peter_barnett1

When I was doing photography professionally I always worked through established advertising agencies or the PR department of companies or referrals from clients. I simply can' t imagine taking a job from unknown people over the Internet. Cash is king. A deposit in the bank account and a well written contract might change that opinion.

My wife was wrongly fired from a job. She saw a well known labor attorney who worked on contingency. If he doesn't get a judgement or settlement for her he does not get paid. Sounds great. However, he did require a $5,000 payment for his up front expenses. The only contingency was his fee not his staff time, filing fees, etc. I find it hard to believe an attorney will take a $70 case after this experience.

It has been nearly two decades since I shot food. There was an art director and a food stylist directing and dueling among themselves. Sort of like creative chaos. The food stylist definitely made the images better. I would not do this on my own. The food stylist had all sorts of cheats that made pretty boring food look extraordinarily appealing.

I started out in photography shooting sports with a press camera and Tri-X. It was a very forgiving film that allowed me to deliver prints under almost any circumstances. Since there was money involved I really appreciated this film. Now days, I use Ilford fp4. At least with my 4x5 lenses and my light meter, there is a noticeable difference between 125 and 100. Not a big deal but detectable. Since I no longer have a dark room, being able to really nail the exposure makes me less reliant on the processor who was not there when the photo was taken and not in my head seeing what I saw. So, for me it matters.

My cell phone has a 24mp camera. It takes great pictures that I can use in Lightroom or Photoshop. This is clearly a challenge to the traditional photo industry. Another challenge to brick and mortar stores is the retail mentality using minimum wage employees who could have been flipping burgers last week. This week they are camera experts. Next week they are upselling at the Jiffy Lube. There is one camera store left in Portland, Oregon that hires knowledgeable staff. It appeals to film photographers and large format enthusiasts. The employees know their stuff. It is just plain fun to go in the store. Even if they do try to convince you that you really need that Deardorff sitting in the window. So, if I am left to the mercies of chance whether buying online or in a store I will trust the online store with a bullet proof return policy.

Anyone using it? Several decades ago I used a couple of stock agencies. Occasionally I made a sale. Hardly a major income stream though. It probably cost me more money to send Kodachrome images than I made. Adobe Stock looks pretty simple and inexpensive but it claims 75 million images. It seems it would be very easy to get out in the noise.

Many colleges have art classes in the human figure. These can include drawing, painting or photography classes. Typically, the models are students. You might try to enroll in a class. You meet people and learn things.

This is one of those times when you might want to go to You Tube. There are lots of videos out there that you can step through while watching with your camera in hand.

The Crown Graphic is a fine old camera. I shot a lot of sports with one using Tri-X. It is a very forgiving film and maybe a good one to start with. Gawd, this thread makes me feel old!

My go to lense is a 90mm on a Toyo field camera. Durable but heavy. Check out Blue Moon Photography. They carry a lot of used LF equipment.

So, I started with a Speed Graphic now I shoot digital Nikons. The technology is always evolving. It ultimately comes down to the ability of the photographer to visualize and compose the shot.

First off, it is HARD to make a decent living in photography. Even if you are very persistent and talented, my guess is that your career track in photography will take several different tracks before you retire. Get an education that prepares you to learn for your entire life. My sophomore level photography courses were taught out of the physics department. There was a rule that you had to have 18 credits in each of the three colleges to graduate. The physics department helped a lot of struggling art majors to get their science credits. Guess what, along the way I found that I liked physics. I went on to get a graduate degree in what is now called Data Science. I still shoot a lot as a hobby. But, before I retired, I was really good at what I did and it paid far better than all but the top fraction of a percent of professional photographers. So, if you find a photography class in the physics department, take it! It could change your life.

<p>East Glacier has better access to Canada. You can hop across the border to Waterton, the equivalent of our Glacier, easily. We have a travel trailer and stayed at the East Glacier KOA. If you have pets make sure you have a vets certificate. Passports or that little card required for the two legged travelers. <br> Now the dilemma. There are more and better accommodations on the West Glacier side. East Glacier is also starting to shut down for the Winter by the end of September. So, your timing points toward West Glacier.<br> The ranger led hikes are pretty much done by then. They are pretty interesting. The best way to see the park is hiking. The roads only get you so far. <br> Some people like the tour buses. They are old style buses from the 30s(???). Kind of fun but limited in where you stop and what you can see. Going to the Sun Road is a major highlight and some of the lakes are great photographic opportunities. Take your widest of wide angle lenses. And, at least, a moderate telephoto.<br> Pack you cold weather gear. The seasons are starting to change. You could be in shorts and t-shirt weather or a snow storm. Maybe both on the same trip. <br> I have never stayed at any of the lodges so I can't speak to them.</p> <p> </p>

<p>Hi, new here. There was a fellow on You Tube who shot 8,000 frames in a 10 day trip to Denali. Personally, I shoot a couple of hundred frames on each birding shoot. Lightroom now has slightly more than 10,000 keepers. I would guess five times that many were tossed. So, 3038 actuations is just getting it warmed up.</p>