Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I have just finished the series, and I am off to a new book, "John Dies @ the End". Dragon Tattoo was an excellent series, a page turner to the very end. I will admit the first portion of the first book is a little slow, due to the author is trying to build a history for the characters, and it drags slightly, but once it takes off, it isn't till the third book before it slows again. And I will admit, I didn't see that end coming. I forgot all about that particular situation. I am not trying to say to much, as you can see, because inevitably someone will read it and blame me for giving something away.

I have heard a couple rumors that there is a fourth book that was written, that had not been printed out, sitting on his laptop when he died.

On to photo news.... all 5 of my glass photos were accepted. YEAH. And three of them are selling well.

On to entertainment news.... I have a Dancing with the Stars office pool you can join. It's free and it's fun.

Exit 101 is wrapping up, so I will be getting my lights back.

Met Bobby Bowden on Sunday. Going to meet Alton Brown and Rachel Ray later in the year. Darth Vader too.

Well, I'm off to clean a room or two before taking some shots.

5 New Ones... YIPPEE!!!

I know I don't write as often as I should, especially since this blog started out as a motivation to get 500 this year. Looking slim at this point. However, I will continue to post as I get ideas, that in turn help my 3 readers generate their own ideas.

Today I had 5 accepted by Shutterstock. All 5 were similar in nature. A wine glass with water and food coloring added, and then inverted. Inverting the photo gave the bland color of the dye a neon look, and of course reversing red gives green, blue to orange and so on. Here is a photo, I left half original and half inverted to kind of show how it was created.

As you can see, inverting the blue dyed water with white background, gives a kind of fire water look with a black background. This photo is one where I dropped an ice cube in while shooting high speed too.

On both sides, facing in, and angled slightly backwards is a couple close-up lights. On the camera is my speedlite with diffuser. Behind my, jumping on my back and yelling at each other, are my daughters. One trying to question me dropping an ice cube into the blue water, the other late for a nap and super irritable.

Anyways, got a book-signing with Bobby Bowden Sunday, as well as a Sunday church dinner, theme... cajun. Work in between. Ah well, at least I am 5 closer.

Nighty night

Old Alabama Town

Ok, we went to this little tourist attraction trap called Old Alabama Town. A bunch of old buildings with some historic value, and the occasional artifact. I was able to get a few decent shots, and I used the time practicing with the various angles of my speedlite. If we did a self guided tour, we would have been able to see the blacksmith, weavers, cobblers, and so-on, but the lady at the front desk called down to the first building and made sure we hit the "last guided tour of the day". So we thought fine. Turns out that guided tour was just for one building, so when we made it back around to the "working" district, everyone had gone home for the day.
All in all, if you're a history buff, it may be worth it if you go early enough. Photography wise, you may get a few good shots. Got kids, don't go.

I didn't get to go to the zoo here either, the rest of family went while I worked, however, I hear they are renovating and therefore not very many animals and the few they did have are caged up.

So anywhos. Gonna go and work a few photos, then head to work.

McWane Science Center

Went to the McWane Science Center in Birmingham today with the family. Really had a great time. 4 stories of fun and science. Shark petting, dino bones, aquariums, and a ton of science oriented fun for kids of all ages. You can lay on a bed of nails, stand in a hurricane wind tunnel, ride a bicycle across a wire 20 ft up, watch an iMax movie, play on all kinds of green screen video games, and so much more. Really worth it if you're in town, but save some time for it, there is a ton to do. Here is a link to some photos of us at the center.

Also, try Pita Loco for the best gyros you will ever eat.

Have a couple photos that came out decent enough to try to upload to Shutterstock. I did not carry anything in but the camera, and it was not brightly lit, so I didn't attempt many stock shots, but focused on the kids.

Also today is Jon and Michelle's 8th anniversary... Happy Anniversary. For those who don't remember, Jon is a Na'Vi.

