All But Blind

Yes, it has been a long time since I wrote.  I've been going through great and terrible transitions.  Between losing my usable sight, and moving across the country, I haven't been able to write until now.  I will talk about photography too; afterall, this is a photography blog. 

As most of you know, I was diagnosed with glaucoma in 2011.  the eye drops haven't been able to control my inter ocular pressure, so my sight got progressively worse. 

Last fall I was able to upload some Halloween cupcake pictures.  I was encouraged because this was close work but I needed to use my magnifier to check the image on the back of the camera.  I knew my eyes saw pictures on Photoshop as overexposed so I didn't adjust Levels.  Many were accepted by stock agencies and some sold.  After Thanksgiving I only set up one Christmas concept.  It was the close candle with the wreath boque, or however it's spelled.  Normally I'd look it up but using the screen reader is still a challenge for me.  I know the files were accepted put I don't remember if any sold.

By the time I took the Christmas pictures I needed the magnifier for everything.  I had to use it to check and change settings, as well as see the image on the back of the camera. 

Using the computer had become increasingly difficult.  Everything I wanted and needed to do on the computer was a chore.  Submitting photographs had became an ordeal.  Online bill paying was scary because it was so difficult to make sure I was in the right field.  Enjoyable pursuits such as Facebook and Youtube were a frustration. 

I had been trying to get screen reader lessons since I'd been diagnosed with glaucoma.  All kinds of obstacles appeared before me.  Things started out well; a lady came out to discuss my needs and screen reader lessons were at the top of my list.  I wanted to guard against the day when I could no longer use the computer normally.  Before I had my first lesson, the agency lost funding for at least a year.  Then because I didn't want to attend school or seek employment Services for the Blind decided they wouldn't pay for the lessons.  The Center for the Visually Impaired also have screen reader lessons but their clients must be at least fifty-five years old.  At that time, I had a couple years to wait.  I was told a branch of the public library offered screen reader lessons.  Either I had just missed the class or another would be starting in the spring, summer, fall, after the first of the year, etc. 

In September of 2016 I turned fifty-five and could seek help through the Center for the Visually Impaired, CVI.  I jumped throught their hoops and finally got to talk to somebody.  I was told how difficult learning a screen reader would be.  The Lady suggested I learn to use an IPhone because IPhones have great functionality for blind people.  Next, she asked if I had an IPhone?  I told her I didn't.  She said I'd need to get one. 

I am a computer person, not a smartphone person.  I have a cheap smartphone I bought when my sight was better.  I thought I would enjoy using it because most people like theirs.  I set it up and tried using it; I didn't like it very much.  My blind friends are fond of saying how much better an IPhone is than an Android.  I borrowed an IPhone 4 to see how it was different than the Android I already had.  Both Voiceover and Talkback made me want to throw the phone out the window.    Somehow I killed S.E.R.I. so I returned the IPhone 4 to my friend. 

I spoke to CVI in December so the plan was to get started in January.  I didn't hear from them in January, and by then I had planned to move to South Dakota.  Every day I hoped there was no mail.  Dealing with mail was almost impossible, even on a closed circuit tv.  Someone needed to take me to the grocery store because I could neither see to push the cart, nor chose items off the shelves.  My youngest daughter and her boyfriend took pictures Christmas day.  She also did most of the cooking.  While my daughter was home from college she mentioned my moving to South Dakota so she could help me with mail, bill paying, and cooking. 

Things fell into place like a miracle.  I put my house on the market and had an acceptable offer in four days.  We found a newly built townhouse community near campus.  The still had a few openings and I was able to get one.  I flew out of Atlanta to Sioux Falls on March ninth.  I signed my lease in Vermillion March tenth. 

I called the Independent Living service as soon as I was settled.  A lady came out and we discussed my needs.  "Here we go again," I thought.  I mentioned screen reader lessons first thing.  She said they have a technology guy that will come to my home and teach me whatever I want to learn technology wise.  She said an agency called Dakota Link would pay for five hours of technology lessons.  She told me about a free screen reader called NVDA.    I really didn't expect anything to come from this meeting; at least not anytime soon.
In late April or early May, I got a call from CVI in Georgia.  The lady apologized profusely for taking so long to get back with me.  I told her I had moved out of state.

Shortly after meeting with the lady from Independent Living, I got a letter from Dakota Link.  they wanted me to set up my first appointment for technology lessons.  The tech guy came the following Wednesday.  After four hours of NVDA screen reader lessons I can do quite a bit on the Internet.  My goal was to learn how to use Facebook with the screen reader.  I figured if I can use Facebook, other websites will fall into place.  I used my fifth hour to get a handle on my tablet.  Like the smartphone, Talkback makes me want to throw the thing out the window.  As I said before, I'm a computer person, not a smartphone person. 

Even though Dakota Link prefers Apple devices; they were willing to instruct me on the products I already had.  I'd complain to friends, "I've already got a computer, why do I need to spend $600 on a smartphone.  I don't even know if I'd like it."

"A man is plowing the field behind the apartment," Andrea said.  For a brief moment, I was excited.  I thought about the photographs I could take.  During this moment I thought of wide, overall shots; low angles with lots of sky; high angels from upstairs windows using a telephoto lens, detail shots of the machinery, furrows, and the machinery making the furrows.  I could get a few video clips too.  That wonderful moment was replaced by the memory that I can no longer see to take photographs and video.  This saddened me for the rest of the morning.  If I were still taking pictures I'd have had another category to offer my stock images in.  I would have been able to follow the crops growth from planting to harvest.  So I mourned the loss.  While I was writing about this, I just remembered I sold my telephoto lens along with my older camera equipment. 

My sight changes throughout the day.  No matter if it's bright and sunny or dreary and gray, it is quite dark when I wake up.  Turning on the light makes little or no difference.  It takes about five minutes for my vision to 'improve' if it's going to.  At this point things looking normal with or without something that looks like tiny water droplets, bright and foggy, or dark and foggy.  After about half and hour normal disappears; it's either bright and foggy, dark and foggy, or dark with faint light perception.  These change throught the day with the addition of bright and blind.  Sometimes all I see in the middle of the night is white.  Before my vision started to change I'd put in my first set of eyedrops after I get up.  Drops didn't effect what I saw on dark and/or foggy days; but they did cause the good moments in the morning to shorten.  I experimented by waiting for my mision to worsen on good days before putting in drops.    I'd be upset with myself when I automatically put in drops on a good day.

