Allen Morris Photography: Blog

Point and Shoot Artistry: Volume 3 - Don't Say Cheese!

2010-02-22T10:29:00.000-08:00

I was on a walk yesterday at a local park and walked past a father taking pictures of his daughter playing with some ducks. I sort of slowed a bit and watched this man and how he sort of "posed" his kiddo. He did what I imagine most parents do in this situation...point the kid towards the camera, shout "SAY CHEESE" and take a picture of a forced and somewhat ingenuine (BUT CUTE!!) smile.

In my time working as a portrait photographer, a vast majority of parents would visit us and rant about their inability to get a real smile. "I don't understand...everytime I pull out our camera, he just stares at it with sad eyes and forces a smile. He does this everytime and it's making me crazy!" This can be traced back to the Cheese factor of photography. We're all creatures of habit, we humans, so once we have it ingrained in our systems to "CHEEEEEEESE!" at the sight of a camera...it's a hard habit to break.

Keeping this ranting story in mind...a big piece of advice I would like to impart on you is to leave the cheese in the fridge and take photos of children (or even adults!) doing what they naturally do. A vast majority of the time you will capture a photo that's much more real to your subjects personality than you would by plopping them on a picnic table and having them stare into the lens. If you're really going for a good smile...have them say something funny....."Pickle Nose" always worked for me...then play off that to get a silly conversation going....

Parent: "Say PICKLE NOSE!!!"
Kid: "PICKLE NOSSSSE!"
Parent: "YOU PICKLE YOUR NOSE!! EEWWWWW!!!"
Kid: (giggling)
Parent: (take photo)

That sort of thing...

Beyond the smile and cheese factor..some basic things to remember to get a great portrait...

1. If possible pose your subject at a 45 degree angle...it's much more flattering that square on or a side view....especially if you're photographing a teen or adult.

2. Watch chins! One is enough for most people...so remember to have your subject crane their neck forward a bit to reduce the unpleasantness that may appear under their chins. Another good way to reduce these issues is to have your subject tilt their head slightly away from the camera...but be careful not to shoot up their nose!!

3. Always..Always...ALWAYS be aware of your background. A great pose and a great grin can be ruined by what's happening behind your subject.

4. Don't be afraid to move...get down on one knee to shoot straight across your subject, don't be afraid to roll around on the ground with your kids to get the joy in their face as they play in the grass. The photos you have to work for, will always be the photos that look the best. Many parents have hundreds of photos taken of their children from an above perspective. That makes the subject look smaller and their body out of proportion. This technique gives them a giant head and tiny little feet, because remember what ever is closest to the lens will look bigger in the photo.

5. Just relax and have fun...if you're having fun...your subject will have fun.

It's hip to be square.

2010-02-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

Ahh...Huey Lewis and the News had it right.....squares are cool.

So, for this weeks blog entry instead of giving you a bit of information on camera functions, or how to make sure your image is in focus, we're going to look at some fun pictures. I am going to show you some images I shot last week using my trusty TLR Yashica Mat 124 G camera.

For those who aren't hip to the jive of the vintage camera world...TLR stands for "Twin Lens Reflex" that means it has two lenses, one you see through, the other one actually takes the picture. These cameras generally require you to look down through a viewfinder located at the top of the camera to help you compose your image.

The particular camera I used takes photos on 120 film, that gives negatives that are 2 1/4 inches wide and
2 1/4 inches tall...well...officially they are 6 cm by 6 cm. The 120 format is generally referred to as Medium Format since it is larger than 35mm (small format) but smaller than 4x5 and larger field cameras (large format) The Medium format is a great way for film shooters to get more detail in their images in the form of larger negatives.

Really the only downside of the format is that you only get 12 images on a roll of film (or 18 if your camera shoots in a 6 cm x 4.5 cm format) instead of the 24-36 many are used to with their 35mm cameras. But y'know...having fewer shots makes us slow down, which if you've been reading my blog lately you know is a good thing.

