Going To A Wedding Tomorrow

I'm hoping that I have fun. It should be fun. I figure any wedding with pizza as their catering certainly seems like my kind of wedding. I'll know a few people, and I'll be taking photos, too, so that should keep me busy too. Best of all, I'm Krissy's date, so that assures me I'll have fun. The wedding is in Litchfield, at the same place we went for Iceland Day.

Adventures In Advertising - The Camera Store

I read a fair amount of photography blogs (when I'm not reading about politics or the news, natch.) As such, I end up being snookered into watching a lot of videos that are, well, lame. Granted, a lot of them are actually inspiring to watch, and can be quite educational. But more than a few are lame.

This isn't anyone's fault, really. If my camera did video, I'd be contributing to this trend. But you know what? I bet I'd think that my videos were awesome. Others, of course, would think they are lame. The important thing is that people are creating videos that they want to, others be damned. I like this mentality.

This video has all the makings of being lame, but it isn't. Well, to me at least. If you don't like photography, you'd probably hate any photography video, since they are either a) extremely dry; or b) extremely lame. This video I think manages quite well to capture my attention. Though, I couldn't watch it too many times in a row.

As for being an advertisement for a camera store? It's amazing and works really well. Someone who likes cameras will appreciate it. Someone who doesn't know what they want will probably be amused enough to check them out. And I bet they had a blast filming this, so it's win-win-win all the way around.

It really makes you realize though just how similar camera equipment is to various articles of war.

Camera equipment is often put into waterproof, airtight, crush-proof containers. I imagine guns are put into similar containers. Some of them are even shiny and metal making them look extra illicit.

I like that these guys took advantage of the similarities and did so in a fun way.

Besides, my favorite way to make Krissy laugh is to hold down the shutter release; she can't resist the click click click click.

"I Only Shoot Natural Light"

This subject came up the other day at the mall when Krissy and I were picking up my suit. We'd met an acquaintance of hers who is a photographer who shoots in natural light. I don't know if she uses it exclusively, but from what I saw and remember, she does.

This made me think of the numerous photographers I see saying they only shoot in natural light; when I start thinking, sometimes words just start flowing out of my mouth, this one one such time.

First of all, there is nothing wrong with natural light, this isn't some anti-sun rant or anything, this is more about attitude. I love natural light, I think we all do; without natural light, we'd all be dead.

But I have some problems with people who seem to brag about the fact that they use sunlight exclusively.

First of all, strobes are not unnatural light. They are available. Joe McNally often quotes someone who says he only uses available light. He of course finishes by saying that "available light" is "any fucking light that's available" and to this sentiment I agree.

What if you only use sunlight, and the sun isn't cooperating? You can't work. Yes, people will understand that, but I think at times it can look unprofessional. Imagine getting set up with a customer/client and the clouds roll in killing your dramatic light you had, or there are no clouds and the light is harsh and overbearing. Do you tell them to wait? Do you say you'll try again some other time? I understand you can work with this and around this, but by declaring strobes off-limits seems silly to me.

I think people are scared of flash. I think flash is the proverbial fat-assed gorilla in the room that they want to approach, because when do you get to see a gorilla up close? But they're terrified he will go, quite literally, apeshit on their asses. That's flash. People are intrigued, but afraid because of the uncertainty.

Or maybe they are just lazy.

Then there are the hipster types who are just too cool for any kind of light that isn't directly from the sun falling on powerlines or old fountains. And cross-processing it. Or using polaroids, because manual film is too mainstream.



All that said, I think that a knowledge of light, is paramount for any photographer. Painters were (and are) masters of light, so when something is the backbone of your work, you have the duty to understand it and to utilize it to its fullest potential.

Knowing how light works allows you to take sunlight that may not be ideal and sculpt it onto your subject. You can then supplement this light with strobes, or hot light, or iphone screens, or any other source of light as needed.

So I think natural light only is something of a cop out. People sound pompous when they say it like, "I don't use strobes, I don't need to cheat, I work with what nature gives me to show you how you really look" when in reality, strobes absolutely do the same thing--and so much more.



Rings made by Vicky definitely recommend her shop

Doughnuts: Perhaps The Most Delicious Food On Earth. Perhaps.

There is something uniquely magical about doughnuts. I don't get doughnuts often, since they're not exactly the healthiest thing for you, but any time I wander my way into a Dunkin' Donuts, I am drawn to Boston Creme.

I've long wanted to make my own, for many reasons, but mainly because doughnuts are absolutely friggin' delicious. Also, I think doughnuts runs in every New Englanders veins, much like that of maple syrup in that of those in Vermont. No wonder Bernie Sanders is so awesome.

