Back It Up !!!!!

I spend January each year organizing my studio which consists of boxing up paperwork and tax records and updating my website, social media outlets and other online portfolios. The only thing worse than a stale web presence is losing an important file(s) that could enhance the new site.
I found this out the hard way when an external hard drive  crashed last year and after several futile attempts to revive it my only choices were to send it off to a data retrieval company at an exorbitant cost or toss it. I chose to hang on to it and find another option.
I have heard countless times to "back up my files and all computer work" and more often than not I do that.
My main computer is linked to Carbonite which is an inexpensive way to have certain files on your main hard drive continuously backed up to an off premise server from which you can retrieve the files from any computer. This service costs me @ $57.00 a year per computer. They have recently offered premium services which will also back up an external drive or do a mirror back up of your entire hard drive to an external drive you provide them. ( I have no financial interest in this company)
I also have 2-3 external drives to which I back up a copy of all images I load into my computer after a shoot and any editing I do to them. I then burn a CD of the images I select from the shoot as the most usable and then any finished images from that shoot.
I have 2 Western Digital My Books and 1 Passport which travels with me. My Western Digital WD 25001032 stopped working last January 2011 when I was performing a cleanup of all my hard drives for the new year. It would power up but would not boot up and instead made a whirring start up sound then a clicking sound then a whirring shut down sound. My main computer would not recognize it via the desktop shortcut or in the hardware tab in the (C) drive properties menu.

While updating my services and images for 2012 I realized a folder of some exquisite document restoration I had done in 2009 was missing. I had no back up CD of them nor did they exist anywhere on my main (c)drive or backup drives. To lose these forever would be tragic and my last resort was that the folder may exist on the dead hard drive. Once again,  this costs anywhere from $350-$1000+ depending on who you talk to. Several Google searches revealed many problems associated with this particular drive and based on these I formulated a plan to get back this data.
First, I had to get to the hard drive ensconced in the plastic housing. I unplugged it, of course,  and located the tabs in the vents that can be depressed to allow the clam shell to separate. There is a screw painted over in black in one of the several round depressions located on the outside of the case.
Once opened several more screws and brackets and a few boards had to come off and I had in my hands an internal hard drive WD 2500JB. (WD Caviar SE)

Some Google searches suggested removing the hard drive from my main tower and replacing it with the faulty drive. There are many reason not to do this and I suggest you just don't attempt this.

I suggest going to TigerDirect which is a wonderful site full of computer parts, components and cables at very reasonable prices and the shipping is quick.(I have no financial interest in this company)

I found at this link Item # C184-30504 (Cables To Go-USB 2.0 to IDE or Serial ATA Drive Adapter Black)

This kit costs $ 24.99 + $2.29 s/h for a total of $27.28. I chose the Econo (4-9 days) rate and received it 2 days later.

I was sent an email with the shipping date so 24 hours prior to receiving the kit I placed the hard drive in a seal able freezer bag and then in the freezer. The platters and arm in the drive were not aligning properly and freezing the drive may compress them enough to be viable for a very short time measured in minutes so once you pull it out of the freezer work quickly!

I opened the kit and plugged in the power supply. I removed the drive from the freezer and the bag and connected the 4 pin power plug to the drive. Then I connected the IDE multi pin plug to the drive and then the USB connector on the opposite end into my tower. I switched on the power switch located on the power supply and the drive came to life. However, after a few attempts at booting up it went back to the clicking sound previously noted. Patiently,  I powered off the power switch and powered it back on and the drive booted up and the computer recognized it and claimed it was ready to go. I opened the drive and there was the folder I had lost and I quickly moved it off the drive onto my desktop where Carbonite began to back it up. I saved several other folders and then powered off the drive. I placed it in a bag and put it away just in case. I also burned a CD of the folder as an added precaution.

Will this work for you? I cannot guarantee it but for $27.28 it was worth the chance. Even though the drive contained the folder I needed there were no assurances it was even on there and it was not worth several hundreds of dollars to find out.
Also, this USB cable kit can now be used to power up an internal drive which I can use as if it's an external drive. I can purchase more memory at a lesser cost than I would buying an external drive with less memory.