So, without further ado, here are some of the highlights from my photo expedition through Portland last week.

Display Options - Let your Work Shine!

2010-01-25T09:43:00.000-08:00

So now that you have created these amazing digital (or film) images...what do you do with them? I mean sure you have the files stored on your hard drive somewhere collecting digital dust, but what do you do with them to REALLY enjoy them?

A lot of photographers, freelance, professional, amateur, grandma with a point and shoot, tend to fall into this rut of being fine with just having the file. But doesn't photography need to be seen? It is my humble theory that photos were meant to be printed, something tangible, something you can hold in your hand and love forever. So, what are our options to make them that way?

Prints:

Ahh...the time tested, most simple way to display your photos. Safe, in an album, on the wall in a frame you picked up from the local craft store...y'know...easy. Take a look at online services to see what sort of options they have for mounting prints, canvas printing, all those fun options. There are also fun ways to transfer your print to other surfaces...check out acrylic transfers (earlier post in the blog, or just google it) there are also sunprinting kits if you are so inclined to do it yourself with a historic alternative process. Moo.com also offers a series of photo cards (moocards...love it!) that come with a frame to display. They are little tiny things, but when put together can equal one major work of art! So don't settle for 4x6 prints anymore!

Books:

Now we're getting a little more interesting...iPhoto books are exceptionally cost effective. They have a WIDE range of sizes, bindings, templates/themes, and are fantastically easy to create. There are also other options for those living in PC'dom...zookbinder is a favorite, they too offer a wide selection of sizes, bindings, as well as other framing options. Regardless of where you go, or how you get them printed...photo books make awesome gifts and what could be better than having a whole library of your images?!

Or, if all else fails...there are a plethora of digital photo frame options on the market right now. They may set you back about $100.00 but will give you lots of options with regards to look, file resolution that they handle, or even movie playback. So if you find yourself with not a lot of wall space (like a lot of us do in real life) this may be a space economical idea for you. Perhaps get a set of 9, put them on the wall 3x3 and have a wall of slide shows? Could be fun!

The point is, get your files off your computer and start sharing your art. You took the photos you have there for a reason, so let your creativity shine and let others see it too.

Point and Shoot Artistry. Volume 2 - Framing your Subject -or- Why you might not want to center everything you shoot.

2010-01-18T09:35:00.000-08:00

Welcome to volume 2 of my series of posts to help you become a better photographer using your point and shoot camera.

In the last post we covered how to make sure your subject is in focus by half way holding down your shutter release button. Hopefully you have employed this technique and come up with some good results!

Today we're going to take things a little bit further by talking about framing subjects in the viewfinder, rules of composition (and how to break them) and how to generally make your photos look more dynamic.

As with every post in this series, all technical instructions are based on general functions on MOST digital point and shoot cameras. If something I write in these blogs doesn't work for your camera...always consult your cameras owners manual.

And now...on with Volume 2 - Angles and Centering.

Framing your subject in the viewfinder is the first step in creating a photo that can be amazing, or a resounding flop. A vast majority of us are guilty of sticking something in front of the camera, centering it in the middle of the viewfinder (generally underneath that strategically placed box/dot/star/etc.) and snapping a shot. Then later on when we look at the image or print, we generally go back and wish we would have done something to make it look not so boring and stagnant.

To fix this problem the simplest and most effective thing to do is to move your subject around the frame, adjusting how closely you are zoomed in, and adding empty space around them. But...but...EMPTY SPACE?!?! Yes, leave some room around your subject to add some area for the eye to rest, plus if you have some negative/empty space around, your viewer will be much more likely to focus their attention on the true subject of your photo...what ever that may be.

For example....

In this image we have an hourglass stationed beautifully atop a concrete tie along side some rail road rails.

Sure, it's an interesting subject, the background (what you can see of it anyway) seems to be interesting. But since the hourglass is so centered and filling a majority of the frame it's a pretty stagnant, safe shot that doesn't really say much.

