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Team Batdorff

Father’s Day shopping can be rough business. Especially if your pop has everything he already needs.  Now, I know my Dad is much like myself. We don’t need materialistic things to complete our holiday.  No, we just need a quality hug and “I love you”.  BUT, I realize Father’s Day is just a little over a week away and some kids (not mine I’m sure) feel compelled to go beyond the hug.  Yes, some of us feel obligated to dig deep into our hard earned cash to surprise our fathers with that special gift that says YOU are the world’s number one dad.   So today’s blog is for you folks who find it necessary to go against our wishes and still shower us with gifts of appreciation.  So here’s my list. I mean “the” list of suggestions.   A new iphone 3G (so I can take video of course), Epson R2880 (my r2400 is tired and old like me),  Phase One 645 (Hasselblad would be asking WAY too much) or two hours with Scott Kelby (because this Photoshop thing gets confusing). If those suggestions are too much for your budget, here are a few others that might work as well.  A Benro monopod, Gorilla pod, Streetwalker camera bag, Black Rapids double strap (for the commando photographer) and if all else fails a year subscription to any of my favorite photography magazines.   Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do  the right thing.  We dads will love you no matter what. But the truth is, sometimes a tie stinks!  I didn’t  just say  that. So babe, if your reading this, and you must buy a tie, you know dad looks great in black and green…;)

Blue House

One of the things I love about digital photography is the flexibility it provides photographers to experiment.  I really didn’t know too much about High Dynamic Range (HDR) a few years back, but now it seems to be all the rage.  R.C. from Layers magazine wrote a great piece on HDR so check it out here.  HDR is a ton of fun to play with, and frankly, I think it really adds another level of understanding to our everyday post production work.   What I recommend for those of you looking to get into HDR is consider buying a good tripod and Photomax from HDR soft.  Photomax really does a nice job with HDR and it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than Photoshop – not to mention I think it does a better job.   There are some folks here in Chicago that do some crazy HDR work. Check them out here.   HDR is fun and it can rekindle your creative fire, so give it a try and tell me what you think.

Chattanooga Choo Choo

First, I want to thank everyone that stopped by to see me in Kalamazoo. I had a ton of fun and really enjoyed visiting with all of you. I’ve been fielding a few questions from folks about how to protect your images from being stolen online. The most honest answer is you can’t. If you’re going to email photos or upload them to a website, then simply put, you’re vulnerable to image theft. However, there are many safeguards you can employ to protect your images. If you have interest in learning more about how to safeguard your images then please check out Greg Cope’s article here

Mom, Wendy and me

I’ve been called paranoid more than once.  Who said that about me? Who!? See what I mean? And when it comes to my photo data, not only am I a geek about back-ups, I’m a crazed lunatic about making sure I have a backup of my backups.   However, stealing a line from Andy Groves, “only the paranoid survive.” Let me walk you through my steps.   1. I download all my photos off my media cards  as .DNG files.  I then place these files in order by year into a folder labeled Pictures on my Drobo.  The Drobo is a great storage device but almost any RAID device would work.  2.  I then back my Drobo up to an external drive…I know it’s crazy but stay tuned.   Once I have my Drobo backup, then I’ll delete the photos off my media card.  Now, when I leave on trips I can give someone the external hard drive for safe keeping. That’s a little easier than unplugging the Drobo – not to mention lighter.  3.  No, we’re not done yet.  I told you I’m paranoid.  Now after I have good backups of the Drobo files on the external drive,  I then back that up to an online, offsite storage service (currently, I’m using Carbonite.)  It’s cheap and seamless.  4.  Lastly, I make physical DVD backups of the all my .DNG files.  I burn these backups to Archival GOLD DVDS.  I store these DVD’s off location and I only update them monthly.    Ok, so you’re thinking too much right?  Well, coming from a guy that lost four months of memories I’ll tell you it’s worth it.  The bottom line is you need to back up your photos.  The digital world brings many advantages to our table, but without a doubt the major disadvantage is our ability to become complacent and simply say I’ll back that up tomorrow. And when something is lost, it’s gone forever.

Update….Carbonite backs up from internal drives only.  Also, they now have a Mac version.