Remember, the drops weren't controlling my inter ocular pressure.  A good IOP reading is in the teens.  Last time I saw the eye doctor my pressures fluctuated wildly.  My left eye, which I had laser surgery on, had readings in the twenties and thirties.  My other eye would change from 19 to 61.  All within the space of a few minutes.   I have a friend who stopped taking his eye drops because he thought they were doing more harm than good.  He has since changed doctors and started on another drop.  I don't know how it's working for him. 

Sparkles woke me up to take him out the other morning.  This messed up my normal routine of putting in eye drops right away.  This happened to be what I call "A good eye day">  I had a few hours instead of a few minutes of somewhat good vision. I decided not to put in eye drops first thing in the morning when my eyes are somewhat good.  I wanted to enjoy those extra few hours of decent vision. 

This was one of those mornings I was mad at myself for forgetting to leave out my drops until later.  I put in the drops and the fogginess came.  Some of my friends with glaucoma have scary stories their doctors told them.  One friend said she went to the doctor because of terrible headaches.  Her doctor told my friend her pressure was so had her eye would have burst if she hadn't come in.  Another friend's eye doctor told him his pressure could get so high a blood vessel could rupture in his eye while he was sleeping and he'd bleed to death before he could do anything about it.  I don't believe these tales, I think they are akin to urban legends.

This morning I told Andrea how I was mad at myself for taking my eyedrops on a good eye day.  She said something about you may can see better but you may be harming your eyes.  She said, "That's like saying 'you can sleep when you're dead;." 

I agreed with her.  Given the choice to live three to six months with the vision I had two years ago or living into old age blind, I'd choose the three to six months of my old vision.  I'd take the time to photograph everything on my bucket list.  I'd use the money I got from the sale of my house to finance the trips.  I don't know if I'd shoot stock for old times sake.  I'd buy a macro lens and another telephoto lens, take some photography workshops, and live and breathe photography.  I'd get the online versions of Photoshop and Lightroom, and spend nights learning to use them.  So much for wishful thinking.

Total Eclipse of the Moon

Thanks to my daughter's web serfing I learned there would be a total lunar eclipse.  She wanted to find a good place to view it.  We didn't find the "perfect spot" but fortunately we had a decent view in from out front yard.

I went online for exposure settings so I'd have a jumping off point.  Settings for photographing a full moon were as expected; use a tripod, cable release or two-second timer, F8 or F11 at 1/100 to 1/125 second at ISO 100, manual focus.  I experimented with the white balance to see how that would affect the moon's color.  You can see the different results here. Getting exposures right once the moon darkened became more difficult. I started with the recommended settings of ISO 400 at f5.6 at 1 sec. We found this setting what we thought was overexposed and definitely noisy. We tried various combinations of ISO 200 and different shutter speeds. We decided to stay at f8 for a good compromise of detail and shutter speed. Although I was worried about a 3 sec exposure it gave us the best results. I was worried about the long exposure because I was afraid the camera would pick up ambient light from nearby street lights. I was also concerned about the natural movement of the moon and the earth's shadow. Final settings were ISO 200 at f8 for 3 seconds. A lunar eclipse is a good time to experiment because it lasts for hours, giving you time to experiment with different settings until you get a pleasing effect. Use these settings as a reference point. Your settings may vary based on how far the moon is from you. Yes, a few thousand miles make a difference. When the moon started taking on an orange color my daughter and I tried to fix out exposure. The orange part of the moon had nice detail while the uncovered part was a blank white disk. Dispite all our efforts we couldn't get the uncovered part of the moon to show any detail. Later, when I was online I saw pictures from agencies that should know how to photograph a lunar eclipse with the same characteristic. http://earthsky.org/tonight/total-lunar-eclipse-blood-moon-hunters-moon-october-7-8-2014 and http://www.newsweek.com/photos-total-eclipse-moon-276099. We decided a camera will show this phenomenon; to avoid it, maybe you need a telescope. At lease something more powerful than a 300mm lens. I would welcome comments and recommendations on this issue. I narrowed my many photographs to eighteen to make a slideshow. Individual images can be seen at http://www.blindaseyelook.com/Events/Lunar-Eclipse/October-8-2014/i-cdR2Bt3. I am thankful that through the telephoto lens I could see the eclipse. The full moon looks like a bright light blue ball. Other phases look like a smaller, less bright ball. I don't see crescent moons and half moons. forget about craters. I could see detail on the moon and later the eclipse by using the live view feature through my camera's telephoto lens. When the moon turned orange I couldn't see it at all with my naked eyes but I could use my camera to see it.

Senior Pictures

While searching photography videos on YouTube I came across some how to footage about senior pictures.  I clicked through thinking it would be nice to get some tips on photographing senior citizens.  I quickly learned the seniors they were talking about were high school seniors, not old people.  I knew high school seniors got photographed in their graduation gowns but i knew nothing about high schoolers, especially girls, dressing up, going on location, and getting a whole portfolio of photographs taken. 

I figured this is something Ialso could do.  First and foremost, I had a living, breathing, high school senior girl right under my roof.  On top of that, this senior girl had been my model since she was in fourth grade. 

Now for a cool location.  Piedmont park, no.  There's no good place to change clothes if we take MARTA, and parking is expensive.  Plus been there....So I hit the internet.  I found Stately Oaks Plantation in Jonesboro, Georgia.  Stately Oaks is thought to be Margaret Mitchell's inspiration for Tara in Gone with the Wind.  Though I wasn't able to get hold of an antebellum dress we had a good time.  While there we toured the house, general store, tenant farmer's house, and kitchen.  Just bring your patience while touring the house.  They use a CD during the week and the man on the CD talks on and on.  I'm told live people conduct the tours on Saturdays; I hope they move a bit faster. 

You can see the gallery at http://www.blindaseyelook.com/Portraits/Andreas-Senior-Pictures/

Contact Blind as Eye Look Photography to book a portrait session, senior pictures, wedding, or architectural photography.  blindaseyelook@live.com.

Describing Photos, NO

There was a big discussion on "The Blind Community" Facebook page about describing photos.  I had no idea this was such a hot topic until after Merritt's wedding.  I posted a photo along with a link to her  Smugmug Gallery.  Basically I was putting it out there that I'm a legally blind photographer.  A lady commented in a snide fashion about this being "The Blind Community" and was I going to describe the photos.  She said other blind people may be intrested but she wasn't.  I responded that the interested people would ask and I skip posts that don't interest me.  In my opinion she simply wanted something to complain about. 

I could have responded, "Bride and groom standing close together in front of the Kansas City, Missouri Temple."  Would this have been enough?  I have no idea.  Do I need to describe the couple's facial features, their attire; if it is a full-length, three-quarter length, or head and chest; the part of the temple that is showing, what?  Merritt had described her dress to me but what I imagined was different from the actual dress.  