I can guarantee you can avoid the issues I had when you:

- Back up your files always and not just to an external drive or CD. These are great short term solutions but drives fail and CDs last for a limited amount of time. A service like Carbonite is worth the yearly expense.

-Have a routine for frequently clearing off files and folders from your external drives. This not only saves space but you will be more aware of what is on the drive and you can be proactive in saving files and folders you may have missed that are important before they are lost.

-Keep your CDs in a dry safe place preferably off premise like a fire proof safe or as I do in a Safety Deposit Box at my bank. This costs $60.00 a year and is worth it.

None of this works if you don't back up the data in the first place and the document pictured below is worth some vigilance.

I hope this post will be helpful to others and I welcome comments and questions. I will respond to you.

Simplifying My Photography Process

K.I.S.S. the acronym for Keep It Simple Stupid is a mantra I put to use in all aspects of my life especially photography.
 In 2011  I made a decision to limit my business spending and attempt to utilize what equipment I had on hand. This really forced me to take an honest look at my inventory and assess what I had on hand versus what I actually needed.
The pitfall of being a photographer, especially in the digital age,  is the problem of Acquisition Syndrome. One day I have what I think to be all I need to get the job done and then the newest lens or camera body offering is announced and I go off buying that forgetting it's not always the best equipment that takes the best image. The newest equipment may make my job easier in the end but in reality all it does is obsoletes the equipment I currently own which gets the job done just fine. The $2200 camera body I bought in 2008 rated for 200,000 shutter actuations has only 3800 currently on it and at 12MP is all I need right now. The newest Nikon D800 comes in at an awesome 36MP but do I really need that for the work I'm doing now? No. So that $3000 can go to other uses like overhead and marketing.
In laying out all my gear: camera bodies, lenses, lighting equipment etc I was amazed at the amount of stuff I had accumulated most of which I never use. Some of it I had forgotten I own. Alas, the majority of it has depreciated in value to the point where I might as well just keep it, find a use for it or donate it. This method of Keeping It Simple not only applies to the financial side of my business but to the creative side as well.
Whether in my studio or out on location I would always haul out lots of equipment and all that really did was confuse me and distract me from the main goal of capturing some decent images.

One photographer I really respect is Zack Arias out of Atlanta, GA. He has a workshop he teaches entitled One Light and as you can guess he uses one light source to capture some pretty amazing portraits and headshots. Most of the lighting gear I have is best suited for my studio so I took his advice and got 1 heavy duty light stand, 1 28" softbox which folds like an umbrella for easier travel and setup and rely on a single Nikon SB-600 SpeedLight with wireless triggers and I am good to go. I can use ambient light as a second light source and I can get great images all day long with limited equipment which most importantly is off-camera.

Another photographer I just recently became aware of is Peter Hurley, a NYC headshot photographer whose studio setup is very simple and allows him more time to actually work with the client. I have gotten so wrapped up in the equipment aspect that I forget the most important part of the shoot is standing in front of my camera.
While his setup would cost me a small fortune the basis of it is the lighting is always set up one way and easily transformed with the click of some switches to vary between male and female headshots. His camera is tethered to an Apple and while he is shooting he is showing the client high quality proofs and editing the session as he goes. The large image also acts as a learning tool for the client as they can see what is or isn't working and where they need to go in terms of expression to get the best image. That image on the back of the camera will always look small and sharp but is it really???
While watching a video about his setup I realized I have the capabilities to replicate this and spend more time coaching and directing my subjects rather than messing with my gear as they sit and get bored. No good images are going to come from that.

Empowered with these two simple yet effective setups for in- studio and location shooting and my trusted camera system and backupI can get down to the business of making great images because I am not weighed down with lots of stuff and distractions and I can simply spend time with the most important asset on the set. The Subject.

