Hey
Sorry I've not been around for a while, been using Facebook a lot. Found some old people who I've always wanted to see how they're doing, and some people I don't really care to find out about lol.
This has been a totally crazy workshop month. I have Carlotta Champagne coming out in two weeks, I have another Playboy model coming out in May, Ali Sonoma coming out in June, Ali Sonoma workshop in August. Crazy, crazy things going on! But its all good.
Maturity and the Canon EOS Digital Rebel/500D
There wasn't that long ago, that every time Canon came out with a new camera, I HAD to own it. I NEEDED to own it since my photography was improving and I needed a camera to match it's growth. For me, that stopped when I got the 20d. I had the 20d and I didn't like it, but I liked the fps of it. When the 30d came out, I was unimpressed with it. I wasn't impressed with the 40d, but wanted the extra 2mp to be able to push the image a bit more. A few months back, I got the original 5D and haven't looked back. When I got it, I had the option to get a 1d mk III or 1ds mk III. These are great cameras, but not that much better than the 5d.
Today, Canon just announced the Canon EOS Digital Rebel 500d:
Here's the specs:
Features at a glance:
- 15.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
- Full HD movie recording with HDMI connection for viewing and playback on an HDTV
- ISO 100-3200 (expandable to 12800)
- 3.4 frames per second continuous shooting
- Max. 170 large JPEG images in a single burst
- 3.0†ClearView LCD with Live View mode
- 9-point wide area AF with cross type centre point
- High speed DIGIC 4 performance and superb image quality
- EOS Integrated Cleaning System
- Full compatibility with Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites, including new Speedlite 270EX, TS-E 17mm f/4L and TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
Goal setting time!
Several times per year, I like to set goals for myself. Last year, it was to own a 5d and get legit sponsors for my workshops. By end of the year, I had 5 corporate sponsors and a 5d.
This year, my goal is to own a 1ds mark II (my dream camera) and have two more corporate sponsors. One sponsor has agreed, but I'm waiting on the final details before I announce it.
“You have really high standards..”
A few days ago, I was talking to a good friend of mines. We were talking about a local photographer who has her own studio. When I told my friend that I wasn't too impressed with this photographers work, my friend said "Wow Jay, Â you have really high standards" I replied back with "Yes, yes I do"
Her comment bothered me. Â Not because of any misconceived intentions, but more of the implications of it. My standards aren't high, they're based off of "proper" photography techniques.
Let me set up the back stage of us two:
Friend: Likes "photojournalism" style photography. She likes the hip modern stuff that is done today, but gone tomorrow. Â She doesn't know much about strobe photography, so she writes it off as not liking it.
Me: Â I will do candid photography (AKA photojournalism) and I don't care for fads. I like the things that are tried and true. I know a fair amount about both, strobe and natural lighting. I prefer neither as long as I can get the shot.
All of the photographers I love, are guys who are not only technically sound, but they also have a connection with the client. They have real post processing and everything is good. Her comments were disheartining to hear as I feel we ALL should have high standards if we're professionals. I teach photography workshops and often when I'm talking to people, I see that they have the typical setup:
Camera
Photoshop
Action
Why is it that people will spend a ton of money on camera, lens and everything else, only to buy a crappy 49.99 action and expect that action to make them professionals over night? As a people, have we gotten so lazy that we prefer to let something or someone else do our work for us?
I have high standards, yes I do. Having high standards is what's helped push me along in the model photography and now general portrait world.
I guess there's no point to this post other than to ask "When did having high standards become a bad thing?" Why should we set our goals as high or as acheivable as possible?
UPS man gave me…
Something good!
Today the UPS man delivered for me, 2 24inch Beauty Dishes!!
I LOVE PHOTOGENIC!!
Are you serious? 24inch beautydishes and they're UNDER 200.00? AND, one is Flat white and the other SILVER?? Are you pooping me? Really? YES!!
I have a workshop this weekend, for sure we'll be using it, but I ran to the studio to get a few shots.
Whilte:
Silver:
Here they are, up against a 47" Octabox:
Although I've not used it in a live shoot yet, I love the fact that its two inches bigger than the old beauty dish I had before and the build quality is far superior.