Later on still another blindness oriented site someone posted a picture and another person asked for a description.  For some reason the picture posted without the caption.  I decided to exercise my describing abilities.  I described the scend and materials but I don't think I did it justice.  If the person who asked were to go to the place in the picture I wonder if he'd think it had been described well.

Facebook is a place for sharing what we want to share.  If you like it good, go ahead and hit like or leave a comment.  If you don't like it say so in a respectful comment and maybe an interesting discussion can get going.  If you expect regular people with many other things to do to describe in enough detail to make the description worthwhile your expectations are unrealistic.  Captions help tell the story in these posts but don't describe the photo.  Here's and example.

Lessons From The Language Boot Camp For Mormon Missionaries

The Missionary Training Center, which prepares young adults to spread the...

NPR|By NPR Staff

  This is the last photo I will describe unless if's for a stock photography agency.  People may be very interested in what every photo on Facebook (where I got this on) says but I don't believe it.  The photographer is situated above the subjects so the tops of heads can be seen. Ten Mormon missionaries, two of them women, standing in a circle with their heads bowed and arms folded in prayer.  They are in a classroom with the door open.  Desks can be seen behind some of them.  One desk has papers beside it on the floor.  The side wall has a coat rack with 5 black jackets and 1 blue jacket on it.  The back wall has three flags hanging sideways from it; Union Jack, another flag that incorporates the Union Jack, and a flag that looks like the Samoan flag but the star is wrong. 

If I described this picture for a stock photography agency I'd simply say, "Mormon missionaries praying at the MTC." I've had my rant.....moving on.

Available Light Photography

It has been said the photographers who label themselves existing light photographers don't know how to use flash.  I can only speak for myself; they are right.  I don't know enough about flash to use it effectively.  I do know enough to not turn on my built in on-camera flash.  When I had a separate flash for my film camera I knew enough not to point it straight at my subject.  I knew enough to tilt or swivel the flash head but me results were terrible because I didn't know how to adjust the flash output.  Now I know enough to not only buy a flash that tilts and swivels but to also get a stand to put it on, remote, (The remote may be already built into the camera and/or flash unit), and possible a reflector.    Because I don't have the money for all that, and haven't studied how to set it up, and practiced, I'm still an existing light photographer. 

I've been thinking about calling myself an available light photographer.  This came about at this club/bar/restaurant we were in the night before my daughter's wedding.  Between the need to photograph people in low light, and wanting as little noise as possible in the pictures I was momentarily in a quandary.  I started out by using that terrible on-camera flash.  I don't know why, wishful thinking I guess.  As you know, the pictures turned out awful.  I put on my thinking cap.

I remembered YouTube videos where the photographer used a flashlight to "paint" light where needed in night scenes.  "Andrea, turn on your flashlight app," I said. 

"My phone is dead," she answered.

I thought a bit more.  Then it came to me, my magnifyer light.  I dig out my magnifyer and turn it on.  I hold it in one hand and my camera in the other.  Now I'm able to angel the light so it makes their faces look pretty good for a club/bar/restaurant. 

Use substitutions in a pinch.  For the most part shoot in conditions your equipment can handle.  Be an available light photographer when you have to be; it's better than putting your camera away.  

Weddings

Give this video a look 

"People like to take pictures, not have pictures." Constance Merritt

 Recently I had a unique experience at a wedding.  I may step on some toes but I've only calmed down a bit since the wedding.  I had offered to photograph my oldest daughter's wedding as my gift to her and her groom.  How hard could that be?......

My experience as a wedding guest or as the wedding photographer is both limited.  Maybe I should crash some weddings to see what happens at picture taking time.  Times do change, am I not with them? 

When my best friend Shirley got married in 2000 I offered to photograph her wedding.  She had planned a small church wedding but her friends showed up anyway to wish her well.  I wish I had some shots from back then to compaire with my current work.  The shoot was uneventful. 

In 2003 when my sister-in-law got married in her home church, wedding guested gathered behind the photographer in an effort to capture the same shot he was taking.*  He asked everyone to wait until after he had shot each pose, then he'd give them time to get the same pose with their cameras before he moved on to another pose or grouping.  This worked well, he got his shots without people firing off flashes at random times potentially ruining his exposures.  Guests interested in taking pictures heeded his instructions and nobody positioned themselves in front of his tripod on any plane to take a snapshot. 

My neighbor's daughter employed a different tactic at her wedding.  The ceremony and reception were held in a Victorian house converted for weddings and such.  I was the photographer for her wedding so I was aware of her plan.  All the guests were to wait in the dining room until the DJ called their family or group to come to the stairs to take pictures.  This worked well too.  Again, nobody got in front of my tripod's plane to snap off a picture.  Most of her guests stayed in the dining room as requested. 

My daughter's wedding was a photographer's nightmare.  As soon as she and her new husband emerged from the LDS Temple they were bombarded with well wishers wielding smartphones and possible a camera or two.  As soon as I got set up nothing changed.**  The location of my tripod made no difference to these wedding guests; they simply moved in front of me and kept snapping away.  I was told somebody would be taking the video.  If someone was taking video they were shooting in the midst of the smartphone mob.  I'm sorry to say I lost it when two people realized they didn't have any shots with the bride's mother and sister in them and offered to take them for me.  Maybe I should have lost it sooner because they finally backed off and I was able to get some pictures.  I have never seen anything like it and hope never to see anything like it again. 

I had come prepared and with high expectations.  My youngest Daughter was my second shooter.  She has less patience than I and got pictures of the guests huddled together with their phones and cameras snapping pictures. 

We don't mind if you take pictures at events; really we don't.  We do mind if you prevent us from getting pictures.  Stay behind the tripod and make sure the photographer isn't about to press the shutter if you're using a flash.

My daughter's wedding pictures can be seen at http://www.blindaseyelook.com/Clients/Weddings/Merritt-And-Gabriel

*You are not going to get the same shot the photographer gets.  You may be close but it won't be the same.  The photographer or his tripod is covering that spot.  Being a bit to the left or right, higher or lower will change the shot.  Other things determine the look of the shot as well; focal length of lens, exposure with it's permutations of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO; if indoors the white balance settings, post processing, etc.  

**We were a bit late setting up because we had the wrong address. 

Stop Selling Yourself Short.....

I wrote this for The Beazler but think It may fit here as well.  

.....and stop expecting something for nothing.  I see both these trends on Craigslist and it's got to change.  There are so many of us out ther competing for the same dollar that pricing has gotten to be ridiculous.  As independent contractors we've got to stop selling ourselves short.  We need to stick together and educate the public about the worth of our craft.

Go to the Services/Creative section on Craigslist and you'll see what I'm railing against. 

