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Showing posts from October 19, 2014

What do I tell DSLR fledglings? This...

I often am asked gear questions - and often am not up to par with nerdy tech specs and details involved with intricate settings on entry level consumer DSLRs.  The MAIN question I get is usually presented as more of a complaint... "Tim - this camera doesn't do what I want it to do".  So, I am going to add a few pointers in for using that DSLR that you have :) Tip 1: If you bought a DSLR because you want great image quality, or a higher preforming camera, take into account that the camera only captures what you put in front of it - starting with the LENS.  If you have a garbage lens on a $40,000 body, you will have a garbage image.  If you put a great lens on an old el-cheap-o DSLR that is possibly a decade old, chances are that you will have the potential to create a great image. Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 (constant aperture) $2,400 When you are looking at lenses the most important part is the f-stop.  Look for lenses that have at least an f/2.8.  They could be prime (

A Day At The Shop

I usually start my morning off at 5:00am, when my alarm goes off.  Scratch that.  I start my morning when my second alarm goes off at 5:30am because I know I'll never get up for that 5am mark.  Between 6:30-7am I'm the daddy taxi service to get my kiddo to daycare.  Then its off to the shop to begin work.   I'll usually start with all the fun things - like balancing checking accounts, sweeping the floor, dusting frames, cleaning the bathroom...  Then I move on to the list of things that need to be done that I left for myself at the end of the previous work day.  My list usually consists of fulfilling print orders, answering client e-mails/Facebook messages/voice mails, editing photo shoots, creating Facebook preview/samples, uploading galleries, prepping gear for a shoot, having a shoot, re-setting the camera room/gear, designing albums, giving guitar lessons, unpacking received orders, filing paperwork, running to the bank, and notifying clients when their print orders are

What I never thought I'd be doing as a Photographer...

When I opened my shutter for business in 2010 I never imagined that I would own a retail studio in the business district of town - that seemed like a silly dream.  In 2013 when I opened that retail studio in the business district of town I never though that I would be so successful that I could more than happily walk away from full time job offers from my previous professions.  In 2014, after a year in the retail space, I'm now planning a full renovation project of the shop's interior, which I never ever would have planned on doing a year ago when I opened.  I never thought that being a photographer would provide opportunities to travel to so many neat places - like the Hartford CT Aviation Museum, or Jamaica (just this summer). I never imagined that I would make people so happy with their images that they would cry during their image review session, or cry again when they picked up their custom print order, but now it happens every week!  I never imagined that I would becom