This did not start out with the intention of being a blog post, it was much simpler than that, I had a couple of broken lenses and was looking for a place to repair them.
I have used this big "pro" services for repair services in the past but was never left with the feeling of being satisfied. I found them to be (rather) expensive, slow, and impersonal.
So when a friend shared with me his experience with MidState Camera Repair (which he had found on SportsShooter.com) I figured, why not send them in for an estimate. What do I have to lose?
The entire experience was outstanding, within a few days of them getting my lens I received a call detailing the problem, the cost of repair, and how long the entire process would take.
From the time the package left my hands until the repaired lens landed at my front door took about two and a half weeks.
It took the "big pro service" three weeks just to get back to me with their diagnosis and estimate for repair, that estimate (by the way) was twice what I paid at MidState Camera.
If you let them know you're a professional photographer (meaning you generate your income from your gear) they will make every effort to get it back to you even faster.
MidState Camera Repair is located in the quaint little New England town of Warwick Rhode Island and but regardless of where you live, you can ship your broken gear to them for an estimate.
It has been said that "long after people forget what you've did for them, they'll remember how you made them feel".
Every few months Groupon offers this great deal, a 16" x 20" gallery wrap from Canvas on Demand for just $45 (it even includes free shipping).
There has been more than one post here about why I LOVE Canvas on Demand (and have them all over my house) and why I recommend them so highly (you can read some of those posts here, here, and here).
The normal price for a canvas this size is $127, the price of $45 is a 65% savings (and a far better price than I can get even with my pro account).
An interesting fact I learned from Earl Christie was that a canvas print has a slightly wider color range than all other prints, so you will actually see more color and more details, especially in the blacks.
This is one of those reviews that is difficult for me to write, because I want to make sure you understand what an outstanding piece of work this is, but am fearful it will simply come across as a big David Hobby butt kissing love fest.
There is a lot to like about "Lighting in Layers", starting with the price, it's only $159 for a hard copy or $99 for the download.
Yes the price is low, but the value and quality of the content is high, very high. You will be getting 7 discs full of 9 hours of non-stop learning, no wasted time, no fluff, no filler (6 DVD's are "Lighting in layers", the 7th disc is the complete seminar in a lower res format that can be loaded on a portable media player). Though you are getting hours and hours of video the segments are relatively short, ranging from just 5-20 minutes long, so you attack it in small, manageable, easy to digest bites.
The DVD starts out teaching us the basics, shooting with just Window Light:
Then shows us how to shoot with a single flash (key light) and a window (fill light):
Then shooting with a flash only:
And from here is where it really takes off, with David showing us how to "Light in Layers", how to properly use of the building blocks of light, where to add light, in what order to add them, in shooting scenarios that become more challenging, more demanding.
He does it with a combination of easily accessible (and inexpensive) gear and many DIY alternatives (like aluminum foil reflectors, spaghetti box snoots, and Home Depot clamps). In fact you can see the complete list of gear used for each of the shoots.
Not only is "Lighting in Layers" affordable, it will teach you how to light affordably as well, all while giving your client the best possible product.
It is NOT meant to be a cookie cutter lighting recipe, it is meant to teach us how light(s) impact our subject.
There are six full shoots in total, all start at the very beginning - understanding the location, what the end result needs to be and how it will be lit. It then proceeds to actually setting up the equipment and then shoot and all that comes with it (the adjustments, changes, etc.). Five the the shoots are "on the road" assignments, and all are very different and provide a unique lighting/learning opportunities.
During each there are three different conversations going on, David is talking to (and teaching) us the viewer, he is talking to the model(s) (learning how to talk to/guide a person you are shooting is so important), and he is talking to his VALS (voice activated light stand, aka lighting assistant).
I really like the fact that as he presses the shutter the images appear immediately on the screen, even the clunkers, this makes it so much easier to follow the process and make the connection between what he is doing, the setup, and the image it produces.
Speaking of clunkers, there are times that David comes into a shoot with an idea, or tries something that doesn't work or needs to be changed and we get to see it (and he shares it) all, because that's what happens in real life and it's an important to learn how to adapt.