So, how do we adjust this photo so that it makes more of an impact? Let's move it around the frame for our next shot...

In this shot, I moved the hourglass further to the left of the frame. This leaves more of the railway tracks to be seen, gives more of an idea of where in space/time/the world this object is located, and it offsets the visual weight of the photo.

The visual weight of a photo, in it's most simplistic terms, is how much stuff is crammed into one side of an image. The balance between left and right, or top and bottom.

Moving your subject to one end of the frame or the other will instantly move the heaviest part of the visual weight of an image and create an entirely different feeling.

So, now that you're armed with a bit of new found or newly refreshed knowledge, go out and photograph something interesting. Give it some empty space and see what sort of effect and feeling you can elicit by moving in around. I would love to see some of your examples, so please feel free to drop me a line and attach an image in the comment section of this post!

Back to Basics

2010-01-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

The best thing about digital cameras and the computer technology that goes along with them, is that you can cram hundreds maybe even thousands of images on a single media card. A wise man once told me of digital photography "Electrons are free man, shoot it till ya get it."

It's true...you can shoot and fill your card full of 300 images and hopefully capture 10 good ones in what I call the modified Rambo "shoot'em till ya hit 'em" sort of routine. The other option, you can slow down a bit in your shooting and get more good photos than bad. Really think about what you are shooting and make it count. Even though you have 4 gigs of memory to play with, maybe in any given day you only shoot 30 shots, but since you slowed down a bit and really looked at what you were shooting, 25 of your 30 came out well! It's a good thing!

A great way to practice this new outlook on photography is to bust out the old 35mm film camera and run some film through it. When you only have 36 frames to work with, you will tend to slow it down a bit and use them much more wisely. Plus if you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know I'm a big fan of film.

So get out and shoot, take your time, and make 'em count. I would love to see what you all come up with so feel free to drop me a link in the comment section of any of the posts on the blog.

Point and Shoot Artistry. Volume 1 - Focus

2010-01-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

While a vast majority of my blog entries revolve around photographic history, antique cameras, and general shenanigans...I would also like to add a series of posts that will help everyone become better technical photographers. That being said, I am starting a new series entitled "Point and Shoot Artistry". These posts will give you ideas and technical information that will help you become better photographers.

Please note that the information I provide in these blog entries is sort of "all encompassing." Each camera has it's own particular sets of quirks and may require different techniques. So, if what I write here isn't working for you...go back and check your camera's manual...it generally has all the answers.

Today I bring to you...Volume 1 - Focus.

Many point-and-shooters run into this problem every now and then. Let's say you are trying to photograph your child (Nephew, Niece, Brother, Sister, or who ever happens to be closest to your camera at the time) you are trying to get a picture of the new outfit that a grandma just sent to them. A full body shot of your lil' one...shouldn't be to tough right? But everytime you push the shutter release their face is out of focus but the graphic on the shirt is super clear.

It happens to all of us (even us professional types, even though we tend not to admit it). The best way to avoid this sort of issue is to center up the most important part of your subject in the viewfinder, usually there is a dot/square or something to denote the center. Generally speaking most cameras are set to "center focus"...that means that the center dot/square will be the point that is in focus...the rest of the photo may fall out around it if you aren't shooting a super flat subject.

So, to use this feature for evil instead of good (or vise-versa) center up the child's face in the viewfinder. Make sure the center dot is on their little nose. Then comes the important part, Hold your shutter release button HALF WAY DOWN...NOT all the way. That is going to tell the camera to focus on the plane of the kiddo's face. Then, with the button still held down, recenter your photo to capture the kiddo's full body and the cute outfit that nana sent.

This may take some practice and some getting used to. So keep working on it on stationary objects first before charging after a rogue two year old.

Some super new cameras may have face detection, smile capture, and other fun and interesting things to help keep faces in focus...so again, check your manual for any camera specific fuctions and features that may also help you.

