Okay, so those who’ve read my blog know I’m trying to figure out which camera I want as my second body; a 7D or T2i. I’ve been doing some research, and it turns out I was wrong on my previous post. The 7D DOES have an external microphone input…so it’s starting to look better to me. I was also starting to check prices and it looks like I can get this body with the lens I want in a package, with that lens being nicely discounted.
This decision, while difficult, is starting to get easier. The T2i seems like it would be a great choice, fiscally, but I just don’t think I’d be happy with it. The size and construction would still bother me even though I knew I was saving money. Call me crazy… I know.
More to come soon.
This is no big news, but apparently if you pay bills you’re popular. I’ve had auto insurance with my current provider for a few years now, across a few vehicles as well. I have no intention of changing providers, since I’m quite satisfied with the arrangements I currently have. Yet, I still continue to receive paper mailings from this other provider despite my ignoring them. With the onset of “living green” and trying to conserve, wouldn’t it make more sense for a company to give up after a “lead” doesn’t pan out? I’ve been getting mailings for over a year. I’m sure it wouldn’t save them a ton of money by ceasing just my mailings, but multiply the few cents it might cost by a few thousand, or more, and that may add up to some worthwhile budgetary fortitude.
I also just recently received a paper mailing offering me a great deal on a burial plot. I’m 29, which is apparently old enough to buy one of those. No need to remind me of my increasing age; I feel old, but I don’t feel that old. I’m not sure how this particular provider got ahold of my information. As a matter of fact, it may have been the same folks who got me on the list to receive an AARP card, which I was sent in the mail a few months back. Again, I’m 29. Hopefully plenty of years before retirement, and most certainly plenty of years before needing a burial plot.
I suppose I could say I’m content knowing that my information is on file with a few of these services. But, I certainly hope they stop wasting paper on me for the next, oh, 30 years or so. I’m just not interested in thinking about that phase of my life since I have my twenties to finish up, and my thirties to prepare for.
If you couldn’t tell, I love photography. It’s one of my creative outlets, one of my opportunities to let my mind go and capture things I come into contact with in any type of unique way I can imagine. I love the idea of being able to capture a moment, a place, a time, etc. I don’t think I’d ever want to make that my job, because then it would eventually become something that wasn’t fun anymore, it would just become “work”. It’d become less of a creative outlet, and I’d eventually not enjoy it anymore. I’m so passionate about it, that I just don’t ever want that to happen. Photography will always be a hobby of mine, because it’s something that I truly love to do.
I love landscape and nature photography because it takes out the one element that I can’t escape in my day-to-day hustle and bustle: People. Mind you, I’m not antisocial by any means. I love people; I love to interact with them, I love to meet new people, I love to get to know people, but I don’t enjoy photographing them. There’s a lot that comes into play when shooting people, both from a photography/technical side of it but also just the people themselves.
Let’s look at the technical side for just a moment: Studio photography, especially with models, requires the ability to manipulate light in so many different ways in order to get “just the right shot”. There are so many kinds of devices one can use to do so, and a seemingly endless myriad of techniques and skills to learn, and be able to utilize in order to pull it off successfully. While I enjoy the fact that I’m taking pictures, it’s not as fun for me as capturing a beautiful natural landscape.
For the most part, landscape photography can be done with a minimal tool set; a camera, a tripod, and a beautiful scene. Granted there are exceptions to this (filters, reflectors, etc but just humor me here.), but you really don’t need to have all that much with you. Whereas shooting a model on-location would require lighting, stands, softboxes/umbrellas, flash control kits, etc. Lots of extra “stuff”. I’d love to show up to a beautiful spot, take some time to compose my shot, figure out what I want to capture, dial in my settings, and capture the moment.
I can do that by myself, I can work with the light that nature provides, and I can capture it how I see it in my mind. I’m not working under someone’s direction, I’m not going for “a certain look”, I’m taking it for me and nobody else. I’m happy to share my creativity with others, and if they want to reward me for my work, that’s great, but for me it’s rewarding enough to be able to spend quality alone time with nature, and my favorite piece of technology.
Random off-topic rant: Kodak just ceased production on their iconic Kodachrome film, and they had a famous photographer shoot the final roll. If you remember, Paul Simon wrote a song called “Kodachrome” and was offered to be one of the subjects photographed on the final roll. He declined.(Why?!) What an idiot. Being a part of something as historic and significant as this isn’t something you should say “no” to. Robert De Niro was photographed, he didn’t have a problem with it, then again he’s also the man….. it stinks, because I like the song and I want to buy it on iTunes, but I am purposely avoiding it because I don’t want to give Paul Simon any of my money, although it’s not like he’d be out anything significant by my avoiding the purchase; it’s more a principal thing. I also can’t wholeheartedly support a song that says “I’ve got my Nikon camera” – that’s just blasphemy. (j/k). Now if it was “I’ve got my favorite camera” or something else, then I’d consider it, but Paul Simon’s selfish douchebaggery is what might send me over to Limewire if I really want that song in my library. (Granted, I don’t endorse P2P sharing for music, but if I refuse to pay for something and I want it, hey a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do… but then again I do have over 2,000 songs in my library all from iTunes over the course of the last few years…) I digress…I promise.