With the digital age of photography and the convenience of having my own studio, I'm offering headshots for only $25. Included is one free 8x10 and high resolution digitally edited copies of the shoot on a CD/DVD at no additional cost. No gimmicks, no crazy sales, nada. Just great pictures at a reasonable price. (Mon - Fri only, sorry.)

For an confusion about this, I'll break it down like this. For $25, you set up an appointment for a 30 minute headshot session at my studio. Bring an outfit change or two if you like because we can take A LOT of photos in just 30 minutes. Once done, we review the photos. You pick five that you like, I edit them immediately, and print one 8x10 while I burn a DVD of the photos. You walk out with an 8x10 print, a DVD of all images of the shoot including the chosen (edited) and unchosen images. All photos are in high resolution large enough for a billboard.

Now lets break this down to see how or if this photographer is making any money.  She will spend more than thirty minutes with this client, especially if the client brings two changes of clothes.  Pouring over the photos to choose five will take another five to ten minutes.  Editing five images will take another half hour or so depending on what needs to be done.  Printing the 8 by 10 and burning the CD will take a few minutes too.  Now comes payment and more pleasantries when the client leaves.  This photographer has invested at least ninety minutes in the photoshoot.

Because she decided to print photographs herself she has the added expense of a quality printer and the right inks.  High quality 8 by 10s take a lot of ink.  (I don't print my own photos because of the high cost to get good looking prints at home.  When I did try home printing in years gone by, the ink took a few minutes to dry.)  The cost of photo paper and CD has to be considered.

She had examples of her work on the Craigslist ad and it is quite good.  This lady is selling herself short in price and getting no residual effects.  She is giving away full resolution images so her client can print them at Heaven know where, put them on Facebook and share them with all his friends, and all the photographer got was $25.  

True, pictures of you aren't like stock images and lots of people will want them, but the client wanted them.  Maybe close loved ones of the client will want some.  But she just gave any potential future business from this client away.  I think she should have put the five edited images on an online gallery so he and/or loved ones could order them from her.  You may think the client will look up this photographer when he needs more pictures taken.  He might, but he won't find her.  She'll be out of business by then.

Another trend is to shoot and give the client all the pictures straight out of the camera.  I don't like to do that because some ordinary images can look amazing with a bit of tweaking.  Do you really want your clients to see your test shots, your bracketed shots, the one with Aunt Millie sneezing, or the one where the sun is glaring off Grandpa's glasses?  Everybody and their brother shows pictures straight out of the camera.  Why would a photographer want to show the same kind of thing.  My new camera over exposes by a full stop.  I've adjusted the settings but I wouldn't want clients to see those images in their unedited state.   

Freelancers of all kinds; lets price our work fairly so we all can make a decent living.

There are also posters on Craigslist that want us to work for free.  They place ads for inturns or for TFP work.  These posters like to say they're starting out and want you to work for free or trade.  They say you can use their gig to build your portfolio.  Yeah right.  I build my portfolia on objects and Andrea.  I shop one wedding for my portfolio  but the bride payed me something.  I've got my portfolia, thank you very much.  If there are no clients there is always stock.

I call posts like this ads with audacity.  Look under Gigs/Creative.

We are a label on the southside of Atlanta looking to build a team of up and coming camera operators, directors, producers and photo and video editors. We are a rising label with clients both major and indie who are looking to work with new talent. THIS IS A NON-PAYING INTERNSHIP however, there are ways to make an honest dollar and gain exposure for your works. You will be assigned to projects and partnered with clients that need our services. If you are serious and interested, then please leave your name, contact number and links to your work. Photoshoppers are welcome and so are students. We are looking for the best of the best so be competitive! **Full studio will be provided for your works**

A new web series is launching in Atlanta.
It will take everyday people and transform the way they live, dress and act in relationships.

We are looking for videographers and cinematographers for this project.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please send us an email and include your equipment (camera type(s), mic(s), lighting, etc.) and years of experience.

This project is unpaid, but your work will gain exposure and will be a great addition to your portfolio.

. 

 

Update To Smugmug

Crass commercialism I know.  How else are you going to know what I've done?  If you don't know, you won't buy.  If you do know, you may buy.

I have changed my Smugmug account status.  Now you can buy prints, digital downloads, photo merchandise, and video clips straight from my Smugmug account.  Choose prints in a variety of finishes and sizes.  Familiar print sizes such as 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, and 11x14 will always be offered.  you can branch out into long skinny sizes such as 8x24, 10x30, or 12x48.  I've seen some nice square frames out there so I'm offering a few square print sizes.  I even offer metalic prints.  I must admit, I've got to order one of the metallic prints to see how it looks.

Prices for standard sizes are quite reasonable.  Some of the long and skinny ones can get pricy.  Remember not everyone is going to have a 10x40 print on their wall; you'll be unique.

I hope you will find something you can use.  I will be constantly adding to the site.

www.blindaseyelook.com.

First Wedding

On August 31, 2013 I shot my first wedding as a professional photographer.  It was a fun and exciting time for me as well as for the bride and groom.  When I first got the booking I was stressing over the technical aspects of shooting this wedding. 

The couple told me the wedding had been moved from their back yard to a Victorian house.  The time had also been moved, from afternoon to evening.  I worried about the light, or lack thereof.  How light or dark will it be at six in the evening; at ten at night?  The groom said the house has lots of windows and chandeliers and was well lit.  I hadn't seen the venue and wouldn't see it until the wedding. 

I Google the venue and it looked dark.  I needed more light, and cheap.  Amazon let me down this time.  They had cheap light I could put on a tripod but I couldn't get the one I wanted in time for the wedding. I briefly considered using my on camera flash but knew I'd hate the results.  This shoot was for me as well as the bridal couple.  These pictures were also to be for me to use as my portfolio to get bookings for more weddings. 

I'd been kicking around the idea of getting a camera with live view.  That would make it easier for me to compose shots.  Now, I have my excuse/reason to get one.  I didn't use live view as much as I thought I would; it eats battery power like crazy.  I'd use it to check up on my settings now and then.  Good thing I did.  During the reception I left the camera at the table while I called my daughter.  I guess my table mates must have looked at it because the pictures I took right after I got back were all dark.  I checked the settings and they had been moved.  I corrected the settings and everything was okay again. 

My new camera will go up to ISO 6400.  Like someone said on YouTube, "Just because it says it'll go, doesn't mean it should."  I usually shoot at ISO 200 and occasionally 400.  I did go up to 6400 before the night was over.  To me those shots had too much high ISO noise.  I used noise reduction software on them and it works really well.  The biggest drawback is the noise reduction software compresses the files to about a third of a regular JPEG.  I gave the newlyweds all three versions of their pictures so they can decide for themselves which they like best.  They got all the originals just as they came out of the camera.  They got the retouched files, with and without noise reduction.