I hope you find this information valuable and helpful. Keep an eye peeled for future installments including:

Color Balance - Why is my Baby Blue?

Shooting Modes - How to use your Panorama setting for Evil instead of Good.

Capturing Moving Subjects - Lead your Target!

Macro Photography - How to capture a ladybug with your camera without squishing it.

Geek Hardware: The Toy Cameras

2009-11-20T11:12:00.000-08:00

If any of my college professors are reading this post, please return to my webpage and enjoy the pretty pictures...you will not like what you are about to see.

Everyone ready?

Here goes...

I like blur...

There, I said it. I can't take it back now..it's out there. Everyone knows. Even though it flies in the face of everything I learned as an undergrad...that everything must be razor sharp, so sharp in fact that to run your hand down the front of the print would cause it to bleed. It's true...I have developed a love affair with blur. I feel better now.

Of course you can create blur with Photoshop or any other decent post processing software when it comes to your digital files. But I have found that blur looks the best when it comes from film...just like everything else in life. *coughGOFILMcoughcough*

With that in mind there are a whole slew of cameras out there whose lives are built around the blur...many of which are coupled with my other love...the vignette. The darkening of edges to create a dark and ominous mood....mmm...vignette. These cameras are generally plastic in nature and tend to leak light like a sieve. The time tested favorite of these cameras is the wonderfully dynamic Holga.

Holgas are easy to find and super easy to use. The cameras can be found online at Amazon.com and B&H Photovideo. Many local stores also carry them as they have become a big part of what I would like to think is a film revival. I know that digital has become the way of the photographic world, but I think that there are a large group of photographers that still enjoy the look and feel of film and will be hard pressed to give it up for some applications.

They take 120 film which can be purchased at any decent photography shop. They also generally require copious amounts of taping with duct tape to cover all the loose seams and light leaks.

Focusing the Holga (as well as many of it's sister and simlar cameras..the Diana, the Woca, etc.) is notoriously simple and requires some guess work. They are also a fixed f/8 ('ish) aperture. So that gives you a good amount of sharpness with a good fall off to the blur.

Everyone, go out and get a Holga, a Woca, a Diana Camera, or any sort of cheap 20.00 plastic camera and get out shooting. The results are awesome and everyone will KNOW that you're cool when they see you shoot one of these monsters.

Annie Leibovitz does Hansel and Gretel....the right way.

2009-11-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

Even hard financial troubles can't keep Annie L. from working. The brilliant mind that brought us a nude Whoopi Goldberg in a tub full of Milk is at it again.

With Lady Gaga as the witch in the woods, Leibovitz has recreated Hansel and Gretel with a Tim Burton sort of vibe. It's amazing. Everyone needs to go check it out.

http://origin.www.vogue.com/feature/2009_December_Hansel_And_Gretel/

It sort of reminds me of a project that's been clanking around the back of my head for a few months now....more on that later.

Acrylic Transfer!

2009-11-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

Finally, I have completed the first of what I hope will be a series of acrylic transfers. This process, while fun, turned out to be a bit more time consuming that I originally thought. Nonetheless, I really love the results! Take a look!!

Some detail shots:

For those unfamiliar with the whole procedure, it's actually fairly simple. I'll outline it below along with what I learned along the way in my little experiment.

1. Print out your image on some good quality inket paper.
What I learned: Photo Paper (Like the Epson super premium glossy photo paper) does NOT work for this process at all...it's too water proof. Also, you might consider printing your image out slightly bigger than you want your final piece to be. There will be a little shrinkage. A quarter of an inch should do the trick.

2. Let your prints dry overnight.

3. Apply four coats of Glossy Gel Acrylic Medium to the front of your print. Make sure to do change directions on each coat to ensure coverage and strength. Let this dry AT LEAST overnight.