So yeah, nature and landscape photography is my choice… now let’s see what I can come up with for some shots to corroborate this. Who knows where I’ll be in a year, 5 years, etc. I may become the next ___insert name of famous fashion/people photographer here___…. but for now, give me a lake, stream, forest, or purple mountain’s majesty and I’ll be there with my tripod ready to start clickin’.
This is one of my favorite sayings, because it’s completely true, and it’s a bit sad at the same time. Why is it that us as humans have some sort of hidden motivation to “start spreadin’ the news” when bad things happen? What is it that we’re really expecting to transpire by pontificating our maladies to the masses?
In the end, nobody actually cares about how bad things may be going for you right now. What’s more important, however, is being able to ask yourself: What is being done to correct it or fix it yourself? I try to think about why people complain, and I think I just might have an answer: They like to complain about external things because they may have some pent up frustration about something in their life, someone in their life, or themselves. Then, most likely, they want to take it out on something, or someone else entirely. If we, as human beings, would just take the time to really think about what was “wrong”, it’s most likely very simple to fix, or “make right”, often times with minimal effort.
Those who are complaining are the ones most obviously uninterested in learning about making it better, they just want someone else to fix it for them. I believe that would be called lazy by today’s standards. Remember, the grass is always greener, unless you spend your life walking around with dark sunglasses on, which would just make everything look dark and depressing.
Okay, so my good friend Amy gave me a great suggestion, something she does on her blog. She has something called “Ask Amy Friday”, where she’ll collect a series of questions during the week, of many different approaches (you name it, it’s been asked and answered somehow), and then answers them in a blog post every Friday. I’d really love to do the same thing, get questions and answer them in my own special way. I’m inviting all of you to contribute questions that you’d like to see me answer here on my blog, I’ll grab a few of ‘em and answer them for your viewing pleasure.
The best way to send me a question is right here on my page. Up on the top is a “Contact” button, click that and in the e-mail form on that page, there’s a drop-down menu where you can pick “Idea for you to blog about”, and type in whatever you like on that page.
So, bring on the questions! The more the merrier. There’s no such thing as a stupid question, no such thing as a worthless question, you can even ask me questions you don’t even think I’d know the answer to, and I’ll give it a shot!
Let’s see what you’ve got!!!! 
It exists!!! Bret Michaels’ signature blend that won him the seat as Trump’s next celebrity apprentice. I’ll post again once I’ve tried it. I don’t think I’ve ever tried any Snapple product before, so this will indeed be a first. Stay tuned.
Hey fun seekers — just in case you’re bored, I stuck a guestbook up here, you can access it from the menu bar above. I’d love to hear from you!!
I remember many years ago, when the internet was still fairly new as a household item, setting up an account on one of the first web forums I’d ever joined. I couldn’t tell you which forum it was, simply because I can’t remember back that far. I guess that’s a sign of me getting old, right? I needed a “handle”, a username, and I couldn’t even begin to guess what to choose. I figured, my initials are JB and I’m into recording, hence jbrecording. Turns out, I’d wind up using this handle for years to come. I even purchased the domain names jbrecording.com and jbrecording.net, both of which take you here, to this very website. I’ve done some projects for others under the name “jbrecording”, but I think I want something new, that encompasses more of what I can do.
I’m an audio engineer, drummer, keyboardist, producer, and now as of late, photographer, and I’d like to come up with a new name that I could use that doesn’t label me as only a “recording” guy. Whatever this name is I’d like to get the domain name, and maybe eventually turn it into a side media production thing; Photography, Music Recording/Production/etc, maybe even some video work. Heck, maybe even make some money down the line, but it all starts with a good name.
So I’d like to toss this question out in the open; I’d love any ideas you might have on a new name for something like this. Timeframe-wise it’s really unspecified. “jbrecording” does work, since taking photos is, in a way, “recording” images, but I’m interested in seeing what other kinds of names could be used.
So, what do you all think?
So I haven’t used my john@johnbamber e-mail address in a long time, simply because I’ve been getting a lot of Spam there. I even enrolled in Spam Arrest to try and intercept my e-mails and control the spam, but stuff still got through somehow…. So I left it be, and just went back today to check the inbox… oh…my….god.
I had more than 25,000 e-mails in there. Almost all of it spam. I can’t believe it! I’m hoping that with my new e-mail server configuration it will be a little bit better with spam control. We shall see.
….damn, 25,000 e-mails. I’m still stunned…