For Christmas, I received Flour, which is the eponymous cookbook put out by the restaurant (Flour, obviously).




In the cookbook was a recipe for doughnuts. Aside from eclairs, this is the recipe I felt I needed to make as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I lacked a few important items. First, I had no round cutters, which is kind of important when you're making doughnuts which are, you know, round. And as for eclairs, I also did not have any kind of piping tools. Now, I have both, so I am certainly looking forward to making some eclairs, like, now.



Making doughnuts is surprisingly easy, though it does require a few things.

First, you are going to need ingredients, obviously. These are all standard baking stuffs, so I wouldn't worry too much. Flour, butter, milk, eggs, and the like. If you bake, you most certainly have what you need.

As far as tools, you'll need a way to roll out dough. Either a French rolling pin or a standard. I like the aesthetics of a french pin, but I make do with a regular old rolling pin.

You'll also be needing a way to cut the doughnuts. You can either use round cookie cutters, or a special doughnut cutter. Personally, I'm happy with my round cookie cutters. They come in various sizes from about 3/4 of an inch to three-and-a-half inches. I like that they are multipurpose, whereas doughnut cutters really only serve to, well, cut out doughnuts. The choice is yours.

Since doughnuts are fried (yes, there are also baked cake doughnuts, but those are different), you're going to need a way to fry them. You can either use a deep fryer, if you have one, or a heavy pot.

The benefits to a fryer, is temperature control. Since they have a temperature dial on them, you can maintain a regular temperature. But, the downside is that you may not be able to fit as many doughnuts in. I could fit only two at best in mine.

Heavy stock pots, like Le Creuset, Staub, or Lodge will also work fabulously. Obviously these are expensive, but they can be used for so many different things. Besides, they look good. Fryers aren't exact;y the most beautiful kitchen artifacts. This method, is a bit trickier, though since you have no temperature dials. You can use an oil/candy thermometer, or throw in a dash of flour into the oil. When it sizzles, your oil is ready.



The nice thing about making your own goodies is that you know what goes into them, and that you don't have to waste anything. The "holes" can become little munchkins or donettes. Even the scraps can be recycled into new dough for new doughnuts. There wasn't a single scrap of dough that went to waste. which was nice. I ended up with nine doughnuts, and countless doughnut holes, which are a good snack. The nice thing about the doughnut holes is that they tend to turn themselves over when the other half needs to be fried. Not many foods cook themselves. How awesome are doughnuts?



We made some doughnuts plain, some were coated with sugar, and some were coated with cinnamon sugar-- probably one of the tastiest combinations you can imagine.



The recipe takes about two days. The first day is just making the dough. This takes maybe ten to fifteen minutes. Wrapping up the dough to let it rest and retard overnight is all you have to do afterwards. The next day, you just take the dough out, cut out the doughnuts, and let it rest for a couple hours in a warm spot. Next, you get to frying, doing each side for two to three minutes. Doughnut holes may take a bit less time.



Recipe for Doughnuts, from Flour, very ever-so-slightly altered. (By the way, this cookbook is awesome, I can't recommend it enough)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 package)
2/3 cup milk, at room temperature. I used skim since it's all we had.
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour. I like King Arthur Flour
1 1/3 cup sugar (1/3 for the recipe, 1 cup for the coating)
2 tsp kosher salt (If using table salt, use half this amount since it is finer.)
3 eggs (large)
7 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature, cut into eight or so pieces.
Canola Oil (for frying, you'll need enough to fill your pot/fryer with 3 inches of oil. Think half-gallon)

Directions:

- In a stand mixer (or a hand mixer), combine the milk and yeast, stirring briefly, letting it stand for a minute to dissolve.

- Add the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, and eggs and mix on low speed for about a minute (or until the dough comes together).

- Continue mixing on low speed for another two to three minutes to develop the dough further, and begin adding the hunks of butter one or two at a time until the butter is fully incorporated, and the dough is soft and cohesive. This should take about five minutes or so.

- Remove the dough from the bowl (a spatula or dough scraper works well) and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least six hours, though overnight works well if you are doing this at night.

Day 2

- Lightly flour a baking sheet or two, and flour your work surface well. You don't want the dough sticking to your counter, right?

- Roll the dough out until it is 1/2 inch thick. This will be about a square foot, but if yours is more rectangular shaped than square, don't feel so bad.