It's all over now.  they have, and said they liked their pictures.  I'm putting out the words that I can shoot your wedding. 

My Last Camera, or Maybe Not

I look through the viewfinder and what do I see,

Something that's there, or may not be.

I click the shutter and the picture comes up,

Do I say nope or smile cause it's yep?

This hit and miss exercise had gone on long enough.  thank goodness I'm not shooting film.  At least I can delete the sub-par images and be none the less for wear.  The Viewfinder on my Canon Digital Rebel XTi is fine for outdoor shooting.  I found myself having to shoot wide and crop indoors, leading to more computer time.  My video camera has no viewfinder.  It just has a live view screen.  I have trouble shooting outside because I can't see the screen very well in bright sunlight. 

Technology is still helping me keep up my hobby/business.  I decided I needed a DSLR with video and live view.  I didn't have much research to do.  The new camera had to be a Canon.  I have a lot of money invested in Canon lenses.  It couldn't be a full frame because again I already have all these lenses.  So my choices were narrowed to the Canon Rebel T3, T3i, and T5i.  The T3 was out because it's not much of an upgrade from my XTi.  The other two are similar but I choose the T5i comes with a lense that focuses quietly.  No strange noise when shooting video. 

Now I have spare cameras and not at a disadvantage where ever I am.  Andrea is going to be my apprentice so all cameras will be put to use.  I'll use my new camera as a crutch when I need it and my old tried and trues when I don't. 

More on Taking Better Images

  

I stumbled upon the guy yesterday.  I think he has great ideas on many types of photography.  I like how he shows examples and he had a sense of humor.  

He has a video about event photography that is awesome.  It made me start thinking about branching out from just shooting stock and adding events and portraits to my business.  The events video and many of his others may or may not be too technical for you.  If you want to see more of his videos go to YouTube and search for Jeff Cable.

I've been looking for an effective and reasonably priced way to convert my slides to files.  Right now I'm only interested in converting the slides I had at The Stock Solution.  I want to put them on Pond5 for sale.  A basic flatbed scanner won't yield the resolution I need.  I need at least 2000 dpi scans, but preferably 3000-4000 dpi.  A used dedicated film scanner that will do the job is around a thousand bucks.  Ouch.  I've seen gadgets on Amazon.com that claim to do the job.  When I read the reviews it's clear they just want to digitize family slides for personal use.  I have found companies online that will turn slides into files.  Most are cost prohibitive unless you only have a handful of slides to do.  I did find one company I'm willing to try.  I'll send them a hundred slides to see how it works.  Review to come.  If I like them I'll give out their name and web address.

Keep Shooting; get rid of the crap.

Arrogant Or Practical

Some stock photography agencies sell subscriptions to buyers.  With a subscription a buyer pays a fee which allows them  to download a set number of photographs or clips in a certain period of time.  For example,  Shutterstock has a 25 per day plan.  Of course a video subscription is more expensive than a photo subscription.  Agencies tout subscriptions as good for buyers and photographers alike.  Buyers can afford to get more images and presumable more sales are spread over more photographers.  The payout on work sold via subscription is miniscule, twenty-five to thirty cents per photo and between a dollar fifty and two dollars per video.  I opted out of selling videos on subscription.  Too much time and effort goes into making a video to sell for such ridiculous prices.  Microstock photos sell for cheap anyway, starting at a dollar or so for a small image suitable for the web which is split at various percentages between agency and photographer. But subscriptions are the bottom of the barrel. 

I started out at microstock agencies.  I was glad when I made a sale and even happier when the sale was a regular sale instead of a subscription.  Fotolia sells its large photos for seven dollars on a regular sale which would be split with the photographer.  All subscription sales are large and the photographer gets all of twenty-seven cents for the sale.  Fotolia doesn't allow photographers to opt out of subscriptions for photos. 

I was willing to put up with these terms until I was diagnosed with Glaucoma and discovered Pond5.  I can tell my vision is changing and one day I may be unable to photograph.  I want to have a great number of photos and videos online before I'm forced to stop.  I'll need the royalties to supplement my income in my old age.  Pond5 is based on a different model.  The photographer sets his or her own prices and there are no subscriptions.  I struggled with pricing because I had so many pictures up on other agencies selling for low, low, prices.  Will buyers pay my prices when they can get the same photo at subscription prices? 

On Pond5 I priced my photos according to how difficult they were to make.  Then I priced all sizes the same price.  I did this because I think most photos will be used online and buyers will default to the large because psychologically it's a better buy for them.  With all sizes the same price I'm splitting a higher amount with Pond5.  When a photograph sells five times I raise the price.  I priced my standard definition footage at $25 no matter the duration and HD footage at $50.   I priced a few at lower prices to see if it made a difference.  Pricing is a hot topic in the forums on Pond5.  Some say price low to make lots of sales.  Others say price high or you're not going to make any money.  I like the ones who say produce high quality work and buyers who need what you have will buy it no matter the price. 

Some of my work has sold at one place or another while some other has sold across both formats.  When I don't know what to do I usually do nothing.  That came to a head for me today.  I got three emails from Fotolia telling me I had sold a photograph.  All three were subscriptions so I got a total of eighty-one cents for those three photographs.  I'm glad for the sale but I keep thinking if I had sold the same three pictures on Pond5 I would have gotten seven dollars and fifty cents. I consider the photos that sold at Fotolia today as specialty photos.  The subject was LDS related so it isn't something everyone would have around to photograph. 

I decided not to submit any more specialty or difficult to produce photography to agencies that sell subscriptions.  Anything new having to do with my religion, blindness, or anything I spent hours on the computer making will not be offered on subscription based sites.  I'll decide later if I will take these subjects off subscription based.  As for generic shots, I don't know yet.

I want to be practical about this.  I need to bring in as much as I can and it seems counterproductive to sell specialty photos at subscription prices when other viable options are out there.  

I'm also thinking of doing the same thing with pictures with Models.  I pay my model when a photo she is in sells.  Has arrogance and/or greed taken over?  Am I simply being practical?  the more money she makes the more willing she is to model. 

Ideas

I'm looking for ideas; ideas for footage to shoot and photographs to take.  Lately life has given me lots of subjects to photograph.  Christmas is always a good time for photos; then my youngest turned sixteen.  I got shots of her cake, her wearing a tiara, her in the van my mom gave her, and the damage my daughter caused to said van.  Nobody has a boyfriend so Valentine's Day was quiet.