Fall Family Portrait-2010

Happy New Year!
It is 2011 and my aim is to get better at this blogging. It is helpful as a journal of sorts to get down my thoughts and notes about projects and it allows others to see what I am doing. My last post was in August and I had several projects since then but was too "busy" to attend to the blog.
In 2010 my friend Kosal Eang, owner of Framed by Kosal in Monroe and as it turns out one talented photographer, asked me if I would be interested in offering a free portrait session as part of a silent auction. Being civic minded I agreed. Honestly, I have done this several times but never hear back from the winner. Well, there is a first time for everything and Josh Friend was the winner.
We met Josh and his family: wife Carrie, son Noah, and two daughters Manaia and Luisa on a Sunday morning in late October at Wolfe Park in Monroe, CT.
I like doing family portraits outdoors for several reasons. Each shoot offers a challenge in terms of gear and lighting. I often suggest a location that is special to the client or familiar to them and I always end up pleasantly surprised by their choice and this was no exception. Also, photography in general is a great way to meet new people and every portrait is different form the last.

We chose two spots in the park that day. First was located over a small foot bridge on a hiking path and we put the family up on a hilly area with the beautiful foliage behind them as a backdrop and a running stream acting as a framing point on the right.
The second shot was taken not too far away along the lake with the foliage colors from across the lake as the back drop.
This was a good experience and I enjoyed meeting Josh and his family. I hope they enjoyed the large 16x20 print they won and Josh was kind enough to order some additional prints and digital negatives. All in all a win-win for both parties.
jPhotographic is available for family portraits at the beach, the lake, the park or wherever you and your family enjoy spending time.
We offer archival prints, digital negatives, canvas wraps, and custom matting and framing.
Please give us a call to discuss any ideas you have! (203) 545-2054

Wedding Photography-My Process Part6

wow. Last post May14, 2010. Today August 10, 2010. So much for keeping up a consistent post every week or so! I just looked at my favorite fashion photography blog by photographer Melissa Rodwell and she too is slow to post on her blog. Her take is this: " do you want a frequent post by a photographer who is not busy or an infrequent post by a very busy photographer who has something to actually share?' not her exact words but you get the point. I have been busy planning and executing my very first on site event photo printing project which I plan to write about when my wedding series is done. Soon I hope.
OK. We left off with me shooting my first wedding and I talked about the equipment used and what I took away from that first experience. I don't care who you are or think you are, you are human therefore infallible and you must embrace your mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow. If your ego won't allow this basic acceptance than you are destined to be miserable, difficult to work with or both and people don't hire or recommend  miserable and difficult  people.
For my first wedding there were not many expectations but it was a great opportunity to focus on my shooting skills outside and to start to hone some all important business skills. Running a photography business is 10% pressing the shutter and 90% business. By business I mean: creating a logo, creating marketing materials from that logo, creating a business plan, creating a web presence, creating contracts specific to each facet of your business, accounting, and the constant monitoring and upgrading of the aforementioned. Oh and finding new clients is important too. Just because you print out business cards, even hand some out or take out an ad in the yellow pages you will die of starvation waiting for the phone to ring. It rarely will in the beginning so you need to be networking!!!
Regardless of the size of my first wedding and the low expectations I needed to have a contract signed by both myself and the client which outlined the event date, location(s) and time(s), the exact nature of my responsibilities, and any liabilities or limitations that might affect my ability to deliver on my responsibilities.
There are several contract templates and ideas available online for free or a nominal fee or you can get the
book Business and Legal Forms for Photographers which contains a variety of contracts and negotiation checklists for many of the situations you will find yourself in. I am not a lawyer and the materials available in this book and online should be used as a starting point only. It is wise to confer with an attorney who specializes in contracts in the specific state in which you reside and do business as each state differs on its laws and regulations.
As you can see going from shooting landscapes to taking on your first wedding involves much planning both in terms of equipment and exposure, to some business knowledge. Next installment I will discuss my second wedding in terms of the adjustments i needed to make in equipment, contract, and now commercial liability insurance and a price list for my services and prints. until then...