Not much else to say right now. So I'll end it................. here

Latest Approval

This is my latest approved photo on Shutterstock. It was actually easier to do then I thought it would be. I filled a clear bowl with water, added a couple drops of blue food coloring. Added a few teaspoons of vegetable oil and stirred. I placed the bowl on a black mat and laid a light on the ground off to the left. I would have to keep the mix fairly newly stirred for the bubbles to show, otherwise they would glob up and not be seen in the photo. 

Where have I been?

It has been awhile, hasn't it? I am now in Alabama, and much to my surprise, I am enjoying it here. I have joined the Shades Valley Camera Club. I have created a bookfair to support the Children's Hospital of Alabama, which has a Star Wars theme, and will be centered around some members of the 501st Legion. I am enjoying my job at Books-a-Million. And I like the house we are living in.

I don't remember what I wrote in my last post, which was written while I was still in Georgia, I believe. I was going to write a tribute to my father on Father's Day, but I didn't, because I found it too difficult. I may try it later on.

I have read several books since I started at BAM. They have an associate check-out program, where you can check the books out of the store like a library, and return them when you're done. I have Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential (very interesting). I read Stephen King's Under the Dome (book excellent, ending horrible). I started Richard Castle's Heat Wave, but ended up stopping because it was basically an existing episode of the show with the names changed. I started the Stieg Larsson books, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and currently The Girl who played with Fire. Both are excellent, stay up late and keep reading type books. I can't wait for the American versions of the movie to come out. Daniel Craig is playing Mikael Blomvkist.

I have had one photo uploaded to Shutterstock. I have not been taking to many photos since I started helping with the movie Exit 101. I am hoping the camera club will help with that. So I have about 4 months and 271 photos to go. I really need to get on the ball. Being in a larger city will help when it comes to time-for photos, the model base here is quite large, and there are some amazing places to shoot. One is Sloss Furnace.

Anywho, I am not going to write a lot at this very moment. I am going to try to write more often, see maybe if I can get back on my daily routine.

I'm going to leave you with this little video about Angela and myself working extra jobs due to our kids...

Anthony Bourdain

I have recently been watching Anthony Bourdain's show "No Reservations" on Netflix. I am starting at the beginning and working my way to the most recent, but two episodes have caught my attention in Season 2. The first was when he took his production manager, Nari Kye, to Korea. Her cheerful disposition was a great contrast to his general demeanor. Some of his best moments on the show are when he is talking with people and this show is an hour long great moment. The other episode was the Beirut episode. They started it out like any other, talking to a local who explained the recent history of the war, and how the city was rebuilding from their civil war. They ate a lunch, and that is when everything changed, as machine guns started going off, and the city started being bombed. The airport was destroyed, they were evacuated to a hotel just outside the city. You get to see a lot more of the behind the scenes moments as the "fixer" for the show had to suddenly leave the country, basically abandoning them. Their local security escort held out, but he eventually left and they later found out his home had been destroyed. They had to stay for a week before the USS Nashville could come pick up the American citizens. It was a real unexpected moment for the show, definitely unplanned.

But anyways. I have struggled with my Shutterstock sales lately, of course not uploading doesn't help. But today I doubled my monthly sales with a surprisingly great day.

Moving day will be July 2nd. So my 'net connection will interrupted slightly. Hopefully I will love my new job.  

Exit 101, July 10th

For you local readers, we need extras for the movie on July 10th. It's an overnight shoot, so be prepared to be up all night. You'll need to be one of two types of people, first, we need college age students wearing halloween costumes, non-copyrighted characters. The other will be anybody to play infected people, wear clothes you don't mind getting messed up. If you haven't seen photos of the project go to this link and check it out. Here is the teaser trailer (note: it is a rough edit, not color-corrected, and without correct music)

My three year old, Eliana, is currently fascinated with rainbows. Every morning between 8:00 and 8:20 there is a rainbow that moves across the floor as the light filters through the front door. When she sees it, she'll wake us up if we're not up already and have us play in it.

Preparing for our move to Birmingham. I'll be packing heavily the next couple days. Alot of people already know, so, yes, I did get the job with Books-a-Million. I will be a co-manager there, making more then I currently am.

