mark_warren1
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Posts posted by mark_warren1
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Be aware that we are experiencing our usual season of fog in San Francisco right now. Grey skies and flat light in the city are not unusual, so if you're looking for that shot of the golden gate bridge, it may not be with a blue sky...
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Get a sellers permit, then you can purchase framing materials at wholesale.
I've been using Light Impressions to make a 20 x 20 inch frame for a 12 x 12 print consisting of:
8 ply mat front, 4 ply mat back, (white buffered,)
acrylite op-3,
Nielsen frame matte black
total cost runs about $90-95 each, with shipping. I charge $300 for a framed print.
Using wholesale, I can drop that cost to about $60...I still use Light Impressions to cut the mats, but buy the acrylite and frame pieces locally. That still gives me a pretty good profit.
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It's all about page hit rates. You need to drive people to your site in droves, and then, MAYBE .5% will buy something.
What kind of traffic does your site get each month? Where are they coming from? What search engines are referring viewers to your site?
How will customers purchase the calendar?
If you were to buy a calendar, wouldn't you want to touch it, feel it, see every photo on each month? The web doesn't provide that tactile experience.
Things to consider
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I owned a Flexart 6. Solidly built, but the view glass was too dark. I think 100 Euros is too much for the camera.
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<i>...to them, it's freedom.</i>
<br><br>
Digital cameras haven't changed photography, just made it more spontaneous. The average digital consumer is still taking bad photos/snap shots. Some people are willing to pay thousands for that convenience.
<Br><br>remember albums? fragile and scratchy?<br>remember cds? How many could you carry at one time?<Br>both those technologies are dead.<Br><Br>
Freedom is 2,000+ audio mp3 files on my ipod. Music, anywhere, anytime. That is freedom. Never have to go to a store to buy music...aren't mp3s without form?
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I had this happen to me.
Someone linked directly to a photo on my website and used it on their website.
I added text over the photo stating that this image was being used without permission, then reloaded the photo to my server. I then contacted the person with an email stating that if the image wasn't down in 24 hours, I'd take legal action. (Helps to have friends who are lawyers and like writing threatening letters.)
That worked.
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<b>On the bottom of my 80mm PS lens there is an "A" next to a slide switch and a pull up to slide the switch to "T". What do these do?
</b>
<Br><BR>
There is no bulb setting. This is how you take long exposures. Advance the film. Slide the switch to "T" (for time, or something).
Set up your shot, lock up the mirror, press the shutter release, wait....then to end the exposure, carefully slide the switch back to "A". You have to lock up the mirror before you release the shutter or it will not stay open.
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<a href=http://www.oscarsphotolab.com/>oscars lab</a><Br>
<a href=http://www.photoworkssf.com>photoworks</A><Br>
<a href=http://www.newlab.com>new lab</a>
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Holga. $20.
Roll of photo tape $8 to tape up the light leaks
That leaves you $120 for film and processing.
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I started out with a Yashica 124. Then, after I made some extra cash doing freelance work, I bought a beginning Bronica SQA kit on ebay; one lens-one filmback. Over the last 9 months I have picked up lenses, film backs, lens shades, etc. It took almost a year, but I have my kit and am set. I've only bought two new film cameras in 10 years. The rest are all used and from ebay...if you wait for the right auction, you'll get your gear. Be patient.
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I recently travled from SFO to Belgrade via Heathrow. I put all my film in a clear bag
and bought some throw away 3200 to ensure hand inspection. At SFO, no problem
with the hand inspection. At Heathrow, they ran my backpack through the Xray
machine twice, since they didn't like what they saw. (So much for "cranking
up the xray level" theory.) I asked for hand inspection since I had 3200, they would
only let me take the 3200 out of the bag, the rest had to go through. So that plan
wasn't completely foolproof.
Arrived in Belgrade, when they saw my US Passport, they ran my bags through an xray
machine! I tried to limit the exposure as much as I could, but most of the film still
got xrayed 6 times during the round trip. Noticed no fogging.