Come on Saturday!!
I love you, UPS man!
It's that time of year again friends, Mr. UPS man is coming with TWO packages for me on Tuesday. The only thing I hate about Mr. UPS man is the fact that he gets here well into the evening. He gets here around 4 or 5 pm which is the end of the day 
But at least he gets here.
Every time he has a day off, his next day back to work, he'll ask us "I was off the past few days, have you gotten all the packages you were supposed to?" how awesome right? Tuesday when he comes, Mr. UPS m an will get a cool 20.00 Starbucks gift card from us. That's how cool he is.
Also, today, I went to Microcenter and there was my fav sales man. I just found out today his name is Eric R, but I call him "Lil Matt Serra" since he looks just like Matt Serra the UFC fighter to me. I got about 400.00 worth of crap today, about 399.99 more than what I wanted to get, but the old lady has been bothering me for an external drive and we found out today, my router was dead, so we had to get a new one. Hello sexy N Router! I got a terrabyte drive and her a wireless N card. I don't want to go wireless since it's a tad bit slower.
Crazy, but awesome things happening in my personal life as well as professional life. All good mind you, just crazy. I'm heading to Chicago in July to run a workshop. I'm also going to get with Photogenic and my contact there. Want to buy him lunch since he's so awesome. Also the web guy there is cool, so I'll treat him too.
I'm off to read!
What is a professional photographer?
To you?
For me, it has many, many meanings. I think first and foremost, a professional photographer is one who should know the basics of photography. This is a person who should be able to shoot both indoors and out. With a wide range of skills. This person should take an interest in the direction their profession is heading by making their position known.
This person should make a size-able amount of their income from photography. Depending on the decade, that number changes from 100% to 70% to 50%. I feel it should be more than 50% of your income. Look at all the other professions of the world, the professions that require you to get higher learning, they make all their income from their profession. It takes more than buying a DSLR, to be a professional.
The biggest problem we have with photography is simple, currently there isn't a governing body to make sure everyone who claims to be a professional, is a professional.
PPA has tried with their different degrees, but the problem is, outside of PPA, their degrees don't really mean much. I know a M.Photog of PPA, who hides this fact, only by searching and searching will you find out he's one.
Schools give you a basic over view of photography, but none from what I've seen, gives you more than the basic knowledge to go out and do it.
What do you believe, the traits a professional photographer should possess?
Tired
Tired today for some reason?
Got a lot of crap to do tonight. Got to edit some of the Feb video as well as talk to my buddy Thorsten.
Here's a photo that Photogenic picked to go on the site
Bye Ali, hello Carlotta Playboy model!
Hey guys,
After about eight months of working my tail off to get Ali Sonoma out here, the plan fell through in the 12th hour. We talked and agreed to a time, then she was unable to keep the time she agreed to forcing me to move her out to late 2009, early 2010. To be totally honest, I don't have my hopes up that even then will work simply because going forward, Colorado SuperShoots will be bringing you Playboy Models and other famous nude models and I doubt people will want to go back to an implied model. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong?
Either way, I'm SUPER stoked to anounce that I've pulled strings and done a lot of begging and pleading and have Carlotta Champagne as our April 2009 Colorado SuperShoot model!!!! If you don't know who she is, thumb through your issue of Playboy February 2009 then come back.
Welcome back. Yea, HER! Here's some other work she's done:
Playboy's Natural Beauties Magazine Spring 2007
Playboy's Lingerie Special Edition 2006 Oct/Nov
Playboy's College Girls 2006 July/August
Southern Wedding Style Magazine Spring 2007
International Gallery of Erotic Photography Magazine
Carrie Leigh's NUDE The Art of Women Fall/2007
Glamour Models Magazine Fall 2006
Arizona Shootout Magazine Fall 2006
Decibel Magazine May 2007
Rockstar Magazine June 2007 Centerfold (We weren't in the same issue )
Mustang Enthusiast Magazine January 2009
Playboy Magazine (grapevine) February 2009
Strip Las Vegas - to be out 2009
Easy Rider Magazine - to be out 2009
Yea, I'm that GANGSTA!!
I start official promotion of that tomorrow, Â way to go me!
