Now offering professional real estate photography services for DC, Maryland, and Virginia

I've got answers!

Recently I was invited to present at a Career day event for some local middle schoolers about what it's like to be a professional photographer. Surprisingly (to me, at least) I was the only professional photographer there! (I don't know, it just seems like the market is so flooded these days that just about everybody is a photographer? Maybe I'm the only one who thinks/feels like this.)

Anyway, whether I'm at a career day or not, I'm constantly fielding questions about my line of work so I decided to (finally) put together a listing of inquiries I'm most often ask. There is a link over there =====> at the top of the right sidebar called F.A.Q. but for your own convenience, HERE IS A LINK directly to it.

Hope this answers some of the questions YOU might have.

Gear review: Built NY Medium Cargo Camera Bag

I'm a member of the school of thought that your camera doesn't matter. Whether you are a good photographer, great photographer, or AMAZING photographer, I FIRMLY believe that your camera doesn't matter. Ken Rockwell does a great job at explaining what I believe here,  But the gist of all of this soapboxing on my part is that a visual artist can be and will be as good as they are no matter what media/equipment/materials they have on hand. That being said? Appropriate materials certainly do make the job of making any kind of visual art a lot easier and more enjoyable no matter what. (I'm aware that now I've sort of contradicted myself. *sigh* Who's counting?)

Anyway, I must tell you about my new shooting bag from Built NY. Here's what it looks like. Thank you Adorama.com... (for the image AND giving me a really good price on the bag)...

As a professional photographer who does work exclusively onsite - weddings, food, portraits, scenics, etc. - and NOT in the studio (mind you I am not a natural-light photographer alone the way many these days are) I need to have the capability to be (essentially) completely mobile.

• I have to have certain lenses on me to have the flexibility of offering different perspectives shot from one spot. (Because that's what it's about - offering my unique perspective, right?)
• I must have my flashes at hand to snap on or off when I feel they are appropriate or not. 
• I need to have a place to stow away my memory cards and/or film and extra batteries.

The go-to shooting bag of the industry (specifically for wedding photography) has been the ever popular Shootsac. It's made of neoprene and was designed by a photographer for photographers for the very purpose of carting around the list of items I mentioned above. It gets rave reviews but it's also pricey to the point that you might have to put off buying that lens that you've been eyeing even longer than you already were. How pricey? Try $200 minimum. (Yeah. Not happenin' here and now or ever for that matter.) I like the things that make the Shootsac special - the neoprene, the fact that it's lightweight, that it can be collapsed and stowed away without issue when it's not in active use, etc. - but I have never been convinced that another bag couldn't be, do, and serve the same purpose as a Shootsac for a much lesser price tag.

Enter the beauty you see above that is the Built NY Medium Cargo Camera Bag. It's the shooting bag I've looked for for months now and finally can call my own! Yay!!!!

Now, this bag is no Shootsac but it's also not supposed to be. It's my understanding that it's supposed to be more of a camera bag than a shooting bag. Still? It does a great job as a shooting bag. It's all of the things I noted I liked of the Shootsac but a small fraction of the price - only $40 or so!! Not bad. Not bad at all. 

The bag is a little larger in profile than the Shootsac but it's collapsible and the neoprene material makes it something that naturally doesn't get so much in the way enough for it to be a bother. It's possible to get the large version of this bag but I am about 5'2"-ish in size (petite by most standards) and the medium suits me very well. I carry this bag messenger style and I can fit my huge full-frame camera body in it (about the size of a large DSLR body WITH a grip) and then three of my favorite lenses and a flash. It's a snug fit but not so much that I can't pull things in and out of the bag with major issues the way I would if I were having to carry the Slingshot bag I've had for years but is (honestly) kind of a pain to deal with when time is of the essence and the ability to "shoot from the hip" is completely necessary.

My verdict: Built NY Medium Cargo camera bag isn't just a good alternative to the pricey Shootsac, it's a GREAT alternative. 

No rest for the weary when it comes to full circle

Good morning to you!  Well... at least it's a good morning to ME since the current time is almost 2AM where I am!

Way back when I started my photography business (about a full decade now - woo!) websites were a far cry from what they are now.  To put it mildly back then people/businesses didn't really have them unless they were 1) very important, 2) very well established, and/or 3) so tech savvy and code literate (read: geeky) that they coded websites just for fine. Nowadays?  Having a virtual a virtual place to call home is just about as important as having a literal one.  If someone starts talking up their business, it's standard that they provide you with some kind of contact information that you can access electronically.  And because of this, it's very important to have a website that doesn't just work well but it also has to look good!

I have a distinct advantage over most photographers because experience in the visual arts isn't just of the photographic medium.  I am well-versed in classic and contemporary studio art, graphic design, AND web based visual design!  Since the beginning, way back when every one else was clamoring to design official websites for their business, I was visually designing, coding, and publishing things all by myself!  And though my website has gone through about three major overhauls since websites become such a "thing" to have, I have to say that my latest has to be the snazziest I've ever done.  You can find a link for it over on the left sidebar via hyperlink but here's a clickable screenshot for convenience...

My new website has been completely redesigned to feature something I've never used before and actually always railed against - flash animation!  (I'm a bit of a geeky fan of things of the analog times. What can I say?)  And though I've tried to stick with good ol' fashioned html for the most part (that's the stuff without all of the animation or blinking this or that), I started designing this flash renovation months ago and I'm happy to say that I'm not only done with it but I'm also very pleased with the results.  

So, pop on over to my official website to check out my new digs and even say hello via the new contact section.  I love when people say hello so please don't be shy!!!

Eight days a week

I owe you all pictures of "All Shook Up" after posting those teasers. I'm sorry that I've not done it yet!!! The problem is that I don't seem to have enough time in my life to do all of the things that I need to/want to do. The most of my time has been sucked up designing albums for clients and right now I've got TWO going on - a coffee-table style one for a wedding with over 300 images and a flush mount style one for a bat mitzvah (see below for a rough layout of one of 20 spreads). Many photographers outsource their album designing to others but I do it all myself - the graphic design, the layout, EVERYthing!!!


And in addition to all of that, I've got my normal everyday things that just can't be neglected OR shelved in any way but it's not like I would want to do that anyway because when it all comes down to it, I would ditch out on everything for her anyway. (Sorry, world! Being a mommy is more important to me than anything ever!!!)

*sigh*

My little girl is going to be nine months old in just about a week!!! Where has the time gone?! Oh yeah - album designing!

Seriously... a photographers work is NEVER done.