REAL ESTATE PHOTOGRAPHY TO CLONE OR NOT TO CLONE

As a Real Estate photographer I am sometimes asked by the seller or realtor to clone or fix certain imperfections or flaws in the images I provide of the house and property.  I usually have to politely explain that I am governed by the Truth in Advertising law which precludes me from making material changes in the images.  

Usually it is understood that a buyer wants to see the property conveyed by my images in all it's reality, flaws and all.  I have to say that I agree with this concept.  If it were me and I were the buyer I would want to see the cracks and pits that are sometimes present.  For me to cover them up or fix them would be less than truthful.  

I don't know if anyone has ever been sued over images that have been fixed or altered but I know I don't want to be the first.  

FREE MIND FILMS' SHADOW RING TRAILER

Shadow Ring Trailer

Hey folks, our new documentary film Shadow Ring has a new trailer out now.  Click the link above to view a small preview of our upcoming documentary Shadow Ring.

SLEEPING DOGS

My One and Only Movie

This is a student film made by my son Austin.  My one and only movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQEK8qwmVys&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLE2C446F84D5E5168

THE WINTER PHOTOGRAPHER

Being a commercial photographer working for magazines and publicity companies and the like has it's advantages over being a wedding/portrait shooter.  It also has it's disadvantages.  

One of those disadvantages is that in the winter time business can slow down compared to the spring, summer and fall.  If you save your money during the busy times this winter slowdown can be turned into an advantage. 

I use this time to catch up on my office work, networking and forming plans for the upcoming year.  During this time of little or no paying work is helps to keep in mind that it all averages out over the long run.  

Don't get me wrong, I would like to have steady business but when it's not there I try to put effort into taking care of the "no pay" items that are essential to running a successful studio. 

Let's all make the coming year our best yet. 

Randall Green Images 

WHAT IS AN F STOP?... FOR THOSE WHO DON'T WANT TO KNOW IT ALL.

If you compare making a proper exposure to filling a bucket it may be easier to understand what an f stop is.  To properly expose an image at a given film speed or ASA or ISO (why so many names?) two things have to happen at the same time.  The shutter has to open for a given amount of time (shutter speed) and with a given diameter (f-stop).  The f-stop is actually a ratio of the diameter of the shutter opening compared to the focal length of the lense.  The focal length of the lense can be from around 18mm, very wide angle, to 1000mm, very long telephoto.  The larger the diameter of the shutter hole, the smaller the f-stop number expression.  f2= very wide opening, f22= very small opening.
http://www.randallgreenimages.com/

This doesn't explain why you use one or the other, just what it is.  Thanks, and keep shootin. 

ESET SECURITY 4

Unlike most of my counterparts I use a PC instead of a Mac for my Photographic business so I need a security program that will keep me clean and green.  ESET does just that.  After about a year of service not one virus not one operational problem.  If you are using Windows 7 on a pc and have problems keeping it clean and free of viruses ESET is da deal.  http://www.eset.com/

It's not free but it is sure worth what you pay.  I have peace of mind that my computer therefore my business is going to stay up and run smooth. 

ALZO: A QUICK REVIEW

There's a little company called Alzo Digital that makes one of the finest camera/strobe brakets there is.  This little jewel is able to go from horizontal to vertical in less than a second.  It's strobe tower is more than tall enough for any situation and it even has its own umbrella (using it is another thing as it gets a little heavy with the unbrella attached) to soften out those shadows.  

The camera end of it features a slide on base for quick camera removal and the whole unit is built like a tank.  It is an event or wedding photographers dream.  As I said before though if you put a Nikon D700 with a Nikon 24-70 f2.8 lense on it especially with an umbrella you better eat your Wheaties cause it will be HEAVY. 

I get nothing from Alzo for this so this article is my opinion and mine alone but the Alzo camera braket is superior to all others I've tried.  Check it out for yourself and post any comments you have here so others can be more informed.  Alzo:www.alzodigital.com 

The shot of James Marsden for Distinctly Oklahoma magazine was done with a single Nikon SB600 strobe and an Alzo bracket...

PEC PADS VS. DUST-AID CLOTH

I found the Pec Pads to be a bit rough in texture and very linty.  Whenever I use them they leave behind fibers and dust.  The Dust-Cloth is smoother and less linty even when cut in pieces.  More like cloth texture.  I would have to say that the Dust-Cloth is my preference. 

DUST AID PLATINUM- NO

While I like most of Dust Aid's products, the Platinum sensor cleaner I'm not too fond of.  It consists of a silicone pad on the end of a plastic stick that is supposed to pick dust up off the sensor sort of like a lint brush.  Upon the first touch to my sensor I found that it left behind a small amount of some sort of residue.  Even after several cleanings with the cleaner adhesive provided it still left behind a little residue.  I can't recommend this product for two reasons:  The aforementioned residue problem and the fact that you can't tell if you are picking up anything by looking at it.  See all the Dust Aid products here.... Dust-Aid 

If you have had different results with this product post it here.  Thanks.

SENSOR CLEANING YOUR DSLR

I will be publishing my findings on the different sensor cleaning systems I have tried and the results of each.  There are so many systems out there on the market that it is hard to find one without trying all of them.  I have tried several and I will be talking about the pros and cons of each one.  Keep in mind these are non scientific results and I am in no way endorsing one brand over another so don't cry to me if one I like doesn't work for you and manufacturers should know that I don't care if yours doesn't work well.  Get busy and improve it if you don't like it. 

More to come.