Not much photography wise. Did upload one of myself, I think I did since I last blogged.

It's pretty straight forward. I am sitting in my living room, so I burned out anything visible in background. I then cropped it halfway down my face, and then added a black copy space to the side. I altered my look by adjusting the contrast and brightness. But I can't honestly say what I did, because I don't remember. I have tried to redo it, but I can't quite figure it out. If you have any ideas what I did let me know. I thought I faded the saturation, lowered the brightness and increased the contrast. I also dodged my eyes a bit to make them pop. 

But anyways. Need to keep packing stuff so I will be going now. 

YEAH!!!

Ok, I won't say how my interview went yesterday, but I will say a new chapter in my life is about to open. And for anybody getting ready to do an interview, be positive. An employer doesn't want to hear someone being negative, even about a competitor. To be honest, I have nothing really against Walmart. Sure, they have silly and sometimes downright stupid programs, but for the most part, if the store runs something correctly, it works. Walmart has been part of my life for most of 15 years. Most of my knowledge as far as retail and merchandising was developed through them. I am thankful I entered the company back in the day when you ran your departments like your own store. It's a little different now, more like just reading the stuff from home office and doing. Not as much creativity.

So anyways, like I said, I can't say anything until I take the proper steps. But I will recommend Books-a-Million stock. I have to get ready for work, so I will write again another day.

Books-a-Million

Today I am off to Birmingham again. I have yet another interview to flub, this time with Books-a-Million. I have been having odd luck with my interviews lately. I have interviewed with several Walmarts for transfers, and of course I nail those right on the head, because I don't really want to be there. But when it comes to jobs I really want, I screw them up. Let's use my latest as an example. Bed, Bath, and Beyond. A nice little company best known for being in Adam Sandler's movie "Click". It was a position I am qualified for, I wanted, and would have provided decent enough money to keep Angela from having to work. At the end of the interview, I wouldn't have hired myself. As I stood up and shook the manager's hand, I knew I was not getting it. Some of my errors? I was negative about my current company. When being interviewed, never be negative about your past companies. Why should I be negative toward Walmart? No reason, they have been my main job for most of 15 years. They have good people working for them. They have good programs. They do honestly try to work with communities. They have great (yes they do) benefits and insurance. So why negative? I guess I was trying to give a good reason why I wanted to leave them. How did it sound? Like I hated them, and that translated to I was a frustrated employee who would probably get frustrated with any new place I worked too. Another thing I did wrong? I rambled. Instead of just answering the question, I would volunteer a little more, add that one more little example. I was a motormouth. And lastly, I couldn't name my weaknesses. I came off as a frustrated, arrogant, rumor-spreader, who thought he was perfect.

But anyways. My strategy with today's interview is simply be myself. Answer the question briefly. Use positive examples from Walmart. Why do I want to leave Walmart? I don't, but since I am moving to a larger city for the first time, I want to see what other opportunities are out there. To see if any other companies want to use my experience and knowledge. Walmart has great programs, and even though some of their newer programs are off to a slow start, I can see their potential.

Ok, enough about me. Let's talk about my wants. For Father's Day I want one of two things. I know I will get neither, but this is a wish list, not a need's list. I want the DVD "(500) Days of Summer" or the book by Anthony Bourdain "Kitchen Confidential". And stay tuned to this blog on Father's Day where I will give tribute to my late father. Anyway, I must go and be myself, so until next time....

....um.... Hi

I'm back(ish). A lot has happened since I last wrote. My father passed away. And I am moving to Alabama. The movie is finally starting to wrap up. Buying a house. Trying to get a new job. Niece was born.

Since I am in the mist of moving, I may not be a steady blogger again. I will try to keep up, but no promises. So, I'll keep you all in mind and try to get back into the habit of daily writing.

