a scouting trip. Scouting can be frustrating – I just drove all the way out here, and now I’m going to have to come back to get a decent shot? - but it is rewarding in the end when the preparation works out. So we’ll file that under a learning experience, add the cavern to the list of places to return to, and move on. This cave intrigues me, though - it feels like an underappreciated little brother compared to the sophistication of Longhorn Cavern. I'll be back.

Secrets of the Light

I like taking photographs in the dark.

And now a few of you are nodding, and some of you are looking at the screen like I’m crazy.

“You can’t take photographs in the dark!,” they say. “All you get is….dark!”

Not at all. With a tripod and long exposures, you would be amazed at some of the results.

What brought this to mind is my self-assigned photo assignment for next week – going to Kickapoo Cavern State Park to take a tour of the cavern and (hopefully) get some good pictures of the dark and gloomy depths.

Night photography is always fun, especially around big cities. There’s always at least a little light to play with, and I have a weak spot for long exposures with lights streaming across the screen or print.

If you haven’t tried any night photography, the basics are fairly straightforward. For a shot like what’s pictured above, find an overpass with a sidewalk that gives you a clear view of the street below. Use a tripod. Smile and be polite when people start looking at you and wondering what you’re doing.

Set up your camera with a low ISO and a long exposure time – this will help reduce the digital noise that can result from long exposures.  Some cameras will have a noise-reduction mode, as well. Shoot, and enjoy.

Cave photography is a little different. Caves that get a lot of tourists have artificial lighting, but many are kept in a natural state.

That means you can play with light painting – once you click the shutter, you use a flashlight to illuminate different parts of the cave in order to create an exposure. This can be a lot of fun, and result in all kinds of interesting pictures.

I’ll report back next week with the results of my trek.

Marketing, blech

I recently had one of our cars cough and stutter its way to the great auction yard in the sky.

That is never a fun experience, and it was even less so this time because it meant I had to go to one of my least favorite places – a car dealership. (Completely a First World problem, by the way.)

I’ve met a few car salesmen, and the best ones for me are always the low-key ones. I have a great distaste for the high-pressure sales pitch – it brings out the country boy contrarian in me that doesn’t like being told what to do by some smooth talker one bit.

As a freelance photographer/writer/designer trying to build my own business, I have to occasionally try to convince a potential client that I’m the right man for the job.

The irony does not go unnoticed here.

So I’ve been looking for some ways to market myself without being obnoxious. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

1. The Multimedia Empire: It is under construction and getting closer every day to being unveiled, so that’s a start in the right direction. I built two new pages this weekend and I’m learning more (thanks to the good folks at Northwest Vista College's digital media program).
2. Using the Web: The latest craze online seems to be Pinterest, which has some good potential for photographers, according to this article. Once the photo portion of the Empire (on a bad day, I call it the Death Star) is up and running, I’ll be on there.
3. Being proactive: Friday night, neither the Amazing Superwife nor I could face the kitchen, so I went for pizza. Looking at the website of the local pizza place – well, let’s just say I’m glad their pepperoni is much better than their web design. So I’m considering building a prototype site and see if they are interested in it. It may be shot down, but as a fledgling web designer, it would at the very least be good practice. And if I can leave a few business cards there and they speak well of me, so much the better.
4. Keep a good reputation: The jobs I’ve gotten to date, both full-time and freelance, have been because of a good reputation and a good work ethic. Word gets around, sometimes faster than you think.

What do you do to market yourself? And do you find you feel like you need a shower afterward?

Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Toys?

 

I'm convinced every photographer becomes Batman if they shoot long enough.

They swoop about, capturing images before the flighty light has a chance to escape, with the help of a trusty utility bag.

Let’s face it – you’re looking at a Batman. (Or a Batgirl – but if you’re making that distinction, you’re probably deep enough into Batman: Arkham Asylum to understand that Oracle is a better character for this story.)

What makes Batman cool? Other than the movies and the costumes? It’s the gear – the gadgets and gizmos that help him be the World’s Greatest Detective.