4. Once dry, and I mean DRY, submerge your coated prints in a bath of warm water. I used a photo tray to do this so as not to make a HUGE mess. Let it soak for a few minutes. Remove the back of the print by scraping off the paper. Be gentle, but firm. The gel medium is actually fairly strong stuff. But it is prone to tearing so be careful!

5. When you have removed the paper backing, lay your transfer out onto a piece of wax paper and weight down overnight to flatten. You will squeeze water out during this first night, so replace the wax paper the next morning.
What I learned: Don't let this stuff sit out to terribly long, it will be come STUCK to the wax paper eventually and it becomes SUPER difficult to remove. Also the longer it sits out, the more brittle the transfer will become.

6. Finally, figure out what you want to tack your masterpiece onto. Apply a coat of gel medium to the surface you want your transfer to stick to, then simply slap the transfer on, remove bubbles (if you want!) and let dry. You can pull and stretch the transfer to a certain extent, but again, it's fairly brittle so be careful.
What I learned: Don't stress out about the bubbles and wrinkles...they actually look pretty bad ass!

7. Apply a couple of coats of Gel Medium to the top of your transfer once you have it on your new surface. This will seal it up and make it stand up better against the elements. I also layed on a couple layers of UV Gloss Varnish just to get a nice shine on my final piece.

So, now that you know how to do it (and if my instructions aren't clear, you might just google Acrylic Transfer Process and there are videos out there) I would love to see what you all come up with! Leave me comments with links to your work!

Photo-Go-Round: My Choice

2009-10-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

Today I present to you the final installment of my first series from the Photo-Go-Round assignment my roomate/friend/designer extraordinaire presented me with last year in her inspiration book. This final panorama is from sort of a rural setting near Helvetia, Oregon. Just off of the Sunset Highway (major Oregon throughfare between Portland and the Coast) there is a little tavern/cafe that is perported to have the best burgers in the metro area. No small feat I assure you...it's a big area.

I think my favorite thing in this photo, as with my urban location panorama, is how funny moving things can be in this sort of media. You'll notice a random floating golf cart in the center of the photo. It's actually being carried on a trailer behind a pickup truck. I was very curious what it would look like if I just caught random bits of the hauler as it passed by...now I know! I love it.

Even though this is the final installment of my first series, I will be persuing another series of Panos in the near future...very interesting things happen when you let photos collide. :)

So, without further ado...Photo-Go-Round installment three...my choice!

Inspiration and General Coolness....

2009-10-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

As photographers, designers, painters...just artists in general, I think it's important that we keep appraised of all the coolness going on in the world outside of our own personal mediums. *Gets on soap box* In order to be artists, we need to be able to appreciate the great work of our peers all over the world. We should be able to look at others work, and take from it inspiration and discover new techniques. *gets off soap box*

One of my favorite places to surf around aimlessly on slow days at work or when i'm just generally bored is Notcot.org. The cool thing about notcot specifically is that users and viewers can submit the coolness that they find on the internet. It's an invaluable resource to share ideas and what you think looks amazing, and see what everyone else is creating and looking at as well.

The site tends to lean a bit towards the design end of life, but there are some great photographers whose work gets highlighted and some AMAZING furniture and illustration work as well.

Go forth my friends...see the work of others and take something from it!

Geek Hardware: The Antique Store Brownie Hawkeye

2009-10-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

What is it about an old, rusted, ugly camera that I just adore? Is it the history? Is it the $20.00 price tag? Is it the fact that it uses film instead of a sensor? Is it the fact that I can tear that sucker apart and do just about anything to it and I won't feel bad if I break it?....well...it's a little of all of those things. :)

Over the course of the past couple of years I have found myself buying up every cool old camera I can lay my little hands on. I have amassed quite the collection. The cool thing is...all of these old cameras work! In my collection I have Kodak Box Brownies that are nearly 100 years old. I have a great old 8x10 view camera that I saved from extinction (and have lovingly named Ruby) and a few Polaroids that will probably never see use again! But y'never know!

