michael_mahoney1

A little over two years ago, I approached a business about improving some of their existing advertising and web site photography, provided them my portfolio, and was asked to do some specific � samples� of their business with the understanding that if the samples were suitable, they would purchase them, and I would be hired to do additional work. I took several shots , did some extensive Photoshop work with them, and e-mailed the proofs to them. There was no written agreement, nor a copyright symbol on the proofs.

 

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I made follow up phone calls and e-mails, which were either ignored, or answered with the reply �we�re very busy, and haven�t had time to look at them� - but that they would call me shortly, which never occurred. I finally let the matter drop, and stopped contacting them.

 

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While browsing through a local magazine today, I discovered one of my shots being used as an advertisement for their business. I�m sure it�s mine because of the Photoshop work, and I have retained the original file. Normally I would just call and ask if they are aware of the use of my image, but in this case, I�m getting the feeling that I�ve been used as a source of free photography. The contact person at this firm who I originally dealt with is no longer there, complicating the situation. I have written them off as a source of future business so I needn�t be too concerned with how polite I am in approaching them on this.

 

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I know I should not have gone down the �sample� road, or did anything without a written agreement, but this was in the early days of my business, and I was eager for work - today I would not touch this type of deal. My inclination is to let the matter drop, and treat it as one of life�s� lessons - but I�m curious as to the opinions of forum members on this. What would you do ??

Kevin, at that price you're looking at used equipment, and there are

steady offerings on both e-bay and the photo.net classifieds. I'm

sure there are quality used kits available at some of the dealers as

well. As to specifics, others have mentioned some popular timeless

offerings that would serve a beginner as well as a higher priced kit.

I'm currently looking for a lower priced kit myself ( wooden field,

90-135 lens ) so I'll let you know how I make out. Regards,

Mike

Just got off a news site where they were describing the Marines going

into Afghanistan with 100lb + packs - I'm sure some of them would get

a kick out of us complaining about 10-20lb kits !!!

 

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I used to help my friends bring quartered moose out of the woods (

100lbs+, loose load )and got used to it.

 

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My Arca Swiss Discovery kit went on many all day hikes with nothing

more than the shoulder bag it came with. I am 6 feet, an unmuscular

175lbs, sit most of the day at a computer screen, smoke, and have

made no attempt at physical fitness in my 46 years.

 

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David, your time would be better spent in the field with your camera

than home drilling holes !!!

Steve, there is a preview window available to see the USM effect as

you apply it, make sure that the "Preview Option" is selected. You

can drag this preview box around the image with the hand that shows

up, like an Adobe PDF file. You can also magnify or reduce the view

using the +/- buttons below the window.

 

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Now that you can see what you're doing, try dragging the three

sliders (amount, radius, and threshold) around to see their effect.

Christopher, while I admire your ingenuity in making your own lens caps, you may want to check to see what material they are made of. Some types of plastics emit a kind of vapor which is not good for MC lenses - this has been covered before in previous threads.

 

S.K. Grimes makes replacement lens caps - visit his site for more info on his choice of material. Regards,

Mike

I've used the 90mmf8 SA, and it's for landscape use - plan on

purchasing a center filter if you're using transparency film even

without movements. Focusing is not a problem in good lighting

conditions, but at f8 you're going to have some focusing challenges

at the edges in low light.

 

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Unless you really need the extra 10mm or speed, I'd go with the 90SA.

I agree with the above comments on the blue cast, I started using Provia F about six months ago in 4X5, but the blue/magenta cast was too pronounced - even with an 81b filter. I found the Kodak E100SW to be saturated, but neutral. Another film worth trying is AGFA 100RSXII - a very natural color range, but somewhat muted. Excellent for brighter days.

Does the rack & pinion focus on the Ebony SW45 have any kind of lock, or is this necessary with this kind of focusing system?

200 feet to 18 feet ???? And not sharp in the middle to begin

with ???? What lens were they using ? Or was it a coke bottle bottom?

Well said Ellis ! Months before I ordered my LF camera I thought to

find what I could about LF focusing techniques, and came across the

usual suspects - Adams� � The Camera�, Strobels� � View Camera

Technique�, and of course the ever-confusing Mr. Merklinger. I

actually deferred my purchase because of his writings. He has some

QuickTime movies on his web site which are useful, but his writings

would either frustrate you or put you to sleep depending on your

mathematical education.

After reading every thread on this forum related to focusing, I

remember most a little ditty someone posted �.. � focus on the far,

tilt for the near, then focus and tilt �till all is clear �. For

modest architectural and most landscape applications, those sixteen

words will serve you better than Merklingers� tomes.

check with Domke - they have a wonderful three panel, six pouch folding wallet style filter holder. can hold six filters up to 95mm in individual pouches. You can keep Cokin style filters in the folds or in the pouches. Folds up to 5X9 inches, and is a good quality canvas.

howard, there are many more qualified than me to answer your

question, but my impression from reading the archives here, and from

other forums and sites is that you're not likely to see much if any

improvement in sharpness by changing to a newer lens. your lens is

really not that old, and the SC is fine if you're not shooting into

the sun, and if you take some precautions as to lens shading during

exposure. so " significant sharpness improvement " is not likely to

come via a new lens - some more knowledgeable members of this site

could answer for sure, but I don't think the SA lens design has

changed in the past two decades.