Oh, and check out some of the latest "Exit 101" pics

Hilton Head

I'm back from the magical island of consumer paradise... Hilton Head. Actually, Hilton Head is one of the prettier places I have been, and the people there have always been incredibly nice. It's the people leading up to my stay at Hilton Head that make the trip fall a little flat. My first time ever there was around 1998 or '99. I was sent there for hurricane relief be Wal-Mart. I was expecting to go into a store that was covered in broken glass and water damage. Instead, we get there and find a pretty clean, but very packed store. It seems there is an ordinance on the island that says tractor trailers cannot stay on the island more then 24 hours. So when the island was evacuated, the people left, but the Wal-Mart trucks kept on going, and they ended up with roughly 8 trailers of merchandise that needed to be stocked or dealt with. So what I thought would be a tough week of cleaning, turned out to be a tough week of stocking. Anyway, when our week was up, we realized they needed us for one more night, so we went back for another night, except for one person in our group, who decided he was not going, bought himself a 6-pack and stayed at the hotel. He is now a co-manager and making about 4-times what I make.
Second bad experience was a really bad hotel room, I don't remember the exact details anymore.
This is my third stay to the island, even though I have made day trips to it since my second stay. I booked a room at the Metropolitan on the beach. I get the confirmation, the money is taken from my account and off we go....
The rain was incredibly rough, which made using a phone in a car difficult. But I called to let hotel know I was running a couple hours late. "Um... are you sure you're spelling your name right? You are not in our system." So I call Orbitz (never EVER use Orbitz) And this is no joke... I talked to EIGHT people before they finally managed to get me a new room. The biggest issue with Orbitz, they outsource their call-center to India. I love India, I love their accent, but in a rain pounded car, it can be very difficult to understand them. So the four of them that spoke very clearly were customer service people, and could only listen to my problem, they couldn't actually book a new room. They four that spoke the worst, and couldn't understand me, were the sales people. They would get frustrated and transfer me.
Anyway, don't use Orbitz. They also gave me a $50 credit for their error. They didn't use it I am now finding out.
Ok. So we pick Shelter Cove Harbor as our location. I talk to the harbor master and I even get a charter for free for a model and myself as long as I give copy of photos to them. So I call the models... not a single one of them is available to go at that time. So I prep for first model. A no show. Today is Wednesday, so it has been 5 days and still no call or text or email as to why she didn't bother to show.
So on to a new location for the band Prologic13. I picked a revolutionary war era graveyard for them. I set up my lights, toured the area and got my ideas. They showed up and I went through the various poses I had and then asked them what else they wanted, and that's when the fun started. Each one had an idea of what they wanted, so I ended up with a lot of photos.
Back to Shelter Cove for Ashley. A very pretty young lady who dreams of being a supermodel. The wind had picked up, and was blowing west, so when she was facing the sun for lighting, the wind was blowing the hair into her face. But we got through, with two outfits. Her little sister was with her, and was a little diva. So I got a release for her and shot her too. She was all over the place. We'd set up a shot and just before I could snap it she'd be running off saying "I got an idea. You'll like it."
So then I had Crystal, a gorgeous woman with plenty of ideas, and expressions that reminded me so much of an early Cindy Crawford. We worked our way around the harbor, and then the sun fell behind some trees and we couldn't get back into it, but she said the harbor by her house was a clear view of the sunset. So we all jumped into our cars and drove like maniacs through the island. We set up and hit a pretty nice sunset.
You are probably dieing to see the pics, so I'll post one here, and you will have to visit http://wmiphotography.smugmug.com to see more.

WOOHOOO

3 uploaded, 3 accepted. And a new one uploaded tonight. So if I keep up this pace, I'll make my goal.

Daughter has illness again today, everyone freaking out because it may be measles, but we won't know for sure until tomorrow morning at the docs.

"Can't Touch This"

MC Hammer would make a great museum curator.

Another day down in the filming of Exit 101. As usual, you can see the shots here.

Was going to watch "Where the Wild Things Are" but I am too tired and I think I will go to bed. I have to get the girls up early for baths and get them to their aunts for hairdos.