Using my blog as a platform, I would like to introduce you to some of these vintage light catchers and show you how cool old technology can be!

First, let's talk Brownies.

This guy is a Brownie Hawkeye. They were made between 1949 and 1961. There are TONS of these little guys all over the place. They make 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" negatives (GET OUT OF YOUR RECTANGLES! Squares are where it's at!!!) on 620 film....wait...620?!?! Do they even make that anymore? Nope, not so much. BUT, fear not my friends, all it takes to magically transform a roll of 120 film into 620 is a nail file and a little bit of time. Just file down the edges of the spools on your roll of 120 until you are left with just a little bit of plastic above the top of the rolled film...and that's really all it takes. You can also procure old 620 spools and re-roll your film...but that's for the super involoved. Plus, my way saves you TONS of time and aggrevation.

Another great thing about this particular brand of Brownie is that the lens can be flipped around to create a very ethereal look for your photos. As soon as I get my hands on another one of these babies, I will mod it with the flipped lens so I can have one of each!

Many times you will find this camera with a flash..the kind we saw in movies from the 50's and 60's. Big bulb, loud pop, tons of fun, your friends will love it.

So, my friends, next time you find yourself in an antique store, or at a yard sale and see a hawkeye, just know that it's an awesome camera that could use a good home! You CAN get film for it and use it! So get out there, and get shooting!

New Hardware Alert: Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR

2009-10-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

So, Canon released it's newest addition to its Digital SLR line up...the 1D Mark IV. I'm super excited to see how well the extended ISO settings look. I'm sure it'll be phenomenal otherwise they wouldn't offer it...but still! Any excuse to get my paws on one or to see the results...I'm there! Check out the Canon Page linked below...

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Digital Dreamboat

Super cool stuff, but now...it puts me one more step behind the times...methinks it's time to upgrade! YAY!

Photo-Go-Round: Rural

2009-10-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

I promised a continuation of the Photo-Go-Round project from my little book of tricks. So now I give you...the Rural set.

Rural Panorama

Final installment of the first group (The "My Choice") location to come next week.

Till then, have a great week!

Great new website to edit your photos

2009-10-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

I read about this last night and I think it's awesome! A boon to us crazy kids with iPhones that want to do some quick editing as well as home computer users. Plus it does all of the things that beginners and casual snapshot-shooters need!

http://www.photoshop.com/

The folks at adobe rock...we all know that...but this just seals the deal! You can do basic editing (exposure correction, color balancing, cropping and rotating) and you can go so far as to distort your pics with a faux fisheye type look, add some text and thought bubbles, and just generally have fun with your snapshots without having to shell out the $79.99 for Photoshop Elements.

Go forth my babies, shoot and edit...now for free!

Selections from "Trash the Tranny" Shoot

2009-10-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

What happens when 3 photographers and a plucky Graphic Designer get together with an open minded guy/model who is up for anything?

I give you...Trash the Tranny.

Geek Hardware: Cactus Wireless Flash Trigger Set V4

2009-10-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Off camera lighting is the best way to get that professional look that we all strive for in photography. There are countless ways to do it that range from those self contained light heads that we see in every studio across the country, to a tiny little external flash stuck on top of a light stand.

To trigger them many pros lean towards Pocket Wizards. Awesome little triggers and recievers that will allow you to set up your off camera flashes and trigger them from a ways away. That gives us latitude to selectively light a scene and get the look we want. The problem with Pocket Wizards...they can be SUPER expensive for us beginning professionals. The solution...a great little setup from our friends at Gadget Infinity.

Cactus Wireless Flash Trigger Set V4.

These little gadgets do the same thing as our Pocket Wizard friends..at a FRACTION of the price. Thus enabling we kids who live in a super tight budget, to start dabbling in the world of off camera flashes while we save up for the spendier Wizards. So now...there's no excuse to resign ourselves to our on board pop up flashes any longer!

Got your credit card out yet?