When my limited life has been recorded for those willing to look can see I turn to my list.  When I think of a subject I add it to my assignment list.  I check stock agency websites for ideas as well.  I get inspiration from their newest uploads, and from other artists' portfolios.  I look at some of their work and say to myself, "How did they think of that?" or, "I wish I would have thought of that."  If it's something I can put my own spin on, I add the concept to my list.  If it's something I could never shoot I move on.  People shhot all kinds of things: people, food, buildings, mining, medical, military, everyday objects, you name it.

With so many subjects to choose from, you may be wondering why I need your help with ideas.  Well, we all have our own prospective and I'm sure there are subjects out there I could work on but haven't thought of.  I need to get as many ideas as I can as soon as possible.  I need to get them photographed or videoed, edited, and uploaded while my eyesight holds out.

My left eye is failing fast.  It is almost useless but I can still see a little bit with it but not read or write.  My right eye is doing mucy better but it seems to be getting slowly worse.  I want to have about four times as many files online as I do know before I'm forced to stop.  I have just over 600 files on Pond5 at the time of this writing.  I'm hoping to have at least 2400 to 3000 online before I'm done.

You can leave your suggestions in the comments section below.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/blindaseyelook, like and leave comments.  Last but not least you can email me at blindaseyelook@live.com.  Visit https://www.pond5.com/video-sound-effects-music-after-effects-photos-illustrations/1/artist:kalani.html regularly to see my take on your ideas.  

A Short Take on Footage

Months ago I said my next post would be about footage.  Life took over since then.  My oldest daughter got engaged and later called off the marriage.  I've put in extra time shooting, editing, and uploading footage.  I have also been putting in extra time at my work at home job.  With all this, along with normal living, my blog has been neglected.  Now I'm back with a short post for you.

I did some research to see which topics need to be addressed first.  I was pleasantly surprised when I went on YouTube to check out what's out there in terms of home video.  Basically, the same issues exist now as they did years ago when we all walked around with those camcorders on our shoulders.  These issues have improved considerable but are still there.

1.  Scenes and videos are too long.  Sure, the topic takes as long as it takes but cut out the extras.  For example, a bride getting ready. Many will show her washing her face, putting on moisturizer, doing her hair, plucking her eyebrows, applying blush, brushing on mascara and eyeshadow, lining her lips, putting on lipstick, blotting said lipstick, stepping into her dress, having it zipped, someone placing every pin in her veil, and finally the bride smiling into the camera.  Reduce this to a couple of strokes with the hair brush or one curl from the curling iron, bride applying mascara, stepping into her dress, finishing touches on the veil, and finally with the bride smiling into the camera. 

I know you're excited about the event.  You're right there feeling the vibe.  You want to capture every moment.  Do this if you must.  Just please do some judicious editing before you show the footage to people.  You don't want them falling asleep before they see the rest of your wonderful footage.  I think after you edit every moment of hours of footage you will shoot with the essential point in mind next time. 

2.  Too much zooming, panning, and tilting.  People zoom in then out and back again.  They'll pan right, then left, then back right.  The same with tilting, up, down, up.  STOP, just stop. 

Follow these rules whether you're zooming, panning, or tilting. 
     a.  Move in ONE direction and stop.  Period.  If you're shooting a wide view of the Salt Lake Temple and want to zoom in on the Angel Moroni, zoom in as close as you'd like and STOP.  Don't zoom back out.  Don't pan or tilt unless you're sure of what you'll see.  Same rule for panning and tilting.  If you are shooting a vista choose a starting point and pan in one direction and STOP.  Do not pan back the way you came in the same shot.  Want to show how tall that building is?  Tilt upward and STOP. 
     b.  People tend to start in the middle and pan, zoom, or tilt; then they'll go back in the opposite direction past the middle and onto to the other side.  Don't do that. 
     c.  Practice your moves.  Take a dry run or two before you shoot.  Pan the scene to decide where to begin and end.  Practice zooming so you'll know when to stop.  Stop at a good composition, not when you run out of zoom. 
     d.  Pan, zoom, and tilt at an appropriate and steady speed.  Most people move to quickly. 
     e.  Use pan, zoom, and tilt to enhance your footage.  These techniques are like spices, a little goes a long way.  Too much can ruin your efforts. 
     f.  This may be a blind thing but don't shoot while you're looking for your subject.  Pan, zoom, tilt, find, then shoot. 

3.  Use a tripod whenever possible.  For the most part you will be shooting action in front of you; the track meet, the parade, a sunset.  That is the action we want to see.  Stabilize you camera by placing it on a tripod or another stable surface.  Because I have to be very close to the video display I can rest the monitor part of the video camera on the bridge of my nose  when I can't use a tripod. 

4.  Know when to move and when to stay put.  These two examples are the best way I know to explain this. 

     Church video.  Somebody set a video camera on a tripod in the balcony.  They zoomed out so part of the congregation could be seen from the back.  The piano, organ, and pulpit could also be seen.  The entire service was recorded from this vantage point.  Someone should have been assigned to pan the choir members during a song, to zoom in on the soloist, get some medium shots of the pianist, pan the minister moving into the pulpit to preach, and some medium shots of him preaching the sermon.  The audio was good because the church used microphones.  Granted this is difficult with one camera but I believe the show would have been more interesting.

     YouTube Video.  Someone also set the camera on a tripod and left it there.  This person used a medium shot.  The scene consisted of a little girl standing at a table with play dough and cookie cutters.  The camera showed her mushing the play dough into the shapes and unmolding them.  After she unmolded each shape she would hold it up so the viewer could see.  The little girl talked about what she was doing the whole time.  The audio was good because the camera was close enough to capture it.  This video worked because the action was framed with no distracting extras. 

My motto is, "Go where the action is." 

4.  Audio.  I'll direct you elsewhere for that.  Your camera's built in microphone may be fine for close work or when other microphones are used.  I know you can buy extra microphones to enhance audio quality.  I usually remove the audio tract for my stock footage so I don't know much about making your audio better.

Next blog, I don't know.  I don't know when I will write and post my next blog.  Neither do I know what the subject matter will be.  If you have suggestions please comment. 

When you need stock photographs or footage please take a look at my portfolios.  I would appreciate it very much. 

Thank You Digital

Back in the day I used to cringe when somebody brought out a photo album.  I knew what was in store and was never proven wrong.  These albums contained a collection of mostly horrific snapshots that never should have been seen by anyone.  I've come to the conclusion people kept these monstrosities because by golly they'd payed for them.  Back then they would have bought the film and flash, took the film to the processor, and waited for their pictures, either one hour or a few days.  It's no wonder people keep most of them.

You know the pictures I mean, we've all seen them.  Lets use some familiar photo ops as examples. 

