Facebook -vs- your own website and online presence
I just had a 30-day ban handed to me for "human exploitation" because of this comment in a Facebook group where we were discussing workflow.
A friend got a 24-hr ban from Facebook because she mentioned the killer lasagna she made.
The lesson here for photographers and other business people -- do NOT rely on any Social Media platform as the only way to have your work seen. You HAVE to maintain your website.
The ban was reversed later the same day, but there is always a risk that your appeal will be disregarded on something Read more inside...
A photographer friend once told me that regarding my social media presence and my websites, it's not clear what I do as a photographer. I’m all over the show — portraits, weddings, headshots, corporate stuff, product photography, timelapse. He suggested that I specialize in a niche, and then make sure I stand out in that niche as the best. For example just do product photography, and be the best at products on white. Become even more specialized.
Sounds like solid advice on the surface. Yet, I love the seeming randomness of what I do. Read more inside...
Every so often I get asked whether I have switched systems, and whether I am shooting with Sony or Nikon. What complicates things even more for the casual visitor to the Tangents blog and my Instagram feed, is that I occasionally post photos taken with Canon and Fuji as well. So the answer to "what's in your camera bag", is slightly complicated ... and hopefully this video unravels some of that.
Even though I photograph events and weddings with a Sony-based system, I still have a substantial Nikon system. The Nikon cameras are primarily Read more inside...
As a treat, I booked 2 spots on a helicopter flight over New York with FlyNYON, for Sara and myself. We took the open-door / doors-off flight at sunset. It was as incredible an experience as I had hoped for. I have been fascinated for a while with the idea of seeing and photographing Manhattan from the air.
I took along my Sony A1 camera (B&H / Amazon), and the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM zoom lens (B&H / Amazon). I had debated taking a longer range zoom ... but in the end I wish I had brought along a Read more inside...
The past year was definitely an improvement on 2020, which was a strange year with businesses shutting down. Things started to turn around when vaccines helped a sense of normalcy to return. For me, like many photographers, 2020 came crushing down, but in comparison 2021 was crazy-busy as all the events postponed from 2020 started to be added to the 2021 calendar. As far as the Tangents blog goes, posts have been relatively scarce -- in 2020 I wasn't busy enough to really have anything new to write about. And in 2021, I was just too busy to have Read more inside...
Here is how the overpayment scam works : The scammers will overpay you for the fees you quoted them for your products or services you offer. Then they will nicely ask you to please pay the extra money to the “planner”. Or "florist". Or someone. The scammer will even throw in some extra money to make it worth your effort.
You deposit the check into your account … and then pay the “planner” the excess money, just like your "client" asked. A few days later the bank will reverse the money you deposited into your account because it’s a fraudulent Read more inside...
If you find the title of this article a touch intimidating, please stick around and watch the video. It is important to understand how The Inverse Square Law affects bounce flash photography, and creates a specific result where the background appears brighter when the flash is bounced properly without on-camera flash modifiers. I know that is counter-intuitive, but that is what happens when you bounce your bare flash behind you instead of using a light modifier on your flash. The accompanying video, linked to below, explains this Read more inside...
Published in Amateur Photographer : Beautiful bokeh
Like every photographer newly bitten by the photography bug, I read voraciously about my new hobby - although I think in recent years Youtube has become the main source of info for photographers. One of the magazines I would devour every week, was Amateur Photographer. It is incredible to think this magazine has been going since 1884. Incredible longevity.
And with that, it was quite an honor when the team at AP asked if I wanted to contribute an article on bokeh. It's one of my pet hates in photography when people interchange Read more inside...
This sequence of photos is from a photo session in my studio with a model, Eryn. I have this one canvas backdrop where I prefer the back of the backdrop, which looks distressed, rather than the proper painted front of the backdrop. I like it this way because it looks unusual compared to the front. I wanted to photograph Eryn against this canvas backdrop ... and I wanted to use window light. As I opened up the window blinds, the indirect light spilling in was also punctuated by the sunlight glaring off the hood of my car, creating these patterns Read more inside...
Wedding photography: Video light vs (gelled) flash
Over time, I've posted several articles explaining how I use gels to bring the color of my flash closer to that of the ambient light. In summary, we gel our flash, to improve the color balance in the photo, and avoid an overly saturated murky orange background, when our subject is lit by flash, and the background is lit by incandescent lighting or warm lighting of some kind. We can reduce this difference in color temperature / white balance, by adding a gel to our flash. The gel can be CTO or CTS. I prefer CTS, and usually as a 1/2 Read more inside...