Shutterstock is now over 48 hours without approving or denying my photos. Unusual. My sales on iStock for March was my third best month ever, just missed second by 50 cents. First is held back a couple years ago when I sold an EL for $62.

Booked my hotel with Orbitz. Got a spot on the beach for a really great deal. Now I just have to convince myself to wake up early to get great sunrise shots.

Quote from the book nearest to me, I am randomly opening to page 37 and reading the 5th sentence.... (I'm bored...ok) It says "As was previously noted, this type of pose provides the most options for concealing problems and producing a flattering portrait." Posing Techniques by Jeff Smith.

I'm Uploading

Just to let you know. Not many, but a few (literally... three). But hey, at least I am trying. My next item I am saving for (after I buy the VisionMonger book) is a pocket wizard.

Anyway, busy uploading and getting tired, so super short post. 

VisionMongers

Was just watching a live interview with Zack Arias, and this was a book he recommended reading. I have not read it, but with my BigStock payment I should receive in the next couple days I plan on getting it. The interview can be found at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/danesanders-tv, I believe he should have the replay up by the time you read this. Zack talks about finding your niche, overcoming fears, and what equipment he would use if this was his first day ever shooting. Lot of great questions, and a lot of great insight from a guy I highly respect. He mentions a few blogs you should read on a daily basis (mine did not make the cut), as well as some books to read.

I am feeling better, as well as Eliana. The little one and now Angela are getting hit hard with it. So far, I think Larissa got the worst end of it, she managed to get every symptom while the rest of us just got a couple. Thanks for prayers and well-wishes.

Starting to get pumped for the Hilton Head shoot. Hope to get plenty of great shots, and model releases so I can start uploading to get back on track to 500.

One thing Zack said that kind of made me kind. He said the reason he has a studio is to separate his work from his home life. When he is at the studio, he is at work, when he is at home, he is off the clock. When I am at home, I am with the kids, so I am playing parent, so any photography comes second. But when I go off to shoot a band, or shoot the movie, I take hundreds of photos, because I am business. What I need is a spot to call my own, that I can separate my home and photography. I guess I can dream.

I am actually listening to the interview again as I write this. I am pausing to take notes. Most of you ignore my links, but I really suggest this one, especially if you have not really gotten your photography business off the ground. Might even link over on the right there... just that good.

Here's a great pic from Zack that he twittered a couple days ago.... (I hope he doesn't mind me posting)

Illness

Myself and my youngest daughter ended up with chills, slight fever and bad, bad diarrhea. My oldest daughter had a fever that went as high as 102.8. Angela had tummy troubles, but refused to acknowledge them as she was trying to take care of the rest of us.

As far as photos go, I have prepared to take some more dice photos. Had a couple ideas and I thought I would try them out. I am hoping this will help inspire me to take other photos, because I have crossed the threshold of needing an average of one photo a day to complete my goal. So now, I need to try to focus.

The Hilton Head photo shoot is not cancelled, but has been scaled back, due to lack of photographers wanting to take part. I have plenty that seemed interested, and a couple who signed up, but in the end, they backed out, so now I have 6 models and only myself to shoot them. So I will let them know what the deal is, and let them know that I will still shoot them if they like. I will probably do it one on one and vary the locations.

Got a payout from Dreamstime last night. Which is awesome, because that will help pay for this adventure. I am two sales from a payout on Shutterstock, and if I don't get them by the end of tomorrow, then I have to wait a month to get it, and I need the money for the trip. iStock is off the chain this month. I'll have to go back and check, but I believe this is one of the best months I have ever had with them.

Like the new layout? I am hoping that eventually I can put one of my own photos back there.

So anyway, check out my SmugMug pics. Watch Castle. They just got picked up for a full third season. Awesome news. If you haven't watched it yet, get season 1 and enjoy. 

Bad Memory

This sucks, because the other day I found a really cool link, and like an idiot, I did not bookmark it, and now for the life of me I cannot remember it when I am ready to share. Hopefully it will come to me by the end of this posting.