Irving Penn

2009-10-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

His work in fashion photography was ahead of it's time...resembling the work of his peer Richard Avedon, with their use of stark white and grey backdrops, allowing their subjects textures and forms and their use of light to stand out.

Read up on Penn and his photographic legacy here.

Photo-Go-Round: Urban

2009-10-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

Last year I found myself in a photographic slump. I wasn't sure what to shoot, was uninspired, and just wandered around aimlessly with my camera hanging around my neck (or even worse, still sitting in the bag in the trunk of my car) and just needed help.

My buddy the Graphic Designer came to my rescue and created a handbook of concepts and ideas. Now, I'm primarily a technical photographer, I like to find things that present a challenge in that regard. This book helped me use my tech. know how and parlay it into some conceptual works.

A new series of blog entries simply tagged "Book Project" will show some of the assignments and what I was able to come up with.

For my first installment, I present "Photo-Go-Round".

"Pick 3 locations, one rural, one urban, one your choice. Stand in a central location, start in one spot and shoot frames all the way around. Make sure there is some overlap from frame to frame. Shoot one version with a tripod, one handheld and all horizontals, and one version hand held using horizontals, verticals and variable zooming."

Click to view the panorama.

Now, it has to be said that in full resolution...the final print would be 8" tall and just under 11 FEET wide. Awesome! Two fun things to notice - The magically disappearing Tri-Met Bus, and my friend Matty's confused face as I panned all the way around.

Coming Soon: Rural and My Own Choice of Subjects. Stay Tuned!

Travelling with Camera Gear

2009-07-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

As I am currently planning a vacation to Boston in the coming week, I thought it would be a good time to revisit the TSA website and see what sort of requirements or restrictions are in place regarding camera equipment. I had heard a while back that they were banning Lithium Ion batteries in Carry-on baggage. After reviewing the website (link below) it turns out I was backwards. It's cool to keep extra batteries for you camera and other goodies in your Carry-ons, but not in checked baggage. Interesting...

As always it's a good idea to check the TSA info page before you fly and there are a number of great sites out there that give tips to we photographers on how to make sure your gear lands safely and in one piece.

(http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/batteries.shtm)

Also, be sure to keep your camera good safe when you are at your vacation destination...a few good tips:

Don’t advertise your camera. Keep your camera in a bag, preferably a plain old run of the mill one, not the one that has Nikon, Canon or Kodak plastered all over it. It's much safer for the camera anyway.

Keep it on your body whenever possible. If it’s a book bag type you can sometimes keep it on you while you’re eating at a restaurant, or you can sit the bag down between your feet and put the chair leg through the back straps to give your bag a little more protection. (Just don't forget it when you leave!)

Don't just leave it dangling from your neck, either. A quick cut of a knife and the strap is worthless, the camera is gone.

Be aware of your surroundings. I always give a quick look around before I pull my camera out. Even then, I wrap the strap around my wrist a couple of times before the camera leaves my bag.

Insure it! All the prevention in the world cannot thwart the craftiest thieves. Your homeowner's or renter's insurance probably offers "scheduled coverage" for an added fee (your insurance otherwise will not cover it once you leave your home). Travel insurance policies also provide coverage, although read the fine print first to be sure the coverage is as valuable as the camera. If you're camera is quite valuable, or you are a pro or serious amateur with a lot of equipment, check into policies specifically for cameras and photo equipment.

Secure your images. No policy can replace those great shots of the family posing at the Grand Canyon, and imagine the expense to return later. While you are traveling, you can back up those images even without a laptop on hand. Look for hour-photo shops that will convert those images on your memory card to CD. Keep that CD somewhere safe.

Hi Again

2009-06-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for having patience over the past few weeks. I think you will enjoy the new layout of my site and the overall look as well.

I am very excited about this new blog and it's ability to help me share information, ideas, and general ranting and raving to my viewers! I hope you find it informative and entertaining and visit often.