At the state level, in Texas the camera stores in an effort to compete with B&H and the like convinced the legislature to exempt much of the gear we typically buy--cameras, lenses, computers etc. This might have helped keep these smaller stores alive. I really haven't paid attention recently but I assume that has now passed. I have and use a state exemption for most items like printer ink and paper, but I have to jump through the hoops to get that to work.

Of course I'm also required to charge sales tax, but for years there was the argument that do you charge based on the film,paper etc.or the creative effort (time on the shoot). Also we had to determine if a client was exempt, self taxed, or then collect that sales tax. If a national client had a local office we had to charge the client even though it was being used in an ad directed by a New York ad agency. Calls to the state authority's more often then not varied to who was giving the answers that day.

A local photographer was once audited by the tax authority as they had several questions about who and how he charged sales tax. His short answer was 'I don't have a badge nor a gun, so all I can do is ask'!

Leave the lens/mug in your car just to see how long it'll stay there!

Many of the best organized portrait and even some commercial studios had lighting systems that used a scissors type system so everything hung from the ceilings with a moveable grid system. You would grab an overhead light pull it down and make you adjustments. All the cords ran up, over and then down along a wall to the power supplies. So if you had a wheeled camera stand and a low background light that might be all you had on the floor--made for easy cleaning for sure. Photogenic was the major seller at one time.

We have AT&T just for internet here in Houston. I have Comcast at the studio as AT&T couldn't serve me. I'll be shutting down the studio in the coming months. At this same time we just started to get dropped more often by AT&T a couple of times per day. Then it was happening nearly every hour, so we complained. Their answer was we now had 18 items using the service. I said fine, but chances are we only 2-3 at any one time!
They check the line and found problems, then they 'worked' on it again so others were also having connection problems. Yesterday two service trucks were across the street. They also sent out a new router and wanted to up-charge us for that till we questioned that. So at the moment we're back to normal and with old prices, until they find another way of getting some cash. Most of these type companies are like squirrels--they naw until they find a way!

As a kid we always had 20-25 for Thanksgiving as we were all within 50 miles or so, also my birthday was always within a day or two of it too. Despite some being older or very young everybody was fairly healthy. Now they're all gone or 1 thousand miles away. So it's just we 3 and we're doing our main meal on Saturday to meet schedules. BTW, For awhile I thought the entire country celebrated those who had birthdays at Thanksgiving. But worse yet my wife's birthday is Dec 29 and coming from a poor family, gifts were minimal.

Tool cases are like camera cases, You never have enough or one large enough. Then too many and too large! Since I was born sort of short in life, I have a fairly small one that holds smaller hand tools that has short legs so it's a stool that I also can use for sawing from but it also gets me 10" higher. The insides have a lift out tray.
I do hate the plastic fitted cases where the hinges break all too soon!

I find that using hot lights is the best way to start the process of learning to really 'see' light. One way to obtain lights on the cheap is to wait for a photographer to retire, close shop or die! I recently tossed some old hot lights that I bought from a much older cousin that passed in the 60's. He had one light that I've kept with a wheeled base and 24" reflector--probably paid $25 for it.

Study the light--How it wraps, how it accents and what you don't want it to do. In my day students typically bought a couple of Smith Victor floods and started to study lighting.

A bit of caution is that studio strobes and hot lights can cause you to melt wallpaper and burn carpets. Something your wife or landlord will not appreciate! A pro gaffer usually uses gloves when working with hot lights and they use safety chains with live talent.
Also put you money into good stands. I've had some PIC stands (out of business) for over 30 years. The Bogen type are okay, but I cry when one of the pic's bite the dust. A young lady has rented my studio a few times for portraits and I have been amazed that she carries a basic setup like indicated in the video, but it's like Tinker Toys from my childhood to some degree. I doubt the stuff will last very long; so if you get a job with 50 portraits some prayer might be required. Many of those smaller speedlights will overheat and just shutdown. So be careful, step ahead but not too far unless you gear will handle the job!

Although I was mostly out of the loop, my Sister and I had to deal with our Step-father during his end of life expenses from hundreds of miles away. He was a former Government employee so I think some of those costs were still covered by whatever insurance he was able to keep. The hospital was a small time operation so billing was done mostly by hand. Who is going to dispute what he received and how many times? With a few phone calls we were able to eliminate a fair amount of double billing and misdirected invoices.

The article did say that Shop Vac made machines for Sears, so they might have been the same. I too have large Red Craftsman unit still going after about 30 years. I also own three Shop Vac's for smaller uses. The only problem I've had was the cord is turning to sticky mush. I once burned up a Eureka vac that used those sausage type bags. The Eureka twisted itself into pieces, so you'll have to take my Shop Vac from my cold dead hands!

thanks gentlemen I do take our old TV' and such to a large recycling center but I though a #10 envelope of chips could be used for a better purpose. Thanks again!

I've been cleaning up a few things around the studio where I've found lot's of old Mac memory chips. My repair guy stated he saw no use for them. I remember paying top dollar during a shortage 15 years ago. Is there somebody who recycles them for some purpose other than a landfill?

You haven't lived until you've dealt with 'party line' phones. Often had to wait till somebody got off the line so I could use it--tough when you agree to call your GF at a certain time. Then you find out the 'other party' knows what you said--privacy--don't think so. I was very young when we had crank phones but my sister had to deal with a cousin who worked for the phone company as a operator! Our number was 16OW--funny how you remember certain numbers but not the last password! Now I'm ranting!

I've been less of an artist but mostly just a commercial shooter. With that being said, I photograph model railroads and back in the days of B&W film and the darkroom, I sometimes would add sky to a scene made against a plain bedroom wall on 35mm and then add the sky shot on 4X5! Each darkroom attempt had different results, so yes it is art in that respect. The secret to not going crazy was two enlargers. For an industrial brochure I also composited three images unto on sheet of 16X20 paper for double page spreads--we made 5 of them, so our paper bill was outstanding but well worth it for the client.

I bought his book and I think it's a great work of both art and journalism. Much of that due to his likeable subjects!

Yes, no doubt if a country is poor due to not having any resources or graft. It's depressing, but take a look at our country. A week after the shutdowns we had food lines, the start of lay-offs, schools shutting down. It's a socialist responsible government that cares for it's people.
My wife's school was shut down, but she received her salary from the 'government', if that ain't socialism I don't know what is!
Go back to the years when the Midwest prairie states needed more farmers, railroads and commerce. If you applied you could get what I believe was 160 acres of land to farm from the federal government. There were some qualifications but from this social program, you could then become a capitalist that would support other businesses--a small farmer, a grain buyer a store owner!
And yes I've done some traveling, primarily in South America. I was only there for a week or two, and yes it was a little tough in Columbia they cut the power for a few hours each day--same thing nearly happens here during the Summer. On the other hand many European countries had a higher standard of living then the average person does here, especially when it comes to health care. They still have private business but their society realizes that not everybody can be Jeff Bazos either. On the other hand look at Russia during WWI and their Revolution--people did starve there because the Czar and his government were unable or unwilling to help the people. I would think the French did likewise during their earlier Revolution--something about eating cake!
Then we have North Korea and China before that--they were never really socialist countries either. Only controlling authorities horded the wealth--that's not socialism.