Photographers Rate Card (PhotographersRateCard.com)

How is a new photographer supposed to know what to charge for professional photography services? You don't see lawyers, and architects and contractors working for low rates, to get started, to get their foot in the door of their profession. Somehow, because anyone with a camera and little else in the way of credentials can...

The Long Road, May It Lead to a Great View!

No matter what road you're on... ...may it lead to a picture-perfect view at the end. Here's a wish for a safe, healthy, prosperous and adventurous 2021 for all of you who are part of my readership. Thank you for coming to my 'theater' and watching my 'show'. I am grateful to have a voice...

Just Imagine What I Could Do With A…

Nikon F2! Such a machine!Leica M6! Ohmigod, fine German engineering!Olympus OM3! No batteries needed! Pentax MX! Look at that huge viewfinder!Nikon F! The legend, it went to war!Canon F-1! Built like a tank!Leica R6.2! All Leica goodness! Contax T3! Small wonder, Zeiss lens! Leica IIIf! The ultimate photographic jewel! You know what I can do...

Visiting Camera Shops Is (Should Be) Fun!

I make a point of going out of my way to visit camera shops when I travel to any city or town if there is one to stop in and say hello. First, I never know what I might find. And second, there's a joy in keeping these stores in business, poking around the used...

So Lucky Photography Isn’t Only A Job

I always have a camera with me. So much so, people expect it. When people expect it, they don't worry about me making photographs, that's the norm. I'm always lifting up the camera--that's just what I do. That's a lucky position to be in. I get to create memories and document the lives of the...

Why Gear Does and Doesn’t Matter

What is the need for the biggest and best most expensive gear? I was out and about this weekend and saw protesters for the Black Lives Matter movement in my town and made photographs in both digital format with a Nikon D610 and 35mm and 120 film in a Leica M3 and a Rolleiflex 2.8C....

Editorial Truth and Public Trust

While digital photography and technology are here to stay, TRUST is the one thing of utmost importance for news/media companies to maintain as we enter a new world of Deepfakes. [Deepfakes (a portmanteau of "deep learning" and "fake") are synthetic media in which a person in an existing image or video is replaced with someone...

The Hard Work of Publishing Four Photo Books: Follow-up

A short while ago, I published this post: Publishing Four Very Important Photo Books in 2019 Since then, I've completed three of the books (one person couldn't get it together) and they're on their way. In the process, here's what I learned. 1. People don't know where their photos are. 2. They don't know how to...

The Selfie Generation

I was looking at a young friend's Facebook page trying to find a photo I had made at  their party, and while I was scrolling through, not finding it, I found dozens of photos like these.  Posed and selfie group shots. I looked further and found more posed and selfie group shots.  Decently composed, but...

Camera Stores Used to be a Gathering Place for Photographers

I was talking with another photographer recently and he brought up that he misses hanging out at camera shops. I knew exactly what he meant. In the days of film, that was the place to meet, to see gear, talk and hang out with other photographers. There was still a little bit at risk when...