Each session wraps up with the "Lighting Notebook", David lays out a blank piece of paper and steps us through the lighting diagram, reinforcing what we just learned, which I found valuable.
And no opportunity is lost when it comes to teaching, there are a handful of studio shot "mini lectures" where Mr. Hobby challenges the viewers to figure out how it is lit, so we are learning from what he is saying, and learning to recognize how a scene is lit. "Deconstructing" is a pretty good learning tool. At the end of the lecture the camera zooms out, the lighting is revealed (and explained).
I was pleasantly surprised about the inclusion of the business aspect of photography (just wasn't expecting it), David has started a new local blog called HOCO360, a visual journal for Howard County Maryland, and he walks us through the decisions he made when setting it up, selecting assignments, client relations, and much more. So if you are looking to start your site, or improve the one you already have there are some real gems to learn from here too.
I also learned David is a funny guy, has a phenomenal sense of family, of community, and makes decisions based on "doing what is right". The kind of person you would want to have lunch with.
Well, his butt should be sufficiently wrinkled from all my kissing... but seriously, if you ever struggle with lighting, or simply don't shoot certain things because of a lack of confidence or know-how please invest in yourself, invest in your photography by purchasing (and watching) "Lighting in Layers", you will learn much from it, I did.
If you've been on the fence about getting Lightroom 3, you can jump off now and get yourself the full version (either Windows or MAC) for just $149 over at Adorama (shipping is free too!).
But you won't have long to to think about it because it's a one day sale that ends at midnight tonight (September 1st), so time is (very) limited.
Below is a video from Terry White, Lightroom teacher extraordinaire, in it he shares his five favorite things in Lightroom 3.
Another Lightroom learning resource is from the kind folks at NAPP, they have put together their very thorough (full of videos & links) Lightroom 3 learning center.
The upcoming Maine Photographers Coalition Meeting is right around the corner, on Wednesday September 7th to be exact.
Not only is it a great opportunity to meet, mingle, and network with other photographers but this meeting will also have two incredible back-to-back programs!
Khara Plicanic: Setting Up a Wickedly Fast Workflow
Would you like to edit your weddings (or other events) faster than ever before while totally thrilling and wowing your clients?
Khara will show you how to use a potent combination of efficiency and effectiveness to speed up your workflow, all while keeping your client’s very best interest at heart.
Though Khara created this class with wedding photographers in mind, it is easily adapted to portraits photographers too.
Whether you’re a "new" professional photographer or have years of experience, do yourself a favor and get in on this special learning opportunity. Your family and your clients will thank you!
This is not a software workshop! Great workflow is about so much more than software! In fact, a wickedly fast workflow starts well before you pick up your camera. Feel free to adapt this plan to whatever software you prefer to use.
Justin and Mary Marantz: Creating Loyalty Beyond Reason
This past year Justin & Mary have completed their second national speaking tour teaching their “Loyalty Beyond Reason” approach to photographers. Now they’re back with even more great ideas on how to amp up the wow-factor in everything you do, from the very first meeting with your client to the final images you deliver to them.
Their inspirational talk is packed full of ideas for making your clients and vendors love you and rave about you to everyone they know. And this particular brand of loyalty translates into the kind of “super-referrals” that take much of the work out of future bookings. It’s time to shift the dynamic and actually pick and choose the clients that you want to work with and who are hoping to work with you.
This is a double header event and as such the start time will be 6pm and the attendance fee is only $18. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the event starting (5:30) at the studios of Stacey Kane at 134 Black Point Road in Scarborough, Maine.
You know the routine, if it's the weekend I am (most likely) off topic.
Those who have followed this blog for very long have read my posts about the military (like here and here) and dogs (here and here), so this week when I read the story about the loss of Navy Seal Jon Tumilson and saw the images from his funeral of when his dog walked up to his casket and laid down I knew right away I wanted to share it with as many people as I could (though I doubt few have missed it).