Family with Christmas Tree in Background.  First shot; flash didn't go off.  Second shot; toddler is on the floor kicking and red faced.  Third shot; Dad is in the process of picking up said toddler, so the shot is blurry.  Fourth shot, flash glares off Grandpa's glasses and/or the mirror in the shot.  Fifth shot; someone has his/her eyes closed.  Sixth shot: finally a keeper!

On Vacation.  Here we are in front of Cinderella's Castle, The Grand Canyon, Hollywood sign, etc.  First shot; photographer's finger is in front of the lens.  Second shot; random person walks directly in front of the camera, ruining the picture.  Third shot; somebody wasn't ready.  Fourth shot; somebody blinked, sneezed, was looking away.  Fifth shot: a keeper! 

School Performance.  First shot, second shot.....all shots; you can't see the stage very well but the heads of the people in front of you are very well illuminated.  There is one and only one cure for this in still photography.  Get up and move close to the stage and take your pictures.  A powerful flash will light up 20-30 feet in front of it.  Chances are you are sitting farther back than that.

Small Children and Pets.  Shot one, and most others;  because the tall adult is towering over the child or pet the subject looks smashed and squat.  The photographer should get on the same level as the person or animal being photographed.  Sit on the floor where the action is or put the child in a chair or have someone hold the pet.  Your pictures will look much better.

Light Source Behind Subject.  Shot one, and probably all others, subject is dark while background is light.  Moving your subject is the best remedy.  If that isn't possible use the flash, even if you're outside.  The extra light from the flash will help illuminate your subject.

Digital cameras have gone a long way in improving peoples photography and photo albums.  Now the photographer can see what the shot will look like before it's snapped.  If a picture is bad, no great loss, just delete it and retake.   I looked through some Facebook friends photo albums for this post and was pleasantly surprised.  Most pictures were good.  I have to chalk that up to the digital age.  First they decided to keep only the good ones.  Second they were selective in which pictures to upload.  Thank goodness uploading takes a little time.

I'll talk about Video in my next blog.

Happy Shooting.

The Sunbeam Girl

I called my mother the other night to find out why she decided to get me a camera for Christmas that year.  Her logic is as convoluted as my husband, Edwin, used to say mine is.  So this is how it all began.

"You liked to look at things,"  She said.  "you liked to look at catalogs, TV, the Sunbeam Girl, everything."  Did I look at things differently?  It appears I didn't look a different kinds of things than other kids.  This is all the explanation I could get out of her.  She says that camera is around the house somewhere.  I wonder, because we moved when I was ten and I'm pretty sure I had a different camera then. 

Now if I had a little girl who, "liked to look at things I would have gotten her some picture books or a ViewMaster with extra slides.  I never would have made the leap to a camera.  But I'm glad she did.

Now I must explain about the Sunbeam Girl.  The Sunbeam girl was an icon for the Sunbeam Bread Company.  She was depicted on the bread wrapper eating a slice of buttered toast.  In Pine Bluff, Arkansas, the courthouse sits at one end of Main Street and a huge billboard of the Sunbeam Girl sits at the other end.  The girl used to sit on an operational swing.  She swang from one end of this gigantic billboard to the other constantly, day or night, rain, or shine.

I used to have my parents stop so I could get out of the car and watch the Sunbeam Girl swing.  I bet they avoided Man Street as much as possible so they didn't have to stop.

The original billboard stayed up until sometime in the 1970.  I'm guessing they took it down about the time of the Energy Crisis.  The replacement billboard simply had a picture of the girl on a swing.  I think they tried another billboard with a operational swing but it didn't stay up very long.  To me, this picture looks as if the swing would work but this is the current billboard and she doesn't swing. 

If you like white bread but not soft white like Wonder, then you would like Sunbeam bread.  It has a courser crumb than Wonder.   I't more like homemade.

I found the picture above on Google.  I couldn't find a full sized unedited version on my computer.   Here is a version I was working on for a local contest.  I ended up abandoning it because the isolation was sloppy.  I ended up using some other local scenes for the Office of Emergency Management Calendar.  Even though it was 200? it doesn't stand out in my mine as the 1992 Beautiful Tropical Flowers calendar does.  It was 2006 or 2007.  I'm pretty sure Edwin was still alive. 

Glaucoma

I noticed the sight in my left eye was getting worse.  This was about 2008.  I was both scared and reassured; after all I was already legally blind; Heavenly Father wouldn't let anything else happen to me--would he?  First I chalked it up to aging, people in their 40's needed glasses all the time, my eyes were simply changing due to aging.  But still I worried.  I made an appointment with the low vision clinic in Little Rock, Arkansas.  They ran a few tests an ruled out detaching retina.  But didn't want to make a definite diagnosis.  Though my pressures were high, I was told people with micro cornea usually have high inter ocular pressures.  I was also told I had some sort of cataract over part of my left eye.  It has a German name but I don't remember what it is.

I went on with life hoping for the best but afraid of the worst.  It got to the point I couldn't use my right eye to read.  By then I had moved to Atlanta and saw a doctor at Emory Eye Clinic.  He prescribed some glasses but my left eye continued to get worse.

I became concerned enough to find another low vision ophthalmologist.  Dr. David Sweeney at Insight Vision  did lots of tests and was very concerned about my pressures.  By this time I couldn't even count fingers using my left eye.  Luckily I could still detect hand movements with it.  Dr. Sweeney prescribed Travatan Z drops for me.   I had to ask, "Do I have glaucoma?"  He said I did.  My pressures were 45 in one eye and 46 in the other.  Pressures are supposed to be in the low to mid teens.

I went home and spent the rest of the day watching TV.  I didn't even answer the phone.  I did post a message about my diagnosis on Facebook. 

Yes, I'm going to get started about Facebook.  I posted something important and earth shattering for me.  And you know the response I got; almost zilch.  Two people responded on the day of the post.  The next day I posted something about "In case you weren't on Facebook yesterday.......".  I got eleven more responses after that.  I just don't get it.  If someone posts something funny or stupid they get responses out the wazoo.  People will take the time to write, "Lol," but not take the time to say something simple like, "I'm sorry to hear that."  I don't get on Facebook as much anymore, partly because of what happened, or should I say didn't happen.  But now if someone posts something like, "My child made the honor roll," "My son broke his leg," "My mom is in the hospital,", "My grandfather passed away," I will acknowledge it even if I only click the like button or say, "I'm sorry to hear that."  

The drops have helped tremendously.  My pressures went down to the mid twenties.  My eyes seem to work together better than they have in a long time.  Dr. Sweeney says my eye sight should stay the same if I take my drops.  I've heard from people with glaucoma that they eventually lost their sight or it got worse.  Time will tell.

