The Business of Photography

This is Hangout #16 (an older one that just got uploaded — we are on Hangout #19 already!).  This one is about the business of photography, and I invited various people that make money in photography in different ways.  Enjoy!

People involved included Gordon Laing, James Brandon, Cliff Baise, Dave Veffer, Keith Barrett, RC Concepcion, Anna Rumiantseva, and Jacob Lucas.

Daily Photo - Gentle Hills and Summer Storm in New Zealand

While driving from Nelson to the south, we went through an area with many vineyards and pastoral scenes.  I mean, it doesn’t get any more pastoral than this.  In fact, it’s so pastoral, it’s almost a time-warp and everything is in slow motion.

I stopped the car and jumped over a fence to walk out into a field to frame this shot.  I thought it might work from the road, and I was in a bit of a hurry to get this weather system before it moved along too far.

Filed under the categories: Nelson, New Zealand, Nikon D3X, Travel

New Video – Sharing Online

This was a great episode! We talked about topics like:

• How to share your photos online (I give some philosophical advice in addition to logistical, practical advise)
• Pricing your images and selling prints
• Getting inspiration from other online photographers
• SmugMug and how I use them  (see my full SmugMug Review here)
• Memory cards and horror stories  (I use Hoodman, which Leo thought was funny…hehe – but see my Hoodman Review here)

So, in addition to Lisa Bettany and Leo Laporte, we had on RC Concepcion, which was really cool.  He just finished a book on this very subject, so he was a fount of knowledge.  And if you guys don’t know who RC is, well then this is a great introduction to him!

Shuttle Launch Upcoming on April 29

I hope NASA doesn’t delay this thing again! Re-organizing planes, hotels, and cars is not an easy thing. Luckily, my “inside gal” got me some quick info so I was able to re-book the hotel near Cape Canaveral before it filled up. There’s gonna be a lot of people there… I should be getting in close, about three miles away in the media section. I’m excited about seeing the rocket launch, but I’m also worried about getting an interesting shot. I’ve been thinking about it a lot… I have some ideas but nothing solid yet.

Daily Photo – Coming Home to the Inn After Dinner

This is a nice feeling — this idea of walking to dinner and arriving back at the inn with family and friends just before it gets dark. I don’t know how to explain it, but perhaps you have experienced this too.

This is in the far northern part of the South Island if New Zealand. The town is named Nelson, and I think it is one of the five biggest on that island. But all of New Zealand only has four million people, and the vast majority of those are on the north island. I wonder what has happened to towns like Nelson since the big earthquake in nearby Christchurch. Maybe some of our NZ community readers can fill us in with some on-the-ground info.

Filed under the categories: Nelson, New Zealand, Travel

The Genuine Fractals Review

Here is a review that I haven’t mentioned in a while. It’s a handy piece of software for cleverly making photos bigger without losing resolution. See more in the Genuine Fractals Review.

Daily Photo – The Abandoned Farmhouse

This place was another one of those New Zealand fence-hoppers.

I’m never 100% sure that jumping over fences is a great move. But if the place looks abandoned, I just go for it. I don’t mean any harm…. I’m just going to take photos. So far, this has never caused me an issue (except for when I forget to check to see if the fence is electrified).

I don’t do a lot of these urbex shots, but I certainly do enjoy them. Did you know there are several forums out there that have listings of abandoned buildings around the world? They list out old abandoned hospitals, theme parks, hotels, and more creepy places like you see in zombie movies. It’s all great for photography, of course, and I think a few of my London contacts may be hooking me up with some abandoned spots around their neck of the woods.

Filed under the categories: Nelson, New Zealand, Nikon D3X, Travel

Daily Photo – Pasture Sentinel

After I drove through Nelson, I was ripping along the highway and noticed an old farmhouse. I’m not sure how I noticed it, but the area was so different, I just had to stop. I spent 90% of my time taking photos of the farmhouse, and on the way back, I saw this tree. It stood solitary and wonderful; I had to grab a shot.

Filed under the categories: Nelson, New Zealand, Nikon D3X, Topaz Adjust, Travel