I tried to explain to my teenage daughters the bravery it takes to deliberately put yourself in harms way, to run towards danger when every fiber in your being is telling you to run the other way, all the while knowing you may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice, to give that last full measure.
It has been my honor to personally know such men.
Sometimes I think it's not that we are a great country, it's that we are a country made up of great people... people like Jon Tumilson.
Before we announce the winner I want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in this contest, a bunch of people left comments, joined our Flickr group, and uploaded some outstanding images. If you haven't checked out the Flickr images you really, really should.
Here are a few of the images he uploaded for the contest:
(clicking on any image will open it larger and in a new window for better viewing)
Okay Hadleygrass, the ball is in your court now, just drop us an email with your snail mail address and we'll get the book right out to you.
Congratulations!
Be sure to be here on Monday because we will be announcing our very next contest (not wasting any time), we will be giving away the book "Food Photography" by Nicole Young.
Before I jump into the review let me say this "please, please, please don't be turned of by the word food!", because "Food Photography: from Snapshots to Great Shots" is a book that is for anyone who owns a camera.
Even if you don't "shoot food" you should read this review (and more importantly the book).
I love Nicole's writing style, it is both disarming and very engaging. Often I read an educational book with anticipation, waiting for the next factoid, the next "learning moment" to present itself, but because of her writing style I just enjoyed reading and would be surprised when each nugget of knowledge fell upon me.
The first 80 pages of the book covers photography fundamentals, gear, and lighting that is useful and informative to any photographer.
Only after thoroughly covering these topics does Nicole move into food, and she covers it more in-depth than anyone else I have seen and does it with authority (I think) because she does it all, she shops for the right ingredients, she cooks it all, then does her own styling, and only after all this she photographs it. So she understands more than most how the ingredient or cooking impacts the final shot.
My mother has the habit of when she shares her recipes with others of "accidently" leaving out one small key ingredient so their final dish is never quite as good as hers, not so in this book. Nicole has held nothing back.
Wanna know how to take old pieces of fence and turn it into an interesting table top, it's in there. Which is better, real ice or fake? Nicole explains (in both words and pictures).
One of the (many) things I love about this book is "pouring over the picture" a segment where Nicole covers every aspect of a shot, gear, food, framing, color coordination, and camera settings... nothing is left unexamined or unexplained.
Only after covering everything under the sun about food does she move into Photoshop, both in general and specifically as it applies to food. And again, this area is thoroughly explained in both word and photo, each editing step shows both the image being edited accompanied by the Photoshop dialog box so each step is easy to follow and understand.
And did I mention she discusses monitor calibration? I love this woman.
;)
The final chapter "Behind The Scenes" takes you through multiple photo shoots (from start to finish) including 50 images (or more) from the food prep, styling, lighting, shoot, tips, and post processing.
From soup to nuts as they say (sorry, I just could not stop that from coming out).
"Food Photography: from Snapshots to Great Shots" is such a good read, I got from cover to cover in just 2 sittings, which if you know me, is really quite an accomplishment and it's so full of useful information you can barely pick it up.
A GREAT book.
Be sure to check out her blog and her tutorial section, it is chock full of great photography information.
Today Scott Kelby released a new iPad-only digital magazine called Light It: A How-To Magazine for Studio Lighting and Off-Camera Flash through KelbyTraining.com. The debut issue is free and available now on iTunes in the App Store.
Light It is for photographers of all skill-levels who use lighting or want to explore lighting concepts.
There is a new survey question for you (on the upper right of the blog page) asking "what is your primary shooting mode", so please take just a moment to plug in your answer.
And from the last survey, the review of the latest David Hobby/Strobist DVD set "Lighting in Layers" will be posted next week and I promise you, you do not want to miss it.
Second:
The response from our latest contest has been pretty impressive, be sure to head over the our Flickr page and check out some of the submissions.
And lastly:
Crazy, crazy week, a rare Wednesday wedding yesterday, a Friday wedding (tomorrow), and a Saturday wedding to cap off the week! So if it seems you have heard less from me this week than usual, you have and weddingpalooza is why.