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I just got back from Belgrade a week ago. I didn't stay in a hotel, but I think the Hotel
Moskba (Moscow) is one of the better ones. It's centrally located and has a good
restaurant. You definately want to stay in old Belgrade rather than new Belgrade,
which is mostly soviet era housing.
<p>
A great place to take photos is <a href=http://www.beograd.org.yu/english/
upoznaj/kultumet/arhitekt/parkovi/kalemegd/>Kalemegdan,</a> a very old fort
over looking the confluence of the Sava and Danau rivers. Its lit up very nicely at
night. I got a lot of ideas for shooting from www.virtualtourist.com.
<p>
Old Belgrade has some nice places to shoot, there is a small street called Skardarska
or
something close to that. Belgrade is a very safe city, I walked everywhere, at night,
and was never bothered. It is not a very large city, you can walk around old Belgrade
easily.
<p>
As far as film processing, on the pedestrian zone, Kinos Mihalova, there was an Agfa
processing/photo store. I had some film processed, not there, and it turned out ok.
Prices are about the same as in the US.
<p>
If you buy food at a bakery, a Pekara, you can buy a sandwich for about a $1. Beer
and wine are good and cheap. There is a great Italian restuarant, Momma Mia(!), at
70 General
Zdanova, Italian with a Serb influence. It is near the US embassy, about a mile or
more from downtown.
<p>
Here are two photos
<br><br>
<img src=http://www.peculiarplanet.com/kiosk.jpg><br><br>
<img src=http://www.peculiarplanet.com/clicks/dark/dungeon.jpg>
<P>
Oh, and when I landed at the airport and showed my US passport, they scanned my
bags with the xray machine! The last picture was from a roll that was scanned 7 times
total on my way from the US to Belgrade and back. I can't see anything wrong with it.
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Next week I will be traveling to Belgrade for 8 days. I prefer taking photos at night.
I am not asking what type of gear to bring, but IF I should bring my best and favored
MF camera. I have a backup Yashicamat 124, which would be lighter than my Bronica
setup...and if I lost it due to any circumstances I would probably survive.
I have walked all over Paris at night taking photos and never felt threatened. Belgrade
on the other hand is a different story. My brother lives there, but I doubt he would
want to spend evenings watching me setup and take exposures in 20 degree weather
at night. I have read enough to know to not take pictures at any time of anything
being guarded by police or militia.
I realize the decision is mine, but the more I think about it, the less sure I am of any
decision.
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from my experience, each roll can differ. so reload and shoot again. Or, you got the one camera they actually do the annual quality control check on.
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I have a Yashica Mat 124G and had a Flexaret VI. The Flex had a very dark focusing screen, even in bright light. It felt solid enough, but just too damn hard to use due to the screen. I gave the Flex away for 15 rolls of 120 film.
How to make the Hobby pay for itself
in Business of Photography
Posted
I think it helps to live in a city with a large base of art lovers.
I live in San Francisco. Each October artists have "Open Studio". An artist association sponsors this event, you pay a fee to register, your info goes into a large pamphlet and onto their website. This was how I initially gained exposure. I don't even have a studio, but borrowed someones office space.
I then submitted photos to a (free) exhibit. A fellow photographer saw my prints and invited me to join an art group which exhibits art in open spaces. I have since been invited to participate in another studio space for artists. Now I display my work 2-3 times a month in spaces where locals and tourists frequent. One thing has simply led to another.
It is the exposure that drives sales. A website is a must, it is another method of exposure, especially if you can link to other sites etc. But sales from a website are rare. The visual impact is not as strong as seeing a framed image.
My cost is fair: approx $80/ each mounted/framed print (20 x 20 inch frame) I sell them for $300 each. So for each print I sell, I can frame 2 new ones and pocket approximately 50% of the proceeds.
It is a lot of work: I had to get a sellers permit, business account, etc.
But, I have met many interesting people, and had fascinating converstations about photography in general and my own work. And when you sell a print...it is a great feeling.