Wedding Photography-My Process Part 5- Progress Not Perfection

So, welcome back. I shot my first wedding in Part 4 and I described the limited gear I owned at that point and for the location, time of day, and abundant light that was offered my gear proved adequate for the task. One thing I was remiss in mentioning was that in addition to researching the equipment I needed, lighting techniques for outdoor wedding photography, and wedding photography basics in general I found helpful a "shot list" as an aid to work from. In reading several posts on Photo.net in the wedding forum I found a link to a site that offered a free download of a sample shot list. I assume we have all been to at least one wedding and myself have been to several albeit as a guest/usher/bestman and one not paying any attention to anything but the "festivities" of the day. A wedding, for the photographer, consists of a pre-ceremony time period, the ceremony, the recessional and greeting line, the post ceremony formals, and the reception. These specific time periods can be further broken down into subcategories to which I will give more attention to in a future post. For my first wedding it was simply the ceremony on the water followed by a formals session and then a reception at a relatives home nearby.
I arrived an hour early. I always try to arrive early. Not only is it profesional in my opinion but it also helps to mitigate any unforeseen obstacles that may arise in the form of weather, traffic, controlling venue employees or family members and/ or uninvited interlopers and undesirables.
My first plan of action was to find a convenient spot for my pack so my gear would be handy but out of the way. Next I assembled my gear and made sure it was all working properly. Note: the week preceding any gig I make a list of all the gear I need, assemble it on a work table,  recharge batteries as needed, format cards, and setup the menus for the specific job. I give the glass a once over and give myself plenty of time to acquire any last minute items or replacements if needed.
I also put together an itinerary for the day with maps and directions to the various locales. In my mind I walk through the day anticipating any problem areas and points of concern. One can never be too prepared.
Secondly, I took my trusty D50 and shot some scenics of the gazebo, the chairs, arriving guests, decorations, and surroundings. Shooting a wedding is to tell a story of the day with images. You can never have too many images and since I am shooting digital I have the option to save or delete images on the spot and to make exposure corrections as needed. The story is everything pertaining to the event. Since the bride and groom were on a small budget no doubt the family had put time and effort into making the decorations etc and it would be insulting not to capture these images. Despite the budget I like to capture everything and then piece it together later or offer the couple all the "information" so they can conceive their day in the manner they see fit.
As the guests started arriving I had my D80 out with the SB600 hot shoe flash attached and was making adjustments to the exposure settings and flash output settings. The main ceremony was to be held in a small gazebo with little light. It would be the bride and groom, the officiant, a maid of honor and best man in the gazebo. The backside of the gazebo was on the water (south) and blocked with seagrass and other shrubs. The sun was high and coming from the SE moving south.
The most important relationship, however shortlived, is the one between you and the officiant be it a justice of the peace, deacon, or priest. They dictate how the ceremony is conducted and they dictate whether you can use flash or not or how much. I made it a point to seek out the JP in this case and politley introduced myself and asked her what her "rules and conditions" were. She made it abundantly clear I was not to enter the gazebo nor was I to use flash that would be directed in her direction as this would be distracting to her.
This is important as it gives you a sense of their demeanor and mood and this in turn gives you an idea what you can try to get away with and what your lighting limitations are. This is also an important line item to be put into your contract which we will discuss in a later post.
In Part 6 I will post some images from this first wedding and discuss the limitations in lighting I faced in terms of my equipment, the natural lighting offered, and the limitations of the gazebo and officiant rules.
until then......

Wedding Photography-My Process Part 4- Camera Gear for Weddings.