One of the biggest successes that came out of New Recipe Tuesday was Angela's Awesome Enchiladas. She made them again today, and they are still AWESOME!!! As I sit here, I am contemplating warming up the leftovers and eating them now instead of saving them for work tomorrow.

My NCAA bracket was one of the worst I have ever played. But, oddly enough, I can still end up in second place if Duke wins their next game, and loses the finals.

Listening to Sparatica as I write this, or type this I guess. They are currently in the studio laying out their debut album. Kinda excited. Maybe I'll have some of the photos I took appear as an album cover. And if their tour hits Hawaii, I get to tag along as official photographer. Of course I'll probably have to pay my own way, but I'd do it.

Ok, did some more Exit 101 pics last night. It's the Hitchhiker meets the Pizza Guy scene and also the Main Cast meets the Hitchhiker scene. Here is a sample pic:

My memory is still blotchy, but I think it had something to do with a photo I was working on the other day. Speaking of, I have been using the pen tool, after years of ignoring it, I have decided to give it a try, and I am pretty happy with the results. Little time consuming with the finer details, like hair, but worth it.

Here is a comp of a Spartica pic. Was just playing around with a photo and came up with a decent look for the lead vocalist, so I decided to make a "poster" pic of each member of the band. Here is my favorite:

Learned the "glowing orb" trick with a Tyron Coachman photo I did a couple months ago. Added streaks of green lightning. The rest is pretty basic, cloud filter over black, text with gradient. A gradient overlay layer over the entire photo, but just under the guy. Another member I did in a corny way of looking like he is fading into being from lava. The female I will go back and add music notes to the background. The other guy I could not for the life of me think of a concept, so just started playing around and ended up with the flying ninja-like star.

Ok, this is going to bug me all night. I will try to think of it and post it tomorrow (most likely Tuesday, to give you warning, Fred). Here is a post to a photoshop magazine subscription. Isn't ridiculous how expensive these things are? Ok, well, good night.

One Light Workshop

OneLight Workshop Dvd Set! Camera Just thought I would promote Zack Arias a little bit here. He is a speaker down at Photoshop World in Orlando. If I had known that I might have attempted to go down there, but alas, I am broke and can't do that. Maybe he'll stop at exit 101 Cordele, Ga on his way back through and I'll treat him and his family to lunch.

I will also take a moment to promote Sparatica. They have one song recorded so far, they hit the mic next month for the vocals to finish off their first album. I am hoping I can get a few pics of them when they go on tour.

And I will promote the movie Exit 101. I will be shooting some more pics tomorrow night, so keep checking back for new stuff.

And the last of my promotional links here will be for Redeeming Love which is currently being made into a movie. I have been watching the process, and they are just about to start casting. I think Hugh Jackman and Keira Knightley should star, but that's just my opinion. Angela agrees with me. Possibly Rachel McAdams though. But anyway, read the book. I really liked it. I read it a couple times and even highlighted my favorite parts.















Ok, I am going out to the car now to get my photo equipment so I can shoot a couple pictures. So until tomorrow or so, read a book.

CS5!! I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT

Ok, for those of you who are too busy photographing and working to sit around and read the 'net like I do, there is a new item coming out called CS5. It's a good motivator to save my money.

With the "success" of my Sparatica pics, I now have 3 more bands to shoot when I hit Hilton Head on the 10th. So I will shoot models in the morning, head off to another location, and shoot band after band. I have a feeling I'll need more memory. And speaking of Sparatica, here is their MySpace page. Love their first song, Burning Walls. Here is a couple more pics I did, not special, but decent.

I now have the link for Amazon Associates, so now when I recommend a book like Photoshop Restoration and Retouching by Katrin Eismann, you can link straight to it. Cool, eh? This is one of my favorite books, by the way.  Now if I were to recommend a movie... say "Slumdog Millionaire", that'll pop up , too. Don't ya just love it? Another way for me to annoy you. Well, time to go to bed, gotta be back at work tomorrow.