- Using your doughnut cutters, cut out the doughnuts and place them on the baking sheet. Make sure the holes are close to the center. I don't think asymmetrical doughnuts qualify as modern art. Also, feel free to experiment with different sized cutters for smaller or larger doughnuts. When you run out of space to cut doughnuts, roll it back into a somewhat singular form and recut. You'll probably be able to get another doughnut or so out of the scraps. Or you could throw those scraps away, but think of the starving children when you do it, you bastard.

- Cover your doughnuts with plastic wrap (loosely, but so no air gets in) and place them in a warm area to rise for two to three hours. They should double in size and be slightly springy to the touch. Think poufy.

- After this agonizing wait, line a tray, baking sheet, or in my case a pizza pan with paper towels. Unless you like oily doughnuts, then by all means...

- Fill your fryer according to its directions, or a heavy saucepan to a depth of three inches and heat on medium-high heat. You want the oil at 350 degrees, so if you have a candy thermometer now is a good time to use it, just be careful. If you do not have a thermometer, toss a few flecks of flour into the oil. If it sizzles like a little boy doing a jig at a wedding, your oil is ready.

- Slowly place the doughnuts into the oil, one or two at a time. Fry each side for two to three minutes until brown (flipping carefully after the first side finishes).

- Don't dump anything into hot oil. You really don't want to burn yourself. You want to enjoy the doughnuts, right? Also, don't crowd the doughnuts, they won't fry as well, and we want these suckers perfect, don't we?

- Using a slotted spoon, or a wire mesh-like spoon thing, slowly extract the doughnuts from the oil and place them on the paper towels. I'd avoid using plastic utensils, since they could very possibly melt, and plastic doughnuts, while tantalizing, do not say "yummy" to me. I used metal tongs, since we don't have a slotted spoon or anything.

- While you wait for this magic to happen, fill a bowl with the one cup of sugar, or cinnamon sugar, or anything else you want to coat them with.

- Once cool enough to handle, toss the doughnuts in the sugar, cinnamon sugar, etc until coated to your liking. Some may like the completely embedded in sugar look, while other may prefer a light dusting, so coat to taste. I find that the munchkin doughnut holes are a good test for this.

- Set the coated doughnuts to cool on the paper towels for half an hour or so. You don't want to eat them when they are overly hot or when they are slightly doughy, so just be patient. Don't worry, it's worth it.

- If you are impatient, feel free to snack on some munchkins while you fry up the rest of the doughnuts. These seem to take less time to cool.

- Enjoy!


For the record, you want the oil at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit

It's Valentines Day

I've been instructed specifically not to blog about the origins of Valentines Day by my other half. There will be no rant about how Valentines Day is a "hallmark holiday" or how it really caters to women, and in a way sort of forces men to do something for their women today. There will be no mention of the executions of two men named Valentine, both on February 14th of different years. Nor will I delve into their canonizations.

Nope. Not gonna do it. And not just because the wife said so. Truth is, it's kind of depressing to think about all that on a day that's supposed to be happy (and hopefully stress-free).

A lot of people buy things on Valentine's Day, and you have to wonder why? Not "why do they do it" why, why why this day? Do flowers and a card mean more today than some other day? Is Valentine's really a holiday that caters to women and only to them? Is Valentine's a day for a guy to behave so he gets rewarded by his lady (or man)? I don't really think so.

Speaking of which, here is mine. I hope she doesn't get too upset with me over this. ; )

How can one not love this girl?

I don't think that Valentine's, at it's core, meant to become what it is today. I think we made it that way.

No one says you have to give someone a Hallmark card. No one said you have to give anyone flowers, or massages, or anything else. Who says today requires a romantic dinner? What makes it special today? To me, I think it is less special.

The best part about romantic dinners is that they are usually a surprise. They are special because, for all you know, you are the only two people doing it at that very moment. Chances are you are not, but you can believe it to be so.

But on Valentine's Day? Being special, being different is what I think makes a day memorable. You can (and should) shower your significant other with love, gifts, and the like every day of the year. On Valentine's Day, do something different. Make them something by hand, for example. I know no woman who doesn't appreciate something made by hand. And I'm going to assume that guys would feel the same way. I know I do.



Making your own valentine is certainly a start. This couple has been using the same valentine for seventy years. It doesn't have to be anything too fancy. If you are not artistic or crafty, it won't matter. It really is the effort and out put that matter, not the artistic sensibilities behind it. Though, if your other half is an art critic, I cannot guarantee this previous statement.