Part 4 in this series is the continuation of my attempt at explaining my process as a novice photographer getting started in wedding photography. Like many, I started out shooting subjects I liked while learning the particulars of my DSLR du jour which at that time was a Nikon D50. I bought it at the end of its run. It had a 6MP digital sensor and it came with the Nikon 18-55mm kit lens. After several weeks of trial and error I found that the subjects I liked to shoot: botanicals, abstracts, and night scenes required a tripod and, more importantly, lenses that were better suited to low light photography and close up (macro) photography. I purchased a fixed or prime lens, Nikon 50mm 1.8 and a Tokina 100mm 2.8 Macro lens. I then decided I needed a telephoto lens with a higher focal length range and the Nikon 55-200mm and later the VR(vibration reduction) version of the same lens was my choice. Unfortunately, while both good lenses for the budding novice, the 4/5.6 minimum aperture of the 18-55mm and 55-200mm even with VR are not suited for low light or handheld photography especially in a wedding setting. Neither is the 6MP D50 for that matter. I do still use the D50 for scenic shots, still lifes, and other wedding images that are probably not going to be enlarged more than 8x10.While I have captured some great images with that body and printed them to 16x20 with great clarity and quality it is not conducive to the low light demands of the wedding arena.
As I grew more competent I bought the then newly introduced Nikon D80 10 MP DSLR body and a Tokina 12-24mm wide angle lens and the new Nikon 70-300mm VR telephoto lens. I bought the 3rd party Tokina lenses because they offered good glass at 50-75% the cost of similar Nikon lenses. I now know that buying the best lenses is priority over the best camera body as quality lenses are more important and retain their value longer than the quickly obsolete digital bodies which are "improved upon" every two years or so.
I mentioned in earlier posts that at some point people will comment on how nice your images of a sunset or flowers are and automatically make the leap to you shooting their wedding. I set out to practice photography as a serious hobbyist and after some intense field training and experience would then figure out where to go from there. I chose at that point to be a "generalist" learning all I could about varied subjects while offering me the opportunity to strenghten my knowledge of composition, lighting, and post production. At this time I was doing some headshots and portraits and was asked to shoot not 1 but 2 weddings. I politely declined both. My reasoning was that it was too important a day to trust to a novice. I knew in my heart at some point I would have to accept an offer but that was not the time and I am better for it as are the 2 couples who married.
My interest was peaked to be honest so I started doing what I always do when I am confronted with a subject I know nothing of: INTENSIVE RESEARCH! I hit the internet soaking up all the free knowledge it has to offer from all the successful wedding photographers out there. I read loads of books and studied bridal and wedding magazines. I still buy the annual issues to this day to keep current with trends and to keep my eye attuned to the subject especially when I have been away from it for a few months.
I compiled a list of equipment I already owned and then a list of equipment I might need to purchase. Digital photography is a dangerous venue for those who like to spend money and are easily attracted to the latest and "greatest" new gadgets.
My list of equipment owned at that point was what I listed above with the addition of a 3 monolight portrait lighting kit, backdrops in black, white and gray fabric and a backdrop stand. I also owned some reflectors, a light meter, Nikon SB600 and SB400 hot shoe flashes, and other assorted light modifiers. Aside from the Nikon D80, Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens, and the Nikon SB600 flash and maybe the Tokina 100mm 2.8 macro lens I was not really set up to shoot a wedding or so I thought. I was asked by a friend if I would shoot his cousin's wedding. They had zero budget for photography, 30 guests, and it was to be held outdoors in 2 locations. They knew I was a novice, expected nothing, and I set out to give them $2000.00 photography for $100.00. I added the Nikon 55-200 VR to my gear and I was good to go for a wedding at high noon on a bright sunny day. I got to the outdoor gazebo in West Haven, CToverlooking  Long Island Sound one hour early, set up my equipment, put my camera in manual, took some test shots with the SB600 flash and prepared for the first of many weddings to come. I learned alot that day. I made alot of mistakes that day. I took some nice images that day. I was able to present enough usable quality proofs for a decent album. The married couple was very happy with the job I did and not because it only cost them $100.00 but because I showed up prepared, composed, and acted in a professional and calm manner despite the fact I was freaking out inside at times. The day offered some great opportunites for images and many obstacles. I took away several points for improvement from this wedding. I think I should walk away from every project with a sense of accomplishment and a job well done but also with a willingness to accept the errors and a desire to improve upon them.
In Part 5 I will walk you through the preparation for this first wedding upto the actual ceremony.
Until then......

