will_daniel1

<p>Hi John,</p>

<p>I have four books published without an agent -- two under contract and two self-published at CreateSpace. My advice is if you're not going to use an agent but want a contract, create the best book proposal you can, and send it to specific publishers (tailored to individual publishers). It should be very visual, since you are publishing visual books, it should be expertly written and brief (no more than about six pages), and since you are doing a visual proposal you should have excellent design skills or hire that job out. If the proposal isn't noticed, you're not going to get a contract.</p>

<p>The publisher might want to see a query letter before you send a formal proposal. Use Google or the publisher's website to learn what information goes in the query letter and what goes in the proposal. The stronger your proposal and presentation skills, the better your chance of getting a contract. An agent will represent you only if he or she determines that a lot of books can be sold. </p>

<p>Please see my website at <a href="http://www.willdaniel.com">www.willdaniel.com</a> for more information about my books. Best of luck to you.</p>

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<p>Good morning,</p>

<p>The Riverscape Photography Group on Facebook is for those who are interested in the health and well-being of beautiful rivers everywhere. You all are invited to visit the page and join, then post some of your beautiful river photos. Thanks. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/riverscapes/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/riverscapes/</a>.</p>

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<p>Try turning off the VR. You probably don't need it at those focal lengths anyway.</p>

<p>I was hospitalized for 11 days last year with Rocky Mountain spotted fever from a tick bite I received while taking photos in the woods.</p>

<p>I think the granddaddy of socially influential is Matthew Brady. He should be on the list.</p>

<p>The only way you will ever see one of my images <em><strong>without</strong> </em>a copyright watermark is if you paid me lots of money to own it, or if you purchased one of my books.</p>

<p>Thanks all!</p>

<p>My second book of riverscape photography recently received an excellent review in the Newport News Daily Press: http://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/books/dp-fea-hrbooks-0617-20140616,0,6392554.story</p>

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<p>The problem Eric might run into is that some publications will require the release even though their lawyers might tell them they aren't needed. In other words, the publication might have an policy of requiring the releases "just in case."</p>

<p>I have a folder called !!!holding, with several subfolders under it for each camera I shoot with. Under those are other subfolders for JPEG, TIFF, raw, etc. I confess that I leave photos in there quite a while, but not any specific length of time. It varies depending on the project, scope, size, etc. At my age, they get moved whenever I get around to it. By the way, the three exclamation points are there to make the folder float to the top in alpha sorting.</p>

<p>I shoot mainly with DSLRs. I used to carry a 5mp Canon in my car everywhere I went. I replaced the Canon with a new 8mp Android phone. I still shoot mainly with DSLRs.</p>

<p>Hello PNetters. I recently signed a contract to write and photograph my third "coffee-table" river book, tentatively titled <em>Delaware River Reflections</em>, which will be out next year. In the meantime, my new book <em>Guide to Beautiful River Photos</em> is available in paperback on Amazon. This book is definitely <em><strong>not</strong> </em>for the vast majority of Photo.net users. It was written specifically for amateur and beginner photographers. Information about this and my other books is on my website <a href="http://www.willdaniel.com.">www.willdaniel.com.</a> Click through on each title for more information.</p>

<p>Here is the advertising blurb for the book as it appears on Amazon: "Every photographer wants to make beautiful images, and this book is the 'how-to' guide for beautiful riverscape photographs. Discover the tools necessary for beautiful digital images of your favorite river, including equipment, shooting techniques, composition, exposure, file management, processing photos, and your choices of software. The book began life as a 'tips' chapter in the back of the author's first book of river photographs. People who are not professional photographers commented on how the tips helped them, so the author expanded the work into this book. Rivers are popular subjects because they are everywhere. We all have a beautiful river near us because rivers were always the backbone of early transportation, and still are in many places. Put this compact guide in your camera bag and take it with you everywhere."</p>

<p>For more information, use the contact link on my website.</p>

<p>I drive my off-site storage disk just around the corner to my daughter's house. I do this a minimum of once a week -- more often when I'm working on a book project. Burn, baby burn, but you won't get my data. Another thing I think is important is keeping your data files on a separate drive apart from your operating system files.</p>

<p>This morning I hit the “Launch” button on my Kickstarter campaign for <em><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/willdaniel/delaware-river-reflections"><em>Delaware River Reflections</em></a></em>. Please take a moment to view the page and help me spread the word about it through whatever social media you use. I also have a link on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/willdanieldotcom">Facebook page</a> and on the Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/riverscapes/">Riverscape Photography</a>. The Kickstarter page explains more about the project in detail. It also has a place where you can ask questions. Thanks for reading. </p>

<p>I won't miss Capture NX2 at all. I purchased it only so I could change the exposure values of NEF files where necessary. I experimented with the control points, but never got into the habit of using them. Then, in 2010, Nikon updated View NX2 to include the feature that lets users change exposure values of NEF files. That was not in View NX2 before 2010, and it was the only reason I bought Capture NX2. I wrote to Nikon asking if I could transfer my license as I no longer needed Capture NX2, but they wouldn't budge on their prohibition of that. It's been sitting on my computer seldom used since then. I will check out NX-D while it's in beta, but I'm pretty sure View NX2 and Photoshop are all I need.</p>

<p>I have a very inexpensive Flashpoint grip I bought from Adorama for less than $50 last year. I use it on my D3100 with no problems. The connection is very solid, and I don't use the wire for tripping the shutter in the vertical position. I shoot very few verticals anyway, and having to use the camera's shutter release instead of the one on the grip is no problem for me. I don't know what you mean by crap up the other connections on the side of the camera. I never lay the camera on the side. There are no limitations on the camera's functionality that I can see.</p>

<p>One interesting observation: I found out by accident that even though the grip is designed for two batteries, the camera will function perfectly with just one battery in place.</p>

 

<p>Many years ago I was a sales rep for Sinar cameras, and actually trained in the Sinar factory in Switzerland. I know the Sinar to be possibly the world's best. One of the things that makes it stand out is a patented method of controlling yaw. I can't remember much more than that, so I Googled it for you. See this site: http://www.sinar.ch/en/yaw-free/</p>