Cool looking camera, and the case is straight out of Star Wars! $3-

6,000 buys a lot of camera, so I can see why they didn�t sell too

many at that price, but for $1,800 it�s worth a look.

As to question 2, an Arca Discovery fits easily in a Lowepro Photo

Trekker with the standards swung full to one side. You can even do

this with the leather WA bellows attached. All in , with a 90mm SA

and bellows attached, it ( folded ) measures 32 X 32 X 11cms. Still a

lot of room left in the bag. I imagine the F-Line would be similar.

David, I suppose you're the one who can best answer this, as $700 has

different significance to everyone, as does the convenience of geared

movements. FWIW, the non-geared rise on my Discovery is very smooth,

well damped, and usually goes exactly where I put it. The shift is

another story, with the smallish release knob usually stiff, but

again I can usually get it where I want with little trouble. I'm

assuming the F-Line shares similiar standards. If there was a geared

movement I'd want, it would be tilt/swing.

Unfortunately bankruptcy seems imminent for Polaroid, debt

restructuring seems unlikely as there is almost one billion U.S. in

debt, and their bonds are trading at less than ten cents to the

dollar. So Polaroid as we know it in all likelihood won�t exist much

longer. Lets hope another company is able to obtain the rights to

continuing the Polaroid photography product line. Having said that,

if I used Polaroid products, I�d be ordering as much as I could, as

future supplies are doubtful.

I�ve owned an L-408, and found it accurate and simple to use. Many of

the modes are related to strobe lighting and multiple measurements,

so I just read the parts of the manual applicable to incident and

spot metering and was away to the races in 10 minutes.

Anthony, you can indeed screw on filters to LF lenses just like 35mm

or MF lenses. You can also use a filter system such as Lee, or Cokin.

Many LF camera manufacturers offer compendium hoods, which can accept

filters. Although I'm not sure, I think some LF lenses have threaded

rear elements which can accept filters as well.

As Ferris said at the end of his day off " are you guys STILL here? ".

There have been some valid and not so valid points raised, and I think we all learned something. The old chain of manufacturer/protected distributor/retailer/customer is coming under strong attack by new distribution, customer driven distribution. It started with a bang in the 80's to the retail industry with Wal-Mart, and it's been happening to other industries since. History has shown to stand in the way is foolhardy, and frequently invites bankruptcy. Maybe the U.S distributors don't enjoy the margins we think they do, but as a consumer I'm motivated to find the best possible price, and if that involves a degree of risk with warranty service I'm willing to accept that risk. Looking forward, I envision a simpler distribution system worldwide, with the various middlemen gone ( sorry Bob )and a more direct relationship between the manufacturer and end consumer. It's as simple as how much markup is present after it leaves the manufacturers' plant, and as a consumer do you feel you're getting the benefits from that markup.

please - - import duties, shipping, exchange rates ?! These are all costs borne by Robert White customers as well. On your foreign exchange point, can you expect any company to suffer the vagaries of unhedged and fixed exchange rates for a year ? That simply does not happen - and I'd like to know of even one company who is daft enough to even begin to entertain such an arrangement with a supplier. Companies are not currency speculators, and would hedge such a risk with a currency hedging program.

Bob Salomon: As partial justification for the excessive markup and profit enjoyed by North American distributors, you put forth " trade shows, sales force, advertising, and available local support and loaner cameras ". Tell me why a person who has never been to a trade show, who does their buying research online, has never met a camera distributors' sales person, and has no stocking dealer in their community should pay for this?

The web has opened up new ways for consumers to educate themselves, and to obtain pricing from new sources - your attempt to somehow stand in the way of this by championing benefits many of us don't receive is beginning to look a little dated.

what brand of field camera of camera and bellows? - you should be

able to get some kind of image. if you're getting a totally dark

screen, check to see if the lens is open, and that it's not stopped

down.

I've observed and enjoyed many of these digital/traditional

discussions, and feel that the silent majority of workaday

photographers simply don't step foward and make themselves heard. I'd

wager the vast majority of photographers would not call

themselves "fine art" printers, and have no interest in producing

that kind of work. Yet often in these types of discussions, we hear

from the "fine art" printers who say digital printing has not reached

the quality level required by them. I'm not about to argue that

point, but for every one "fine art" photographer, there are twenty

commercial photographers who rely on PhotoShop or similiar to produce

the kind of work required by and paid for by their clients, who

require a digital file for web use, magazine reproduction, or

printing. This file often needs to be manipulated to varying degrees

to suit the job.

In raw business terms, clients expect you to have the ability to e-

mail proofs, show a portfolio on CD, and communicate with their pre-

press and advertising firms in digital media.

I'm looking for a longer lens, 360 - 500mm range that I could use with my existing 30cm 4X5 monorail. Am I correct that a telephoto design would allow for such a short bellows? Any particular lenses that someone could recommend? I'd be happy with a 180-190 or larger image circle, and compact size with low cost would be strong considerations also. Many thanks.

He's in the UK, but is certainly reliable - - www.robertwhite.co.uk