Chicago Sunset

Chicago Sunset BW

Mexico Sunset Portrait

Cat Island- Traditional sunset

On the night of my arrival back in Chicago I was welcomed with a wonderful sunset view from my back deck.  I’m going to tell you a dirty little secret about sunsets and professional photographers…”we secretly enjoy shooting them.” Sure, you’re not going to find them in our portfolios. And why would you since any Google search of sunset images produces well over a million hits.  More importantly, you don’t need to be a pro photographer or know anything about Rayleigh scattering to know a sunset produces amazing colors that are begging to be photographed.  But here are a few tips when shooting a sunset:  1.  Feel free to kick up the color saturation.  2.  Make it your own, vignette the image, a different POV, change the colors or heaven forbid change it to black and white.  3. Lastly, remember to use your flash when shooting people in front of a sunset (otherwise your images will come out flatter and darker than desired.)   So, it’s true all photographers love shooting sunsets, and sure it’s been done before, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it your own….so enjoy!

Montana Spring

Time to say goodbye to Montana.  I’m packing up and getting ready to head back to Chicago. I won’t be able to write much from the road for the next few days but I’ll be back on Monday.  Remember,  spring is a great time to hone your photography skills.  Don’t  forget to look around and change your point of view (P.O.V.) because not everything is at eye level.  Get down on the ground, get your belly dirty and enjoy a whole new perspective.   Have a great weekend..John

Missouri Flats Schoolhouse

Madison River Schoolhouse (BW)

Picking photos for your portfolio can be difficult as well as a very rewarding process.  Often times I will work an image a couple different ways in Lightroom before I decide to jury opinions from others on the results.   Don’t get me wrong, I don’t simply hand over the keys to the kingdom and say “do my work for me.”  Quite the contrary. Getting input is a key part of the creative process, allowing photographers to grow and better understand their images.  Now with that said, I think it’s crucial to surround yourself with people that you respect and can trust to provide you with honest (yet constructive ) feedback.   That doesn’t mean you need to alter your creative intention around other people’s opinions. But solid feedback can be a valuable tool to help produce even better results. Sure, feedback can be rough, but when it’s constructive and done right it can be incredible rewarding.    Today I’m posting two versions of the same photo to get your feedback.  Tell me which one you like best and why?

Madison River at the 3 Dollar Bridge

Today’s blog will be pretty short.  However, I’m pretty excited to announce that I will be participating in the “Western Visions Event” held by the  National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole.  The event will take place from August 29 – September 27, 2009 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  For more information please click here

"SUGAR"

I’ll be traveling these next few days so bare with me if I miss a few daily blogs.  But remember, get out this weekend and practice shooting.   Sometimes “picking the low lying fruit” isn’t a bad practice.  Meaning practice your photography on things that are easy for you to shoot such as your kids, friends or pets.  It all works as long as you’re experimenting with different points of view, exposures…etc.  Have a great weekend.   Today’s photo is “Sugar” from Montana.

A Little Girls View

I’ve had a ton of questions about “do I need a fancy camera in order to take good photos?”  I’m going to be honest, it doesn’t hurt.  But, and this is a big BUT  (bigger than mine was in college) it doesn’t matter if you’re shooting with a $40,000 Hasselblad or a $5.00 disposable.  If you take blurry pictures with a  cheap camera, chances are you will with an expensive one.  Now, the only advantage with the expensive camera is you’ll be able to enlarge them to life size just to see how blurry they really are..;)  Trust me. I know. I’ve been there.  My point is simply this: get to know the camera you own.  You should know your current camera inside and out.  Next, get to a point where you’re shooting good images on a regular basis with that camera.  I never upgrade until I feel that I’ve maxed out my current camera’s ability, and trust me, it’s tempting to upgrade.  I think to myself….hmmm it’s not me…it’s the camera.  Well, truth be told in many cases it’s me. But with that said, when I reach a point with my current camera that I feel like I’m doing good work on a regular basis then, you guessed it ….I’m the first guy in line looking to upgrade.   So borrowing a line from President Obama “let me be perfectly clear”  it doesn’t matter if you’re shooting with a less expensive digital camera. What matters is are you getting the images you want?   To prove my point, today’s photo is from my daughter who is eight.  She shot this photo with a $75.00 digital.  I’ll let you guys be the judge.