I plan to shoot and upload as many images as possible for as long as I can.  These images will provide me with extra money now and in the future.

The Burning Question

You're probably wondering how and why did a legally blind person become a photographer.  Well, it has been almost a lifelong process.  I guess you can say my mother is the one responsible for getting me started.  I wonder if she had any idea what seed she was planting in me when she bought me a camera for Christmas so long ago.

The details of that Christmas are dim.  I don't remember if my sister had been born yet or how Old I was.  If I could remember which dorm I was in at the Arkansas School for the Blind I could narrow my age down to within a couple of years.  If I had to guess, I'd say I was between the ages of six and eight.   I do remember that Mom and I were excited about the camera.  Dad commented that he wished it was the kind you can see the pictures immediately instead of having to send the film away to be developed.  What pictures did I take with that camera?  What kind of camera was it?  What happened to it?  I don't know.  But I do remember Mom's and my excitement over the camera.

Several cameras were to follow that first one.  A few were Polaroids to satisfy Dad.  I always preferred the film that needed developing over the Polaroids.  The colors and details were sharper on the no-instant films.  My cameras ran the gamete from a 126 to a 110 and those Polaroids I mentioned.  I didn't know it then but the 110 was a downgrade from the 126.  Back then 110 cameras were all the rage because they were small enough to put in your pocket.  In fact, they were called pocket cameras.  Consumer Reports even rated these cameras on a feature they termed pocket-ability. 

Everybody I knew who had a camera had at 110.  This was true until I was introduced to the missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  All these young men had 35mm single lens reflex cameras.  With these cameras the image in the viewfinder was actually what would eventually be on the photograph when it came back.  No need to adjust for the difference between the lens and viewfinder.  These cameras had so many settings.  I could imagine myself taking such great pictures with one of these cameras.  I wanted one; how I wanted one.   But it wasn't to be, not yet.  These cameras had one big fault I couldn't overcome.  Really two big faults but only one insurmountable obstacle, no auto focus back then.  The other drawback was price, but I could have always saved up for one.

Technology moved forward until they started making 35mm cameras with auto focus in the mid 1980's.  These cameras had auto focus and of course used the larger 35mm film.  I don't remember if these cameras put more control in the photographers' hands but I bought one for myself and was very excited to have it.  I used that camera exclusively for about seven years.

More technology came and auto focus became standard and affordable on single lens reflex cameras.  Mine came with a 50mm fixed focus lens.  I bought a book on 35mm photography and signed up for a color film developing course.   I learned a ton of valuable information from depth of field and white balance to how to develop color film and make prints.  Most important, I learned where I wanted to spend my time and it wasn't in the darkroom.  Color film must be developed in total darkness, no safe lights in this process.  The developing solutions can only be used once, and they are quite expensive.

Shortly after I bought my 35mm SLR I came across a book called Sell and Resell your Photos.  According to amazon.com it's by Rohn Engh.  I read this book and decided to see if I could sell some of my photographs.  What made me, a long time snap shooter, recently turned photography student, legally blind, nobody think I could sell my photographs is beyond me.

I naively went around Salk Lake City taking pictures of all the tourist attractions.  I shot both print film and slide film.   The book had said something about needing both prints and slides so I was going to be prepared. I enlarged the prints, put the slides in a projector carousel, skimmed the book again, called a local company,  (I don't remember which) and made an appointment to show and peddle my work.

I can only imagine what the man I met with was thinking.  Though he didn't buy anything, he had been nice.  I remember two things from this meeting.  The first is to shoot slides, preferable Kodachrome 25 or 64 and put the slides into acid free plastic slide pages.     I took his advice and ran with it.  I stocked up on Kodachrome 25 and put it in the freezer.  Because I was now shooting with such slow film I invested in a Slik tripod.

Next I bought a copy of that year's edition of Photographers Market.  I sent away for submission guidelines to various types of companies: calendar companies, magazines, stock photography agencies, greeting card companies, text book publishers, you name it.  I submitted photos to several companies with mixed results.  A calendar company in Hawaii wanted to use five of my photos in the 1992 edition of its Beautiful Tropical Flowers calendar.  A small stock photography agency in Florida accepted several of the images I had sent there.  I was on my way and so psyched.  The calendar company sent me a rather large check and a calendar.  This is when I learned they had featured the bird of paradise flower for October and the other pictures were scattered throughout as supporting photos for the featured shots in other months.  I showed  the calendar to everybody who would look.  I think I sold one photo through the stock agency in Florida before it closed.

I liked the idea of selling stock photography because I could shoot, submit, and if the photo was accepted I could potentially earn money for myself indefinitely.  I contacted a local stock agency in Salt Lake City called The Stock Solution.  I made an appointment with the owner Royce Bair.  The meeting went well and to my surprise he chose a few of my slides to add to his library.  Occasionally I would get a check from The Stock Solution for between $100 and $200 dollars.  Sometimes I'd get a copy of the project my image was used in.  Mr. Bair was forward thinking back in the 1990's.  He was already scanning slides into computers and doing amazing things with digital photography.  I just couldn't see where digital was going.   

Digital was gaining ground and I thought was I stuck.  At that time I didn't have a clear understanding of the equipment I'd need.  I thought I'd need the camera, a docking station to transfer the shots, lots of special ink for the printer and a scanner.  I don't know how my thinking got so warped but it did.  I was convenced I couldn't afford it.  I continued on with film for a while longer.  Then I did a foolish thing that I regret.

One day I was looking at the digital photos on The Stock Solution's website.  By that time The Stock Solution had hundreds of digital images online.  I browsed and searched but couldn't find any of my pictures.  I decided to get my feelings hurt.  I wrote Mr. Bair and asked him to remove my slides from his library.  I didn't give a reason or explanation.  Now those slides from my world travels are sitting in a box doing nobody any good.  I don't have the equipment to turn them into quality digital images myself and having it done is too costly. 

I took the plunge once I figured out all I needed was the digital camera.  I already had a computer and was very computer savvy.  My husband bought Adobe Photoshop Elements for me for Christmas.  I was off and running again.  This time in the new and exciting world of digital photography.  I learned which flaws were worth fixing and which photos not to bother to correct.  I learned how to remove an object from its surroundings and place it on a white background or another place altogether.  Because my traveling days were over, I started taking pictures of everyday things around me.

Eventually I bought a digital SLR camera, the best of both worlds. I still shoot stock photography but have expanded into videography as well. I am booked to shoot my first wedding the last of next month.

My stock photos and footage can be purchased at pond5. There you will find these and many more examples of my work.
Photo Ops abound.