Maybe that is too simple, or you've been doing that and you want to impress your love with something new, something different. You might try a new, unique craft. Quilling (or paper filigree) is one of those lost crafts that people just don't see much of anymore. It's incredibly inexpensive, all you need is some paper, a quilling tool, and some glue. It costs maybe ten dollars to get started. You could make something like this:



You could go with a different craft, too. Maybe you are clumsy with your fingers, or you have large hands, or can't focus on the small minutiae of quilling. Try making a book. There are all kinds of ways to make, and further customize, a book. It could be a recipe book, a note book, or a book for him or her to write you letters. We personally have this one, and I like it. It's simple and not too overwhelming if you are starting out. Even better is that some books require nothing more than paper, while others do require a few more tools. I assure you though, they're not expensive.

I think an important part of Valentine's Day though, arguably the most important in fact, is every single other day of the year. No amount of neglect can be made up for in one day of flowers and chocolate. No Hallmark card is going to make up for you being a bastard for the rest of the year. It doesn't take much to go a long way. Make them breakfast (Pancakes are yummy). Leave them notes at random, maybe daily before they leave for work. Surprise them every once in awhile. Tell them you're going to go out for dinner, and leave work early to prepare a meal at home instead.

This is not that difficult.

Really, if you're going to be spending the rest of your life with someone, it is in your best interest (and theirs) to treat every day like Valentine's Day.

You'll only have yourself to thank for it.

On Undermining Professional Photographers

Being unemployed has its pitfalls, but it also has it's benefits. One such bonus is that I get to read a lot. Perhaps too much, in fact. I have kind of avoided reading about photography opinion for a few months. Aside from the constant bickering over HDR, Canon vs. Nikon, first party versus third party lenses, stock versus micro stock, et cetera, very little was offered. I just got sick of reading about people complaining. Most egregious, though, are people complaining about others ruining the trade by diluting the market.

I understand their plight. Really, I do. They have been taking photographs for years, and getting a certain wage for that. And now, with digital cameras everywhere, everyone is a photographer, of sorts. Now, everyone can take photos, and we can all get better, because practice is free now. 

The fact is, there are tiers of artistry. I can take a photograph. I can take a better photograph (subjective, I know) than someone. And someone else can take a better photograph than I can. I am not Joe McNally. I could buy all the gear and hire all the help I wanted, I still wouldn't be Joe. I'm not Louis Pang either. I don't know the first thing about photographing a spread for National Geographic or photographing a wedding. So why do I read everywhere that people like me are ruining the field by driving prices down? 

For the record, I'm not, I haven't taken photos for anyone, but let's say I did. According to what I read online, I should charge roughly what  an experienced photographer charges, maybe a little less. But wait, charging just a little less hurts their bottom line, so I shouldn't do that. I'm not as experienced as they are, so I should charge a lot less, right? 

Say I wanted to be a wedding photographer (true story), prices range from $500 all the way to $10,000 or more. On average, prices tend to be $1500 on the low end and $5,000 or so on the higher-than-average end. So what about me? After all, I'm getting married, so I'm going to need a photographer. But I don't exactly have money, so what am I supposed to do? Go without photos? Hell no. So then what? 

What about other people in my situation? What about young couples (or old ones!) who want to get married but don't have a lot of money, but want photos of the event? Is it really hurting anyone for us to pay someone a few hundred dollars to take our photos? Does this really hurt someone charging three, five, or ten times this amount? Does Prada worry about Wal*Mart hurting their clothing sales?

So what is this really about?

I think it's about innovation. I don't think there's been much innovation until recently. Wedding photos have always been pretty boring and staid. But now, they are dynamic. Even the more traditional photos of weddings are more inspired now than in the past. But there are all kinds of wedding photographers now, and that is truly inspiring. Does it matter if some of them charge $500 on Craigslist? I don't think so. 

If you're a photographer who has been in the business, and you have not evolved, that is your problem, not everyone else's. You've missed the boat, and now you need to catch up, like me.

But I can't help but think of people who are far worse than we. I can't help but imagine what child workers in other countries would think of this complaining. What would these photographers do if they made seven cents an hour? Because I bet the people who make our clothes would be more than happy to switch wages, since I don't think many of them can even imagine $500, much less thousands.

I feel like I could have said this all better and more effectively, but the words aren't coming to me. Maybe because I've stopped reading about it, maybe because I'm tired or mentally fatigued. But my point stands. Complaining is not going to fix anything. If someone is undercutting your business, figure out why. Don't just whine and give up. If people are hiring them and not you, it's for a reason. Either they can't afford you, or don't value your work for your price. Reflect. I think you'll find that reflection offers all of the answers. Just keep an open mind. Oh, and one more thing. Innovate, for crying out loud!