Learning Tools for the Aspiring Wedding Photographer

In this, Part 3 of my series on my process getting into the business of wedding photography, I wanted to share the sources from which I gleaned most of my "book" knowledge on the subject and continue to do so on a regular basis. There is no substitute for real world hands on experience but you have to show up with the knowledge base to be able to play.
I don't want to assume anything so I will first list some great sources for the fundamentals of camera operation, composition, lighting, etc. Your camera is a tool and you must have the right tool for the job and you must know it inside and out. Problems always occur because that is life but you must know how to troubleshoot on the fly. A wedding of all events is not the place to practice. It is where we put into practice all the hours of learning and honing of the fundamentals: aperture, shutterspeed, ISO, white balance, focus, off camera flash, and low light photography as well as composition and seeing creatively. Some days things just go smooth and on others they just hit the fan. The more knowledge and insight into your primary and backup equipment you have the better equipped you are to recognize the problem and arrive at a quick solution. So, here is a comprehensive, but by no means ,exhaustive list of resources I have found invaluable to me as a photographer in general and as they pertain to wedding photography.

Proprietary Camera Manual- yes, the manual that came in the box with your camera of choice and I highly suggest a digital slr(single lens reflex) camera body with 10 mp or better and several fast lenses of differing focal lengths. The manual is written specifically for your equipment and holds most of the information you need to comfortably operate said camera in most conditions. It will give you a basic education in aperture, shutterspeed and ISO and how they all work together to arrive at a great exposure. I assume you will already have this understanding but if not the manual is the first place to go. It will also explain in detail the myriad of functions, buttons, and settings available on your specific model. I suggest a comfortable working knowledge of Manual setting and at the very least Aperture and Shutter Speed Priority settings. The Program setting along with the other Auto functions are convenient at best and very limiting to the fast paced action and low light conditions a wedding presents. You will find yourself with too slow a shutter speed to capture action and you will end up with a blur or your aperture will be wide open and nothing important will be in focus or vice versa a small aperture will yield the same blur.

Other Sources for Photography Fundamentals
The Camera-the Negative- Ansel Adams
The Basic Book of Photography -Tom and Michele Gimms
Understanding Exposure- Bryan Peterson
Understanding Shutter Speed- Bryan Peterson
Learning to See Creatively- Bryan Peterson
Photographic Composition- Grill and Scanlon
The Elements of Photography-Focal Press ( also has loads of other gret books on photography)
Amherst Media Services-books and more books by professional photographers- I have several and they are all good. (google Amherst Media)
Creative Nature and Outdoor Photography- Brenda Tharp
John Shaw's Landscape Photography
Location Lighting Solutions- Jack Neubart
The Moment It Clicks and The hot Shoe Diaries- Joe Mcnally
Within the Frame and VisonMongers- David Duchemin
Advertising Photography-Lou Lesko
Wedding Photography- Steve Sint

http://www.strobist.com/- lighting instruction
http://www.digitalpgotographyschool.com/- good tutorials for camera basics and lighting
http://www.photo.net/-  a great resource for all things photography

The Business of Photography- yes, photography is 10% clicking and 90% marketing and hard work
The Business of Studio Photography- Edward R. Lilley
Best Practices for Photographers- John Harrington
The Photographers Guide to Marketing and SelfPromotion-Piscopo
http://www.photo.net/- visit the forums on business and specific specialties
http://www.ndavidking.com/- go to Links tab and view a whole list of great resources.

The bottom line is to be a good photographer you require good solid skills which come from working with your camera, learning its capabilities, asking lots of questions, making lots of mistakes, and being humble enough to accept that this is an ongoing learning process and you can't learn enough.
These resources I have listed are the ones I use and there are more which I won't mention here as they do not pertain to wedding photography. These will help you get your feet wet, inpsire you, or make you realize shooting once and awhile on weekends is not such a bad way to go.

In Part 4, I will show what is in my bag , why its there, and how each component helps me to accomplish what I need to for your typical wedding.

unitl then......