My Chrstimas

[TonyK]

My wife got me a gift card from B&H. It came up short so she made up the difference.

Got 2 more filters plus a set of close-up filters. Also Photoshop CS 5 upgrade and Nik HDR Efex Pro.

The plan is to take a photo a week and see what I get. That is 52 photos, not very many, but I want it to be more than just taking a snap.

[TonyK]

PS: How was everyone's Christmas/Holidays?

[mattchase]

I got an Amazon gift certificate and a Costco gift card. And of course the first thing I bought was photo gear. I am getting a pop up light tent, 16 AA Eneloops (I never seem to have enough for my flash plus an extra set, and now I have a video light that takes 6 AA!), 12 AAA Eneloops, and a nice 250+ piece dremel kit to replace my now 16 year old dremel (that still works but sounds like it is about to explode).

My plan is to get more photo jobs so I can get out of debt. And to start entering some of my best stuff in juried photo exhibits / competitions, though that is going to counteract the getting out of debt part. Unless I win.

[TonyK]

Happy New Year Matt.

I once had a Dermel and it too was a Christmas present. Then my dad "borrowed" it and he used it until it died.

Pop-up tents are nice. We got one in the fall to do jewelry and doll accessory photos. Instead of the 2 weak lights provided with the tent, I use a CFL @ 100 or 150 wattage output. Let the baby warm up and I get enough light.

Nearly got a Orbis ring light and may still order one for myself. If I do, I may break over and get a 580 flash for it. Still using my 5 or 6 year old 20D but it still takes great photos and the image counter indicates < 5000 images ever shot with it. This last year I took < 900 photos. Just haven't been shooting much. Looked at 2005 and I did between > 3500 photos. This year I hope to reverse that trend and get more photography done. I need it in my life and need something outside of work and sleep to pursue.

Being out of debt is a good thing. We did that in 1997 (December as a matter of fact) and carry no CC debt. We track and pay for each month and it works. We treat the CC as cash and set aside the cash so we don't over spend. After being out of CC debt for a while, it impacts the buying decisions. I know think of how long I have to work to buy something and is it worth it.

Like your website. Very nice indeed. Does it help generate traffic for your photography?

Take care,

[mattchase]

Well, got the tent today! My first thought when I saw the small box was "I thought it would be bigger". Then I opened it up and unfolded it...and it's bigger than I expected! But that's ok, I would rather it be a bit too big than too small. I had actually thought about getting a big one and a small one but didn't want to spend the money on two when I'm not doing enough photography to justify that right now, so I opted for the one that I figured would be big enough for most things, even if it is overkill for small items.

I bought just the tent without any lights, I have plenty of lights already and the one's that came in most the kits looked pretty cheap. So I was able to spend a little more on the tent itself which hopefully means I got a good one. Thankfully it would appear the Queen approves...

http://www.matthewchase.com/forums/guidotent.jpg

Thanks for the comments on my site, I just spent a bit of time redesigning it (the commercial side). It's funny, I bought a template to use on it but still spent a lot of time getting the layout and look how I wanted...so much for a plug and play template. I do get some traffic to my site but not much, I advertised for a month on the local newspaper's website and did see an increase in visits but didn't get a single call. I need to advertise again in the near future and keep advertising, I have done a couple of jobs thanks to referrals and the clients had mentioned they didn't know there was a commercial photographer in Seguin. But advertising isn't cheap, and the amount I can charge around here is very hit and miss. Most people / companies in this area aren't willing to pay what good photos are worth, probably because most of them have had their friends or family or an employee (which often is a friend or family!) shoot the photos. And I can only lower my prices so much before it isn't worth doing the work. But there are other cities I can target that are not too far away and have a higher standard of living, I just need to figure out the best advertising to reach them all without simply going further into debt.

[JB]

Hi Guys,

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas and a good start for a new year. This was one of the more basic Xmases I've had. Nothing from Santa in terms of "stuff" but more words of encouragement from friends and relatives.

However, I'm almost set on getting a DSLR in a few months. It'll be Nikon.

[TonyK]

Hi JB,

Let us see some pictures from the soon to be had Nikon. I hear it is a sweet DSLR. I keep jonesing for a 5D Mark 2 but the funds always seem to go somewhere else.

New Years Day found at the ER vet. Heather had bladder stones. Monday I fired our vet and got a new one when trying to get Heather in for surgery was met with resistance. Did not spend $250 on the ER vet and told to get the surgery Monday morning to be met with indifference by the vet tech.

BTW, LOVE our net vet's office and the staff. Very friendly, welcoming. I did not expect anyone to drop everything just to help us. What I expected I found at the new clinic. The old clinic did not act like they cared. Oh well, just another sick cat that needs immediate surgery.

~We don't do surgeries on Mondays as a rule. The vet won't be in until 9. You can't leave her, he will want to talk with you. No, we never call him when he is not in the office.~

Those are the things that greeted me at 7:30AM when I tried to visit my old vet. The new office immediately called the ER vet's office, got a fax of their findings, blocked out time for the surgery and had me fill in new patient paperwork. This is what I expected from the other vet's office and did not get.

But enough about me.

HOW ARE YOU GUYS! I MISS YOU.

[JB]

Hey There Tony,

Glad to hear the new vet is working out for you and your loved ones.

Miss you guys, too! Haven't been in touch. A lot has changed in my life.

[TonyK]

HDR Efex Pro and CS5 upgrade showed up today and are now installed. Getting used to CS5 is going to take some time. Did not like that I had to create an action, associate that action to creating new or opening existing documents just to get the screen to open at full with the menu at the top. This is something that was just a setting before under the view->screen mode/method. At least Adobe posted a solution and I have it setup.

Anyone have tips for CS5?

Take care,