Most photographers live and die with their gear bags. Lenses, camera bodies, filters, tripods, tape, batteries, cables, notebooks, flashes – you name it, it’s in there.

So, in my quest to be the World’s Greatest Photographer – what? It’s a dream… - I’m looking at buying some new camera gear.

This is a tricky stage. There are brand choices. Cost choices. Types of gear: Macro lens? Zoom? Lights? Flashes? A new camera body? It’s easy to spend Bruce Wayne’s millions on camera gear, by the time you sort through all the add-ons and should-haves.

Now, I’ve seen the guys who have it all. New cameras, lenses, filters, tripods – all shiny and bright, with price stickers still on them. Usually, I see them on eBay, selling this gear they haven’t touched in two years.

I’d like that to not be me, but it is tempting to splurge, especially after Superwife goes into her study and whips up some mathematical alchemy that shows a tax refund in the offing.

A chunk of money and Wolf Camera’s website? Verrrrrrry dangerous.

But – and this is relative to anything you enjoy devoting time to, I think - it’s not just the gear. It’s the time. It’s the patience. It’s learning and knowing. And it’s being smart with purchases – buying gear that I know I will use, not just things that look cool – so it doesn’t become a money pit of a hobby.

On that note – Alfred, let’s go shopping.

Braving the photography bigwigs

Eiffel Tower at Twilight

I've got a dream.

Nothing so auspicious as Martin Luther King - it's my little dream that I feed and water as often as I can.

I take/make photographs/photos/pictures/captures. Once in a while, I even get paid for it. My dream - somewhere way off in the distant haze, when I'm not plowing through work/traffic/chores - is to get better at it, and get paid for it more often. If you've ever seen Peter Lik's work - well, that's who I want to be when I grow up.

A short backstory: I took some photography classes in college and was the student newspaper's photo editor for a while. I put the camera down until about four years ago, when I picked up a digital camera and realized I didn't have to take hundreds of dollars in film to the drugstore any longer.

So I started shooting. And re-learning. And learning new things. And growing. And reading more about photography.  And following people such as Scott Bourne on Twitter.

As this has progressed, I've had some good conversations with photographers, and some not-so-good conversations, both online and in person. The not-so-good ones have generally been with the people who have been at it a while - the semi-pros and pros who are frustrated by another newbie with a new toy out trying to be Ansel Adams. (Check out this great exhibit, by the way.)

It goes something like this: "Grumble-grumble-bought-a-DSLR-grumble-set-up-a-site-grumble-grumble-now they're professionals!-grumble-grumble-don't-deserve-their-gear-grumble-grumble..."

Look. I understand the frustration. I do. No one wants to put up with obnoxious newbies. I certainly don't want to be an obnoxious newbie - who wants to be that guy?  Now, not everyone has the temperament or time to mentor, and I understand that too.

But I want to learn and get better, so here I am - asking questions, taking what you think are horribly cliche photos, living the dream.

Once you had a dream too. I just found mine a little later, that's all.

The first brick in a multimedia empire that will stretch beyond the limits of space and time...

Okay, not really. My schemes to take over the universe only extend as far as Australia right now, but the universe has a wary eye on me. Wary, I tell you!

I'm Josh. I do things - mostly in the realm of graphic design, photography and writing. It's a crowded realm, but I'm trying to carve out a little bigger space for me and mine. Me is, well, me, and mine is Superwife and Echo the Amazing Feline. <waves>

This is starting out as a blog for class - I'm one of those back-to-school fools - but eventually it'll be folded into the home of my multimedia empire. I've got the crown picked out and everything.

I like to talk photography, design, travel, baseball, books and movies. There will be a healthy sprinkling of pop culture references, many of the Whedon variety. I don't paint myself as an expert of anything - that way lies bloated egos and other similarly bad things. So sit down, hang out, and we'll talk a bit.

To kick this off, I'm adding one of my favorite pictures - maybe the first one I took in my new era of photography that I really liked. It's not perfect, but it struck me.

Till next time,

-j.