Almost two years ago, giant changing robots invaded Chicago.


(Please note, I changed words to avoid copyright infringements)

Asphalt erupted


Concrete from buildings made of glass and steel


Very heavy foam walls


Almost two years later, same location


Scene during filming

J.K. Rowling wrote a series of books ONCE. Why should she be paid millions of times over by everyone who buys one of her books? Why can't I buy one of her books, copy it, reprint it and sell it? I did the work of copying it and reprinting it. Why does she want my money? She made enough money already. It's my turn to make money off of her work.

I hope you read the above with total sarcasm. A photographer who takes a photo once should be paid over and over again by each person who buys a copy. Or, if it is used by an advertiser, the photographer should be compensated. The advertiser posts ads in multiple papers, magazines, etc. expecting to make more money the more it is used and the advertiser wouldn't have that opportunity if the photographer didn't do his/her job.

That's what I love about the Disney Imagineers. They try to add realism into everything...from two Dimensional images to 3-D illusion to 3-D. Go to the parks and they engage as many of your senses as they can with feeling breezes and smells, too.

I just caught part of a news story this morning about a camera that is on tour. It is a view camera that is so large it is on the trailer of a truck and takes a 6 foot negative. But, a contact print wasn't good enough. They ENLARGED it to 2 1/2 stories. What is that!? 25 feet?!

A number of years ago, a fellow working part time at the studio I was at went on to Columbia College in Chicago to study photography. He was featured on the inside back cover of the Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine for using a 20" x 24" Polaroid camera.

One more aside, Fuji is making the "Polaroid" wait-to-develop-and-pull-apart film. I heard a rumor last year that they might bring back the SX-70 film. Haven't seen anything else on that.

I photographed a funeral at graveside. The deceased was a marine. Passed after a long life, not from battle. It was a beautiful service. The marines carried the coffin, taps was played via a recorder devise "hidden" inside the horn, (you should research that topic), the 21 gun salute, and then the marines folding the flag was the saddest part of the entire ceremony.

It was sad because the marines did NOT know how to properly fold the American flag. They started at the wrong end and finished the triangle with stripes out. Sad, very sad that our own military does not know the proper method to fold the flag.

I had to position my photos so it was not obvious that the flag was wrong. Difficult when they hand the flag to a family member.

Photographing a funeral service was uncomfortable at first, but, I realized that these photos would be long treasured by the family.

Ahh! Coatachrome. That name alone alludes to another fond memory.

I agree with this lens choice. It is not a large heavy lens and you will be at the park ALL DAY. A longer lens will weigh at least three times more at the end of the day than it did at the beginning.

Also, it sounds like you are more interested in getting family fun pictures than pictures of the animals at the back fo the enclosure (no long lens needed). (That is until the kids act up and you decide to throw them in with the lions to get some great action shots).lol

Keep it light and simple. All will have more fun and you won't be throwing anyone in with the lions or bears.

Back to the point about not being the only photographer. Is the other photographer a pro with a contract? The pro will have in the contract "exclusive photographer."

Most of my pro friends have threatened to walk out if if the other cameras did not get put down.

The pro is making a living at taking the photos. If you are going to deny the pro the income from doing his job, why should he stick around.

Oh, sure you're not getting paid. But, neither is the pro because someone did not buy his picture because you gave them one for free or at a very low Wal-Mart price. Ask a Wal-Mart employee how much he/she makes. That's no living wage.

A fellow pro photographer HATED anyone using the term "shoot."

He would say "Imagine telling your customers 'We will shoot your whole family, then we will shoot your kids, then we will shoot you'."

It's working!! B&H price is down from $2500 to $2270* and then they have an immediate price drop of $100 to $2170*.

* Don't shoot me down over a nickel. I hate advertisers that sell for "Under $25.00" and the actual price is $24.99. One penny less? Give me a break. Throw in tax and/or shipping and my out-of-pocket cost (if I don't pay the extras, I don't get the product) is much higher than the penny or nickel yousave me "Under."

Now, save me $330 as above... let's talk.

Thanks for breaking with the news to lower the price. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks again.

How about a new flash. Has anyone spotted the Canon 590EX? I would like the 580EX at a lower price, too.

I have a Sans Digital RAID mini-tower with four 2 terabyte drives. I have it set up as a RAID zero plus one. In this format, data is written to two of the drives with half of the information being written to each of the drives. This reduces the length of time to write large files to it. The other two drives are mirrors of the first two drives.

What this means is that if one of the drives dies, I can replace it and not lose ANY data. The new drive will automatically be mirrored when it is restarted.

As far as brands of hard drives, I will not recommend which to buy, but I WILL recommend NOT buying Maxtor. I had several of these die.

After you have the shot, you need to evaluate if it is good. Turn the print upside down. Your eye will now look at shapes, leading lines, etc. instead of any object(s). A good photo will stand up to being viewed upside down.

Personally, my shorts would need changing BEFORE the jump. Then, I wouldn't jump.

Parallel lines "appear" to converge or intersect at some point in the distance. If you continue beyond that point, wouldn't they then cross and what was on the left is now on the right?.

I suggest you stand in the center of some railroad tracks and look into the distance. The tracks look like they converge in the distance. Now, start walking along the tracks until you reach the point where they meet. But don't come crying to me if a train runs you over before you reach the convergance point. You are the non-believer, not me.

I do ride inside a train on a daily basis. If the lines do converge, shouldn't the train car I am in squeeze together. Just like the bus in the Harry Potter movie when it squeezes between two trucks?

LMAOOTF

I see the hand at the edge of the photo. Obviously, as babies always try to get away from the parents by crawling, walking or running, this one can fly.